80 replies to this topic

[FTodaro]

I have a set of REMed gears on the shelf. Also a set of REMed diff gears. Amazing how many illegal parts you find in the home built cars that run mid pack. And how few you find in the front group. I also have several lightened flywheels

 

Mistakes happen, including me. But I honestly think the purposefully non-compliant stuff has left the class.

A couple of good points have been made in this thread that i wish the SMAC would maybe make a point to bring to the attention of powers to be.

 

I agree with Dave on the point that for the most part things have cleaned up but for those of you who want to keep up the pressure. if your concerned about REM, as Mark said, you can use a bore scope to inspect the gears through the fill hole while the trans in in the car.

 

But at our event If i have the count right They pulled SIX transmissions.

 

Do you really need to pull six transmissions to send a message and keep the pressure on.

 

I was P8 Sunday and I am not really sure how important it was to pull my box, my lap times were not that impressive.

 

Better yet for a guy like me off the podium, get out the bore scope. I have several hrs of work ahead of me, and the sprints are out for me.

 

I strongly believe that they need to make an effort to make the random tech minimally invasive or we will lose customers. Going forward they need to pull out the bore scope for random tech. IMO  You can get the same result with a lot lest of a hardship on the little guys.

[DrDomm]

I strongly believe that they need to make an effort to make the random tech minimally invasive or we will lose customers. Going forward they need to pull out the bore scope for random tech. IMO  You can get the same result with a lot lest of a hardship on the little guys.

 

Amen to that!

[DrDomm]

Great event, even the spagetti dinner on Saturday night was good. But Mid Ohio really needs to work on its facilities. And I do mean the bathrooms. The 2 porta-johns  at the paddock entrance were absolutely discusting. They had not been serviced since May 15th and where almost overflowing on Saturday. The ones at the Pavilion where just as bad for the dinner party. And the perminent bathrooms are like something out of the 60's. Which I think they really are! Mid-Ohio, if you want to be a first class race facility, get you "facilities" up to modern standards.

 

Dave

 

Totally agree about the "facilities"!  Two other track issues...need more garbage cans in the paddock...seems trivial, but you shouldn't have to go hunting for one.  The other thing is that sometimes racers need guidance on doing the right thing.  Some formula car decided that the setup pad was a great place to paddock.  Now, isn't that really a community asset that should be available for anyone?  I think someone from the track should've asked them to move, but that space should really be blocked off.

[DrDomm]

And now in reverse order, here's Race 1.

 

http://youtu.be/AY2ksUORjSU

[SaulSpeedwell]

See post below.  I are bad at teh Internetz.

[SaulSpeedwell]

Totally agree about the "facilities"!  Two other track issues...need more garbage cans in the paddock...seems trivial, but you shouldn't have to go hunting for one.  The other thing is that sometimes racers need guidance on doing the right thing.  Some formula car decided that the setup pad was a great place to paddock.  Now, isn't that really a community asset that should be available for anyone?  I think someone from the track should've asked them to move, but that space should really be blocked off.

 

My family has raced at Mid Ohio since it opened, minus a 9-ish year hiatus prior to me starting SM.  My Dad also crash-landed a Bensen B8-C Gyrocopter in Mid-Ohio-founding-father Les Griebling's farm field (this is the same contraption the goofy FLA postal employee landed on the White House lawn a few years ago).  I can tell you that the permanent bathrooms at Mid Ohio seem unchanged since 1978 - although I was recently advised that the "man trough" urinal in the paddock bathrooms fell off the wall.  I assume one of Provitz's groupies tried to sleep in it, or something. 

 

To hear the old-timers tell it, the glory days were when Jim Trueman improved the place in the early 1980s, dressing it up in Red Roof Inns livery, sponsoring Rahal, and Nissan was the provider of all the support vehicles.  I swear there is still at least one NISSAN "Hardbody" pickup running around the place today?   The ESCORT 200 Indycar race was the big draw then.  Lots of aviator glasses and pornstaches.  Traffic backed up to the highway.  There are a lot of opinions as to what has happened in the intervening years, and who to blame. 

 

Everyone was hopeful that Mid Ohio being "bought by racers" (Green Savoree) would have a positive outcome. 

 

On the bright side, Nelson Ledges is being repaved, and I will be there to check it out June 19.  Nelson Ledges has never been a fabulous "facility", but the track layout makes Mid Ohio seem like a kiddy kart track.  SMs lap Nelson at 16+ mph faster, even though the last turn is a 2nd gear corner.  And, as the photos below attest, Al Holbert, Bob Sharp, Paul Newman, Bob Tullius, and many others, ran SCCA Nationals there back in the day.

 

https://www.flickr.c...s/97266288@N08/

[BNaumann]

My family has raced at Mid Ohio since it opened, minus a 9-ish year hiatus prior to me starting SM.  My Dad also crash-landed a Bensen B8-C Gyrocopter in Mid-Ohio-founding-father Les Griebling's farm field (this is the same contraption the goofy FLA postal employee landed on the White House lawn a few years ago).  I can tell you that the permanent bathrooms at Mid Ohio seem unchanged since 1978 - although I was recently advised that the "man trough" urinal in the paddock bathrooms fell off the wall.  I assume one of Provitz's groupies tried to sleep in it, or something. 

 

To hear the old-timers tell it, the glory days were when Jim Trueman improved the place in the early 1980s, dressing it up in Red Roof Inns livery, sponsoring Rahal, and Nissan was the provider of all the support vehicles.  I swear there is still at least one NISSAN "Hardbody" pickup running around the place today?   The ESCORT 200 Indycar race was the big draw then.  Lots of aviator glasses and pornstaches.  Traffic backed up to the highway.  There are a lot of opinions as to what has happened in the intervening years, and who to blame. 

 

Everyone was hopeful that Mid Ohio being "bought by racers" (Green Savoree) would have a positive outcome. 

 

On the bright side, Nelson Ledges is being repaved, and I will be there to check it out June 19.  Nelson Ledges has never been a fabulous "facility", but the track layout makes Mid Ohio seem like a kiddy kart track.  SMs lap Nelson at 16+ mph faster, even though the last turn is a 2nd gear corner.  And, as the photos below attest, Al Holbert, Bob Sharp, Paul Newman, Bob Tullius, and many others, ran SCCA Nationals there back in the day.

 

https://www.flickr.c...s/97266288@N08/

 

A track can't be that bad if all people can find to complain about is the bathrooms.  Someone brought up the Nelson "facilities" in a repave thread on Facebook.  Son I raced there before they had running water.  Midohio was a dream...

[DrDomm]

Don't get me wrong...I love the place...just can't figure it out.

[Danica Davison]

I strongly believe that they need to make an effort to make the random tech minimally invasive or we will lose customers. Going forward they need to pull out the bore scope for random tech. IMO  You can get the same result with a lot lest of a hardship on the little guys.

 

I agree.  I think that they need to tech off the podium, but to an extent. I finished 7th at Sebring that had 83 cars and they only checked my fuel. I think you can just do a laundry list of little checks like that for the guys out of the top 5.

[LarryKing]

As an old timer who went to Mid O when Les still owned I can tell you it was truly rustic in those days. Nelson Ledges rustic. Mud Ohio. Look up photos of professional Can Am teams paddocked in the weeds. When Trueman took over it was a VAST improvement. Of course that was 1982. My opinion is that when Trueman passed his daughter assumed leadership and made zero capital improvements in 30+ years. Since the advent of country club road courses all you entitled snowflakes require amenities. Suck it up Buttercups. (Jus playing, you would have thought Soylent Green would spruce things up some.)

PS: Nelson Ledges could be, may be, a real gem when the restoration is complete. I'll definitely tow back to the land of 'yous guys' to race there again.

PSS: the youngsters missed out on the original Buck's in Lexington, Mid O's version of Seibkens/Seneca Lodge. It went up in a blaze of saturated grease late 80s/early 90s.

[Jim Drago]

 

I strongly believe that they need to make an effort to make the random tech minimally invasive or we will lose customers. Going forward they need to pull out the bore scope for random tech. IMO  You can get the same result with a lot lest of a hardship on the little guys.

 

I think tech should be minimally evasive whenever possible.. But at the super tour races, competitors should realize if they are running they have a shot at the random. I have not seen the random be the back of the pack, seems like upper middle in most cases?  I think that is as good a place to tech as any and if tech that weekend is heads, unfortunately the random guy gets a head or whatever they are checking. Its not fun for any of us.. but we all keep claiming we want compliance checks, we voted to even pay for more checks.. so we cant really complain when we get what we voted for. 

[FTodaro]

I think tech should be minimally evasive whenever possible.. But at the super tour races, competitors should realize if they are running they have a shot at the random. I have not seen the random be the back of the pack, seems like upper middle in most cases?  I think that is as good a place to tech as any and if tech that weekend is heads, unfortunately the random guy gets a head or whatever they are checking. Its not fun for any of us.. but we all keep claiming we want compliance checks, we voted to even pay for more checks.. so we cant really complain when we get what we voted for. 

That may be true, but my statement is also true, as i know of one competitor who signed up but later withdrew because he did not want to deal with it. Just pointing out "alternative facts"

[MotoFusi]

The Mayor spreading "alternative facts"? LOL

[MotoFusi]

Dr. Domm, hell I thought I really chopped you off a lot worse than the video shows. Still sorry. The other thing I took from the video........I suck A full second slower in the new car compared to last year in the old car. Obviously more power this year but I'm slower.

 

I had a great time. York and Kyle from East Street took great care of me and took care of all gremlins. I highly recommend East Street track side support. Even though I have the only East Street Rossini car known in the free world, they knew what to do....LOL

 

Great to see the "Alternative facts" Mayor Todaro, Tommy, Stewart and Brad from Franktown. Dinner at Skyway east on Saturday night was really good with great folks. Thanks again Jim Daniels for picking up the tab. It's on me next year.

 

Got some great free coaching from Drago...."Go faster" I couldn't really hear the last part, something about "No hope".

 

No damage weekend is a win for me.

 

I hate to say it........One of my few race weekends without Caveman. I missed him but the Motorhome stayed really clean. Correlation? Yes I think so.........

[DrDomm]

Well...I did back out or go to the grass to avoid contact...but let's move on. 

 

Yeah, explain the Rossini/East St combo please.  That thing was a rocket...my video confirms that.  Love to get me some of that!

[Danny Steyn]

A couple of good points have been made in this thread that i wish the SMAC would maybe make a point to bring to the attention of powers to be.

 

 

 

SMAC is listening!

[MotoFusi]

Domm, I met Mike Rossini when I first bought my 1st car late in 2015. He dyno'd it so I knew what I had. Very average. I bought a parts car and immediately sent him the motor to have ready when needed.

 

I then decided to build a new car and Jim Drago found me a donor and I think his cages are built well and a real value so I had him do it and bought most of the build parts from him, the rest from Dave at Advanced. It has a Mayor Todaro built transmission also!!!!!!!

 

Caveman built the car for me, I took it to Rossini to install the motor that Mike already built for me and dyno it. So it's an East Street car with a Rossini engine. I value my friendship with Mike and Elaine. You can't find better people. They will be my friends long after I quit racing. I am very happy with the engine.

 

That said, I know many people very happy with East Street engines and I'm sure I would have been happy with one of Jim's engines. Caveman wouldn't have anything else.

 

As you know, I'm not fast but the engine is..............................LOL

[Danny Steyn]

 I value my friendship with Mike and Elaine. You can't find better people. They will be my friends long after I quit racing. I am very happy with the engine.

 

Same way I feel about Mike and Elaine, really special and generous people.

[NRE]

It wasn't really the weekend we wanted but I wouldn't have even had the opportunity to be there last weekend if it wasn't for all the hard work Jim, York, Kyle, and the rest of the East Street Racing crew put in. They worked incredibly hard just days before the event to get my car all prepped and ready for the weekend and for that I am super grateful. I'm glad I was still able to go even though I only managed sixth and seventh place finishes. Thank you again to the whole ESR team for all the help to get me to the track last weekend! The kind of service you get with ESR is unparalleled in my opinion because they go above and beyond to help you out and make sure you're happy with the services you had done to your car plus they have great track side support!

[DrDomm]

Domm, I met Mike Rossini when I first bought my 1st car late in 2015. He dyno'd it so I knew what I had. Very average. I bought a parts car and immediately sent him the motor to have ready when needed.

 

I then decided to build a new car and Jim Drago found me a donor and I think his cages are built well and a real value so I had him do it and bought most of the build parts from him, the rest from Dave at Advanced. It has a Mayor Todaro built transmission also!!!!!!!

 

Caveman built the car for me, I took it to Rossini to install the motor that Mike already built for me and dyno it. So it's an East Street car with a Rossini engine. I value my friendship with Mike and Elaine. You can't find better people. They will be my friends long after I quit racing. I am very happy with the engine.

 

That said, I know many people very happy with East Street engines and I'm sure I would have been happy with one of Jim's engines. Caveman wouldn't have anything else.

 

As you know, I'm not fast but the engine is..............................LOL

 

Sounds like a West Virginia story...but I'm sure it's legit.  Thanks for explaining.