Location: Los Angeles Founder, West Coast Corvette Challenge
Getting to the WCCC finals...
Today was the 5th. and final event of our inaugural racing season. I have found that trying to run the event AND keep my head clear enough to race is more than a little challenging - especially for an old guy who is losing millions of neurons between the time when I go to sleep and when I wake up! :lol:
Anyway, here's a bit of a race report for Sunday, November 3rd. at LACR.
We got in four practice runs this morning. I was running in the 12.2x's all morning: 12.28, 12.29, 12.25, and a 12.23. My r/t's were all over the place and NOT good at all: .636, .489, .628, and .645. I didn't make a single .5xx pass - UGH! :mad I figured the only way I could win would be on my dials. I sure didn't think it would be at the tree. :lol:
First round I am randomly paired with Ron Kaku. The weather is getting cooler and so I dial a soft 12.20 to Ron's 13.40. He beats me at the tree with a .654 light to my ugly .695, but I get the win on the dial when he runs a 13.56 to a 12.27. Neither one of us could figure this one out.
Onward. My next opponent is Donna King - who is one of the better drivers around. She dials a hard 13.36 to my 12.24. I figure that should be just enough under my previous 12.27 to help me out. I certainly wasn't doing it at the tree. Donna launches first (.894) to my boring but consistent .642 light. I got a bit of tire slip - that coupled with getting off it a bit just before the traps produced a 12.38. Definitely nothing for me to write home about but I get lucky as she breaks out with a 13.34.
Now I'm in the semi's against Branko Sindicich in his blown '68 482 c.i. motor with a nice 6-71 sitting on top. He has been running in the 9.70's all day long. Low 9.70's. Consistent low 9.70's. Like within three hundredths all day long. He had come to LACR to practice for the Super Chevy Show in a couple of weeks in Las Vegas. Branko has a habit of winning money as a racer - LOTS of money. He's had r/t's in the .5xx's all day long. Even though he has removed his delay box and has sworn off the transbrake, I am not feeling encouraged. It kinda felt like David vs. Goliath. I debated between Prozac, Thorazine, or maybe just run some jumper cables from the battery to my brain for a few volts of electro-convulsive therapy. :eek:
Beach Bum, clearly seeing that I did not bring enough Xanax, comes up to me and says the following: "Gary, dial hard on this guy, put your foot through the floorboard, and just leave it there for 1320 feet." Hearing Beach's words helped me to get focused.
Now we're at the front of the starting line. Godzilla cranks up his "I eat C5's for Lunch Machine" and drowns out the sound of me cranking over. I got the right lane. He took the left. I burnout, he burns out. My car disappears in the smoke of HIS burnout. This is getting humiliating and we haven't even staged! :eek:
I pull up to the tree, pre-stage, and then stage with Todd's encouraging words - as well as several others who were rooting me on in this mis-match of car AND driver. Branko stages and now I just focus on the third bulb. Only the third bulb, and nothing but the third bulb. I see it - I hit it - I keep my foot in it for not quite the 1320 feet. I had no idea what light I cut nor how he did at the line. It felt like it was a good light. I'm running down the track like a raped ape and as I look into my side-view mirror I see him charging up - fast - VERY fast - BUT, to my amazement, maybe not fast enough. Around 1100 feet I realize that he may not catch me and at about a hundred feet or so from the traps I ever so gently get off it. I just beat him but I didn't know how it all worked out until I get to the time-booth.
I looked at the slip - twice - and saw the following: I had dialed a 12.24 and ran a 12.35. Branko dialed a 9.70 and ran a 9.72. The race was evidently over when I learned that I treed him (my .516 to his .652)! :D
At this point, I feel like I have just won the race of my life - I have never beat a car that fast in any kind of drag race before, nor a driver who is typically amongst top finishers. Yikes! This was really exciting - almost more exciting than making it into the finals against Beach! :yesnod:
And speaking of the finals...I will leave that to Himself, Beach Bum, to describe to you all.
Many thanks to Troy, Mr. Mojo, and the other forum gods for giving us a place to share our drag-racing stories with our fellow Mod Aholics! :jester
2 :cool: Gary. Thanks for the story. I was stuck in the staging lanes behind you waiting for Beach to eliminate me.
Great race. I saw Branko launch :eek: WOW! He pulled the front end about 18" off the ground. Of course he had been doing that all day but, this was the first time I was behind him when he did it.
Thanks for the great job running the event. :smash: :smash: :smash: I think you have enough neurons left for another season. :D As you say, "you don't quit racing because you get old, you get old because you quit racing". :yesnod: Hope I got that right.
Gary - Congratulations on another strong day at the track. Many thanks to you for organizing the West Coast variety of the Corvette Challenge. You've done a great job with everything behind the scenes, as well as being tough to beat on the track. :cheers: :cheers: Enjoy your much deserved rest until the next season of racing begins. I'm already looking forward to the first event of the new season in January...seems like it's just around the corner.... :D Thanks again for all of your enthusiasm, time and effort with the WCCC. It was a great first season.
Also, congratulations to Beach Bum for today's win. :cheers: :cheers:
Digi camera pics of today's event are on the way... a few more days to get to the 35mm pics posted....and I wasn't supposed to be taking pics today.... :crazy: Oh well, I made up for the second round loss by taking the Best R/T...0.505 in the first round of eliminations :D
Great story !! and good racing, especially your 3rd round win... my philosophy on racing 9 second cars that are dialing hard is don't even think about screwing around with them on the big end, dial hard and cut a light and make'em beat you.... you did all of the above.
I don't have the energy to post my round by round right now..... but the final went like this:
We are racing LA County Raceway which is in the middle of the high desert, track elevation is 2700 feet, the DA is somewhere around 4000 feet.
Me and Gary in the final: He dials a 12.36 in his Morgan Motorsports built very fast C5 (Thats getting faster by the day it seems).... I raise my dial from a 12.07 to a 12.09 to account for the extra motor heat from a quick turnaround from our last race.
Gary leaves with a respectable .582 light, I get a small advantage with a .554.... I jump out to about 1/2 car behind him.... but just can't reel him in... I get my nose up to his door, but its obvious I don't have enough real estate to catch him, so I dump with 30 feet left, which basically did nothing, maybe taking a 1/2 mph out of it.... I break out with a 12.072 @ 111.21 mph to Garys bigger breakout of a 12.27 @ 106 mph... I'm figuring he dumped a bit too based upon his 106 trap..... I get the narrow double breakout win.... I was pretty surprised, my motor was at 185 when I was staging and about 195 going through the traps, which was about 20 degrees hotter than previous rounds..... thought for sure I would have slowed down to a 12.09..... guess not.
Great Race Gary !!! :cheers:
And great event as always !!! Everybody had a lot of fun and I think they all made a big point to say they did.... thats always nice :)
Gary I am very happy for you and a bit disappointed in you. You treed him but it only took about 1230 feet for you to forget what Todd had given you. Foot through the floor board for the whole 1/4. Yes you beat him but why chance it? You dialed for a run out the back. His MPH was about what 135?
I tell you nothing feels worse than letting off and then giving the stripe away by thosandths like I did to boweryboy a last year. It hurts! Stick with your plan. Dial hard, stay in it. I am sure you would not have brokent out.
Yes Gary, I must also thank you on all the work you do behind the scenes so we can have fun. Since you mentioned it, is there things that I(we) could do help make things easier on ya? Each event is getting better and better. I regret not sticking around, the CART race was boring. I know better now tho.
I'm eagerly awaiting the next WCCC event.
Location: Los Angeles Founder, West Coast Corvette Challenge
Re: Getting to the WCCC finals... (89 Paul in Cal)
Quote:
Yes Gary, I must also thank you on all the work you do behind the scenes so we can have fun. Since you mentioned it, is there things that I(we) could do help make things easier on ya? Each event is getting better and better. I regret not sticking around, the CART race was boring. I know better now tho.
I'm eagerly awaiting the next WCCC event.
Paul, no problem. Thanks for the offer to help out! There are a number of ways to help out:
1. Provide relief for folks at registration in-between practice rounds.
2. Tell all of your buds on the central coast about us!
3. Keep coming back - you've got great enthusiasm and that is ALWAYS
a welcome sight - and helpful too. Keeps us motivated to want to
put on these events. Welcome to the madness! :cheers:
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Getting to the WCCC finals...
