Beatdown at CMP, well almost
11-08-2013, 06:29 PM
#1
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
Beatdown at CMP, well almost
Kevin Harvey needed a beatdown – all this talk about new stuff on his track car was making it tedious on any social media - his build thread here alone is epic.
The November NASE-SE event at CMP was going to be the location. Even though it has a been a lean, lean track year with work, family commitments, troubleshooting my track cars, other car projects, and a few rampant illnesses falling on track weekends I was thinking November would be different. This time it had to be different since my track car would be ready, but it wasn’t.
I have made it to several events this year to instruct, or work as a instructor or TT director, but not with a car to drive and November looked was a repeat of that sad trend.
Most of my "car time" has been absorbed getting my 1988 Porsche 944S from garage art to road warrior again (tip for working with "German Engineering", just treat it like a '54 Chevy with cutoff wheels, cheater bars and torches as needed). It only took me from Fathers day in June to November 1 to get it mobile. But it gets picked up this Sunday
.
I was still looking forward to hanging out with friends at the track. I loaded up the faithful Suburban with my track stuff and headed to CMP. As in most things, timing is everything and mine was off as I managed to hit Columbia at 4PM, on a Friday. It was compounded with rain so heavy I was expecting to bump into the Ark (Noah's not Covenent). Lucky for me I did not bump into anything and no one bumped into me. Sign in at CMP was painless and I picked a very nice spot, in Spec E30 country, to park. It was a very wet evening and night in the paddock.
Saturday started out early with an RV trying to kill me. It ambushed me before breakfast and before caffeine. It took me down and tried to gut me when it sensed my weakness and distraction. A shirt, and my dignity, was sacrificed in the engagement. Luckily, it only delivered flesh wounds and declared a truce. Wet shoes, wet thresholds and RV doors demand respect.
Saturday was a beautiful day after all the rain but it took till about noon to dry out and rubber in the track. Amazingly the Thunder and Lightning racers did not oil down the track, blind hogs and acorns comes to mind.
The Time Trial racers were playing nice and running clean. Though in all 4 sessions John Haff (TTE Miata) managed to spin or run off the track in every single session. He was making us old guys look bad. I guess Beerkat saw my pain in watching Kevin bask in his glory and John in his shame so he offered up his TT3 C5 Z06 for me to drive in the last session of the day. He even put on decent R6 tires and ran it in DE to get tire pressures tuned to the track.
Since it had not been in a TT session all day I worked my way into an empty grid spot (15th). It was good to get a warm up lap and it didn’t hurt they BMW in front didn’t point me by on the first green lap since it let muscle memory of the track to set in and the tires to warm up. Then it was on.
I have not driven a Perkins/Nunnally prepped car in anger before. All I can say is they can set up a car and a light car makes it too easy. I was working my way through the field and traffic timing was not hammering my lap times too badly. I hope I did not blow any laps for the guys I passed. The track was excellent by then and if I did not hamfist the tires they stuck like crazy. I was carrying stupid speed in all the right places so I knew the laps were very good, excellent even. I had driven a few cars with the 5.5 Quartermaster clutch and all I can say is, wow, just wow.
The oil temps were around 270 and water was in 230 range. I hammered down the straight just past the checkered flag when the upper radiator blew off the engine. I did not spin or even slide much so the water mostly missed my tires and I was able to exit track right immediately and exit the track very quickly. All the time “borrowed car” was running through my pea brain. I must admit I used garage and fishing words. Post mortem examination showed no damage to the engine and I was very relieved.
My iphone app showed me really, really good news so I went to T&S to sort the days TT results and see how they showed it. Then I found out it was hitting erratically and I had no official time. I asked why I never saw a “no transponder” sign and they sheepishly admitted it was nap time in the tower. I had to leave Saturday night, right after the ***** and Breasts event - NASA-SE knows how to throw a party, since I had to get ready for a work trip to New Mexico early Monday.
So Kevin lucked out, this time…
The November NASE-SE event at CMP was going to be the location. Even though it has a been a lean, lean track year with work, family commitments, troubleshooting my track cars, other car projects, and a few rampant illnesses falling on track weekends I was thinking November would be different. This time it had to be different since my track car would be ready, but it wasn’t.
I have made it to several events this year to instruct, or work as a instructor or TT director, but not with a car to drive and November looked was a repeat of that sad trend.
Most of my "car time" has been absorbed getting my 1988 Porsche 944S from garage art to road warrior again (tip for working with "German Engineering", just treat it like a '54 Chevy with cutoff wheels, cheater bars and torches as needed). It only took me from Fathers day in June to November 1 to get it mobile. But it gets picked up this Sunday
.I was still looking forward to hanging out with friends at the track. I loaded up the faithful Suburban with my track stuff and headed to CMP. As in most things, timing is everything and mine was off as I managed to hit Columbia at 4PM, on a Friday. It was compounded with rain so heavy I was expecting to bump into the Ark (Noah's not Covenent). Lucky for me I did not bump into anything and no one bumped into me. Sign in at CMP was painless and I picked a very nice spot, in Spec E30 country, to park. It was a very wet evening and night in the paddock.
Saturday started out early with an RV trying to kill me. It ambushed me before breakfast and before caffeine. It took me down and tried to gut me when it sensed my weakness and distraction. A shirt, and my dignity, was sacrificed in the engagement. Luckily, it only delivered flesh wounds and declared a truce. Wet shoes, wet thresholds and RV doors demand respect.
Saturday was a beautiful day after all the rain but it took till about noon to dry out and rubber in the track. Amazingly the Thunder and Lightning racers did not oil down the track, blind hogs and acorns comes to mind.
The Time Trial racers were playing nice and running clean. Though in all 4 sessions John Haff (TTE Miata) managed to spin or run off the track in every single session. He was making us old guys look bad. I guess Beerkat saw my pain in watching Kevin bask in his glory and John in his shame so he offered up his TT3 C5 Z06 for me to drive in the last session of the day. He even put on decent R6 tires and ran it in DE to get tire pressures tuned to the track.
Since it had not been in a TT session all day I worked my way into an empty grid spot (15th). It was good to get a warm up lap and it didn’t hurt they BMW in front didn’t point me by on the first green lap since it let muscle memory of the track to set in and the tires to warm up. Then it was on.
I have not driven a Perkins/Nunnally prepped car in anger before. All I can say is they can set up a car and a light car makes it too easy. I was working my way through the field and traffic timing was not hammering my lap times too badly. I hope I did not blow any laps for the guys I passed. The track was excellent by then and if I did not hamfist the tires they stuck like crazy. I was carrying stupid speed in all the right places so I knew the laps were very good, excellent even. I had driven a few cars with the 5.5 Quartermaster clutch and all I can say is, wow, just wow.
The oil temps were around 270 and water was in 230 range. I hammered down the straight just past the checkered flag when the upper radiator blew off the engine. I did not spin or even slide much so the water mostly missed my tires and I was able to exit track right immediately and exit the track very quickly. All the time “borrowed car” was running through my pea brain. I must admit I used garage and fishing words. Post mortem examination showed no damage to the engine and I was very relieved.
My iphone app showed me really, really good news so I went to T&S to sort the days TT results and see how they showed it. Then I found out it was hitting erratically and I had no official time. I asked why I never saw a “no transponder” sign and they sheepishly admitted it was nap time in the tower. I had to leave Saturday night, right after the ***** and Breasts event - NASA-SE knows how to throw a party, since I had to get ready for a work trip to New Mexico early Monday.
So Kevin lucked out, this time…
11-09-2013, 11:34 AM
#6
Drifting
You're darn lucky a midget got me drunk last night, took advantage of me, and hid my phone under the bed. I have a better class of people to be with this afternoon and evening, so I will think up something for you when I have nothing better to do.
11-09-2013, 01:40 PM
#7
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
BRAVE man to call her a midget....
11-09-2013, 10:16 PM
#9
Burning Brakes
11-09-2013, 10:18 PM
#10
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
11-11-2013, 01:15 PM
#14
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter