Watkins Glen Regional Sept. 18-19

[Dan Pyanowski]

It's not too late to commit to this annual speed fest!
With the ECW and NEC on hiatias, this is the place to be for competition.
Taking a look at the entries to date, new stuff, old stuff and "tweeniers" are entered, so don't let that be an excuse to come out, as there will be someone to race with.
14 FF, 11 NCF entered

FORMULA FORD:
James, David Swift/DB1
Detrick, Robert VanDiemen/RF98K
Pyanowski, Daniel Tiga/FF81
Boyer, Raymond VanDiemen/RF 92
Foster, Charles Piper/DF5
Mcafee, Todd Swift /DB1
Hobby, Doug Swift/DB-1
Vanslyke, Chip Crossle/62F
Copperthite, Brian Citation/84F
Walker, Alan Swift Euro/SC92F
Carroll, Bill EuroSwift/SC97
Petzko, David Reynard/FF
Callo, Edward Bowman/BC-5
Lutz, Bob Swift DB1

[FONT=arial]NEW ENGLAND CLUB FORD (control tires):[/FONT]
Bardwell, ToddCFCrossle/32f
Rand, MichaelNCFCrossle/30F
Denomme, Donald VanDiemen/RF80
King, Jd Zink/Z10
F Kilpatrick, Mark VanDiemen/RF-79
Harmison, David Royale/RP21
Marcinski, Joe Tiga/FFA-78
Kingham, Phil Zinc Z-10C
Roux, Steve Royale RP31
Tyo, James VanDiemen/RF80
Macnicholl, JimCFVanDiemen/RF-81

It should be a "Grrrate Day for Mohtorracing"

[PK]

I had problems with the online registration, so my snail-mail entry went in on Tuesday.

Phil Kingham, Zinc Z-10C, NCF

[T.Bardwell]

Correction... Bardwell will be there on Hoosier R60s.

[Dan Pyanowski]

23 Fords entered, not too shabby...

Todd:
Great! You were flying at Mid-Ohio and expect you will kick butt even with the Hoosier 60's.

Phil:
Welcome...Added you to the list of the strong NCF filed.

[Roux]

See you all there. Have to get the Dunlops into bags and get a set of 60's and then learn how to drive on them

This is a spectacular event, so any FF CF NCF driver who is on the fence should make every effor to show up.

We should ask for a split start so that the F500s are not amongs the fords. Nothing agains any of those folks, but it ruins their race and ours if we are mixed and not racing our own kind

If the average speed of the 500's is higher than that of the Fords I would even agree to flipping the starting order. Lets get together after qualy and discuss

[T.Bardwell]

Thanks Dan. Mid Ohio was a blast. The Fun One at Watkins is quickly becoming a great tradition for FF turn out, and a great group of FF drivers. I would encourage anyone on the fence to show up. The weather is typically beautiful and the track, well what more could you want? It's Watkins! Look forward to seeing you ALL there.

[jpmacnicholl]

I will also be on R-60's, running NCF

[MikeR]

After long delays for cleanups for group 2 and 5, the FF, NCF, CF, FV, F500, FST group 6 completed almost 1 lap before a red flag stopped the race. I don't have any details on the cause of the red flag or who was involved. After re-griding on pit lane, the race resumed and the results for the top 10 are shown.

1 Charles Foster, FF
2 Todd Bardwell, NCF
3 David Petzko, FF
4 Brian Copperthite, FF
5 Daniel Pyanowski, FF
6 Phil Kingham, NCF
7 J.D. King, NCF
8 Edward Callo, FF
9 Alan Walker, FF
10 Jim MacNicholl NCF

[J.D. King]

After the big delays on Saturday and the fog rolling in on Sunday morning delaying the start of the day, I think the stewards did a decent job of making the best of what driver errors and mother nature had to throw at them. So my hat is off to them for dealing with the difficult hand of cards they were dealt.

That being said, the racing was great and fast as is expected of the gang that shows up for this annual feast of fast fun and good food and camaraderie.

Bardwell and Kingham took off in Club Ford, with Todd suffering a problem that he had to pit for, and I hear Foster and Petzko had a classic battle in FF. I had hoped to give fight to the CF guys but a sputtering motor kept me out of the top rpm range and thus the skirmish. My car not running as well as I'd hoped due to what I suspect to be a fuel pick-up issue, post mortem not yet done.

Now to my post's title, there may not have been the track time we wanted, but what we got was certainly filled with entertaining driving, and isn't that why we do this?

[Roux]

By Saturday evening I think a lot of us were feeling ripped off. No-one was happy with the short track sessions and interuptions. The full stop to tow just about anything has to change. However the race on Sunday was a beauty! I have 1:24.3 as my last lap time on my dash. Only 0.3 off of Kendall's record for NCF on the short course and I finished behind Phil and Jim. I feel for JD. His car got slower and slower all weekend. And Mike Rand never showed good speed thanks to engine issues.

Does anyone have a sheet from Sunday? Perhaps scan it and email it or better, put it up here

I will probably write a letter to the region to encourage the following. When the track appears to be 5 minutes from cleared (between sessions) give the group on the grid the 5 minute warning. Then monitor how the cleanup is going and adjust if needed. They seemed to clear the track, park everyting in its place and then give the ok to grid to give the 5 minutes. There was probably an hour per day to be gained if they could just be more progressive

[PK]

I have to agree with Steve. Saturday night, I was sure I wouldn't come back next year, even though it's by far the most competitive event for me so far this year. But to two 480 mi each way for what happened Saturday sure didn't seem worthwhile.

But, Sunday was a really exciting race. It was extremely busy with all those cars on the short track, and the speed differential between the fastest and slowest cars made for some interesting moments. JD is right that on Sunday the Stewards did a good job with what they had to work with, and the drivers seemed to get their heads screwed on straight so there were relatively few incidents.

Still, that 8 hour tow is a pretty big investment... We'll have to think about it next year.

[Roland V. Johnson]

We were there for the Vintage race the weekend before. 6 hours for you 7200 round trip miles for me, with a stop at Road America and Lime Rock.

[John Merriman]

Steve

Best of luck selling WGI on new ways of running the race weekend. For a few years there when I was running, we wrote to them and even went up to the tower on race days to chat about it. More often than not, the FF qual sessions and race were cut short - and unaccepatbly so. I don't recall anyone EVER admitting they had a problem and clearly nothing has been done about it for over twenty years! A real pity because, as many have said right here on ApexSpeed, it is THE Regional weekend of the year in the northeast and was always my favorite event. A real shame they can't come around to the racers' way of thinking about how to better manage time.

John M.

[Roux]

MYLAPS shows me one lap down. Wonder how that happened? I know I had third unless somehow I got docked a lap? I was a bit late getting to impound. No-one waved a finger at me for that, so I have no idea if I got a penalty of some sort. The laptimes seem to match my data log, but I cannot figure out how they had me as starting 44th???

Good job by Todd Bardwell to put the lap record for NCF at 1:23.8 something! He was blindingly quick all weekend.

[T.Bardwell]

Sadly, my race was cut short when Doug Hobby used my transaxle as a brake pad going into the "Bus Stop Chicane". Copperthite said Hobby came down the inside half on the grass on entry, and over the rumble strips in a stupid/desperate "hail mary move" on lap 2 ! The impact broke my motor mount a shoved my shift linkage forward eliminating the use of 1st and 3rd gears. I pitted to check the damage and then finished the race stuck in 4th gear. I protested him for wreckless and dangerous driving with 2 witnesses of the illegal move he was trying to make.

In the end, after 2 hours of wasted effort and time, the stewards turned down the eye witness backed protest on lack of evidence? They then recommended in the future that I get photos/videos for proof. In the future? Somebody could get killed by then! Hobby has broken my car 3 times (and cost me thousands) in the past couple years due to shear stupidity, OR, he simply can't control his race car at speed. Just about every Northeast FF driver has had a wheel to wheel incident or 2 with this nut job.

I am planning to request a driver review from National in the hope they will finally take his license.

The JOKE is always, "Who will get HOBBIED this weekend". Well it's no longer a joke, it's serious problem that could get one of us killed. If anybody has had a similar experience, please respond or email me. At minimum, this will put him on notice with the SCCA, or at best, we could finally get rid of him with the driver review. Hold your tongue to be polite, and you could be his next victim.

... and we do this for fun.

[D. OAKLEY]

Todd,

I am truely sorry for the way you feel about this incident. Your protest of me was disallowed because their was no credible proof that substantiated your claims. As part of the investigation, my car was inspected by three stewards after the your prostest was made that I broke your gearbox by severely punting you from behind. My car was pulled from the trailer and miticulously gone over for at least ten minutes in good light. There was no damage at all to my car not even a mark in the tires! We touched wheels and yes I was the aggresser! We racers are an aggressive bunch you know, that is why we race!!! I did not intensionally have tire contact with your car and it ruined my vision of glory too, I also spun. I am sincerely sorry for having had tire contact with your car. In close quarters such as "the bus stop", it happens and it would be wonderfull if we never had contact in this sport. Todd, if I am a dangerous driver as you claim, you need not report me to the SCCA Club Officials, I will volunarily step down and retire. I love this sport more than anyone will ever know. If I am endangering my fellow friends and competitors and have wrecked most of them as you say, I apologize and am deeply saddened that my poor diving skills caused them harm. I hate to go out on such a bad note but I fail to understand why no one has given me a hint about this (but you) in my 20 years as a Formula Ford driver. I am entering the NARRC Runoffs at Lime Rock in Oct. I will listen intently and take into consideration any and all advise from my fellow drivers and act accordingly. I started at Lime Rock and will end there if so be.....

Sincerely, Doug Hobby

[T.Bardwell]

This is splurb from a "private email" I received just this morning...

"You should touch base with Charles Foster, he was run into by Hobby in the boot at the Glen at the July regional and injured his hand badly enough he had to withdraw from the July WG National".

[FV55]

I want to thank all my fellow racers for my first time at the Glen in my new ride (#33 Euroswift). I had just moved from Vee and knew I would run at the back not having a lot of seat time in my car. Thanks to Chip in your beautiful Crossle for leading me around for the Qual. Sat and David in your Royal for dodging me when i screwed up. I hope Sam is OK after the incident just in front of us at the bus stop broke his rear suspension and ended his day on fire. I learned a lot this past weekend and will be spending 2011 getting better. I race mostly with the FRCCA where I get tons of seat time and that is what i need most. See you next year.

[flat broke]

I have a growing concern about the use of video proof of on track incidents becoming common place in protest review.

Number one is that participants may feel obliged to log in car footage just to "protect" themselves in protest situation. Is this where we all want to go?

Secondly, It is too easy to edit or at least "select" footage that gives a false idea of how the incident progressed over a series of corners.

It can also happen that video supporting the case of some drivers always seems to be available and not others. In our series, there are teams and alliances vs individual drivers. Trust me, it shows when there is a request for in-car video.

Likely, this should be a thread of its own but it just hit a nerve when I read a posting where an official suggested no decision was to be made due to lack of video/picture evidence.