• Raydoc
  • Raydoc
  • Ripened Lemon
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  • Registered: 2009-08-04
  • Posts: 151

Topic: Summit was a blast

Hey folks, thanks for a fun time. The driving was pretty much all polite. I've never been that hot in a car (and out of a car) before and I think a cool suit setup is in the future!

Our 5-cylinder 528 (do you actually NEED all the injector wires connected?) did amazingly well given that the thing is bone stock (Raybestos brake pads). Fuel mileage is great when you aren't using all the cylinders. Our oil leak rate never exceeded our ability to put more in, the tires got us through yet another race.

Flagging and wrecker crews were not on-par with other events or tracks that I've been to and this was the most frustrating part of the event. At times the flagging was downright dangerous. I don't know if the problem was that all three tracks were in  use at the same time or if they are really just that bad but I would say that if we were to go back to this track next year, more professional flaggers on the must-have list.

I took a couple of hundred photos. I'll try to get them posted on flickr tonight.
Hope to see everyone at Stafford.

1985 528e Near Orbital Space Monkeys-GONE to orbit
1989 Rustang- "It's not like it's totally undriveable..."
"We came in pieces. We left in more..."
  • DaveG
  • DaveG
  • Ripened Lemon
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  • From: Vermont
  • Registered: 2009-07-15
  • Posts: 220

Re: Summit was a blast

Raydoc wrote:

Hey folks, thanks for a fun time. The driving was pretty much all polite. I've never been that hot in a car (and out of a car) before and I think a cool suit setup is in the future!

Same here.  After my stint on Sunday I got out of the car and my teammates thought I had somehow spilled water all over myself in the car. Actually I had sweated right through three layers of fire suit, so the whole thing was pretty well soaked. They thought that was pretty gross (and they were right). For Sunday we rigged up a Camelbak inside the car and it worked well.

Flagging and wrecker crews were not on-par with other events or tracks that I've been to and this was the most frustrating part of the event.

I agree. Among many problems, I never saw a white flag all weekend, and there were about 100 instances where a white flag would have been appropriate (especially given that they seemed to be using the ambulance to bring out supplies to the flaggers while the race was in progress).

Still, I loved the circuit. It was huge fun to drive (except for that stupid chicane). I hope we go back there next year. It was easily worth the 9-hour drive.

It was tons of fun racing you guys. We were in the Volvo cow, and I thought we might catch you at the end, until during our last driver change we needed to dump in another jug of fuel, which cost us about a lap. Maybe we could get better economy if we pulled one of our injector wires. smile

Dave -- member emeritus, Vermont Bert One --
  • From: Gilbertsville, PA
  • Registered: 2009-12-22
  • Posts: 3,251

Re: Summit was a blast

I got over to your paddock space early sunday am, around the butt crack of dawn and shot a pic w/ my crackberry.  Unfoturnately, it isn't too great, but I grabbed some from the pics and vids section.

Great job on about 67% thrust (guesstimate).  How much thrust will you need to go from near orbit to orbit?

Silent But Deadly Racing-  Ricky Bobby's Laughing Clown Malt Liquor Thunderbird , Datsun 510, 87 Mustang (The Race Team Formerly Known as Prince), 72 Pinto Squire waggy, Parnelli Jones 67 Galaxie, Turbo Coupe Surf wagon.(The Surfin Bird), Squatting Dogs In Tracksuits,  Space Pants!  Roy Fuckin Kent and The tribute to a tribute to a tribute THUNDERBIRD/ SUNDAHBADOH!
  • Raydoc
  • Raydoc
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  • Registered: 2009-08-04
  • Posts: 151

Re: Summit was a blast

I'm thinking of mounting some model rocket engines to the roof for Stafford. I'm going to call it RERS (Rocket Engery Recovery System), sort of like KERS but different.

1985 528e Near Orbital Space Monkeys-GONE to orbit
1989 Rustang- "It's not like it's totally undriveable..."
"We came in pieces. We left in more..."
  • Registered: 2009-05-27
  • Posts: 322

Re: Summit was a blast

RayDoc, you're off the team for letting out our top secret formula for success.

There was a lot of great close racing. This is my first Lemons race NOT getting pounded in the rear. ... Bumper. I mean bumper. A big thanks to our fellow racers and to the Lemons staff.

I wish the first day had started and ended earlier. We were bushed and wanted to get back to our rooms, cleaned up, and eat, so we didn't stay to chat much. I think a 9 to 11 race segment on Sunday before the mandatory Jesus hour would have been a good addition, too.

Near-Orbital Space Monkeys
#528 BMW 528e 121hp Black "Saturn 5" Rocket car with orange foam flames. Sold.
#71 Yellow Fox Mustang. For sale.
  • From: Knoxville, TN
  • Registered: 2009-12-04
  • Posts: 145

Re: Summit was a blast

Ditto on the flagging.  I found myself paying more attention to the flag stations than the track at times.  I had no yellow out with a wrecker on the track in front of me twice, and at the end of the fastest section the guy held the yellow under the wall.  Great event though...

Rich DeFrancisco
Chump Change Racing aka "The Bridesmaids"
1986 BMW 535im
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic … 8418604559
  • Raydoc
  • Raydoc
  • Ripened Lemon
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  • Registered: 2009-08-04
  • Posts: 151

Re: Summit was a blast

Here are my photos from the event. They are .jpg that I made from the RAW files. Within reason I can get hi-res photos for people or even do some mild editing/cropping. Or you can simply download from the web (me thinks).

http://www.flickr.com/x/t/0091009/photo … 214527001/

1985 528e Near Orbital Space Monkeys-GONE to orbit
1989 Rustang- "It's not like it's totally undriveable..."
"We came in pieces. We left in more..."
  • From: Gilbertsville, PA
  • Registered: 2009-12-22
  • Posts: 3,251

Re: Summit was a blast

nice pics.  Thanks

Silent But Deadly Racing-  Ricky Bobby's Laughing Clown Malt Liquor Thunderbird , Datsun 510, 87 Mustang (The Race Team Formerly Known as Prince), 72 Pinto Squire waggy, Parnelli Jones 67 Galaxie, Turbo Coupe Surf wagon.(The Surfin Bird), Squatting Dogs In Tracksuits,  Space Pants!  Roy Fuckin Kent and The tribute to a tribute to a tribute THUNDERBIRD/ SUNDAHBADOH!