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4D presents the Mazda RX-8 for competition in San Francisco Region SCCA Solo's 2009 Street Touring eXtra (STX) class.
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2009 Team COOPER Racing partners
American Red Cross Racing
RX8r3.com
LoneliestRoad.org
SJFoS.com
4d-SPORT.com
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Street Touring (X); "a competition outlet for auto enthusiasts using
affordable cars equipped with common suspension, engine, and
appearance modifications which are fully legal and compatible for
street use anywhere in the country."
STX, where the "cisco" region sports competition between the likes of BMW, Subaru, Honda, Mazda and Nissan, we will be challenged to be prepared to best of our team's abilities for each and every event.
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With all the development done in 2007 (M. Sipes) and 2008 the only critical need for our initial 2009 presentation was wheels and tires appropriate for the new competition class and a refresh of the livery with 2009 partnership graphics and, of course, drivers.
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Now the tuning begins and there are oh so many options from radical to mild. 
- sway bar settings
- shock compression and rebound settings
- spring rates
- ride height
- alignment settings
- tire pressures
- track
- driving style
"Sir, Please put the sledge hammer down and step away from the car...  we're beginning with a few less radical modifications."  Seriously, the tools of choice at this time are pyrometer, tire pressure gauge, tie wraps, and 10mm wrenches.
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With the variability of three different driving styles, teamwork becomes paramount when tuning a complex suspension.
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| Barry aggressively presents cisco Sticks to the "showcase" turn Round 1. |
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| Dennis takes inside line, |
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Staying on task is simple with limited objectives, but our team has a range of deliverables, and while synergistic, it does take a lot of energy to manage the diversity.
Partner promotions and tuning were priorities for our '09 maiden voyage but it was driver development that ranked number one.
Dennis did a great job instructing and Marc proved to be a quite capable student.
The results show a 1st, 3rd and 8th place finish for the team out of 19 competitors.
Did I mention how difficult it is to both train and compete at the same time???
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| Barry's widest and |
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| Marc's in the middle. |
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Thanks to Anthony Zwain, Matt Mederios and Gordon White of Edge Motorworks who helped with the suspension installation and corner weighting and Boris Bosnacovich of Auto Care 2000 with the alignment, exhaust and brakes.
And, of course, much gratitude to Mark Sipes. We'd be on a very steep learning curve if not for Mark's 2007 STU campaign. Mark engineered a complete suspension for the RX-8 is Street Touring (ST) competition including spring rates (three choices), damper curves (TrueChoice rebuilds), ride height and alignment recommendations. Mark even removed and replaces the front struts at a local competition, ensuring both assemblies were correctly assembled.
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| Baseline Alignment |
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Even with a promotions focus in 2008 for the San Jose Festival of SPEED we had some time for tuning at Thunderhill, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Alameda Point, Golden Gate Fields and the Oakland Coliseum.
SHOW
GO
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Steve Bellen puts together some video footage of the 2008 SJFoS.com car
going through it's paces. He's also produced an excellent video to
help you prepare for your first event. http://www.sbvideos.com/store/
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