Teng Tools Autocross and Suzuki Swift Sport Cup Scholarship

Sunday the 13th of july saw 54 competitors out at the Wintec Avalon campus for the second round of this year's Teng Tools Tarmac Series, the series that was previously sponsored by Toyo Tyres and was/is run by Fiat Car Club Waikato. Both myself and my father were competitiors in our Suzuki Baleno, along with a small few others from the Hamilton Car Club.

Because of the quick nature of the course set up for us, we were able to get in four timed runs. The average time taken for cars to get around the track was about a minute. Which much to my delight, I was able to crack on the first run, getting a time of 57.33 seconds, while Dad sat on 53.95 seconds. This is how our times usually sit, I find myself unable to bridge the 3-4 second gap between Dad and my times. But not this day.

The second run saw me shave off three seconds from my time and enable me to be about a second off of Dad's pace! I was stoked! My time: 54.57 Dad's: 53.45

Dad then decided to change his approach by thinking "what is she doing that I'm not?"
Turns out it was my non-left foot braking that was the clincher. With left foot braking, us mere mortals who only use it in competition and don't race every weekend, can find that we lose a couple of seconds because the sensitivity of our left foot braking is not as good as the right foot and can therefore tend to slightly over-brake. WRC drivers of course, don't have such problems, because they're like dancers over the pedals and have great left-foot braking sensitivity.

So the fight was still on, Dad took his third run and filled in a fastest time of 52.15, securing his 11th overall position for the day. Whereas I got out there and narrowed the gap even more by setting a time of 53.09 and ending up in 16th overall and first female. Our last times were a bit off, Dad's only by a few tenths of a second and mine by about 10 seconds due to running after a rear-wheel drive tank of a Cortina and spinning in the ensuing grit brought up on my racing line. Though I must admit, it is fun to have a run where you can just go with the flow and throw it around a bit.

The funny bit about the day, and something I was totally not expecting, was Dad's private reactions to me coming so close to him, using the same car, and in the same conditions. But I suppose, you must admit that having as much experience as he has, running third in class at international rallies back in the 80's and such, it must be pretty heart-breaking to have your 19 year old daughter set the same sort of pace as you. But hey, guess that's what you get for introducing me to the driving seat at the tender age of 13.

This brings me to the Suzuki Swift Sport Cup portion of this blog entry. About a week after the autocross, I stumbled across the information for the Swift scholarship and became intensely interested.

I mean hell, I drive a similar car and can drive it to it's limit, the other people that I've heard are going for it spend most of their time in four-wheel drive, turbo charged beasts. So I believe I definitely have the upper hand. But the problem is, then entry fee is $900, which is rather steep considering that a rally entry fee costs about $500 at the clubmans level.

I would go through and explain it more fully, but I think that my parental proposal explains it just as clearly. The following is hopefully going to convince my parents that it is worth it to go for this scholarship:

-----SUZUKI SWIFT SPORT CUP SCHOLARSHIP PROPOSAL-----

---FULL JUSTIFICATION---

ADVANTAGE

I feel that I have a key advantage in entering for this scholarship, this being that I constantly race a very similar type car. Two wheel, front drive cars such as our Suzuki Baleno and a Suzuki Swift don’t get a lot closer without actually being the same car.

The proof is really in the pudding, how many times have I heard and repeated the story of the Baleno’s humble beginnings as a ‘Baleno Cup’ car.

Not only in the similarity of the car, but also in the stage of my skills as a driver. Not so long ago I competed in an autocross where I came dangerously close to beating Dad. This, coupled with the fact that Dad has had probably five times the experience I have had behind the wheel, shows that I could possibly have some potential with the right kind of stepping stone or ‘shot’.

‘SARAH BYLES’ AS A PACKAGE

As seen on TV One’s Powerbuilt Motorsport program and greatly assumed by myself, the panel of judges will not only be looking for someone with the goods on the track, but the whole package.
Being female for a start, gets noticed. Putting the driving and professionalism behind that, seals the deal. I think I can pull this off.
Not only have I been on both the media and competitor side, but I know the roles somewhat inside out. I know what the media and sponsors are looking for, and I know the means to provide it.
This leaves another detail as part of the package: Nutrition and fitness. I am willing to put in the hard yards over the next month if I can attain parental backing and a place in the first 15 competitors for the showdown.

COSTS

I am proposing a 50/50 split of the costs associated with entering and getting to Mansfield for the competition. Please also note that this is a Friday and work schedules may need to be re-arranged.

FINALLY: WHY

There are a couple of reasons as to why I want to take a shot at this scholarship. This first is that there is, has and probably always will be, a little birdy thought in the back of my head wondering that if I have/had the right encouragement or step up, would I be good enough.
I realise, as working in the motorsport industry that it is a combination of an ‘endless wallet’ and a small pinch of ‘who you know’ that helps you get to the top, or make a bloody good go of getting there. So this is not a plea of asking you to fork out a million dollars for a WRC drive or committing to backing me for a season of the New Zealand championship. This is simply something I have stumbled across and given a second, third and fourth glance as something that I think I could have a very decent shot at.

Signed,
Sarah Byles

Reference:
For more information on the scholarship and the Swift Sport Cup itself, please visit
http://www.suzukiswiftsportcup.co.nz/launch/home.php

-And also I had my first go of Motor-sport photography, hence the new banner and photo at the top of this post. Both are of Dad driving the Baleno machine.