Florida Winter Nationals

[crowe motorsports]

Florida Winter Nationals car count

Sebring is up to 5 F1000's this coming weekend. That is the minimum for tire contingencies to reward two deep. I know all of us would like a chance to defer some tire costs as they are a major expense. I plan to burn up my used Runoffs tires and hope for the best.

Since it is a 16 hour drive for me it made sense to work in the Palm Beach Nationals. My schedule opened up and I entered today. That would have made 5 cars but after my entry it looks like Lane and McGlauglin have withdrawn and they were not running Sebring. So now it is 3. Less than 3 there is no tire contingency. Florida I believe has one of the highest number of F1000's so it would have been nice to have higher car count.

The Majors double point opportunity should have increased participation and SCCA has done a great job of making those events more fun with press releases, podium celebrations, etc.

Maybe everyone is saving up for COTA which is the first race if the F1000 Championship Series.

Hopefully we have some late entries.

FA car count is over 10 per weekend at Sebring and West Palm.

Weather forecast looks great and I look forward to some warm weather as it is cold here in KY.

[billwald]

Weather looks to be ideal. George is driving my car (#03) this weekend, but I'll be there for Q and races on Saturday. I'll try to drop by and say hello. Good luck to all! Bill

[Rick Ross]

FA car count is over 10 per weekend at Sebring and West Palm.

That's the great thing about Atlantics......always someone to race with!

[JohnPaul]

I might do PBIR depends on how I feel after Sebring....

[DonArm]

How about some weekend updates as the become available?

Thanks

[JohnPaul]

Update #1

[racerdad2]

The question is... What's behind the great blue wall ?

[BURKY]

Are you alright?

[Purple Frog]

Not too worried about John Paul. How is the Citation?

[BURKY]

Is that turn 17 before the bridge?

[JohnPaul]

The question is... What's behind the great blue wall ?

Lots of tires

Are you alright?

Posting this from the bar at the hotel so I might have trouble walking back up to my room after another drink

Not too worried about John Paul. How is the Citation?

I feel the same way

Is that turn 17 before the bridge?

It is. Apparently I thought it could be taken flat after an entire day of rain

[starkejt]

You can see the RF corner is gone. How about the left?

[billwald]

Very sorry to see that JP. Glad your ok. Car can be fixed. We'll be down at 9 am tomorrow if your still around stop by.

[DonArm]

Bummer !!!!

[Brett Lane]

Weather looks to be ideal. George is driving my car (#03) this weekend, but I'll be there for Q and races on Saturday. I'll try to drop by and say hello. Good luck to all! Bill

Hey Bill,

Empty your message box- it's full....

Ok- What turn is it? I can't tell from the photo.

[R. Pare]

Sorry to see that, JP. Hope the repairs go quick and easy.

[BURKY]

If that is tow truck Bob standing in the blue shirt. He is probably saying im glad its not on fire. Bob has a crazy history with fire's in 17.

[DonArm]

Anymore news? Quals, race?

Thanks

[Germg]

http://www.sccahost.com/sccalive

You can watch the race on race monitor here. Group 3 is on track right now. Wings and things is group 5

[JohnPaul]

You can see the RF corner is gone. How about the left?

Both corners are gone but not much more damage. Just need a new shock cover and some repairs on the nose (which will become my new spare). Considering how fast I was going and how hard I hit I'm very surprised. Safety workers thought I was in big trouble. I hardly felt a thing. The car and wall did a great job. The car is awesome, I'm stupid.

[Mike B]

Congrats to Tom Beattie on his win today! Sounded messy:

http://www.scca.com/news/index.cfm?cid=51275

[tombeattie]

Congrats to Tom Beattie on his win today! Sounded messy:

http://www.scca.com/news/index.cfm?cid=51275

Thanks Mike, but the Congrats need to go to Coop. I eff'ed up and missed seeing one of the multiple yellows as it came out while making a pass. The finishing order should be Cooper, Beattie, Crowe, Levien.

Messy indeed! The term "clusterfuc$" comes to mind. We had maybe 5 green flag laps.

Protests were still flying in FA and maybe CSR when I left the Principal's office about an hour or so ago.

Tom

[Steve Bamford]

I believe it was three full laps without FYC but could be wrong...what a mess it was from turn three on the first lap onward.

[billwald]

Congrats on the win Coop! Tom and Mike - great job keeping it close. The green laps were excellent racing to watch. Too many yellows but hopefully no injuries. And congrats to George Levien who drives my car twice a year is always a gentleman on and off track.

Big crowd all over the track watching. Impressive turn out overall. Good luck Sunday!

PS: If anyone hears how JR2 is doing after the FF incident please let us know. We were concerned for a good friend and excellent driver.

[BURKY]

What happen to jonny?

[KevinFirlein]

word last night was JR2 had been released from hospital. this came frmo a friend who talked to James Lee. Car is rather second hand at this pont but who really cares in a situation like this.

For those that dont know JR2 got the life flight out of sebring during the FF race.

[Steve Bamford]

There was an annoucement at the drivers meeting this morning that he was back at home resting.

We were running together coming up to 14 & I had just past a slow vee on the left & JRII went to go to the right...I could see in my mirrors the two came together but didn't see the wreck.

Hopefully John will be ok.

[BWC54]

There was an annoucement at the drivers meeting this morning that he was back at home resting.

We were running together coming up to 14 & I had just past a slow vee on the left & JRII went to go to the right...I could see in my mirrors the two came together but didn't see the wreck.

Hopefully John will be ok.

Sorry to here that. Get well soon JRII. Was he in the new Piper?

[BURKY]

Thank's for the update on JR2 im glad to hear he is O.K.

[Brett Lane]

Ditto- Hope John has a quick recovery, and his new Piper too...

[Brett Lane]

Safety workers thought I was in big trouble. I hardly felt a thing. The car and wall did a great job. The car is awesome, I'm stupid.[/QUOTE]

JP- I think you fell on your head one too many times racing bikes! LOL.. Seriously-Hope you and your car have a speedy recovery too.

And Congrats to Coop, Tom, Micheal, and George.

[JohnPaul]

Thanks Brett. You might be right because I could wreck like that everyday of the week and be OK with it.
The scoop on JR from James was that Bamford and JR came up on an FV (who I heard was in the middle of the track the whole race) through the flat left hander in the back. Bam went inside and JR went outside. The FV guy moved outside to give Bam room (or maybe got spooked) and came in contact with JR. JR went barrel rolling 5 times into the catch fence and got banged up pretty good. Cracked up helmet, lights out for a couple of minutes, etc. Very serious accident. Thank God John is one tough mother F'er. I hear he is doing fine now.

[a. pettipas]

Tough motorboater or not has nothing to do with surviving a violent accident, but glad to hear JR2 escaped without serious injury.

Slow drivers/classes always take the blame in these accidents, sometimes rightfully so. They are, and will always be, a club racing fact of life so if you don't give yourself a margin when racing around them should they shoulder all the blame? Mixed-class racing... you guys can have it.

[Dave Welsh]

Unofficial Sunday results per Race Moniter

FA

Grant
Simpson
Hunter

FB
Cooper
Crowe

FC
Miller
Moran

[racinray]

Thanks Brett. You might be right because I could wreck like that everyday of the week and be OK with it.
The scoop on JR from James was that Bamford and JR came up on an FV (who I heard was in the middle of the track the whole race) through the flat left hander in the back. Bam went inside and JR went outside. The FV guy moved outside to give Bam room (or maybe got spooked) and came in contact with JR. JR went barrel rolling 5 times into the catch fence and got banged up pretty good. Cracked up helmet, lights out for a couple of minutes, etc. Very serious accident. Thank God John is one tough mother F'er. I hear he is doing fine now.

Who was the FV driver and is he ok?

Ray

[Bill Bonow]

a guess from the results would be Peter Cheamitru

[Steve Bamford]

I believe he was fine.

[jim morgan]

Brett,
Jr will be okay that is now a used Piper

[mikey]

I got to the spectator stand just after JR rolled.. Corner workers never got to him, he regained conscienceness and got out himself and climbed through the fence. Watched him get loaded by medical onto the stretcher, he didn't seem too bad.

The group 5 race Saturday was not much of a race.. double yellow for over 30 minutes of it. Not sure they even got the 13 laps - I bailed from the stands in 14/15 when the last yellow came out.

Overall seemed like the track was fast Saturday. Times were faster for some of the same guys who ran the Turkey Trot.

[crowe motorsports]

The news of John Robinson's incident concerned me as I have good friends who race in FF and I have raced FF in the past. I wish him a speedy recovery from a scary incident.

As reported, our Saturday race was a cluster. JL Liverito in a CSR avoiding a Jacek Mucha Spin in 17 left him no where to go but outside and Mucha rolled backwards making contact that sent him head on into the exit T17 wall. Then two FA followed punching the outside T17 tire walls.

I started P2 in F1 and Copper P1 was going inside a CSR in T2 on lap 1. The CSR turned into him under braking putting him off and causing him some minor car damage but it snapped the wheel out of hands that caused him some wrist pain that evening. Later Beattie passed me for P1 into a brake zone. As mentioned we had 5 green flag laps and three full course yellows. I seemed to get jumped on every restart as cars behind me had radios that new the green was out before I could see it. Cooper was driving through the field to regain his position and passed me three wide in a BOLD MOVE through T1 and regained P2 and then passed Beattie only to be re passed by Beattie for the win. NOT!

Cooper protested Beattie for passing under yellow and this was reportedly proven by video. So Cooper was provisionally moved to P1 and Beattie P2. Today (Sunday) various FA, FB, FC drivers were being called to the stewards office and some were asked to bring videos. I heard one of the FC videos reportedly had Cooper passing under yellow. Frankly there were so many passes under yellow, the stewards were doing there best to deal with a difficult situation. When I left later today, I believe the Saturday race was still a provisional. Hell, they may give me 1st

Today was much better. Near the end a FA hit hard in T17 that caused a full course double yellow for part of a lap ????. No pace car was presented and as I came into T17 there was no yellow and we went racing again. Obviously a screw up in direction. Finishes in F1 was Copper, Crowe, Beattie and Levien.

The incident in T17 on Friday for John Paul on Friday was unfortunate but I hope he can get it back together maybe even for Palm Beach this weekend. T17 was a magnet for numerous accidents this weekend in all classes and you don't survive a cash in T17 without sustaining some damage.

The above is a thumbnail and there is much more to the story. I am sure Glenn Cooper and Tom Beattie will add some color. Tom actually got hit today in the side pod that damaged it and caused his side pod floor to drag.

Crazy weekend. I am glad I have a undamaged car so I can attend Palm Beach next weekend.