Thunderbolt Race Weekend

[Dan Yonker]

I thought about squeezing Bob.....I saw him coming.  My first reaction after letting him buy was that he might unsettle the car and start a chain reaction.  The overiding train of thought for me, though, was that I'm a Rookie and I need to stay out of trouble.   I've seen to many races end on the first turn, so I took the conservative route.  Maybe next time!  

[JoeP]

This is sounding more attractive by the minute.  I'll just need to adapt a set of 12" knock-offs to my 18" wheels:

[Darren]

Dan Yonker wrote:

The overiding train of thought for me, though, was that I'm a Rookie and I need to stay out of trouble.

And Bob knows that Ok no more race secrets!

[betegh9]

bobt993 wrote:

You would really hit me???? :X

Your out of my will!!!!!

Oh!......... I think that's real funny!
I'd say: Don't take racing anything you can't walk away from. That threshold is different for every person.

[fasthonda]

hey darren and bob!   man, i'm sorry i couldn't make it last weekend;  i'd have had a BALL!

but, i am spending my time (and money) wisely;   the last two weekends i've been working on my lotus super seven super sprint (any of you RTR'ers remember that car?  i blew it up in late 2002;  hasn't been on track since!).   rebuilt motor is now in;  i have hooked up all the ancillaries and gone over everything;   another 3 hrs of 'this and that' and i should be ready to turn the key!!!!!     then, its off to Turkey Bowl 2009 at the end of this month (hopefully!).

racing is like this -- it's all about knowing when to take the (big) chance, at the right time.   you have to be aggressive, but not so much that there is a good chance that something 'bad' happens and it takes you out....    but, being too timid is almost as bad, or worse;   the other guys will smell blood in the water and will 'swarm' you, jamming in everywhere, passing everywhere.  and you'll get taken out this way, too!   it's a balance, trying to find the speed, and the aggression, and also taking care of the car, and the tires, and the brakes.   and then there is working the lap traffic, too!   its all those things that make up the BIG difference between DE'ing (even at a 'high' level;  the black and the red group) and wheel-to-wheel racing.....   it is a huge difference in skill level, racing vs lapping.   i like to explain it like this -- lapping at a DE you can expend just about all your brain power and concentration on the driving aspect (with a little bit of brain power expended on watching for flags and keeping your eyes up, etc).   during a race, i am using the majority of my brain power on 'racecraft' and making 'plans';  how to keep darren behind me!   and how to use the slower miata lap traffic to make it harder for him to stay on my bumper!  or how to set up a pass somewhere on track where he doesn't expect it, or better yet, can't defend against it!     racing wheel to wheel is SO much more, in so many ways.   generally, it can't really be explained too well;  it just has to be experienced!

cruising around in the red group (or any advanced group, with any club) is downright relaxing compared to a 'real' race.   but the adrenaline rush of a race is something to behold -- it's up there with very few things in life!!!!! 

todd

[betegh9]

betegh9 wrote:

bobt993 wrote:

You would really hit me???? :X

Your out of my will!!!!!

Oh!......... I think that's real funny!
I'd say: Don't take racing anything you can't walk away from. That threshold is different for every person.

By the way, here are a few stables where its owners wouldn't even blink if one of their cars was wrecked in a race........... I'll give you 3 guesses to find which is MY STABLE, but the first 2 don't count. hock:hock::dude:
http://www.luxury4play.com/automotive/36...-pics.html

[bobt993]

Dan,  I had no intention of ruining your race, but that corner is way faster than most everyone was entering it.  I had a bad qualifying and needed to catch up to the pole sitter.  We were the only two cars that ran 1:30's in practice in GTS3.  If you notice I was not around too much longer until the double yellow came out.  Eiseman in the white M3 was also fast as I checked his times from last year (1:30.4), so him and I battled for a couple of laps.  You could have closed up, but  two cars would have passed you on the outside.   

BTW, you jumped the start or need another dyno run.............. 

[Dan Yonker]

Hey Robert....

I don't recall saying you ruined my race.  I had a great time and appreciate your help.  See you at the next one.

 

[steveh]

Great racing gents. 

I was there for the DE on Sunday (saving race budget for the Summit Point 4-hour in a couple weeks), and enjoyed being a spectator.

Just curious - in the paddock, one of the SM guys was pretty irked at the ITB silver VW (much loud cursing).  Any idea what was up with that?

[bobt993]

Dan,  sorry for how that sounds.  You were a good sport and drove really well.  I had scoped out that turn in practice and run over the curbing to see how much it unsettles the car.    I did the same at the exit of T2 , both inside and outside edges of the turn including running in the grass.  So what I am saying is I was not taking a big risk in doing so and would not hit your car.   

I better shut up now because I am giving away some of the learning process, but your already a fast learner.


BTW, I did that same line in the wet to get around Galossi and he is a well seasoned racer with a lot more races than any of us.