Buzz Killington wrote:ronman wrote:That would be awesome, but some hotfoot SCCA-type would roll their car during said hoonage with predictable results:
but those types never win.
First, congrats to SpeedyCop for an awesome car. While I can't say that I always enjoyed being side-by-side with you as you wallowed through the tight spots, I absolutely loved the effort, the concept, and the execution. Great job. We're still wondering how you wire a kill switch for a diesel....
As for the SCCA hotshoe comment, I'm not so sure. The winning Rhino rocket boys were SCCA racers. We (NOSM, the two-orange-rocket 528e) led the majority of the race, but lost in the last hour. There were multiple factors that could have won it for us, including a big whoops on my part. Still, they put some fast drivers in that car and simply caught us with good clean racing and fast pitstops. They were super nice guys and I was genuinely happy for them. I watched their driving and marveled at how they could cut through the pack without pushing other cars around, picking good opportunities and skipping bad ones. Great driving, particularly in the last 3 hours or so.
Whether experienced club racer, self-taught Lemons racer, pro racer or whatever, there are nice guys in each camp. I think this kind of racing attracts nice folks.
We had a spectacularly good race. We never expected to do as well as we did. There were fast teams that got unlucky -- mechanical or penalty problems. There were fast teams that weren't at this event. Still, this event puts some faith back in the fading belief that if you come with a reliable car, good pit strategy, reasonable drivers, and penalty-free driving, you can still win at a circle track. I'm not sure this is true anymore on the road courses, where low hp + high weight is a big problem. (We have just 121hp.)
The downpour was a trip. Waiting on the oval for the restart, I used one hand to hold the door open so the windshield wouldn't fog and my other to hold my glasses away so they wouldn't fog. Then (being first) I drove through the lake at the exit of the chicane and watched water slosh round the 120v inverter we were using to power the camera. Going through the puddle at the exit of the bus-stop, the car would start sliding straight into the wall, requiring me to steer straight into the wall to get the wheels rolling, then start turning again. Got my attention lap after lap until it dried out. It's a very good thing there was no fire because I would have been steamed like a lobster.
I want to thank the tow drivers who did a spectacular job of clearing the track (unlike Summit Point).
I want to thank all the workers who did their thing -- corner workers, Lemons staff, whatever on a very hot, humid day. After all, it's not like they got to drive or anything (at least not most of them!).
The new pavement transformed the event, making for much more reasonable racing. My only minor suggestion would be to leave the paddock lights on until 11pm so we can see to pack up.
Let's pray for more New England / Northeast events in 2011!
Near-Orbital Space Monkeys
#528 BMW 528e 121hp Black "Saturn 5" Rocket car with orange foam flames. Sold.
#71 Yellow Fox Mustang. For sale.
