Eastern Series LR weekend

[jdr922]

Next weeks race at LRP I notice is an Eastern Series weekend. Will many of you be attending? Are the fields significantly smaller as E & W & Masters National are not combined?

[jcraige]

I am in!

Shooting for a double.

[dalyduo]

I'm in!

[WatertownNewbie]

Me too, but not two.

[MJAmok]

I plan to come for Saturday only... maybe jump in the back of a Champ group and/or Memorial). See you there!

[LimeRockRacer]

I'm in as well. Don't know the size of the turnout. You might want to check with your CSR.

[Tanagro]

I'm in. My first race in SBRS. Can't wait.

[WatertownNewbie]

Originally Posted by Tanagro

I'm in. My first race in SBRS. Can't wait.

Be sure to have your race series advisor line up a mentor for you. It is nice to have someone around to make sure that you have a general sense of the proceedings and also to answer any questions that might pop up. The mentor program is available for any driver's first race weekend.

[OLDMAN]

Not sure yet. The wife says she will leave me if I piss away anymore money broadsiding Dom. What should I do?

OLDMAN

[sydude]

I'll be there for Saturday and maybe Friday. Just watching, so let me know if you need any help.

[jdr922]

Thanks for the responses guys.Looking forward to meeting all those I type and read great stuff with!
Jeff

[cdh]

Originally Posted by OLDMAN

Not sure yet. The wife says she will leave me if I piss away anymore money broadsiding Dom. What should I do?

OLDMAN

Be sure you race in a different group than Dom

I'll be there Thurs or Friday but taping only, no seat time, see you there

.

[Pork Chop Willie]

I'm in for a double!

[jdr922]

whats a double?

[jcraige]

A double is when you sign up for two weekends in one. You practice in two race groups, qualify in two race groups, and race in two race groups on Sat and Sunday.

[Pork Chop Willie]

A double is a way by which an older out of shape guy can totally exhaust himself (especially at Lime Rock) thereby ensuring that he will not do well in any of his races and increase the likelihood of incurring substantial crash damage. Of course you have to pay thousands of dollars more for this privilege.

[jdr922]

sounds like nirvana to me!

[jdr922]

Is it twice the cost of a regular race weekend?

[Pork Chop Willie]

Yep. Not counting

[Pork Chop Willie]

Yep....... (sorry about the ellipses; I got an error message telling me my post had to be ten characters long, but I had nothing else to say).

[AlDelattre]

I'll be there.....look forward to seeing all you guys there....

I'm going to continue my testing of the limits of the RT cockpit size, and (re)test my skills in the uphill - given my 2 crashes there last July, the recent Uphill Thread was helpful (though my wife got a bit nervous about the crash pics- more from a "how much damage" sense than "would you live through it?" point of view).

Hopefully it will be cool, sunny and breezy...

Anyone know if the super-secret prototypes will be in attendance? Maybe we can take the TJR threads "live" and stand around them (beers in hand) and debate the carbon vs steel, low-cost vs high-perf, H-vs-sequential, etc......

[dalyduo]

Looking forward to meeting you Al...

The good news is that they've reconfigured that rather nasty Armco angle. You'll have to work awfully hard to recreate my handy work there.

Here's a shot of the uphill taken at the ALMS weekend. Hard to see the detail from this angle but it appears they've changed the last piece of high Armco to a much better angle in relation to the short Armco and the tire barrier and membrane run all the way to the end of the high Armco making it virtually impossible to do what I did. As always... lots of opportunity for crash damage... just a lot safer now.

Looking forward to neither of us testing it out.

[jdr922]

Pat glad the uphill Armco seems to have been reconfigured. Looking forward to seeing you at LR!

[arig]

Originally Posted by Pork Chop Willie

Yep....... (sorry about the ellipses; I got an error message telling me my post had to be ten characters long, but I had nothing else to say).

i guess pat misinterpreted that rule about minimum message length.

[dalyduo]

Thanks Jeff, should be a fun weekend.

Originally Posted by jdr922

Pat glad the uphill Armco seems to have been reconfigured. Looking forward to seeing you at LR!

Gee Ari... I've never seen one of those messages.

Originally Posted by arig

i guess pat misinterpreted that rule about minimum message length.

[rcote]

Armco is exactly the same... you'd hafta move the OLD gaurdrail to ease the transition.... BUT.. there at least is the tire/membrane all the way to the end of the NEW ANGLED railing... of course now, there's a precious few less inches to try to squeek by if you get wide right there, but I guess at least it's a little more forgiving than the steel behind it....

[MJAmok]

Originally Posted by Pork Chop Willie

A double is a way by which an older out of shape guy can totally exhaust himself (especially at Lime Rock) thereby ensuring that he will not do well in any of his races and increase the likelihood of incurring substantial crash damage. Of course you have to pay thousands of dollars more for this privilege.

Come on Bill... you know you don't have to double to incur substantial crash damage!

[dalyduo]

It looked like the NEW ANGLED armco had been changed. (Angle seemed less severe and no more day glow paint stripe) but from across the track it was very hard to tell. Thanks for the clarification Roger.

Originally Posted by rcote

Armco is exactly the same... you'd hafta move the OLD gaurdrail to ease the transition.... BUT.. there at least is the tire/membrane all the way to the end of the NEW ANGLED railing... of course now, there's a precious few less inches to try to squeek by if you get wide right there, but I guess at least it's a little more forgiving than the steel behind it....

[OLDMAN]

I'll bet that day-glow paint will make all the difference! I know, let's paint the tire barriers at West Bend and the Downhill in day-glow. Better yet, let's paint all the cars in day-glow. Finally, a crash free weekend.

OLDMAN

[BrianinCT]

I will be competing in my first race weekend...cant wait..very excited about it. I will be there Thur for practice, Fri, Sat. Hope to meet some of you there.

Brian(I will be wearing white/blue trim cheapo sparco suit)

[dalyduo]

Looking forward to meeting you Brian. It should be fun.

[AlDelattre]

Welcome aboard Brian - make sure you bring your rain gear, if today is any indicator of the weekend

You'll find Pat upside down, somewhere near the track-out of the uphill..

Me, well, I'll either be stuck in some tires, wedging into the car or signing a crash damage form

If you want to get inspired, make sure you track down Sid Brenner....but leave your wallet in the car.

This will ALL make sense tomorrow...

see you then

[OLDMAN]

Called at the beginning of the week, got closed out. Is anyone out there signed up for a double who would be willing to just do a single?

OLDMAN

[cdh]

if anyone needs a good look at the correct rain line at LRP watch the first few laps of this rainy F Continental race with Phil Lombardi driving. Music intro lasts only a few minutes.

Funny, he seems to be the only one driving the wet line - the results are obvious

One of my first edits so it's waaaay too long and pretty rough but Phast Phil is at his best. It's worth seeing his pace once he starts lapping the field, about 9 minutes in, amazing

See you all there tomorrow

.

[cheekychica]

Originally Posted by AlDelattre

Welcome aboard Brian - make sure you bring your rain gear, if today is any indicator of the weekend

There may be some rain tomorrow (Thurs) morning, but it's supposed to be HOT HOT HOT and (supposedly) less humid for the weekend. We're talking 90s.

Here's the weekend forecast from weather.com:
http://www.weather.com/weather/weeke...nav_undeclared

And the Hartford NBC affiliate:
http://wvit.nbcweatherplus.com/wxplocal/index.html

Originally Posted by cdh

if anyone needs a good look at the correct rain line at LRP watch the first few laps of this rainy F Continental race with Phil Lombardi driving. Music intro lasts only a few minutes.

If this is the race I'm thinking of (summer 2003), then Phil put on an amazing show. VERY rainy, but it should be a clear video since he led the whole time.

[AlDelattre]

Based on my limited - i.e. one day - with a wet Lime Rock....if someone spits on that track, it's time for the wet line!

talk about an on-track car control clinic.....!!

[cdh]

Originally Posted by cheekychica

If this is the race I'm thinking of (summer 2003), then Phil put on an amazing show. VERY rainy, but it should be a clear video since he led the whole time.

that's the race Ali, 4th of July weekend, 2003. Phil has a clear track for a while, then he catches the field and picks off car after car after car after.....

.

[OLDMAN]

If you were so unfortunate as to not be at LRP today (Friday, 6/14-2006) you should know that it really was "Hammer Time". Bill was victorious in both his Chanpionship races. His victory in group 1 was one of the best races I've ever seen at LRP.

Congrats Bill, you are the man!

OLDMAN

[cdh]

Saturday races at LRP - our very own Pat 'Dalyduo' Daly had a hard fought P2 this morning and his first trip to the top of the podium this afternoon. Huge WTG brother, sorry I wasn't there to see it, did you have a carcam either race?

All the best to you and I second Oldman's congratulations to Bill 'PCW' Hammer for his double wins yesterday...wow! How'd you do today Pork Chop?

.

[999]

Bill finished 3rd in the morning and 2nd this afternoon.

Congrats Pat!! Feels great, I bet! Looks like I left about an hour early...

[juicysue]

The question is...Who is this guy and what has he done with Bill Hammer? A stellar performance. Two finishes on the top of the podium yesterday followed by a P3 and P2 today. And if I did the math correctly, our dear friend brought home 8, count 'em EIGHT trophies including the 1st Masters!!!! He had to let some of the other guys win today though so they wouldn't be too discouraged and would return to Tremblant for another battle with PCW!!!

Beautiful driving Bill! Congratulations!!

[Dom Bastien]

Pat had to win race #2 twice. He built a substantial lead that was wiped out by a double yellow [the 48th or thereabouts double-yellow of the week-end]; he got passed on the restart but regained the lead and won going away. In race #1, Pat had built a huge lead that was wiped out by a double yellow; he got passed on the restart, and lost his chance for the win when he got held up by lapped traffic. A very popular win. Great job, Pat.

[Dom Bastien]

And Bill did it with style.
In Race #1, on the last lap, outside pass for P1 in Big Bend, one car length behind on entry, two car lengths ahead at the exit. In Race #2, checked out with the first 20 laps of the race in the 58's.

[juicysue]

Go to sueauriemma.com to see photos of today's raciing. Not too many this time! Don't know if that's good or bad.

A big huge thank you to AJ Nealey for getting me my own domain!!!!!

Sue

[sydude]

Pat & Bill - So proud of you guys...

Dom, big kudos to you for an excellent drive today. Best ever?

[cdh]

thanks for the pics Sue - I see our man LimeRockRacer make good his moniker with a P1, WTG Chris

.

[Dom Bastien]

Thanks, Sy. I have had a few good ones lately. The JP effect: more speed, less drama.

[dalyduo]

Bill Hammer was "in the zone" this weekend. His first Friday win featured the rarely seen perfectly executed outside pass through big bend on the last lap for the win. A very exciting hard fought race that had everyone on their feet screaming and cheering for Bill at the end. Great Stuff!
In his second Friday race Bill smoked the field with superior focus and execution for a walk away win.

Chris Bressard had a very nice win, Jim Craig was on the podium and Dom had a podium and was rock solid all weekend as well.

West bend got the best of BrianinCT twice. He was fast for a first time racer circling in the 1:01's but may have been going "too fast too soon". No doubt Brian will overcome these teething problems and perform well down the road. We saw the fight in him and felt his frustration at having two crash damage reports at his first weekend.

As for our first win... Almost got there in race one as we were managing back marker traffic when Kevin Hoffman caught and passed us with 5 to go and then gapped us using lapped traffic with 1 1/2 laps left. Threw caution to the wind setting a personal best last lap (58.6) that closed the gap but didn't get us there ahead of Kevin. Nothing was left on the table and it was a very satisfying drive that simply fell short. Kevin drove a great race.

In the second race dropped in behind Kevin at the start and we pulled away from the field for the first 13 laps until a back marker at the apex of the downhill interrupted Kevin's flow enough to give us a clean run for the lead going into big bend. A few laps later OLDMAN's crash in west bend closed the field behind the pace car for two laps. I buggered the re-start and Kevin grabbed the lead again. With 5 to go, while on his gearbox through the downhill, Kevin's tail stepped out left rotating his nose right and scrubbing speed. Fully committed at the apex our only choice was to dive left of Kevin and keep our foot in it. Kevin was managing steering corrections that pitched his nose back left toward track-out as we were pulling along side. Smart use of mirrors and car control saved us both as he saw my approach and stabilized his sliding left front wheel inches from my right side pod allowing a clean outside pass on the rumble strip. Four laps later with a 3.451 second lead the checkered flag waved.

After 37 years of imagining a win at Lime Rock as a fan, words fall short of the emotions after actually winning one. During the last lap I could see every instructor around the course who had given his guidance and support along this 3-year journey as a driver. (And also thought of several who weren't at this particular race.) The great privilege of driving in the Skip Barber Race Series is feeling the constant support of passionate racers who want you to experience that special joy of winning a race. They know how hard the first win can be, so sharing the joy with them and fellow competitors is very rewarding. We were blessed with Kevin Hoffman's skill and pressure as it made earning this win even more meaningful.

Special thanks to Sy for all his racing encouragement, and to my wife Vicki and daughter Julia for their continued support of my irrational passion for this sport.

In the pit lane there was much more ice than water in the cooler that rained into the cockpit as well wishers patted our helmet and put a checkered flag in our hands. Like a HANSed and helmeted kingfish packed in ice we headed out for the sweetest lap in motorsport where as a Nick Nick "Happy Boy" sounds and colors were all suddenly a little bit brighter. In turn 2 the contrast of Peter Argetsinger in exuberant thumbs-up animation next to Jim Pace in ramrod straight full military salute will always be remembered as will the waves, smiles and thumbs-up from Papa Carl, Hazmatt, Cash, and every instructor on course. As their final act to a long day the hardworking corner workers gave us the high honor of a full rotating multiple flag salute to close things out in grand style.

Sid got the first hug out of the car and everyone remaining at Lime Rock got one after that. It's fun reaching a life goal but so much more fun celebrating it with great people.

Didn't want the day to end so I called a few family and friends, hanging around the paddock until most had drifted off finally helping Kelly and Todd break down the hospitality tables. Before driving home I took one last slow parade lap around the track to savor the moment in sunlit solitude. Good stuff.

And then I did something else that I'd never done before... Drove all the way home from Lime Rock at the posted speed limit of 45mph.

[Jim Pace]

Pat,
Great job with the win at LRP! (Along w/ Hammer time in the zone and Chris Brassard). You have earned it the old fashioned way and we all rejoice in your glory. Everyone that reads of your experience is either dreaming of the day it comes there way or remembering the first time it did. (Mine was Moroso in black #35 against series heavy weight Joe Pezza...you never forget the first one...). And what really stands out will be knowing how genuinely excited your friends are for you!
It was an honor to be there.
JP

[KevinH]

Pat.....an amazing two races with you. I had two previous wins under my belt but they were given to me by the fastest drivers taking themselves out of contention in both races. Tracking you down in the first race had me working so hard that I was incredibly exhausted afterwards. I made myself perform and do things in the car I have never done before. I feel it was my first win and my emotional high after such focus and concentration was amazing......except for the counterbalance of my emotional low after watching the tape of me bob, not once, but twice towards Lee as we go four wide into turn one and rubbed tires with him that sent me straight into Nick Spencer's rear suspension, ending his race as I continued on for the restart.

Even as I think back I still vividly see the control tower close to my right side thinking I was very far over. I was convinced that Lee drifted into me but that was far from the truth when I saw the tape, a severe case of selective memory. I can only think that I was checking my left mirror to look where everyone was and my hands followed my head each time. I set my left mirror to look directly behind me (which usually works well for the this predominantly right turn course) and since Lee was next to me and not directly behind me I thought my run on him had me in the clear. Perhaps I had tunnelvision as well, just concentrating on getting to that apex. Either way, I had the enitre state of Connectitcut to my right so there was no excuse for that mess and I apologize to everyone involved.

Race 2 was very exciting. You on my tail being quicker in turn 2-4 and me with a slight edge in the uphill through the downhill. That edge dissappeared quickly though as I bet you found your foot flat in the downhill during the middle of the race. Sooooo much action in that race. A sweet move on me in lapped traffic, an outside pass on turn 1 follwed by some nice side-by-side action after the restart, and a great pounce after my fun slide through the downhill. I tried to catch you for a lap or two but you rocketed away with such authority that I had no choice but to try and stay out of Tom Capizzi's gun sights as he was less then a second away and closing.

A special congratualtions to Chris Brassard on an impressive podium, Chris Gatos (Sp?) for his maiden victory, and Bill Hammer for competing with the younglings and coming up with a fistfull of trophies. I have no idea where the championship runners find that last second at LRP, it is truly impressive work finding the R/T's true limit.