[Flyin_Freddie]

Once again, Sunday looked rough...well, you know the rest by now. Breakfast at the Cracker Barrel across the parking lot. Good food. We rolled out about 0800 for the drive to the Ohio Historical Society for the scheduled autocross. It was easy to get there...good directions in our packets. Again...good oganization on the part of our OCC hosts.

The course was an interesting one...with two left hand loops in an almost figure 8 configuration. Rob Frink walked us through the course while it was being blown off by others. I had put my street tires back on at Mid-Ohio and elected to run the autocross on street tires as opposed to my Hoosiers. But I offered to help during the morning session...to allow other participants time to blow off the course, removing loose asphalt, gravel and sand before I took my chances. Turns out, with my street tires - Goodyear GT II's - it didn't make much difference. I had aired up my street tires for the Mid-Ohio event, thinking I'd run in the morning at Mid-Ohio on street tires, then change over to my Hoosiers R303S tires for the afternoon/evening run sessions. Problem was that I left these street tires at the same pressure for the autocross, and this proved to NOT be such a good idea. Talk about understeer....I was turning the wheel as fast as I could to the right, while the car continued to plow straight ahead into 2-3 cones at a time. I may have reinvented the name "Cone Killer"...I managed to collect the same 3 cones each run I made. It was pitiful.

So...I decided to sit this one out and plunked my fanny down in a folding lawnchair under a shadetree on one of the parking lot islands near the entrance of the course. This proved to be a good vantage point, and I got to see the good, the bad, and even the Ugly from my chair.

Funny...about 2:30, I glanced over at Jay Nordstrom who was sitting about 4 feet from me. Even though there was lots of tire screeching, revving engines, and loud exhausts all in front of us, both of us were nodding off! I laughed and punched Jay in the left arm..."Jay", I said,"I've drank so much alcohol this week that's it only 2:30 in the afternoon and I'm starting to get the shakes...man, I need a drink!" Jay and I just roared...! We both decided we were gettin' way to old to keep this pace up for very long!

But...we also both decided that we'd be back next year, too!!!

Following the end of the autocross, I helped Ron Frohs change back to his street tires, and we returned to a now almost-empty "Red Dot Inn". It was kind of sad to see the now empty parking lot where only a few hours before gleaming Cobra replicas parked and good friends enjoyed good times with other good friends. Jay, Ron, Brian, and I got cleaned up and went to dinner at Outback just down the road. Once again...good food, good times, and good friends....

Hell...it just doesn't get any better'n that...!