Everyone's back home from Round 1

[Todd Covini]

GREAT ...weekend!
GOOD ...field of 20+ cars
GUTS...Lots of rookies take to the field and have some great battles
GLORY...Liebbe's Fox takes a win over the CMC ringers!...Wirtz' CMC car takes an overall win over CMC2 & AI...David Love takes an AI victory. Mason Melkowitz sets a new AI track record...Team Jordan podiums...and many more glorious moments.
GORE...Robertson & Marvel go home early with serious engine woes.
GOOF...1500 yard penalty for Cooke's false start. 19 defenders sat still & watched in amazement.
GOODONYA...excellent, safe, heads up driving on everyone's part resulted in no major incidents or flag violations.

More details and "G"s to come for sure...

[donovan]

interesting...

[michaelmosty]

Just got back and got everything unloaded. It was an absolutely amazing event and an excellent start to the 09 season!!

I passed a few people, got passed a few times, slid a few times, and went off once. More to come when I'm not so tired. :wink:

[Rob Liebbe]

Winning is FUN!!!! :D :D :D

[marshall_mosty]

I washed and waxed the wife's Explorer yesterday.... wish I was at the track with you goobers. :(

In talking with both Michael and Jerry J., it appeared that the weekend was exactly as Todd described. I'm glad it was a great sucess with such a large CMC and CMC-2 field.

[donovan]

Wake up and report in.... I need my fix...
Spent the weekend finishing up Year End Taxes for work... The car is still in many pieces and many stages of completion. I will be ready next month...
DD

[jeffburch]

Lots of new Goobers!
Great weekend.
Pics and vid later tonight.
Also, please get your good video to Eric.
I can't wait to see my vid of the 27 car sideways in the wet in front of the entire cmc field. Oh, and the 11 car off @ T3. And the 70 car, and the 19 car and........ :D

jb

[mitchntx]

It was great to see all the old friends once again and it was fantastic to see all the new faces!

I had a great weekend, but it wasn't without a few hurdles.

Saturday was a lot of clean racing and good times.

Saturday, in Race 1 the 17 car and I fought and battled the whole race. I was fortunate to be in 3rd place when the checkered flag dropped. Jay, that was a blast, my friend. Good racing.

In race 2 I kept seeing a white car get closer and closer and closer. The 18 car was hooked up.

Sunday dawned to cloudy skies a threatening rain. Prior to Race 3, it rained for about 10 minutes and then the clouds broke.

During qualifying, I clipped a curb pretty hard and broke a wheel. It was a HARD hit, but amazingly enough, the tire never lost pressure and I finished the session.

Race 3 was a melee going into T1. It was still wet in spots and it caused a little angst. The 28 car and I had a door handle to door handle racing incident as we both tried to avoid the traffic jam.

A couple laps later, I came out of 17 a little wide, got into the water next to the wall and attempted to parallel park the car on driver's left ... all in front of a screaming pack of Detroit V8s. Superior driving skill on the 17 and 22 car ... maybe just dumb luck on the 22 car ... we all didn't get collected. Was able to hold off the 85 car from that point on to get a 5th place finish.

James and I exchanged some paint and a dent apiece and a cool Gatorade aftewards.

Race 4 found the 8 car and I on the front row. The 8 missed a shift and it allowed me to get to turn 1 first. But the 5 car bumped, nudged, rubbed and scraped it's way past in short order. And, as it happened way too often, the 28 car got underneath going into carousel and I watched as they both disappeared into the distance.

I chased my car all weekend, which it typical for me at Houston. I had a few nagging mechanicals ... a couple head scratchers and a couple, "Wow, that coulda been bad" issues.

But, my Dad once told me ... "Son, you are like a goat. What you don't tear up, you shit on." Wait, I meant, "If you can drive it on the trailer afterwards, you automatically win."

MSR-Cresson - March 14/15 - be there ... no excuses.

[cobra132]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Packed the trailer on Wed. Had a great call night Thur. Got out early on Fri and headed to the track, happy happy happy. :D On Sat went out for practice session, on lap 2 with 50 extra pounds of torque, 120 extra pounds of car, cold tires and as JB put it an extra 10 or 15 lbs of dumb ass, managed to find the tire wall coming out of turn 2. :shock: No real damage, just left my right sided wing end plate sticking in a tire somewhere. The only bad thing was I forgot to turn on the camera. Finished the session without further incidend but noted alot of smoke when coming off throttle. When I fired the engine for qual there was a hellish tapping from the rear of the engine on the passenger side. Pulled valve cover, nothing obvious. Pushed car in trailer and went home. :( Got drunk. On Sunday pulled pan, intake and valve covers. Found a stuck valve lash adjusted, everything else looks perfect. Happy again. :lol: I'll be back. FMR

[David Love AI27]

Pushed car in trailer and went home. :( Got drunk. On Sunday pulled pan, intake and valve covers. Found a stuck valve lash adjusted, everything else looks perfect. Happy again. :lol: I'll be back. FMR

MAN, sorry you had the bad luck but I love happy endings... So glad to hear there was only a little damage to the car... now, the drinking thing, you might want to go to a meeting... LOL

[michaelmosty]

Pushed car in trailer and went home. :( Got drunk. On Sunday pulled pan, intake and valve covers. Found a stuck valve lash adjusted, everything else looks perfect. Happy again. :lol: I'll be back. FMR

now, the drinking thing, you might want to go to a meeting... LOL
Where are we meeting for a drink? I'm in! :lol:

[David Love AI27]

Pushed car in trailer and went home. :( Got drunk. On Sunday pulled pan, intake and valve covers. Found a stuck valve lash adjusted, everything else looks perfect. Happy again. :lol: I'll be back. FMR

now, the drinking thing, you might want to go to a meeting... LOL
Where are we meeting for a drink? I'm in! :lol:

It is supposed to be Anonymous, NOT Obvious... as in AA not AO... OK lets get back on the topic... I will start the 12 step thread in another posting..

[AI#97]

Pushed car in trailer and went home. :( Got drunk. On Sunday pulled pan, intake and valve covers. Found a stuck valve lash adjusted, everything else looks perfect. Happy again. :lol: I'll be back. FMR

[/quote]

Damn Glad to hear Frank! I heard about the troubles and kept my fingers crossed. Check the cam lobe for cracking just in case and if you need a lash adjuster, I think I have a few at the house I could mail you. I will check tonight. Might be a good idea to replace the follower too.

So todd, does that classify as a write up?! ;)

Glad to hear you guys had fun...just wish I could have been there to make it a little harder for Mason/Daron. Cresson won't be so easy! :twisted:

[GlennCMC70]

i had a really good weekend, but i'm sure it was hard to tell Sunday.

our group has once again has shown why we are the best group in NASA TX. no issues w/ blown flags (like red flags w/ group 7!), no major contact that required anything more than paperwork and a handshake. we, as always, put on a bad ass show w/ the wet standing starts, nice tight racing and in paddok group unity that is second to none.

i had an average weekend, and i'm good w/ it. turns out i had food poisoning from lunch Sunday. that became readily evident on the side of HWY 287 in Midolothian where my stomach refunded thte lunch, breakfast and other mixed items. lucky for me my ass was polite enought to wait till i got home to do the same - as in park the truck and run in the house. feeling like total shit and stopping to puke 4 times, i still made a 5 hour trip in 4.5 hours. looks like a saved my best drive of the weekend for the trip home.

[AllZWay]

Good news Frank...

Mixed bag for me as usual.

Q1 for first race... and faster than CMC field...barely.
R1...Awesome start......for Al :( .....but luckily he locked up his brakes and I was able to sneak past him...but he hounded the crap of me the whole race, but I was able to hold him off for a win. :)

R2... Inverted and had an awesome race with Mitch...he skated wide in carousel and let me have the inside.... twice... first time he showed me his manhood and I got scared and backed out. :o The next time he did it I was able to pass and got up to third. Good run for Jerry who finished 2nd and Al who won.

Q2 for second day. The wet surface made me too cautious and slower than some of the CMC guys. :o

R3.. Decent start, but got bunched up in turn 1. I made an evasive maneuver and smacked door to door with Mitch. MY FAULT. :o I did have to continue to race him and he slipped in carousel and I was able to get by and then chase down Al. Awesome racing with Al...we had numerous times of side by side action. I was finally able to get under him in carousel and entering diamonds edge under braking Al tapped me in the left quarter and spun me. No major damage, just a dent and I was able to continue. Al being the gentleman racer, gave me the position back and we continued our battle to the end.

R4.. After two contact forms filled out from R3, I was a little cautious about racing, but still had a great race with Mitch and finished second. I flat spotted the left front severly was never a factor in catching Al.

Congrats to the Rookies for a great first weekend for many of you.
Sorry for the pain of Mavel/Pederson... I expect we will see each other on the track real soon.

Great to see Eric back and Todd's Ranchero.

[Wirtz]

I was really impressed with all the new cars and rebuilt old ones ;) What a turn out. For the #19 it was a great weekend.

Q1 and Q2: Both seesions I was able to find clear track and was able to get pole.

R1: I got a so-so start, looked like Glenn got a good one beating me through T1 and T2. Had fun working our way up through some of the CMC2 cars. As we discussed at the meeting, Glenn checked up at one point thinking Mitch was waving him off. I had seen the flag stand and knew it was clear, so I pounced both of them. Always nice of the LAW boys to formation fly to make it easy for me ;)

R2: I can't even remember it all clearly, as so much happens in that first 1 or 2 laps. I think I remember making a pass on Eric V on the outside of 1. Then it was chasing JB to the flag. We both we slipping and sliding at the end but JB was too strong and held me off.

R3: The goofy start race; I also made a mistake after the flag went up, then back down and rolled forward. I tried to get back into place but was scared about being caught out of 1st gear when they did throw the flag. Even so, Michael beat me into T1. Very cool stuff with ALL the cars around slipping and sliding on a so-so track. I remember Dave L getting 90 degrees sideways under braking into T16, but driving out of it, nice save! Then Michael hit the pud muddle on the outside of T17 and I was able to sneak through.

R4: Another great race with everyone showing great skills and class on the track. Near the end I was chasing down Rob and was able to catch up. Same time Glenn was catching both of us. I made an inside move at the Bus Stop and scared Rob off course. He rejoined in front of me again, but Glenn fell back. The I just kept working on Rob. We went side by side through the Bus Stop and into the Keyhole before I was able to sneak in front. Then last lap, I messed up my entry into T1 and was slow through T2. Going into the Diamonds Edge I was worried Rob had a good run on me, so I looked in the mirror too long and blew my braking point and spun out of first. Lucky for me I was able to jump out before JB and able to salvage a second.

Anyway, that's the best I can remember it all. Like any good story, it will only get better from now on ;) Thanks to the whole group for a fun weekend.

Jeff

[Fbody383]

Woo Hoo!

Man, you guys are the best. That's the most fun I have had in a car in a while.

I had to "pay up" to run Friday since the #39 had never been out of first gear. In fact, it had failed to get on and off the trailer under its own power 25% of the time prior to Friday.

First session Friday, I get buckled in and on track, getting a couple warm up laps before finding I had some rear brake bias issues. Car ran well and Friday was uneventful and could best be described as take out rear brake, take out rear brake, take out more rear brake...

Saturday, being a "racecraft" student, I ran with the 3/4 group. Funny me, I thought you had to be able to drive the track in the 3/4 group. After getting closer to the business end of a couple different 911 TURBO cars than I had planned on, it was time to rethink spacing.

((Personal note: I bet Mitch a steak dinner at the place of his choice that if I was driving a 911 Turbo, he would not be able to catch me in his CMC2 car. Somebody please loan me one so Mitch can get a free dinner.))

Saturday afternoon went well running at the back of the AI/CMC group until the infamous words, "report to tech." No worries, right? Wrong.

In what will always be remembered, I inadvertantly put Al in a tight spot by not having the required safety equipment. Perhaps he should have taken a stronger stance to make the point to the group that safey is non-negotiable. He would have been well inside his authority, and the rules, to exclude me from any further racing sessions, at a minimum. My biggest concern was that the AI/CMC group leadership take a hit for having a moron in their midst. Al, thank you, case closed.

Now I don't know what happened at the sharp end of the group, but it was busy in the back. Me, Jeremy, Jeremiah, Gary, Chuck, Chuck2. Whoop Whoop! I don't have full perspective, but I believe it would be hard to have closer racing among the Orange Plate Gang. You guys rock! I know Al signed off on at least 3 provisionals and that some of the R cars qualified better than their rookie starting position so the next couple of events should be exciting.

So, who's got video? Steve?

[Al Fernandez]

Tremendous weekend on many fronts!

Frank, glad to hear it wasnt a major issue with your motor. Sorry you missed out on the racing. Chris and Richard...you guys are redefining bad luck re engines. Hopefully fourth time is the charm. :? If its any consolation, the lap times you guys posted were pretty tremendous given the lack of time in the car.

We had four rookies complete their provisional license requirements: Dave F, Jeremiah K, Jeremy G, Chuck S. Congrats guys for the clean racing and the close lap times. ROTY is going to be tough to get! Ross, Gary...glad you guys came out and look forward to adding you to the fray.

Rob picking up a win and Mosty either on the podium or on the grass...the Foxes in CMC are kicking ass! In CMC2 the Jerry/Jay #17 has LEGS! I passed you, but you were pulling me on every single straight! I love it!

James IS the man in CMC2. Fastest lap, wins in both straight up races...he's the horse to bet on for the whole enchilada.

[cmarvel]

i had an average weekend, and i'm good w/ it. turns out i had food poisoning from lunch Sunday. that became readily evident on the side of HWY 287 in Midolothian where my stomach refunded thte lunch, breakfast and other mixed items. lucky for me my ass was polite enought to wait till i got home to do the same - as in park the truck and run in the house. feeling like total shit and stopping to puke 4 times, i still made a 5 hour trip in 4.5 hours. looks like a saved my best drive of the weekend for the trip home.


Interesting. I got it Saturday at lunch, and I have not been able to eat solid food since then. I hope you are feeling better. I seem to be coming back slowly.

[David Love AI27]

I remember Dave L getting 90 degrees sideways under braking into T16, but driving out of it, nice save!


LOL... which time??? looking into new paint scheme for the sides of the car... i'm sure you guys are getting tired of looking at plain black doors all the time... Jason and I discussed removing the orange "R" on the doors, I told him it didn't matter you guys pass me so fast you can't see them... I stand corrected, "R"s coming off this week...

[David Love AI27]

he's the horse to bet on for the whole enchilada.

Maybe the horse in the enchilada is what caused the stomach problems???

[jeremiahkellam]

And I thought being one of the faster guys in DE was...

Not nearly as much fun as bieng the slowest guy at the back!!!

The weekend was a little hit or miss for me. Hits: First race ever, first standing start on the wet line, paddok company was great (Thanks to Jerry, JB and Steve for the help all weekend)

Misses: uh... I already forgot, when's the next race?!?!

Dave F, your a mad man!! I won't even repeat the way you and I molested each other out there (it's just between us...), way too much fun!!!

Chuck S, what ever you got in R4, I needs me some. Man you found another gear and just went to picking us off one by one. Way to go!!

And to whom ever did whatever at the front of the pack... good for you!!
(I still think we had more fun at the back!)

Going to pick up new motor this weekend...See you at Cresson...BITCHES!!!

[Hood]

With luck (and mad skilz yo) I'll be joining y'all at the back on Sunday at Cresson. Kevin Mixon and Ryan Logan were a huge help this weekend and said that they want me to run HPDE 4 on Saturday at Cresson so that they can sign off on my Provisional.

Also... you answered my question before I could voice it... seems like a lot more fun than HPDE!

I hopefully will get my lap times for MSR-H for Sunday. They never posted the Group 2 Lapping sessions 7 and 8... which happen to be my only dry sessions on Sunday. I was able to knock down a mid 1:54 on Saturday while wimping out on the entry to diamonds edge, the sweeper and gut check. We'll see...

[ShadowBolt]

As usual a great weekend. Team Jordan did not touch the car all weekend. Nothing with brakes, tires, engine, or anything (wait, I did change rear springs before we hit the track on Sat. morning). This is the first race weekend that the car was great across the board from power to handling. Everyone said CMC17 had mad power and I guess it did. I can tell you from watching Jay and Steve that neither one of them could pull the other. I don't know how much weighing less than the other cars helps but it damn sure did not hurt. Changing the MAF got rid of the pig rich condition and I guess I will re-dyno but I doubt it added over 30 lb. ft of torque. CMC17 was 260/280 with the A/F perfect above 4500 but around 11:1 at 4000 where it made max torque. This combo makes good power down low and after being so underpowered last year it was nice to motor out of the corners without it bogging down. I was worried about the little 302 being able to keep up with the bad GM 350's (under the peak) the but with the E-cam and shorty headers and the weight break it looks to be about perfect from where I'm sitting :wink:

I learned a lot this weekend with the help of Mitch, Al, and Eric. Mitch was hitting the brakes in the slow section to get me off his tail and it was killing my momentum. Mitch can make that car wide as hell when he wants to. Al reached down in his sack and made a pass that was all smoke and noise in 17. He got me good. I was so happy for second that I did not even think about blocking him like I could have. I will do it different next time. Over and over Eric would show me where I left a door open. We were not in class but he taught me a lot that would have taken years to learn on my own. Thanks to all three of you for a great race weekend. Just getting faster does not mean you know anything about Racecraft. Don't believe me......ask Jeremy.

Speaking of Jeremy, that boy and all the rest of the rooks can flat fly. If any of you did like I did and loaned them any parts or knowledge would you ask for it back please? Jeremy I want all my stuff back prior to Cresson. Your too damn fast boy for a beginner!

Thanks to Michael and Marshall for the parts that made the Stang run so well and thanks to Chuck Penny because without his help I could have missed this great weekend of racing.

Racing with CMC in Texas is the most fun I have ever had. Better cinch it up in 2009!!!


JJ

[David Love AI27]

With luck (and mad skilz yo) I'll be joining y'all at the back on Sunday at Cresson. Kevin Mixon and Ryan Logan were a huge help this weekend and said that they want me to run HPDE 4 on Saturday at Cresson so that they can sign off on my Provisional.

Also... you answered my question before I could voice it... seems like a lot more fun than HPDE!

I hopefully will get my lap times for MSR-H for Sunday. They never posted the Group 2 Lapping sessions 7 and 8... which happen to be my only dry sessions on Sunday. I was able to knock down a mid 1:54 on Saturday while wimping out on the entry to diamonds edge, the sweeper and gut check. We'll see...

I ran 151.8 in the last race... 154s in my POS took some pretty good driving considering it was your first time in that car, first time at that track and with DE traffic... "8/10-9/10s" MY ASS!!! LOL

Sorry to all the CMCers I shoulda made him go to Avis... my numers were 222/287 @ 3338 lbs with driver, you better hope his car doesn't make better numbers than mine

[David Love AI27]

Also, please get your good video to Eric.
I can't wait to see my vid of the 27 car sideways in the wet in front of the entire cmc field

Any clips of the 27 car would be appreciated, gonna do a blooper vid....

email downloadable to DLOVE21261@aol.com or burn me what you got.. I'll be happy to pay for your time and CD's...

I tried to race hard and stay out of the way... please PM any complaints, it will remain confidential, I don't want to get in the way, but I do want to "race" when I can...

[BryanL]

Thanks for the info on the weekend. Really hate missing it, but glad to hear it went well for almost everyone.

Glad to hear that 2 is such a full field and will have great racing all season. Can't wait to get on track and Cresson. Hopefully I will find 100 pounds to remove by then.

Look forward to some vids being posted.

[Wirtz]

If anyone could scan and email the front and back for R3, please let me know.

Thanks,
Jeff

[David Love AI27]

If anyone could scan and email the front and back for R3, please let me know.

Thanks,
Jeff

I went to find R3 before I left and they were out, I'd like copy also

[Jeremy Gunter]

I never thought I could have that much fun on 4 wheels. You guys are a great group, reminded once again why I choose to sell my bike and race a mustang.

The R battle was intense all weekend, never thought it would have been so close. I think I speak for all Rs when I say every lap at this point is a SERIOUS learning curve. Following Varner in Qual on Sat morning was probably the biggest leap of the entire weekend. I look forward to more racing with all the rookies...


Just getting faster does not mean you know anything about Racecraft. Don't believe me......ask Jeremy.
JJ

So in R3 Sunday "wet race" I thought I could carry the speed into the sweeper to pass Mr. Jordan on the outside,:roll: I WAS WRONG, but thank GOD he is a superb driver! He parked it in bus stop while I danced around in front of him proving my rookie stupidity... As soon as they locked up I thought to myself, "that may just be the dumbest thing I have ever attempted in my short life" luckily he was cool about it and I got through my provisional. I completely drove outside my talent level and learned a lot from that one attempt. I will do everything I can to keep myself from trying something stupid like that again and completely screwing up a good clean race... next time I will make it stick :P

After battling it out with Gary and David in R2 I finally found some open track with Chuck S quite a bit in front of me. I felt like a greyhound chasing a white rabbit around the track for about 3-4 laps. I finally found myself close enough to drive hard into gut check, late break, and inside pass in 16-17 for the finish... It was another great experience... Thanks for leaving the door open Chuck! I have a feeling it won't be open anymore :x

Thanks again to Ross and Michael for all the help this weekend.
Thanks to JJ for the awesome parts. just think, I couldn't have pulled that completely pointless attempt without them :wink:
Also, just so you guys know, without MFW and MM putting in many hours on my car, I would not have had the chance to race this weekend. These guys have taken a LOT of their own time to help me get on track. I just feel like I should say Thank You in public!

[Adam Ginsberg]

If anyone could scan and email the front and back for R3, please let me know.

If you wait for a few days, NASA TX should have the results posted on mylaps.

Congrats to everyone for a great weekend!

[David Love AI27]

LiiR Race report (part 1):

Week before the race: have online chat with NASA Newbie Gary Hood... started as a tire sale but turned into a car rental deal. Gary stops by to check out the car and is too tall for the seat configuration.

Thursday: Having major family issues say f@ck the car and drink 3/4 bottle of single malt scotch

Friday: work for step-father till noon, pickup right side net and come home to start on car... remove seat, start cutting welded seat support, burnup battery in cordless sawsall, make remaining cuts with hack saw, cleanup with angle grinder, Jason comes by to help but I send him back to Conroe to mount a set of "rains" due to weather forecast, work for hours trying to make Gary's seat fit but it won't work, take seat out of Mustang, get decent fit, Jason return's from mounting tires and the movies and is too tired to help, he goes to bed 11:00 pm, finish mounting seat, mount belts and new side net, lay down for 3 hour nap, 4:00 am remove damaged hood pin mounts and reinstall new hood pins

Sat: Wake Jason and send him ahead for driver's meeting, Load supplies, load car, head for track, stop for 40 gal of fuel and get the slowest pump in South Texas get to track in time for Gary's first run, get annual tech, send Jason out for Qual, watching track side and noticed he brought his "A" game, no more Mr. Timid, car is running good Jason and Gary are fairly happy with the car, go to say hi to AI/CMC crowd since we are in the "back 40", R1 Jason has a good run and races with Chuck S for a few laps till he (Jason) spins, came back with a BIG grin, he was having a blast, Gary has a couple of issues with the car but I'm not changing a thing cuz if Jason's happy, Dads happy, getting tired, take a nap and the rest is a blur...

to be continued...

[David Love AI27]

LiiR Race report (part deux):

Banquet: Didn't we show them how to do an awards ceremony a couple of years ago??? No video, No MC, unprepared presenters (cept Al, he was good) and most of all No SEXY Trophy person to have your photo with. Can't believe they shorted Jason his 2nd place AIX trophy and his 3rd place in TTA. Really nice way to welcome a new driver, NOT! I swear if it wasn't for the men and women of AI/CMC, we would switch to SCCA! Guess they have a one cheap-ass trophy per person rule. This is NOT a jab at our directors, the problem lies at the top and I have had numerous conversations with the owners and gave up on that last year. Anyway the beer was free and the conversation was good, we could have done that back in the padock like at ECR..... opps I forgot our entertainment didn't showup "anybody want a Budlight?", Went back to nice warm bed in Tomball dreaming of racing on Sunday...

Sunday: Awoke refreashed and ready to race, drove to the track, preped car for Garys 1st run, made it to drivers meeting (on time), made driver and class changes at registration, found open spot in AI/CMC padock, moved car and supplies to the womb of AI/CMC Texas and prepared for a play day with all my little buddies, QUAL was decent for my first session back here in year, I don't have a time sheet but it felt like a 1.54-1.55, but mainly it was uneventful, went to driver's meeting, made some new girlfriends by offering donuts, too bad most were under the age of 8 and the older ones were there with their spouses, then the weather watch started, after the short burst of heavy rain I talked to the Downunder pros and followed their lead by shoeing the old steed with "rains".

RACE 3: I'm VERY nervous starting in the front with an ill handling car on a wet track, I'm sitting in position with the revs up and I remembered Jason telling me about the way the flagman was going to start the race and then it happened, flag came up and Daron was gone, I said to myself WHAT THE F@CK!!! but I was patient like a seasoned NFL offensive lineman being rushed by the linebackers, waited, waited, waited then the flag dropped and I was off... well not off, bad choice of words... that was later... what a fun/scarey race, 1st time in the wet with a bunch of hungry wolves on my ass, I got everything I could out of the car, realized on 1st lap that these tires had sat for a few years so I was screwed, I don't know what the other direvers were thinking either this guy has some skills or he is awfully lucky, either way I had no grip, hit the standing water outside of T17 and gotter sidyways, wow, after the 3rd lap the hard rubber was scrubbed off and I found a little more grip, 2 laps later they got hot and I started hunting for puddles even the one outta T17.. WOW, by now I was behind an old hero of mine in the 2 car and decided to hog the camera, he must have tired of the ol "cat and mouse" and pointed me by before the sweeper and we all know what happens next... too hard into Bus Stop and off... the whole time I'm so focused on the race that I completely forgot about Daron so you can imagine my confusion when I exit the track, Mason gives me a big smile and a single finger (a nice one)... all the way to impound I'm trying to figure out "whats up?", I go through impound with more congrats, but I don't respond, not till I get back and talk to Daron do I find that I have my first win in AI... DOUBLE WOW!... by the way Daron you didn't "GIVE me a win" you f@cked up and I EARNED a win... not a jab, just a fact.. :twisted: (too many wows?)

No time to change out of the rains so I send Gary out for his lapping session, get word that sessions have been combined and there is little time to change tires, then it happened, the fellowship of AI/CMC Texas kicked in gear, JB took control and orchastrated a tire change that would make the NASCAR guys proud... THANKS to all who participated, in the rush I lost track of all who helped but a special thanks to Jeff B, Jerry, Ross, Gary H and others... I get to grid with an overheating car (240-260 water temps) and realize I forgot to refuel!!!! Get back to the padock, Gary refuels the car and I get back just in time to start the race...

RACE 4 ok, ok I'm boring you guys... It was a fun race... more wows, nuf said...

Team LiiR had a great time... Thanks for all the help, fun and fellowship, GF Mary loves being at the track and thanks to those who give her a shout now and then...

AI/CMC TEXAS RULES!!!

[David Love AI27]

Rob,

Just saw spectator vid of my slide in R3, T17... Now I understand your comment at the track... it didn't really feel that sideways... must have been an "oh shit" moment for you, sorry...

[Rob Liebbe]

I would like to thank everyone who helped me fix my car between race 3 and race 4. I can't remember who all threw in there were so many. I remember Mason, Michael, Burch, Todd, Daron Cooke, David Love, Johnny Phillips (Miata driver and original owner of my car), and Taylor Fenton (Miata driver). This is why CMC/AI is the best group out there. Plus some of you even helped me get rid of a few beers at the end of the weekend!!!

My weekend review:

Saturday - worked 11 hours on the heels of about four previous 10 or 12 hour days. Saturday was all day at a motorcross track testing ATV's. Arrived at MSR-H at 7:30 pm. Burch stayed in my RV cause it was warmer than Glenn's trailer. Luckily his flatulance didn't keep me awake.

Sunday - Took the car out in DE session to see if there were any problems with recent upgrades to the car. Followed Todd around on a wet track. It was good to see him back on the track.

Qual - lined up first in line and got a jump on the pack so I had clear track. Whoa - the new setup feels great!! The Boudy Bushings work great. Qualified third with Wirtz out front by a lot but right in the pack with Mosty and Burch. Better than normal.

Almost fell asleep while talking to Chuck Penny. He's not boring, I was just really tired.

Race 3 - had a blast running with Burch and Mosty. There was never more than a car length between the three cars. Gave each of them a little bump on the straight. Then with Glenn gaining, the rear axle of my car started bouncing around REALLY hard under braking. I bail off the track because I know something is broken. Sorry about that Glenn, I was just trying to get out of your way.

Everyone helped fix my car, then a bunch went over to help David Love get his car ready.

Race 4 - Because of my DNF, I started in the front for the invert. Payed Gary $50 to hold off the rest of the field. However, on the start, I missed the 2 - 3 shift and got 2 - 5 instead. Gary passed me - I want my $50 back btw. I finally get 3rd gear only to look up and see Gary's brake lights coming at me as we go into Turn 1 - shit - lock my brakes and slide off the outside of turn 1. I regain my composure and re-entered without losing a spot because of the mayhem I caused behind be. Sorry. Somehow I managed to get back in front, try to outrun Wirtz, get passed anyway, but stay close enough to take advantage when Wirtz spins on the final lap. Woohoo - a win!!!!!

I couldn't be happier with the way the car handled and ran. I can't wait until the next event at Cresson where I've been getting stronger every time we go there.

[jeffburch]

Congrats on a well deserved first win!

jb







:P

[ShadowBolt]

Congrats on a well deserved first win!

jb






:P


Second win. I know Rob won a race at TWS last year.


JJ

[Al Fernandez]

Well he got doused with water as if it were his first anyway :lol:

[evarner]

I don't have much time to post a long one (maybe later).

What a blast!! Most fun I've had behind the wheel of a car in a long, long time!

After thashing on the #2 car for two weeks and installing all new suspension parts along with body parts and various other stuff, I didn't expect to be really fast out of the gate. Too many unknowns and didn't want to get in the way or cause problems for the fast guys. :D

It was however, better than I had expected. The driver still needs a lot of work though as I was humbled the whole weekend by the National Champs and potential Champs. Lots of fun and hope I didn't get in the way too often.

The name of the game was to have fun, hang out and it didn't take long to find a good time anywhere in the paddock or on-track. Helping the "R's" out was also a blast! The rookies will be looking for their first win soon and wouldn't surprise me if it's sooner than later.

I'd like to get with those that have video or pics of the race weekend in order to get a head start on processing the massive amounts of 1's and 0's. :D Send me a PM and we'll work out the logistics.

It was good to see all of you and I felt at "home" once again. Hopefully the #2 car will be fixed, body panels straightened and the suspension tuned for Cresson. We will be looking for a podium spot (at least with Todd driving)!! :D

Gratz to all the winners and first time podium chasers. You guys deserved it!!
....more later

[ShadowBolt]

Eric,

It was great to have you and Todd (Todd who?) at the track with us. You two are part of the CMC racing family and I can't wait until you get the car (and driver's) sorted so I can watch when Jay is driving CMC17.


JJ

[Todd Covini]

Many thanks to Eric for making Team Varvini a reality. Without his help, neither of us would likely have been there!

-=- Todd

[mitchntx]

neither of us would likely have been there!

-=- Todd

I wouldn't exactly say "neither" of you ...