FF Showcase National June Sprints Roll Call

[Allen_W]

Allen,

Glad to see you stuck around. Wanted to get a chance to talk to you again, but we got a little busy. Hope to see you out again soon.

Brad,

Thanks for your help down there. Well as we know each other, you were a consummate pro, taking care of business in a totally professional manner. That said, it was good to see a friendly face.

And I appreciate that you didn't bring up in your post how when you asked if I was ok, I answered, "I don't know." Weird. LOL Anyway, thanks again, we were in a bad spot, for sure.

It doesn't look good for GingerMan--we'll know early in the week--but we feel confident for the regional at RA in late July.

Allen

[Mike Scanlan]

Great event, don't quite understand why they wouldn't split the start, a few other groups did get a split start. Still in a hotel, I80 in Pa. was slammed Sunday night. Good to hear you're ok Allen, sorry we didn't meet, I was there w/o crew this weekend and kept missing you. I knew that the PA announcement after Q1 was wrong, but I sure would have paid good money to see the look on Mike A's face when it happened.
As for the Fit, the car is better with the 29.0 restrictor and, I suspect will be a lot closer to competitive at a lot of tracks, but not at RA. The run up the hill out of 14 was the most telling. Peter Kelly of CDS took some of my data from the weekend and overlayed over some Kent data and it really shows the Honda bogging down going up the hill. Some CRB members saw this data and I can only hope that they take it to heart when they meet next.
All in all, my data did not show any real improvement at the bottom going from the 27.5 to the 29.0, but does add a bit at the top, but it still would not allow me to pull a 25:27 4th gear over 6400. When I dropped down to a 24:27 I was able to get it bounce off the limiter at 6750+/-. Nobody was sharing speed data with me, but a I felt that this was a real handicap. During the race (with a 24:27) I simply couldn't stay in a draft once we got to 4th gear.
Quite simply, if 29.0 is the plate for the Runoffs it would pointless to bring a Honda and that would be a real shame, because as Tom V. mentioned before HPD is making an incredible and impartial effort to support this project along with their other Honda entries. They will have a presence again at the W Glen Showcase double national and it would be a shame if this engine is not allowed to at least be brought closer to where it really needs to be by the the time of the Runoffs.
No matter how the CRB rules, this past weekend certainly would indicate that a Kent will prevail in Sept., unless of course JT puts a Honda in his car, he's been putting on quite a show this season. Let's get some Hondas to the Glen in 2 weeks.

[reidhazelton]

the continentals were overly aggressive. I don't understand the need to dive bomb on a qualifying lap. If you're going underneath me (dive bombing or not) you've lost the fast lap. Why take unnecessary risks when the laps already toast? The session is 25 minutes long, if you can't get past me on the straight, then don't ruin my lap too. There is time to give it another go. Several times a continental bullied their way in from SEVERAL car lengths back under heavy braking. There also seems to be a general mentality that qualifying is racing. It's not. I think this should be addressed during the drivers meeting if this group is together again.

Anyway, enjoy the video!

-Bill Valet

That is about as good a synopsis as one can get about it. From my point, it was in some cases reckless and flat out dumb. In that Q1 session, I had an FC dive under me in 14 as I was about to turn in (he was a few lengths behind) when I saw him move out from behind me and hammer the apex. Then he drove in front of me only to quickly dive into the pits....but wait, there's more. He then decided not to go into the pits but to blow me away down the straight. I had one finger for him, and it wasn't that he was number 1. Well, number one something maybe...

But wait, there's more. On the very next lap as I was behind Mr. Rubenzer, the same thing happened to him. An FC dive-bombed him in 14, Rubenzer went to retake on the inside as the FC blew the corner with way, way to much brake from way too far back. Then the FC decided he wanted to go into the pits as Mr. Rubenzer was 3/4 of the way along side the FC's right. Very abrupt, and very stupid. If Rubenzer had not have reacted as quickly as he did that would have been ugly.

But wait...there is more. Later, two FCs tired to occupy the same place in 12 and took each other out, spinning into the grass. Then, again Rubenzer almost for clobbered, into 13 4 FCs tried to go 3 wide and one went in the dirt as the others scattered. Again, Rubenzer saved the day and got on the brakes to let the tool that went off back on without taking out another car.

let alone the whole deal with Allen (saw the vid, +1 for a poor move on the FC part!), it was completely nuts. It's like you get wings and some of these guys grow a third testicle and lose the left hemisphere of their brain.

Why is it that at the Sprints, and the Runoffs there seems to be a case of "Hey, I saw this on TV once so I am going to try to do it too"?

Practice was fine, then once the clocks were on it was complete insanity. Not that the Ford guys were perfect angles either, there were a few off, looked single car incidents to me.

yeah, it is racing and poop happens, but really?

[Brad Ellingson]

And I appreciate that you didn't bring up in your post how when you asked if I was ok, I answered, "I don't know." Weird. LOL Anyway, thanks again, we were in a bad spot, for sure.

It was kind of a dumb question to ask in that situation, but you recognized me right away so I knew the synapses were firing. I think you were probably surprised to see me on the rescue truck when you are used to seeing me driving. It did make me laugh a bit though. I might be driving that RA event, if not, I'll probably be back on one of those trucks. I have a whole new perspective after having worked a couple of events on them now. Some drivers this weekend had little regard for the or the fact that we were out there helping their fellow competitors.

As for that RA race, feel free to take a few extra weeks off.

[Bill Valet]

That is about as good a synopsis as one can get about it. From my point, it was in some cases reckless and flat out dumb. In that Q1 session, I had an FC dive under me in 14 as I was about to turn in (he was a few lengths behind) when I saw him move out from behind me and hammer the apex. Then he drove in front of me only to quickly dive into the pits....but wait, there's more. He then decided not to go into the pits but to blow me away down the straight. I had one finger for him, and it wasn't that he was number 1. Well, number one something maybe...

But wait, there's more. On the very next lap as I was behind Mr. Rubenzer, the same thing happened to him. An FC dive-bombed him in 14, Rubenzer went to retake on the inside as the FC blew the corner with way, way to much brake from way too far back. Then the FC decided he wanted to go into the pits as Mr. Rubenzer was 3/4 of the way along side the FC's right. Very abrupt, and very stupid. If Rubenzer had not have reacted as quickly as he did that would have been ugly.

This happened to me at least twice during qualifying. I understand doing a hard lap coming in to make sure you have accurate tire temp and pressure readings, but if you take that last corner a couple mph slower is it REALLY going to impact your readings? Is it really worth it to 1) possibly cause a pile up, and 2) completely ruin someones lap on the LAST corner?

I honestly don't understand the thought process. Do they get some sort of satisfaction in doing this? Like, hey look how much faster I am than you! Guess what, I know you are, and frankly, I don't care. Not all FC drivers were being bullish, so don't take my rant as being directed at the FC class as a whole. For the most part they were good, but there were more than a few who weren't.

I do want to mention that I saw a lot of point by's from the FF drivers who had their heads on a swivel out there. I know I tried my best to point by the FC drivers (and FF drivers too), sometimes even at the expense of my lap. I'm not saying this to toot my own horn, but we're club racing, and courtesy is as big a part of it as safety is. Sometimes the two go hand in hand. I know I appreciate point by's and I try to extend the courtesy as well.

Now I know how the Vee's feel!

- Bill Valet

[Gokart Mozart]

It was interesting hearing the announcer in the pre-race stating I would be starting last...if he only knew I was in Canada Corner wearing jeans and running shoes, I'm sure SCCA would have granted me a head start. :P

Anyways, it looked like a good time was had by all, congrats to everyone.







Link to album: http://www.flickr.com/photos/3139058...7624251795389/

[TimW]

But wait, there's more. On the very next lap as I was behind Mr. Rubenzer, the same thing happened to him. An FC dive-bombed him in 14, Rubenzer went to retake on the inside as the FC blew the corner with way, way to much brake from way too far back. Then the FC decided he wanted to go into the pits as Mr. Rubenzer was 3/4 of the way along side the FC's right. Very abrupt, and very stupid. If Rubenzer had not have reacted as quickly as he did that would have been ugly.

But wait...there is more. Later, two FCs tired to occupy the same place in 12 and took each other out, spinning into the grass. Then, again Rubenzer almost for clobbered, into 13 4 FCs tried to go 3 wide and one went in the dirt as the others scattered. Again, Rubenzer saved the day and got on the brakes to let the tool that went off back on without taking out another car.

Is there a way to petition some of those drivers to have to go back to running the old Club Racing decals on their car? It seems rather counterintuitive for every SCCA national driver to have a SafeRacer decal on their car...I know I'm trying to make sure I don't end up in a situation where another driver suggests I take that decal off...seriously, I never ran the sprints due to running with FM in previous years, but 25 FCs was busy. However I was easier to pass than most FFs this weekend so luckily seem to have had less of an issue than most.

Thanks to all who came out...the Saturday impound raffle was a bust as they didn't hold any cars the 30 minutes. I will conduct the raffle tonight (will withdraw my name) and post the details tomorrow of the raffle and performance awards.

Congrats to Jeremy on a great win.

Watkins Glen in two weeks! Any pending late entries to get us beyond 15 cars?

Tim

[Tim FF19]

[quote=TimW;259980]Is there a way to petition some of those drivers to have to go back to running the old Club Racing decals on their car?


I'll sign it.

[DLayton]

Jacques,

Sorry you couldn't make it to the Sprints, but thanks for posting the pics! That's the first one I've seen of me in the car.

I'm old enough to remember the Eagles when they were brand new, and always thought it was an interesting, clever design. I hope to see you and your car at a race later this year.

Dan

[John LaRue]

In the years that I ran FF we were not paired with FC all that frequently. When we were I do not recall the closing rates being what they seem to be from the FC, but that is to be expected. At RA this is not a good pairing due to the speed differential. Simply stated the FC carries so much more speed, especially from the exit of T6 to the kink that it is a hazard. I found the FF's to be fairly well behaved from my perspective although I did have traffic every lap including catching one at the kink on my fast lap. There were a couple of cars that meandered back and forth from the kink to Canada, but that is something that I have seen with almost every class I have run with.

I do think that it would be good to have a drvier's meeting before the first session at RA to remind everyone to check their mirrors on their way into the kink and as they exit. Probably too much to ask for.

[Tom Valet]

Jacques,

Sorry you couldn't make it to the Sprints, but thanks for posting the pics! That's the first one I've seen of me in the car.

Dan

Dan, here's one of you leading Jeremy!

[dc]

I didn't do much shooting on Friday, but I did manage a few interesting shots.

[DLayton]

Great pic Tom, you caught the brief nanosecond Jeremy was behind me before whipping past and flying off into the distance...<g>. Regardless of any power differences, etc, I did see enough of JT in action this weekend to recognize that he has mega talent! It's great being back in a single seater again after all these years, now I just need to work on getting quicker.

And thanks for the grid shot Doug, I think I was napping when you took it. <g> Sorry we didn't get a chance to chat this weekend, but hope to catch up with you at the Runoffs in September.

Dan

[ric baribeault]

Dan, we all know your pain. his talent was obvious when he did that to me. he was 16 at the time. i think he was taller than me then too. and your car looks great!

[mblanc]

And thanks for the grid shot Doug, I think I was napping when you took it.

Probably it was the glare off the paint that forced you to close your eyes,

WOW is that thing bright.!!!
I was glad I had my DARK tinted shield on, had to close it to cut down the glare on the grid.

[Wes Allen]

Hey, Doug not fair! I like Jacque's AKA Gokart Mozart picture much better than yours! That's what happens when a Rod End turn buckle breaks! You get the hook!

[dc]

Hey, Doug not fair! I like Jacque's AKA Gokart Mozart picture much better than yours! That's what happens when a Rod End turn buckle breaks! You get the hook!

I got this one when it was still clean and shinny, too, Wes.

[DLayton]

Actually, I can't take any credit for the color, it was already Dayglow Orange when I bought it. But it's kinda grown on me, and it DEFINITELY stands out on the track...<g>

And Tom, I think this is Bill getting ready to pounce as we headed down to T5. Congrats on a great run for you guys.

Dan

[TimW]

Here are the contingency winners for the June Sprints Showcase National:

• Fast Lap of the Race - $150 from Williams Racing Developments - Jeremy Treadway
• Hard Charger Award - $150 from Taylor Race Engineering - John Luxon +6 positions
• Pole Winner - $75 from Continental Motorsports - Jeremy Treadway

There was neither any hold in impound or a quorum after qualifying to have the raffle, so I conducted it myself after the fact. I did not put my name in:

Raffle winners:

• $100 from Williams Racing Developments - Dan Layton
• $50 from SR Racing - John Butkovich
• Two tickets to IRL race of winners choice (except Indy 500) from Honda Performance Development - Jim Lee
• $50 product or service certificate from Porter Racing - Reid Hazelton

Thanks again guys for coming out. I will have the emails out to the winners and to the vendors with who the winners were and paper certificates where applicable this week.

Tim

[swiftdrivr]

Now this is really cool! I finish darn near last, and still come away with something. I had forgotten about the raffle. This showcase series is alright.
Anyway, I just want to say that this was a great weekend. If you have never been to the sprints, you owe it to yourself to go. The event was well run, the track is awsome, everyone was beyond friendly, and my times were...well, better than at the 40th.
Many thanks to those who helped me get the clutch functional long enough to get on track, especially the guys who bled my clutch for me, while on grid! [Yellow fender car, royal purple sponsor? I think.] I never got there names, but without them, I'd have towed for two days to watch.
Sadly, my wife says it ain't happening again. Three days of standing in line for cold showers doesn't sell well. But hey, I've got a whole year to work on that.
Jim

P.S.; Allen, thanks for your help on figuring out 14. Glad to see you came through the crash OK.

[Wes Allen]

Much better thanks Doug!

[ric baribeault]

ironically, a bump for indocil too

[dc]

ironically, a bump for indocil too

Yeah, I need to work on that.

[Brandon Hull]

This was our eighth car race and third national, and hands down the best so far. This was Forrest's sixth new track, and I was proud that he seemed to learn it fast, and had a clean, drama-free weekend. It was my first visit also to this historic track: other racetracks could sure learn some lessons on how to run a facility!

Our only hiccup was the discovery that our rotor was contacting the distributor studs so badly it had machined them out of spec causing a misfire. We were sitting amidst a mound of curiously incompatible autolite rotors and caps when Mike Scanlan drove up to get fuel, saw our dilemma, and returned a moment later with his retired Bosch distributor. Problem solved and the car ran great all weekend.


Allen we didn't meet but I was dismayed to see your car; I'd been admiring the livery and finish from first sight. Hope you get it re-built soon.

Thanks guys for all the photos, we come all this way to race but all I ever get to see is the stopwatch so those photos are invaluable!

BTW a highlight of the weekend was the after-hours boondoggle with the five Valets, a more ardent cadre of racing enthusiasts you will not find!

[JeremyT12]

Thank you ! I appreciate all you have said! This year we are on a mission after last years Run Offs I still have a bitter taste in my mouth.... Valet's Thank you for the great pictures when racing is over all we have are the memories and pictures...I will see everyone at the GLEN my favorite Track....if any one new to the track needs help please stop by I will be more than happy to help you...

Have a good 4th weekend....