May 9th-10 SARRC/MARRS race at VIR

[Scott]

Does anyone know if registration has opened for the Al Fairer Memorial Double SARRC/MARRS race in May? I can't seem to find any registration information on it.
Thanks

[aged racer]

Scott, usually the regions put the links on their websites about a month before the event. Since NC region is also doing the National in two weeks, they may be a little late. Should be up by next weekend.

As of now, we're planning to be there (the SARRC/ MARRS).

Steve

[tac911t]

NCR's registration page is http://www.fingroup.com/NcReg/readSupps.htm

It's the same page for all of their races, and currently the National registration information is there. As Steve said, they open registration for the race about a month before, and I would expect the Mothers Day race to be up the week before the National or right after.

Other information and results after the event are posted on http://www.ncrscca.com/drivers.htm#calendar

See you at the track.

Todd

[Scott]

Signed up for SSM. Anything I need to know about registration?

[tac911t]

Print out your gate passes, and pass them out to your "Crew". Be sure when you register (or change your registration), not to list crew names, it is easier for the registrar to add them when they show with their gate passes.

Gate for the event will open at about 5:30 on Thursday night, practice day on Friday, and registration opens at 5:00 on Friday. Line is typically not too long (maybe 1/2 hour wait). Bring your SCCA license or Novice Permit, Log book, and helmet (sometimes they want to see the racing suit, socks, and gloves). Registration is the 2 double barn doors at the timing building next to pit out/starter stand. At registration they will provide you with your tech ticket, support vehicle paddock pass, and hold onto your Novice Permit (if you are racing on that). After registration, take the tech ticket to the tech barn (the smaller barn across the parking lot, to have the inspectors check your helmet, and issue you your tech sticker to be placed on the drivers side windshield.

Look for all of these people racing:

Scott Krzastek (you) - Black SM
Todd Cohen (Me) - Red and silver Nissan 200SX ITB
Greg Hastings - White FV
Gary Best - Blue FV
Tom Guthrie - Red FF
Bill Bradley - Red/White/Blue F500
Steve Strickland - Blue SM
Drew Strickland - Same car as Steve
Chris Plucker - Black 280Z ITS
Randy Carter - Blue/yellow Datsun 2000 Roadster EP
Scott Malbon - White or silver SM
Harlan Gugder - Blue Spec RX-7
Jeff Underwood - White Civic ITB
Bill Coursey - Red FV

Most of these people will be paddocked together on the row (or one row either way) with the Oil/Anti-freeze dumping shed up by the covered false grid, typically by one of the flood lights. The formula guys typically show up late on Thursday, and I plan to be there Thursday evening to attend the practice day.

See you there.

[Scott]

Hopefully my SCCA license will be in my hand by next weekend (I was told it would be....), if not, I will have my NASA license. I will need to get the car through it's year inspection, which shouldn't be too big a deal nice it was just issued a SCCA log book in August. If there is room Friday evening, I will be parked over the Oil/Anti-freeze dumping shed also.

[aged racer]

Guys, I'm going to do the practice day tomorrow. I'm going to head for the same place in the paddock that we used back in March.

See ya there- Steve

[RexRacer]

Good to see you guys this weekend. Here are my race reports along with in-car video.

http://www.underwood-racing.com/vir_sar ... s_5-09.htm

[Scott]

For my first SCCA weekend I consider it a success, meaning I beat my best time at VIR by 2 seconds and I got to drive my car onto the trailer on the end of Saturday, other than that it was as fairly disappointing weekend. I started 32nd and finished in 22nd. All day I was fighting a terribly understeering car, but with only 2 sessions, I didn't have much time try to adj. and figure out the problem. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to talk to anyone as I spent most for my time under the car. That being said, I was involved in a great 4 car battle after the second lap that lasted until the end. Overall it was fun, and I can't wait to get back on track (and hopefully figure out why my car won't handle)

[00GTJustin]

Just rotate the tires front to back

[tac911t]

My race weekend got off on the wrong foot during Friday’s practice. I had new Koni shocks find the right setting for, so the first two sessions were spent adjusting the shocks. With Greg Hastings and Gary Best helping by turning the screws. Lunch was spent installing the front and rear sway bars, and during this, I found a bad rear wheel stud. Missed the first session after lunch, fixing the wheel stud, then it was back out for the 4th session. During the second lap, while keeping up with some other ITB cars, I dropped the right rear wheel of at turn 16 (halfway down the rollercoaster), spun to the left onto the wet grass, and slid backwards into the tire wall. While the car was sliding backwards toward the tire wall, I thought out loud “This is going to be a big hit!” The car hit the tire wall with the right rear fender first, then the right side swung into the tire wall crinkling the right door and front fender. Actually the hit was not that hard, after restarting the car, I was able to drive into the pits to assess the damage. The car looked ugly, but still drove straight. After rubbing the tire marks of the paint (thanks to Chris Kirby and his brother-in-law), the car did look better.

The rest of the weekend was spent chasing fuel pressure problems, the car had a terrible flat spot coming out of some turns, from no throttle to full throttle. I installed a higher pressure fuel regulator that seems not to work well with this car. The plan is to put the old one back in.

Finished the race on Saturday in 6th place, with a great race dicing with some other ITB cars, until I spun out at turn 10 (did not hit anything this time). Sunday’s race provided a 5th place finish, dicing with a few ITB cars and a couple of Spec RX7’s. The start of Sunday’s race had a big wreck just past the Starters Stand, a VW was passing everyone on the inside in the grass, and ran smack into the back of Harlen Gugder’s RX7. The VW spun off to the left, Harlen hit the guardrail and spun off to the left. This incident took out a couple of Miatas and another Spec RX7. All I saw was a dirt cloud to the right, and cars spinning off to the left.

[RexRacer]

Todd,

In case you missed it, here are a couple of videos of the incident.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHbDRb4H2Gs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VMrs6nqp5I

I paddocked with the guy in the VW this past weekend. He is feeling pretty low right now, and trying to make it right with the folks involved. Tough lesson to learn.

[Chiketkd]

Holy cow - that VW driver really shot up in there. Glad everyone was able to walk away at the end of the day.

[aged racer]

The VW driver has been doing mucho mea culpa’s over on the ImprovedTouring.com board. It took two wreck trucks to get his car back on the trailer, and he says he’s done for the season.. Good to see a little humility in cases like that- expect he’ll be cool next time.

Scott, meant to find your paddock and say hello, but didn’t get a chance since we left Saturday evening. Saw you on track- you looked good.

Overall, a big turnout for the BRR, congrats to all who made it and our winners and podium finishers. We only ran Saturday, and had quite a busy day running Drew in ITS in Group 1 and me in SM in Group 4. Drew ran on last year’s Toyo RA1’s without the SM restrictor plate, and had a good run finishing 5th in the combined ITS group (9 cars total) and 4th in SARRC ITS. Between sessions we had to change tires back to the R888’s for SARRC SM (spec tire) and put the plate back in for SM.

Despite practicing Friday I did not qualify well and started the race in 23rd (not quite 40 cars altogether). Made a good start and got as high as 14th on the second lap only to get nailed in the rear bumper and spun out at Oak Tree by an overanxious competitor (how unlike Spec Miata…). Slipped off briefly again in Turn 1 trying to get it all back in one lap, which put me all the way down in 28th…yikes. I settled down after that and starting picking off cars, ultimately clawing my way back to 18th overall, 8th among SARRC drivers. That part was fun, although frustrating because with that start it could have been better. I was called to impound after the race so that the offending driver could apologize (which he did, fully and abjectly), so some justice was done. Didn’t throw paper on him as he’s generally pretty clean, but after some of the recent crashfests in the class the Stewards are cracking down on contact whenever it’s observed (rightfully so). The car was fine, one minor scar on the rear bumper, so I’m off for Kershaw next weekend for a Double SARRC in hopes of running a little better.

Steve

[914geezer]

Congratulations Jeff!!!!

Good to see my prediction of a class win before the season ended came true in only your second race. Very good driving and fine video. Thanks for sharing it with us. Good warm-up for my DE there this weekend.

If you forget about the lap record that could also happen. Keep up the good work and figure out a way to keep more of the Miatas behind you early.

Maury

[aged racer]

Couple of pic's from the NCR-SCCA website. The first shows me recovering from a spin after the #19 bunted me off at Oak Tree. The other shows Jeff with the hammer down!

Steve

[RexRacer]

Cool. Mine should be titled "getting gang banged by SSMs"