Starting the 2014 BSP Build early

Since all the events for the season were done, I dropped the car off at Evans Tuning where she'd spend the winter getting transformed into a fully prepped, no compromise BSP car.

Dropping her off at Evans Tuning - 11/9/2013

JDV started work on her putting in all the parts that I had ordered.

CR Tonneau Cover - 11/19/2013

Added some vinyl to cover the only yellow portion in the middle - 12/16/2013

Rear fenders getting cut to fit more tire - 12/18/2013

3RAuto lightweight from brake kit - 12/28/2013

Rear CF overfenders on - 1/4/2014

Weight reduction and the Beehive

When I came back from Nats, I was supposed to head out to Watkins Glen for a track weekend but at this point I had already decided that Bumblestook would (at least temporarily) be retired from track duty and become a dedicated competitive autocross car. I didn't waste any time and we started working on next year's build. First, replacing the fuel tank sensor so I could actually see the level of fuel I had. JDV found that I must've forgotten to plug the intake air sensor back into the car at some point which probably explained why my ECU wasn't compensating correctly for the heat at Lincoln and we pulled out the rollbar and soft top.

New fuel level sender - 9/14/2013

Rollbar out - 9/14/2013

Soft top out - 9/14/2013

Stock roll hoops and interior back in - 9/14/2013

I then picked up Jake's used Hoosier A6 315s to use in the rear next year (for practice/testing use only)

Hoosier A6 315s - 9/21/2013

For the last bit of fun in Bumblestook for 2013, I invited Dan Cheung, Jon Caserta and Tory Benya to codrive Bumblestook in BSP and SSM (that I fondly called the "Beehive"). We had loads of fun just competing against each other but it was already clear what that bit of weight reduction made to the car. My best local PAX finish all year, 2nd place only to P.J. and Panda!

Tory - NNJR SCCA Autox - 9/28/2013

Dan - NNJR SCCA Autox - 9/28/2013

Jon - NNJR SCCA Autox - 9/28/2013

Steguis - 2nd in PAX out of 140 drivers
NNJR SCCA Autox - 9/28/2013

The Beehive - NNJR SCCA Autox - Meadowlands, NJ

9/28/2013

ProSolo Finale and Solo National Championship 2013

After a year of insanity trying to get Bumblestook and myself up to speed, it was time for the real deal. First up was the ProSolo Finale. Based on previous performance I had no chance here. I knew DSP was going to kill me and with the car behaving the way it did on the crazy fuel, I had no confidence to push hard but I took it as an opportunity to test her out on Lincoln concrete so I could get the car sorted out before Dan arrived.

Sun trying to get through - ProSolo Finale
Lincoln, Nebraska - 8/31/2013

In Grid - ProSolo Finale
Lincoln, Nebraska - 9/1/2013

ProSolo Finale
Lincoln, Nebraska - 9/1/2013

ProSolo Finale - Lincoln, Nebraska

8/31/2013-9/1/2013

The next day Dan arrived, picked him up at the airport then it was off to get his set of practice runs. The it was time for us to go racing. The issues I was having at the ProSolo was stuck in my head and I struggled to find any pace both days. Dan on the other hand did quite well and was able to nab the last trophy spot on his first year out at Nats so big congratulations to Dan! It was a lot of fun but it was made blatantly clear to me that I could no longer run a compromise (track/autox) car if I wanted to play with the big boys. Next year, I'd have to get serious and remove all the unnecessary weight, add power and tire and bring her to the limit of the class rules.

Dan practice runs - Lincoln, NE - 9/2/2013

BSP Grid - Lincoln, NE - 9/3/2013

BSP Grid - Lincoln, NE - 9/3/2013

Solo National Championships - Lincoln, NE - 9/3/2013

Dan trophying in Bumblestook - Lincoln, NE - 9/4/2013

SCCA Solo National Championship - Lincoln, NE

9/3-4/2013

The road to Lincoln

The day was finally here, making the long 1400 or so mile trek to autox Mecca...Lincoln, Nebraska for the ProSolo Finale and Solo National Championship. This would be my furthest tow to date, I was doing it solo and I didn't really know what to expect so I gave myself plenty of time to make extra spots in case I ran into any issues. It's I-80 all the way west so it made sense to stop by the shop on the way there to check in and pick up fuel.

Checking in with home base - 8/28/2013

I made the obligatory stop at the TireRack headquarters in South Bend, Indiana where I met up with Danny, James and Joshua.

At the Tire Rack - 8/29/2013

Danny's proof that he found me - 8/29/2013

Bumblestook and Toilet Duck - 8/29/2013

And then just a few miles past the hotel, they had E85 for dirt cheap right at the station...awesome right!? Uh, we'll find out later.

Wohoo, cheap E85 - 8/30/2013

Finally made it and found my spot, then it was straight to the practice course. This is where things started to go wrong. I was severely down on power. Bumblestook was sputtering coming out of every corner. I checked my IQ3 dash and sure enough, the E85 I got was only registering at around 70% ethanol and not 85 as it should be. 1300 miles away from Evans Tuning, there really wasn't much to do other than to whip out the laptop and adjust the compensation map until she at least started to run ok but I knew something wasn't right. I'd have to run the ProSolo Finale like this and let her idle use up all the crap E85 I got in Indiana so I could use the good fuel I brought from the shop for Nats. Oh and a few events before this, my fuel level sensor gave up so I couldn't even tell how much fuel I had in my car in the first place.

Lincoln, Nebraska - 8/30/2013

Test Course - Lincoln, Nebraska - 8/30/2013

Final testing before Nats

After Toledo, I took on Dan Stainback as my codriver for Nats. It was great to be able to bring someone new to Nats who was also a fellow S2000 driver. To get him up to speed, we codrove the last few events leading up to the big show.

Dan driving Bumblestook
NNJR SCCA Autox - Meadowlands, NJ - 8/3/2013

Thanks to the changing conditions, I was finally able to say I out paxed the great Nick Barbato thanks to Dan constantly pushing me harder by beating my times though I did eventually run a faster time.

PAX results - NNJR SCCA Autox - 8/3/2013

Dan vs Steguis - NNJR SCCA Autox - Meadowlands, NJ

8/3/2013

The following week, it was last event to test her out. I had some final prep I wanted to get done to her and didn't want to run the risk of anything happening before the trip. It was another close battle with Dan and I trading fast times but I eventually squeezed out a slightly faster run.

NNJR PCA Autox - Meadowlands, NJ - 8/11/2013

Dan vs Steguis - NNJR SCCA Autox - Meadowlands, NJ

8/11/2013

It was now time for final prep. I changed most of the bolts for the new control arms when we replaced it but not all the alignment bolts. I ordered new ones so we put those in and did alignment #6. Since I only had one set of CCWs I had to put on my sticker Hoosiers and run with them.

New alignment bolts and washers - 8/17/2013

Sticker Hoosiers - 8/17/2013

Fresh diff fluid - 8/17/2013

All ready for nats! - 8/17/2013

Toledo ProSolo 2013 - Freakin' Rain!

The next big event was the one I was most excited about besides nationals because of fabled grip on the Toledo concrete surface. It was my first long distance tow and the egg did it without breaking a sweat.

We're in Toledo! - Toledo, OH - 7/26/2013

Got some nice practice starts. I wasn't taking any chances on concrete so I was basically lauching at the limiter. She sounds so angry when I do that.

Practice Launches - Toledo, OH

7/26/2013

Finally it was time get our morning runs done and things were peachy until the skies suddenly opened up big time. It totally sucked driving through all that standing water. There wasn't enough time for me to get back to paddock and grab my Hoosier wets but it was an interesting test of car control and made for some pretty dramatic photos.

BSP/DSP S2 Grid - Toledo ProSolo - Toledo, OH - 7/27/2013

Holy rain batman - Toledo, OH - 7/27/2013

Not gonna like, this photo is sweet even though it sucked driving - 7/27/2013

It did however dry the next day and we got some decent runs in but I just couldn't pull it together.

Toledo ProSolo - Toledo, OH, 7/28/2013

Toledo ProSolo - Toledo, OH, 7/28/2013

Toledo ProSolo - Toledo, OH

7/28-29/2013

Devens Match Tour 2013

The itch for big events continued and we were once again on the road. This time to Devens for the match tour. I had never run a match tour before so I wasn't sure what to expect but any chance I get to run Bumblestook for further development is always welcome. This would also be the first time I could test the new aero out before going to Toledo.

Ready for Devens - 7/19/2013

Teched - Devens Match Tour - Ayer, MA - 7/19/2013

It was a good event despite some rain on day two ruining my chances but but I ended up with a 2nd place finish and good for another "big event" trophy. I did somehow end up as top Last Chance Qualifier so I won a case of oil and in the LCQ bracket I got the 3rd stage and won some money too. I think I could've won the LCQ overall but it rained during my runs and with the wide Hoosiers on, I eventually spun.

Top LCQ - Devens Match Tour - Ayer, MA - 7/21/2013

Won a case of oil - 7/21/2013

Devens Match Tour - LCQ Bracket - Ayer, MA

7/21/2013