Ever had one of those race weekends.................
05-10-2004, 07:31 PM
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Ever had one of those race weekends.................
I guess over my limted race career (4 + years) I've been fairly lucky. Other than one bad crash in the SRF I've had no DNF's, no mechanical problems (at least on track) and though I have spun at nearly every corner at Summit and VIR I've not made any contact with walls, cars, or other imoveable objects save for the aforementioned incident in the SRF.
This weekend takes the cake. Guess I was due.
I was driving someone else's ITS car at VIR and the weekend got off to the wrong start right from the get go. Missed practice on Thursday because I got the cold from hell and had a fever of 105.6 wife ended up going along with the kids so she could drive me to VIR while I rested (big mistake right there). Don't take the family to the race track with you. In fact don't even tell em' that's where you are going. Especially on Mother's day. Tell em' it's a funeral, class reunion, anything they won't want to attend, whatever but don't tell em' its a race.
Well we got to VIR Thursday evening around 2 am. Hotel doesn't have any record of my reservation and is totally booked. Ok we go looking and after 30 minutes we find one. Hand the guy the credit card.............whoops expiration date says 4/04. Damn left the replacement card at home. Wife is really upset now. After two "temporarily unavailable" ATMs we find one.
Friday qualifying, first lap two wheels off at Hogpen and flat sport some brand new tires but aviod contact with said imovable objects.
Second qualifying get up on the grid and the fuel meter says half a tank full. We get the 5 minute whistle and suddenly the fuel gauge decides to play games. Now showing 1/5th of a tank. Unbuckle and get permission from track officials to step out of line. Leave grid and get to trailer to get billfold. Then get to gas pump only to find "aghhhh.........I left the ATM with the wife at the hotel..." Team mate comes over and pumps gas and I get a few qualifying laps in but am stuck behind what seems like 20 ITA cars.
Can the day get any worse. Well how does a flat tire on the family station wagon sound. Found a nail so big I swear it came off a railroad track. It's a wonder it didn't puncture the wheel.
Saturday, qualifying and I am really trying to get a decent lap and some open track. Line up dead last and wait for 30 seconds after the last car goes out. Get caught by the front of the pack (50+ cars on the track). Finally point them all by and find some gap between the faster guys and the slower guys and think.......YES open track. Get T1-T6 perfect. Flat out throught the uphill esses, never lifting and mowing grass everywhere, but I am am not lifting at the top of the esses for the right hander. Didn't lift the car rotates like it's pissed about this and I just steer through it and plan to do the same at the left hander when I suddently see the yellow and red flag. Someone layed dirt all over the apex and we're not talking some dust, we're talking huge chuncks of sod and dirt, too late to change my chosen line so I just slide off the track at track out at what must be close to 90-100 mph. No damage but that kills the Saturday morning session.
Well maybe we will have some luck at the race in the afternoon...NOT!!
Pick the kids up at the hotel and rush back to the track. Ask a flagger if goup 2 went out before lunch...he says no group 1 hasn't been out yet (we're group 3).
Drive the kids up to Oak Tree to watch the SM race. 20 minutes or so pass by and the flaggers come back from lunch.
Here comes the pace car up the hill with................a bunch of ITS CARS !!!!!!!!!!!! Holy $%^$%^
I jump in the car with the wife and kids and drive race the Audi back to the trailer where my teams is standing by in astoundment. I skip all the nomex underwear, socks, shoes and just get the suit on and get to grid TWO FREAKIN LAPS LATE.
They point me out and the two leaders come storming by. GREAT........why couldn't I get out at the end of middle of the pack. I spend 3 laps driving off line, mostly off track to stay out of the way of the leaders. I felt like the slow poke at a track events. My arm was geting sore giving point by's.
Sad part is that 5 ITS cars didn't even finish the race so I could have had a good finish in a non-competitive car.
Sunday doesn't get much better as I suddenly lose 5th gear. How in the $#$#^ do you get a bad synchro in 5th gear. First during hardship it just keeps popping out of 5th gear which is fine on the straights cause you just rest your hand on it, but it's a bit hard to do while doing 100+ up through the uphill esses.
During the race 5th is gone. Can't get it to catch a gear and then start to have trouble with 3rd gear.
End up 31st out of 50+ cars.
On the way home I get a speeding ticket for doing 73 in a 55.
Boy I can't wait for the next race weekend !!!
Regards,
Jon
This weekend takes the cake. Guess I was due.
I was driving someone else's ITS car at VIR and the weekend got off to the wrong start right from the get go. Missed practice on Thursday because I got the cold from hell and had a fever of 105.6 wife ended up going along with the kids so she could drive me to VIR while I rested (big mistake right there). Don't take the family to the race track with you. In fact don't even tell em' that's where you are going. Especially on Mother's day. Tell em' it's a funeral, class reunion, anything they won't want to attend, whatever but don't tell em' its a race.
Well we got to VIR Thursday evening around 2 am. Hotel doesn't have any record of my reservation and is totally booked. Ok we go looking and after 30 minutes we find one. Hand the guy the credit card.............whoops expiration date says 4/04. Damn left the replacement card at home. Wife is really upset now. After two "temporarily unavailable" ATMs we find one.
Friday qualifying, first lap two wheels off at Hogpen and flat sport some brand new tires but aviod contact with said imovable objects.
Second qualifying get up on the grid and the fuel meter says half a tank full. We get the 5 minute whistle and suddenly the fuel gauge decides to play games. Now showing 1/5th of a tank. Unbuckle and get permission from track officials to step out of line. Leave grid and get to trailer to get billfold. Then get to gas pump only to find "aghhhh.........I left the ATM with the wife at the hotel..." Team mate comes over and pumps gas and I get a few qualifying laps in but am stuck behind what seems like 20 ITA cars.
Can the day get any worse. Well how does a flat tire on the family station wagon sound. Found a nail so big I swear it came off a railroad track. It's a wonder it didn't puncture the wheel.
Saturday, qualifying and I am really trying to get a decent lap and some open track. Line up dead last and wait for 30 seconds after the last car goes out. Get caught by the front of the pack (50+ cars on the track). Finally point them all by and find some gap between the faster guys and the slower guys and think.......YES open track. Get T1-T6 perfect. Flat out throught the uphill esses, never lifting and mowing grass everywhere, but I am am not lifting at the top of the esses for the right hander. Didn't lift the car rotates like it's pissed about this and I just steer through it and plan to do the same at the left hander when I suddently see the yellow and red flag. Someone layed dirt all over the apex and we're not talking some dust, we're talking huge chuncks of sod and dirt, too late to change my chosen line so I just slide off the track at track out at what must be close to 90-100 mph. No damage but that kills the Saturday morning session.
Well maybe we will have some luck at the race in the afternoon...NOT!!
Pick the kids up at the hotel and rush back to the track. Ask a flagger if goup 2 went out before lunch...he says no group 1 hasn't been out yet (we're group 3).
Drive the kids up to Oak Tree to watch the SM race. 20 minutes or so pass by and the flaggers come back from lunch.
Here comes the pace car up the hill with................a bunch of ITS CARS !!!!!!!!!!!! Holy $%^$%^
I jump in the car with the wife and kids and drive race the Audi back to the trailer where my teams is standing by in astoundment. I skip all the nomex underwear, socks, shoes and just get the suit on and get to grid TWO FREAKIN LAPS LATE.
They point me out and the two leaders come storming by. GREAT........why couldn't I get out at the end of middle of the pack. I spend 3 laps driving off line, mostly off track to stay out of the way of the leaders. I felt like the slow poke at a track events. My arm was geting sore giving point by's.
Sad part is that 5 ITS cars didn't even finish the race so I could have had a good finish in a non-competitive car.
Sunday doesn't get much better as I suddenly lose 5th gear. How in the $#$#^ do you get a bad synchro in 5th gear. First during hardship it just keeps popping out of 5th gear which is fine on the straights cause you just rest your hand on it, but it's a bit hard to do while doing 100+ up through the uphill esses.
During the race 5th is gone. Can't get it to catch a gear and then start to have trouble with 3rd gear.
End up 31st out of 50+ cars.
On the way home I get a speeding ticket for doing 73 in a 55.
Boy I can't wait for the next race weekend !!!
Regards,
Jon
better luck next time
05-11-2004, 06:31 AM
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Voodoo.
You pissed off a Voodoo Priestess, or the Dalai Lama. Or maybe Mr. Greenjeans.
Wow. At some point in the weekend, I would have said "...you know, this just sucks and I should just call it quits now, relax, tell a few jokes and twist the heads off a few beers". I've actually done that, as this is supposed to be "fun" and "recreation". You either had great motivation, or a really hard head.
It is likely that you've gotten rid of all your 'bad racetrack mojo' for the next decade, in this one weekend. In spite of that, I still won't paddock anywhere near you, especially if there are thunderstorms in the forecast. Hope the marriage counselor has comfortable chairs and a good espresso machine, right ?
Got vid of the 'off' at South Bend ? I saw Warren do that last year, but he was generating all his own dirt prior to going off. I came by about 30 seconds later, looked over the big drop to the right, and thought "how the hell did he get waaaaaay out there, without a passport ?" He described it as a "pant-filling experience", IIRC. Offs at South Bend must be a "Honda thing".
So...when are you coming north with your happy little brood ? I won't be at the MARRS weekend at WGI in July, as we're doing a 12 hour enduro at Nelson that weekend. Might I suggest the mid-Sept. double Regional (long course/short course) and Pig Roast ? Rumor has it I'm race chairman for the weekend (again). I'll guarantee you a level parking space in the paddock.
Wow. At some point in the weekend, I would have said "...you know, this just sucks and I should just call it quits now, relax, tell a few jokes and twist the heads off a few beers". I've actually done that, as this is supposed to be "fun" and "recreation". You either had great motivation, or a really hard head.
It is likely that you've gotten rid of all your 'bad racetrack mojo' for the next decade, in this one weekend. In spite of that, I still won't paddock anywhere near you, especially if there are thunderstorms in the forecast. Hope the marriage counselor has comfortable chairs and a good espresso machine, right ?
Got vid of the 'off' at South Bend ? I saw Warren do that last year, but he was generating all his own dirt prior to going off. I came by about 30 seconds later, looked over the big drop to the right, and thought "how the hell did he get waaaaaay out there, without a passport ?" He described it as a "pant-filling experience", IIRC. Offs at South Bend must be a "Honda thing".
So...when are you coming north with your happy little brood ? I won't be at the MARRS weekend at WGI in July, as we're doing a 12 hour enduro at Nelson that weekend. Might I suggest the mid-Sept. double Regional (long course/short course) and Pig Roast ? Rumor has it I'm race chairman for the weekend (again). I'll guarantee you a level parking space in the paddock.
05-11-2004, 08:48 AM
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Sometimes it just catches up with you.
Man, that sucks, but there are some weekends like that - nothing goes right. You are now owed a bunch of perfect weekends - LOL
BTW- Are you coming out to play at Mid Ohio with TracQuest? I am going do use that for some testing and sorting of the new car, as I continue to have little problems.
BTW- Are you coming out to play at Mid Ohio with TracQuest? I am going do use that for some testing and sorting of the new car, as I continue to have little problems.
05-11-2004, 10:22 AM
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yeesh...that sounds like the nightmares I have the night before a race...
I'm the guy sitting buckled-in and ready to go 15 minutes before the race is going to start...the mere THOUGHT of missing the race or having to rush to get in the car is too terrible to conceive for me.
05-11-2004, 12:05 PM
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You need to buy yourself a Ferrari as a consolation...
... Nah, you've already done that. Sorry about your tale of woe-- hysterical and tragic at the same time. This is why we love racing, right?
(Just learned I have to bail on the NASA BeaveRun race in June due to *work*!)
Lee in D.C.
#41 Porsche 993 RS
(Just learned I have to bail on the NASA BeaveRun race in June due to *work*!)
Lee in D.C.
#41 Porsche 993 RS
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05-11-2004, 06:58 PM
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Ha ha, well the joke is over I guess...
You see Jon, remember that 105.6 fever? Well, it killed you. We have just been having a bit of fun with you. Sorry about that, no hard feelings and all. Hell isn't so bad. Really, you'll see.
Muhwahahahaaaaaaa!!!
Angel of Death
Union Local #355
Muhwahahahaaaaaaa!!!
Angel of Death
Union Local #355
05-11-2004, 07:22 PM
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I guess you haven't heard yet,... your no longer employed, but thats ok
cause you just got drafted anyways. Do you remember a early hard luck TV show "Queen for a Day"? You just won the washer and dryer!
05-11-2004, 08:06 PM
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well................
...........at least I wasn't qualified anywhere in the top ten.
One of the ITS guys there said he was on pole at the Glen a few years ago and it was raining real bad so he went to his RV and took a quick nap.
Woke up just in time to see the same thing happens as I did.
That would really suck!
One of the ITS guys there said he was on pole at the Glen a few years ago and it was raining real bad so he went to his RV and took a quick nap.
Woke up just in time to see the same thing happens as I did.
That would really suck!