MARRS 9

Greetings.
First off, thanks to Radial Tire Co for sponsoring the weekend and feeding us. We love those guys. :OLA:
OK, I'll start it off in ITA/ITB and IT7. Qualifying in the rain is something I enjoy, so I managed to start the afternoon qualifier in 7th. My best student ever, Doug Kinser in the #03 MR3 beat me by a tenth. Curses! :wacko: Of course in the afternoon dry I went backwards to 18th overall, 13th in class for the race on Sunday. To describe the race as eventful would be a gross understatement, but I managed to stay out of trouble, finishing 9th in class and 17th overall. The old reliable video camera failed to operate, so there was no VEV. It was grim coming down the front straight and seeing Greg Ginsberg and John Cummins in the gravel. The second hand report was that John's throttle stuck wide open and took them both out under braking. I did not see Greg's car, but he was OK and understandably disappointed... I saw John's car getting towed home and it was in very tough shape. I've been around that car and driver for 15+ years now and it was not a pretty sight. I did not hear about John's condition but assume he is OK. I hope to see both old friends again next season.
I caught Doug Kinser at the start, but he quickly forgot about me and kept going forward, turning a 1:31:7, so I've got some work to do over the winter. Can you say dyno? Nice job, Doug, especially on those worn out brake pads I GAVE YOU! You owe me another brewski. :birra: Matthew Yip and the # 01 General Li disappeared in the first couple of laps, but later broke. Sorry to see that, Matthew. I was looking forward to racing Matthew Rowe, #96 Dodge Shelby, but traffic and circumstance prevented another drag race to the finish. I spent a good deal of time dicing with 3 2002s and I got called up to the tower as a witness to a couple passes under yellow. We were all chewed out, slapped on the wrist and sent home. I also drove the pace car for a few races in the morning. It's REALLY HARD to do 40 MPH coming out of turn 10 with guys breathing down your neck! :eclipsee_steering:
All in all an enjoyable last race for me. I hate to see broken and mangled cars, though. It takes a lot of the fun out of it.
Thanks again to all you guys and gals who volunteer to watch over us while we play.
AJ

Another thank you to Radial for sponsoring the event!!

Obviously a tough race for Greg and John. They went off in frort of me on lap three. Not pretty, and certainly not the way we want anyone to end a race or the season. Hope they can both put their cars back together for next season.

I have had a great deal of fun racing in ITA this season and getting to know many of you. A great bunch of folks to race with. Thanks to all. I am really looking forward to next year!

Is anyone considering going out to Nelson for the Double Regional on Oct 21-22? I love racing at Nelson and have not made it out there yet this season, so I am considering going. Would love to have some DC Region company. Of course, I'll have to get a bit of work done to spiff up the appearance of my car. Tech wrote me up for my car not being neat and clean. :018:

Bill H (ITA Miata #10)

The SRX7, ITC race had its share of entertainment as well . Lee Kauffman and I had the front row of the ITC grid . It took us to the carrousel just to get close to the SRX7 field on the pace lap. We were a little late coming under the bridge . This would soon turn out to be a good thing. As we started our race at the gentlemans agreed end of the pit wall I could see the melee starting in T1. Fortunately we were late enough that most of the cars had left by the time the C field arrived . Our slipping and sliding was mostly harmless thru one . I drove thru a puddle after the apex of six and slid around the carrousel . Behind me Mark Baracka spun at Baker Station and Beth Burkhard just missed him . The rest of the field checked up a bit for Mark and at least one other spin on the first lap. At T1 on the start of lap 2 Beth had a big tank slapper at one and lost touch with Lee and me .
Lee and I were having a good race coming thru the back of the rx7 field. I really wish these guys would learn what mirrors are for and not try to race with the ITC leaders as we come thru. On lap 9 Lee and I were side by side with two rx7 headed into 3 . Thankfully the nice gentleman in the one next to me backed off to follow me thru the corner. Lee was not so lucky . The driver of the 00 srx7 went into 3 on the inside , slipped and touched the ITC leader just before the crest at the exit . Kauffman made a valient attempt to save the car but the crest of the hill unweighted the rear and he was along for the ride. Good driver that Lee is he recognized an unsaveable situation and locked the car down . ( a lesson more drivers should follow)
From then on my race was mostly uneventful except for the slow rx7s and yellows in the carrousel for Roy Armstrongs 510 and Joe Torcia's Fiat that looked like it had a suspension failure.
While all of this was happening Beth and Mike Shellenberger were in a battle to decide second in the championship. They caught Lee as he was reentering from his spin. Eventually Lee caught and passed the Honda and Toyota for second at the finish . Beth prevailed over Mike and took second for the season .

Roger Troxell , ITC civic #90 Marrs series
Turn One Performance Services

So how come my name always comes up in these recaps? :unsure:

After a trying first qualifying session in the rain where I didn't go w/ my complete wet setup, spun on on my first two laps, and qualified fourth, I had perhaps the must fun session all year in the afternoon qualifier as John Cummins, Jon Kofod and I sliced and diced through the forty four other cars sharing the track with us. Given the density we weren't terribly fast but the three of us worked well together and made some great moves. That John was sooo excited about that session after all the years he's been racing only confirmed be belief that racing could be fun again.

So, I was Jon was on the pole, I was 2nd, BillH was 3rd (congrats on the big move up once again), John was fourth and I think my teammate Bryan Pritt was fifth (or maybe it was Owen Schaffer in his newly minted Miata).

Anyways, I got a small jump on Kofod on the start but not enough to get inside for T1. As we made our way up to T8, it was Jon, me, John Cummins, and Bryan Pritt all nose-to-tail. Bill Hutchins and Chris McClary were about 15 car lengths back. As I usually carry more speed than Jon out of T10 onto the front straight I gave him a little room and made a great run. I drafted right up to him and then took the inside going into T1. Jon came underneath me but that gave me the inside line going into T3 and I took the lead going into the chute.

Coming out of T10 I had about five or six lengths on Jon and he didn't seem to draft up that close. In fact, I think I opened up a bit of a gap, starting to work lap 3.

Knowing that Jon would probably try to make up some ground under braking and maybe make a late turn-in, I moved slightly to the inside. I turn in and...WHAM!!! It was damned near immediate and I never saw it coming nor did I see any car to my inside when I went for the turn. Apparently John's throttle stuck open and he pulled out from behind Kofod to keep from collecting both of us.

Knowing how wet the grass was from the rains on Saturday and Sunday AM, I don't know if John could have safely made the move to drivers' left and off the pavement. So instead I got t-boned w/ the initial impact at my front passenger-side wheel, and scrubbed off a good deal of his speed. I suspect that I got tagged at somewhere north of 70mph and ended up about 15ft into the gravel trap, facing oncoming traffic while Effie (John's RX-3) was another 30-40 feet behind. Although I was alert, I wasn't about to exit the car with traffic coming straight at me. Regardless, John was the first one to me, even beating the corner worker. He pulled me out of the car and we ran to a safe spot. The folks on Rescue 1 must have thought we were going to kill one-another as they tried to separate us immediately after coming on the scene. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I looked around and didn't see Jon Kofod's car. How he didn't get collected, I'll never know.

So, like I asked at the top, "How come my name always comes up in these recaps?" After a disastrous season last year where I was definitely driving over my head , saw a friend's car destroyed and was responsible for countless hours cars spent on frame machines and in body shops, I made the decision to slow down learn how to drive my car. I'll admit that Mr. Troxell's help w/ suspension tuning made a huge difference in how I felt behind the wheel and how controllable the car was, but I did my level best all year not to get over-excited behind the wheel and drive beyond my abilities. I'd like to think that I progressed a reasonable amount for someone who's only been racing for 3.5yrs.

I knew as soon as the car came to rest that someone w/ as long a history of great racing as John has would never have made the low percentage move I might have tried last year. John's throttle stuck open and this stuff happens in racing. Sure, my tub is done...maybe not from this accident but from all of the other stress I've put on it in a very short period of time. John's car, which he has been running since the early 80's, is also a write-off, but these things happen in racing.

Both John and I will be back and want to thank everyone who showed their support and offered their help in the past 60 hours or so. I have met so many wonderful people through racing in the past few years I couldn't even think of walking away.

BTW--If anyone has video of the incident I'd appreciate you contacting me offline. I would also ask that, if contacted by the DC Region person in charge of doing our "video montage" for the Banquet that you not provide them with that video.

I talked to John Cummins since my earlier post and he said he's a bit stiff but OK but the car is a total loss. In true form he's already starting to build another RX3 and said many of the bits from the A pillar back will be swapped to the new car. I'd be willing to bet he'll come back next year running up front once again.
AJ

Greg,

I think we all understand at least some of what you and John must be feeling. I ended my first season 5 years ago by destroying my first race car (also a Miata) at the Glen in September. A lousy way to end the season. It was nice to have the winter to put a new car together with a new tub and pieces from the old car, but I had to spend the winter with that lousy feeling of wanting to get back on the horse but not having the chance to do so. Uggghhh!

Unlike my season ending wreck, which was only my doing, yours does not seem to be anyone's responsibility but fate. A stuck throttle, not much anyone could do about, and certainly nothing you could do.

I can't offer much help with a CRX or Accura, but if you want to build a Miata, let me know. I have been collecting info and suggestions on how to build these little cars for ITA, and would be gald to share and lend a hand.

As I said in my earlier post, I have really had a great time racing in ITA, much of that due to the people and the "feeling" within the group. As driver rep you have contributed a lot to that and I thank you. Also, thanks for dealing with the junk about the worker lunch. Sorrry that had to be inflicted on you.

I am looking forward to seeing you and the rest of the ITA gang at MARRS 1.

Bill H

M9 was so much fun for me. Much like the first few races of the season I actually had someone in my class to race the whole time. Like some of us other cars, I found my morning slipping and sliding turning out pretty well on near wiped out RA1's as 'wets' with a 20th qualifier. Unfortunatly in the dry I could not really turn great times due to a very tired motor after my season of abusing it when she wasnt running properly at the start of the season.

So starting 38th out of 44 I was ok with that. But according to the row behind me I have amazing eyes as soon as the green flag moved they saw me thorttle up and follow new racing buddy split open a middle lane. However, Nick chose to drop in line for the outside of 1 and kept going and I took 4-6 more positions bykeeping my nose in and taking T1 3 wide. After comming out of T2 with no contact!!!! the car to drivers left balked just enough to give me the room to take the inside of T3, by T4 I had 3 more cars behind me and staved them off in the carousel and back to the front strait.

Of course that gain didnt last for long as some of the ITA/7 cars behind me remembered they had power and in the next 2 laps slipped on by. On the 3rd lap there was the waving yellow and I saw two cars out there later to learn the stories mentioned above. I was happy to see them use the pacecar for this and unfortunatly restarts are not something people are used to. I was before T10 when the double yellows dropped and the cars in front of me where not going yet. So finally after loosing two more positions I was able to have a fun time chasing Chuck Allard who is a master of the one move block compared to my ability to find a safe pass.

So in the end I was 32nd with a motor that blew by about 1oz of oil during the race (not a good sign but the season is done and I can rebuild the bottom end.)

I had a blast, I hope to see others at the banquet this winter but my driving season is done other then the OATT and if I can find the dog sitter im going to stick around for drivers school and work for EV (something I have never done.)

We shall see what next season brings me, but if all goes well ill be out there running the entire series, if not ill be at as many races as I can make. With a vacation planned to Japan in spring its putting a buffer on what I can do next year.

To start I am very sorry for John & Gregg's loss...though I am very glad the serious damage was limited to the cars. I am looking forward to seeing what these guys build next. I hope they can enjoy the build.

It was my first race and I had a blast. (I saw John and Gregg out of the cars after the accident, I think that helped keep me from being distracted). I was in the gray/red IT7 with hazard stripes (aka novice stripes). I seemed to have figured out a lot during the race as I beat my previous best laptime by 3 seconds. I played it safe hanging back at the start and re-start, but had a blast in traffic! Anyone that has any observations for me just shoot me an email ([email protected]).

Thanks everyone, especially Eva, Jim, John, Linda, Dale and Greg for the encouragement and help!

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But according to the row behind me I have amazing eyes as soon as the green flag moved they saw me thorttle up and follow new racing buddy split open a middle lane. However, Nick chose to drop in line for the outside of 1 and kept going and I took 4-6 more positions bykeeping my nose in and taking T1 3 wide.
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yeah yeah yeah. Hush you. <_< I seemed to have a habit of chosing the wrong path thru traffic in turn one... But I think I took you, Fairfax, and possibly Allard in one go down the straight once i got clear. :D Fun race, though I&#39;m definetly going to go thru everything on Sven before next season. I&#39;d like to finish more than 2 out of 5 races next year. :bash_1_:

You had the power that the 3 of us where fighting with. I know I am down on power cuz I cannot keep up with you peddling down the strait, I know fairfax was driving his hardest and not turning his normal times so hes was having power loss issues. I think chuck was having a misfire cuz twice he would just run out of steam and id catch him but he was not easy to get past.

Like I said, I chose to stick it out, I could have gotten blocked and not made the advance I got, but you have to admit that was a pretty good start for me and you. Even with getting in line you didnt loose much.

I was down on power too, just not by as much... ;) I know something wasn&#39;t right, because I wasn&#39;t lifting for the chute, and was going deeper into turn 1, but still couldn&#39;t pull off a faster lap time than what I turned at MARRS 6... aggervatin&#39;... I saw Jason DNF&#39;d so I figured he was having problems. And yes, we both got an awesome start. Don&#39;t you love when everyone else stays in two lines? :D

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I really wish these guys would learn what mirrors are for and not try to race with the ITC leaders as we come thru. [/b]

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The same problem exists in ITA/ITB/IT7 - more than one ITA car has endured blocking from some of the ITB leaders and I&#39;ve almost stuffed at least one IT7 that decided to pass me and move over IN THE BRAKING ZONE before the car was completely past mine.

My race wasn&#39;t that exciting - got stuck in the middle at the start, got tagged during the double yellow and broke an axle in lap 8. Oh well, at least it&#39;s a simple fix - the General Li will be back to play another day...

As for the Double at Nelson - If I weren&#39;t so incredibly busy this month (and incredibly BROKE), I&#39;d be very interested. Perhaps we could make a group pilgramage out there next spring? Nelson isn&#39;t nearly as bad as described - I was there for a 12-Hour this year and didn&#39;t need a lawn mower or waders BUT the Nelson Ledges mosquitos are special. I lost about 5 lbs of blood in less than 5 minutes due to those hovering B-17s...

Glad to hear that both John and Gregg are OK - it looked like a helluva hit. I was at Start/Finish when y&#39;all took Mr Toad&#39;s Wild Ride.

Hi, I know I&#39;m a little late for replying. For a little info. on me. My name is Doug Kinser - ITA 03 MR2

I want to start off by thanking my parents for my support this year. My dad for helping with car prep and crewing at the track. My mom for helping get the food and preparing it at the track. Without them this year it would have been a long season.
A big THANK YOU goes out to some other very special people. Brian Duka for having the trust in me for the use of his car and wisdom at the track. And for alowing me to touch the dream I&#39;ve had since I was a kid. Brendan Duka for crewing this year and being a good friend to hang out with at the track. (even though he corrects my grammer) AJ for the pep talk at driver&#39;s school. Giving me my first set of racing tires even though they were used. Bring out the best in me on the track. The joking aorund in the paddock during the weekend. Allowing the use of your old brake pads this past weekend. I owe you many of brewskis. :birra: Matt Yipe for giving me his old driver&#39;s suit. The trust on the track to race beside me after just spin in front of him and recover to keep going with an ill handling race car. Also for stopping at the parts store to bring me rear brake pads before the first session Sat. Without the friendship with these people, it would have been a very long and tough race season. Thank you all VERY MUCH. :happy204:
I also want to thank all the other driver&#39;s in ITA/B/7. You all made it very easy for me. From my first to races with rookie strips and the remainning races after that. I&#39;m glade to earn their trust and respect on and off the track.
Well for me this past race was my best one of the season. Qualifing 6th over all in the rain. Thanks to AJ pushing me I got him by a 10th of a second. Spend the $20 well Yipe. In the dry I fell back a bit to 12th overall. I tried to keep up with Brian Pritt during the session until I found the old track line from T5 to T7. Wet grass is not fun! As for the race. Got a good start. Thought Yipe was going to push me off heading to T1 He gave me 1/4" room. Plunty of space. Hooked on to Mark Johnston rear bump and tried to let him get away. After the restart got to play with the front running ITB cars. A 2002 #80 and Arrow #69. They where have an exciting race. It was hard to keep my concentration. The to laps where great. Trying to keep my position, racing with the B car and fighting with Owen Schefer ITA miata #18. With a lillte luck of the arrow going off in T3 and getting a run on the 2002 going into the shute. We both had to check up just a bit and that was enought o allow me to finish 6th in class 8th overall. My best finishes this season.
Not sure if I got rookie of the year. But in my book I did. Thank you all.
Sorry to see Gregg and John the trap at T1. Happy to hear that they are both okay.
Looking forward to next year. I hope to do the full season if money allows. Hope to see you all at the banquet and thetrack next year.

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Matt Yipe for giving me his old driver&#39;s suit. [/b]

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omg..you actually wore a suit that hazmat used? and lived to tell about it? :)