HS nationals autocross

[tri-pedaler]

No, I’m not there. Looking forward to doing some events the next few weeks after a long hiatus in the schedule. So following nationals to pass the time.

First day results of HS are in, and glad to see a Fiesta in the trophies for now. Otherwise it’s virtually all Civic Sports, and one 2015 Accord interestingly.

I’m still trying to wrap my head around how the CS is, as @CSM called it, the overdog. Makes 16.5 pounds of boost, has less torque and horsepower, and is about 150 pounds heavier. An extra inch of tire width really does cover cover over a multitude of sins. The torque curve does look nice and flat however…

http://sololive.scca.com/Nats/HS.php

 

[tri-pedaler]

Also a GR Corolla got 2nd despite being in BS now??? 1st was a Supra.

 

[SteveS]

Tire width and 3-4" wider wheel track go a long way to better handling.

 

[tri-pedaler]

Good point about track width. And oddly the CS is an inch lower/shorter for the roof height. Not sure about roll center.

 

[tri-pedaler]

And that's a wrap on HS nationals this year. Congrats to Matt Morhardt on a consecutive win. And great to see a Fiesta in the trophies at the end - beating out 3 of the 8 CSs. Driver skill can push it into the top 7, but it does look like 2019 is probably the last year a FiST will claim the top spot.

http://sololive.scca.com/Nats/HS.php

 

[CSM]

Also a GR Corolla got 2nd despite being in BS now??? 1st was a Supra.

Francois is a hell of a driver in that Corolla. Funny thing is that if you plugged that same car in DS, it would have finished second as well. Show's you how stacked DS is. Many of the GRC drivers in the paddock were talking about trying to petition the car to go back to DS. We will see

 

[CSM]

I was there helping Andres Rodriquez in HS. The Civic Sport really is an overdog. The wider wheels and ability to fit massive 255 tires goes a very long way.

I had a great time and finished 21/67 in SSC, 316 overall in PAX I think. SSC is rough! My best showing yet at a national event, but hungry for a trophy!

 

[tri-pedaler]

I was there helping Andres Rodriquez in HS. The Civic Sport really is an overdog. The wider wheels and ability to fit massive 255 tires goes a very long way.

I had a great time and finished 21/67 in SSC, 316 overall in PAX I think. SSC is rough! My best showing yet at a national event, but hungry for a trophy!

Small world - I have Andres’ old RPF1s now - running them next weekend for the first time.

@CSM do you think you’ll be out with the GRC for events? Or mainly the SSC car?

 

[tri-pedaler]

And why not…some history on the Fiesta at Solo Nationals since it has been on sale in the US:

2014 - Mini Coopers top 12 spots. It is essentially a one-car class.
2015 - Mini won, next 4 FiSTs
2016 - Mini by 4 thousandths, then Fiesta
2017 - Mike King’s Fiesta, then that* Mini by 6 thousandths
2018 - King’s Fiesta by a healthy 1 second over an Accord. Civic Sport X is in the house now, in 3rd and 11th.
2019* - Phillip Mitchell’s Fiesta by a tenth over an Accord.CSs did similarly to the previous year.
*Alex Piehl takes the HS title with his (wife’s!) Fiesta in ProSolo
2020 - Covid 🙃
2021 - Civics 1-2, Fiesta 3.
2022 - Civics get the top NINE spots. The Fiesta era is over - the class reverts back to being a one-car segment?
2023 - Fiesta lucky to trophy

In the end, the FiST was a great car for the class, but not dominant at the national level the way the Mini (R56?) was and the CS now is.

 

[CSM]

Small world - I have Andres’ old RPF1s now - running them next weekend for the first time.

@CSM do you think you’ll be out with the GRC for events? Or mainly the SSC car?

Andres is a good friend. He used to be my Neighbor in Ohio. Small world!!

Im gonna stick with SSC. It's a tough class with a lot of talent. If I trophy in that class it'll mean a lot to me

 

[CSM]

Here is my west course best run. 11/67 in SSC

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7HVyzs2mYQ

 

[tri-pedaler]

Here is my west course best run. 11/67 in SSC

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7HVyzs2mYQ

Great looking run, and 11th is impressive there. What a tough class

 

[tri-pedaler]

Finishing up the archive, here’s the Fiesta in ProSolo since it’s introduction in NA:
2014 - no HS class recorded, none competed in SF
2015 - Trevor King takes it, all 5 cars jn the class are Fiestas
2016 - Philip Mitchell wins in a FiST
2017 - Ed Runion in a Fiesta
2018 - Mike King’s Fiesta wins over Greg Reno’s Mini
2019 - Alex Piehl takes it, last Fiesta national-level championship.

Five in a row for ProSolo - not bad, though the car was less dominant at nationals amateur Solo. After that it looks like HS ceases to function as a ProSolo category.

 

[faust]

Interesting to see that this year's top Fiesta was on Falkens. I wonder if the Falkens actually were the tire to have for the conditions at Nationals, or if he could have gone even faster on the stones.

 

[CSM]

Interesting to see that this year's top Fiesta was on Falkens. I wonder if the Falkens actually were the tire to have for the conditions at Nationals, or if he could have gone even faster on the stones.

Yoks, Stones, and Kumhos are the top tires for FWD at nats this year.

RWD will sometimes see RT660 use for some of the much larger tire sizes (I know Strano ran them in FS because the big sizes of rt660 are very resistant to overheating), but they're still mostly on that Yok train

 

[M-Sport fan]

^^^Is Sam still in f bodies/GM product, or did he switch to 'Stangs??

 

[CSM]

^^^Is Sam still in f bodies/GM product, or did he switch to 'Stangs??

all of the above haha. He pilots a Mach 1 now in F Street.