FC Winter Majors

[CScharnow]

Test Day Round Up:

-Rob Allaer is still fast as hell. So is his son, Nolan. It’s like when Mario and Michael raced for Newman-Haas together. I think Livingston should walk around with an unlit cigar hanging out of his mouth to really complete the look.

-First two of three sessions were basically a waste. Multiple black flags. Cars stopped all over the side of the track. Something like 3 green flag laps each for the lucky ones (which I wasn’t).

-Defer sat in his car for the first time in 9 years an hour before the first session, and had to spend some time readjusting the pedals and a few other things to get comfortable. But by the end of the day was turning quite competitive times.

-Jim Morgan is walking around causing trouble. Purple Frog apparently missed the exit for the track and was last spotted at Gilbert’s in Key Largo. And Bob Wright is here reminding himself why he likes single class racing.

-The temp is starting to drop (by south Florida standards) as we all scramble to add what seems like a dangerous amount of weight. The real fun starts tomorrow. Stay tuned.

[Purple Frog]

Let me think....
Gilberts or Homestead?

The Captain made me do it. Haven't seen Morgan or Defer yet...
The bartender here and I have come to an agreement that the minimum weight should be 1175 like in the good old days when even iron head pintos could get that light.

[Purple Frog]

Interesting decal on Chris' car this morning...

He says his "Road to Indy" is not some high priced ladder series, but just I-75. (I decided not to tell him yet that at some point he will have to get on I-65. I want him to get out of Florida first.)

[CScharnow]

Mario and Michael ran away from the field and finished half a second apart. Michael qualified on pole but got off the line a little slow which allowed pops by and he never looked back. So Mario still wears the crown for now.

Dean Kiriluk, fresh off his first Majors race and first win in the FX race earlier in the day, started 5th and drove past Defer and I to finish on the podium.

Mark and I had a great battle, swapping positions multiple times throughout the race. Sometimes even on the same lap. I would race wheel to wheel with that guy anytime.

Rocket Rob is running the new spec tire in FX this weekend to see how quickly he can destroy it. Defer was out of the car for 9 years and shook the rust off damn quickly. And I’m changing gears because I needed some excuse for moving backwards in the race.

No sign of Purple Frog yet. Jim Morgan was walking around earlier with his chest out after outqualifying some K-hill kid in FF. And Shiver’s still has the best BBQ down here at the bottom of the map.

We’ll run it back and do it all again tomorrow.

[mark defer]

I'm still slow. I think I finished 6th out of 5 cars. Yes, Chris and I had a little battle for a while because I had a good start. But he tired of it and said "see ya ole man" and left me by myself. I can't say enough about my new team. James Lee runs a great operation. His son Jonathon is a great coach as well. Unfortunately they are dealing with a car that has sat for 9 years and we are running into some electrical gremlins. That coupled with the fact that we didn't have time to replace the obsolete CDS system which means we have no data to look at. I only wish we were doing my first race at Mid Ohio. It would give me a much better idea of how much my skills have dropped off. I don't have a ton of experience at Homestead and the test day was only about 16 laps.

[DaveW]

Mark,

IMO, you didn't lose much if any skills. You just have to tune them and the muscle memory back in by running laps. I expect you'll be as fast as ever once you do that and get the 9-years' worth of bugs out of the car.

[EYERACE]

Congrats Mark !! ............Podium !!!

[CScharnow]

Homestead Wrap Up:

The Mercedes boys ran away with it again, this time with junior taking the win over senior. Dad tried protesting the win in tech, but “because he’s my son” didn’t fly with the stewards. Last I saw him before leaving the track tonight he was on the phone leaving a message for Topeka. Expect a letter writing campaign in the morning.

Kirilik had a great start and looked like Max Veratappen hanging on to the back of the top two for a few laps, but pulled off shortly after with engine issues.

That left Defer and I to fight it out for the last spot on the podium in which had to be one of the most fun races of my career. I lost count of how many times we went back and forth, with each of us taking multiple off road excursions throughout the race.

Engineer extraordinaire James Lee took the diffuser off Mark’s car in the morning. And the track was beyond greasy this afternoon so he was really hustling that thing. Congrats to Mark, like I said I’ll race wheel to wheel with him any day of the week.

I made a huge rookie mistake when I flipped the tires on the rim and then forgot to bleed them down before the race, so my pressures came in embarrassingly high. I won’t make that mistake again.

Finally heard from Purple Frog, his credit card was eventually shut down at Gilbert’s and word is he’s making his way to Sebring. It was also good to see John Robinson beating up on the kids in FF after the weekend he had where he stress tested and broke just about every part he could.

So that’s Homestead done. Now we’re loading up and heading a few hours north through the land of sugar cane fields and orange groves. Oh, and Don Jose, the best damn Mexican restaurant that really should have at least a quarter of a Michelin star.

[mark defer]

There were only 5 cars, but a podium is a podium. I was struggling with the infield all weekend. This morning James Lee came to me and said he was thinking about taking the diffuser off the car. I told him I appreciated the fact that he didn't consider me a wanker and thought I could handle the loss of downforce. We tried it in qualifying but that session was ended at about 2 laps due to a car blowing an engine and catching fire on the front straight. So we started the race with a bit of an unknown. It ended up being a good call. We were a rocket ship on the straights and banking which is about half the track. I mean even a guy that hasn't driven in 9 years can hold his right foot to the floor. Chris had me covered in the infield but I had him covered in the banking which obviously leads to the front straight and finish line. Credit goes to James Lee and his son "coach" Jonathon. And yes, although I never met him till this weekend, Chris is a gentleman I would run side by side with anytime.

[Purple Frog]

I only took in one fact from the weekend...

Once annual Browns season ticket holder, Mark Defer, moved to Florida... the Browns became winners. Go figure.

[mark defer]

Correction: Current Browns season ticket holder. And I haven't moved here. I just have a seasonal residence.

[CScharnow]

Sebring Test Day Roundup:

Livingston just called me and gave me a hard time for not posting anything. I told him I was way too busy today to have any idea what happened with anybody else, but he’s not one for excuses. He’s so much like Carl Haas it’s not funny.

Crazy busy day today, with 4 sessions on track and big and small bore open wheel mixed together. I’m not sure we made a full session without a black flag, which is starting to feel so normal it’s rather odd if we don’t get one.

The pointy end has grown this weekend with Moran and Colasacco joining in the fun. Allaer (Mario) is going home to produce tomorrow’s TB Lightning game so will miss Friday’s sessions. Nolan and Kiriluk’s countless hours of sim laps around this place are paying off, and Defer is continuing his comeback tour in style.

Purple Frog is supposed to be here reporting but every time I talk to him he keeps coming up with more excuses than my toddler does when I try to get her to eat her vegetables. Tomorrow should be less hectic so I’ll try walking around and bugging people more.

Practice and Quali up next.

[Purple Frog]

I tried to hide behind the bed in the motorhome while Pepper drove us in, Unfortunately, Pepper (small poodle thing) couldn't reach the gas pedal. So. we just held up the line. That caused another scene that made it impossible to go unnoticed. But, no guns were drawn. Authorities reminded me that I had been thrown out of the facility in 1963 and I was pushing my luck trying to get back in.

I was going to post drone footage from my viewpoint outside the track but the Supps clearly state no drones allowed. (It is an active airport) So, I'm watching from the roof of the RV with my Nikon 42 power binoculars, race monitor, and google earth.

Just tell me what color wristband is correct, I have a supply of many different colors.

[DaveW]

[Purple Frog]

J R Smart blows engine back around T12 or T13, three or four other cars follow him into the wall, FCs make it through the carnage.

Moran struggling with engine issues.

[mark defer]

It happened a few hundred yards
ahead of me, I think I was the first car to come upon the oil. I was flat out in 4th and took a ride. Luckily I didn't hit anything.

[CScharnow]

Sebring Friday:

First off, Don Jose is the best damn restaurant in Sebring. Prove me wrong.

Less crazy day today, with one morning practice and one afternoon qualifying. Although it wasn’t without its drama.

In the morning practice, an FA blew an engine heading into the fast T12-13 sweeper and 4 cars ended up in the barriers. It looked ugly. Nolan was one of the first cars through and his video showed a huge sideways moment. I think Defer may have also spun but they both got away lucky compared to those others.

Then in the afternoon session right before ours, a GT-something ground-pounder blew an engine heading into turn 1 so there was a huge strip of oil dry right on the line from turn in to apex and through the corner. No grip, dust everywhere. It’s what I imagine racing at Eldora to be like.

Colasacco was fast today, as was Nolan. Moran chased engine issues in the morning but looked like it was sorted in the afternoon. Kiriluk rebounded from missing most of the morning session to turn his fastest lap around here. Defer and I went backwards. And Weld showed up after just getting his motor back and installed in the car two days ago.

On a side note, I’m running out of excuses for why I’m slow. So if anyone has any fresh ideas feel free to send me a message. I’m all ears.

Quali 2 and Race 1 tomorrow.

[Purple Frog]

Is anyone else confused by the "results" page on RaceMonitor?

[racerdad2]

Is anyone else confused by the "results" page on RaceMonitor?

Race Monitor has some serious posting issues. Repeating posts ? Input or output issues ? I've always found it a bit wonky in the results section. Live timing is usually spot on.

[EYERACE]

Check out: racehero.io
Click on: launch web version

[CScharnow]

Sebring Saturday:

Mr. 2X National Champ comes back into town after having to work on Friday and immediately sets pole in the morning qualifier in a black flag shortened session (surprise, surprise).

Chuck Moran had an off in T1 and packed up and went home, and Weld was having engine issues so we started 6 of the original 8 cars for the race.

There was another delay for our race from a GT1 wreck at start/finish which left oil dry everywhere along the front straight. So the start was like driving into the smoke at a vape convention.

Mario continued his Sebring dominance in the race. But Michael was bringing the heat. Kid’s first time at Sebring and Nolan gets down into the 2:08’s a few times. He’s definitely one to watch on our Road to Indy this year.

Colasacco pulled off on the back stretch with two laps to go so Kiriluk made it another all LTD podium. And I was just too preoccupied with my 4-year old’s birthday party at the track to finish any better (today’s excuse).

Speaking of, big shout out to the entire LTD team for throwing a little party for my daughter. Behind those crazy fast and intimidating black cars is a really great group of guys that will buy balloons, wear party hats, and sing happy birthday. Just don’t tell Livingston I said that, he has a reputation to uphold.

The 2021 Florida Winter Majors will sign off with one more race tomorrow. Stay tuned.

[Purple Frog]

So Chris....

No mention of Defer? Tired of him beating you? LOL

[RacerDave51]

Chris, great job on the updates... Thanks

[CScharnow]

Winter Majors Finale:

Our race finished behind the safety car when two FE’s decided they wanted to see how far they could stuff their cars into the tire barriers at the carousel. It seemed like a fitting way to the end the double weekend. (Although to be fair, it was the only race of the 4 where we had a full course caution)

The Allaer boys made it four straight 1-2 finishes, Colasacco fixed his fuel pickup problems from Saturday, Kiriluk continued his impressive rookie run, and I finally beat Defer when he went wide in the carousel. And that was after I went so far off in T16 to avoid a spinning car it felt like I ended up back in Homestead.

Some random final thoughts:

We already know Rocket Rob is FAST. And now we know his son, Nolan, has all the right ingredients to give him (and everyone else) a run for their money at Indy.

Defer is too humble. He walks around the paddock like he’s lost his touch. But just two weekends in the car after a 9 year break, he made huge strides and kicked my ass a couple times. Just wait until September when he has a full season under his belt again.

Newcomer Kiriluk has only been racing for about a year, but he’s a fast learner and the dude can drive. Add in the incredible team at LTD and it’s only a matter of time before he’s a force majeur in the class.

I was pretty dejected leaving Homestead after just missing out on the podium, and then couldn’t get comfortable enough at Sebring to really be in contention.

But to put it in all perspective, I showed up to Homestead with a car that didn’t run. And with the help of an amazing group of people, we eventually got it fired and I spent the last two weeks driving a race car around two awesome tracks with some really good friends.

On top of that, what really stands out in my mind are the times like when we snuck a couple 6-pack of beers into Shiver’s BBQ, or standing outside Olive Garden making fun of each other, or seeing Livingston wear a party hat for my daughter’s birthday (pic forthcoming).

In that vein, it was a great two weeks. And I can’t wait for the next race to do it again. But most of all, what I’m truly excited for is when we all roll up to Indy for what will be the race of the year. It’s going to be epic.

[iamuwere]

J R Smart blows engine back around T12 or T13, three or four other cars follow him into the wall, FCs make it through the carnage.

Moran struggling with engine issues.

I'm still pretty mad at flagging and scoring about this. I was the first to spin in the oil. Flat out in 6th gear at 14. Barely hit the wall. I watch car after car spin off. At least seven cars spun, three were able to get out of the way. I was stuck in the tire with minimal damage (cracked nose cone but the wing was okay).

Cars kept coming at speed. A few of the drivers that I talked to afterward said there still was no surface flag and no yellow.

I ended up getting t-boned by a P1 car at a high rate of speed to locked up and straight lined into me as I sat against the tire wall. Says he didn't see a surface flag.

This was well over 30 seconds since I had originally stopped! My data/video stops after 30 seconds stationary and watching the video, there was a lot of arm waving and trying to move the car before I got hit, so maybe 45 seconds or more after I went off, I was hit hard. Like really hard.

How did they not get traffic slowed significantly when there were already 7 cars off of 14?

I won't be racing soon with the budget of this repair.

[DaveW]

Man, that sucks. I know how you feel. I spun my Z16 FF coming off the pit (front) straight at Pocono (racing clockwise) in the early '80's and was backwards up against the guardrail entering the infield. I got out of the car over the rail and begged the officials to move my car out of danger, but the race went on for at least 10 more laps (no yellow flag displayed) before someone else lost it on the bumps and drove over my car. What should have been only a bent RR suspension wound up also trashing all my front bodywork and suspension. After the race I was so P-O'd ("purple wobbly" in Canadian terms) I tore off all the trashed front bodywork on the spot w/o undoing the fasteners. What should have cost <$100 to fix wound up nearly 10 times that.

[CheckeredFlag]

Winter Majors Finale:

Our race finished behind the safety car when two FE’s decided they wanted to see how far they could stuff their cars into the tire barriers at the carousel.<snip>

This incident can be see on the SCCA Live YouTube channel. Jump to 3:19:43 to see the white FE2 spin the yellow FE2.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExG2AB3PiWI

[Eric Cruz]

My understanding is that Bailey Monette experienced sudden brake failure and that is why he punted Owen McAllister and they both ended up in the tire wall.

Best regards,
Eric

[CScharnow]

I ended up getting t-boned by a P1 car at a high rate of speed to locked up and straight lined into me as I sat against the tire wall.

That sucks. I was one of the last ones through and saw you sitting there with what looked like 3 corners torn off. Had no idea it was from the P1 car hitting you. Sorry to hear that.

[CScharnow]

Sebring Photos:

[Purple Frog]

Great!
You are getting this "reporter" thing down.
But... you made me cry today when you berated me on the phone for not being at Sebring...