We took a month off due to so many activities and conflicts on April Thursdays but ….. we are back and ready!!!! I hope you have missed getting together with some sports car friends and will come to our meeting … and bring a friend!

Our meeting will be next Thursday MAY 15th at RYAN’s on Laurens Road in Greenville, SC. Since we are headed in to Hillclimbing season with Wolf’s Ridge, Eagle’s Nest and Crow Mountain in the coming months, we have asked John Finger to come speak to us…. both on his experiences running hillclimbs as well as a “101 introductory course” on lines and preparation for tackling a mountain in a Time Trial. John has an outstanding career in racing and is one of the “Sweet 16” winners of the Chimney Rock Hillclimb. We will be showing some videos from in car cameras for Wolf Ridge, Eagle’s Nest and some from John at the Rock . This will be a meeting you don’t want to miss . Mark your calendars now. We’ll start eating at 6:00 and start the meeting at 7:00 try to wrap up around 8:00. If you are interested in Course working for ANY of the upcoming hillclimbs, please email me!!!! It really is the 2nd best seat in the house…. Food and accommodations are free!

BIG NEWS! The July meeting will be held at the Timken ICAR center! Ron Wilcox will work with us on getting a tour of the facilities and he will be our speaker on Sound Control. Ron ran Sound Trap for many years at Lime Rock before moving down this way. He has promised to give attendees 5 ways to beat the Sound Trap. Road racers…you really don’t want to miss this!!!!!

Also, if you have any items for sale or trade please bring the info to the meeting. We’ll try to set some time aside to let anyone with trade or sale items to present them. This is another opportunity for networking that SWCCCR brings to the table to add to the value our meetings. It’s new year…go look around your garage, get rid of some junk and get some money! Someone else will see that junk as TREASURE!!!

Again, thank you for your support of the South West Chapter of Central Carolinas Region!!! Any ideas on improvements to meetings or potential sites for autocrosses for 2008 in our area, please contact me. This would include the area between Greenville and Columbia, Greenville and Charlotte and up into Western North Carolina as well. If you would like to add a friend to our mail out list, please send me their name and contact info. Please encourage them to attend a meeting so they can see what we’re all about. Just forward this email on to them… we would like to get more people attending meetings!

Ted Theodore

• Double SARRC
• Carolina Cup
• ECR
• Track Trial

Registration is open for all events!!

SARRC http://www.dlbracing.com/clubs/clubdrivers.aspx?EventID=3434

CCPS http://www.dlbracing.com/clubs/clubdrivers.aspx?EventID=3435

ECR http://www.dlbracing.com/clubs/clubdrivers.aspx?EventID=3436

Track Trial http://www.myautoevents.com/pls/mae/frmEventDetail.Show?psevent_id=9046

Download the time trials schedule - Adobe PDF or MS Word
Download the flyer for the event here! (Adobe PDF)

Memorial Monster Schedule (MS Word)
Memorial Monster Supps (MS Word)

Workers - register here - http://www.dlbracing.com/clubs/workers.aspx?EventID=3434

Contact: Mark Seiler, Marketing/PR 704-898-0141
mark@ccrscca.com

The Metrolina Association for the Blind (MAB) will be staging its Inaugural Fathers Day Braille Road Rallye and Car Show Saturday June 14, 2008; it will be held at The Charlotte Merchandise Mart and sanctioned by the Central Carolinas Region (CCR) of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). Sixty entries will compete with half having sight-impaired navigators using instructions written in Braille to complete the prescribed course.

“You wouldn’t normally think of the visually impaired being able to compete in an automotive competition but, the Braille Rallye gives them that opportunity” said, Bob Scheffel, MAB President. “We want this to be the beginning of a new motorsports tradition in a region rich in racing history.”

WBTV Reporter/Anchor Molly Grantham will be driving in the event with Cassidy Hooper as her navigator. Ms. Hooper was born without eyes or a nose and is featured in the book, Forever Hellos, Hard Goodbyes about children facing life-challenging illnesses.

The goal of the Road Rallye is for a driver and navigator team to complete an unknown course using written instructions. The driver/navigator team that comes closest to the predetermined time and distance is declared the winner. Penalties are incurred for finishing too early, late or off the prescribed distance.

The entrants will leave the car show at The Merchandise Mart starting at 9:00AM and the Rallye awards ceremony at 3:00PM. The car show will run from 9:00 until 3:00.

Metrolina Association of the Blind

Visit this thread on the CCR forum if you would like to discuss the rally.

Visit the Wolf Ridge Hillclimb web site for full details!

The 2nd annual Wolf Ridge Hillclimb is getting close!

The inaugural event was held May 19-20, 2007, and everyone in attendance agreed that it had the potential to become one of the best hillclimbs in the Southeast!

The 2nd annual Wolf Ridge Hillclimb will be happening on June 7-8, 2008. Get ready for an amazing course, a beautiful area, and wonderful, generous hosts!

Stunning scenery, great location, challenging course layout, and the best driver’s in the U.S. are all going to converge in May to create something spectacular for motorsports in the Southeast!

ONLINE REGISTRATION IS ALMOST OPEN!!!

The Rock n’ Road Hillclimb at Eagle’s Nest is just around the corner!

Registration is now open at MyAutoEvents.com!

Supplemental regulations, entry form and other details are now available!!
Download the document - Adobe PDF or MS Word

Registration is now open for the second event of the CCR Folger Subaru Knights Series!

Register here!

Setup 4:00 PM
Registration 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
NO LATE Registration
Tech Inspection 5:30 PM - 6:45 PM
Drivers Meeting 6:45 PM
First car Out 7:00 PM

Cost
$35 Non Members
$25 SCCA
Membership Cards required for discount
$5.00 extra for on-site registration

Charlotte Knights Stadium
2280 Deerfield Drive
Fort Mill, SC 29715

Driving Directions: I77 to Exit 88 in SC - Stadium is East of the interstate.
Maximum Entries 100

Online Registration Opens 28-Apr-2008 1:00 AM EST
Online Registration Closes 07-May-2008 7:00 PM EST

Register here!

Set Up 7:00 AM
Registration 7:30-9:00 Follow up registrations at 12-1 and 5-6PM
Tech Inspection 7:30-9:15 Follow up tech at 12:30-1:30 and 5:30-6:30
Drivers meeting 8:30
First car out at 9AM

Cost:
$5.00 additional charge for ON-Site Registration
$30.00 SCCA Members
$35.00 for Non Members

This is a Chairty Event. All proceeds will go to the Treetop Camp for abused children. Donations will be accepted and raffle tickets will be sold.

Charlotte Knights Stadium
2280 Deerfield Drive
Fort Mill, SC 29715

Driving Directions
I77 to Exit 88 in SC - Stadium is East of the interstate.

Maximum Entries 175

Online Registration Opens 08-Apr-2008 7:00 AM EST
Online Registration Closes 02-May-2008 5:00 PM EST

Photos by: Sue & Mark Seiler(except aerial shot)

I wanted to die.

The dripping diff that sidelined me at the first TT in Gainesville, FL continued to nag me at the first autocross of the season, new seals not withstanding and the steering wheel nearly came off in my hands during one run. A quick shot of 21mm elbow lock-tite temporarily took care of the loose steering wheel nut but it would take more new seals and an auxiliary vent to get the diff to hold its bladder.

Things were coming together for event #2 at Talladega Grand Prix Raceway in Munford, AL. An unexpected bonus check from the salt mine was enough to cover a hard top and My Loving Wife(MLW), the CFO, approved the purchase. I got lucky and found one in the Charlotte area and soon the red dome was heading with me back to the bunker for installation. Mazdaspeed shipped me the brackets and hardware to do a proper bolt-down and I had them include a new steering wheel lock nut for good measure, no sense having a questionable part in place.

As with any typical two-week period before an out-of-town event every day was filled with frantic errands, unexpected tasks and hurdles…none of which have anything to do with getting on track. Going to TGPR would be no exception. Finally getting an hour or two to work on the car 48 hours before it was going to be teched at the event I decided to put on the hard top and new steering wheel nut. Getting the factory latches off the top would be a piece of cake, six Phillips head bolts and we’d be cookin’…oops, the folks at Mazda made sure that the bolts wouldn’t work themselves loose by putting about 3 gallons of lock-tite on each one. Three made it out OK, the other three would take drilling and an appropriately misnamed “easy-out”. It was getting late and I didn’t feel like fighting with the last three bolts so I decided to just install the new lock nut on the steering column and call it a day. MLW gave me a hand in torquing the nut and when the torque wrench finally clicked I felt them most wobbly steering wheel I’d ever had in my hands. It seems yours truly had cross threaded the nut. A cold spear of stark terror pierced my torso. Quick, back the nut off, maybe the threads won’t set-up in their newly remanufactured form ..I could put the old nut on…all would be saved. HA! It took five minutes to remove the nut using a pair of vice-grips, pulling with all my might. The old nut had about as much chance going back on as I have of driving for Ferrari in F1. As I sat there staring at the end of the steering column that looked like a pit-bull had used it as a chew toy, MLW was on the verge of sympathetic tears. She, who knew even less about auto repair than I, knew this was not going to be an easy or cheap fix. I was now the proud owner of a very expensive paper weight.

I wanted to die.

Luckily there were no tall buildings or bridges nearby off which I could jump. Second luckily, MLW talked me into keeping my head…OK, this might not be cheap or easy but, it could be doable…how it was doable was up to me…I figured we were SOL. “The Plan” became getting an upper steering column in case I couldn’t tap or die the shaft into usable condition. I say “tap or die” as, although, I kinda understand the principles involved I’ve never seen it done, let alone done it myself. I figure I’ve got one shot to do it or I’ll be trying to get a car off a trailer without a steering wheel and will have to change out a steering column, which I’ve never done. MLW convinces me to “get some rest” because tomorrow is going to be busy

April 10, 2008

12:05AM Eastern – Wake up and realize what a pile of horse exhaust I’ve gotten myself into, breakout into cold sweat, soak sheets, toss & turn for two hours.
4:20AM – Get up and go to work with phone numbers and reasonably usable nut in hand
7:50AM - Start calling place that might have a die.
8:05 – Leave work and go to Fastenal two blocks away. They’ve got lots of great dies but none are metric. I do find out I’m looking for an M12×1.5 die, PROGESS!!
8:25 – Talk to tool supplier that actually may have the die in-stock, MORE PROGRESS!!
8:45 – Talk to Miata Graveyard, they actually have an upper steering column and can have it ready in the afternoon, MORE MORE PROGRESS!!!
8:55 – Boss at Salt Mine cancels my employee review set for 1PM, YET MORE MORE PROGRESS!!!!(Maybe he’s going to fire me anyway but, what the hell, I’ve now got time to pick up the steering column and continue the search for ‘The Die” as it’s now known)
9-Noon – Salt Mine Duties
Noon:40 – Tool guy has several dies but none seem to fit, buy standard thread file and hope I can clean up the tip to make it work
1:15 – Pick up steering column and hope that I just threw away $125 ‘cause I sure as heck don’t want to be changing this baby out but, MORE MORE PROGRESS CONTINUES!!!!!(I hope the guy isn’t right, some are Metric dia. and SAE pitch, who thinks this stuff up? Japanese Satan?)
2P – Planning meeting for June Road Rallye goes well and pick up a loaner grinder to file off tip to get to good threads if the die can’t be found and file doesn’t work.
3:30P – Back to tool store with column in–hand, let’s find out what this thing really is, YES! It IS M12×1.5…buy correct die, handle and metric file
5P – Finally home and working the file, not much progress but the tip is starting to clean up a bit.
6P – MLW is home and ready to be my eyes to see that I don’t kink the die, she’s on pins and needles(not good) because she know we’ve go one shot at doing this right.
6:10 – Dang, this thing seems to be cutting a groove, the nut can almost go on.
6:20 – Nut goes on half turn
6:30 – Nut goes on full turn
6:40 – Nut goes on turn and a half
6:50 – NUT GOES ON ALL THE WAY ONTO OLD THREADS!!!
6:51 – I do my best Homer Simpson WOOHOO!!!!!!!! MLW sheds tears of joy and relief.
6:52 – Put on steering wheel and tighten nut but not too much, I don’t want to strip it, I hear that can be bad.

It looks like we’re goin’ to TGPR after all. The hard top latch removal is still on the To Do list but, after the steering column it seemed minor by comparison. Friday morning we finish it up after I got to buy a tap to re-do the one hole whose bolt wanted to break off in three pieces and had to be drilled excessively. Jeez, twenty-four hours ago I couldn’t even spell tapandier and today I are one!

As with any trip involving Hot’Lanta Friday traffic the term “crap shoot” doesn’t begin to cover it. If the I-285 Beltway is an autocross then I was a forty-five foot moving cone, thankfully no one got a “plus one”.

While we unloaded in the TGPR paddock the storm clouds rolled in, tornado warnings dotted the Alabama map and the skies looked like they’d just finished a stint at the beginning of The Wizard of Oz. Registration was a breeze due to the efficiency of the event staff (nice t-shirt) and we got through tech just as the first big drops started to fall. Fifty-eight registered, thirteen in CSP alone. This was shaping up to be one heck of a show.

Still smarting from his third place at Gainesville Gene Vierling was there with a new six-speed tranny to defend his ’07 win and track record. Chris Barrett wanted to make it two in a row and I was just glad to be there and not on my back hooking up a steering column. Dave Glodowski was in and letting Sid Brayton co-drive his M-Edition. Shane Warren was making his second trip down. Alan Branch was an unknown quantity but was on street tires. John Waight, the event chair, was in and had a new Spec motor built from two ‘99’s, this was getting serious. Kurt Davidson was stepping up from autocross and attending the school along with Coty Wood and TJ Theodore whose dad, Ted, was taking on George Bowland in AMod in the resurrected Bandit hillclimb car. Gentleman driver and bon vivant Jim Bowers was there and, of course, my nemesis, Wally Lacey.

Saturday morning greeted us with cloudy skies and warm temps. Timed practice sessions until noon made it clear that new track records would be set when official runs began. I thought I was doing good to beat the old record by 2/10 on my first official timed run but it was obvious it would take a lot more. John Waight made it abundantly clear he was the man to beat by breaking the old CSP record by over a second on his only timed run Saturday afternoon. Everyone was expecting Wally to lay down the law but, it wouldn’t happen Saturday. Barrett found out that Gene Vierling wasn’t to be trifled with; his six-shooter had him nearly two seconds up on the Man From Sparta.

Sunday dawned clear, cold and windy, no threat of rain was a big plus. MLW reminded me that cold air would make for more horsepower, unfortunately it wasn’t just for me. Waight was in the first pod of the day, with Glodowski, and slowed a tenth. Dave managed to get in the mid-1:12’s…the winter lay-off for the ’07 SEDiv. CSP Champ seemed to be as tough to shake as Mother Nature’s winds under our canopies. Wally got it going and powered to within 3/10 of the lead making sure it was reachable with one of his patented Hail Mary runs on Sunday afternoon. Chris Barrett demonstrated his learning curve by lopping off 1.2 second. Gene Vierling managed a virtual tie with his ’07 winning time and had to pack up…real life would intrude quite early Monday and he had to go. Red ran really strong and was quite controllable…right up until I entered the Carrousel too hot…a BFI moment, at least I didn’t kill it…cattywhompuss in the middle of the track, motoring lamely on with pride the only damage. In the paddock MLW said she hand-timed my in the 1:11’s but wasn’t sure of the rest. That would be great, I’d be within sight of JohnW8 at least and near Wally. The PA announcer had been doing a great job providing times but, you couldn’t always catch them…I thought he said 1:11.3xx…GULP, they posted the times; 11.352…I was in first by .25+…this was getting real serious, I reminded W8 that it wasn’t polite to embarrass his guests…it’s hard to interpret a smile that’s adored with mirrored sunglasses…I hoped I could improve.

We wouldn’t run again until after quiet hour. I’d finally gotten a chance to run the car and get a feel for how the rebuilt engine and drive train. Race Engineering power is something to behold. Before Red would just motor along nicely, thank you very much, but not with much verve. Now you better know where and how you have the car positioned because the engine is now a major factor and neutral handling wasn’t assured…here comes a learning curve. The diff decided it needed to shed a tear or two but wasn’t gushing as before, we can check it out back home.

Kurt & TJ were having a blast. Ted found that Mr. Bowland was right about The Bandit not being the best track car to have. It was a handful on track and he checked every nut and bolt he could in the pits as the car seemed to want to shake itself into oblivion…Ted was checking with his dentist to see if he guaranteed his work. Mr. Bowland on the other hand was doing what Mr. Bowland does, breaking his own track record.

I wondered how long my time would hold, I didn’t have to W8 long. When I first met John Waight he had just acquired the low mileage yellow ’92 Miata from a college prof that didn’t know the value of yellow Miatas. He was practically giddy and in love with the car…I didn’t think he would do major mods to it…I was wrong. Without the restrictor plate it was anyone’s guess how many ponies he was trotting …he stayed in the saddle and popped a 1:10.618!! Wally and I were stunned into silence…we knew we wouldn’t have but one or two shots at him. I slowed a few hundredths but maintained second place…Chris Barrett let us know he was still lurking and learning with a 1:12.205…it was on his last run down in Gainesville that Chris got me last time, why not twice…Wally has…I felt a bulls eye on the back of my neck. Glodowski was having a hard time improving over ’07, stuck in the 13’s. Wally began his charge on a sunny track with a little wind and cool temps, it clicked…1:11.401. .049 out of second…it felt like I’d just stripped a steering wheel nut…not again.

Only six cars made their 4th run in CSP. Alan Branch, who at the outset was thought to be challenging for the lead, even if on street tires; Kurt Davidson who wanted desperately to get in to the 1:13’s in his first ever TT, then Chris, John, Wally & me.

Time Trials is unique in that you space your efforts over a longer period of time, you don’t do all your runs in an hour or so like and autocross and it isn’t 20-30 minutes of make-or-break road racing. Chinese water torture is a good warm-up.

Mr. W8 went out first and came back to the field with 1:11.380…at least he didn’t smack us any harder than he had already. Chris Barrett cracked into the 1:11’s and made it known he wasn’t going to be a one hit wonder. Kurt Davidson managed to hit his goal of 1:13’s even if he was severely under-gunned in the tire department…he plans engine upgrades before Nashville. I figured I had to go for broke if I was to regain first…I slowed even more…1:11.411…it was either my first or second lap because the third found me sliding sideways through the chicane and over the rumble strips…at least I didn’t go quietly.

Wally Lacey lives in Birmingham, AL. Wally has lots of friends. Many of Wally’s friends play at TGPR, too. As Wally headed to the grid the PA announcer informed the crowd that Lacey had to run a 1:11.2 to take second place…actually he needed a 1:11.351…I’m sure Wally knew that…last year he nipped me by 4/1000 on his last run of the event…MLW could hardly stand to watch…it was like being tied to a post and have a golf ball hit at you, it’s curving in your direction and you have no control over whether it hits you or not…all you can do is gird yourself for the pain if it does.

My hand timing had been close all day even though I was using a point about half way around to start my watch. Wally looked like he was really trying to warm the tires as he blew by our position just past the exit of the only right-hander on the course. We could hear his exhaust ripping the air as he went down the east straight toward the chicane…buildings block our view…the engine scream was suddenly replaced by the sound of r-comps sliding sideways on track surface…he’d spun on entry. The first lap was toast, back up to speed he seemed to be a tick slower past us this time, he had two more laps to make the ride back to North Carolina as painful as possible…I would only be able to get one timed lap from my position…1:11.9xx but he seemed to be flying again showing now signs of the spin affecting him. I could barely make out the PA announcer saying how he had to do it on the last lap if he was to get 2nd…Wally blew by the checker…the PA crackled to life…did he make it? Through the engine noises and wind howling I could hear the tinny voice out of the Korean War era speaker say that “Wally will be heartbroken”.

Competition in CSP TT is about as close as it gets…no one gives up…no one gives in. The respect among competitors is genuine and earned. When Wally came over and congratulated me he flat out said he really wanted to beat me…that’s OK…I really wanted to beat him. We both want to have at it again, probably at Crow Mountain, hopefully before.

Now, about Mr. W8…

Results:

21 NEW TRACK RECORDS plus the overall Track Record (car) by Bowland

Class No. Name Car 2008 Time Notes
CF 62 Barry Durham Crossle 1:06.030
8 Paul Crouch Elden 1:08.527
CSP 10 John Waight Miata 1:10.618 NewTrackRecord
111 Mark Seiler Miata 1:11.352
57 Wally Lacey Miata 1:11.401
45 Chris Barrett Miata 1:11.893
20 David Glodowski Miata 1:12.655
68 Gene Vierling Miata 1:12.676
02 Sid Brayton Miata 1:12.989
41 Kurt Davidson Miata 1:13.528
08 TJ Theodore Miata 1:14.104
19 Alan Branch Miata 1:14.132
55 Coty Wood Miata 1:15.054
280 Jim Bowers Miata 1:19.149
729 Shane Warrren MR2 1:17.717
DSP 72 Joe Ippolito Sentra 1:09.801 NewTrackRecord
29 David Rensel Sentra 1:12.034
DSR 86 Brett Whisenant Predator 1:05.113
EP 36 Rick Norris Corvair 1:15.318 NewTrackRecord
ESP 83 Robby Boyett GTO 1:08.745 NewTrackRecord
10 Danny Boyd Mustang 1:19.686
F500 191 David Junghans Novakar 1:04.461 NewTrackRecord
91 Dave Junghans Novakar 1:07.051
FF 94 Dave Cutchins Euroswift 1:07.163 NewTrackRecord
33 Mort Stern VanDieman 1:25.236
FS 47 Jason Hawkins VanDieman 1:05.296 NewTrackRecord
FST 31 Dimitri Mariutto BRD 1:10.271 NewTrackRecord
3 Elizabeth Mariutto BRD 1:12.176
FV 32 Mike Chandler Predator 1:11.313 NewTrackRecord
90 Mark Rothermel Caracal C 1:12.537
48 Bill Hawkins PMR77 1:12.193
95 Timmi Atteberry Predator 1:15.367
GT3 8 Dan Giannotti Corvair 1:11.842 NewTrackRecord
IT7 159 Matthew Gustafson RX7 1:17.274 NewTrackRecord
59 Mark Gustafson RX7 1:18.890
ITA 5 Evan Waugh Civic 1:12.249 NewTrackRecord
93 John Clarke MR2 1:17.217
ITB 74 Charles Haddox Rabbit 1:16.785 NewTrackRecord
ITC 87 Todd Greene CRX 1:23.239 NewTrackRecord
ITS 96 Peter Burman 944 1:13.804 NewTrackRecord
196 Deems Riddle 944 1:15.737
SM 3 Scot Miller BMW 1:07.425
11 Andy Tow Miata 1:08.897
91 Pat Johnson Miata 1:10.351
218 Skyler Smith BMW 1:14.797
74 Angelo Finzo Jetta 1:26.325
SpecM 94 Issamy Watanabe Miata 1:16.702 NewTrackRecord
50 Joe Clayburn Miata 1:21.034
SPO 82 Rich Shafer Camaro 1:02.429
99 Ronald Hurst Camaro 1:03.613
SPU 16 Mike Breakey Lotus 7 1:07.593 NewTrackRecord
7 John Redd Legend 1:07.999
SSB 49 Hank Bayles Miata 1:15.231
SSC 6 Jerry Vogel Miata 1:19.344 NewTrackRecord
Special 11 George Bowland BBR 58.763 NewTrackRecord
88 Ted Theodore Bandit 1:11.221
VO 84 Stan Vann Caldwell 1:06.142 NewTrackRecord
VU 36 John Prater MGB 1:16.995 NewTrackRecord

Register here!

Setup 7AM
Registration 7:30-9:00
LATE Registration 9:00-9:15 $20.00 LATE FEE
Tech Inspection 7:30-9:15
Novice Walk 9:15
Drivers Meeting 9:30
First car Out 10:00

Cost - On-Line Registration
$35 Non Members
$25 SCCA Members
Membership Cards required for discount
$20.00 additional late fee from 9:00-9:15am

$5.00 Additional charge for on-site Registration

Continental Tire
1800 Continental Blvd
Charlotte, NC 28273

DIRECTIONS: Take I-77 to Exit #1 in NC (Westinghouse Blvd) Go west on Westinghouse Blvd- Cross RR Tracks, then go right at light onto Granite St. Take first road on left (Continental Blvd) Continue on Continental Blvd until you see the paddock area on the right, just before the main entrance to the plant

http://www.ccrscca.com/results/2008solo/ccrax2_fin.htm
http://www.ccrscca.com/results/2008solo/ccrax2_pax.htm
http://www.ccrscca.com/results/2008solo/ccrax2_raw.htm