The NASA time trial rules are out, for 2010. There are a few changes that affect my class, but nothing big.
The big thing is that I need to lose weight. In order to be perfect, the car needs to lose 200 pounds. That includes me. Thus, every pound I lose is one that I don’t have to strip from the car.
The blue car is mostly a race car now. It is no longer street legal, and I start it only once a week to run it around the neighborhood to keep the diff from rusting. I can strip it with impunity.
The AC will go, along with the condenser. The passenger seat will become a race seat. The carpet will come out. Radio and speakers. Battery will become a race battery. The side window glass will go too.
After all that, I will still have to lose some weight. This is a good thing, and I’m starting an aerobic training cycle. I hate doing it, but it needs to be done. Helps blood pressure too and breathing.
I’ve not got too much to say this time around, except that driving has become more of a meditation. For the first time last time I was out, I was able to forget the slip angles and other analytical details and just drive. In the rain, I found I just had to in order to get faster. It’s very hard, and I admit reductionist thinking has a real place in racing, but I think I prefer a more holistic approach. Once I know a track, I can let it fade into the background and just enjoy the drive. I come off the track relaxed rather than tired. That’s progress.