161 replies to this topic

[Bench Racer]

Has the track been resurfaced or improved in the past five years,

 

 

or are the Hoosiers a lot better there than the Toyos,

 

 

or is it just that faster cars and drivers are showing up?

 

No

 

 

Yes

 

 

Yes

 

 

Since last weekend of 4/25, 26 they implemented some GIGANTIC alligator teeth at three places around the track.

 

 

The shoes from GLD walked away with the show. They can tell their own versions and strut their stuff proudly. Great job by all the racers with wins by JR and Kyle.
 

[Todd Lamb]

So easy a Caveman can do it!  Congrats to all.

[Jim Drago]

Congratulations to Kyle Webb! First majors win! That is awesome
I know it has been a long time and glad you finally broke through!

Also congrats to Justin for the win Saturday!

Condolences to Mike Novak who had a really fast car and ended up getting taken out. Rough weekend when they start out so positive and you leave with nothing to show! You are really close as well, your majors win is coming( but not at Mid Ohio)

Frank, step it up

[JRHille]

It was great seeing everybody this weekend. Blackhawk Farms is a great little track and it is VERY technical.  Thanks for the congrats Jim, Mike did not make it easy. 

 

Congrats to Kyle on his first Majors win, it was a long time coming, and I'm sure we won't hear the end of it  

 

I was a bit disappointed to see what happened at the start of the feature race.  We had an erratic starting pace (accordion), so a few rows back got a jump and Bender "instinctively" used the massive push to go to the inside and make it 3 wide with Novak and Elder alongside (again), first problem.   Second problem, Jamie Randall was pushing Bender going into the corner, and got into Novak's right rear, and I don't believe Bender would have made the corner in the first place, he was already flying off at that point.

   

I think we all need to have a little more respect for the first corner.  Going 3 wide clearly not being able to make the corner is one thing, but pushing the car that is tight on the inside under braking, that is unacceptable.  HEADS UP PEOPLE! check up even a little bit if you see things getting sketchy.  There were a lot of tore up cars and a lot of frustrated drivers.  THE RACE ISN'T WON IN THE FIRST CORNER!  This kind of shit makes us look bad and gives us the "spec pinata" reputation.

 

Shit happens, but shit can also be avoided. All things considered, a good weekend for me.  Condolences to Mike Novak,  I thought it was going to be you and I fighting for the win on Sunday, what happened was unfortunate and unnecessary and can be avoided if we would all just calm down.

[FTodaro]

I have to send a big shout out to my teammate Caveman Kyle Webb. If any of you ever hang around Kyle in the paddock you know his intensity. He has worked hard and it has paid off for him today. This was his first trip to the track but he put in his homework, Doing a track walk the night before and it paid off allowing him to convert the days events to a win.

 

Now for the start of the race and the conduct of some of our fellow SM racers, I am a bit frustrated by what we have been seeing at the start of several SM races this year, and we need to come up with a way to send a message that the bone head moves taking out innocent drivers needs to stop.

 

I was P6 at the start on the outside. I will post some video in a few days but all you can see is the first 3 rows getting taken out from behind. I have never see a start like this one. Blackhawk is not a wide track and needless to say when drivers from behind plow into the front pack just that you take out 7 8 cars something is wrong. It felt like We all got drilled from behind.

 

How do we get guys to understand you're not going to win the race on the first lap and if you were that fast that you could stay up there you would have qualified there in the first place.

 

Rant Over.

 

On to some other Stories, congrats to the Blackhawk Valley Region for putting on a friendly event. These folks went out of the way to make us feel welcome, people were friendly and professional, everyone had a smile on their face. several folks thanks us for coming and wanted us back. That is the way to do it.

 

Blackhawk the track. This was my first trip to this track. the Facilities are fantastic all looks new and clean. the track is challenging. A vary difficult track on brake pads, I learned that the hard way my Hawk DT60's were no match for it. I like the track it keeps you busy. I would go back.

 

A big thank you also to Dave Wheeler and his guys. Dave and Ann are always willing to help out and have parts on hand, even get things from his shop to help out a fellow racer. Thank you both for supporting our sport.

 

Lastly, 10+ guys hanging out at Tom Browns Motor home watching video and drinking his beer "priceless"

[Tom Sager]

Congrats to Justin and Kyle the Kaveman on the wins.  Great way for both of you to start the season.   

[JRHille]

 

 

Here is my video from today, displaying the bullshit at the start, and also my very satisfying drive to 2nd place.  Couldn't quite get Kyle, dude ran a great race!

[Steve Scheifler]

Nice drive after a rough start!

Good to see Blackhawk getting a little love from people who are new to it. Not the most interesting place for a track day maybe, but I've always thought it was a good wheel-wheel racers track.

More pavement at track-out than I recall in 1 & 7. I think 4 was added just before our last time there. Combined I think they are worth maybe half the time differential from back then, though at 7 it looked like maybe it helps most for an early apex. Would be interested in comments from Dave Wheeler.

[Caveman-kwebb99]

 

 

 

The shoes from GLD walked away with the show. They can tell their own versions and strut their stuff proudly. Great job by all the racers with wins by JR and Kyle.
 

 

There will be no bragging from my side, I ran a mostly mistake free race and conserved my car for the end when I would need it most.  Hille Is a Shoe I am just a hard worker who has had to claw and fight for ever gain I have made.  I got alot of help form two of my CenDiv brothers!  Voytek and Brown helped me alot and they deserve much of the credit for my ability to drive at the front for a whole race at this track and I genuinely hope they car share in the p1 with me!  Our family of SM drivers are so awesome there were so many guys here that could have won, God just picked me that day!  Hille has something to strutt about, love the tennacity he shows behind the wheel!  I am just happy to come out of this race winning more friends at the track, I was blessed to have a REAL POLISH dinner from Ehditta, pronounced right but spelled wrong here, I think I may have to request the same meal every night before the race from now on!  Dewey we have had oour differences but I apreciate your kind words here mean alot. 

 

What makes this so special IMO is that other front running guys I am racing with will share data, vid, lead follow in practice, all because they want it to be the tightest racing on the PLANET.  

 

Thank yous to God, my wife, Drago, Novak, Chuck Caldwell who prepped the car, Lamb, Brown, Voytek, Wheeler and Ann, Frank, Hille, Ralph, and so many I am sure I am forgetting.  

 

Absolutly none of what I acomplished was because ME, I have just been fortunate enough to be mentored, coached, scolded, chastised, encouraged, and just out right helped by so very many of you in this class!!!!

[davew]

It was great to see the Michigan gang fight the traffic around the pond and come to our little home track. I keep telling everyone that Blackhawk is the hardest track in the country on brakes, I now have a few more believers.

 

Congrats to Kyle and Hille for a couple of fine drives to victories in SM. You left early and missed the downpour during the afternoon races.

 

Voytek ran his SM (less the plate) in Eprod. He actually out qualified some true EP cars. The Sunday race started with a few sprinkles that turned into full blown rain. We where the only car on rain tires. Voytek was 6 seconds faster than any of the other cars on track. Had the race gone full distance I think he could have been 2nd overall. The officials stopped the race early due to the rain. When stopped there had been no off track excursions by the slick tired cars. But it was eventually going to happen. It was a judgement call that hurt our chances. But I can live with the call, allways better to err on the side of safety.

 

The next group was the T4,3, 2 STL race. We did not have any rain tires for the 2006 MX5 we built for T4, so at the last minute we switched the entry to the Eprod/SM car. Thanks to Costa Dunias and Paula Spencer for their understanding and help in getting T&S and tech on board in less than 5 minutes. I am quick to critisize the officials, but this case they could not have been more helpfull. Voytek drove from the back of the grid to win overall. Beating all the high powered Porsche's and BMW's. Danny Bender finished second in his MX5 and Jim Ebben, in another MX5, completed the Mazda podium sweep. Tom Brown finished second in STL.

 

The Saturday T4 race was Novaks to win until a rear suspension arm failed. Bender, Burdzy and Ebben swept the podium, all in MX5's

 

Again, it was great having so many out-of-towners come to our house for a great party. See you soon at Road America

dave

[Michael Novak]

The Michigan Mafia headed to Blackhawk to try and win the races, drink their beer and steal their women(At least all the single guys said this ).   Didnt quite work out that way for any of us...

 

Sat morning I grabbed the pole for both SM and T4 and thought I was heading for a great weekend. SM race Sat afternoon I bobbled and gave the lead to Hille (Ohio guy now liiving and working for Roush in MI) and he and I got away from the field but I could never close up enough to make a solid pass. HARD fights along the way with J. Elders, Bender, and others from the local WI group....

 

T4  checked out until a rear trailer arm broke with about 3 laps left and that was that. Congrats to Bender, Burdzy and Ebben--thought I had the car for the day--but you have to finish to win.

 

Sun--- Got wrecked in corner 1 at the start by someone who hit someone that was sure they were going to win from 3 rows back on the first corner. Webb worked his way through the mess and never looked back. I saw great runs from Brown, Hille, Bernacki, Smart and many others.  Congrats Kyle--glad you decided to come up

 

As far as the rest---Two OHIO guys won the races. Lots of Beer and stories were exchanged and we all got to race with some of the best people around. Blackhawk is a top notch smaller facility and put on some great races.  ALSO big thanks to Advanced Autosports(Dave and Ann) for taking a MX5 apart to get me the links I needed for Sundays T4 race---that didnt happen either as I didnt buy any rains for it yet.

 

Congrats to Hille and Webb-----and your welcome for the setup and brakes.......

[Caveman-kwebb99]

 

Enjoy the 1st 15 minutes

[MPR22]

Congrats Kyle,  what an accomplishment!!!  You should be proud an take credit for the your efforts.  No win comes easy in this class at any level. 

 

Way to go.  

 

Michael

[Speedycrw]

Congrats Kyle!

[Johnny D]

Awesome Kyle, Congrats !!!

 

In the Nova Brown car too ?

J~

[Caveman-kwebb99]

Awesome Kyle, Congrats !!!

 

In the Nova Brown car too ?

J~

 

Yes it was the Nova Brown car...  Maybe it was a little help from him as well

[Tom Hampton]

Way cool, Kyle.  Good luck on many more!

[Caveman-kwebb99]

I will also say there was also zero man drama all weekend, yes a very good car got torn up and a couple guys got upset and rightfully so but at the end of the day there was the cleanest most respectful driving I have ever seen at a majors bar none this whole weekend.

[Strongbad]

Just read about the news!

Congrats to 'the caveman'!

Awesome job!

A 'Majors' win is a big deal.

 

Now I'll feel even better when I beat you next time

[Jamz14]

Yes it was the Nova Brown car...  Maybe it was a little help from him as well

The way you magically came through that cloud and mess with a clear track in front of you; maybe the kid was helping.

I miss my boy so much. Have to go now. My eyes are leaking coolant.