NASA Races this weekend at the Ranch

[trackfiend]

Hey guy's I didn't know if any of you would be interested in this, but there will be racing all weekend at Motorsport Ranch this weekend 3-5&3-6. Everything from Amreican Iron to Spec Miata. I will get the pleasure of working recovery this weekend for the Ranch. Let me know if any of you guys might make it out and I'll keep an eye out for you.

[EvilSpeeder]

I'll be there running one of the Wheels America Spec Miatas!

[Sharpie]

I'll look for you if I make it. My friend is supposed to be picking up some parts from one of the spec racers!

[trackfiend]

Cool I look forward to seeing you guys. I'll probably get to spend most of my time in the recovery vehicles up near the grid. My name is Chris Whitehead by the way if, you guys get the chance look me up. Hopefully I won't be real busy picking up cars this weekend, maybe everyone will play nice.

[altiain]

Good luck, Evil!

[EvilSpeeder]

Well, the luck hasn't been so great thus far.

I ran one practice session and a mock race today.

The practice session I was on full tread hankooks and the track was REALLY greasy...bad combination. I couldn't keep the damn car on the track it was so squirrelly. Just when I started to get in a rythm (catching it before the spin) the sesson was over. I spent a lot of time in the mud. It was very frustrating.

The mock race saw me starting from the back by luck of the draw. I was cool with that, it was just for fun. We were combined with the American Iron class for this session. This was a bad idea. I thought these cars would run away from a little ol spec miata but they didn't. Or more accurately, the drivers didn't. Those guys were hacks. On average, the worst group of drivers I've been on track with short of first time drivers at a school. Several laps into the race, I was in a group of 'them' and we were tooling along nicely. I was faster almost everwhere on the track so I gradually picked a few of them off, I wasn't being very agressive, just trying to get a feel for the track in traffic.

All of a sudden I see a red cobra replica start to get loose in front of me exiting big bend. He should have just rode the spin out and gone off the inside of the track, but he didn't. He tried to save it, ended up spinning and going backwards across the track in a pack of traffic. I was several cars back watching all this unfold. I started to go to the outside thinking I could get by. Nope. The cobra got t-boned by a mustang HARD, then the mustang got t-boned by a camaro. At this point the entire track was blocked and I had too much momentum to make it out of the way. I managed to slide the car a little before I hit, so that lessened the blow.

I'm a little sore, but ok. The car is fixable and I'll make it on track tomorrow, hopefully by first session.

Not a great start to the weekend, lets hope it gets better.

[sammm]

Damn Evil! Glad you're OK, be careful out there!

[MSR Red Miata]

glad to hear your okay capn'. but I don't want to have to get out of the recovery excursion tomorrow so you kids play nice and kick some butt! today was just filled with to much excitement!

[Sharpie]

Sounds expensive for those other guys. glad you and the spec made it out without too much damage.

[EvilSpeeder]

Today went a lot better but I was still pretty tentative. It's taking me a while to really learn the track, there are a lot of corners that you have to TOTALLY commit to in order to be fast. In other words, you're either fast, or you're really off track.

All the body work was finished last night, all we had to do this morninng was put the new lower control arm on, and align the car. All went well and we took the car back to tech. Whenever you crash, you have to have the car re-teched once it's fixed. Anyway, the line for tech was waaaaay long and the tech guy refused to walk over, look at the car, and say ok. So I had to wait in line and missed all but the last 4 minutes of the practice session.

In those four minutes, I got an out lap, and an in lap, but it was enough to verify that everything was working properly after the wreck.

Qualifying didn't go great, I was still learning where to pick up time and getting more comfortable with the car. I ended up qualifying 15th out of 40 or so. Not bad, but definitely not at my full potential.

The race start was intimidating to say the least. Starting near the middle of a 40 car field at a track that is narrow, slippery, and difficult to pass on will always be interesting. I got an ok start but the first 'real' turn is a sharp, narrow, 120deg uphill. It's very difficult to go through 2 wide, but it can be done. Three wide just isn't happening, but of course thats what the people around me tried to do. I chickened out and decided I wanted to keep racing, instead of crashing, so I let them go. I lost a few spots but was able to gradually gain them back, and then some. Then I got a little over anxious entering the 'rattle snake' and spun. I lost several positions but again, was able to work my way back up. I ended up finishing 15th. I drove well, but made way too many mistakes and was way too impatient.

I think I have a much better handle on the track now, and much greater confidence in the car. Tomorrow is another day and I can do a lot better than I did today. I'm really hoping for a top ten but it's absolutely imperative that I qualify well because the track is so hard to pass on.

[black roadster]

Cool report. Glad you and you're Miata are back in action.

Good luck and be fast and safe!

[EvilSpeeder]

Hey black roadster, where did you get the pic of the mini cooper sport? If you took it around here it's very likely my bosses car. He's got a 2001 he imported. Very very fun car and chicks like it more than the $160k Porsche 996 X/50.

[black roadster]

Hey black roadster, where did you get the pic of the mini cooper sport? If you took it around here it's very likely my bosses car. He's got a 2001 he imported. Very very fun car and chicks like it more than the $160k Porsche 996 X/50.

Just pulled it off the web some where. Google is you're friend.

[Checker]

Hey black roadster, where did you get the pic of the mini cooper sport? If you took it around here it's very likely my bosses car. He's got a 2001 he imported. Very very fun car and chicks like it more than the $160k Porsche 996 X/50.

Just pulled it off the web some where. Google is you're friend.

Looks like the one from The Italian Job ... recently sold on Barrett Jackson

[EvilSpeeder]

What a day!

We almost missed qualifying. We thought it was at 11, but saw miatas headed to grid when we showed up at the track!! Doh!! We hauled ass and made it just in time. Bob qualified second and I qualified 7th of 40, only a few tenths of a second off the track record that stood until yesterday.

I started the race in 7th spot. Starting at MSR is a complete joke. The 'start line' (different from the 'finish line') is on the straight right before big bend. The starter is standing on the side of the track...on the ground. What this means is that the first row of cars can see him, but nobody else can. It's pretty much a matter of listening for the front runners to go, but by the time you hear them, it's almost always too late. Anyway, I got a crappy start, but it was ok as I just wanted to avoid a first turn incident and settle into a pace. In a 40 minute race a lot can happen, and patience is a major factor. Everybody will make mistakes and at a track like MSR you'll get about 50% of your passes off of other peoples mistakes. I was sitting somewhere around 9th when somebody crashed and brought out the black flag. Everyone pitted and I was sitting in 9th with Bob in 3rd. I got a decent restart and ran well for a while. Then the water came. It wasn't rain, more of a light sprinkle, but it was more than enough to make the track EXTREMELY treacherous. It went from normal to 'Miatas on ice' in less than half a lap. I almost went off. Several people did. I was hanging on for all I was worth, but I still lost several spots. It took me several laps to figure out that there was a lot more traction to be had off of the racing line than on it. Once i figured this out I was able to hang on to my position. The mist slowed and the track got better. I pushed harder. Too hard! I spun exiting big bend and ended up backwards in traffic and stopped. It was scary. I hit the brakes and pulled my arms in to brace for the collision. I think I even closed my eyes for a second. Miraculously, no one hit me!! I got the car pointed the right direction and took off again, now in 23rd. The mist started again, but this time I was ready. I went from 23rd to 9th with only a few laps left in the race. In my charge toward the front I had managed to cook the tires off and I didn't have much left at the end. I was driving the car for all it was worth. Any mistake would cost me positions. I was pushing so hard I finally lost it and went 4 off just long enough for two guys to get by me. That screw up put me in 11th and thats where I stayed until the end. I didn't see him the whole time, but Bob won.

It wasn't the top ten I was hoping for, but I learned more in this one race than I have thus far. Next weekend at TWS I'll be ready. I'm slowly discovering that I have great car control skills but its my 'race craft' that needs some honing. There is a lot of psychology and technique to doing well in road racing. It's definitely not only a matter of who can drive a car the fastest. In my case, patience and eliminating mistakes are the two biggest things I need to work on.

I'll try to post pics and video soon.

Thanks to torpedan, ray_sir_6, and Xsrcing (all from dallasimports.net) for coming out.

[Screamin'Screw]

Say hello to Joe Cole (yellow with Black Stripes) and Raj (Red and Silver). I started DEing with them a few years ago.

[EvilSpeeder]

Yup, they're both cool guys. Joe and I had some good battles this weekend.

[altiain]

Sounds like you had quite a race, Evil. Congratulations on finishing as well as you did!