AverageVetteNut

Hey all,

I'm not sure many forum members were there, as I don't know you all, but congrats to all of you that made the trip and competed.

While I didn't run in SuperStock, I was there. The lone Cobalt SS in D-stock

It was my 1st nats and I had a blast! I can't wait for the 2008 season.

Good job to you all that went for it. SS was a HUGE class.

LehmanZ06

You would really have to be a big time loser, to waste time on this forum, and schlep all the way to Topeka to run around traffic cones.

And on top of that, being harrassed by your fellow drivers in your class.

Lehman ASP #115

TedDBere

Was Nationals last week?

I must have slept through it...at least that would explain my performance there.

People were great, even Namhel, and I loved the golf and poker tournaments too. I had a good time eating wings and drinking beer while watching football at Buffalo Wild Wings!

And the 20 hour drive out was made exciting by listening to Harry Potter and the ride back was Wicked. Only one flat tire on the trailer and over $615 in gas (thank goodness for co-drivers!).

My now ex-friends had fun taking all the air out of my rain tires and putting fake nails in the tires. They got a kick out of it anyway.

I enjoyed the ProSolo much more than Nationals, FWIW, but that's because I did better there.

Congrats to all the great drivers, it's fun putting faces to names.

brenb

That sums it up pretty well for me too.

At least the weather was nice.

AverageVetteNut

I had a 15+ hr drive from PA and pretty much was hanging out not far from teh "team blender blaster" camp.

I was working corner #3 on both courses when ASP ran, so I was chasing after cones for you guys. I remember hearing the last name.

I drove all that way, spent all that $$ ( put in perspective to what you guys do spend ) and I had the distinction of coming in DFL in DS. Damn Type-Rs and the like.

Maybe in a couple years I'll move into a different class that a Corvette would run in

KCHOTBOAT

Here is a link for photos someone posted on a KC area site.
http://gotcone.com/2007_nationals

TedDBere

Wait a minute...I was on radio at corner three when Lehman ran. Were you the weather vane?

BrianCunningham

You were the lone Cobalt SS? ( I autocross with him in Pittburgh)

How did you do?

I've been autocrossing for years and have never went.
Like to try though.

AverageVetteNut

Ted, I thought ASP ran 1st heat... They guy running radio @ my corner was a DS guy in a BMW I think.

I was the guy running for cones. Glasses, GM performance hat ( name is Brian ). I fell when that kart spun in our corner and I pushed it ....

That would be Heat #1 on West course ( Thrus ), East course (Friday)

Brian, I WAS the only Cobalt registered. By the end of the event T/F, many knew of me and the 1-wheel drive cobalt of gloom.

I did OK in that I could've placed higher, but I coned my best runs. 41st place... out of 41.

I'll be there next year. Not sure what I'll drive.

TedDBere

Nevermind, old age setting in. I worked 1st Heat corner 3 Tue/Wed and I worked ASP in the Pro, not nationals.

See, I was asleep....

AverageVetteNut

Ok Ted... I figured I would've remembered the name / car.

I'll have to look. I took a bunch of pics when SS ran, so if I have any of you running, I'll let you know. LOVE your car.

acrace

TedDBere - thanks for coming up and introducing yourself. It was great to meet you in person.

Brian - you ought to go at least once, if only to see the variety of cars, the exceptional drivers, and the human drama of the competition.

Anyone who used GM Performance Division services - drop them a note so that they'll return next year.

BrianCunningham

Do they tear cars down for inspection at the Nationals?

I don't like the idea of anyone else wrenching on my car.

autoxn

They only tear you down if you're illegal. Or is someone thinks that your illegal. That happen to cost a FSP competitor quite a bit of money this year, as he protested and was wrong.

Mike "Junior" Johnson

AverageVetteNut

1) I wish I had recognized more cars/names, or i would've come up and said hello to you all.

2) I was given an email addy to one of the GMPD Drivers ( Solstice drivers ) that was in running the cars and after I wrote them a nice thank you note to them all thru him, he passed it along, and said they were very impressed with the level of enthusiasm and gratitude for it.
He hopes they will expand on it next year.

3) Brian, They CAN choose to do that if protested from what I hear. I don't know that for sure. I would think it would only be in the area of the car that was protested if it needs to be.

Oh, and Mike.. congrats on the ProSolo Win! I just read about it on Speed's site.

LOVED watching you run on Friday's East course.

It was great meeting you and Diana as well.

autoxn

I had a great time out there as well. I do feel that the solo pad is a little too small for an event like this. The west course was actually really nice, but the east course was just to busy and visually distracting. Not to mention to close to the fence, as one of the STS cars found out. I am a little bummed that some Corvette people think that the scca is not Corvette friendly. They couldn't be further from the truth. What they should realize is that a point and shoot course falls right into the Corvette's hands. There isn't a better car for courses like this. Don't forget, we have torque, and lots of it. I'm actually seeing steady state lat. g's in the 1.4 range. Having said that, if you go off line it's bad news. (sand and lots of it) Unfortunately, the majority of the people drive a bad line. So you need to be able to adapt well. This is what caused the ole' point and shoot course. Anyway, glad to see all of the Corvetter's out there, and look forward to seeing more next year. As a side note, I still think that the C6 Z06 is the car to have in SS. Any co-drives available next year?
Mike "Junior" Johnson
Evolution Performance Driving School

Solofast

Teardowns at SCCA Nationals are very rare, hasn't been one for years... There are always some protests, but those are generally handled easily. It used to be that if you were illegal (wrong door handle or something like that), it was the "death penalty" (dsq). Now the protest comittee has some latitude and if the protest is upheld and there was no clear performance advantage the penalty is usually a reprimand and you are told not to bring it back that way again...

I had a conversation with Mike Burgess (who was torn down). Jinx Jordan wrote the paper simply because his wife has been getting beaten by that car (with Lisa driving) for the last couple of years. Mike thinks that it was more of a "get into your head" protest and he more or less blew it off, he was confident that he was legal....

At the teardown the car was found to be totally legal and Mike pocketed the teardown fee (just under $500). The best part is that during teardown they found a cracked valve retainer. Just a few more runs and it woulda dropped a valve... So Jinx not only saved Mike a couple of thousand bucks in engine work, but paid him to find the broken part!!!!

I heard that Jinx was PO'd that they didn't find anything wrong with the car... Just think how is he gonna feel when he finds he saved Mike a couple of thousand bucks.....

BrianCunningham

F that then.
A dedicated racecar is one thing.

Noone puts a wrench on my Corvette but me.

Solofast

You can perform the teardown yourself, you just get paid flat rate to do it with someone from the protest comittee watching...

BrianCunningham

That's better, I'm used to Pro races where the officials do it so parts don't "mysteriously disappear".

The experience would be nice, but I really need to freshen the car up before I compete at that level. After 6 years and 80k miles I either need to rebuild my shocks or do another upgrade. I was going to go to coilovers, but they ruled them illegal even in SM2, they they changed thier mind soon afterward.

I should just show up and let them slap me into whatever class they want like I usually do!