Thinking about a fun auto test.
I've had a look at the Google satellite view of the car park at the bottom. The one we never normally visit and it looks like a good size.
From the satellite view the tarmac area looks like it is about 10Meters across in its shortest dimension and about 8 to 10 times that in its length. Those measurements are from the Google satellite view scale indicator and I have no idea how accurate that is. Anyway a few meters here or there should not change things.
I have tried some messing around in my sonic, without LSD, and I am surprised at how hard it is to upset at slow speeds when dry. Not sure if that is a combination of weight over the driven wheels, width of vehicle , broad sticky tyres or just maybe good design. I think I can guess what Stuart will say. The net result is that a set of narrower less sticky tyres, high pressures , dialled up shocks and a heavy right foot will be required.
Normally there is quite a bit of reversing but this will be tedious for the trikes or BECs. A forward only auto test may be the best for them, from recent comments on the forum they have no problem drifting on a sixpence so they may be more suited than expected. Although changing the rear tyre could be out of the question for them. A note of caution here, it is very easy to shred a set of new tyres in just 30 minutes on an auto test. Folks driving home would be better off bringing a spare set of driven wheels or taking it easy. Each test is typically 30 to 45 seconds , 90 seconds at most. I think the only reason for this is that few can memorise a "virtual" course around bollards that lasts more than that.
I roughed out three layouts, one forward only.
Layout A. the classic
Rockets, Sonics Exocets • Solid lines indicate travelling forwards, dotted lines indicate travelling in reverse.
• No crossing thick black Lines, (1 fault)
• Red Lines must be crossed rearward wheels first (1 fault)
• Blue lines must be crossed forwards wheels first. (1 fault)
• Orange bollards must not be touched. (1 fault)
• Yellow lines must be straddled, front wheels must both cross over but the rear wheels must not touch the line. Once the yellow line is straddled the vehicle must be reversed out of the test. (1 fault)
• The vehicle must proceed approximately along a line as indicated on the map using forward and reverse as required.
BECs and trikes• No crossing thick black Lines (1 fault)
• All coloured lines may be crossed front wheels first. (1 fault)
• Orange bollards must not be touched. (1 fault)
• Yellow lines must be crossed and the vehicle turned around and the yellow line crossed again. (1 fault)
• The vehicle must proceed aproximately along a line as indicated on the map.
Layout B
Rockets, Sonic,s Exocets
• No crossing Thick black solid Lines, (1 fault)
• No crossing Thick black dotted lines, (1 fault)
• Red Lines must be crossed rearward wheels first (1 fault)
• Blue lines must be crossed forwards wheels first. (1 fault)
• Orange bollards must not be touched. (1 fault)
• All four wheels must enter the virtual garage, (1 fault)
• The vehicle must proceed to visit garages A, B and C, in that order before proceeding to the finish.
• When travelling between the garages the vehicle must make a 360 circumnavigation of the central bollard.
BECs and trikes
• No crossing Thick black solid Lines (1 fault for each line crossed)
• All coloured lines may be crossed front wheels first, (1 fault)
• Orange bollards must not be touched. (1 fault for each touch)
• All wheels must enter the virtual garage and the vehicle must stop with all wheels in the garage, when acknowledged by the marshal the vehicle may proceed through the thick dotted line and then return through the same garage without stopping. (1 fault)
• The vehicle must proceed to visit and stop in garages A, B and C, in that order, before proceeding to the finish.
• When travelling between the garages the vehicle must make a 360 circumnavigation of the central bollard.
Layout C.
Forward only.
Rockets, Sonic,s Exocets , BECs and trikes
• Orange bollards must not be touched. (1 fault for each touch)
• No crossing Thick black solid Lines, (3 faults)
• Vehicles must proceed though tests in the following order in a forward motion. This is taken to mean at least one forward wheel first across each line.
E,A,D,A,C,A,B,A,B,C,D,E,A,FINISH ( 1 fault for each sequence mistake )
Layout Notes
Garages will be laid out so that they are 20cm wider than the widest vehicle and 40 cm longer than the longest vehicle. This will make them quite tight.
Generally bollards will be spaced no less than 2.5 meters apart but if there is space this might be extended to 4 meters.
• In layout C, Line A is 6 meters long to encourage drifted corners on that one.
The winner is the person with the fewest faults, If two or more people have the same number of faults then the winner is the person who in the management's sole discretion displayed the most flair and provided the best entertainment.
These are just some thoughts to get the discussion going. The location looks great.
All ideas are welcome.