FormulaF - Runoffs 2015

[jharvey]

I have a feeling the start of the race could be quite exciting!

[Tom Valet]

Congrats on P1 Tim, all of us from the Blackhawk and Chicago Region wish we were down there for all the festivities and to root on the Formula F class.

PS:
If anyone is at the track this weekend please stop by the Honda tent and introduce yourself to an “up and coming" racer, Calvin Kautz, Tim’s youngest son. Keep him on your radar.

Paul, when I stopped by Tim's trailer I was really bummed to hear you were not joining us this week. Wish you were here buddy. I was going to say that Tim was missing you more than I was, until today, when Tim does what Tim always does.

Hope to see you at the track soon.

Tom

[flagman]

Tom. Thanks for all your post. Really appreciated. What are track temps are you seeing for qualifying ?

[Tom Valet]

Couple of photos from today:

On Wes Allen's car:

[Tom Valet]

Also seen on Wes Allen's car (Mike Agnifilo, look what has become of your car!):

[Tom Valet]

[Tom Valet]

[Tom Valet]

[Tom Valet]

[Tom Valet]

[Tom Valet]

OK so now that qualifying is over I am allowed to talk a bit about some things. First, here is our car:



It is our DB6 with the Kent that we used in 2011. It was a conscious decision to go back to the Kent after a lot of thought by Jim about what would give us the best chance to win.

As far as tires, we are using Hoosier F2000 Pro front radials on all four corners. As far as we know, only one other car using them. Jim, Wes and Bill tried virtually every different tire combo before settling on these, including mixing different tires front and rear.

Tim is on bias skinnies all around.

Payne is on Avons which partly explains his high top speed, they are much lighter and smaller than any other tire. We tested them but Bill did not like the balance, but if he had raced on them all year he said he might have been able to get them to work.

Jeremy is on skinny radials with different tires front and rear.

Robinson is on bias with fat rears.

[Tom Valet]

Biggest news of the day is that someone who qualified near the top with a good chance to win will not race on Sunday. That is all I will say, except that I hope he will change his mind.

[Tom Valet]

Tom. Thanks for all your post. Really appreciated. What are track temps are you seeing for qualifying ?

Chuck, I don't know what the track temps have been, sorry. Air temps have been in the 80s but overcast almost all the time and with intermittent rain.

[Jnovak]

And Stewart in a F5 at 158+

Actually 158.9 mph. Cool

[Garey Guzman]

Its arguably ghey'er to be the one who painted a race car fuscia than to be the one who drives a fuscia race car. Oh, wait, I think you painted multiple cars fuscia. Just sayin.

What is "fuscia"?

Do you mean PINK?

[stonebridge20]

Its arguably ghey'er to be the one who painted a race car fuscia than to be the one who drives a fuscia race car. Oh, wait, I think you painted multiple cars fuscia. Just sayin.

Truth is PPG painted my first Swift those colors and used the car in a poster. I kept it those colors because the chicks would flock to that car at the PTAC races. Canadian women lost their minds over that car! The only down side for anybody was the guys with the white cars. They spent a lot of time with their dinks in their hand because the women wouldn't give them any "lovin"

BTW: I still like fuschia. It's the Hello Kitty dice that's questionable.

[Tom Valet]

Spent the day today polishing the floor pan some more, putting helium in the tires and getting reprimanded by Harry Martin for posting our tires. Watched the F5 race, which was amazing, catch the replay if you can, Miatas under the lights was cool, it rained right before the race just to mix things up but not a single incident in a 61 car field, who would have bet on that, great race as well. Caught a garage fight between two STU drivers who crashed on lap one and coincidently were both garaged on either side of us. Had some drinks by the beach, Daytona is a great place for the Runoffs, hope SCCA comes back again. Rumors about 2017 making their way around the paddock, if true, wow!

[Tom Valet]

Starting grid:

Tim Kautz, Piper Honda



Jeremy Grenier, Citation Honda





Bill Valet, Swift Ford



John Robinson, Swift Ford

[Tom Valet]

Dave Livingston, Spectrum Honda



Jason Generotti, Swift Ford



John Benson, Swift Ford



Max Mallinen, Spectrum Honda

[Tom Valet]

Larry Hendrickson, Swift Ford



Rick Payne, Van Diemen Honda



Andy Melvin, Van Diemen Honda



Hans Saurino, Van Diemen Honda

(Hans missed Q1 & Q2 so I dont have a picture)

Best I could do, sorry.

[Tom Valet]

Marc Blanc, Swift Ford





Bill Kephart, Vestal Honda





Wes Allen, Swift Ford





Don Baggett, Swift Ford

[Tom Valet]

Randy Acock, Van Diemen Honda





Hartley MacDonald, Swift Honda





Megan Sauce, Swift Honda





John Schimenti, Swift Ford

[Tom Valet]

Michael Lewis, Vestal Honda





Sam Lockwood, Spectrum Honda





Jim Morgan, Swift Ford





Anna Schimenti, Swift Ford





Bill Atherholt, Swift Ford

[Garey Guzman]

Very cool! Thanks Tom!

[TimH]

Three DB1s!

[Dennis Valet]

Fun to see some old cars being passed on to new drivers

[Mike Scanlan]

Tom, you're right about the F5 race, great one. But even better was the look on the post race interviewers face when Cal went into his holy roller rant.

[alangbaker]

Tom, you're right about the F5 race, great one. But even better was the look on the post race interviewers face when Csl went into his holy roller rant.

I kept waiting for him to praise his engine builder...

...or his aerodynamicist.

[Roux]

Tom, are you doing the pictures this week? Or is Dennis got you on his payroll?

As usual, AWESOME!

thanks

Steve

[BURKY]

Who's the wanker in the picture with Anna?

[jim morgan]

He's a guy who could be running if he ever put his car on track

[BURKY]

He's a guy who could be running if he ever put his car on track

That's just cold...

[Tom Valet]

Tom, are you doing the pictures this week? Or is Dennis got you on his payroll?

As usual, AWESOME!

thanks

Steve

Steve, have you seen the pictures, lol? Dennis and TJ could not come down so it's me with the camera. I took about 3,000 shots, maybe 5 were worth posting. Bet you guys wish they were here. I have no idea what I am doing. Dennis lent me his lens, I couldn't even unlock the zoom, had to text him in the middle of the session, lol.

[Terry Hanushek]

Tom

Thanks for the great FF photo gallery

Terry

[marshall9]

Where can I see the races replayed on video that I missed while working today

[Mike Scanlan]

In years past Speedcasttv.com has rebroadcast the races

[marshall9]

My understanding is that they are not this year, I will check, thanks.


On that page, it only shows the 2014 races currently.

[Tom Valet]

Just a heads up, the race is at 1:00 pm Sunday not 1:30. Misread the schedule which is different than Friday's .

[BURKY]

Apparently there has been a driver change in the Vestal.

[lc3]

I hope Bill knows the correct start time. Good luck.