MARRS 5 Results?

[mgyip]

Both starts for the ITA/ITB race were abominable - the 2nd row started "racing" long before start/finish and coupled with the speed and the strung-out field, we rec'd the wave-off. The restart wasn't much better when the pole-sitter absolutely hammered the throttle AT THE BRIDGE and we STILL rec'd a green!! In my video, I was actually UPSHIFTING at the entrance to 10 just to keep up!!

You do bring up the toughest part of racing (amateur or pro) - when your friends are involved in an incident, it's damn tough to focus on YOUR task at hand without being distracted in thinking about their well-being. I have to consciously tell myself "Don't look - keep driving" so that I won't become a statistic myself.

Glad to hear that at least you had folks to race with and that you're no longer a "rookie". Welcome to the Dark Side...

[emwavey]

The most important thing is they are both OK and I've heard about what happened with Bill's car, how well did Gregg's car survive. (thinking positively here)

The G-man just can't seem to cut a break this year.


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-dave
nerdsracing.com
8)

[This message has been edited by emwavey (edited July 13, 2005).]

[JamesB]

I was thinking the same thing after I got the news of what happen and that they where all right. Hopefully just repairable body damage and he can make it to the sprints.

[This message has been edited by JamesB (edited July 13, 2005).]

[Gregg]

Yes, it's been a disappointing year to say the least. Thankfully both Billy and I were able to walk away with little more than our egos damaged.

My car certainly got the better end of the deal, having impacted what little tirewall is down there pretty much square in the rear. We hope to have the body work finished up by tomorrow and will get it on the alignment rack to see if any suspension members were bent. Thankfully the shocks weren't blown as I only have replacements for the front.

I can now almost say with certainty that I will be up at the Glen for the Sprints, while Billy will probably be driving his father's ITA Miata at MARRS 7 in August.

I want to thank everybody both at the track and here for all of their well wishes and offers of help and support in getting back on track. I know I can speak for Billy when I say that it's deeply appreciated.

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Gregg Ginsberg
Visit my homepage / blog
'89 CRX Si -- MARRS ITA #72
WDCR-SCCA Rookie of the Year 2003

[ITABrad]

That is great news Gregg. I told you so.I was amazed to see the car as intact as it was. The ITA race at the Glen should be something to see. Glad you will be a part.

[JamesB]

Gregg,

Go to hear the damage is minimal, too bad its not the same for Bill. However, I hope all goes according to plan!

[emwavey]

Glad to hear you and the car are ok.

In looking at some of the incar video from the start, it looked really hairy and could have been quite a bit worse. Meaning more drivers could have been tangled up. Glad to hear the damage was light.

Have fun at the Glen.

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-dave
nerdsracing.com
8)

[This message has been edited by emwavey (edited July 14, 2005).]

[jmark]

Anybody have pics of the MARRS 5 IT race?

[mgyip]

Originally posted by jmark:
Anybody have pics of the MARRS 5 IT race?

I haven't seen any - the commercial photogs (Roz and Ken Brown where there) but the IT junkies were either missing (Jim Sykes - www.motorsportsimaging.com) or racing (Bill Hollinger - #61 ITA)

[jmark]

Anybody from the NE coming to Road ATL July 23-24?

[dazzlesa]

i am going to chime in regarding the ITA crash at marrs 5. i was not at this race and i know nothing about it. it just reminded me of MARRS 1. this is not my local track,i race up north.anyhow at the start of the marrs 1 i started 5th and i was blocked 3 times within 2 laps going down the straight aways. i would have a run and the driver in front would move over until i would run out of track and i would have to back off or wreck me and the other driver.the thing that was even more annoying was that the driver in 2nd passed the leader but he was on the inside witch caused him to loose momentum down the longest straight. of course with a clear run through the turn 10 i am going to pass you.i guess i will block you so i can stay in front. the third time caused me to drop 2 wheels off causing my suspension to get wacked out of alignment. at the time i was happy to run second. but as time went on and i got the bill to fix the car it pissed me off.to me blocking down the straight away is not racing.this is only an invitation for a crash.i do not know if this was the cause of the marrs 5 crash but it sounds like it could.
i under stand taking a defensive line into a turn,but blocking a faster car down the straights is stupid.i enjoy summit and the people i have met but this should not happen.there are many fast guys going to the glen from both regions and i do not want to see hurt drivers or wrecked cars.
actually a few years ago the same thing happened at the glen. a faster crx was passing a golf and the golf moved over. the crx did not back off and the golf was turned into the guard rail. he in turn bounced off the guard rail and he pounded me.someone elses bullsxxt wrecked my car.if i had not backed out at summit, the same would have happened. the driver would of went off real hard.
now comes the question what to do? deal with the blocking or stay in it. i am not trying to be a smart ass but it is a leggit question.i have run with plenty of people that will not give you an inch and if you block them your going to feel a bumper on the side of your car.at this point you can continue to move over and hope you get lucky or give racing room per the GCR.i can use the logic if i am going to get a bill for repairs then why not let the guy causing this get one too.
i am open for coments. if you think blocking is ok then explain it so i can understand. if you have a different theory on what blocking is and what is not shoot.
RICK #06 ITA

[mgyip]

Originally posted by dazzlesa:
now comes the question what to do? deal with the blocking or stay in it. i am not trying to be a smart ass but it is a leggit question.i have run with plenty of people that will not give you an inch and if you block them your going to feel a bumper on the side of your car.at this point you can continue to move over and hope you get lucky or give racing room per the GCR.i can use the logic if i am going to get a bill for repairs then why not let the guy causing this get one too.

I guess that I'm fortunate to be too slow to deal with the games that they play at the front of the field. The pack that I used to race with and the pack that I'm with now are more interested in racing that banging fenders when we try to force each other into the tires. I make an effort to not block, at least consciously b/c it's not sportsman-like and it doesn't accomplish anything other than a dented up car.

There is a legitimate way to deal with this kind of bull**** and it's especially effective if you run a video camera but it doesn't work "in the heat of the moment". Protest the offender - I'm not a big fan of protesting but it seems that some people will never learn from their mistakes and it takes add'l authority to enforce that they need to pull their head out of their butt.

In the heat of the moment, it's more of a judgement call - I don't have a problem staying a few inches off the rear bumper in an effort to give the other driver something to think about. However it's not worth wrecking your car to prove a point that you can prove more definitively in the tower.

[ITAMiata]

Rick, I was one of the two cars involved in the wreck. My Miata is gone, but I may well have a new one ready for MARRS VII.

Concerning the accident, Gregg was half a car length in front of me, so he couldn't have blocked me even if he had wanted to. The issue of which one of us moved into the other is far less important to me then our mindsets. We talked for a while and we both realize we were trying too hard to win the race, and not hard enough to finish the race. Winning, coming in 2nd etc... is great, but I realize now that I should be happy I'm able to run up front with Brett, Kirk and Gregg (all talented drivers). If at the end of the race, my car and all my friends are OK, and I had fun and drove well, I should feel good about the weekend. Not being the last of the four of us is icing on the cake, but not vital. That Gregg and I learned our lesson with neither of us getting hurt is fortunate.

Now for you and your problem. I was behind you for most of MARRS I (I've dropped over a second a lap since then so look out next time!) and felt badly for you when I saw your race come to an end. However, after losing my entire car to the tree, I would advise you to follow Matt's advice. Yes it sucks to be held up in an unsportsmanlike manner, but better to finish the race with a car you can use again, then to risk plowing into a tree and getting hurt.

Hope to see you again at Summit. I'll hopefully be the shiny new ITA Miata #33.

Bill

[dazzlesa]

bill and matts advice sounds like good advice.i guess thats what tells me to back off instead of wrecking. i am glad to hear that nobody was hurt at marrs 5.the starts can get very hectic.basically people are trying to mug you and take your spot. i had a video from marrs1. i hope i still have it.at the time i knew i had a long trip and i was out of there.at nhis i did a similiar thing at the start. i forgot that the race was 18 laps and i spun on the first lap.in the future having a video and a talk with the stewards may help the racing as a whole.good luck with the new miata.good sportsmanship to all! rick #06 ita

[badal]

Bill H:
Call me, I have a line on a couple of cars.
Al
301-412-3714

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"Bad" Al Bell
ITC #3 Datsun 510
DC Region MARRS Series