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took my jaguar to a autocross


Ezrider

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iv been super busy sense spring started but starting to get a little bit of time now to catch my breath. trying to get some fun things squeezed in before winter is upon us again....lol never seems like summer last long enough. found out there is a number of local autocross events for this year so hey sounds like fun. lots of power on bone stock suspension should be perfect for a handling course....lol i have plans to try to take it to the drag strip next month. 

video for anyone that is interested. 

https://youtu.be/-IRX-SkCOQQ

Edited by Ezrider
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That was interesting and rewarding as I've done that in the past with a Volkswagen Scirocco in the late 1970's. Lot's of fun and as you found, one didn't need a lot of motor to race around parking lots. Used to bend that car so tight around pylons the inside rear tire would be almost 24" off the pavement but it stuck like glue and would not spin out. Eventually did put it on it's passenger side but it was rusty and parts used for another car. 

Jag sounds good.

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Dog.jpg.487f03da076af0150d2376dbd16843ed.jpgPlodding along with no job nor practical application for my existence, but still trying to fix what's broke.

 

 

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yeah the power really wasn't much help to me..lol i suppose it might have made up some for the truck driver in me causing me to slow down way to early coming into the corners...lol was running the entire course in 2nd gear to help make the throttle a little less twitchy and help keep it planted. still had to be careful to roll into the throttle to keep it planted. it would be interesting to figure out the longest i was ever in the throttle couldn't have been much more than a couple seconds at a time. the car really did pretty good at staying planted even though it wallowed around like a boat. could defiantly use some stiffer springs and adjustable shocks if i actually cared about being competitive. 

i did a couple auto crosses probably had to be 15 years ago or better when i had a 79 datsun 280zx. i really forgot just how fun it was. 

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Find out how to temporarily increase the positive camber and retain the caster angles along with toe in while in "track mode" along with very low profile wide base tires too. Stiffer shocks, and fat "sway" bars, (front and rear) will get you needing a five point harness to keep your ass planted in the seat. On short autocross tracks it's all in being able to get around the pylons in the least amount of time rather than your fastest top speed.

I had a 1969 Datsun 2000 and it would stomp all over both my 1975 Datsun 260Z, and 1980 280Z cars. The Datsun 1600, and 2000 were the predecessors to the Z car and started Datsun on the performance segment. The 2000 did quite well in the slalom, and the autocross circuit, but I was amateur in all aspects driving the car(s) to the events where other's came on trailers and followed the circuit. Any of those three would best my 69 Camaro on the track however.

In those days JC Penney allowed SCCA to set up in their parking lot and the track was just shy of .8 miles for a full start to finish. 45mph was fast but it was physically demanding to get through on equipment and drivers.

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Dog.jpg.487f03da076af0150d2376dbd16843ed.jpgPlodding along with no job nor practical application for my existence, but still trying to fix what's broke.

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

 

 

did another autocross in the jag this last weekend. did a lot better this time i was only 7 seconds off the fastest car vrs 19 seconds last time...lol a little shorter course this time though. a few less cars this weekend and the shorter course did get a lot more runs in. 

only change on the car itself is im now running it on straight e-85. as methonol is not allowed in scca last time i was spraying straight water trying to control iat's and the blower was heat soaking bad. much much better on e85 and was able to put some timing back in it. 

 

 

almost spun in in this clip but managed to save it without going off course or hitting any cones. of course that miss hap killed my time on that run. 

after the event i did a couple fun runs that didn't count for competition and got a time that was only 5 seconds off the fastest time durring compitition. 

 

on another one of the fun runs. i spun it 180 just before the Finnish line, tires were spinning a little bit around the last tiny jog before the finnish line and i thoguht i could hold it and kept it matted just about crossed the Finnish line facing backwards....lol and i was hitting over 60mph crossing the Finnish line on most runs. 

unfortunately i didn't record any video of the fun runs as i kept forgetting to turn off the camera's between runs so the memory cards were full and the battery's were dead and i didn't feel like changing them....lol

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