nape

iTrader: (1)

Just a quick race report from last weekend (yeah right).

I got to Blackhawk early on Friday and was able to secure a spot big enough for most of the CMC/AI guys to all be in the same spot, which was cool because we're usually a little more scattered. Quite a few of us camped this weekend and we woke up to rain Saturday morning. I was up at 5am trying to save my EZ-UP from collapsing due to rain puddling on it, but it gave me plenty of time to get my head in the game. Also, the schedule was pushed back 45 minutes due to lightning and that will come into play later.

Practice and qualifying were both in the wet. I set fast time overall during practice (wooo! I won practice!...) in the moderate rain that was falling, which was nice to grid 1st for qualifying. Qualifying didn't work out as well for me. With less rain falling, I was able to carry more speed and the shaved RA1s on the front didn't want to grip as well as the full tread R888s on the back. So, it was basically a drift session pushing the front end around with the rear. Dave Algozine out qualified me by 4-5 tenths and Steve Post opt'd out of the wet weather fun to start 3rd.

Luckily, the rain stopped and everything started to dry out. The track was bone dry by race time at 2:15. I'm usually not the first person to grid, but I'm usually not almost last either. The schedule change had everyone goofed up and I pulled onto grid getting the 1 minute call. Dave wasn't so lucky, he had to start at the back of the 2nd flying start. I forgot to mention, due to low turn out, there were 36 race cars in 1 mixed race group. Spec Miatas, Legends, Spec 944, GTS, AI, AIX, SU, etc! I had a blast working traffic and am really pissed that the camera refused to work this weekend. Anyway, back to the race, Dave chased hard setting the fastest lap of the race with a 1:20.5x to my 1:21.8x but he was too far back to catch me. My car was running hot at 230*, but I moved the PS cooler in front of the (still stock) radiator and it was 85-90* ambient. I also had rear grip issues. Steve Post pulled off @ 230* as they've had head gasket issues in the past. Cutting a bigger hole in the front bumper solved his issues.

At the race group meeting earlier, it was decided that R2 would be gridded by fastest lap time from R1. So, once again, Dave started 1st, me in 2nd, and Steve Post in 3rd. Before the race, we swapped out the dead R888s that were on the rear for some RA1s. Dave made a great start for himself and put 3-4 cars in between us in the first couple corners but I was able to reel him in after a few laps. We ran nose to tail for a while until coming off T7 I felt the rear end wiggle in a way I've never felt. It felt like a tire going down, so I evaluated down the straight away letting Dave pull away a few cars and a GTS5 Porsche out braked me into T1. After following him for a few laps and with Dave starting to pull away, I stuck my nose in a few times letting him know I wanted back by and he wouldn't give me any room. So, going into the Carousel, he left 3/4 of a car, so I put two in the grass on the inside and was able to complete the pass. It was really close and neither of us felt body contact, but I'm glad both cars were white . By the end of the race, I was able to chase Dave down again and make it a 3 tenths margin of victory, but I ran out of laps to try for the win. The car ran 230* in open air again and 240* tucked up under Dave's bumper. During all the chasing, I managed to reset the track record again. it's now a 1:19.028. Dave bettered his effort with a 1:20.0x IIRC.

CMC'er Bob Denton had to run to Autozone for a radiator drain plug (which cracked and drained the radiator just as he pulled into his paddock spot, talk about clean living!) and he picked up a bottle of Water Wetter for me. I also figured out that in my hurry to get the motor back in, I didn't check which way the fan was blowing. I had reversed the polarity so it was blowing instead of sucking. :banghead: Those two changes led to the car running 210-220*, which made me much happier.

On Sunday, the AI guys decided to skip practice for sleep. In qualifying, I managed a 1:19.018 to grab the #1 spot and Dave slotted in next to me with a 1:20.5x with Steve Post in 3rd with a 1:21.x. Dave managed to get a good start from the outside again when the GTS5 bimmer guys waited for the 3rd or 4th wave of the green to hit the gas again. He put 1 BMW between us into T1 but that BMW didn't want to stay behind for long coming up alongside Dave in the Carousel. There's a little chicane at the end of the corner and the BMW couldn't get the pass done in time and didn't give Dave enough room. Dave went for a little Dukes of Hazard style off-road adventure over the apex curbing and did a valiant job of trying to save it but he ended up perpendicular to the line just past the apex of 3a. Unfortunately, the off was bad enough to take out one of his coolers and he smoked badly for a lap before he made the smart decision to pull it in. Steve Post kept within a straight away for half the race until he lost a rear end or transmission and had to pull off. After that, I put it on cruise control to save the equipment. Fast lap was a mid 1:20.

So, leaving BHF, I've increased my Midwest region American Iron points lead to 27 points after drops and the last race for MW region AI points will be Putnam Park in October.

Since the motor issues killed my Nationals budget and the car is running well again, we're going to see if we can stay local and sneak into the top 3 in points in the Great Lakes region. Mid-Ohio is this weekend, Gingerman is a MW/GL crossover in Sept. (but declared non-points for MW AI), and then the season finale MW/GL cross over at Putnam Park in October.

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

Excellent. Loved reading it, so I won't post a Worthless without pics GIF..

novadk13

That does sound like a good weekend, hopefully keep up in the points

gearhead0384

iTrader: (7)

I cant believe I missed this again, I was talking to a buddy of mine about going only to realize that is was this past weekend.

nape

iTrader: (1)

I'll try to get pics up if any photographers showed up, all I have is crappy cell phone pics.

Come up to Gingerman in South Haven, MI on Labor Day weekend. It's about the same distance.

CYARS92

DUH, same here and the track is only 30 minutes from home! Aarrrgh!

gearhead0384

iTrader: (7)

Ill have to do that, sounds like a great time!

3.8TransAM

I'm po'ed I've missed it this year too.

Its always fun hanging with TJ and watching racing, plus I get to check out neat ideas for my own rides.

nape

iTrader: (1)

Since nothing was broken after Blackhawk, we scrubbed the brake dust and tire rubber off and loaded it up to go to Mid-Ohio.

Saturday: Practice was basically a waste as we used it to bed in new brakes. I wasn't going to go to Mid-Ohio on a 90* weekend with 25% pad and big heat checks in the rotors. We qualified 6th out of 7 cars (6 Mustangs and 1 lonely Firebird), but the top 6 were within 1.2 seconds. Within 5 laps, I'd moved up to 2nd and was trying to chase down the leader, but got stuck behind an out-of-class Corvette for 3 laps until I got a good enough run to out brake him into Turn 7. After that, the tires were too hot to really chase him down and we had to settle for 2nd behind Todd Rogers in an SN95 Mustang.

Sunday: We clocked in second in practice to Ryan Winchester in an S197 Mustang ('05+). In qualifying, I got quite a few clean laps and was able to take the top spot by almost .7 with a 1:37.3, the fastest lap of the weekend in American Iron. In the race, I was able to jump out to an early lead due to a good start. Past halfway, Todd Rogers started to reel me in through traffic and with a few to go he had caught up. I caught a lucky break with 2 to go and cleared a lap car that ended up holding him up for a few second gap. We took the checkered with him trailing by 1.3 seconds and it looked closer then that in my mirror.

So, we picked up a 1st, 2nd, and a pole and gave the F-body it's first win in American Iron at Mid-Ohio!

We're heading to Gingerman Raceway on Sept. 5th and 6th (Labor Day weekend). Come on out and check it out.

nape

iTrader: (1)

Thanks again to everyone who replied. You guys really need to come to Gingerman. We're running well this year and it makes for a helluva show.

Here's a few pics from Mid-Ohio:

Turn 7:


Coming out of Thunder Valley into the Carousel:

anthony714

iTrader: (5)

****ing a dude.keep up the good work. keeping kicking the snot out of those beamers and even them damn ponies. show em what gm use to be able to build ..................................good old american iron. id like to hook up with you one day. do some laps somewhere. maybe i can talk to the guys up at blackhawk. i teach emergency vehicle operations and we run out there ocassionally, that is when gateway is booked. gateway is the first pick.i think cheaper.

gearhead0384

iTrader: (7)

TJ my buddys and I are going to be there. Its like 30 min from the cottage so count me in. Fill me in on any info that you think I should know before I go.

Thanks

nape

iTrader: (1)

Well, I've never been here before so I can't tell you too much.

-There's a chance of a gate fee, but it's usually $5-10/weekend if there is one.
-Bring a cooler, sometimes tracks don't open up the concessions or they're expensive if they do.
-The normal sunscreen/rain poncho/etc., we run rain or shine.
-Camera, so you can make up for my lack of pictures

If I forgot anything, I'll add it later.