RRR in the Southeast (Split from Mustang Build Thread)

[Ron]

Get the cars to Savannah! No curb jumping and fast steady state turns that you will use that TQ to power out of turns. My little Mustang is best there. Car looks very stable, don't think I saw you once have to grab a handful of wheel to save it. Unlike the Miata that had several tank slappers and great saves.

[Ron Earp]

We might bring one of the cars to RRR. The green one clearly needs more gear and exhaust changes to get some top end revs, both of which are important at RRR, and it could run RRR as it sits. But we'd like to get the red one ready so we could test and collect data on our changes. We do have dyno time for the red car booked for this coming Saturday so we might get some of the information we seek.

Jeff G has been working hard on the red car as I've been on vacation in England. Mucho changes in the works for the red one and a few for the green car as well: spring rates, ride heights, header design, exhaust design, and suspension settings/alignment. The first race weekend was encouraging but also enlightening as to how far we have to go in order to properly develop the car. I'm sure we're do different from everyone else; run car, bring car home and work on the car, rinse and repeat.

[Cobrar05]

i am looking for a starter v6 car as we speak. if you guys know of a good candidate, it would be helpful.

thanks

[Ron Earp]

Get the cars to Savannah! No curb jumping and fast steady state turns that you will use that TQ to power out of turns. My little Mustang is best there. Car looks very stable, don't think I saw you once have to grab a handful of wheel to save it. Unlike the Miata that had several tank slappers and great saves.

Your Mustang does run well there. I've watched it a number of times and was always impressed and envious. Congratulations on doing such a great job developing that car. Maybe RRR will be good for Sleestak, but RRR does require some power too and we don't have a whole lot of it at the moment. We'll see how we make out with our car work and also investigate some NASA events for track time. RRR isn't a short tow!

[Steve35]

RRR? What track is that?

[Ron Earp]

The world-famous <akkk> and masterfully <cough> designed Roebling Road Raceway.

http://www.roeblingroad.com/

Never heard of it? Me neither until I joined the SCCA. You'd think it was the best thing since sliced bread. I am told it gets used because the SCCA owns the track but I do not know if that is true or not.

To be fair the track is decently fun but I complain about it because the SARRC championship race is held there and they won't rotate it around to other venues.

[Butch Kummer]

Many years ago the (recently) late Tom Nehl bought the track and donated it to the Buccaneer Region, so it IS in fact owned by an SCCA region. Back when I first got involved with the SARRC series I sent out a questionnaire about the series and asked if drivers would support rotating the SIC (the championship event) around to other tracks. I don't recall the actual numbers, but out of 100+ responses it seems like 40% would be more likely to attend if it rotated, 30% wanted to keep it at RRR, and 30% had no preference. RRR's biggest plus is that it's about as equidistant from all parts of the division (Florida & non-Florida) as you can get. Given that it's an iffy event money-wise (primarily because of the invitational nature) there are few regions/tracks that want to take it on anyway, so the idea pretty much died.

I know a couple of years ago Robin Langlotz wanted to put in a bid for the SIC at Daytona, but I don't know if that was ever presented to the SARRC Committee.

The biggest thing I don't like about RRR is the single passing zone. If I beat you to Turn One and don't make any mistakes while driving 8/10ths the rest of the lap you'll have to hit me to get by me.

[JeffYoung]

The biggest thing I don't like about RRR is the single passing zone. If I beat you to Turn One and don't make any mistakes while driving 8/10ths the rest of the lap you'll have to hit me to get by me.

Generally true. You CAN pass cleanly at the exit of 3 into the braking zone for 4 if you set it up right, and MAYBE in 5 if you sneak in there under braking as well, but yeah, it's a lot easier to ride out front at Roebling than anywhere else we go...especially if you have the torque to go to P1 on lap 1.....

Last year they had a double ECR with the SIC I think (maybe a single) and car counts were up. I REALLY wish they would rotate the thing. It would make it mean more.

Ignore Ron on the Roebling hate though. It's a very fun race track and difficult to drive fast. Just ignore the one eyed cats and bugs and the fact that you get stuck in it for hours since there is no exit when cars are running -- the things that bother him -- and you'll be fine.

[Knestis]

Add me to Ron's "not a fan of Roebling Road" list.

My perspective is admittedly biased by the fact that my car really doesn't like those long curves. I can put up with ONE (a la Summit or VIR T1) but over, and over, and over again... Ack.

K

EDIT - Here it is, in all of its Aurora AFX slot-car glory

http://www.trackpedia.com/mediawiki/images/8/8f/Roebling.jpg

[Steve35]

The world-famous <akkk> and masterfully <cough> designed Roebling Road Raceway.

http://www.roeblingroad.com/

Never heard of it? Me neither until I joined the SCCA. You'd think it was the best thing since sliced bread. I am told it gets used because the SCCA owns the track but I do not know if that is true or not.

To be fair the track is decently fun but I complain about it because the SARRC championship race is held there and they won't rotate it around to other venues.


Yes we have heard of Robling Road, Sounds like or 'ol Holtville a very dead WWll air base

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=32.842814,-115.277416&spn=0.029349,0.066047&hnear=San+Diego,+California&t=h&z=15

[chuck baader]

RRR...fastest track in the SE. 9 turns, 8 of which are decreasing radius. Easy to learn, but damn hard to go fast!!! Ask most people in the SE and it's their favourite track. YRMV Chuck

[Ron Earp]

RRR...fastest track in the SE. 9 turns, 8 of which are decreasing radius. Easy to learn, but damn hard to go fast!!! Ask most people in the SE and it's their favourite track. YRMV Chuck

Mainly because most of them went to driver's school there and are keen on reliving their youth. It'd be interesting to see data of favorite tracks and driver's school locations for SE members.

Yep, I'm not a huge fan. The passing is neigh impossible as Butch pointed out. No open paddock access. Poor facilities at the track. Local town has no facilities. Can't even buy beer at the nearest store because it is too close to a church. What??!

Butch, I bet if you put the moving the SIC up for a popular member vote these days it'd have legs. The results you have are encouraging - you've got 40% that want to move it, 30% want to keep it where it is, and 30% don't care, but these two factions are not saying they won't attended if it is moved. Since you didn't have a large voter response you'll need to consider bias in the results and maybe only take racer input thus excluding "management" from voting.

[Knestis]

RRR...fastest track in the SE. 9 turns, 8 of which are decreasing radius. Easy to learn, but damn hard to go fast!!! Ask most people in the SE running rear-drive cars against FWD cars and it's their favourite track. YRMV Chuck

Fizzixed.

K

[Cobrar05]

i love that track. yes, its easy to get started on and hard to get the last 10th of a second out of. i love i because i learned to secrets to getting around it faster than my friends and its the track where i am the most competitive.

for me it doesnt hurt that its in savannah ga either.

[JeffYoung]

Mainly because most of them went to driver's school there and are keen on reliving their youth. It'd be interesting to see data of favorite tracks and driver's school locations for SE members.


I think that "fades" after a few years.

Tow stinks, facilities stink but the track is an interesting puzzle. CMP is a RACE track and VIR and RA are balls out road race circuits, but Roebling is a driver's track. I don't think we go anywhere else were driver matters so much. Finding the last few tenths at Roebling is hard and it's generally not in the car.

[JeffYoung]

Roof of Roebling's awesomeness. It is Xenu-approved.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUbuyLjuzqs

[Flyinglizard]

I design my FWD cars for RRR. Lots of LR toe out.

[bhudson]

I was the Pit and Grid Chief at that event. Cruise did attract a lot of attention.

[Ron Earp]

for me it doesnt hurt that its in savannah ga either.

It is in Pooler GA. Dtown Savannah is further than you think away. That old "it is only 20 mins to Savannah" is the most underestimated transit time in SCCA track lore. Leave yourself 20 mins to get to the track from downtown Savannah and see which side of the straight you'll be standing on when the green flag drops at 800am.


I think that "fades" after a few years.


Empirical observations indicate otherwise. Having sat around the paddock consuming a few beers, I've heard more RRR driver's school stories than anything else.


Roof of Roebling's awesomeness. It is Xenu-approved.

Has his inner Theaton consumed him yet?

[Butch Kummer]

RRR...fastest track in the SE. 9 turns, 8 of which are decreasing radius. Easy to learn, but damn hard to go fast!!! Ask most people in the SE and it's their favourite track. YRMV Chuck

Definitely NOT my favourite track (nor is it my favorite either :)). Hell, it's not even in my top five and the only reasons I'll race there are (1) if I need easy points or (2) if it's the SIC. I do like racing there better than Barber or CMP, but that's about it.

But then that's why they make different colored paint - some folks like red, others are mistaken, and the folks with white cars couldn't make up their mind so they just painted it the color of the page the paint chips were on.

It's not a battle I'm willing to fight, but talk to your SARRC Rep and/or RE if you want to explore the concept of rotating the SIC to other tracks. I can tell you the SARRC Administrator (Jim Creighton) is very much against moving it from RRR, but he serves at the pleasure of the division and while he certainly wields a lot of influence he has no vote on the SARRC Committee.

[chuck baader]

Gosh Butch...I chose white because red is so ostentatious :happy204: There are plenty of passing zones, one just needs to explore where they are. Of course, when you are running a car that is 15' wide, passing is more of a challenge.

If you look at results, wrong wheel drive has one their share of races (in ITA) as have rear wheel drive. That, of course, was before MVS got the Miate dominating. Definitely a momentum track. CB

[JeffYoung]

I'm way past the point where I like RRR because I went to school there.

I like it because the last few races there have been some tremendous battles AND I think it is the most "driver-centric" track in the SEDiv. Driver matters most. Finding the fast way through 1, 3, 5 and having the balls to hold the pedal down in 9 is driver.

I like all race tracks (well, except Nashville, I just hated running there) but I find CMP, RRR and VIR to all be equally challenging and fun in different ways. Glad they are all reasonably close.

[Butch Kummer]

There are plenty of passing zones, one just needs to explore where they are. Of course, when you are running a car that is 15' wide, passing is more of a challenge.

If you look at results, wrong wheel drive has one their share of races (in ITA) as have rear wheel drive. That, of course, was before MVS got the Miate dominating. Definitely a momentum track. CB

Go back and read what I wrote - UNLESS I MAKE A MISTAKE, you're going to have to hit me to get around me. Yes you can sneak by entering Four or Five, but I'd have to leave the door open for you to do so and I'm not inclined to do that. I agree turning a good lap in Qualifying takes balls, but even if you outqualify me I'll use my torque monster to beat you to T-1 and drive the (less than optimal) defensive line for the rest of the track and use a subtle lift coming onto the front straight to kill your speed through there.

And my car is only 14' 8.5" wide. :)

Besides being a momentum track it's also a tire management track. You can easily use up your tires in the first half of the race and end up being dead meat during crunch time.

Bottom line, however, is that RRR warts and all (is that a copyrighted term?) is where the SARRC Championship is currently decided.