Racing My Mustang

[31rx7]

Since this section of the forum is fairly dead. I thought I might perk it up a bit. Or not - you decide.

 

Last fall I bought a 2006 Mustang prepped for SCCA road racing in the T4 class with the goal of doing the SCCA Runoffs at Indianapolis Motor Speedway at the end of September this year. The car is a great car - finished 3rd at the Runoffs in 2013 - and really nicely prepped and maintained.

 

The driver, not so much. I haven't done W2W racing since 2004 except for a couple of School Bus races at Crash-A-Rama at CMS. Surprisingly, SCCA gave me my racing license back without any strings attached even after a 13 year hiatus. I guess they figured that a 58 year old that doesn't want to do crash repair has a pretty good grasp on his mortality, and would avoid doing anything exceedingly stupid.

 

I'll post a few things here as I have time. Let me know if you have any questions.

[31rx7]

First race in the new car!

 

Short story: Returned to W2W racing after 13 years. Drove off the trailer, raced and had fun, drove back on the trailer.

Long story:

 

Kathy and I arrived at Pittsburgh International Raceway around 11:30a on Friday the 12th. Instead of cheaping out like I usually do, I made the wise decision to do the test sessions in the afternoon. Given I had never driven our Mustang out of 2nd gear, and was at a new track, this was a good move.

 

Check in for the test session was easy, and the folks there were very helpful. The facility is top notch - nice event center, plenty of paved paddock, garages, etc. Easily the nicest amenities I've seen in a long, long time. There was a brief Drivers Meeting which included guidance on how to get around the track from one of the Instructors. Very helpful

 

Of course, my first time in the car fully suited up, the sub belt fell below the seat, and Kathy nor I couldn't find it. Matt Downing was pulling in just then, and came over to help. I won't say how he found the belt, but I can say he now holds a special place in my heart.

 

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r228/31rx7/2006%20Mustang%20Race%20Car/Mustang%20at%20Piitt%20Race%20Getting%20Ready%20-%20May%202017_zpsw3in12ot.jpg

 

Weather was good - cool and overcast - and I managed to make it through the afternoon sessions without going off track. We didn't keep times for these sessions simply because it was about getting comfortable with the car. The track itself is big fun. We used the combined course which is about 2.9 miles long with 18 or so turns, many of them blind. It took me a l-o-n-g time to figure out where it went, particularly Turn 14 (http://pittrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Combined-Track-Specs.pdf) which leads on to the fast long back "straight". Still, we made it through the day without major incident.

 

Kathy and I and race dog Stella stayed at the Park Inn, just 5 minutes from the track. A '70's era hotel, part of the Radisson chain, undergoing remodeling. Some parts of the hotel were a bit tired, but our room was nice. Crew member and autocross pal Travis Robuck met us there around 7:30p, and we hit the hotel restaurant for dinner. ^Food was good and beer selection was decent though it was all a bit pricey.

 

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r228/31rx7/2006%20Mustang%20Race%20Car/Mustang%20at%20Piitt%20Race%20Stella%20the%20Race%20Dog%20-%20May%202017_zpsqa093qip.jpg

 

Woke up Saturday around 8a and headed to the track around 9:30a. Stopped at a convenience store called Al's Market on the way to the track to pick up a few things. Al's has a deli as well as baked goods from the local Amish. I've got a thing for fruit pies, and both Travis and I got one. Best fruit pie ever. Highly recommended.

 

At the track just before 10a and got ready for qualifying. Son Andrew arrived which was nice to have him there - he came up for the day. We were Group 7, the last group, and it consisted of STL, T2, T3, T4, and STU. Thirty one cars in the field, seven competitors in T4, including OVR members Matt Downing in his Solstice, and Dan Hardison in his Firebird. This was my first timed session, and I ended up 6th out of 7 with a 2:13 and Matt and Dan were in front of me a couple rows in 5th and 4th respectively in the 2:08 range. The class leaders were locals who went off and hid with times in the 2:02 range.

 

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r228/31rx7/2006%20Mustang%20Race%20Car/Mustang%20at%20PittRace%20May%202017_zpszko7qnop.jpg

 

Overall, the session went well, but the brakes on the car seemed a bit soft for my tastes - not exactly confidence inspiring. So, Travis and I bled the brakes and replaced the front pads. Matt came over and chastised us for working on the car - apparently that is frowned upon in Touring. Texted PO Greg Vandersluis about the soft brakes, and he said "that's the way it is." So we buttoned it back up, and got ready for the race. Kathy and Travis then beat me up for driving like a wimp and hitting the brakes in places I didn't need to.

 

Originally, the race was supposed to be 15 or so laps, but there were so many delays with other races, that ours ended up being cut down to 20 minutes or 10 laps. The start was uneventful for me - I made the mistake of not staying close the car ahead of me, and the rest of the field was off to the races before I even saw the flag. Nothing like losing 10 lengths at the start.

 

From there, the race was uneventful. I got quicker, down to a 2:09, but I don't think I passed anybody. Ran by myself the entire race until I was lapped by the T2 and T3 cars. Just great - lapped in a 10 lap race. But, I kept telling myself I had a lot to re-learn. The car was great - so easy to drive and and no bad habits from a handling perspective. Finished where I started - 6th.

 

After the race, they had a nice welcome party including dinner and beer, but Travis and I opted to grab a couple beers from the cooler and walk the track. Damn, that thing is hilly! Turn 5 as marked on the map is a bowl, and we were huffed by the time we got to the top of the hill just past 6. Travis felt a little bad for critiquing me for being slow once he saw all the blind turns (2, 3, 10, 13, 14). It took us about an hour to get back to our paddock, and we proceeded to down a couple of Four String Switchblade IPA's and Brass Knuckle's with Matt and Dan. Both Matt and Dan were helpful with advice on where to go faster and such. Much appreciated.

 

Hit the hotel restaraunt again and drank way too much. Matt headed home for Mom's Day Sunday morning so I figured I might pick up at least one spot! Qualifying the next morning was a bit earlier, so we got to the track at 9:45a. Went out around 11a for a short 15 minute session and picked up another second to get down into the 2:08's. This time, Dan was in the 2:07's a row directly in front of me, and a T4 Miata was beside me. So, it looked like we'd have an exciting start.

 

This start went much better. I kept up with the field through the first few turns, and Dan and I had a good race. He was quicker in some places, and I was quicker in others. I finally got a run on him coming out of 5 and was able to get inside of him going into 7. I tended to be better going through the 7 - 10 combination, and he tended to be better at 14 and beyond. The T4 Miata took off and left us for a while while we were racing, and after a few more laps I was able to put some distance on Dan. ^

 

Then, we ended up with a full course caution for a few laps due to an incident at 17 / 18 which left John Schmitt's STL Civic in a bad spot needing a tow. This enabled the field to bunch up again, and at the restart, I started to battle the T4 Miata. We had a great race for about 5 laps. Very clean and proper. I tried to pass him in various spots, and just couldn't get quite enough of a run to get him. However, on the last lap, he went off a little on the outside of 14 and so we went through the fast 15 - 16 section side by side, with me on the preferred inside line. However, I went a little too hot into 17, and he got beside me at the exit, so it was a drag race to the checker, where I edged him by about a half a car length.

 

Very good racing, and quite exciting. I was really happy about the entire weekend. Both Dan and the T4 Miata driver gave me kind words at the end which was great. Got down to low to mid 2:07 laps consistently at the end of the race. But, I've got to say that while I didn't do anything exceedingly stupid during the weekend, that Mustang is fast! It has no bad habits and I can't wait to pick up speed in it.

 

All in all, a hugely successful weekend given my sabbatical. Kathy and I can't wait until Mid Ohio in June!

 

Other notes:

 

- I didn't catch all the OVR members there, but I know Scott Rettich was there with the Alliance Autosport crew, and I believe won his race in SR3. ^

- Rusty Bell was there in his GTL Tercel. ^Didn't get too much chance to talk with Rusty, but he pulled in a 6th and 4th IIRC.

- Other OVR members there not mentioned above: Mason Workman, FP Miata; Larry Gallagher, FP Integra; Sam Halkias, EP TR6; Rick Haynes, FP Midget; Glenn Murray, STL Integra; JT Murray, STL CRX

[31rx7]

Short story: ^Got to the track Thursday. ^Drove car off trailer. Practice and qualifying Friday. Qualifying and Race 1 on Saturday. Race 2 on Sunday. ^Drove back on trailer.

 

Long story:

 

After the PittRace weekend, I was reasonably optimistic for a good show at MidOhio. ^We got up to the track Thursday afternoon, registered / teched and plenty of time to set up in the Middle Paddock by the grass. ^Really a great spot. Stella had plenty of shade and kids to play with. Talked to Racer Phil for awhiel. ^Headed back to the hotel for shower and dinner. However, our relaxing evening was not for long as Kathy got a call regarding her Dad, and we ended up heading back to Columbus around midnight. ^Once that was settled, we got a few hours sleep, and I headed back to Mid Ohio to make my 8a practice session while Kathy stayed behind to take care ^things with her Dad. ^

 

The track was pretty green first thing Friday morning, which was OK by me as I simply needed laps to get used to it again. ^I was turning in the 1:50's which was slowest than I had done since 1994 or so in my SSB Sentra. But, I have to be patient. ^My younger, exuberent self would have simply driven harder, eventually leading to an off track forray or worse, but I am patient enough now to think through things. Next session would be better. ^

 

Checked the car, took a nap, visited with friends Dave Kutney and Rick Barger, and got ready for the first qualifying session after lunch. ^This went much better, down into the 1:48's even without any really clean laps. ^But the track being better and I was a bit more confident. ^Still not near where I need to be but moving in the right direction. ^The session was incident free for me, and afterwards, I did a quick check on the car and all was OK. ^More napping until the OVR Welcome Party.

 

The party was great - the region really did a nice job with this. A "Margaritaville" themed affair with three types of beer, Margaritas, and really great Mexican hors'd'ourves. ^Spent time with folks I haven't seen in awhile which was nice. ^Then, headed back to the hotel and met up with Kathy around 7p. ^We headed to dinner at Black Dog Tavern, in the clubhouse at a nearby golf course. ^Nice place, good food, decent beer selection, and a couple guys playing music which of course I enjoyed. ^

 

Got a good night's sleep, and then to the track. Son Andrew came up for the day, and got there mid session. Qualifying Saturday on a cold track did not yield improvement over Friday, so I was gridded 8th in class for the race after lunch. ^

Still, additional track time didn't hurt. ^Again, the car required little maintenance so I spent time relaxing and an old work buddy, Ed Salo, came over to say hello. ^Paul Magee and Lisa Holdren arrived late morning, as did Jeff and Stefanie Mabrey. Got to talk awhile with Tom O'Gorman who was driving Adam Jabbay's CRX in STL. ^So, I was all set for the race at 1p.

 

On the pace lap, the cars in the row ahead of me, were sleeping at the green. ^I saw the green come out just after entering the carousel, and they didn't notice til exiting the carousel. ^So, once again immediately 5 - 6 car lengths back at the start. ^And, there wasn't room to pass them. ^

 

This actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise as there was melee in Turn 1. ^When I got there, cars were all over the track but fortunately there was a path through. ^Here's what the start looked like from Matt Downing's seat, three rows ahead of me.

 

 

Fortunately, Matt and everybody else got throught it. ^JT Murray came together with another STL CRX and spun, causing the whole thing. Everyone was fortunate there were no big wrecks. ^ Things proceeded with a lot of racing and passing. ^Matt caught up and got by as well as some other cars. ^By lap 10 or so, the fast STL and T2 cars were coming up to lap me, and a T2 Corvette and Eric Kutil in his STL Civic were in my mirrors. I hugged the inside through the carousel and on to the front straight, giving the Corvette plenty of room to pass. ^But he was really no faster than me through the carousel, and when he accelerated out on the front straight, his rear got sideways and tapped my LF - Eric got a nice video of it here:

 

 

The race from there was pretty uneventful. ^I passed a few cars, raced a few, etc. but couldn't pull in on the T4 group ahead of me (Kutney, Downing, Hardison). ^Had a good time staying ahead of an STL Sentra, and by the last few laps, the car had really lost its handling, especially in the esses. ^ Still, I managed to stay ahead of him for the finish. ^

 

After the flag, coming into the pits, the Steward pointed me over and I thought "Shoot - did I miss a flag or something?" ^Instead, the Corvette was parked in front of me, and the Stewards wanted my side of the incident. ^Of course, I didn't have Eric's vantage point of the Corvette's, uh, tactics, so I wrote it off as an unintentional racing incident. ^Turns out, he had been holding up the T2 leaders for a couple laps, and so he got a talking to on that also. ^

 

Back in the paddock, Kathy and the rest met me, and I checked the damage - very, very minor. ^The car was already dented where he hit me, so I didn't even have to fix it! ^A quick check, and found the LF camber bolt loosened, and I was running with zero camber. ^Looks like it's time for a new bolt. ^Other than that, all was good, and the car was again ready for the Sunday race - love the maintenance aspect of the car. ^

 

The Corvette driver came over and apologized which was a sporting thing to do, and I appreciated it. ^He said "This is my first time back on track in 12 years", and I said "Awesome! This is my second in 13 years!" ^We had a laugh on that, and then Kathy, Andrew, Jeff, Stef, and Paul and Lisa and I went up to watch races.

 

The rest of the day was uneventful, and we went back to the Black Dog for dinner with Paul and Lisa, who, by the way, are getting married in Monterey in August.

 

Sunday began bright and early, and I was gridded 36th OA and 9th in T4 based on Saturday's results. ^I was puzzled how I had moved up from 42nd to 36th but didn't ask questions! ^Turns out I would find out shortly. ^Sunday weather was beautiful, and the start this time was better. ^I got the jump and passed a few cars entering 1 on the inside and we were off racing. ^Hardison was just in front of me and my goal was to get ahead of him. ^However there was a Miata behind me in STL (or so I thought) that was all over me like a cheap suit for the first few laps, and I could feel my tires losing grip by getting overworked staying ahead of him. ^I figured I'd never catch Dan if I overheated my tires, so I figured I'd let the Miata catch Dan and work on him for awhile, overheating HIS tires, then I could close in.

 

Good strategy, except after the race I found the Miata was a T4 car. ^DOH! ^He was runing multiple classes, and had letters for T4, SM, STL, ITA on his car. ^Shame on me for not checking his car number and class before heading to grid.

 

It turns out it was all for naught anyhow. ^On lap 10, coming through 1, there was a very nasty crash on the outside of the track. ^A STU Civic and T2 Solstice came together somehow, and crashed hard into the tires on track left. ^The Civic is no doubt totalled, and the Solstice had a ton of damage also. ^Fortunately, there were no serious injuries to either driver, though the Civic driver did visit the hospital from what I heard. ^The Pace Car came out, and the race ended under black flag two laps later.

 

From there, we headed to impound and trophies. OVR members did well. ^Eric Kutil completed his sweep of the weekend with a win in both races, and Tom O'Gorman had a pair of thirds in STL. ^Talked to the Mustang's previous owner Greg Vandersluis at impound, and got good insight into a few things I had questions on.

 

We watched a couple of races from 1, then loaded up and headed out to get home and unloaded. ^Once again, a great weekend, and happy to get through it with only a minor incident. ^At this point, we're not 100% sure what our next race will be. ^Maybe Gingerman in July or Grattan in August. ^Heck, maybe both! ^ Regardless, it will have a new set of shoes, so I am really looking forward to seeing what it can do!

[Mitch]

Great stories, thank you for sharing. I'm looking forward to hearing about your next races.

[31rx7]

Looks like next race is Gingerman, July 8-9. Bought a new set of shoes for the occasion.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

[Aaron]

mmmm, slicks.

 

Imma join that club soon.

[31rx7]

Gingerman Raceway – Bert Olsen Classic SCCA Majors – July 8 and 9

 

The Short Story – Arrived Friday afternoon, drove car off trailer, raced, drove car on trailer, got home Sunday night. ^Fully qualified for the Runoffs.

The Long Story: After Mid-Ohio, our original plans were to do the Grattan Majors in August as our final qualification race, but with a lot of things happening elsewhere in our lives, we figured it would be better to go to Gingerman in July, and then we’d have Grattan as a backup race if we needed it. ^ I was pretty excited for the weekend with high hopes as I bought a fresh set of Hoosier R7’s and had a fresh set of pads to go all around. ^

 

We left Columbus around 10a Friday morning in order to make the Friday evening practice session. ^ It rained to beat the band along the drive, and didn’t clear up until we got north of Ft. Wayne. ^The tow was uneventful and traffic was mild. ^Rolled in to Gingerman around 4p, and found a nice spot in a shady area on the edge of some trees, just outside of the Turn 1 – 2 area. http://www.gingermanraceway.com/about-track-maps.html

 

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r228/31rx7/2006%20Mustang%20Race%20Car/Gingerman%20Map_zpsbv0jn7ud.jpg

 

Registration and tech were a breeze, and the South Bend Region SCCA folks were friendly and helpful. ^As ^part of the event, each driver got a six pack from a local craft brewer, Lucky Lady. ^Kathy picked the IPA for me, which was delicious. https://luckygirlbrewing.com/beers/india-pale-ale/ ^Once I was done with on-track activities of course. ^

 

Crew member Travis Robuck rolled in around 7:15p and I got ready for my first session at 8:05p. ^I had fresh tires and fresh brakes so a casual session to heat cycle the tires and bed the brakes was perfect. ^We ran the “long” track at 2.1 miles. ^

 

It’s a typical club track, with some elevation changes and some tricky turns. The Turn 5-6 combo was probably the toughest for me – I only got it right a few times during the entire weekend. ^I felt I was either too slow or way too fast, and had to back off at the exit. ^Most of the course was 3rd gear, only shifting to 4th on the straight between 10 and 11, then back down to 3rd for the pit straight. ^I was low in 3rd coming out of turns 3 and 10b, but figured I could make it up elsewhere. ^ The 8 – 9 – 10b section was big fun, really fast high in 3rd, and if you didn’t whoa it down before turning in for 10b, you’d end up in a cornfield.

 

After Friday night practice, we cleaned up a little and headed into South Haven for dinner. ^We picked Clementine’s, a nice casual pub type place with good ratings on Yelp, but were a bit disappointed. ^My burger was good, but the cod special Kathy and Travis got was frozen fish. ^Ugh. ^

Got a good night’s sleep and to the track around 9a for qualifying Saturday morning. ^We had 39 cars in our group, with 12 cars entered in my class, T4. ^My goal was for a solid mid pack run, and after a few laps came up to speed reasonably well, qualifying with a 1:51.1, good for 6th in T4. ^The fast T4 cars were in the 1:45 to 1:47, range, and I attempted to follow one of the Miata’s around but they were killing me out of the slower turns. ^Probably didn’t help I was conservative in some spots also. ^

 

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r228/31rx7/2006%20Mustang%20Race%20Car/IMG_3133_zpsmghdhrgu.jpg

 

Got back, checked the car, and found the driver’s side lower strut bolt for camber adjustment had moved. ^Nothing like dynamic camber. This was a problem at Mid Ohio also, and I replaced the bolt and nut with new prior to Gingerman. ^Not sure what was causing it but we reset it, put a fresh nylock nut on it plus some Loctite for the race. ^ ^

 

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r228/31rx7/2006%20Mustang%20Race%20Car/20170708_191244_zpsf9mhe1wv.jpg

 

We were Group 6 (out of 7) and our race wasn’t scheduled until 4:20p, so we had plenty of time. ^I took a nap in the shade, while Kathy and Travis watched some races from Turn 1. ^There was a big crash at the start of the SRF / SRF3 race which put everything behind at least 30 minutes. ^By the time my race came along, I was already looking forward to evening beers! ^

 

I was gridded 7th in class, and 29th overall. On the pace lap, ^we were all warming tires and somewhere in front of me, somebody did a hard braking, which almost caused a crash, causing the back half of the field to come to almost a stop. ^The first 9 or so rows of cars kept going, and so the field was separated by a huge distance – I saw them on the front straight with the green flag when I was half way down Phoenix Straight. ^First rule of racing is to stay in formation on the pace lap – so much for that. ^

 

There was a blue STL Miata in front of me, and a red STU Sentra just in front of me, and I had a good race with them for a few laps before breaking free. The fast STL cars were a hoot to watch. Eric Kutil came through with Adam Roberts in hot pursuit. ^From there it was improving on lap times and watching for the fast T2 and STL cars lapping me. Had a couple offs at turn exits trying to improve on laps but no harm, no foul. ^ Ended up in 7th in class, about 25th overall, and improved my lap time by about a second, to a 1:50.1.

 

Found out after the session the RF camber bolt slipped again, so we tried reversing the bolt in the hole so the forces under load would make it tighten rather than loosen. That’s my business school engineering analysis, and I’m sticking to it. ^Rotated tires and did some other prep, and we were ready for Sunday. ^

 

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r228/31rx7/2006%20Mustang%20Race%20Car/20170708_192058_zpsyekssgu0.jpg

 

Dinner that night was in South Haven at a new place called Kitchen 527. ^Travis had mussels and wings, and Kathy and I had sandwiches. ^All very good. ^Recommended. ^Headed back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep, then up again the next morning.

 

At the track, we had short qualifying sessions Sunday morning, 15 minutes. ^I didn’t get a clean lap and had about the same time from Saturday, a 1:51.2. ^This put me 25th overall and 7th in class. ^ Good news is our fix for the camber bolt seemed to work. ^

 

For the race, we were gridded behind an T4 FRS and the red STU Sentra, and had the blue STL Miata and a T4 Civic Si with OVR driver Ben Linfield. ^The start this time was better but we were still strung out more than we should have been. ^Why is it so hard for drivers to stay in formation? ^The green flag flew and I had the inside line to left hand Turn 1. ^As I approached I could see a big cloud of dust on the outside of the turn, indicative of an off by a car in front of me. ^Coming around the turn, I saw Adam Roberts’ STL CRX had spun into the middle of the track so I went out to the right into the dirt and got by without incident. ^This enabled the cars behind me to close in, and Ben Linfield got by a lap or so later. ^Raced the blue Miata and the red Sentra and got by them, and set sights on Ben.

 

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r228/31rx7/2006%20Mustang%20Race%20Car/IMG_3129_zpsof7j5h7z.jpg

 

From there, Ben and I had a great battle for the remainder of the race, at least 13 or 14 laps. ^I worked my butt off to get around him – his gearing was better coming out of 3 and 10 and he would pull me; ^I was better in the 1 – 2 combo and coming out of 8 going to 10b. ^I could just about get to his door going into 3, but not enough to make a clean move. Similarly, I could get beside him going into 10b and stay next to him through the turn, ^but he took the inside line and came out of 10b stronger.

 

This went on for the bulk of the race. ^I tried getting inside going into 5 – 6, using lapped traffic to lead the way, but couldn’t make it happen. On the last lap, I got a good run out of 10b, and stayed close going down Phoenix Straight. ^My plan was to do a late brake into 11 to close in on his bumper, and then hopefully he would bobble and I could pass him before start-finish. ^Set up, braked hard…AND MISSED THE 4-3 DOWNSHIFT! ^ARRRGH!

 

Ended the race 22nd overall and 6th in T4 from the preliminary results. ^It was great fun – the best battle I’ve had in a race car, maybe ever. ^Ben came over afterwards, and he was equally jazzed. Good, clean, hard racing. ^Big fun for all.

 

Next event: SCCA Runoffs at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. ^Qualifying Sept 25 – 28, races Sept 29 – Oct 1. ^My race is 1:00p on Sunday, Oct 1. ^ We have a few tricks up our sleeve to hopefully get a little more power out of the car for the Runoffs, and I can’t wait. Hope to see you there.

[31rx7]

mmmm, slicks.

 

Imma join that club soon.

These are Hoosier R7's. Great tires. Important to do the first heat cycle as recommended by Hoosier.

 

During my sessions at Gingerman, they were very consistent. They got a little slippery towards the end of the race on Saturday, but it didn't show in the lap times.

[AudiOn19s]

These are Hoosier R7's. Great tires. Important to do the first heat cycle as recommended by Hoosier.

 

During my sessions at Gingerman, they were very consistent. They got a little slippery towards the end of the race on Saturday, but it didn't show in the lap times.

 

Excited for you and following closely. Keep up the good work.

[Smokey]

Great updates Rich! Glad to see it coming along. Are you going to the PCA DE at Indy in August to practice? I'll be there if so.

[31rx7]

Great updates Rich! Glad to see it coming along. Are you going to the PCA DE at Indy in August to practice? I'll be there if so.

Dis not know about this. Link?

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

[Smokey]

It's on Club Registration under MORPCA, but unfortunately has been sold out for some time.

 

MORPCA started hosting the only DE at Indy 2 years ago, but this year it sold out quickly I think due to racers wanting to practice before the runoffs.

[31rx7]

It's on Club Registration under MORPCA, but unfortunately has been sold out for some time.

 

MORPCA started hosting the only DE at Indy 2 years ago, but this year it sold out quickly I think due to racers wanting to practice before the runoffs.

Damn. I've been heads down with work and such so haven't kept up with this.

[Smokey]

if it's any consolation the DE doesn't run the SCCA track but the IMSA configuration so not exactly the same.

 

IRacing does have Indy with the SCCA infield loop but I'm not sure if the back side after turn 10 is the same as what SCCA runs.

[Versluis]

This is really cool. I do not race like yourself, but awesome read. Look forward to your progress.

[31rx7]

This is really cool. I do not race like yourself, but awesome read. Look forward to your progress.

Taylor, your screen name caught my eye. The gent that did really well with this car is Greg Vandersluis.

 

Next up, the SCCA Runoffs at IMS. Car is just about ready except for a good clean and wax.

[31rx7]

If you aren't alread aware, the Runofffs will be at iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year. ^There are a ton of Ohio Valley Region drivers that have qualified and are competing - including yours truly - so this is a great chance to see the OVR group in action. ^

 

All sorts of details are at http://www.scca.com/runoffs. ^There's even an app that provides lap by lap scoring and results.

 

Kathy and I are headed over Saturday morning (Sept 23). ^Stella the Race Dog will be with us but has to stay back at the hotel as the track won't allow pets in the infield. I have test sessions Sunday, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, followed by one qualifying session per day Monday through Thursday. ^Championship races start on Friday the 29th. ^My race (T4) is on Sunday, October 1, at 1:00p.

 

I will update this thread with our fun and foibles as I have time.

 

If you come over, stop by and visit us. We are car #93, in class T4, yellow and black Mustang, in paddock spot MG-62 (Main Grass) just along the Hulman Blvd. part of the track. ^

 

https://www.scca.com/pages/2017-runoffs-maps

[Robochan]

You will be racing my friend Jim Coughlin in his civic SI. I will be there Saturday to watch the STL race.

[31rx7]

You will be racing my friend Jim Coughlin in his civic SI. I will be there Saturday to watch the STL race.

Great - I will look him up and say hello.

 

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[Smokey]

Good luck Rich! I won't be able to make it out but have a good time. That front straight feels forever long.

[31rx7]

Course map at Indianapolis.

 

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r228/31rx7/2017%20SCCA%20Runoffs/Indy%20-%20CourseConfigMap_final_zpsjqbrzlee.jpg

 

Corners in order of importance: 13, 6a, 10, 1.

 

13 is a tight left hander which leads on to the longest straight. The key is not to overdrive 12 before it so you can slow down and get set up so you can come out of 13 strong, and carry your speed all down the front straight. 6a is a tough turn in that it is easy to overdrive the exit at 6, and not be set up for 6a. A lot of folks have made the mistake of being out of postion and coming out of 6a, they are heading straight to the tire wall along Hulman Blvd. Similar, the 7-8-9 section leading to 10, you need to be to the left leaving 9 to make the right leading to 12. Finally, whoa down at the end of the front straight for one so you can exit 1 tight and to the right and get on the gas headed to the big loop.

[31rx7]

Follow the action live at http://www.scca.com/live.

[31rx7]

Kathy and I decided to drive separately so we would have an extra car at Indy. ^I was proud of myself in that I had the car prepped and everything packed ahead of time, but as luck would have it, the rear brakes on the 'Burb decided to wear out, and I spent Wednesday night thrashing in the garage. ^

 

Fortunately, that was the worst of it, and I headed for Indy at about 8a on Saturday morning, the 23rd. ^Drive was uneventful, and I arrived to the track at around 11a. ^Registration was a breeze, and headed into the track where I was greeted by OVR members and Padock Marshalls Dave and Sue Rupp. who escorted me to our home for the week. Arrived and got mostly set up and long time friend and crew member Andy Toth arrived around 12:30p. Went through express tech, picked up 20 gallons of Sunoco 93 (dyed red to make it "official gas"), and dropped of the spare rims at Hoosier for some fresh skins. ^The rest of the day was relaxing and waiting for Kathy to arrive. ^She had some delays and didn't get to the track until 6 or so, and we headed for dinner at Union Jack's.

 

I decided to spring for the test day on Sunday. ^I had a 25 minute session in the morning and a 30 minute session in the afternoon. ^Between the two sessions, my goal was to learn the track and lines, and scrub in six new Hoosier R7's. ^The morning session went well and I got down to a reasonable 2:05.8. ^The course is a lot tighter than I thought - 3rd and 4th gear everywhere, thinking of 2nd in spots (1 and 13). Tricky parts (for me) were 1, 6a, ^12, and 13. No offs or scary moments - that must mean I need to push harder! Biggest challenge is judging braking, particularly going into 1 and 12.

 

The second session was in the heat of the afternoon - had to be in the low 90's. ^The track was quite greasy and my times dropped about a 1.0. ^Still worthwhile as I smoothed out my driving and learned a few things. ^ The day ended with a few icy colds, and after competition, there was a track walk which was great - got some insight into a couple of corners. ^Really recognized the importance of several sections. ^ The curbing in some spots is smooth and in others rippled and will upset your car. ^The track is REALLY SMOOTH. ^No patches or bumps. ^

 

A few photos fromt the Sunday night track walk.

 

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r228/31rx7/2017%20SCCA%20Runoffs/On%20the%20Bricks_zps0r1aabkj.jpg

 

The Yard of Bricks.

 

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r228/31rx7/2017%20SCCA%20Runoffs/The%20Yard%20of%20Bricks_zps3jw9xssp.jpg

 

The Pagoda.

 

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r228/31rx7/2017%20SCCA%20Runoffs/The%20Pagoda_zpsdudqfkpw.jpg

 

Front Straight.

 

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r228/31rx7/2017%20SCCA%20Runoffs/Front%20Straight_zpsyfcqoru8.jpg

 

My first qualifying session was today (Monday) at 11:30a. ^Temps were hot - in the mid 80's at least - and the 41 car T4 hit the track. ^I was gridded 31st which was fine with me. ^Traffic cleared pretty quickly after the first couple laps, and I got up to speed pretty quickly. ^I ran the older set of tires and struggled with a push in 6a and 13. ^Just before I went out, the Hoosier TIre rep suggested running hire pressures than normal - 1 lb equals 38 lbs of spring rate - and the big issue with the mustang is that, while she's a good dancer, she's still a fat girl, and more spring would certainly help. ^ Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to pump up tires before going out. ^Ended up slightly faster than Sunday, at a 2:05.5 which was respectable given the greasy track. ^But, this puts me back further than I want. I need to get up to the 2:03 range to be where I think I should.

 

About time to head for dinner. ^Videos of Sunday's sessions on YouTube.

 

Sunday morning:

 

Sunday afternoon:

Edited October 3, 2017 by 31rx7

[31rx7]

Quick update on Tuesday and Wednesday qualifying.

 

Crew members Andy Toth and Kathy have been a big help. The car has been...OK. Getting a push off of 6a and 13, which is killing my lap times. Also, I can be more aggressive on braking. We changed the front sway bar setting (softer) to see if we can get the car to rotate a bit better and reduce the push. This helped and the car was easier to drive but really no faster - only .5 faster at a 2:05.0. I am currently 30th and really need to be in the 2:03 range.

 

For Thursday, the final qualifying day, I have a fresh set of Hoosiers on as well as new front pads, and set the front bar to the softest setting. All three combined should yield improvement, but we'll have to see.

[cstmg8]

How'd it go today!?

 

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