Greg Laver blasts around the course in a beautiful 2017 Dodge Viper ACR Extreme. This is an interesting car indeed! The ACR Extreme model was a special order and relatively rare model designed for racing. Of the 1600 Vipers made in 2017, only a relative few were ACR Extreme models. This model features a 645 horsepower motor, and sports track friendly features not found on lesser Viper models.

Greg indicated that after owning and auto crossing an open air Ariel Atom, with no creature comforts, that the Viper with AC, tilt wheel and cruise is quite comfortable to drive. Not to be under estimated, this 3300 pound beast, in its last year of production, is capable of a top speed of 200 mph! Greg credits the car with being very stable at speed, and he finds it easy to put power to the ground while on the solo course . This is evidenced by his success as a top contender in the competitive SCCA Sportsman’s Class.

When asked why he chose the soft orange color for the ACR Viper, he replied, “There were three color choices: white, grey and orange. Given these options it was an easy choice for me!” This Viper ACR Extreme is the last of its breed and a great tribute to Yankee automotive design and engineering.

Thanks for bringing it out to solo events Greg -- Keep the shiny side up on this orange delight!

The Arizona Region SCCA Solo Division

May Edition, Vol. 3, Spring Auto Cross

The weather was a bit warm with blue skies and a mild breeze -- Warm weather did not stop a record turnout of 96 eager solo participants from posting some very fast and note worthy times. For TTD (Top Time of the Day) honors, four drivers posted times in the 48 second range, with Ted Lewis coming out on top with a blazing 48.069 run. Mark Hoffman, Greg Laver and Steven King were just a few tenths of a second back from Ted’s time! It’s interesting to note that these drivers are driving cars from four different car classes! In Sportsman class, super car drivers Greg Laver and Steve Eymann battled it out for best time, with Greg’s ACR Viper nipping out Steve’s Z06 Corvette by a few tenths of a second. Please note that these fellows were are running on street tires -- it makes you wonder what would happen it they showed up with sticky race tires! In SS it was Dan Kevin and his beautiful black Porsche that took the honors! The PAX groups had some close racing; Scott Spiewak topped the PAX 1 group with his Corvette Z06, with a 50.523 and a 970 PAX score. Larry Burrow ruled PAX 2 at this event with a fine time of 50.615. And in PAX 3, Don Sattler squeaked out the best time over Ben Zukowski and Craig Burger. It was a great performance by all in these groups!

The Arizona Region SCCA Solo Division

Lou Molvin is our AZ SCCA Solo Driver of the Month. Lou’s interests include cycling on road, mountain bikes and spending time with his wife and three daughters. This last month’s event is his third solo outing in his stock 2002 Miata. He says solo driving is a blast and that he’s hooked on the sport. He credits joining solo to encouragement from a friend to give it a try. He has found his fellow racers in Novice Stock to be most helpful and supportive. Lou indicated that his primary goal is to learn and improve and not DNF on the course. He finds the events well run and looks forward to the day when he will be more competitive. Welcome to AZ Solo Lou, thanks for coming out and the best of luck to you!

Dan Kevin gets no breaks at solo events. It’s his job to assign drivers to work stations for all run groups. That means he needs to keep track of approximately 100 or more drivers, assign them to work stations and then sometimes chase them down to get them signed in. It is easy to underestimate how important this guy’s function is in keeping an event running smoothly. After doing this unenviable task for four years now, Dan has his job down to a science. He gets out ahead of the power curve by roaming the paddock and doing a pre check in for upcoming work groups. His work assignment lasts the entire day, and he gets it done well. He is an efficient fellow and even gets his job done simultaneously while participating in the SS run group! Dan’s efficiency allows event officials to keep the time between run groups down to a minimum.

When asked what his most memorable excuse for not working was, he said probably being told that driving had made a participant too tired to work! Mostly, he indicated that the SCCA group was very cooperative in taking on their work assignments without complaint. He did remind us that skipping, missing or forgetting to work would result in loss of your run time. He also asks that when registering for upcoming events on the Mind the Cones website to please indicate your preferred run and work groups and note any special requests or needs in the comments box. Also, he requests of us to please check in to work promptly for our work assignments to keep the event rolling along smoothly.

For folks that might be wondering how Dan Kevin got two stuck with two first names here's the story! The last name of Kevin is the modern English translation of the time honored Irish name of Caomhi'n. And wow, get this, one of Dan's Irish relatives is the Patron Saint of Dublin! "Dilly Dilly to you Dan!"

Dan, thanks for the great job you do at events behind the scenes, we appreciate you!

by Scott Meyers

When Editor Brian Miller asked me if I could share a Driving Tip or Tech Tip for him and the Pylon Press I had to think twice before saying yes. If you think about it, it almost seems funny. -- Here I am driving a antique, old V-6 Mustang in CAM-Cert . . . which certainly brings up to some degree my mental fitness. Yet, on another level, I'm kind of demonstrating how to have fun and be competitive in the car you have, and not feel somehow diminished because you do not possess the best Car for the Class, or have all of the best equipment. It's not always about the ‘Trophy’ . . . in my opinion. There is a lot to be said about just for going out and learning how to improve both yourself as a driver, as well as finding ways to make your car the best it can be. Don’t misunderstand me – there’s nothing bad about trying to ‘Trophy’ in any given Class, however, often that takes changing cars and spending lots of money. The point I’m offering is, it does not need to be that way to come out and have fun with what many of us do choose to do – “Run What You Brung“. The greatest gains are found within you, the driver. Come to as many events as you can (AMP or Tucson). Take extra runs at each event (Time-Onlys) if you can. We call that "seat time". BUT, just going out and repeating mistakes is not learning. Yes, more practice is good, yet this adage is true: "Practice does NOT make perfect. PERFECT practice makes perfect". Ride with others (it’s best if you can ride in a similar car or class) every chance you can. Allow others more experienced to ride with you. And, a big learning technique, often skipped, is to invite one of our experienced drivers to drive your car with you as a passenger! Of course, that would have to be in a Time Only run. It gives you a chance to personally feel what your car is capable of. After a more experienced driver helps you feel what your car can really do, once you sit in your car again, you’ll experience a kind of "motor memory“ -- Your body and mind will remember. . . . and invariably you will go faster! So, there you have it. Sorry it's not quick and easy, and certainly a little more than one quick tip. Yet, that’s the point -- there is so much you can learn and improve by working on you first. Don't be in a hurry. This will take time. Maybe not as long as it took me (I started in about 1971) – however what I can promise you is this: If you run whatever you bring, it will bring you years of fun and excitement! There's lots of help available at each event, both here and Tucson (and Sierra Vista, too, BTW). Get to know people, and......just ask.

If you don’t want to wait until fall to solo again, you may want to participate in some out of town solo events this summer. There are several autocrosses scheduled this summer around the state and region. • Tucson Border Region Solo group

has summer events in June, July and August at the nearby Marana Airpark just north of Tucson.

• The Las Vegas SCCA solo group stays active in the summer and is only a fast 6 hour drive away. They have scheduled events on June 10, July 8, and August 12 – according to their website.

• The San Diego Solo Club has various solo offerings during the summer.

• The Sierra Vista Club may offer an event or two – Be sure to call or email for accurate info.

• There’s not much news about the Flagstaff Solo event -- Perhaps someone who knows could post info on the forum!

For detailed registration information and schedules regarding the events cited above go to the appropriate clubs website.

SCCA Solo events have a severe consequences penalty for hitting cones in the stop box. Emphasis is on safety here! Wiping out the cones in the stop box will get you a meeting with the event safety officer and you can be booted from the event for multiple offenses.

The State of Arizona also has penalties for extreme driving violations. See if you can identify which of the following areas classify as traffic felony violations under ARS. 28-702.02

1. Placing more than two wheels of your car on a sidewalk or public walkway

2. Stopping on railroad tracks in traffic, to await a traffic signal change or traffic delay

3. Speeds in excess of 85 miles per hour on any Arizona public highway

4. Arguing with a police officer during a traffic stop

5. Leaving the scene of an accident you were a witness to

6. Displays of speed or performance witnessed by a police officer

7. Trying to outrun the cops to avoid a ticket

8. Speeding at over 35 mph over the limit in a posted school zone

9. Driving 5 mph or below the posted limit in the bus/ express lane on a freeway

10. Discharging a firearm at a wild animal from inside your car in an approved AZ State hunting area

Getting a traffic felony conviction means:

• The possibility of receiving up to 30 days in jail

• The possibility of having your car impounded at the scene of the violation

• 3 points off your license

• Probable auto insurance premium increases

• Going to traffic court and getting a public lecture and being fined

• Having a record of the traffic felony placed permanently on your driving record

Credit to Heath Law Firm for those answers that are correct in this quiz.

The answers to this quiz can be found n the following page of the Pylon Press.

N for Nice … NEW … and Novice! Of the 96 entries at the # 4 spring series event, 29 were novice drivers -- that’s 28% of the total turnout for the day. So, just a thought for us old timers to Autocross, do you remember you’re first solo event, or your first series? I do! It was a little scary trying to figure it all out. The course looked like a random sea of cones, and I didn’t know any of the other drivers at the event. I finished 9 seconds behind the leader in SS that day. It was humbling to say the least. However, the very driver that bested me by 9 seconds took the time to say hello and gracefully offer me a driving pointer or two. In subsequent years we became close competitors in SS, a turn of events he welcomed. It met a lot to feel welcomed by an established driver at that point in my budding solo career. My point -- the future of our event depends on rookie drivers coming in and sticking out the first auto cross series or two and becoming regulars. Let’s all take a clue from top performers like Mark Huffman, Steve Eymann and Jeff Bandes. These solo veterans, among other regulars, always have time to talk to a rookie driver, offer a pointer or two and provide a word of encouragement. Rookies can be identified by the letter N written on their car windshield beside their run group number. Pick out a novice at the next solo event and throw a chat into them. Who knows, you may be encouraging a future national champion! Submitted by rapidroy63 editor PP

Watch for special features in the Fall series #1 issue of the Pylon Press! It will feature a car tuning tip by Ted Lewis, a youth carting development article by Mark Huffman and a driving skills tip by Steve Eymann.

Items 3 and 7 are definite traffic felony violations. Number 7, most likely, or at the least of your problems for trying to outrun the cops! The other items are not traffic felonies, just too dumb to categorize. As to the six traffic felony consequences listed on the bottom of the quiz, they all apply. Best advice: Be safe out there and save the speeding for the track.

!

Pylon Press Editor: Brian Miller -- rapidroy63@msn.com If you have topics of interest or suggestions for the Pylon Press Newsletter or the monthly Solo Quiz please send them to me.

Ever wonder how to get those unsightly cone marks off your paint? Washing with car soap alone usually lacks the power to clear them. (By the way, if you never hit a cone then you are definitely not going fast enough!) Experienced ace driver Jay Baulducci, who drives a Honda S 2000, suggests using silicon spray -- a non-oily lubricant – to remove con marks. It wipes those pesky cone marks away without a lot of elbow grease or damage to your car’s paint.