Northeast: Who's Doing What in 2011?

[monsterbronco]

Is Pocono that bad?

Ive never been but since it's under 2hrs was thinking up heading up in may this year.

This should be my first full season out this way. looking at

Devil in the dark, crewing only for random folk unless someone is looking to pick up another driver

NJMP June 25-26
IT Fest July
NJMP Aug 20-21
Glen Sept 17-18 (maybe would be first time here, kinda nervous after some crash fest stories from last year)
NJMP Oct 22-23

this is all permitting the new motor will actually hold together this year...

[gran racing]

Is Pocono that bad?

Guess it depends on the car you're driving and personality. I am not a fan of rovals, but will say I like NHMS MUCH more than Pocono, and I never attend NHMS events.

Well that's too bad about ITB VIR attendance. May won't fit into my schedule this year. Knowing this is a big help with some other plans. Thanks for the confirmation.

[Greg Amy]

Is Pocono that bad?

It's just boring. T1 is pretty bumpy and gets the car all out of shape (unless you have a wide sense of immortality) and the rest is just left, right, left, right, OVAAAAAALLLLL!!!!, chicane, OVAAAAAALLLLL!!!!, T1.

But, there's no facilities, lunch counter is WAY over there and food is "meh", and there's nothing around it outside of the track.

Jake doesn't like it because it requires "horsepower" . He doesn't have any. Give him a BMW M3 and I bet he giggles now and then...

It's not terrible. It's just boring.

GA

[tdw6974]

On the flip side, I'm thinking about hauling up to WGI this year.....

The July race will included Pro-it

[StephF]

We're looking at local events for sure, and I'm hoping to get the time off to run the C event at Nelson Memorial Day weekend.
After that, more local stuff and another road trip probably. There's a Labor Day event at Summit that sounds fun, the fall events at the Glen, plus I have yet to make it to Jersey. Track looks like a blast! It would be fun to make it out for the October events.
I'd like to go back to VIR one day too, and Road America. That track was a huge grin!

[Andy Bettencourt]

Jeff L: Not the kind of stalker I was hoping for...but you will get your shots. More development this winter should produce the fastest ITA Miata out of our shop - ever.

Greg: Perfect explanation of Pocono

Jeff Y: Like I said in PM, we come to your event, you guys come to ours at WGI. How about the NER guys roadtrip to that event?

I plan to do VIR, WGI and the NARRCoffs.

[fivedimeracer]

Hey Joe !, My fellow Fiesta/Ford afficionado !!....long time !

Glad someone still remembers it other than me....best car I ever owned !! After doing well in ITC my dad and I converted it to FP and after some issues we ran Nats. spent 8k on an MWE motor, formula ford dry sump, sidedrafts, rear disc conversion all new cage/chassis etc., glass flares, glass hood, the coolest Dodge Viper Blue Paint etc(looked like Xian's civic on here)....hands down the fastest/most expensive racing Fiesta in the country....in 1999 and we're running top 10 at Runoffs until I got caught in someone's spin. The car was very good, but with the little 28mm chokes and mandatory stock 4spd, it was restricted a good bit, the CRB moved it to GP for 2000 and to my surprise added 300 lbs. !!! from 1800 to 2100lbs. !!! Ya, it weighed more than it did in 1978 with your groceries and kids in it !! We ran it anyway at Summit,Lime Rock and Nelson Nats...2nd behind my best friends 510 at Rock and the other 2 races...yeah the rear hubs snapped snout off(fronts were billet). Then I was offered a deal to run Wilson Wrights GT4 Orange Civic...so in frustration....I did. Then came wedding and one car had to go..the Fiesta sold to Bill Davidson an English Engineer for Ford/Visteon who had worked for Jackie Stewart F1....needless to say Bill's smart and decided he wouldn't run prod...but rather GT4, taking advantage of the allowances in GT. After a few years of development the car was once again well known as Bill ran through the field to finish 4th at the Runoffs in GT4 and create quite a story on SpeedV. Last I knew Bill still ran the car at Waterford, but with the advent of the SIR he hasn't really run it in GTL.

How I miss that car...I've looked and if I still had it, those times from 97/98 would still be good in ITC.....I wish I didn't convert it and worse sell it.....Lesson learned..I was 23 and frustrated easily.

To think of the guys we ran with in ITC back then...some very good drivers...Steve Colleti-corolla/civic(now has pro teams I think), Grant Lockwood-vw scir, Bob Quindazzi-vw scir, Travis Washay in vw-rab(we had some great battles), Lee Kaufman(escort), Balcezac Brothers -ford exp. ....some really great races !

Glad to be back,
Joe Zingaro
ITA CRX

[mossaidis]

My plan is to dog Andy to every race he goes to until I beat him straight up...............

Wait, let me get this straight - you are only planning on going to 4 events in 2011 those being at LRP and NHMS exclusively? Cause that's the only tracks Andy chooses to go to. If so, I will need to rearrange my schedule since you are now so exclusive with what tracks you race at. When did we all turn into such prima donnas?

Jeff, another question... are you ok with a gold streak of paint on your rear bumper? My gold painted PCI tow hook extends about 5 inches from my front bumper and could leave marks w/o damaging my bumper but would probably damage yours. On the other hand, I am willing to remove the tow hook for a tow loop as long as you're willing to pay for it. In this later case, the red marks left by my bumper would not stand out on your red rear bumper. what do you say? Let's be honest, even my car were to be sorted and ready, there's little chance of me catching Andy, but you... yeah, I am gunning for you.

[RedMisted]

On the flip side, I'm thinking about hauling up to WGI this year.....

Please do! Let me know if/when you're coming!

[Greg Amy]

Wait, let me get this straight - you are only planning on going to 4 events in 2011 those being at LRP and NHMS exclusively?

Ba-doom-BASH!

[lateapex911]

It's just boring. T1 is pretty bumpy and gets the car all out of shape (unless you have a wide sense of immortality) and the rest is just left, right, left, right,

well, weird off camber bumpy and cracked pavement left right left that is...

OVAAAAAALLLLL!!!!,

straight, straight, straight even though you're turning.

chicane,

weird chicane with bad rhythm and huge holes and dirt/mud inches off line

OVAAAAAALLLLL!!!!, T1.

But, there's no facilities, lunch counter is WAY over there

the whole place is like a moonscape, everything seems far away

and food is "meh",

IF you consider burgers cooked like the sole of a boot and hot dogs with god knows what inside and wonder white bread 'meh",

and there's nothing around it outside of the track.

Jake doesn't like it because it requires "horsepower" . He doesn't have any.

True that, but I like Road Atlanta...and it's got a long straight

Give him a BMW M3 and I bet he giggles now and then...

It's not terrible. It's just boring.

GA

SO not worth my time money or effort. Too many better options closer AND further from home. I liked the earlier configuration (anticlockwise, no chicane, heavy braking into the infield) way better.

[MMiskoe]

Devil in the Dark 12 hour at NJ in April
Put in an entry for the Mt Washington Hill Climb in June
July NHMS Driver school
Most other NHMS races
Maybe another round at 24 hours of Lemons (see if we can get another brick of nickles)
VIR 13 hour?

Oh, and I have an '02 Miata to run between ITS/SM/ST so I'll be trying to figure that out as we go.

[Andy Bettencourt]

Wait, let me get this straight - you are only planning on going to 4 events in 2011 those being at LRP and NHMS exclusively? Cause that's the only tracks Andy chooses to go to. If so, I will need to rearrange my schedule since you are now so exclusive with what tracks you race at. When did we all turn into such prima donnas?

Was Greg moving your mouth like a puppet when you wrote this? LOL I'm a 5 track wonder!!!

[JLawton]

Is Pocono that bad?



...

I like Pocono (and I know Steph does too). And yes, people will say it's because I have gobs of horse power (I have video that says otherwise....)
I like it because it takes drafting skill. Not many other places that it's that important. It can make for some exciting racing. I don't think I've ever had a boring race there.

Jeff, another question... are you ok with a gold streak of paint on your rear bumper? My gold painted PCI tow hook extends about 5 inches from my front bumper and could leave marks w/o damaging my bumper but would probably damage yours. On the other hand, I am willing to remove the tow hook for a tow loop as long as you're willing to pay for it. In this later case, the red marks left by my bumper would not stand out on your red rear bumper. what do you say? .

Yeah, I'm sure the extra 12 HP Kessler gets you will REALLY help at Lime Rock....... Remember, you have to learn how turn and brake too!!

[JLawton]

Jeff L: . More development this winter should produce the fastest ITA Miata out of our shop - ever.

.

Yup, and with the new Megasquirt it should produce the fastest Saturn coming out of Kessler's shop - EVER!

[joeg]

Joe--There are still ITC Fiestas around. One in New England and one in Great Lakes.

Make sure you come on out to Nelson. Lots of fun.

BTW, Lee Kaufman sold off his EXP (replaced his crashed Escort) and is sort building a Mustang (maybe for AS).

[StephF]

Yeah, call me strange, but I had fun at Pocono.
Probably because Fred White and I got to bump draft and screw around on track there.
It IS interesting to encounter rocks the size of jack stands in the middle of the infield portion though. And personally I like the oval part better there, mainly because the C car is so slow you can literally put it anyplace with your foot to the floor and not get even a little bit out of shape with it. Which made it fun to be able to pass other cars in any place you chose.
Personally, I HATE the oval at NHMS. Too flat, too tight, nothing interesting at all about it. (which sort of describes the entire circuit)
Ironic that the track I like the absolute least of all of them ends up being the one I have to run the most.
I so wish the type of circuit we have at LRP, or the Glen was up at NHMS.

[Kai Noeske]

Plans nor fully made - plan to run

- some of the SP regionals
- the NJMP Lightning (and maybe Thunderbolt) regionals
- a WGI regional weekend
- a LRP regional

Other than that,

- do a lot of SP track days (some coworkers instruct there),
- look into instructing,
- watch the B'more GP
- and V8 Aussie supercars in Bathurst (close to where my gf moves).

Not enough experience for enduros, so hope to get my hands dirty as crew - ANYONE NEEDS A ROOKIE TO CREW FOR THE DEVIL IN THE DARK???

[Greg Amy]

ANYONE NEEDS A ROOKIE TO CREW FOR THE DEVIL IN THE DARK???

Absolutely. Give me a ring or send me an email.

GA

[Doc Bro]

My schedule will not involve NHMS....might not ever go there again......we'll see


For me Summitt, One or two LRP I've just got to chase that :59 had it but a lapper got me in the downhill, VIR definitely, Glen definitely, maybe midO.......oh yea and possibly......

Targa Newfoundland in my new toy.....IMG_0008.JPG


R