Lazy Sunday

Memorial Day 2009.

The WRX was supposed to be ready to go for a NASA-X event down at Virginia Motorsports Park today, but IAG was too swamped with work to get it done. So, it looks like the debut of the WRX in ESP will be next weekend at the local WDCR event. I signed up to run XP with it, so that we can do some test-and-tune -- me in the morning, Gabe in the afternoon (if he gets his butt in gear and signs up for ESP, that is).

Pat found the ARP studs on Friday while going through some junk in the garage; evidently, they were buried along with the rest of the missing stuff (FRS radios, some Subaru stickers, etc.) under some of his SE-R tires. Go figure. I took them over to IAG on Saturday, so that they can be put on the car with the rest of the stuff this coming week. I took a couple of pictures of the beast-in-progress too.

The primary problem right now is that the struts and the rear tires have less than a quarter of an inch clearance. I can't get my tiny pinky finger between the edge of the rim and the strut body. I hope a spacer will help with the problem.

It looks like Greg McCance is using 295s on his WRX too; I don't know if he's got the 17s or the 18s or not. Frankly, I consider him my stiffest WRX competition, and I know he's not sparing any expense on build either. He's a great driver as well (STX National Champion in 2008), so I'm really climbing a mountain here.

I'm not sure what he's using for suspension; if I recall what Billy Brooks told me, it's Ohlins coilovers. In lieu of zzyzx stuff, I know that Ohlins is top notch, and I'm hoping that the AST suspension I sprung for (through Vorshlag) is up to the challenge.

I wish I'd been able to go to the NASA-X today. The flares, intake, intercooler and strut tower bars should be done for next weekend though, so it will debut at the local DC region event instead.

On an interesting side note, Pat and I went to Lowe's today to pick up a new light fixture and a couple of window A/C units. He was wearing a Capitals t-shirt with Varlamov's name and number on the back. The guy who helped us with the air conditioners was remarking how game seven was so uncharacteristic of the rest of the series and he thought the "young goaltender was left out to dry." The cashier also remarked on the Capitals season, saying it was a shame they couldn't hold on to the series lead.

Since when have Capitals fans been in Glen Burnie, to the point where they are still talking about hockey even though the Capitals season ended a week and a half ago?! I knew the Nationals and the Orioles were having a tough time of it so far this MLB season, but... wow. If people in the Baltimore area have been hooked, maybe DC really has become a hockey town!