Regional/IT Tour at Gateway

[brprok81]

Hey everybody, the Gateway Regional/National/IT Tour is less than two weeks away on August 11 and 12. Registration can be done at www.dlbracing.com Permanent number deadline is this Wednesday August 1. Make sure you sign up for the DASH. It is a Australian Pursuit style race for SM/IT on Saturday afternoon with CASH prizes for various accomplishments. The race is free to enter with your entry in the Saturday MID-AM regional race. The details can be found in the supps or you can post questions here. I can't promise anything about the weather but we will have a good time none the less.

[tnord]

after topeka and MAM, my wallet really doesn't want me to go (in fact, it ran away from me never to be found while at MAM).....but the MiDiv pts standings and the current entry list tell me i should.

....i would say i'm something less than 50/50 for this one.

[IPRESS]

You can't back down now "Tnord". You need to be there to calm down "Sidewalk" Johnson before the SM race. That sawed off so & so may explode if he has trouble that weekend. Might as well pick up some MidAm points while doing your "psycho therapy" on him.
Maybe you need to do like me...... Lets see I just bought a new house (need to sell my old one) riding lawn mower, new refrig, need new furniture for house, daughter getting married in two weeks, (makes me miss "The Festival" & or St. Louis,) but to hell with it, as soon as Labor Day weekend is over I am going "racin"! Oh the part you need to copy is me in a ski mask holding up liquor stores every night to pay for all this stuff!!!! :happy204:

Mac

[Speed Raycer]

The RX7 is still down and out for a while, so no Sat/DASH race for me, but I'll be out there Sunday in a begged & borrowed ITA Neon!

[dick elliott]

Thought you were going to be a builder, not a racer/builder!!! Change of heart or you won the power ball????





The RX7 is still down and out for a while, so no Sat/DASH race for me, but I'll be out there Sunday in a begged & borrowed ITA Neon!
[/b]

[tnord]

i just went through and added up pts for how i think the rest of the season will play out....

i can still win even if i don't go, so i'm pretty dang sure i'm sitting on the sidelines for this one.

[mcgyverit]

No powerball needed, he just had a timely b-day! Besides what do you get a guy that has all the cool tools he has. :P And he only gets the car assuming that I dont trash it.

Thought you were going to be a builder, not a racer/builder!!! Change of heart or you won the power ball????



QUOTE(Speed Raycer @ Jul 31 2007, 09:54 AM)

The RX7 is still down and out for a while, so no Sat/DASH race for me, but I'll be out there Sunday in a begged & borrowed ITA Neon!

[Turkflyer]

What? The "Fast Ole Fart From Ft. Worth" isn't coming to STL? Who am I gonna pick on?

[tnord]

SEELIG Ed, you gotta beat SEELIG!

put that monster motor of yours to use on that oval! :eclipsee_steering:

[Turkflyer]

I know...and I plan to. I usually can't stay in sight of the Fast Ole Fart....I'll catch him some day. Looks like you have your car running well too! Congrats!

[IPRESS]

Ed,
Travis needs to go to St. Louis so you and Jeff will have somebody to do battle with. He doesn't want Jeff to get too far ahead. I would be there for sure if not for a little thing I have to stay in town for..... my #2 daughters wedding! She messed us both up with the date, as she has been known to crew for me and also handles the beer drinking! She and her knew husband will be in the BVI and I will be on the southside of Cowtown with my ski mask working over the liquor stores trying to pay for weddings and racing!
You need to meet Travis and me at Hastings next month. It is a DBL Reg so we get lots of track time. I am hoping "Renny Bobby" Tucker will have his "new" tubbed SM ready by then. He tells the best Arkansas stories that keep us busting a gut laughing.
Don't get too fast at Gateway cause I don't want you making me look bad in October. (I can do it on my own without help!)
Come on Tnord, sell something, use some imagination, charge Sidewalk for being his spotter, St. Louis needs ya. You need STL too cause if you don't go practice and get real fast I might get close to you in October. :eclipsee_steering:

Mac

[Turkflyer]

I'll check out Hastings. Also looking at a double in Nashville....I need points somewhere you guys aren't running! Maybe if I unplug one of your plug wires, I might have a chance against you two.

By the way...I can see you didn't teach the "Elopement Drills" well enough!....you should have just left a ladder under the window! :P

[tnord]

sorry mac,

it's a no-go for me. i've already blown half my budget for august and it's only the 2nd. i'll likely show up for testing in STL before the bonus race to make sure i'm on my game for the big showdown....IF i win at MAM and Hastings.

[anrkii]

I had planned on going, but Im broke

Anyone else think that a reverse grid start is a bad idea?
I can just imagine the field about nine wide going into T1.
scary.

[tnord]

I had planned on going, but Im broke

Anyone else think that a reverse grid start is a bad idea?
I can just imagine the field about nine wide going into T1.
scary.
[/b]


it without a doubt can create some really bad situations. how about theoretically having 20+ cars going around the banking at exactly the same time with the faster guys in the back trying to find a way by?

[brprok81]

In the DASH the cars will start from pit lane and be released in timed intervals based on there fast lap from the race on Saturday. The fast cars will then slowly make there way through the field. In theory all the cars will finish at the same time (we are betting this won't happen). As long as nobody gets to silly coming out of pit lane this race should be safer than a real race because the cars will probably never be in one large pack going into turn one.

[Turkflyer]

That sounds like 20 wide at the finish line. Where do they go from there? Into T1 or around the oval?

[anrkii]

In the DASH the cars will start from pit lane and be released in timed intervals based on there fast lap from the race on Saturday. The fast cars will then slowly make there way through the field. In theory all the cars will finish at the same time (we are betting this won't happen). As long as nobody gets to silly coming out of pit lane this race should be safer than a real race because the cars will probably never be in one large pack going into turn one.
[/b]

ok then, that sounds safe to me after all.
I was imagining a normal running start, and then about three cars making it through turn one untotaled. :lol:

[IPRESS]

You guys need to uphold the honor of IT racers in the DASH. Drago (SM) is still not able to sit down after he got his butt burned in the same type event in Memphis. It was so bad I think he had to have pigskin grafted on his prodigious posterior!!! :lol:

[brprok81]

That sounds like 20 wide at the finish line. Where do they go from there? Into T1 or around the oval?
[/b]

Hypothetically, yes this will happen and then since the race is over they can whichever way they want safely. I am thinking there is going to be about 5 cars that have a realistic chance of winning heading into the last lap.

Also, this race is cool for those who usually are only able to run 17 or 18 laps because ITE's lap them 2 or 3 times. This race gives everybody a much better chance at finishing all 20 laps.

[77ITA]

Travis... Mac, sorry you guys can't make it. Maybe I will catch you both later in the season at Nashville or Hastings? I like this little points battle we have, allthough I will need more power if I plan to stay a threat.

[tnord]

i plan on being at hastings, but to hell if i'm towing out to some assinine race 100 gajillion miles away in nashville. oh well, probably won't be many cars to race with anyway. i wish our points race would actually take place on the same track every once in a while. oh well, maybe next year we won't have so many races on the schedule.

jeff you've got good power. i was right on your rear bumper getting a good draft in qualifying at topeka, and you were still pulling away from me at a pretty good rate. your car should be strong at the rovals (unfortunately where the bonus race is).

[buldogge]

You're kidding about Nashville...right? It's in conjunction with the Atlanta region and there will be some HEALTHY competition from the SE. I'm sure there will be a pretty good turnout even though the track kinda sorta does suck.

Of course, you seldom seem to look at the other side...How do you think that haul to Hastings looks from St. Louis...??? :rolleyes:





i plan on being at hastings, but to hell if i'm towing out to some assinine race 100 gajillion miles away in nashville. oh well, probably won't be many cars to race with anyway. i wish our points race would actually take place on the same track every once in a while. oh well, maybe next year we won't have so many races on the schedule.

jeff you've got good power. i was right on your rear bumper getting a good draft in qualifying at topeka, and you were still pulling away from me at a pretty good rate. your car should be strong at the rovals (unfortunately where the bonus race is).
[/b]

[tnord]

and here's where you're not seeing the whole picture.

go look through the current mid-am standings for all classes. now take a look at how many times there are more than say.......5 cars in the same class actually RACING against each other. happened in SRF 3 of 11 races thus far, even SM has only had 5 or more cars in 4 of 11 events, ITA 5 of 11. no other classes EVER had more than 5 cars on the same track at the same time racing each other for championship points. seriously, what kind of 'championship' is it where cars don't even race each other on track?

furthering the problem is adding the Nashville event over the MAM weekend, no matter 'who called it first' during scheduling at the MiDiv convention. so now the very few handfull of people that might actually care about points are split in two, and we further the problem of not actually holding races, but rather parade laps for race cars. and btw, in regards to mid-am points, even if a MiDiv driver finishes 8th behind 7 SE drivers, he still gets 12pts because he is the first Mid-Am car to finish.

and yes, the hastings thing SUCKS for you guys way the heck over there, just like Memphis sucks for me, and i really don't expect to see many people from eastern midiv. as much as i don't like it, i'd be making the tow to STL/Memphis if we didn't have so many weekends on the calendar. but as we have it now, if i want to go racing/need points/whatever and this weekend's race is at Nashville/STL/MEM, i'm not going because all i have to do is wait a week or two and there will be another race much closer to home, saving me hundreds of dollars on fuel costs. i can get my 6 races in without hardly ever leaving my little area, same for you guys over there. it makes for a poor race on track, a poor social atmosphere in the paddock, and a poor financial situation for the regions.

cut about 5 weekends from our regional schedule and i'd bet you'd see more people from Kansas/Oklahoma/Omaha over in Illinois and Tennessee, and vice versa.

[OTLimit]

Of course, you seldom seem to look at the other side...How do you think that haul to Hastings looks from St. Louis...??? :rolleyes:
[/b]

We're thinking it looks pretty good. Chris' grandmother lives about 5 minutes from the track and is really excited about finally being able to see Chris race. He will definitely be there.

[IPRESS]

I got idea :D SOWDIV only has about teo weekends a year where regional only racers get to rae both days. MIDDIV think they have too many. SELL

[bldn10]

We obviously have some track location issues in the MiDiv. W/ Hastings on board the de facto Western Subdivision drivers have no need to cross the Iowa/Missouri/Ark. western state lines w/ 4 tracks. St. Louis and especially Memphis are now even more isolated. We will need some rules to spread fewer events around the Division and, hopefully, foster more head-to-head competition.

[tnord]

don't forget the new iowa speedway. something will likely happen with that as well. seems like it should be a cendiv/GLdiv race to me, but then again....all the Des Moines crew are MiDiv guys. :wacko:

[OTLimit]

The answer is to cut back on the number of weekends. No one in Midiv will deny that allowing the IT drivers an opportunity to drive on both days is good thing for both the regions and the drivers. However, if the collective racing groups continue to demand the same number of races year after year, nothing good is going to happen.

For example, St Louis currently holds 4 weekends, including a super-school / regional, two regional/nationals, and a double regional (but only one race for points). One of these weekends needs to go (I'll say it because you're not likely to hear it from anyone else).

The Topeka group is going to have to make some hard decisions; they had 4 weekends this year, including two single Nationals with no IT. Entries for the June event were way down from last year.

MAM had three, but one of them is a school/regional.

Hallett and Memphis are both down to 2, which seems okay, but neither group is doing a school (and probably don't need to, but it would be nice).

Ideally, we would find a way to do a super school with a double regional; entries would be up, and it would be more of an incentive to hold the school, plus more regional drivers would show up because of a two race weekend. I can't really justify driving from St Louis to MAM for a single IT race, and I'm sure there are a lot of others who feel the same way about driving to Hallett or Memphis for a single race.

[Speed Raycer]

For example, St Louis currently holds 4 weekends, including a super-school / regional, two regional/nationals, and a double regional (but only one race for points). One of these weekends needs to go (I'll say it because you're not likely to hear it from anyone else).
[/b]

I'll second that! We've become oversaturated. It's great to have all of the new tracks available, but there's still only the same pot of drivers to pull from. Sure, more are added every year, but I'd guess that it's balanced out by the guys that get out (either permenantly or temporarily).

Nobody seems to want to give up their piece of the pie (races), even though the slices (driver entries) are getting smaller and smaller and the price (track fees) stays the same. A couple of bad race weekends and any region will be hurting BIGTIME.

It'll be interesting to see how many ITers show up for this bonus race weekend.

[tnord]

I'll second that! We've become oversaturated. It's great to have all of the new tracks available, but there's still only the same pot of drivers to pull from. Sure, more are added every year, but I'd guess that it's balanced out by the guys that get out (either permenantly or temporarily).

Nobody seems to want to give up their piece of the pie (races), even though the slices (driver entries) are getting smaller and smaller and the price (track fees) stays the same. A couple of bad race weekends and any region will be hurting BIGTIME.

It'll be interesting to see how many ITers show up for this bonus race weekend.
[/b]

i'm guessing the problem will get worse before it gets better.

from what i'm told, KVRG already has tentative plans to add back IT races to the national races next year. i believe we will also drop a weekend.

KVRG lost their ass on the school/regional, and i'm guessing the dbl regional as well. my guess is the dbl in july will be gone and moved back to a couple weeks after the STL super school to provide a fast track to a national liscense.

[buldogge]

We agree completely on these points.

Why do you think I haven't been "racing". There's no race in showing up to lap with 1 or 2 other ITS cars especially new-builds, rookies, etc.

The only dates I get a race at are those where Bill shows up...and I screwed up by missing Hallett.

Hopefully...points aside...the RACING will be better at Nashville, simply because of stronger entries (I'm referring to ITS at least).

We shall see...



and here's where you're not seeing the whole picture.

go look through the current mid-am standings for all classes. now take a look at how many times there are more than say.......5 cars in the same class actually RACING against each other. happened in SRF 3 of 11 races thus far, even SM has only had 5 or more cars in 4 of 11 events, ITA 5 of 11. no other classes EVER had more than 5 cars on the same track at the same time racing each other for championship points. seriously, what kind of 'championship' is it where cars don't even race each other on track?

furthering the problem is adding the Nashville event over the MAM weekend, no matter 'who called it first' during scheduling at the MiDiv convention. so now the very few handfull of people that might actually care about points are split in two, and we further the problem of not actually holding races, but rather parade laps for race cars. and btw, in regards to mid-am points, even if a MiDiv driver finishes 8th behind 7 SE drivers, he still gets 12pts because he is the first Mid-Am car to finish.

and yes, the hastings thing SUCKS for you guys way the heck over there, just like Memphis sucks for me, and i really don't expect to see many people from eastern midiv. as much as i don't like it, i'd be making the tow to STL/Memphis if we didn't have so many weekends on the calendar. but as we have it now, if i want to go racing/need points/whatever and this weekend's race is at Nashville/STL/MEM, i'm not going because all i have to do is wait a week or two and there will be another race much closer to home, saving me hundreds of dollars on fuel costs. i can get my 6 races in without hardly ever leaving my little area, same for you guys over there. it makes for a poor race on track, a poor social atmosphere in the paddock, and a poor financial situation for the regions.

cut about 5 weekends from our regional schedule and i'd bet you'd see more people from Kansas/Oklahoma/Omaha over in Illinois and Tennessee, and vice versa.
[/b]

[JIgou]

I know a bunch of you know this already....but PLEASE let your RE and local race groups know about the conversation and feelings regarding too many events. The folks organizing and putting on the races need to understand that even the racers are getting spread too thin.

Jarrod

[tnord]

a link to a list of all MiDiv REs;

http://www.midiv.org/Code/RE_Editor.htm

[77ITA]

jeff you've got good power. i was right on your rear bumper getting a good draft in qualifying at topeka, and you were still pulling away from me at a pretty good rate. your car should be strong at the rovals (unfortunately where the bonus race is).
[/b]

Thanks Travis. I probably do have a few horsepower on some of the Miatas, but not enough to make up for my complete inability to get the car through the turns. I generally do well at gateway and I'm looking forward to going out on wider tires this weekend to (hopefully) grab some much needed points.

[m glassburner]

I'll be there in a rented ssc neon...mike :D

[IPRESS]

Good Luck to ya Flip! :D

Keep the tires out of the air.

Mac

[Speed Raycer]

now that was hawt.... and I wasn't even driving today!

[IPRESS]

RESULTS PLEASE

[tnord]

i texted you the results mac.

as much as i you and i will hate it, congrats to jeff for the win.

1) Jeff Seelig
2) Jim Lorenzetti

talked to jim tonight, and he said his car was cutting out when it got hot. he's thinking it's the dizzy, apparantly a common honda problem.

not sure from here, but i THINK

3) Todd Prather

Denton won the dash.

stay cool tomorrow fellas.

[SLUF]

"DASH" RACES ROCK!

Lots of action all over the track for the entire race. I think maybe a 15 lapper versus 20 may have been a better choice due to the heat but the format sure looks good. (Maybe I am a bit biased as one of the sponsors!) Lots of ideas for next year on this one for additional incentives and competition. I cannot remember seeing so many drivers grinning after this. Maybe it was heat stroke that caused the happiness but lots of fun for sure. Watching Mr. Wolverton run down the field for a third place finish after a 4:30 minute handicap was really awsome! Congrats to Mr. Denton on the win and taking the cash. Congrats to all the IT/SM drivers and especially the corner workers who put on a great show and braved the brutal heat to make this a reality.

[m glassburner]

I placed 1st on saturday and 4th on sunday...it was friggin hot !!! :blink:

[IPRESS]

Attaway Flip.
How is that SSC car count coming? Are they going to qualify for Topeka?

Congrats Jeff, you got it coverd going into the next St. Louie race in October. That Neon will be tough to handle there. I hope it will be a little nicer weather in October.

Mac

[Turkflyer]

Jeff and I had a great race today. He jumped me into T1 at the start, and it was nose to tail for 30 minutes (except when a yellow Golf was between us). Jeff did a great job of driving. It was REALLY hot there. Tires didn't grip. I still missed that Fast Ole Fart from Ft. Worth....he'd be as skinny as Jeff at the end of this weekend! How was the wedding?

[tnord]

heard a rumor that someone had a problem with the scales on sunday. confirmation?

[77ITA]

Wow, <strike>fun</strike> hot weekend!

Congratulations to Ed on his IT-tour victory. It was a lot of work trying to keep up with you this year, not to mention this weekend. I&#39;m dissapointed in my second place finish in the tour, but it couldn&#39;t have been behind a better guy.

Travis, Mac

See you both at the bonus race (as you lap by me).

Travis,

The only thing I heard about with the scales is that tech had my sheet mixed up with another car for about 30 seconds. They straightened that up before I ever rolled off the scales though. Did someone else have an issue that I didn&#39;t hear about?

[tnord]

Travis,

See you at the bonus race (as you lap by me).
[/b]


i&#39;m 50/50 at best at this point. i may be done until next year.

the only word i got was from someone who said they thought they heard one of the IT cars came in underweight. it was probably related to your tech sheet getting goofed.

[mcgyverit]

I had a great time this past weekend even with the heat. Thanks to all that helped us with the various issues that cropped up (blistered tire, jack breaking, etc.) I enjoyed racing with Dave (sorry I didnt get down to meet you) in the MR2 and Dana in the Saturn. I felt we had some fun out there even though it was 100+.

Anyone have an email contact for Dana Hillinger? I have some pretty good video footage of his Saturn during qualifying and the race on Saturday I thought he might enjoy.

Speaking of video, I had a pretty good view of the T1 start where the vette, 2nd gen rx7, and some yellow golf (imagine who that could be) blew down into T1, and made it work. I saw them coming as I was getting ready to pass on the inside of the #5 VW and I thought "no way am I getting in front of that train!" I thought for sure there would have been some contact. Just goes to show how skilled some of the drivers are that are racing out there.

[Turkflyer]

Hey, I&#39;d like to see that video if possible. They sure bombed T1 at the start! I thought for sure someone was heading for the weeds/tires.

[IPRESS]

Sounds like you guys had a real good time despite the heat. If "Fast Eddie" fom the Ozarks didn&#39;t go down from the heat I am sure the rest of you made it easy. Way to hold up the Mazda banner on Sunday, "kid". :cavallo:

Jeff don&#39;t sell yourself short, that green thing seems pretty quick in the right spots. That tire wall dance in the rain back in the spring at Hallett and that brain fade on Saturday at HPT have me going to Nashville & (or) Hastings. I need some more points to stay close enough so that you don&#39;t have it won before the bonus takes place. I like seeing new towns and new tracks so it is just as well.

Where is the good place for a race crowd to go eat in STL? I will volunteer Ed and I to take a group to someplace half ass famous if there is such. Ed cause he is the elder statesman and me cause I am a nice guy!!! :P

Tnord, is Sidewalk still in the Runoffs picture or is he going to put the heat on Zwolle for the MidAM SM championship?

It is so hot down here that I can&#39;t get my welder to fix my mirror mount. (That is what i blame all my spins and offs on this season.....a bad mirror mount!) :mad1:

[mcgyverit]

Lets see if this works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy6IePqz-Uk

[Turkflyer]

Thanks, the video worked! That looks like Saturday&#39;s race. Got one of Sunday?

Mac.....I&#39;m in for going somewhere in STL...even with you! No one will recognize either of us there....well, at least not me. It was HOT....but even an old fat man like me survived! The Miata did well for the conditions.

[patpro]

Cool video. There was indeed a freight train of very fast cars that passed on the left during the start of that race. I was one of those hapless drivers (about 3 rows in front of you) that was passed by that bullet train and I felt exactly as you did; "Stay out of the way of those guys!!"

As for the "yellow Golf," Chris Albin does indeed have a very high degree of skill when it comes to throwing his Golf into and out of the turns. His skill as an automotive mechanic also works well to make his Golf lightening fast on the straights.

That is in stark contrast to my own skill level that can clearly be seen in the second lap of the same Saturday IT race. If you have a good shot of the second lap of that race, you&#39;ll see the black VW GTI (73) (me, that is) do everything but crash in turns 3A and 3B. The echo of the several tank slaps still ring in my ears. While I struggled mightily to find something that would keep me from crashing big time (and was somehow lucky that something must have worked), Chris would have never even gotten into that situation. For my money, there simply is no IT or GP driver that has more driving skill than Chris.

Additionally, I just have to note that I was lucky enough Sunday to manage to win the ITB I.T. Tour Championship this year (by one point). While I&#39;m indeed proud of that accomplishment, I am acutely aware that if Chris had been able to solve the almost unsolvable electrical problems with his Golf earlier in the year, Chris would have left me and everyone else in ITB way behind in his dust. I have absolutely no doubt that Chris will come roaring back in 2008, and beyond, to reclaim and maintain his firm grasp of the I.T. Tour Championship, the Mid Am Championship, and the Driver of the Year. All the rest of us will revert to competing for the FAA ("First After Albin") award.

Finally, I have to say that Chris did something Sunday after the I.T. Tour race that truly exemplifies Chris as the consummate gentleman athlete that he is. First, it must be noted that Chris actually won the I.T. Tour race Sunday for ITB and took the checkered flag from the marshals as he came into the pits. However, Chris did NOT take a victory lap. Instead, Chris, the winner of the ITB I.T. Tour Championship for about 15 years straight, went straight to tech and waited for me. Then, when I drove up to tech, Chris immediately came over to me and put his checkered flag on my car. He shook my hand and congratulated me as the ITB I.T. Tour Champion. He told me that I had earned it and deserved it. The he said I should be the one with checkered flag on my car because I was the new Champion. It was one of the most thoughtful and respectful things anyone has ever done to me, or for me. I&#39;m sure nobody else would have taken the time, or would have even thought of doing such a wonderful thing. Moments like that are the reason that I have struggled to keep racing over the past 12 years.

I wish I could say something else special or super clever about how great that made me feel, but the only words I have are "Thanks, Chris."

Well, I&#39;ve probably talked way too much -- especially for my first message on this web site, but this was very important for me to say. Thanks for your indulgence. (And, anyway, you know how hard it is to make a lawyer shut up.!)

DEW

[IPRESS]

No doubt about it Chris is a CLASS ACT. :023:

[mcgyverit]

I only have the results of you coming back onto the course as I was far enough behind on turn 2 so as not to see how it happened, just the results. I will try to post it tonight.

[Speed Raycer]

We&#39;re going to rethink that Petty Bar when we redo your cage ;)

[patpro]

I&#39;ll try to download my own in-car video of the "incident" sometime this week. Everyone should get a really big kick when they see my hands flailing in every direction trying to find something - ANYTHING - to keep the car from crashing. It was definitely a low point for my driving skill and it was nothing but dumb luck that kept me from breaking the car badly. I would call it a "brain fart" but in all honesty is was more like "brain diarrhea."

I was also very concerned that my uncontrolled "weaving" was going to mess up the day for one or two of the many other cars that were still not far behind me because it was still just the second lap of the race. I didn&#39;t want to ruin their day, too. I&#39;m very glad everyone else had their cars under much better control than I did and that everyone seems to have made it by me without losing more than a little time as they watched my car dance like a whirling dervish.

I heard that the white MR2 ITA Miata was close behind me and got an outside view of the chaos from his in-car video camera. He said he would send me a copy of his video "for my enjoyment." If and when I get that video from him, I&#39;ll post it here so everyone can get a great view of my professional (yeah, . . sure) driving style.

You just never know how a race is going to develop. That&#39;s one of the reasons I&#39;ve kept racing for lo these many years. Although I much prefer the adrenaline rush I get from good, close racing, I have to admit even a big screw up like mine still sent a rush of adrenaline -- however the rush only occurred AFTER it was all over and I knew everybody else was OK.

As I&#39;ve said before, I&#39;ve been a private pilot for a long time and I would MUCH MUCH rather race a car in SCCA than fly a plane. And, I get to meet, socialize with, and race some great people, too.

Now, if there was just something I could do about the extreme heat at summer events. . . or maybe the very cold in the March events . . . or perhaps the wet, rainy days like those in Hallett last June . . . . .


Doug Warren
ITB VW GTI 73
St. Louis Region

[mcgyverit]

Here is the opening lap of Sunday&#39;s race.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zU01c2UE84

[Speed Raycer]

ugh... I suck :D

I need to be way more agressive in other peoples cars!

[mcgyverit]

And here is what I saw of the second lap of Saturday&#39;s race

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XAGrDuzZrc

Um, no you dont. :D