Contingency Operations at CMP
05-07-2009, 05:12 PM
#1
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
Contingency Operations at CMP
It is amazing what people will do once a little bit of money gets thrown on the table. It seems racers are willing to spend many thousands of dollars for the chance to get tire, brake or good old cash contingency. It is a great marketing tool for Hoosier, Toyo, Hawk, Exedy and others who have to see the actual sales will far exceed the "free" products to winners since the number of winners will always exceed the number of "also rans" buying the product. The rate of return is certainly better then playing the lottery and it does stimulate great competition when racing for more than another trophy. In our case we fell firmly into the "also ran" category as far as any free tires, brakes or cash are concerned this last weekend. The great news is it did not diminish the fun we had in any way.
Taking on the last minute habits of my crew we did not even move the 99 Corvette out of the spot it has occupied since being unloaded after Roebling, a few weeks ago, until a few hours before we needed to leave for CMP. After pulling it out of the garage to scrub off the track grime, pollen and cat footprints we noticed a large wet spot on the floor underneath the drivers side of the motor. It was water (no antifreeze) with a faint hint of oily residue. Since it had not rained in a few days it caused some concern. With time being short the decision was made to leave it at home and just take the CMC Mustang to CMP. Post event inspection seems to indicate some brake fluid may have been spilled before parking the car since all levels are good in the car and it has no evidence of a leak.
Having spent several of the last events in the paddock since we have been hauling the CMC Mustang and it is set up for short people this was not my preference. At CMP it was particularly painful to watch all the Corvettes in Time Trial mixing it up, in just about perfect weather conditions, and having more fun then the law should allow. I see a fresh set of Hoosiers (I am not immune to it either) on the Corvette at Barber and we need all those slow TTA cars to come out to play so we can win some tires.
As always the paddock action seems to get exciting and I am noticing the price to be there has gone up with gates fees, camping fees and no worker lunches. But I did manage to meet Aunt Estelle's youngest son there on Friday night. I should have known he was family when he cooked enough food for 8 people but only had to feed 2. As soon as he mentioned "Odenville, AL" I knew he was related and told him my family originated from there. So he asked how I was related to "Uncle Bill" in Odenville and I told him I called him Grandpa. We are all descendants of the Bryants (12 kids) with my Grandmother Wreathey being his Mom's sister. We attended many of the the Bryant family reunions at Walnut Grove in the past - but since the last one was 15 years ago we have changed a bit. He has been drawn to the darkside of BMWs and NASCAR but even so I made him an offer to stay at the Treadwell Mansion in Odenville (aka Uncle Bill's house) since he now lives up near Charlotte. There is a reason I married out of state by the way and I am nice to most people since there is a chance they know my Mom.
Time Trial had about 35 drivers on track over the weekend with a good mix of newbies and veterans. Three track records fell on Saturday with Mike Werner (C5 ZO6) in TTS, Mark Nunnally (C5ZO6) in TTA - taking it from us I might add, and Joe Ippolito (Sentra) in TTE. TTC had the largest field with 9 cars competing with TTE not far behind.
Thunder racing now has some relevance for us since the CMC Mustang calls the group home. The improvements in the car since February were noticeable. The water temps never exceeded 170 degrees so the cooling upgrades were on the money. The new damper stayed on the motor and once we find all the vacuum leaks the motor will run even better. The Toyo R888s provided good grip and now have 5 heat cycles on them. The Hawk brakes pads have performed as advertised. The boiling of the gas in the gas tank problem at race speeds and duration has not been solved yet. Anything over 10 minutes last weekend had the gas pressurizing the tank with the car slowing down due to the lean condition. Even so Jake was able to complete both races with consistent third place finishes. Jake took about 6 seconds off his time from February and has more left in the car when he adapts to a live axle Mustang versus a C5 with RAFT suspension. It has been a different experience for Jake to be gridded at the back instead of the front and he has mastered the skill of getting passed safely. The assistance of the other CMC racers has been outstanding and greatly appreciated. They are doing all they can to help us get the car, and driver, competitive. Talking to a crew chief who had the Mustang boiling gas problem has narrowed it to exhaust heat (even though the exhaust is in the stock routing now) or heat from the in tank fuel pump. They solved the problem with lots of insulation, a fuel cell in the hatch area and an external fuel pump.
Right now it looks like the 99 Corvette is making the trek to Barber at the end of the month were it will be sporting Hoosier Tires, skillfully mounted at Marc Yount's Tire, and Hawk brake pads to teach the TTA upstarts the break is over. We will be stopping over at Road Atlanta on the way home to run with Chin (hopefully, with some tire coupons firmly in hand). May 15th will be testing of the CMC Mustang, 99 Vette, 83 Supra and 08 Shelby GT (no one really believed it would never be tracked did they?) at Roebling with SeatTime.
Taking on the last minute habits of my crew we did not even move the 99 Corvette out of the spot it has occupied since being unloaded after Roebling, a few weeks ago, until a few hours before we needed to leave for CMP. After pulling it out of the garage to scrub off the track grime, pollen and cat footprints we noticed a large wet spot on the floor underneath the drivers side of the motor. It was water (no antifreeze) with a faint hint of oily residue. Since it had not rained in a few days it caused some concern. With time being short the decision was made to leave it at home and just take the CMC Mustang to CMP. Post event inspection seems to indicate some brake fluid may have been spilled before parking the car since all levels are good in the car and it has no evidence of a leak.
Having spent several of the last events in the paddock since we have been hauling the CMC Mustang and it is set up for short people this was not my preference. At CMP it was particularly painful to watch all the Corvettes in Time Trial mixing it up, in just about perfect weather conditions, and having more fun then the law should allow. I see a fresh set of Hoosiers (I am not immune to it either) on the Corvette at Barber and we need all those slow TTA cars to come out to play so we can win some tires.
As always the paddock action seems to get exciting and I am noticing the price to be there has gone up with gates fees, camping fees and no worker lunches. But I did manage to meet Aunt Estelle's youngest son there on Friday night. I should have known he was family when he cooked enough food for 8 people but only had to feed 2. As soon as he mentioned "Odenville, AL" I knew he was related and told him my family originated from there. So he asked how I was related to "Uncle Bill" in Odenville and I told him I called him Grandpa. We are all descendants of the Bryants (12 kids) with my Grandmother Wreathey being his Mom's sister. We attended many of the the Bryant family reunions at Walnut Grove in the past - but since the last one was 15 years ago we have changed a bit. He has been drawn to the darkside of BMWs and NASCAR but even so I made him an offer to stay at the Treadwell Mansion in Odenville (aka Uncle Bill's house) since he now lives up near Charlotte. There is a reason I married out of state by the way and I am nice to most people since there is a chance they know my Mom.
Time Trial had about 35 drivers on track over the weekend with a good mix of newbies and veterans. Three track records fell on Saturday with Mike Werner (C5 ZO6) in TTS, Mark Nunnally (C5ZO6) in TTA - taking it from us I might add, and Joe Ippolito (Sentra) in TTE. TTC had the largest field with 9 cars competing with TTE not far behind.
Thunder racing now has some relevance for us since the CMC Mustang calls the group home. The improvements in the car since February were noticeable. The water temps never exceeded 170 degrees so the cooling upgrades were on the money. The new damper stayed on the motor and once we find all the vacuum leaks the motor will run even better. The Toyo R888s provided good grip and now have 5 heat cycles on them. The Hawk brakes pads have performed as advertised. The boiling of the gas in the gas tank problem at race speeds and duration has not been solved yet. Anything over 10 minutes last weekend had the gas pressurizing the tank with the car slowing down due to the lean condition. Even so Jake was able to complete both races with consistent third place finishes. Jake took about 6 seconds off his time from February and has more left in the car when he adapts to a live axle Mustang versus a C5 with RAFT suspension. It has been a different experience for Jake to be gridded at the back instead of the front and he has mastered the skill of getting passed safely. The assistance of the other CMC racers has been outstanding and greatly appreciated. They are doing all they can to help us get the car, and driver, competitive. Talking to a crew chief who had the Mustang boiling gas problem has narrowed it to exhaust heat (even though the exhaust is in the stock routing now) or heat from the in tank fuel pump. They solved the problem with lots of insulation, a fuel cell in the hatch area and an external fuel pump.
Right now it looks like the 99 Corvette is making the trek to Barber at the end of the month were it will be sporting Hoosier Tires, skillfully mounted at Marc Yount's Tire, and Hawk brake pads to teach the TTA upstarts the break is over. We will be stopping over at Road Atlanta on the way home to run with Chin (hopefully, with some tire coupons firmly in hand). May 15th will be testing of the CMC Mustang, 99 Vette, 83 Supra and 08 Shelby GT (no one really believed it would never be tracked did they?) at Roebling with SeatTime.
05-07-2009, 05:38 PM
#3
Racer
CMP was fun, new track for me, a few more dips and rises than I expected (I assumed totally flat) but it's a good "sensation of speed" track that's pretty darn technical.
I ran with the Roush guys on Fri to scout the track, and stayed parked in the paddock on sat/sun from where I was on Fri, so I missed the corvette corral area.
Was my first weekend on hoosiers and I learned a lot about tire pressures chasing Jason on Sun, I think I found what worked best but too little too late.
I was not impressed with the XP12 pads, not only did they not do better than the XP10, but maybe even worse? They sure wear a lot faster for no more perceived bite.
Jason/Jeff/Jake or anyone in a C5Z on fresh hoosier shouldn't have a problem taking down the new record, I left a lot of the table out there (especially after Jeff telling what mph and gear I *should* be at various places
) and the 9.5" wheels and 275's weren't helping (don't think they hurt a lot, but no real help).
I doubt I will make Barber so have fun, I will likely be at Road Atlanta in June. This is my home track and I hope to bring an improved and cooler running (oil/brakes) C5Z06 to the gun fight
I ran with the Roush guys on Fri to scout the track, and stayed parked in the paddock on sat/sun from where I was on Fri, so I missed the corvette corral area.
Was my first weekend on hoosiers and I learned a lot about tire pressures chasing Jason on Sun, I think I found what worked best but too little too late.
I was not impressed with the XP12 pads, not only did they not do better than the XP10, but maybe even worse? They sure wear a lot faster for no more perceived bite.
Jason/Jeff/Jake or anyone in a C5Z on fresh hoosier shouldn't have a problem taking down the new record, I left a lot of the table out there (especially after Jeff telling what mph and gear I *should* be at various places
) and the 9.5" wheels and 275's weren't helping (don't think they hurt a lot, but no real help).I doubt I will make Barber so have fun, I will likely be at Road Atlanta in June. This is my home track and I hope to bring an improved and cooler running (oil/brakes) C5Z06 to the gun fight
05-07-2009, 07:32 PM
#4
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
CMP was fun, new track for me, a few more dips and rises than I expected (I assumed totally flat) but it's a good "sensation of speed" track that's pretty darn technical.
I ran with the Roush guys on Fri to scout the track, and stayed parked in the paddock on sat/sun from where I was on Fri, so I missed the corvette corral area.
Was my first weekend on hoosiers and I learned a lot about tire pressures chasing Jason on Sun, I think I found what worked best but too little too late.
I was not impressed with the XP12 pads, not only did they not do better than the XP10, but maybe even worse? They sure wear a lot faster for no more perceived bite.
Jason/Jeff/Jake or anyone in a C5Z on fresh hoosier shouldn't have a problem taking down the new record, I left a lot of the table out there (especially after Jeff telling what mph and gear I *should* be at various places) and the 9.5" wheels and 275's weren't helping (don't think they hurt a lot, but no real help).
I doubt I will make Barber so have fun, I will likely be at Road Atlanta in June. This is my home track and I hope to bring an improved and cooler running (oil/brakes) C5Z06 to the gun fight
I ran with the Roush guys on Fri to scout the track, and stayed parked in the paddock on sat/sun from where I was on Fri, so I missed the corvette corral area.
Was my first weekend on hoosiers and I learned a lot about tire pressures chasing Jason on Sun, I think I found what worked best but too little too late.
I was not impressed with the XP12 pads, not only did they not do better than the XP10, but maybe even worse? They sure wear a lot faster for no more perceived bite.
Jason/Jeff/Jake or anyone in a C5Z on fresh hoosier shouldn't have a problem taking down the new record, I left a lot of the table out there (especially after Jeff telling what mph and gear I *should* be at various places
) and the 9.5" wheels and 275's weren't helping (don't think they hurt a lot, but no real help).I doubt I will make Barber so have fun, I will likely be at Road Atlanta in June. This is my home track and I hope to bring an improved and cooler running (oil/brakes) C5Z06 to the gun fight
?Road Atlanta is the track I respect the most locally
05-08-2009, 05:12 AM
#6
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
05-08-2009, 09:04 AM
#7
Racer
05-08-2009, 03:41 PM
#8
Drifting
Member Since: Oct 2005
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05-08-2009, 03:48 PM
#9
Racer
05-08-2009, 03:54 PM
#10
Drifting
Member Since: Oct 2005
Location: Georgia
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05-08-2009, 05:37 PM
#11
Le Mans Master
It was great meeting everyone at CMP.
Got parts ordered to make the rustang handle so I can actually pass people instead of letting everyone pass me. Tired of the tall sidewalls, worn out shocks and weak brakes.
Hopefully it all shows up next Friday so I can get it all on and ready for Barber.
If it works like it should I'll be asking for a TT check ride!!!!
Looks like it will be the rustang for the rest of the season - rings gone on the vette :-(
Going to pull-a-part in July and see if I can find a donor engine for a 383 build. It will take me the rest of the year to pull all the parts for it together though.
Update: 17" rims and KDW tires on Mustang. Nice having a 2" shorter sidewall!
Got parts ordered to make the rustang handle so I can actually pass people instead of letting everyone pass me. Tired of the tall sidewalls, worn out shocks and weak brakes.
Hopefully it all shows up next Friday so I can get it all on and ready for Barber.
If it works like it should I'll be asking for a TT check ride!!!!
Looks like it will be the rustang for the rest of the season - rings gone on the vette :-(
Going to pull-a-part in July and see if I can find a donor engine for a 383 build. It will take me the rest of the year to pull all the parts for it together though.
Update: 17" rims and KDW tires on Mustang. Nice having a 2" shorter sidewall!
Last edited by jaa1992; 05-09-2009 at 02:51 PM.
05-09-2009, 02:46 PM
#13
Le Mans Master
