Loaded up with all the crap I would need for 10 days away from home, I drove the STF car to Lincoln for the SCCA Pro Solo Finale and Solo Nationals. New 225/45-15 Kumho tires were mounted and scrubbed in at a local autox the prior week. Having to abort my last driving trip to Nationals in my 99 STR Miata due to a mechanical breakdown, I was a bit nervous about the long distance journey but good old Honda reliability motored me effortlessly to my destination. Combined fuel mileage averaged about 32 mpg on the 3188 mile trip.
A late-summer failure of the ABS module left me without anti-lock and I expected brake bias or other problems but to my surprise the brake feel and feedback was excellent; much easier to drive at the limit - no more ice mode or kickback. I bought a replacement module and had time to replace it before Nationals but decided to let it be. Once I do replace the module, I will disable the ABS for autox which is easy as disconnecting the harness or pulling the fuse.
Pro Solo Finale: Nothing to see here; I drove fine and the courses were fast, flowing, and fun, but I finished fourth in class. The RSX was working well but I never quite put together a perfect run or I coned away my fastest times. All dry runs. Finished second in the STF overall Pro Solo year-end points.
And as a reminder, here is the setup I used for both the Pro and Nationals.
Springs: 750F 1300R
Swaybar: 06/08
Tires: 225/45-15 Kumho V720, 32psiF, 36 psiR
Rake: 1/4" reverse
Solo Nationals: I was pleasantly surprised to land in first place after day one on the East course, but second and third were right behind me on the same tenth. The East course had elements that I was more familiar with and suited my car setup and driving style whereas the West course was sweeper intensive with two pinchy corner exits. I was more comfortable and confident on the East and it shows in my times. The West drove faster than it walked and my car was working better than I imagined, but I was fourth fastest on day two for an overall third place finish. All dry runs.
Below is the East video - other videos can be found on my YouTube page.
BTW, the car is still for sale.
