Monday, January 14, 2008
Friday, January 11, 2008
Twas the night before BeerTech Christmas
'Twas the night before BeerTech Christmas, when all through the house
Not a person was stirring, except for Brian who was concerned about the Russian Army
Scott and Shelby has prepared the house with diligence and care
In hope that a Santa Klaus soon would be there
Little did they know he blew all his cash
On booze and cheap floozies and now has a cream for that rash
The boys were nestled all snug in their beds
While vision of Lemons (24 hours of) danced in their heads
Rob with his coozie and Brook with her cloak
Had just settled down for a long trip back
When from the back of the house there arose such a clatter,
We all sprang from our beds to see what was the matter
Away to the bathroom we flew in a flash
Tore open the door only to turn back
It was the Puke-A-Potamus giving his drinks back
Then he was harassed into his E30 with Lisser in tow
And away down the street giving the gear box a good row
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
This bedtime story has been brought to you by Ian "Santa" Klaus
(BeerTech Director of Operations)
Not a person was stirring, except for Brian who was concerned about the Russian Army
Scott and Shelby has prepared the house with diligence and care
In hope that a Santa Klaus soon would be there
Little did they know he blew all his cash
On booze and cheap floozies and now has a cream for that rash
The boys were nestled all snug in their beds
While vision of Lemons (24 hours of) danced in their heads
Rob with his coozie and Brook with her cloak
Had just settled down for a long trip back
When from the back of the house there arose such a clatter,
We all sprang from our beds to see what was the matter
Away to the bathroom we flew in a flash
Tore open the door only to turn back
It was the Puke-A-Potamus giving his drinks back
Then he was harassed into his E30 with Lisser in tow
And away down the street giving the gear box a good row
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
This bedtime story has been brought to you by Ian "Santa" Klaus
(BeerTech Director of Operations)
Thursday, January 10, 2008
I lost something at Roebling
With the start of the 2008 season fast approaching, I wanted to weigh in on the last Spec E30 race of 2007 for BearTech. Roebling Road may be one of the further tracks for us to haul (350+ miles), but it's worth every bump South Carolinas I-95 has to offer. The track was resurfaced last fall and that has earned it the BeerTech seal of approval. The votes were split after our last trip down there in 2005 (or was it '04?) for an HPDE with the Dark Side/ Sand Piper PCA. While RRR may not have been the best lapping track, it is one hell of a great place to race.
As JP has pretty much covered... this was a great race weekend for all. And while many of the racers were heard to say "this was the best race ever", those words couldn't have been more true for anyone more than they were for me.
I left for the track a day ahead of JP to get some extra track time in Friday's test-n-tune with Seat-Time. Things didn't get off to a very good start, due to RRR management not letting anyone in until the last minute, no schedule available from Seat-Time and the solo group being sent out on track 2 minutes after the drivers meeting.
Not that I'd complain... but REALLY? Even with one missed session, I was able to get in more than enough time on track that I had a much higher comfort level, going into Saturdays race.
It's been a while... so I'll spare you all the hazy details. But in a nutshell... Saturday was OK.
OK... until the Factory 3 IFU Challenge. (read JP's account for the real details)
Starting up front and having the opportunity to race side by side in a way that I hadn't really been able to do... helped me figure a lot of things out.
One of those things was that the guys I'm out there racing with are really good drivers.
Another was that I can race closer to them anywhere on the track... straight aways, braking zones, turns...
And while all those guys were saying "the IFU race way the most fun they had ever had"... The most fun I ever had on a race track was to be the next day. The Sunday race.
As JP has pointed out (thanks JP)... my Sunday qualifying was less than spectacular. Sure, it was on par with all my other back-of-the-pack postings. And I guess there may have been higher expectations after the IFU? But it wasn't from a lack of coffee or the extra beers the night before... I just didn't want to be overly confident. I wanted to make sure my last race of the season wasn't going to be like my first race of the season.
Never to be.
I don't know when or where it happened? But somewhere at Roebling Road I lost that "turn 10" monkey that had been on my back all season long, and I found my confidence.
I didn't give away any track. I mixed it up. I stayed in close a fought for positions—every turn of every lap.
I know I'm no Skeen. I didn't start in the back and work my way to the front in the 2nd lap. But I finished better than I start. Not just in that last race, but in my rookie season.
I can't wait for CMP.
As JP has pretty much covered... this was a great race weekend for all. And while many of the racers were heard to say "this was the best race ever", those words couldn't have been more true for anyone more than they were for me.
I left for the track a day ahead of JP to get some extra track time in Friday's test-n-tune with Seat-Time. Things didn't get off to a very good start, due to RRR management not letting anyone in until the last minute, no schedule available from Seat-Time and the solo group being sent out on track 2 minutes after the drivers meeting.
Not that I'd complain... but REALLY? Even with one missed session, I was able to get in more than enough time on track that I had a much higher comfort level, going into Saturdays race.
It's been a while... so I'll spare you all the hazy details. But in a nutshell... Saturday was OK.
OK... until the Factory 3 IFU Challenge. (read JP's account for the real details)
Starting up front and having the opportunity to race side by side in a way that I hadn't really been able to do... helped me figure a lot of things out.
One of those things was that the guys I'm out there racing with are really good drivers.
Another was that I can race closer to them anywhere on the track... straight aways, braking zones, turns...
And while all those guys were saying "the IFU race way the most fun they had ever had"... The most fun I ever had on a race track was to be the next day. The Sunday race.
As JP has pointed out (thanks JP)... my Sunday qualifying was less than spectacular. Sure, it was on par with all my other back-of-the-pack postings. And I guess there may have been higher expectations after the IFU? But it wasn't from a lack of coffee or the extra beers the night before... I just didn't want to be overly confident. I wanted to make sure my last race of the season wasn't going to be like my first race of the season.
Never to be.
I don't know when or where it happened? But somewhere at Roebling Road I lost that "turn 10" monkey that had been on my back all season long, and I found my confidence.
I didn't give away any track. I mixed it up. I stayed in close a fought for positions—every turn of every lap.
I know I'm no Skeen. I didn't start in the back and work my way to the front in the 2nd lap. But I finished better than I start. Not just in that last race, but in my rookie season.
I can't wait for CMP.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Roebling Road Race Recap
Very late posting, good thing don't have a following that reads this with frequency!
This was by far the best weekend race experience that we have ever had. We is Scott and I as Brian spent another weekend at home clipping coupons for canned food from the paper so he could eat...... And Al actually washed his car, at the track no less.
Aside from the normal two races we run, Factory 3 Performance sponsored an IFU Race (Inverted Field Unlimited). We took the quali times from Sat. and inverted the field. Good times ensued but I'm getting ahead of myself.
The weekend started
on Friday with a LONG haul down to Roebling. On the way I managed to loose both my trailer license plate and a trailer brake light. Who knew towing at 100+MPH would do that? After arriving later than planned I set up camp (literally) and unloaded the car in the dark and without cranking it due to Roebling's draconian rules.At this point in the season I was simply hoping that the motor would hold together long enough to finish the weekend and not explode on track. I set out for my first session on the track in two years and was surprisingly on pace for the mid-pack. I qualified 13th of 22 with Scott posting a nice 19th of 22. I was well ahead of Robinson but shocked to be so far behind Geeger (6th???) Fortunately both would graciously drive off track to help me move up.
I finished the first race 8th ahead of some truly talented driver, and also Geeger and Robinson. It should be noted that both Geeger and Jim practiced all day on Friday while I was towing down..... Scott was able to maintain a clean race and finished in 18th.
After every other race had ended on Sat. the main event was started, the Spec E30 IFU Race. Everyone at the track was there to watch us. I started in 13th and Scott got to start in 4th! Outside second row. This race was absolutely incredible. There was very little time when you weren't involved in some sort of battle with two or three cars. Scott later said that it was like a year's worth of racing experience in 45 minutes. Invaluable to rookies like us.
I had worked my way up to 4th!!!! before I saw a double yellow fly to remove poor Laura from the dirt berm. Oddly, they had us stop single file on the front stretch. Little did we know that they were going to invert us for a second time, madness. I was heart broken as that forth would have been my best race of the year. So, as we restarted I was forth from last, 19th. By the time the dust had settled I crossed the line three wide to finish 8th. I lost out to 6th and 7th by a bumper. Scott crossed the line in a great 15th with a new found aggressiveness that was lacking before.
The night was spent swilling beers to drown the red dogs and mini bike fumes and listing to lies from Travis about how crappy his car is leaving only his talent to blame for his great race. Lame.
Here is the video. Its long and the sound is turned off due to technical difficulties, but it is still exciting to watch:
IFU Video
The Sunday race had me a little worried because the car was acting up a good bit. The alignment, or lack thereof, was making the car very nervous through T3, a very high speed left hander. Also, I was fouling spark plugs every two sessions due to my crapbox motor's dying rings. Last race of the year, oh well.
I quailied 9th. Two spots better than Sat. but Robinson was right on my heels. Lame. Scott qualied 20th obviously hungover on a great IFU race and maybe some beer.
This race didn't do to much for me other than to reinforce the fact that my motor was done. I would get pulled by everyone down the straights. The video really shows this. An early spin in front of the entire field by Damion left the whole field mixed up. I was up to forth when we all came back on track. Feeling out of place I decided to drive straight off in T9. This put me back in a much more familiar 7th. Fortunately for me Robinson and Geeger were kind enough to realize that I had much more talent than themselves and drove their cars off as well. Good job guys!
I followed Patton for the rest of the race and finished 6th, or so I thought. The pink panther car was found to be under weight and was DQ'd. Preesh fellas. I finished 5th and even squeaked some Toyo bucks out of it. Scott however had the race of the day. He went from 20th to finish 13th. His best race of the year.
Sunday Sprint
It was a great end to a wonderful Rookie year. I really hope B. Jones gets to join us for some races next year.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Dirt Track Demo Cross and Firearms Spectacular
On the weekend of November 3, a small group of individuals was reportedly spotted in Eastern NC engaging in a plethora of activities ranging from marginally rude all the way to extremely offensive to the environment and society in general. While the reports remain vague and unconfirmed, some details about the events that occurred in that corn field have surfaced…..
Weird Al's 1st Annual Dirt Track Demo Cross and Firearms Spectacular!
The participants came from all walks of life, although they were homogenous in a deep appreciation for fire, alcoholic beverages, dented body panels, and violence. Each brought his own talent to the field, whether it be driver's skill, artistic ability, or just ammunition. All brought something to drink.
The event began unenthusiastically, with the Beertech crew arriving first, unable to pinpoint the exact destination, due mainly to the fact that they were in the middle of nowhere, and everything looked pretty much the same. Once their target location was discovered, the quickly went to work implementing a bold plan to create the single most fearsome BMW 320is ever to exist. Thanks to the artistic vision of one recovering weird M-Coupe guy, the 320 quickly became the centerpiece of the event, and a symbol for the lengths at which all the participants would go to have a good time. At 10:15am the first alcoholic beverage was served, and subsequently enjoyed.
The other vehicular participants arrived, and soon after, the Saab was already on its side. There are conflicting reports as to the cause of this incident, but all evidence points to driver error. The Beereck 320 and Weird Al's Audi both ran flawlessly.
At approximately 12:32pm, the firearms were unsheathed, and a defacto state of war resulted. No metal duck was safe; no clay pigeon flew without at least 3 eager shotgunners attempting to take it down. Unfortunately, sometime during the hostilities, the Beereck 320 received two grievous gunshot wounds. There was no driver or passengers in the car at the time.
Once the firing slowed down, the serious racing commenced. The pile of empties was getting large, but reinforcements had arrived with more provisions. The DemoCross was a violent affair, lacking any formal rules or regulations, and the track was challenging, especially with spectators hurling objects at the participants. The racing continued late into the evening, fueled by delicious grilled chicken, innocent deer, and more booze. The cars became battered and bruise, and most kept on running. Bump drafting was encouraged, and in the pits, love taps ruled. The S10 Blazer crapped out early, and was subsequently the victim of a wiring problem and engulfed in flames.
The winners of the actual racing are yet to be determined, although only two vehicles left the field that day: Weird Al's Audi and the Beereck 320. All of the participants are anxious, and ready for Big Al's Dirt Track Demo Cross and Firearms Spectacular…….2008!
Please take a moment to enjoy the artistic vision of Scott M's video:
Pictures to follow.
Weird Al's 1st Annual Dirt Track Demo Cross and Firearms Spectacular!
The participants came from all walks of life, although they were homogenous in a deep appreciation for fire, alcoholic beverages, dented body panels, and violence. Each brought his own talent to the field, whether it be driver's skill, artistic ability, or just ammunition. All brought something to drink.
The event began unenthusiastically, with the Beertech crew arriving first, unable to pinpoint the exact destination, due mainly to the fact that they were in the middle of nowhere, and everything looked pretty much the same. Once their target location was discovered, the quickly went to work implementing a bold plan to create the single most fearsome BMW 320is ever to exist. Thanks to the artistic vision of one recovering weird M-Coupe guy, the 320 quickly became the centerpiece of the event, and a symbol for the lengths at which all the participants would go to have a good time. At 10:15am the first alcoholic beverage was served, and subsequently enjoyed.
The other vehicular participants arrived, and soon after, the Saab was already on its side. There are conflicting reports as to the cause of this incident, but all evidence points to driver error. The Beereck 320 and Weird Al's Audi both ran flawlessly.
At approximately 12:32pm, the firearms were unsheathed, and a defacto state of war resulted. No metal duck was safe; no clay pigeon flew without at least 3 eager shotgunners attempting to take it down. Unfortunately, sometime during the hostilities, the Beereck 320 received two grievous gunshot wounds. There was no driver or passengers in the car at the time.
Once the firing slowed down, the serious racing commenced. The pile of empties was getting large, but reinforcements had arrived with more provisions. The DemoCross was a violent affair, lacking any formal rules or regulations, and the track was challenging, especially with spectators hurling objects at the participants. The racing continued late into the evening, fueled by delicious grilled chicken, innocent deer, and more booze. The cars became battered and bruise, and most kept on running. Bump drafting was encouraged, and in the pits, love taps ruled. The S10 Blazer crapped out early, and was subsequently the victim of a wiring problem and engulfed in flames.
The winners of the actual racing are yet to be determined, although only two vehicles left the field that day: Weird Al's Audi and the Beereck 320. All of the participants are anxious, and ready for Big Al's Dirt Track Demo Cross and Firearms Spectacular…….2008!
Please take a moment to enjoy the artistic vision of Scott M's video:
Pictures to follow.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Road Atlanta: mini report
As I prepare to head off to Roebling Road for the weekend, and there's no report from Road Atlanta. I'll keep the RA report very brief.
Road Atlanta is an extremely fun track to drive. Scary... but that is what makes it so fun. The combination on hills and blind turns add to the thrill. August is a very hot time of the year. We saw temps over 110°. Factor in the humidity and it was just über hot. Lucky for us, we have cool suits. I really don't know how someone could sit on grid without one.
We had a good time. So much fun it hurt. I'll just leave it at that.
Oh... Thanks to Discovery Parts (www.discoveryparts.com) for the random drawing and the $50 gift certificate.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
CMP & VIR Reports
Don't let the lack of blogging activity fool you into thinking BeerTech hasn't been racing. The truth is, I've been racing every other week for the past month and a half. Three weeks after JP and I raced at Rockingham, I hit CMP with the Southeast guys and gal, then with just one weekend off... I joined the Mid-Atlantic guys for a hot weekend of racing on VIR's north course. And in a few short days, JP and I will be attacking Road Atlanta for the first time. Which quite frankly is why I'm going to crank this race report out. I don't want to have to try to recap 3 races in one report.
CMP | July 14-15
In short, this was another weekend that I'd just as soon forget. I spent the whole weekend just trying to avoid being lapped. I was able to stay with the pack for the 1st lap but after that... they'd just pull away. I was spending all my time just trying to keep the car on track. If the car wasn't plowing though turns it was all over the place. Turns out it was because my whole rear end suspension had worked itself loose. I even had a loose rear axle nut on the drivers side. The combination of the car and the track conditions on Sunday made me think something had busted. Even at low speeds, I couldn't get the car to turn right. I think things were compounded (no pun intended) by running off line and picking up a bunch of rubber and trash. The only upside of the on-track portion of the weekend was I was able to practice driving a very poorly set up car. Something I learned, I'd rather not do again.
Off the track was a totally different experience. In contrast to the hot days, the evenings were nice and cool. The awards ceremony had some added entertainment with Al receiving the coveted 6th place trophy and Brandon winning his first race and the raffled CoolSuit system. The evening however hadn't even started until we ran into Hippy Harry and his stuffed possum. I'm not at liberty to divulge all the details of the evening, but Sunday started with an eerie fog that mysteriously cause several cars to be misplaced.
VIR | July 28-29
With only a week before heading to VIR and a very heavy work load... a questionable rear wheel bearing and whacked out alignment, I decided to let someone else deal with things. So I took my car to Carr Industries. Dropping it off on Wednesday and picking it up on Friday on my way out off town. I was going to just have to hope they'd get everything worked out.
My first test was in Saturday's practice. The car setup was so different from CMP, I had to get used to driving a totally different car. By the time qualifying rolled around I was much more comfortable in the car, out qualifying Canterbury. That may have been the highlight of my weekend and the ego boost I've needed to dial things up. Sadly, come race time... I would fail to complete the race due to an "off" that was triggered by me pushing too hard on greasy tires and Canterbury closing in. Coming through hog pin with 3 laps remaining, I dropped 2 wheels on the outside, came back on too soon... went back across the track and "brushed" the inside Armco, pulling my spoiler half off. All the way off would have been better. I was forced to return to the paddock and free the spoiler.
Not the ending I was looking for, but it was good to run with the pack for a change.
Sunday's quali was not as fruitful. I started 22nd... dead last. The track was HOT and the racing was intense. I was able to take a few positions throughout the race but the most eventful lap was the last. Paul M. had spun ahead of me in the middle of the race (as he tends to do) and was in my rearview for a better part of the race. Closing in as we dropped into roller coaster, I felt confident I was going to be able to keep him from getting past me before the checker. Little did I know, he was going to dive-bomb me in the last right hander... running me off into the grass and taking the position. I was not happy! Especially due to the fact that Paul received the meatball flag (he had been dumping fuel on the track the entire race) with only 3 laps left, but failed to pit. After a heated exchange on track and a much cooler discussion in the paddock, I decided to let it go. Going from 22nd to 17th was good enough for me. I had a good race... stuck with the pack and had a few battles.
However... once the official results were posted (days later), I saw that Paul got moved to the last position and I was awarded 16th place. Nice to know there is justice out there.
Next up Road Atlanta.
And JP's turn to post a report.
CMP | July 14-15
In short, this was another weekend that I'd just as soon forget. I spent the whole weekend just trying to avoid being lapped. I was able to stay with the pack for the 1st lap but after that... they'd just pull away. I was spending all my time just trying to keep the car on track. If the car wasn't plowing though turns it was all over the place. Turns out it was because my whole rear end suspension had worked itself loose. I even had a loose rear axle nut on the drivers side. The combination of the car and the track conditions on Sunday made me think something had busted. Even at low speeds, I couldn't get the car to turn right. I think things were compounded (no pun intended) by running off line and picking up a bunch of rubber and trash. The only upside of the on-track portion of the weekend was I was able to practice driving a very poorly set up car. Something I learned, I'd rather not do again.
Off the track was a totally different experience. In contrast to the hot days, the evenings were nice and cool. The awards ceremony had some added entertainment with Al receiving the coveted 6th place trophy and Brandon winning his first race and the raffled CoolSuit system. The evening however hadn't even started until we ran into Hippy Harry and his stuffed possum. I'm not at liberty to divulge all the details of the evening, but Sunday started with an eerie fog that mysteriously cause several cars to be misplaced.
VIR | July 28-29
With only a week before heading to VIR and a very heavy work load... a questionable rear wheel bearing and whacked out alignment, I decided to let someone else deal with things. So I took my car to Carr Industries. Dropping it off on Wednesday and picking it up on Friday on my way out off town. I was going to just have to hope they'd get everything worked out.
My first test was in Saturday's practice. The car setup was so different from CMP, I had to get used to driving a totally different car. By the time qualifying rolled around I was much more comfortable in the car, out qualifying Canterbury. That may have been the highlight of my weekend and the ego boost I've needed to dial things up. Sadly, come race time... I would fail to complete the race due to an "off" that was triggered by me pushing too hard on greasy tires and Canterbury closing in. Coming through hog pin with 3 laps remaining, I dropped 2 wheels on the outside, came back on too soon... went back across the track and "brushed" the inside Armco, pulling my spoiler half off. All the way off would have been better. I was forced to return to the paddock and free the spoiler.
Not the ending I was looking for, but it was good to run with the pack for a change.
Sunday's quali was not as fruitful. I started 22nd... dead last. The track was HOT and the racing was intense. I was able to take a few positions throughout the race but the most eventful lap was the last. Paul M. had spun ahead of me in the middle of the race (as he tends to do) and was in my rearview for a better part of the race. Closing in as we dropped into roller coaster, I felt confident I was going to be able to keep him from getting past me before the checker. Little did I know, he was going to dive-bomb me in the last right hander... running me off into the grass and taking the position. I was not happy! Especially due to the fact that Paul received the meatball flag (he had been dumping fuel on the track the entire race) with only 3 laps left, but failed to pit. After a heated exchange on track and a much cooler discussion in the paddock, I decided to let it go. Going from 22nd to 17th was good enough for me. I had a good race... stuck with the pack and had a few battles.
However... once the official results were posted (days later), I saw that Paul got moved to the last position and I was awarded 16th place. Nice to know there is justice out there.
Next up Road Atlanta.
And JP's turn to post a report.
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