Buttonwillow double Nat & Super Tour April 30/May 1, 2011

I could tell where you were on the track but I agree it's not a good angle. The angle at Phoenix was much better. What would really concern me is that rubbery roll cage. Maybe thats why you went off over the hill.
 
SPowers":3so0oipf said:
I could tell where you were on the track but I agree it's not a good angle. The angle at Phoenix was much better. What would really concern me is that rubbery roll cage. Maybe thats why you went off over the hill.
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"Rubbery roll cage"? A GoPro on an extended mount stuck to the roof shakes a lot, but that cage does not budge.
 
I just had nothing for Jason at Buttonwillow. On Saturday he out-qualified me by 2 seconds. I was surprised that I got track record during the race as he beat me by a good amount.

I thought Sunday might turn out to be a better race when I out-qualified Jason by about 0.3 second. He just powered by me at the start and just continued to pull away and got a new track record on the way. I realized that track is more of a power track than I thought it was. There are many tight corners to help get me catch up but I also had to accelerate off of those corners and I didn't have the power to keep up.

A momentum track like Willow Springs makes for a more interesting race between Jason and I; Buttonwillow, not so much.

Jason has done a good job of getting that car set up to go fast. If he goes to the Runoffs be sure to keep an eye on him. He should do well if he can keep it on the track. :p :)
 
Gary Wittman":22o6a7ed said:
I just had nothing for Jason at Buttonwillow. On Saturday he out-qualified me by 2 seconds. I was surprised that I got track record during the race as he beat me by a good amount.

I thought Sunday might turn out to be a better race when I out-qualified Jason by about 0.3 second. He just powered by me at the start and just continued to pull away and got a new track record on the way. I realized that track is more of a power track than I thought it was. There are many tight corners to help get me catch up but I also had to accelerate off of those corners and I didn't have the power to keep up.

A momentum track like Willow Springs makes for a more interesting race between Jason and I; Buttonwillow, not so much.

Jason has done a good job of getting that car set up to go fast. If he goes to the Runoffs be sure to keep an eye on him. He should do well if he can keep it on the track. :p :)
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Hey, it was only 1.4 on Sat. :wink: But that is the difference between being able to qual my pig on the 430 tire, and having to race at a slower pace on the 475. I just cant maintain that pace and expect to have anything at the end... Unlike the guy who set the track record on Sat on his last lap. :shock: Sandbagger. :lol:

I truly thought I was going to be hosed at Buttonwillow, being it is a "slower" track than WS. But it turned out that in all of the tight turns the engine was right in the sweet spot, and the new diff worked great.

I think I need to put spare bumper on my list of parts to carry... Or stop driving off the track. :ask:

2011-05-02_19-29-43_674.jpg
 
Wished I could have made it. Did you use the same track configuration as last year? If so the lap times were very fast.

Cory
 
cmarkos":2x8vt96t said:
Wished I could have made it. Did you use the same track configuration as last year? If so the lap times were very fast.

Cory
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Yes, it was the same as last year. While the track did not feel great in practice and qualifying a lot of track records fell during the weekend.
 
I'm hoping this works. Below, I'm posting the link to the start of the race on Saturday from my perspective. Kind of a boring race for me. I got to watch everyone pull away, and then watch 4th gear go away. Maybe I'll post that video later this week. Congratulations to Jason on a couple of strong wins. If there really is even more in that car, look out. With my car being sidelined for awhile, maybe I can be in line for a seat in one of the other two Toyotas. :wink:

Craig


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zkk-5UC3tZo
 
Okay, here's another link to something that happened later in the race on Saturday. I had already lost 4th gear, and was waving past Leroy Shaver's HP Midget, with 3 T1 Corvettes right behind. The first 2 made it past Leroy okay, but the third cut it a little too close, got his right side tires off in the dirt, and it threw him back across the track into the Midget. My mirror blocks some of the action, but you can still see it.
I know that they have to put the HP cars in a race group somewhere, and we usually get along well with the T1 guys. But they always seem to run in a pack, and when they catch you at a less than desirable spot, they all want to make it through. This is what can happen.

Craig

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwidQLBIK74
 
craig bryant":365ii4b0 said:
Okay, here's another link to something that happened later in the race on Saturday. I had already lost 4th gear, and was waving past Leroy Shaver's HP Midget, with 3 T1 Corvettes right behind. The first 2 made it past Leroy okay, but the third cut it a little too close, got his right side tires off in the dirt, and it threw him back across the track into the Midget. My mirror blocks some of the action, but you can still see it.
I know that they have to put the HP cars in a race group somewhere, and we usually get along well with the T1 guys. But they always seem to run in a pack, and when they catch you at a less than desirable spot, they all want to make it through. This is what can happen.

Craig

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwidQLBIK74
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Mike Lewis (GT1 Jag) expressed some concern about the "STU" cars that share his run group - many of which are nothing more than a double dipping SM. Not that I relish the idea of have Wreck Miata in our heat, but I wonder if swapping T1 with STU might be a step in the right direction for Cal Club. :ask: Obviously "real" STU cars will be every bit as quick as T1, but we don't have many of those, yet.
 
So right now you have:

GT1, GT2, GT3, GTL, EP, FP STU
and
T1, T2, T3, STO, AS, SSB, SSC, HP

Why not do:

GT1, GT2, GT3, T1, T2, STO, AS
and
EP, FP, HP, GTL, STU, T3, SSB, SSC

More of a traditional Big Bore and Small Bore grouping. I've been to races in practically every division and have never seen the SoPac groupings.
 
That makes a lot of sense and maybe this crash will help us change to groupings like that. I don't mind running with T1 cars but they can be over aggressive when it comes to corners. The same car that ran over Leroy came up on me at a tight corner at the end of the back straight that I brake for very late. He decided to out-brake me at all cost and ended up going partially into the dirt. Fortunately, I realized his misjudgment was coming and gave him room to make his error without taking me out with him. Yes, he was trying to catch up to his competition but so was I. He ended up slowing both of us.
 
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