race cars, kids, marawage and other cheesy thoughts

Wow -it's been like - forever since I've updated this last. Let's see, since then I've driven from Monterey CA to Phoenix AZ via Vegas and the Grand Canyon along with a detour for route 66. Was in Monterey for the Historic races then fulfilled a dream of starting to race at the Bondurant racing school, bought a couple of race cars and assorted paraphernalia, been to France for a week, been adopted by a pregnant cat, seen my three boys survive another 15 months without any emergency room visits and found a new, awesome church!

My wife thought I should use this to keep track of races. I tend to agree since I've not seemed to have any other real reason to keep track of it. To start the story, we (my dad, brother and myself) spent four days last summer at the Bondurant school of high performance driving. Three days in a Corvette C6, then a day in a Formula Mazda learning to find the limits and be able to drive in an official race. upon completion we were eligible for a regional racing license with the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America). Having a license burning a hole in my pocket I realized that we would actually need a race car and plan to make this happen. After looking at many different options and discussing what was best for us just starting out dad & I decided that the first gen Mazda RX7 would be a great way to start. Here in the Southeast we have IT7 that's a class just for these cars. Would give us other cars to directly compete with while keeping the costs under control. Shortly thereafter we ended up with two 1979 IT7 spec RX7s in my garage. After waiting out the winter, a couple of autocrosses (racing the clock around cones in a parking lot) we felt ready for our first race (and were able to coordinate schedules enough for it to happen).

July 17 - Road Atlanta SARRC - my first real track day. Got to the track Friday evening. Only took the car that I had (one ended up at my folks house ..) Unloaded, registered, ready to go. Plan is for me to race Saturday, Dad will race Sunday.

Saturday morning qualifying starts well. I'm nervous live crazy. not sure what to expect. Start out the slow first lap. Never been on track at RA before to know the track. Coming into the first full lap on turn 1 my back brakes lock up, I spin and hit the car coming under me. I end up backwards facing oncoming traffic. Totally killed confidence in the car and my driving. I muddle through the rest of qualifying. End up dead last but at least I finished. Get out of the car at the end only to realize I lost my bumper and airdam in the crash. Bent my hood and fender up. I had no idea.

Spent the time between qualify and the race bending the front back out enough to race. I got back on the track but babying the car. Staying off line so everyone can get around me. I barely made it through. Waved in with about five minutes left in the race to be told I was too slow and was a danger to the other drivers. Fortunately, I had completed enough laps for it to count as a race.

Sunday - Dad went out qualified okay. Clean run. He felt the back tires locked up too soon. Nothing we wanted to mess with at a race though. He ran the race Sunday. Got the checkered flag at the end. We loaded the car for home feeling like we'd accomplished a great victory. The car was drivable, we weren't hurt. Realizing that Road Atlanta was probably a very poor choice for a first race.

August 6-7 - Sebring FL SARRC - I was in need of a second race to keep my license (have to do two completed races per license year to keep racing license). We were on vacation at my folks house in FL. Decided that a six hour drive to Sebring would be a fun time, drive a neat track and get another race in. This time we did two things more intelligent. 1) we spent the week driving Sebring on Xbox 2) got to the track Friday for the track day. A good time to spend a couple of sessions on track with only a couple of other cars. We were driving the other car and learning how it handled. But, by Friday afternoon I felt good on the track, ready for the big day Saturday.

headed to the track early Saturday morning. We were the first group out for qualifying around 8:00. Car was running very well. I wasn't anywhere near the fastest but also wasn't an embarrassment. Sebring is an awesome track. Long with plenty of curves but enough straights to really give an impression of speed. Flat with lots of runoff, everything that Road Atlanta was not. When I came in from qualifying was told by a steward that my exhaust was dragging. In the pits we found that the cover under the radiator had come loose and was dragging. Sebring was an air force base and the track is very rough. Hard on all parts of the car. we'd lost several bolts. using a bunch of zip ties we got it back in place and ready to go for the race. I expected to race after lunch, around 1:00. that's how it was in Atlanta. We were sitting in the truck enjoying the AC and planning our afternoon strategy about 10:45 when the message came over the loudspeaker for group 1 to report to grid for afternoon race! Needless to say I was suited up and in the car in record time. On track around 11:00 for a full 30 minute race. I chased an ITA car for most of the race. I was about dead on qualifying time with my fastest lap of the day. Finished totally overheated but ecstatic to have finished and feeling like I'd done reasonably well. I'm really wanting to get back to Sebring.

Headed home right after the race. Dad had plans for Sunday so I was the only one able to run a race at Sebring.

September 18-19 - Carolina Motorsports Park CCPS - Dad needed to get his second race for the year and my brother needed something since he's getting married in July and is concerned about how that will affect his racing career. Found the CCPS (Carolina Cup Pro Series) races are 45 minutes with a mandatory two minute pit stop. Perfect time to change driver's and get credit for everyone. CMP is only about three hours from me so I hauled my car over. Dad was in town on vacation so it worked well for him to go over as well. Since he was the one that most needed the race he started the day. 20 minute practice, 20 minute qualifying then the race. About 30 minutes into the race we realize the radios must not be working and start waiving the emergency flag (orange shirt) at dad so he knows to pit for driver swap. He made it in and Brandon roared out for his first laps in a 'real' IT race car. Brakes were overheated and virtually useless, track was slick and tires were having a hard time with traction. Fortunately he made it through fine and saw the checkered his first go! The team ended up fourth in IT7.

During the pit stop we were told the muffler was dragging. I looked at it and realized that nothing could be done there. It wasn't on the ground and nothing was scraped up so it didn't appear to be hitting bad. The RX7 rotary engine runs super-hot so messing with it wasn't an option. Official walked off, Brandon rolled. Though we realized we needed to fix it before racing Sunday.

Sunday was to be Brandon's day. With finishing Saturday it counts as a race for him so Sunday would be his second needed for the year. He went out for practice, did well. Qualified a couple of seconds faster than dad did which is boding well for the race! The radio worked great while he was out. There were several double yellow flags meaning no pit stops and following the pace car. Brandon did a good job gaining some time during those with no traffic trying to pass him. After about 30 minutes we called him in and I got my turn in the hot, non-stopping car. Pulled out of the pits at CMP and babied the first lap around some. Trying to learn the track, braking points, turn in points, watching other cars, etc. Coming down the front straight past start/finish I decide it's time to turn up the wick. Forgetting that I came in from pit just past turn 1 so I didn't go through it. This turn is about 90 degrees and very slow. I was in fifth pushing hard when I remembered it. Overheated brakes didn't really want to slow down and tires didn't want to grip. I managed to get down to third, gritting my teeth and cranking the wheel making it around clean. It couldn't have been elegant but it was sufficient. I think I only got about five laps in the final 15 minutes or so that I had but it was blast.

CMP is a very well designed track. We have bought a membership there meaning we can go for open track days reasonably often. Be a good time to get both cars up there, run against each other in a non-racing environment, test changes for the cars and otherwise become more competitive.

Brandon & I finished second in IT7. There were only two cars in IT7 but three had qualified. We outlasted it. brought home a nice plaque for the garage wall! We were about 10 seconds slower than the other IT7 car so something to work up to. I know the speed is there. Just need more time on the track, in the car and getting everything just right. With no airdam we're not getting sufficient air to the brakes, I also think it's affecting air to the radiator and making it not run as cool as it should.

Since the RX7 is such old car it's also eligible for historic races. Dad & I are planning to go to Savannah the last weekend of October for an HSR race. Probably only take one car though due to time constraints.

Found out that my brother, being the loving fiance that he is, agreed to not race, track days, etc. until he's married in July. We're making plans for 2011, what tracks to be at, how to tune the cars and when we'll be out. now that we have the membership at CMP we have a home track to learn well and really be able to tweak the cars to our liking. Can't wait to get back out again!

SCCA allows 15 year olds to race. Oscar is seven. I want to get him into karts so he'll be ready (if he wants). We keep talking about just trying this for a year to see if we all enjoy it. Hopefully we're good and want to keep on!