Summit Point in 8 days

[Dave Harmison]

Right Coast FF Series returns to it's spawning ground, Summit Point, August 24, 25, 26.
After PittRace, we have a high bar competition-wise.
I'm registered, are you?

[PK]

I am! Looking forward to it.

[Earley Motorsports]

I wish I was going but after two lightning strikes in three weeks I am not able to get there. just too much going on. I will be there in spirit though. Have fun guys.

[Will Velkoff]

See everyone there - putting the car back together this weekend and final prep during the week

[Michael Rand]

Replacement cylinder head on the Fit in place, see you all there.
After a full 7seasons of merciless pounding on the Fit I figure it owes me nothing !
First race with the Fit event was the sadly late lamented NARRC Runoffs of 2011 post Eric Langbeins conversion.
All of '12,'13,'14,15,'16,'17 and half of '18 with literally not an issue worth recalling.
I will check logbooks/results but must be close to 40 race weekends !
More transmission issues than engine related over those seasons...…and only two of those so have no complaint......

[Derek Holmes]

After a few adult beverages Saturday night... I decided to stay up until about 2am working on the car. It will not be pretty with a few different color panels but I will be at Summit Point with the car this weekend! It will be together enough to run then I will fix the rest this winter.

[Bill Maisey]

I'll be there. Is there an entry list somewhere?

[Roux]

car is loaded, looking forward to another great weekend

[Roux]

After a few adult beverages Saturday night... I decided to stay up until about 2am working on the car. It will not be pretty with a few different color panels but I will be at Summit Point with the car this weekend! It will be together enough to run then I will fix the rest this winter.

need you on the grid!

[Joe Marcinski]

Hi,

There should be an entry list up on the Right Coast website (www.rcffs.org) by tonight. At this moment I believe the entry is 16 cars. Three Formula F's and thirteen CF's.

Joe M.

[Derek Holmes]

If you are reading this and have never ran with RCFFS give it a try. There is always someone on the track to race with. Our group has a great comradery. The guys and gals will do anything to get you back on the track. I cant count the times everyone has helped me through the weekend. Summit Point is a fun track with the "chute"... that everyone needs to experience at speed once! Looking forward to seeing everyone in a few days. It would be a nice sight to see a crowded paddock.

[aslocum]

Hi,

There should be an entry list up on the Right Coast website (www.rcffs.org) by tonight. At this moment I believe the entry is 16 cars. Three Formula F's and thirteen CF's.

Joe M.

Entry list is in our RCFFS website - click here to go to the Summit Point info page.

Wishing everyone a great time at Summit Point!!!

Yours for the sport,
Angela S., RCFFS FF#7

[Dave Harmison]

Another outstanding RCFFS event with FRP.

Personally, I had incredible battles with Wayne for second while Phil did his usual run into the distance.

The news for Phil is that with help from a pro 1600 car to draft with he got to 1:16.185 in a Club Ford on R60's.

That's inhuman.

[Joe Marcinski]

Hi,

First, our thanks to the Woodbridge Karting Club and Formula Race Promotions for including the Right Coast Formula F Series by American Pen Company in their weekend program.

I cannot tell you much about the Friday program as I had to work, but we did have two morning practice session and a qualifying session on Friday afternoon. Steve Roux in his self build Wyvern Honda FF was quickest in the first practice session followed by Mike Rand (Crossle'30F Honda CFF), Wayne Nicolette (Lola T340 Ford CFF), Phil Kingham (Zink Z10 Ford CFF), Will Velkoff (Crossle' 30F CFF), Derek Holmes (Van Dieman Honda FF), Bill Maisey (Crossle' 45F Honda CFF), Dave Harmison (Royale RP21 Ford CFF), Mike Kelly (Zink Z16 Ford CFF), Doug Fisher (Zink Z10 Ford CFF) and a very welcome newcomer to our series, Jim Adelberg (Royale RP16 Ford CFF). Ted Eller (Zink Z10 Ford CFF) did not make it out for the session and I was in Ohio in a client conference room sneaking peaks at my e-mail looking for the practice results.

Practice number 2 was a couple of hours later and Phil Kingham led Steve Roux, Mike Rand, Wayne Nicolette, Dave Harmison, Will Velkoff, Derek Holmes, Bill Maisey, Doug Fisher and Jim Adelberg.

Qualifying started at 3:15 PM and Phil Kingham was fastest at 1:16.9 which is only .4 off the Club Ford lap record of 1:16.5 set quite some time ago on Goodyear 160's. Next was Wayne Nicolette, Dave Harmison, Mike Rand and Derek Holmes ranging from 1:18.5 to 1:18;9. Then came Steve Roux and Doug Fisher in the 1:19 slot. Will Velkoff and Bill Maisey were next in the 1:20's. Sam Eyer was next at 1:21.3 followed by Jim Adelberg, Al Cantrell in his Van Dieman Ford FF and Ted Eller. Unfortunately, Mike Kelly had an engine issue that could not be fixed at the track and Mike was not able to continue.

Race 1 of the weekend went off at a little after 11 AM. Greg Peluso also (Citation Honda FF) also had to work and Friday so we joined in on the back row of the grid in 14th and 15th respectively. The start was clean, but early in the first lap some of the bodywork on left side of Derek Holmes Van Dieman came loss and he slowed down to get into the pits. I can really only tell you about my race so here goes. I had installed a new larger front anti-roll bar in my Royale RP24 to try and settle down the front of the car. Fortunately my guess was good as the car was now able to be raced as opposed to just being driven. It took a lap or two to get used to a car that would now go immediately where I wanted it to go and as I gained confidence I was able to begin moving forward.

I had the most enjoyable race I have had since I got the Royale. Doug Fisher, Bill Maisey, Will Velkoff and I began swapping places and this went on from about lap 4 until the last lap of the race. The racing was very close and very clean. It was an absolute blast. I was very fortunate to be able to come out ahead, but it could have been any one of us. Phil Kingham kind of eased off into the distance. I am told that Wayne Nicolette, Dave Harmison, Steve Roux and Mike Rand had an unbelievable battle for second through fifth. I would occasionally catch a glimpse of them further down at the end of the straight, but I was pretty busy with a superb battle with Doug, Bill and Will.

One the last lap of the race Mike Rand lost third gear and the gearbox momentarily locked up and broke something in the differential so Mike dropped away from the battle for second. The final order was Phil Kingham CFF (1:17.8), Wayne Nicolette CFF, Steve Roux FF, Dave Harmison CFF, and very surprised and pleased me in fifth CFF. Bill Maisey CFF was sixth, Doug Fisher CFF, Will Velkoff CFF, Sam Eyer (Zink Z10 Ford CFF), and the unfortunate Mr. Rand CFF in 10th. Greg Peluso FF had some issues and came in 11th, Jim Adelberg CFF, Ted Eller CFF, Derek Holmes FF and Al Cantrell FF.

It is my hope that my fellow drivers will jump in here with their own accounts of the race, but I can tell you that it was incredible fun. Mike Kelly, Mark Kingham and I tried to help Mike Rand repair his gearbox, but when we discovered it was a diff issue we knew that it could not be fixed at the track. So, Mike was unfortunately done for the weekend.

Race 2 went off at about 3:40 PM and it was a repeat of the first one. Wayne and Dave tried hard to stay with Phil, but as Dave has observed; "Phil just kind of puts about 20 feet on us at every corner". Wayne and Dave commenced an incredible battle that continued until Dave beat Wayne to the line by about 5 feet. They were grinning so much after the race I was afraid they would start bleeding from their ears. Greg Peluso got is car going really well and finished fourth. Steve Roux had a slight off and damaged his bodywork early on in the race and when he got back on he was behind Bill Maisey, Doug Fisher, Will Velkoff and I. The four of us swapping places several times a lap and then Steve joined in.

Just unbelievable fun; then Will had a tach signal wire come loose and it dropped onto the coil and gave him a misfire causing him to drop back. Steve worked his way through our battle into fifth at race's end. Bill, Doug, and I continued our battle. About five laps or so from the finish Doug had a slight off and got a greal deal of grass in the radiators and retired when the engine got a bit two hot. Bill and I continued and I was fortunate to finish 6th with Bill in 7th. Sam Eyer came 8th, Ted Eller did a really nice job in an unfamiliar car to come in 9th and Will got back out to finish 10th. Doug Fisher was 11th and Jim Adelberg was the final finisher in 12th.

The Saturday activities continued at our series Chief Steward, Larry Oliver, home. Larry and Myra were kind enough to invite the entire Right Coast family to their beautiful home were they prepared a fabulous meal for us. We were able to enjoy a great dinner and relax. It was a very nice evening and our sincere thanks to Larry and Myra for their superb hospitality.

At 9 AM Sunday morning we had our corporate partner award drawings. The lucky winner of the free one half set of Hoosier Tires was Wayne Nicolette. The ANZE Suspension $75 off gift certificate went to Al Cantrell. Greg Peluso and Doug Fisher won the KFP Brake Pads 25% discount certificates. Jim Adelberg won the K-Hill 20% shop services discount. Phil Kingham won the Primus Racing $200 gift certificate and Steve Roux won the $50 off discount certificate from Quicksilver Race Engines.

Race 3 of the weekend went off at 10 AM. Phil shot off into the lead with Wayne Nicolette and Dave Harmison never more than a few car lengths apart and most of the time no more than a few inches apart. This battle was resolved in Wayne's favor at race end and again at race end; these two looked like they were auditioning for the Cheshire Cat role in an Alice in Wonderland remake. Greg Peluso FF came next in fourth. Doug Fisher, Will Velkoff, Bill Maisey and I had another incredible battle for fifth place. On lap 13 Doug's engine developed a misfire (low battery) and he headed for the paddock. Will did a really nice job of getting to the front of our little battle and worked a good space for himself while Bill and I sorted things out. Bill's tires were starting to go away and I was able to get by on lap 14 going into turn 10. There was not enough time to get up to Will and that is how we finished; Will Velkoff CFF 5th, Joe Marcinski CFF 6th, Bill Maisey CFF 7th, Sam Eyer CFF 8th, Ted Eller CFF 9th and Al Cantrell FF in 10th.

Jim Adelberg CFF 11th, Derek Holmes FF 12th, Peter Portante FF 13th (and there is a story here) and Doug Fisher is the final finsher in 14th. Peter was a last minute entrant in the Rice Race Prep Mygale. Peter was doing this as a favor to Greg Rice to demonstate just how fast that car is when driven by a proper driver. Peter did not want to interfere in our RCFFS race so he delayed his start until well after the rest of us took the green flag.

The story comes when Phil Kingham is able to get a tow down the main straight from Peter which helped Phil turn a lap of 1:16.185 which is .4 under the current SCCA lap record for Club Ford which was set by Jeff Duncan in a Zink Z10 in 1999 on Goodyear 160's. While this will not show as this was not an SCCA event, congratulations to Phil for this amazing accomplishment.

So, Phil wins the American Pen Company pen award for fastest race lap of the weekend (as an official entrant) as well as the pen for winning Club Formula F. Greg Peluso gets the APC pen for winning Formula F. The Stonebridge Cryogenic Hard Charger award goes to Will Velkoff. The Williams Racing Developments Hard Fader award goes to Doug Fisher's uncharged battery.

GREAT WEEKEND with GREAT RACING !!!

Joe Marcinski

[MikeR]

Here is a big thanks to Joe Marcinski and Mike Rand for all their hard work organizing the RCFFS races. The racing throughout the weekend was nothing short of outstanding. As I am usually standing on pit lane, the only RCFFS racing action I get to see live is on the pit straight. It is not until I get a chance to watch the videos that I can fully appreciate the quality and excitement of the action around the track all race long as recounted by the drivers after each race.

As Joe mentioned in his post, Phil had a fantastic lap in the Sunday morning race with a little help from Peter Portante. Here is video of the quick lap:

https://youtu.be/CqxYus27khg

I've also posted some video of the battle between Dave Harmison and Wayne Nicolette from Race 2 on Saturday afternoon:

https://youtu.be/jbw-YwhKLYU

I'll try to post some video of the Race 1 battle between Dave, Wayne, Steve Roux and Mike Rand later this evening.

[PK]

Mark (my 12 year old son) suggests “superhuman” would be more appropriate than “inhuman” :-)

Thanks for posting the video Mike. It was really fun to chase Portante. I had no idea I could turn that kind of time. Makes me wonder what it would be like to try one of the modern pro cars.

This weekend was great. The weather was absolutely perfect, and the social part was as entertaining as the racing. I can’t make Watkins Glen, but I’m looking forward to Atlanta.

Phil Kingham

[Will Velkoff]

What a great race report Joe! Well said! Big thanks to you, Mike, and FRP for having us involved with their operation. Happy to hear I won the Stonebridge CryoScience hardcharger award! Time for some REM baby!

To throw in my 2 cents...WOW! Incredible racing throughout the field all weekend. Hard, close racing, with no contact...what more can you ask for? The camaraderie within this group off the track directly translates to the on-track action we see each race weekend. Kudos to everyone involved.

The Saturday night party at the Oliver residence was top notch, thank you again!

I'll let the video speak for itself. Here is the Race 3 footage from my perspective. What an excellent battle with Joe, Doug, Derek, and Bill. By the way, I ran my fastest lap of the weekend the lap after I cleared the pack. I knew I needed to put down the best laps of the weekend if I wanted to break away from the 4 angry cars chasing me...

Video below:

https://youtu.be/1ybwGdn9d-4

[MikeR]

Here is video of Race 1 from Saturday morning. This video is also on board Dave Harmison's car.

https://youtu.be/hrNXrYuk4Fg

[S. Frebert]

Even crewing this weekend, I was still able to catch some unbelievably good racing.


Wayne, That move you pulled on the Dave, keeping it to INSIDE on the chute (easy 105mph corner), then to cut in on the inside of Turn 5 for the pass, had all the spectators around me (Myself included), yelling how awesome that was!!

You both were at if from the first turn!!!, and the fact it was that close of racing, for that many laps, was almost uncomfortable!

Bill, Doug, Joe, Will V. - The constant lap after lap battles of all you guys was everyone trying to hop the fence to watch closer, Not even kidding!! Bill M. giving me inspiration this weekend, being what 77 years old?? and driving that crossle along side them all that time. Just awesome.....



And Will V. totally kickass taking a KENT, and throwing down with a pair of Honda's!!!


That double pass before T1 Though!!



When you told me what happened, my immediate thought was:






Awesome weekend with everyone, some of the best racing I've seen!



Reality has been breathing down my neck for a while, but if everything pans out right, I'm working on building a future and getting everything back together here:




Till next time guys!!!

[Dave Harmison]

Nothing like sharing a corner with a friend or two to bring you closer.