NOLA Majors, March 7-8

Matt93SE":2ldryvfu said:
Looks like I'm gonna have my plate full that weekend! Syd I can handle. The other EP cars? All fast guys. That'll be fun to watch. from behind.
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Matt, you looked pretty quick yesterday at TWS, great 5th lap as I was watching the race on my phone. I'll probably bring the RX-8 out to play at Nola, so I'll probably be watching your rear bumper :( Maybe one day I'll figure the car out. Needs 200 less pounds and 25 more HP, and someone who could drive would be helpful.
 
Thanks! Definitely a learning curve with that car. P/W of roughly 60% better than my 240SX, old bias ply tires, and a rotary with no rev limiter (gotta fix that!!)..

Car was a handful on really old tires and I was cruising most of the weekend just trying to get a feel for the chassis at 50% grip. I put some better tires on for Sunday, but then broke a rod end on the torque arm in practice. Louie Rivera fortunately had a spare from his GTL car in the trailer and I got the car put back together for the race. Since I missed qual, I got to start last. Now I have a mission!!

After starting on the last row, I worked through the field and could see the leader after 3rd lap or so and set about chasing him down. I was getting more comfortable with the car and starting to push it a bit just to see how it handled on the limit, then I had a couple bobbles getting sideways and lost some ground on lap 4. On lap 5 I calmed down a bit and just drove the car and caught Jensen pretty quick. After I got around him, I backed off and just drove the car around hoping nothing else would break.

There was some driveline noise on the car that I was concerned about before the race. it was worse after the race. pulled the transmission when I got home last night and the throwout bearing was completely siezed. somehow all it did was gob a bit of material onto the clutch fingers so the clutch is fine. new TO bearing will go in tonight or tomorrow and I'll only have a little left for prepping for NOLA.

Between the slick/damp track, me babying the car on old tires, and me learning to drive the car, I figure there's at least 5 seconds on the table. That puts me at roughly a 1:53 if you do some ricer math. Not the 1:51 I need to run up front, but I'll keep working on it.
 
"Ricer Math" - Never heard that one before but I love it. I am stealing that and will use it liberally.
 
Matt did a great job of staying under control Sunday. I'll vouch for the slick track. After they got off track it really started to come down. The open wheel guys got the worst of it and then we, big bore, got to go out with it still puddled up but only sprinkling. I went through 7 twice sideways at over 100 mph before I decided my lead was sufficient. No track records this weekend.

james -r
 
Rob":3720skwe said:
"Ricer Math" - Never heard that one before but I love it. I am stealing that and will use it liberally.
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Ricer math:
aftermarket intake +7hp
exhaust + 7 hp
header + 7hp
timing bump + 7hp
..... ricer math = 28hp

in real world, that would net you about 10hp.


to my point, I left quite a bit of driving on the table (braking WAY early and cornering easy due to confidence in the car). that's easily worth a couple seconds a lap.
old tires.. that's worth a couple seconds a lap.
stock transmission.. that's worth a couple seconds a lap..
slick track.. that's worth a couple seconds a lap.
add a couple, couple, couple, couple and I have 8 seconds I can knock off, but I'm only 7 seconds away from Reynolds 1.51.7 record.
I highly doubt I'll get to that number at the May race before the track closes, but I'm sure going to try!
 
178 total event entries, which is a great bump from last years 124. Updated "Prod Group" entries:

E Production - 9 Entries
8 - Blehm, Matt - 1982 Mazda RX7 - Hawk, Hoosier, Mazda, Summit Racing - Rosharon, TX
76 - Catterfeld, Derek - 2000 Toyota Celica - Cobb Tuning/ Hoosier - Austin, TX
46 - Davis, Sydney - 1994 Mazda Miata - JAWS Racing/MAZDASPEED/MSR Houston - Cypress, TX
9 - Kosdrosky, Rick - 2000 Lotus Caterham 7 - Over Fifty Motorsports/Hoosier - Granbury, TX
97 - Pineider, Paul - 2004 Mazda RX-8 - Mazdaspeed/Hoosier - Colleyville, TX
92 - Pritchett, Darryl - 1995 Dodge Neon - Daytona Beach, FL
71 - Reynolds, Matt - 1999 Mazda Miata - Reynolds Bros. Racing/JPM/Vintage Connection - Fair Oaks , Tx
24 - Robertson, Andrew - 2000 Caterham Super 7 - Hoosier/Summit/SafeRacer - The Woodlands, TX
52 - Tucker, Don - 1995 Mazda Miata - LabWare, Inc. - Memphis, TN

F Production - 5 Entries
57 - Baker, Kyle - 1991 Mazda Miata - DEE Autosport - Angleton, TX
51 - Kannard, Ken - 1990 Mazda Miata - Northwest Cable/Hoosier/Mazda/OPM - East Troy, WI
63 - Kullman, Paul - 1992 Mazda Miata - No Mo Money Race Engineering - Seminole, FL
38 - Manning, Weber - 1991 Mazda miata - Robin Racing - Germantown, TN
73 - Ruck, Kevin - 1990 Acura Integra - Hoosier/Honda Performance Development - Atascosa, TX

GTL - 3 Entries
98 - Lopshire, Roy - 1991 Toyota Tercel - TRD/Williams Racing Development/Hoosier - Blue Springs, MO
12 - Mevoli, Paul - 1982 Volkswagen Rabbit - Treasure Island, FL
72 - Shadowen, Peter - 1990 Honda CRXsi - Road N Race Automotive/Hoosier/HPD/Redline/Hawk - West Palm Beach, FL

H Production - 5 Entries
3 - Albin, Chris - 1985 Volkswagen GTI/Golf - Hoosier/247-parts.com/AMT engines - Maryland Heights, MO
90 - Horrell, Rob - 1961 Austin Sprite - Horrell Group Architects - Memphis, TN
78 - Louw, David - Fiat X1/9 - Over 50 Racing - Houston, TX
75 - Ogren, Mike - 1987 - Volkswagen Scirocco - fwdracingguide.com, Protech Services - Spring Hill, FL
36 - Perry, Will - 1987 Honda CRX - Rivergate; Epilepsy Foundation; Stringer Bead Welding - Sale Creek, TN
 
The only reason the entry is increased from 2014 is because the powers that be made it a SE Conference race and 70 SEDiv drivers are entered. Beats me how a race West of the Mississippi River can be considered Southeast. We are concerned they will add High Plains in 2016.

We, in Atlanta, think this will definitely hurt our attendance for our March Majors. Add this to the loss of a date this year at Road Atlanta to the May Trans Am has us looking at our program for 2016 and a return to the use of Atlanta Motor Speedway's 2.5 mile road course.
 
Don't forget that it snowed just a few days before last years' event, preventing many people from coming.
Also note this is only the 2nd SCCA race at the track. First race was the Majors last year, so how many people are going to take the risk to drive through bad weather to run on a track they've never raced?
 
FP Racer":2hyc4uzt said:
Beats me how a race West of the Mississippi River can be considered Southeast. We are concerned they will add High Plains in 2016.
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You only have to drive north about 10 miles and you'll be on the east side of the Mississippi. :lol:
 
And you have to drive through a state that is not in SEDiv, Mississippi, to get to Louisiana. What other Conference has this? Maybe next year they will add the June Sprints to NEDiv. It's a single race Majors that counts for two races and two points payments. Maybe, with that, they should just make the June Sprints count for all Conferences.

Rob those who are successful to help those who are not. Wait a minute, this is just like Washington and we all know how well that is working.
 
Just spent a couple of days at NOLA for a "winter test" for GT3 Cup and Prototype Lites. Track seems like it has a good rhythm and should be fun to drive.

It was cold enough to be winter.

Aside from the NOLA Sport garage and the Drag tower (that's what it looks like anyway) there wasn't much in the way of infrastructure. A single building that houses Scoring and Race Control (that wil be tight with INDY Car). Looks like plenty of paddock. Only about 20 minutes to downtown. The Candlewood Suites is only 5 minutes from the track. Alas, we didn't stay there but at the Crowne Plaza near the airport, some 20 minutes away with no traffic or 30-40 with rush hour.

Should be a fun event, especially for those who like to go to "town" and have some night life.
 
How's the track surface? it was a bit bumpy on the front straight last year and I haven't been back since. It's not a problem in the dry, but in the wet the front straight will have dozens of puddles in the low spots preventing almost every car from running wide open past about 80mph without hydroplaning/spinning tires.
 
Still pretty bumpy going into 1. The IndyCar guys installed some curbing 20 feet (or 10 I didn't measure) outside the original curbing in turn 1 and 6? (heading onto the back straight). Not sure if it is removable.

I guess it was to change the dynamic of the passing zones.

Turn one looks like a mini-Cleveland GP turn entry to me.
 
I have an extra room reserved at the Hampton Inn in Elmwood I won't need. Don't know if they are full but I won't release till Monday. If anyone want it let me know.
 
I have an extra room reserved at the Hampton Inn in Elmwood I won't need. Don't know if they are full but I won't release till Monday. If anyone want it let me know.
 
Temps look good, but weather is calling for possible rain. everyone be sure to bring rain tires so it'll stay dry. ;)
 
FP Racer":3a216vlo said:
Add this to the loss of a date this year at Road Atlanta to the May Trans Am has us looking at our program for 2016 and a return to the use of Atlanta Motor Speedway's 2.5 mile road course.
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Jim ...

Regarding Atlanta Region's loss of a date - you may have lost the date from the track, but the Trans Am Series is running with DRIFT in May 2015, just like in 2014. Therefore, I don't see how Trans Am caused you to lose a date this season. It would be wonderful if we could figure out how to have the Trans Am event in conjunction with an Atlanta Region event like we did with the ARRC in 2012 and 2013. But, that hasn't happened the last couple of years.

Thanks,
Kelley Huxtable
DMVR
"PLAY SAFE"
 
Not sure how we lost the date, but Road Atlanta has a strange way of counting weekends and when we got to our numbers, May was gone. But, as I said, we have Atlanta Motor Speedway and their 2.5 mile track. They just repaved the infield part of the course and can you say nice pits.

As for Trans Am, they seem to be getting away from running with the Regions as they did when they restarted. I guess they figure more bang for the buck with the drifters.

Just noticed over 40 Florida drivers out of the 70 SEDiv drivers entered at NOLA and they will be getting their 3rd needed Majors event for the Daytona Runoffs. Not saying they would have all come to Atlanta, but we are a couple hundred miles closer than NOLA.

It tis what it is and we'll make do. Who knows, maybe the Runoffs might return home some day.
 
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