[ho428]

First race of the season, and after seeing each others cars on the web over the years, this will be our first head to head meeting on track. Different class but same run group.
Pretty rare to have two Pontiacs together on a Road Course.
He has more experience at this track, I think I have more HP.

Dis gonna be fun.

[S/st 54]

That's so cool! Good Luck!!!

[Jack Gifford]

Sounds like you'll put on a good show!

[Colin70TA]

Awesome!!!
Still snow on the ground here, hoping to get some track days soon on my T/A with the new mill.
What are you running for an oiling system? Canton pan with windage and accusump?


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[JLMounce]

Awesome! Take some vids if possible!

I'd also like to know what you're running for an oiling system. It's the one thing that's kept my otherwise ready bird from on-track activity.

[ponjohn]

ho428 - what combo are you running now?

[ho428]

Interesting weekend.
I hadn't been to this track in about 5-6 years and at 3.27 miles and 18 Turns it's a lot to learn so I was really counting on Friday's test sessions. Well, it rained all day Friday so...
I did go out once just to get familiar with the layout but that was about it, cars were going off everywhere into the mud and once you got in it you were probably going to slide into a tire wall. We lost a Ferrari GTO (a real one) and a 66 Corvette by going off track Friday.
Saturday morning the race director decided to change our morning race to a Practice-Qualifying session instead to let us get some laps in. Smart move since we all needed it and the afternoon race was set by those Q times.
The track was still damp and I never got a clean lap in qualifying so I was gridded back around 16th I believe, but I found a good rhythm and moved up to 8th for a nice top ten finish in the 25 mile Sprint race.

By the afternoon race the sun came out and the track was dry. My friend in a 68 Mustang fastback won that race, it's his home track and he instructs there, so he knows it well.
I met the driver of the GTO, he runs this track a lot so he's familiar with it too, the car is very well built and he stayed up front most of that race. Finished 4th I think, but he does run a SBC.
I never got the chance to race the GTO again though as he blew the rear end up at the end of it. A shame as I was finally starting to get comfortable with the track.

Sunday mornings race was epic, a one hour 85 mile Endurance race with 51 cars gridded to start and a required timed pit stop whenever you wanted. The race ran green the entire time so all stops were under green. I run a 22 gallon fuel cell so I was counting on not having to re-fuel since I have no pit crew. Royal PITA to re-fuel your own car. I just had to sit there in a very hot car staring at my stop watch hoping the engine didn't heat sink.
I had some great battles with various cars but the battle with a 914-6 was probably the best battle all weekend, he and I swapped positions multiple times per lap for over half the race, even though he had some faster lap times I was able to out drive and keep him behind me after the pit stop and beat him in the Enduro to get a 9th place overall finish in that race, it took a little over an hour to run that thing, all under green and I was exhausted, I couldn’t even get my hands to work to unhook my helmet afterward, had to get help.
Until you sling a 3200 lb leaf sprung car around 18 turns for 26 laps covering 85 miles, topping out at 140 mph twice a lap with 15 shifts a lap, you never realize just how exhausting it can be. That's almost 400 shifts.
When I got out I checked the fuel cell, maybe a gallon left, that was cutting it close.

Not sure when my next race will be, the Vintage groups aren't exactly in sync with each other so it's hit and miss with various sanctions.

[Half-Inch Stud]

Fantastic. A Youtube in-car video would be...awesome.

[tom s]

Make you think about the Cup drivers when they do the road tracks!Hours behind the wheels.Tom

[Jack Gifford]

Two-out-two top ten finishes- congratulations!

I've sampled the exhaustion such as your endurance race- two laps around the original 17.5 mile Nuerburgring was 374 turns. It wasn't a race but at a "spirited" pace of about 16 minutes per lap, I collapsed on the ground afterward! Tri-Power 381 c.i. Pontiac engine in a 4,200 lb. '57 Chevy 4-dr wagon- power steering ratio pitman/idler arms but without power! At least the shifting was easy, with a 4-speed HydroStick.

[ho428]

Originally Posted by tom s

Make you think about the Cup drivers when they do the road tracks!Hours behind the wheels.Tom

They ain't a few months shy of 60 though.
Now I know why most of the old guys run MG's, Alfa's, Triumphs and the like.

[GTO Dan]

Originally Posted by ho428

They ain't a few months shy of 60 though.
....

All the more impressive!

[10second70GP]

Very kool

[ho428]

Originally Posted by ponjohn

ho428 - what combo are you running now?

Still running the 433 I built a few years back. 12:1, solid roller, KRE Heads and Northwind intake, 950 carb.

[ho428]

Originally Posted by Half-Inch Stud

Fantastic. A Youtube in-car video would be...awesome.

Working on it.
Hoping to get some video from the Porsche 914-6, he said he had great footage. He came by afterward and said he wanted to see the front, that he'd seen enough of the rear of the Firebird.

Track Map

[ho428]

Where's our Food? Been waiting a half hour.
At the Drive In listening to 60's Rock and Roll.

Actually just going out for a practice session, on a wet track.
The Three of us run most events together.
Thought it was a cool pic.

[v869tr6]

A lot more seat time in a road race car, must be fun!

[mgarblik]

Congratulations on your weekend of racing. Strong finish on a track you had no practice on due to weather. Am I correct that the red GTO was Chevy powered? If that was the case, you had the only Pontiac at the track that weekend and 2 top 10 finishes. Way to go!

[ho428]

The first video is about 1/4 of the enduro, somewhere around the middle of it after we've all gotten spread out.
The Second video shows that yeah, we really do race these cars hard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tjr-x3DZe0E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP4UfkTpTRo

[Half-Inch Stud]

Enjoyable to watch. Thanks!