Go to 3AM with Gus for more information on how we spent our week off from the track.
June 10, 2009
Something a tad more powerful than us
Like drag racing?
Go to 3AM with Gus for more information on how we spent our week off from the track.
Go to 3AM with Gus for more information on how we spent our week off from the track.
June 01, 2009
Our break through
This past weekend at Badger Raceway was very productive for us and heartbreaking all at the same time. So much good could have come from our efforts, but being in the wrong place at the wrong time would end our charge prematurely.
To our surprise, and our pleasure, eleven competitors showed up for our class on Sunday. It was the most HPV's we've seen in one place outside of a national event and Sam couldn't be more excited. Plenty of practice time on Saturday and some new found intelligence had us very optimistic in our expectations for the day's events.
All facets of the team would be spot on all morning. Driver and chassis had literally morphed into something that was bigger than anything we had experienced before. Sam finished in second place in one of the heat races, and he cracked the forty second mark with a 39.81 fast time for the day. He also posted fast time in the feature, beating the winner's time by 7/10 of a second. But fast times and good finishing positions can be two totally different things unfortunately.
We began the race gridded third and by the second turn he had taken to the grass in an effort to pass the leader. This didn't stick, so back to third he settled into for the next two laps.
By the third lap the commotion up front was beginning to escalate. Certain drivers who, let's say are a little jumpier than others, began bumping and leaning on one another until it all culminated into a turn three disaster. Several drivers, Sam included, were punted from the course and left spinning through the grass. One retired, and the remaining two who could continue were left so far behind that there was not nearly enough time for them to recover.
A very heartbreaking 8th place finish left us a bit stunned and disappointed even though we managed to lap the track much quicker than the entire field. If only there were ten more laps we were saying. Would of, should of, could of, were all we had left to ease the sting of this one.
Amidst all the success that we had throughout the weekend it goes without saying that nothing matters unless it happens in the feature. Heat races are more or less practice sessions, or even qualifiers. Where you really have to shine and where everything must come together is during this last race of the day.
This is true in most cases but even with our disappointing finish I feel we've done something far greater. We've made it very clear that we're not giving anyone an inch out there. We're showing that our equipment (as antiquated as some people believe it is) can still create a stir in a "Sea of Green". And Sam's driving skill is proving to be much more calculated with just the right dash of aggression. He doesn't make many mistakes, and if we can keep it that way, I think we're on track for something good here.
I've also learned an enormous amount about chassis and carb set-ups. A big thanks goes to Mike Stagl for divulging information that helped work for him back in his Margay days. This, combined with my new found understanding of pop-off pressures and needle settings, really helped in putting us on track. Literally.
We'll be off now for the next two weeks but plenty of practice time is planned so we can hit the ground running on the 21st. This weekend we'll take a break and for a change watch other people work at a feverish pace. We'll be at the Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet Illinois. Guided missiles on wheels - not some people's cup of tea but one that's very near and dear to me. And the following week we have to fulfill our duties at the track for our bye week.
Until then.
To our surprise, and our pleasure, eleven competitors showed up for our class on Sunday. It was the most HPV's we've seen in one place outside of a national event and Sam couldn't be more excited. Plenty of practice time on Saturday and some new found intelligence had us very optimistic in our expectations for the day's events.
All facets of the team would be spot on all morning. Driver and chassis had literally morphed into something that was bigger than anything we had experienced before. Sam finished in second place in one of the heat races, and he cracked the forty second mark with a 39.81 fast time for the day. He also posted fast time in the feature, beating the winner's time by 7/10 of a second. But fast times and good finishing positions can be two totally different things unfortunately.
We began the race gridded third and by the second turn he had taken to the grass in an effort to pass the leader. This didn't stick, so back to third he settled into for the next two laps.
By the third lap the commotion up front was beginning to escalate. Certain drivers who, let's say are a little jumpier than others, began bumping and leaning on one another until it all culminated into a turn three disaster. Several drivers, Sam included, were punted from the course and left spinning through the grass. One retired, and the remaining two who could continue were left so far behind that there was not nearly enough time for them to recover.
A very heartbreaking 8th place finish left us a bit stunned and disappointed even though we managed to lap the track much quicker than the entire field. If only there were ten more laps we were saying. Would of, should of, could of, were all we had left to ease the sting of this one.
Amidst all the success that we had throughout the weekend it goes without saying that nothing matters unless it happens in the feature. Heat races are more or less practice sessions, or even qualifiers. Where you really have to shine and where everything must come together is during this last race of the day.
This is true in most cases but even with our disappointing finish I feel we've done something far greater. We've made it very clear that we're not giving anyone an inch out there. We're showing that our equipment (as antiquated as some people believe it is) can still create a stir in a "Sea of Green". And Sam's driving skill is proving to be much more calculated with just the right dash of aggression. He doesn't make many mistakes, and if we can keep it that way, I think we're on track for something good here.
I've also learned an enormous amount about chassis and carb set-ups. A big thanks goes to Mike Stagl for divulging information that helped work for him back in his Margay days. This, combined with my new found understanding of pop-off pressures and needle settings, really helped in putting us on track. Literally.
We'll be off now for the next two weeks but plenty of practice time is planned so we can hit the ground running on the 21st. This weekend we'll take a break and for a change watch other people work at a feverish pace. We'll be at the Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet Illinois. Guided missiles on wheels - not some people's cup of tea but one that's very near and dear to me. And the following week we have to fulfill our duties at the track for our bye week.
Until then.
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