I think the only reason I'm so close to the formula cars is simply their drivers. Donna was 10 seconds faster than me, which shows how fast those cars should be... I just think the other drivers aren't getting all they can out of those cars.
As far as my car vs. a stock STi... when Dean and I are both on street tires, he's faster than me even with like 30 hp less power than I've got (though his car certainly isn't "bone stock"). So I have to think my car makes up for my driving ability with horsepower. I'm sure someone with more experience than me would be able to drive my car 2 or 3 seconds per lap faster.
With regards to the event... the first session was a nightmare. I was perpetually behind 7 or 8 cars. I got zero clean laps, and spent all but 1 lap on pit lane asking for space. Someone needs to get a chart or something to show those working the flag stand what space means. What is does not mean is letting me out just as a car is passing the S/F line... because now I'm right behind that car by the end of the esses. What it means is letting me sit on pit lane for a minute in order to put me out just in front of the cars I pulled off to avoid. With the crappy passing rules, it's impossible to pass more than 1 or 2 cars per lap... when there's 7 in front of you, you have to have a competent crew that knows what's going on out there.
Anyway, with all the launches off pit lane and me pissed off behind the wheel, I put the hurt on my clutch during the 1st session. The rest of the day the pedal needed to be pressed all the way to the floor to disengage making shifting difficult, and the clutch was slipping in 5th gear under boost. Then later during the last session (that I never should have even bothered running in since everyone slowed down) I blew a 4-5 shift and put the car into 3rd. Telemetry shows I revved up to 8300 rpm.
The motor was down on power after that, and at idle there seems to be exhaust coming out the breather. I may have blown a ring land on the motor.
Hopefully it's not season ending...
But either way, I'm super pissed at myself for letting my temper get the most of me and blowing my clutch that eventually contributed to my missed-shift. I need a damn Honda with a $500 motor. Racing the WRX is awesome, but leaving the event worrying about the condition of the car, and the cost of fixing it takes all the fun out of the class win.
And speaking of possibly broken motors, Jim Payne was out for the event this weekend too. He also missed a shift and over-revved the motor. But his sounds worse than mine... there's a definite slap in the idle and it sounds pretty broken when he revs it... likely a broken valve.