2014 Summer Series Formula Schedule
 

OK, it's been unofficially released. Here's what most of us received in an email on Friday:

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE WILL RUN A MASTER'S RUN GROUP AT EACH RACE WEEKEND!!


Season Opener:
NOLA May 5th - 10th (Mother's Day is on Sunday.. you WON'T miss it!)
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca May 28th - 30th (WeekDAY racing)
Mid-Ohio June 18th - 22
Lime Rock July 7th - 12th
Putnam Park August 6th - 10th
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca August 26th - 28th (WeekDAY racing)
Road America October 1st - 5th
Season Finale: Lime Rock October 13th - 18th


Prizes are TBD
Again, MASTERS RUN GROUP
3 Drops 2 Doubles
Season Prepay requires purchase of a Practice ($1650 each) and Race Weekend ($3800 each). A minimum of 7 of out 8 Race Weekends will be considered a full season prepay. You can always add Lapping days and the discount will apply if purchased along with the Practice/Race Weekends.

1) Does anyone have any experience, track notes or the like for Putnam Park ?
2) Road America in October again. What could go wrong ? (Foghorns and sonar will be distributed with Raceceivers :D )
3) Prizes TBD. Dare we wish for those tempting 5 figure ones again ?
4) Masters Run Group - YEAH !!!!!!!
5) Who's in ?

Viz

Re: 2014 Summer Series Formula Schedule
 

Re: 2014 Summer Series Formula Schedule
 

Yeah Doug, me too, but then again, knowing how they want to cut their track rental expenses, it doesn't totally surprise me. I think the tab for a full weeks rental at the Glen is now over $100K (was around $70 when I started in 2007 I recall).

Viz

Re: 2014 Summer Series Formula Schedule
 

last event at the glen was terrible..
only 2 run groups...
and they were small

skippy is never going back

Re: 2014 Summer Series Formula Schedule
 

what happened last year at RA?

Re: 2014 Summer Series Formula Schedule
 

Doug, I agree with Viz. It's just so expensive to rent.

Re: 2014 Summer Series Formula Schedule
 

Viz,

I've raced Skip Barber cars there, as well as tested IMSA Lites. It's a fun, flowing track. Technical in spots, fast in spots, and one of the safest tracks you'll drive, with lots of grassy runoff and only a couple turns with something close to the track edge to hit (Turn 9 and 10). Lots of places to practice entry speed. Looking far ahead really helps.

Here are a couple of useful in-car videos of Putnam Park. There are several chicanes SBRS might use, but I'd say the odds are they'll not use them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QE5RI5YADY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z75gLvtLMyU

Re: 2014 Summer Series Formula Schedule
 

The weather was downright horrible. Saturday the fog was so thick, and I mean thick, that we couldn't get on track to qualify until well after 12 Noon. By the time the day was over, we didn't even get all of the Race 1 races in. Lucky me, I was doubling, so I wound up doing 4 races on Sunday.....that was fun. But Saturday was miserable.

Viz

Re: 2014 Summer Series Formula Schedule
 

Fog rolled in on Saturday and just wouldn't go away. Pea soup fog meaning too little visibility to race.

After 3 hours of sitting around talking we all went down to the track shop and bought sweat shirts, t-shirts and mugs waiting for it to end. Then we had lunch...
The first group went out to qualify after lunch and the last group qualified but never raced. The last group had double races on Sunday. We also had intermittent rain that made grip both random and interesting. :-)

I had a pretty good time. :wave:

PS... I either didn't see Viz's post or we were both writing at the same time yesterday... Sorry 'bout that... It was a lot tougher for Viz as he was doubling.

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Then I am glad I raced when I did! :crying:

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And Doug, I am glad I was there to watch you get your fist WIN !!!!!!!! That was a great thing to watch.

Viz

Re: 2014 Summer Series Formula Schedule
 

Re: 2014 Summer Series Formula Schedule
 

Doug,

I am with you. The memories of that place are something special. Such an awesome track to drive. I too was glad to see you get your first win there! I'll also never forget being on scene for the big pileup at Turn 11 involving a few of our friends.

Even the little things are special, like the actual glen the city gets its namesake. I took a hike through the trails one day wondering why so much fuss. Boy, was I glad I did! I took a ton of photos with an iPhone 3GS, and even with that basic camera, came away with great memories.

Re: 2014 Summer Series Formula Schedule
 

The Glen is my all time favorite track. Even before I started racing, it was the place I wanted to be, whether watching, or hopefully some day, racing. (Yeah, this is a bit of a hijack). I saw my only F1 races there in the early 70's, all the great up close and personal (Mr. Barber too). Losing Francois Cervert in '73 cast a large shadow over my love for the place. The 6 Hour World Manufacturers Championship double header weekends with the thundering Can Am races (and some of the 6 Hour cars ran the next day in the Can Am), up close and personal wandering down the aisle in the Kendall Garage (oh do I have some cool pix stored somewhere).

Taking my Advanced 2 Day at the Glen, followed by my first race weekend, was a dream come true. We have to get the Glen back, somehow, some way, some day.

Viz

Re: 2014 Summer Series Formula Schedule
 

I'll jump on this hijack to say how much I love The Glen as well.

First time I drove the track got out of the car with tears in my eyes. It was everything a great race track should be in history, technical challenge, turn variety, and elevation change. The blue bushes made you feel like you were an F1 driver in a Skippy car carving up through the esses.

Everyone remembers that pile up Gerardo was witness to but nobody remembers who won the race. :D
I was fortunate to win three times there and had the great pleasure of doing everything I could, but ultimately failing to catch Doug on the day he won there. Pete Argetsinger's house, At least two great restaurants on the other side of the lake. All the stuff everyone else has mentioned... It's always a special treat to have the run of that place. :-)

Re: 2014 Summer Series Formula Schedule
 

me too!!

i had my best weekend ever there.. 2 wins and 2 2ndplaces in 4 races and the wins over jim norman and many other greats!!

some of my WG videos:
-- it is painful to watch this videos - i didnt understand drafting very well

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nWKCMz2Ggw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2mAXInOJCU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDwYe7TSxlQ

Re: 2014 Summer Series Formula Schedule
 

I believe I drove the longest ever lap of Putnam Park in the May 2002 very, very wet Sunday. I'd waited for those conditions to start pushing the entry speed and went off on the way in to 8. Having seen in previous races how badly bogged down people were in the lake on the outside, I kept my foot in it and marched up the hill. Encouraged by some aircraft-handler style hand gestures from the instructors, I rejoined at turn 4 and repeated the back half of the course.

Re: 2014 Summer Series Formula Schedule
 

Rossfeld,
I think I was working at Putnam for Skip at that same weekend! I can remember rooster tails coming from both rear tires of a car in that lake outside Turn 8. Maybe it was you?! The water must have been 25 to 30 feet tall! From the control tower, it was a sight to see. :mdrmed:

Sometime during that era, I was instructing Computer Car at Sebring when everything came to a standstill during a massive storm. I asked Nick Nick if I could do a lap in the Computer Car to see how it looked. He chuckled and said, "Sure!" Out I went. The rain and flooding was so bad, the best I could do was a single out-and-in lap in just over five minutes! I'll never forget how soaked I was, and how hitting the puddles caused temporary blindness.

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Sorry I'm late to this thread, but I'm sure I'm not the only one that noticed no mention of a Mazda MX5 series???? Perhaps if its just formula cars they can get more/bigger groups?
Also too bad there's no WG or VIR, both are my favorites.

I can't complain though, until I have some money to race, my vote doesn't matter. Hoping to do a full season next year.

Tom

Re: 2014 Summer Series Formula Schedule
 

Ahh Watkins Glen
Drove there in 1971 to see the F1 race and parked wAAAAAAAAY away from the Bog. Went every years until they took the GP away. Saw The 5 star weekend with The 6 hour, formula 5000, Trans Am cars. Sweet

Had my 3 day class there.(tears in my eyes too) Had Pete Argetsinger as my instructor and got a personal tour of the old circuit from him. Also went to 2 advanced classes there and innumerable lapping sessions. Raced there every year after they convinced me to race.
And, by the way, I was the last car following the BIG incident into turn 11 and was lucky enough to be "that" much slower then the group that scattered debris everywhere.
Also followed Paul Subject into turn 11 and he handed me a podium by running out of room on exit.

I have also raced many times these past 2 years at the Glen with the Caterham and Loved every minute. Although even this is becoming an issue for the SCCA groups. There are so many groups that will spend the big bucks to lap there (Hello Porsche and Ferrari owners groups) that this year the Glen region SCCA group has only one regional race there (down from 3 last year)

We will see what happens in the future. Nothing is carved in stone. As we all know.