Sunday, March 28, 2010

Racecar update 3/28/10

So it is raining today.
Yesterday I did some cleaning of the garage and took both of the quarter windows and began cleaning the "goo" from them. Would have worked more on the car yesterday, but I had training in the morning and watched the truck race with my Mom and step-Dad yesterday. It was just way too cold.
Today after church, I decide which headlight assembly to install, mocked it up and my Dad came over to talk and measure for decals. Then here came the rain. So I ate lunch and then (which I already planned to do) went to the OCEF (Ortonville Community Emergency Fund) Easter food sort. Now I am at my Dad's hoping to watch the NASCAR race or Indy race but they are rained out too. Just finished watching Michigan State go to the Final 4 with a win over Tennessee.

Until next time, be safe and drive careful.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

What us grassroots racing guys dream of!

http://jalopnik.com/5497042/how-a-500-craigslist-car-beat-400k-rally-racers?skyline=true&s=i
http://jalopnik.com/5500013/i-co+drove-the-500-craigslist-rally-car?skyline=true&s=i

I hope these links work, first time trying to put those in.
Grassroots racing. I would say, that is what I do. (I also have the magazine subscription to boot!) The above articles is taking it to the extreme, but read the article and tell me you would pass up an opportunity like that! No way I would!

There is not much to report on the racecar. It is still there. The weather is getting warmer again, but I am just a little too busy with life right now. But the time will come and it will be ready to go.
Wait...oh I guess I should explain why I have to work on the car.
Ok so I have been racing at Waterford Hills for two years. The racecar I have raced with the last two years, a 1979 Ford Mustang, 2.3L two-door, ran #00 in ITB and STU classes. I spectacularly wrecked the car last year in August. Much to the wincing of my Mom who was present. Frame bend on the Mustang, game over. Why spectacular? Well, the story goes something like this.....

Setting the scene. Finally fixed the front alignment on the car which had been off the previous race weekend with the help of Billy Bob. This was weekend #5 late August, warm but not hot at Waterford Hills. I qualified, poorly because I was running on 3 cylinders for both qualifying session (ITB & STU). I had just changed spark plugs, thought one was bad, changed it, then with the help of a fellow racer Nelson, found the #2 rocker fell off, after the second qualifying session. Oops.
So I started shotgun on the field in the ITB race. I like the starts, it seems maybe the derby days has help me on my road racing adventures. When the green flag flies I go. I mean, it is race time, go people. It seemed throughout the year I always started on the outside lane going into one, there is more room to go.
Well the I see the green flag and I pull to the outside towards the wall. Merritt #77 and Franz #33 started in front of me. Glad I moved to the outside, Merritt was in fourth gear not second! I passed her and Franz and had such a good start. I found myself passing Alec #3, Bob #88, and John #72. Seems, someone, not mentioning any names in the #81 Capri, missed a shift and had the bottom lane backed up. I following Kimi #73 into turn one with Chris #81 in the inside. John and Bob made quick work of me by the backstretch. But I passed three cars in the first lap!
I was eventually caught by Alec and Franz. It seems the #3 and the #00 has equal footing of power, setup and driver ability (Well Alec has better driving ability he has been doing this a few more years then me and I didn't beat him once this year). We were side by side for most of the race. It was fun to be able to race clean and that close. Alec did end up getting by me, he got the low line going into one with about two to go and Franz finished about two bumpers behind me at the finish line. After the race Alec stopped by and said that was the hardest he has ever driven. My Mom said that it wasn't fun for her to watch. LOL

The STU was was another exciting battle on Saturday. Steve in Alec's #3 decided to race in STU for the weekend. (Note: ITB cars are legal for STU, thus why I sometimes run both, fun and exciting and more track time). I took driver's school with Steve, he and I were the only ITB guys (I think) during that year's driver's school. Steve shares (rents) the car from Alec and usually runs the co-driver race. (Something I also did to get more track time).
Again Steve started ahead of me in 2nd - outside lane and I started third in the four car field (Note - Split grid, so actually the 18th car on the track.)
I am glad Joe #16 got a quick start I pulled pass Steve by turn one. Bruce #46 (STU, ITS, EP class Champion, 2009 Track Champion), started in the back of the field (I think he likes a challenge) and smoked by everyone by the end of the first lap. Bruce wins.
So this race got interesting. My car was starting to develop a miss come out of turn #8 onto the frontstrecth - the second fastest portion of the track - so Steve would pull up to me and try to pass going into corner one each time. Well the second lap going into turn one the yellow flag is out because the #9 Neon is in the sand trap in turn one (oops!). So you can not pass under yellow flag conditions. Coming to the flag stand the third time around we are side by side, I let of and so does Steve, and I do more and so does Steve, but finally he pulls ahead. After we go through turn one at a slow speed and nose to tail, he starts slowing down again. So I bump him. :-) I end up passing him back. I didn't bump him off the track. just a bump to say "hi". Come to find out after the race (and after our little discussion with the steward) :-), he was trying to let me back by because he thought he wasn't suppose to pass me like that. Anyway the next lap and two laps after as the Neon sat in the sand. I would get a great run from turn 2 through the back stretch and pull away and then he would reel me in from turn 6 through the last turn but then have to slow down for the yellow flag.
After the yellow flag was gone, I was very good through the whole track, minus the last turn and the front stretch. Steve would pull along the outside going into turn 1, we would continue to be side by side through turn 1 and 2 and then I would pull away again.
I ended up beating Steve to the line at the finish. Ended up second, due to a DQ by Joe in the #16 (probably missed tech).
The car felt good for the races on Saturday. I felt like I had a good feeling for the car underneath me and I was having a blast. Turn 5, the fastest on the entire track I thouoght I was going through braver, but more comfortable, I was setting up the corner better turning on the line better and accelarating through it better. Just turn eight was an issue, car started missing, I figured, it was the carb filter or not enough fuel. So before I went home, I cleaned the filter and topped off the tank

So then came Sunday. For the ITB class race I started 18th out of 22. Franz and Merritt behind me with two faster cars that dropped out of yesterday's race (#55 ITB Chris - fire bottle went of in the last race oops! and #01 ITS Lucas - changed transmission over night). Again green flag waved, and poor Kimi didn't see me flying by on the outside, I made it three wide at the start over the start/finish line (actually passed them before the line, rules state as soon as you see the green flag move - go!). I almost ran into the back of Jim in the #15 going in turn one and had Bob #88 on the inside. The 55 and the 01 passed me by the end of the first lap. Then is was a battle on again. Kimi this time was pushing me and then Alec and Franz, all together. About four laps in going into turn 3 Kimi spun out. Alec ran me down two laps later and again I finished behind him at the end of the race. Still had the miss in the engine and it was getting worst. I was running 1.26.00 lap times and figured that could be about a second quicker if the car wasn't missing.

Then came the faithful STU race. Again I battled Steve all race long on lap seven he got by me going into one. Off of hilltop I got a tremendous run and had to lift getting onto the back stretch not to run into the back of him. I still ran into him three times down the back stretch. I knew unfortunately if I couldn't catch him, I wasn't going to get beat, because turn eight was going to come up soon. Now, another key note here. The main reason I got such a good run on him was we were getting lapped by the leaders in SM (Spec Miata). He got passed me once but I took advantage of the leaders getting by him and he being extra careful. So down the backstretch I go and follow him into the tight turn six, still right on his bumper, I pull out just a little to show I am there and go into turn paddock turn, too fast and off line. The rear tires squel and I remember I don't want to spin in front of the Miatas. I crank the wheel the other way and then I am along for the ride. Down the hill and into the very forgiving guard rail. I remember grabbing the wheel tight and pulling myself forward and pushing the brake pedal down farther. Didn't matter. I did restart the car and backup (which the car slid sideways on the hill), but after putting it in gear to trying to move forward, the car wasn't going anywhere because the fender was on the front tire. So out I came. I put the window net on top of the car and climb out after undoing the seat belts. Looked at the fender moved in and the radiator leaking water. My step-dad Alan (who works on the Fire & Rescue squad, not breaking rules), met me about 20 feet up paddock road, I already had the helmet off. He asked how I was doing, I said "Great, that was a lot of fun". He told me to go see the Brian at the ambulance. I was ok that day, but the next day everything from the waist up hurt, mostly the shoulders, neck and ribs. The next day everything was fine, minus the left ribs, probably from slamming onto the seat after the hit. Now the car, as stated earlier had a frame all messed up and a radiator shot. The engine was good, but it wasn't going to see the track again. See Picture below!




I had been "racy" all weekend. And moving the guardrail 4 feet and delaying racing for 30 minutes, I would put that under "spectacular"

I bought a new car this year, a year younger and a notchback style Mustang not a hatchback. (i.e. looks cooler). But the car that is a 4-time track Champion, needs a little work. Engine, transmission, body, and Roll cage is complete, just need to put windows, lights, seat, seat belts, hook up some gauges, front fascia, change some fluids and it will be ready to go.

Until next time
Be safe and God Bless

Thursday, March 18, 2010

The 2010 race season schedule

Hello and welcome back,
I have been working on the racecar over the weekend and yesterday (couldn't pass up a beautiful day yesterday). I also finished picking up the rest of the car parts from the previous owner (Thanks Chris).

Here is the 2010 race schedule for Waterford Hills and the Mustang. I will add dates later for derbying.

May 22nd & 23rd
June 5th & 6th
June 26th & 27th
July 24th & 25th
August 28th & 29th
September 25th & 26th

Other - July 23rd SCAMP car show

Be safe and God Bless

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Getting Started

Well its March 11th of 2010 and it is getting closer and closer to the 2010 race season.
After seeing a few of my friends and family having a blog and enjoying posting blogs on MySpace back in the day I decide today was as good as any day to start this up.
Work is slow too. :-)

What is TF American Racing?
Well, I started "racing"...ok I will call it what it is....demolition derby back in 2003. The junior year of college. In exchange for helping clearing up a lot of junk (more on that later), I got two cars, a 1977 Chevy Nova and a 1983 Olds Delta 88. Dave (more I him later) helped me build those first two cars and I was hooked. Granted the "racing" didn't go great. I led the Figure-8 in the Nova at the Oakland County Fair for about 4 laps before the right rear wheel was hit and broken off. The Delta 88 was a Delta 44 when it was done and over with in the demo derby, but I did run a heat and consi (huh, haven't been in a demo derby since...figure-8 yes...but not derby...interesting).
Anyway, I took a year off to finish school and then did more derbying after I got my own place in 2005. Build a Figure-8 car in 15 days that year and that car still lives, even though I haven't been driving it for a few years.
In March 2008 (St. Patrick's Day actually). I bought a green Ford Mustang ITB racecar from another Dave. I took driver's school that year at Waterford Hills and have been racing there since. I think the name for the race team came about during that season.
Simple the initials of my name and American, because you can't get any more American then racing.
The owner/driver/crew chief/co-car chief/transport driver/tire changer/fueler/co-mechanic/sponsor/team-cook - a term I use loosely is me Tom. I race at Waterford Hills in a 1980 Ford Mustang in the ITB and STU class, which is a new car for me this year. I also race derbies, figure-8s and Enduro sometimes. Either at the local fair or with USA demo derby.

Ok so this is a start. A little information about me and TF American Racing.
I will be posting more here as I get time. I will relive some of the derby and racing experiences prior to the 2010 season. I hope to figure out how to add pictures too.
I will talk about the people (Dave, Scott, Bryan & Michelle, the parents and family when they are not covering their eyes!) who help me and the good (My first win!) and not-so-good stories (the battery falling out, the battery burning up and moving the armco to be included)

Be safe and God Bless