There are not words sufficient to describe how cool it is that a bunch of guys that like racing were able to pull something like this off. Seriously, they are 99.9 percent of the way to a functioning racing facility.
Being from Hood River it seems that we are among the closest active racing residents to this new facility – that makes it even cooler for us. So Sunday, Garth Levin, Jonny Davies and I visited Oregon Raceway Park for the first time since we had attended a tour in November of 2006, shortly after they had cut the original path through the fields that now contain the race track.
This is going to be a challenging place to race. It seems that first they will run races in the clockwise direction, but the track was conceived with the notion that it could be run counter clockwise, as well. I think it looks much better clockwise than counter. My biggest concern is turn 1 in the counter direction – it will be fast and scary, and it doesn’t get really scary until you leave the track. There is a nice place to land the medivac helicopter near where the cars will finally finish crashing, though. I think it will be a while before this track races in that direction. Everything else I’m worried about looks like it could be handled by mid-week.
Jonny Davies was the driver on Sunday – he is one of the finest amateur race drivers in the country. I was in attendance to collect data and help with the car – the same car that I’ve been racing this year and was used in the 12 Hours of the Cascades and 25 Hours of Thunderhill last fall. Garth came along to fix anything I broke while working on the car.
We use the AiM data acquisition system in all of the cars and I also gathered some video, and for one session taped a small Garmin GPS device to the dash. Here are some interesting factoids from his second session in the clockwise direction:
Top speed (clockwise) – 98.8 mph
Best Lap Time (clockwise) – 2:04.671
Elevation Gain / Loss – approx 400 ft
To put things into perspective, Pacific Raceways, the track with the most elevation gain and loss in the Northwest, has about 140 ft change per lap. According to our little GPS unit (with a slow sampling rate), ORP is somewhere around 400 ft in just over the same distance!!!
It is a shame that there will not be a race at ORP this year. It was on the ICSCC schedule up until last week, and then it seems a new interpretation of some rules ended the fun. For sure, there are still some safety issues to work out. But, in racing anything is possible as long as everybody pulls in the same direction – for some reason they aren’t.
Again, I can’t say how impressed I am by this group of people that did what many thought was impossible. This is an awesome accomplishment and the sooner ORP is raced on the quicker the issues of amenities and safety will be addressed, and the facility expanded.
When I am wrong I like to correct the mistake. In the story I wrote recently about my experience racing with the ICSCC (Conference) I made an error in the use of the word muu muu. I spelled it moo-moo.
I sincerely apologize to anyone (native Hawaiian speakers?) that was offended by this heinous mistake.
Also, there is some confusion regarding the meaning and origin of the word so I have included it below.
I don’t know anyone in the business that isn’t ready for this “Cash for Clunkers” thing to be over, so this is great news.
The biggest problem turned out to be that the dealers aren’t being paid – still. The program was so misjudged by the folks that conceived it that the very important promise to have dealers compensated within 10 days became impossible.
Do the math – if a dealer has sold 50 vehicles under the CARS program, at an average of about $4,200 per unit they are owed $210,00. The most I’ve had a dealer tell me they’ve had approved and paid for is 10 percent. How would your small business be doing if $190,000 of it’s working capital were suddenly missing..? This is called stimulus?
Government Healthcare is going to be awesome!!! – I’m sorry Mr. Smith, but we need these 20 forms filled out before the doctor can see you, then get in that line over there…
One example of what’s happening is that dealers are submitting the paperwork and if everything isn’t exactly in order the whole deal must be re-submitted with the issue fixed. Once that happens, the entire file goes back to the bottom of the pile where the whole thing must be reviewed again – I’m sorry Mr. Smith…
And the government meddling has caused supply issues – if this could happen with cars, what is going to happen with doctors? Go look at your local car lot…
The good news is that I’ve heard some anecdotal evidence that some buyers are people that actually had money to buy a car. They figured if the government is going to just give money away that they might as well take advantage of it. Why not own a new car that’s still worth what you paid for it when it leaves the lot?
Now we’re going to need another bailout to save the dealers that don’t survive the cash flow hit… I’m getting dizzy.
Racing has rules and that’s good. In my view the primary focus of rules should be safety and after that fun and fairness. Fun and fairness are very closely related as you really won’t have much of one without the other. But sometimes, you just need to use your head – That’s why it’s called Racing instead of Ruling.
Except for the 12 Hours of the Cascades Enduro, the last time I entered a International Conference of Sports Car Clubs race (Conference) was 1987. The reason is that they’re kind of goofy – not the people so much, I really enjoy most of them, but the club / event dynamics are just different from anything I’m used to. It often starts well, and then one of them comes along and sucks all the fun right out of it, like a chaperon at an all night party – don’t you guys have something better to do?
The beginning: When Kirk Knestis and I showed up for my first Conference race in late summer of 1984 they needed to classify our current IMSA Renault Cup car. So, we brought all of the required documentation and based upon the weight and listed horsepower it would be placed in I Production (the slowest of the slow, but it would have qualified for J Production, had it existed – it was that slow). The Tech Steward, of course, declared that a 55 horsepower 1984 Renault Alliance would be H Production (one class faster) because it was a “Pro” car. Seriously? They hadn’t even invented crack yet back then… The conversation that followed nearly got me banned for life – in hindsight, that would have been okay.
Now I know that I’m a bit tightly wound and that I’m not particularly shy about sharing my views – this can be problematic when you have a rigorously vigilant “ruling” class. But, if I’m at a Conference race it’s because I’m simply trying to have a good time. There is no pressure at one of these deals – sometimes the racing is fun and the people are mostly awesome. But, “up one class because of the IMSA sticker?”
Despite the initial experience, for a few years we would occasionally show up at a Conference race. They raced at Westwood, for example, and that was a spectacular place to be. Its fun to be able to say that we raced there, Westwood is racing history and it’s one of the neat things that have happened to me that might not have happened without Conference.
But, something weird would always happen. I’ll never forget the guy that stormed into my pit to admonish me for causing him to shunt himself at the end of the front straight at Westwood. I was driving a borrowed old formula ford and one of the self proclaimed Conference heroes misjudged his braking trying to follow me through turn one. We discussed the fact that I was indeed on the racing line and that no I hadn’t blocked him, the issue was… well, I’m not so sure what it was exactly. The advantage of learning to race in cars with tired old motors is that you get used to not using the brakes so much (in Renault Cup the middle pedal meant a quick and certain relegation to the back of the pack) – this is sometimes confusing to the other guys and they crash. So, Kirk and I patiently listened to his story about how I had caused his crash and then proceeded to laugh so hard that we nearly pissed ourselves. I am certain that one of the 135 pages of the Conference rule book addresses that, too. Chapter 8, Section D, Paragraph 2 “You have dribbled down your leg – START AT THE BACK!!!”
One night at Portland, while sleeping in our tent next to the cars (the tent met the constraints of our lodging budget), we were awakened by a noise. There was a drunk either sleeping in or trying to steel our race car – we never worked out which, for sure… I’ve been blatantly “brake checked” twice – yeah, Conference license holders… Now, I know that stuff like this happens at other places, it’s just that it usually happens to me at Conference races.
I have a lot of very good friends that race now or have a history in Conference – they are all a bit easier going than I am, but I like hanging out and racing with them anyway. One of my old racing friends, Hal Hilton, was the Chief Steward or Grand Poo-Bah (whatever they call them) recently, and Hal is an extremely smart and fair guy – maybe things have changed there, I hoped.
Because of the approaching endurance racing season and the availability of a car for me to drive, this past weekend was the best opportunity for some seat time and fun in preparation. This was a chance to pit and hang out with my friend Ted Rees, his father Phil and their families. They have a great laid back approach and fun attitude that would be nice for a change. The Miatacage.com enduro car just needed a shake down to make sure all of the systems and a few new parts were working properly. They’re not.
The car started showing signs of a possible switching / starting problem at Rose Cup – it wouldn’t start hot. We thought it was a bad connection somewhere and checked and cleaned the usual culprits. We would chase the worsening problem for the rest of the weekend and eventually get to learn about some special Conference racing rules – here we go again…
For example, while leaving the track after ITA qualifying on Saturday a Tech Steward approached the car and in a rather nasty tone asked “where are your gloves?” I showed him that I owned some as he barked back at me about leaving them on until I was back inside the paddock.
Understand, the track was in a red flag condition (closed) and I was traveling at about 5 mph. If I had stopped the car in the hot pits during the session and got out, I surely would not have put a helmet or gloves on to move it back to the paddock after the checkered flag. Isn’t there really something better to be spending our energy on? “Captain Rule Book” then rode away on his motorcycle (sans helmet) his shirt flapping around his over the shoulder walkie-talkie holster like a moo-moo worn by a Hawaiian grandmother on a breezy Maui evening. I wonder if Adolf knows that Portland is a city park and is therefore not exempt from the Oregon motorcycle helmet law..? This guy is serious Mall Cop material.
Ted, Phil, Roger (Phil’s pit lackey) and pit guru Garth “Crusher” Levin all had to listen to me go on about how it had started all over again with these “Conference guys”. I mean, it’s like they want you to fail – I imagine them in their trailers at night working out ways to “trick” the new guys. “Let’s give the 5 minute warning at 8 minutes to go – we can put it at the bottom of the supps and maybe some of them will miss it…”
Ted and I had a great time in practice and qualifying on Saturday. We drove around playing race car dodge ball with the rest of the kids. Most of the drivers are pretty attentive, but there are a handful that either don’t have mirrors on their cars or just haven’t worked out the details of how to best utilize them. Qualifying went well for me. Ted and I were first and second in ITA and I managed to out-qualify my Miatacage.com team mate / rivals Will Schrader and Gary Bockman for the provisional pole in Spec Miata.
Qualifying on Sunday was uneventful as Garth, Ken Sutherland and I spent most of the morning chasing the electrical problem. I didn’t improve my times but kept the ITA pole and was bumped to the outside of the front row for SM by Will Schrader. I was really looking forward to the race with Gary and Will, those guys are gladiators – it would be one hell of a show…
We had come up with a solution to the electrical problem. The battery was taking a charge and the car was starting afterward. We would simply keep the car on the charger until it was time to roll up and then we would go to grid, start and race. This worked well for ITA – the car started and the race was a yawner. I started on the 3rd row behind several cars in faster classes – I survived the chicane and drove away from everyone behind me – no drama. Conference allows a crew member to ride in the car on the victory lap – Garth rode with me. I suppose it’s safer to have somebody besides the driver hold the checkered flag one receives to commemorate a victory. Garth wasn’t wearing gloves (or helmet, suit, ass in seat, seat belts)… Safety first, Colonel Klink – “ATTENTION SECURITY – THERE IS A SKATEBOARDER NEAR THE ELEVATORS BY VICTORIA’S SECRET…”
Anyhow, we tried to start the car to go to grid for SM and it refused. So our impromptu plan was to roll up before the five minute warning and let the car run. There are a couple of options in SCCA to deal with a problematic starter – neither work in Conference. If you are not on grid by the 5 minute warning (8 minutes before the start of the race, as it turns out) you start at the back. AND, you cannot bump start the car on the grid – especially after the one minute warning, and double especially if you were in the process of negotiating with the officials regarding the first offense. “YOU WILL START AT THE BACK!!!” TIMES TWO!!!
I was in violation of a rule – I get that. Okay, two rules. Here’s the thing, Conference makes the outsiders run 3 digit numbers that begin with a 7. I don’t know or care why, but I do know that this makes it possible for them to easily and immediately identify non-Conference drivers. They have a rule that they very well know is in conflict with what anybody with a 700 series number on their car is used to. It’s a simple procedural violation and a matter of a steward’s discretion. If I were in charge (God forbid), I Would make a point of helping these easily identified ”customers” understand the differences in the rules rather than berate them with snarky remarks, regarding gloves for example, and race ruining penalties – but that’s just me. The amateur anthropologist in me has come up with a solution to this “Conference Problem” – try something a little bit more predictable, like vodka.
Mike Blaszczak, the steward in question regarding the grid issues, knows how I feel about this. We discussed it twice and my parting remark was essentially – I’m not coming back (it was a little bit stronger than that the second time, and I apologize if he was offended by my language). I’ll probably back off on that eventually, but not very soon unless somebody else is paying the bills.
My pit-mate for the weekend, Ted, had an interesting Sunday, as well. He had to work his way from the back of the field in the ITA race after a first lap spin and was then taken out along with Chris Heinrich (the CSM points leader) by another dive bombing Miata on the second lap of the race. Mike, the aforementioned Steward, had declared that event to be a “racing incident” as it was due to brake failure. I queried him as to whether Conference had any rules about maintaining incidental equipment (like brakes) – he said that those things are ”up to the driver”. Oki-doki.
These stiff car-prep requirements also shed light on the 5 laps it took to black flag the car with the bar-b-que in its trunk during the ITA race. The stewards were looking at the car carefully (I could see them as I motioned that maybe something might be wrong…”SHE’S ON FIRE, FRED!!!). It turns out they were working out whether it was chicken or ribs. It must have been ribs – the chicken would have taken at least 8 laps. I have no idea how these guys keep their 5’s and 8’s sorted out…
In the final analysis, I had some fun. It was great to talk to and meet a lot of the Spec Miata drivers I hadn’t seen for a while. Importantly, the car came back without a single new mark on it, I’ve got some fun video to share and I confirmed that neither Conference nor I have changed – I’ll take that deal 5,000 (8,000) times.
The thing that finally turned the weekend around for the better is when a group of workers drove by (as we were debriefing with some frosty cold beverages), to say how much they had enjoyed the DFL to 3rd drive (it was a bit more colorful than that). Those guys get drenched, frozen, sun burnt and risk their lives because they love the sport. I’ll start from the rear every time if it makes them want to come back. Other than the time John Bradshaw told me he had just watched me win the best race he’d seen in over 10 years, that’s about the best compliment a guy like me can receive.
When I was in my early 20’s I benefited from some advice that was passed to me, as it had been passed to him, by a fellow that I thought had led a pretty interesting life given his relatively young age. It was “there are two leisure classes, one at the top of the socio-economic scale and one at the bottom. Be in one of them”. My friends name was “Minki” and this is my mission.
I moved to Hood River mostly so that I could live my daily life in the same way that many wealthy working people live their vacations. Understand, I very much admire the accomplishments of those that dream up and produce the things we often take for granted. I want their holidays to be as fabulous as possible – they’ve earned it. And, they should be fresh when they return to work so they can make more neat stuff for the rest of us . When possible, I enjoy my chance join in their fun.
I fell in love with great cars the day my uncle Don showed up at our house with one of the very first Porsche 911’s – I was 5 years old. He let me drive it during my visit to Southern California to see the 1978 US Grand Prix at Long Beach when I was 17. At that time it was one of the greatest days of my life. The current Porsche Turbo (supercar) is still based on the same basic configuration.
I saw my first Ferrari Daytona(s) scattered all around the parking areas that week at Long Beach – like Priuses at a Greenpeace rally. The Daytona was the last front engine Ferrari at the beginning of the modern “supercar” era – in my view, the Daytona was a supercar. Oh, for a chance to ride in a Ferrari Daytona…
Recently I did some dent work on a very nice 1999 Mazda Miata. When I was finished the owner asked if I would be interested in having a look at some dings on his Aston Martin V8 Vantage… I’ll always have a look, especially as the V8 is considered to be the grandfather of British supercars. This is, for all practical purposes, the same car that 007 drove in the 80’s Bond film “The Living Daylights”, and clearly a very close relative of 007’s car (a DBS) in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. I mean, Diana Rigg (the only Mrs. Bond AND Emma Peel) rode in that car – sweet…
Diana Rigg as Emma Peel
I could go on and on about Diana Rigg, as it could be argued that 60’s spy film actresses are the genesis of what we now refer to as a “supermodel” – alluring, self reliant, a little bit vulnerable, and with a sting in the tail (so to speak). Staying with the “super” theme – she set the standard.
Anyway, It was an interesting experience working on the Vantage because it is hand fabricated from “aluminium”, done in the old style of coach building (heat and english wheel). The thickness and strength of the panels
Aston Martin V8 Vantage
varies throughout the vehicle (even adjacent areas of the same part). We had some success (the owner helped with dismantling trim, etc.), and I got to spend some time learning (stumbling about ) an interesting piece of automotive history.
So now about Tuesday and the inspiration for this story. I was working at the Pro Drive racing school and one of my two students had brought his new Ferrari 430 Scuderia. Normally, I prefer students with more “regular” cars. The problem is that highly strung, big horsepower machines are difficult to drive well – and I, despite my time spent as a Pro-Rally co-driver, sometimes get car sick. But, I was feeling pretty good and I thought this would be a good tune-up in preparation for the upcoming race weekend – get me “in the game”, so to speak. And, how often do you see one the truly great modern supercars? I should probably ride around in it for a while…
The driver, Rich, was a serious student, which is a dream come true for an in-car instructor at a high performance driving school.
Scuderia in PIR Hot Pits
What I mean is that he came with the intent of leaving with something and had decided the way to do that was to listen and do (not as common as you would think). Listen and do is what a Rally driver does – pace notes are delivered and regardless of what the “common sense’ side of the brain tells him, he does what he is told. This is how to go fast.
And things happen pretty darn fast in the Scuderia (0-60 in 3.1 seconds, as a reference point) – it’s easy to not get it right. Now, everybody doesn’t teach the same way and I’ve been having a discussion about this with one of my co-driver / instructor friends. The short version is that I like to pick only two major things to concentrate on for each session. Some instructors want to make sure that every corner is negotiated “on-line” from the start, for example. I like simple, achievable, objective targets.
Positive input is the key to success – don’t tell me what not to do, tell me what to do. This is why the “listen and do” bit is so important – it’s simple. Invariably, if I feed information (as pace notes) to a student and they simply do what I ask, the car stays on line, the driver gains confidence, the throttle pedal goes down earlier, stays on longer and we go fast. Of course, faster cars require more precisely delivered information, which is why I usually prefer students in the Subaru’s and Toyota’s…
Tuesday was a great day because I had two willing students that each got into a rhythm and allowed me to help them learn to go fast. I love that. In particular, the sounds coming from that Ferrari were fabulous.
By the end of the day I was hearing the popping (a la F1) sound during the 60 millisecond downshifts and whooping from Rich as he pinned the throttle on the blind curved “back straight” for the first time!!! What a fun day.
In line with the advice I had received 25 years ago, I have once again successfully experienced that which is usually reserved for a privileged few. Minki was right – a poor boy can have the good things in life.
Joey Atterbury - still cooler than all the fixie pilots
I had a conversation with my friend Joey, (a very fast, young, hipster, VW Jetta Cup driver) at the race track Saturday, about bicycles – he was sitting on his retro beach cruiser / pit bike while giving me the business about riding a real bike. Whatever.
He wants a fixie – while he is cooler than roughly 100 percent of the guys I’ve met that do ride them, I told him that I still hadn’t seen the guy that is genuinely cool enough to do so…
The thing is (using simple observation as our guide) that it’s just too tough to ride a fixie without looking like a complete tool. Not only do you need just the right amount of “hip” you need the right kind. Here’s an analogy – Wayne Newton. Wayne Newton is the only guy that doesn’t look like an idiot when singing Danke Shoene – fixies are the Danke Shoene of bicycles.
This video pretty well encapsulates that discussion…
Just as Fernando Alonso did his best to mess up his own team’s chances at a world title when he was with McLaren, Contador seems set to slip into the same trap at Le Tour de France – and with Alonso’s help, no less.
Alonso is a savvy cat, but he is all about Alonso. Alberto beware…
First, thanks to Sean Hedrick at Miatacage.com for providing me with a really good car to drive and some excellent frosty cold beverages, last week. I would not be racing without his support.
The race – I had qualified well (5th) for race 2, and I had a very simple plan – maintain contact. The easiest way to botch up a simple plan is to make a simple mistake – this is where I come in…
I was driving conservatively and pretty well, I thought. The single most common problem I’ve ever had with the Spec Miata is making a clean 2nd to 3rd gear shift in anger. So, as part of my preparation for the race, I went through the 2-3 shift in my head a dozen times – there is a way to do it and get it right every time.
What often happens is that a driver will grasp the shift nob and force it to where they think 3rd gear should be. Invariably 3rd gear isn’t there causing the dreaded 2-5 shift and ensuing feeling that the car has a sea anchor chained to the rear bumper. I didn’t do that… I quickly pushed the gear lever to where nothing is. The good news is that I got it right on the second try. WTF!?!?!?!!!!!
Too late, however, as my “brilliant” qualifying effort had been erased by those behind me that successfully found 3rd gear – everybody, in fact. All of the sudden I found myself in need of a new plan. Maybe I should try to make it through the chicane first, though..?
I’m pretty sure I thought it was cool that David deRegt, who had started just behind me in seventh, had a good start and was in front of me going into turn one. David is a relatively new guy that I haven’t had a chance to race with yet and he seems to be going pretty fast. I’d had a similar experience with Eli Cuevas the day before in the Miatajaula.com car.
Eli Cuevas - "south of the border" Miatacage.com car
Eli was a student at the Driver’s School in March and was visible in my mirrors for the entire race – it’s the same kind of feeling I imagine a proud mother goose having…
But, I haven’t raced with David, and I don’t know if his qualifying was a fluke (probably not) or where and when he is reliably quick. This isn’t really the ideal time to panic, but contact with the leaders is nearly lost for good – I must attack him, NOW!!!
I had a better turn 7 than he did (entering the back straight) but still couldn’t draw up on him very quickly. The car did suck up a little bit and finally, as we entered the breaking markers, I was able to pull out. I was willing to go side by side through there with David from the inside of turn 10 – it would be a low risk move for me, and I slowed a little bit extra to make sure I could leave him some extra room at 11 if he decided to come along.
He didn’t and we were both slower through the 10-11-12 complex than necessary, but not too bad for me.
I was freight trained at the start of lap 2 by a blue car running one of the early Sunbelt Spec Miata motors and Toyo RA-1’s. The same RA-1’s that the front runners had agreed not to use this year (even though they are still technically legal). Frankly, I don’t really consider that car a Spec Miata – I am certain that it runs significantly afoul of both the spirit and the technical rules of the class.
Sean Hedrick - the Roger Penske of Northwest Spec Miata Racing
Enough sour grapes – looking at this objectively, overall I finished 5th on points for the two races, ended up about .5 of a second off the leaders pace and was very consistent. I can live with that (especially after 6 months out of the car), as it is a great confidence boost for the enduros the team plans to run in the fall.
I owe big thanks to Ken Sutherland who helped me get the car dialed in very quickly – and who traded wins and runner up positions with Will Schrader in both races. And, I do truly think that my time on the bicycle has helped to retain “the edge” needed to compete at this level.
Speaking of bicycles, it’s time to focus again. I’ll be riding the Cascade Cycling Classic in Bend with my brother-in-law and his Simple Green team mates at the end of July. It’s 4 stages in a mixed Cat 3-4 field, and it could be kind of hard… Yikes.
I could quit car racing whenever I want – but, I could also come back…
After 3 days of a 4 day race weekend everything is still proceeding as normal for me. The race yesterday morning was typical Spec Miata and my plan was to attempt to maintain contact without being so close as to be the guy that made the small mistake that took somebody else out.
That mistake was made, of course, and I would have video if I had set the camera up properly (these things usually involve a bit of trial and error – error being the key, in this case). As the 26 car field was sorting itself out during the first couple of laps two of the cars directly in front of me went side by side through turn one, and they didn’t quite get clear of each other before getting back into line for turn 2.
So, there was a tap, and a half spin, and some moderately heavy contact. Bruce Wilson’s car was damaged beyond repair (more on that in a moment) and Geoff Cochran’s car had a corner pretty well torn up.
This all left me 5th (after qualifying 7th) and quite alone. The Miatacage.com Spec Miata might be the best handling Spec Miata I’ve ever driven – I really like the new Toyo R888’s despite the complaints I’ve heard about them (this might be due to the data my team mate Ken Sutherland has collected, and the fact I can go straight to the proper tire pressures).
We do still have a horsepower deficit. The car seems to roll quite well, so I think it’s something we’ve attached to what we believe is a reasonably strong motor. There are things you can do at the race track to correct this type of issue, and most of them we’ve done – new proper exhaust system, check and re-check the timing, AFM calibration. The car needs some time on the dyno and I’ve decided to continue enjoying the opportunity to drive a good race car again.
My strategy for the second round of qualifying (for race 2, Sunday) was to stay close enough to the faster cars to gain some benefit from the draft. This, more or less, worked out and I have qualified 5th after having run my 5 fastest laps of the weekend in the same session (including my fastest by .4 of a second).
The funny thing about my drafting partner
The paddock "frame rack and body shop "doing magic
is that it was Bruce Wilson, in the what I believed 4 hours earlier, was a junk yard bound car. It still is probably, but a bunch of guys rigged up a frame rack in the pits and pulled the thing kind of straighter (in a twisted midnight body shop kind of way).
Anyhow, that car is still kind of quick and it suited my purposes
"show room new", Yuri!!!
well, as it still pushes just as big a hole through the air as it always did.
One more race today and then back into “retirement” for me. I feel kind of like the smoker that keeps quiting and could quit again whenever he wants to…..
We took the “new” number 11 Miatacage.com Spec Miata to Portland International Raceway yesterday for the pre-Rose Cup test. So far, so good.
This is, by the way, the first time back at PIR since I decided the Tuesday night bicycle racing there was getting a little bit sketchy, and the first time in a race car there since the Cascade 12 Hour victory last October. I have had a day teaching at the Pro-Drive school recently, but that doesn’t really count as I am usually just riding around in other peoples cars trying not to get motion sick…
The plan was simply
The 87 car driven this weekend by Cindi Lux
for team mates Ken Sutherland, Chuck Hall and I along with Miatacage.com owner, Sean Hedrick, to shakedown numerous cars, including the newly rebuilt 11 and the 87 (ex- #1) cars. I wouldn’t have been there if it hadn’t been for Jonny Davies lending me the tow rig and trailer of his A Sedan Mustang, which was still at the shop having an alignment before arriving at the track Thursday night (just after I returned the stuff) – thanks, Jonny.
I had one small situation at the very end of the day (there’s a hole inside of
On the scales for a set-up check
the apex curbing in turn 7 – duuuh…) which then necessitated a set-up check and some extra work – thanks Ken.
It appears that I’m somewhere around one second off the pace, but the car feels really good. I’m a bit suspicious of the horsepower, but there is no reason it shouldn’t
The Jon Davies A-Sedan Mustang that belongs to the tow rig I borrowed
have plenty, so we’ll try a little bit of tweaking today.
