Hey y'all,
Race season's over. Bummer, huh? Good news is, the car's still shiny, runs
great, and there's no off season mending.
Mid America
A select few migrated to the edge of the earth (or western Iowa... depends
on your perspective) for the VSCDA inagural Hawkeye Classic. With the
exception of Dr. J breaking a kingpin (and safely getting it off the track),
there were no serious off road excursions (the term "going agricultural" has
real meaning out there..) and no metal to metal contact among racers. That
brings up a point that I'd like to make about Mid America. The track was
designed by the same guy that did Gingerman (which I don't care for at
all...). It is wide open, flat, little visual cues, and a series of "S's"
and carousel turns. My conclusion about the track is it's fun to drive, but
not to race. What does that mean? The track favors nimble yet powerful cars.
A number of long time racers commented "go kart track" in their
descriptions. There just aren't any places where a small bore car can take
advantage of late braking and better exit speeds than other more powerful
competitors. Would I run the event again? Yes...but let me qualify that
answer.Yes if we have no where else to run with VSCDA in Oct. I suspect
given the meager attendance, lack of both on track "value" (no enduro, no
featured marque), and lack of off track activities (no meals provided, no
local activities, no featured guests, etc.) combined with it being a 2 day
event with a 2 day travel for most members will doom this event in the long
run. I'm sure the club lost a buttload of money. There were little "whiffs"
of backdoor politics in evidence in some club announcements and paperwork.
If the event chairs receive all the support they need to make this event a
success (3 days of racing, imaginative after hours activities, etc.) we'll
still be dealing with the reaction to the track itself..."fun to drive, not
to race".
Redrum had its cam timing issue solved, and after adjusting the throttle
cable to give "full song'...ran very well. It allowed me to think about
chassis changes (I have not done anything chassis wise to adjust this car to
my preferences) in order to make the car more drivable.
Note... for any and all that want to climb my ass for my sometimes unpopular
personal opinions...while you're climbin' it, you'd better stop and kiss it
too. I made the trip, raced, donated and cooked the food, and entertained
(again).
That Loooooong Race.
Blackhawk Farms, Midwest Council. It's been 10 years since I've raced a
council event. The many rattlecan paint jobs, wrinkled fenders, and masking
tape numbers were a familiar site. But, the vintage entries were over 40
cars. Also, only one car that really didn't fit the mold... a '64
Chevelle... but thankfully it was very well prepared (read very current
technology wrapped in a vintage skin) and was driven well and went like
stink. Ron "Grasshopper" Soave got his Midwest Council baptism by being
punted in the right rear fender by a clueless guy driving a shitbox Datsun.
Scott Foreman apparently had a right rear leaf spring break, which heaved
him hard left while exiting 4 and left him hard into the tires that protect
the tree on the inside of the 4-5 turn combo. It looked as though the car
was a write off candidate. Scott is a very good (and fast) driver. It was
unfortunate.
I bought a set of Mini Mania's 520 lbs lowered race coil springs, with the
intention of dropping the front end down, while stiffening it. The front end
of Redrum had been gone thru by Jim "Elmo" Donato while Barb Nevoral owned
it... but it was not significantly lowered, nor did it have any provisions
for any negative camber. (With radials, you might want 3 degrees, bias
ply... maybe 1 degree. I run Hoosier Street TD bias ply). I was quite
surprised after removing one spring, and comparing it to my new spring. The
"old spring" was 2" lower than the new one. So, I put the old ones back in,
and lowered the car by shimming the spring pads. Triple P (Peter the Parts
Pimp Worldwide) brought and installed a trick set of shock valves. The
change in the car was dramatic... much stiffer, much less body roll, and,
thankfully musch less understeer. With a strong running motor, I finally
have that throttle steer that fits my driving style. (Thanks PPP).
Driving Blackhawk is like putting on an old favorite pair of shoes. It's a
track that encourages racing. It causes you to make numerous decisions
regarding when and where a successful pass might be made. Also, the front
straight is long enough to equalize the advantage a smaller car might
achieve on the backside of the course... yet not so long that a small car
gives away all the advantage gained. Yeah... its funky, and the surface and
amenities could use some improvement... but the bottom line is... you can
race at Blackhawk.
In summary, I'd say the Loooong Race was a lot of fun, and tracktime was
very good for the $155 entry fee. I wish VSCDA would consider a second race
at Blackhawk, or Road America rather than 2 races at Gingerman, and Mid
America. I'd like to see VSCDA pursue a race at Mid Ohio. I'd like to see
VSCDA team up with VARAC and run some promotion that gets VSCDA members up
to Mosport in more significant numbers, and get some of those great Canadian
drivers down to Grattan or ELVF. Also, I for one( and believe me, there's
more than one...) wish we were still racing at IRP in Oct.
WST
Flounder
Team Thicko
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