TF American Racing

Extreme Makeover : Forst Home Addition

2012-01-12T23:05:00.002-05:00

Hello all,
Boy a lot to write about lately...but today we are going to have a guest writer...even if she knows it or not...LOL

My wife Jenna wrote a very nice e-mail to some of the family/friends on an update of...well everything. Mostly about the house and preparing for a little change in life...ok a lot.

I added some comments in Italic...because I can ;-)...Enjoy!

Good Morning to everyone! I hope you had great holidays spent with family & friends. Tom & I are doing really well. We have been working really hard on getting our house ready for our little baby boy. Tom tore up the kitchen floor & found hardwood underneath. We got that refinished (Hired someone...thank goodness) & saved a ton of money, as opposed to getting a new floor. We (Tom) then painted the kitchen white & put down trim. I scrubbed up the cabinets and it has really made a huge difference. The kitchen doesn't look as dated and is nice & clean with a smooth floor safe for our little peanut to crawl on. :) (I believe we have hit the "nesting" stage of pregnancy)

Then we moved on to the laundry room. This was a bear. (<--- Nomination for "Understatement of the Year 2011") There was some water damage from the water softener leaking [Because Tom was busy racing and doing other things...or just ignored it! ;-) ] and Tom had to take up some subfloor and replaced with mold resistant concrete board that had to be cut by hand. I have never seen a man work so hard. I feel so blessed to have him as my husband. Once the subfloor was down, we put in new linoleum that looks like tile, painted the room white, put some shelving up to add storage, got a new water softener (well, new to us, but used from a friend of mine's parents) with iron filter and new water heater (The old one was from 1974). It has made a ton of difference the iron is not in the water and it makes it so much easier to clean the shower & tub! (And keeps Jenna's hair from turning reddish orange) We've been able to get up almost all the rust stains. It's really great!

Then Tom turned the closet in the kitchen into a pantry. We have had a little help from some friends of my family & some friends from church, but Tom has done most of the work himself. He is an amazing man! After the pantry, we were off to the most exciting & fun part, the NURSERY! We painted the paneling white (That sucked in paint like a towel to water) & the top of the wall a pastel green. I called the color Easter M&M green, but Tom says it kinda looks like Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream green. The closet doors & door to the room were painted a baby blue. Our room theme is Noah's ark. My cousin is coming over tomorrow to help me put up the decals. (She did and the room looks wonderful, see below) Then the room will be finished and I will send out pictures sometime soon. I really think it's a wonderful nursery. I am honestly so happy with how our little house has developed, I wish everyone could see it. It has truly become our home, combining both Tom & my decor. (Trust me...my decor...not worth saving, I do have racing stuff still up and it looks wonderful!)

Subbing has been very slow since the holidays, but it has given me the opportunity to clean & organize every room in our home. (aka...cleaning up 6 year old dust bunnies) It is amazing how much room you need to make for such a small little boy coming into your life, but we are so blessed to have him on his way. And I'm sure subbing will pick up here shortly (No truer words spoken, she is currently subbing as I type) so I need to take advantage of the time I have to get ready for our little munchkin.

The attached pictures (See below) are 2 face pictures (side and front view) and of course, his little foot (Not included). The ultrasound tech said that our little boy is approximately 3 lbs & 10 oz. In the front picture of him, I swear he has Tom's chin, but Tom says there is a shadow & it's too hard to tell right now. The tech also said he had a little bit of hair. I wonder if he'll be blonde like his daddy or brown haired like his momma. It is still so cool to feel him move. I was just about spot on with where I thought he was positioned. He is head down already, which is great because I was upside down and Tom was trying to come out shoulder first. (When we were born) There isn't as much room for him to move around, so we are both pleased that he is preparing to come out the correct way and maybe, we won't have to have a c-section as both of us were delivered this way. I feel his little toes in my ribs sometimes and I found out I was correct during the ultrasound. So far it hasn't been bothersome. Once, I got passed the getting sick part, I feel like I've had a great pregnancy. I have very little heartburn. I do get short of breathe sometimes, but I really feel blessed compared to some of the horror stories I have heard. We have a little less than 10 weeks to go. The baby shower is being thrown by mom, but is here in Michigan (Jenna's Mom lives in Arizona). She is very excited to get the opportunity to do this, since she was so far away during the wedding and didn't get to help as much as she would like. Plus, she is bringing herself and my grandma with her, which is so exciting to have them both here for the shower. We are...blah, blah, blah..she then explains where the baby shower is and details and possible names...which we will keep you folks hanging a little longer. and so on and so forth... Well, I think that's all the updates for now. We love you all very much. Tom & Jenna

And that ends our visiting guest writer today.

In other news....

The racecar looks pretty in the garage, under scrap pieces of shelves, drywall, plywood, and cement board. :-) In other words...awesome because I get to be a Daddy!

The next karting adventure will be January 26th.

NASCAR Daytona testing has begun.

Waterford Hills tentative schedule is up!

And somehow I turn 30 next month! Right about the time the Super Bowl is played!

The Karting Adventure 2011

2012-01-04T15:45:00.001-05:00

So, there we were...all four of us. We came from great distances...Armada, Ortonville, Troy...battled the bitter cold (35 degrees). We came dressed warm. Almost as if we were going ice fishing...but more exciting. We were in a foreign land of Sterling Heights...

Ok...anyway. Team Forst was in action (Emmanual's - "Eman" idea, not mine) at the Kart2kart two hour team endurance race on December 29th. It was an evening event. It was a simple idea. Four guys who like racing, or have in the past raced anything from dirt bikes to snowmobiles to Mustangs to Big Red Tractors to...probably toy cars and slot cars, put together a team and race. Our goal was simple, don't look like morons...LOL

Strategizing a bit, we went with heaviest (That would be I) to lightest. I was going to start, and frankly I won that by a lot! (And note, Vidhyesh - "V" had to get out his iPhone at this point to convert from kg to lbs...I prefer weighing myself by kg from now on.) We pulled Kart number 17...no idea how fast the kart was, but we knew it was not as fast as #9 or #10. Those karts had half to a full second on all the karts, and it would show.

Luckily for us I strapped into the kart and was sitting first on the grid. Worked the belts tight and away we went for qualifying. 40 minute session. We would do driver changes to practice and give everyone time to practice and feel ready for the race. After the first lap...some other karts were still in the pits...I would say...advantage!

My quickest lap until a switch to V was 29.13...now that isn't much based on a pole time of 27.66. But that was good enough for ninth out of 12, good for our team, my teammates went faster. Eman turned a 28.93, good enough for 7th. I also will note...I never beat the 30 second barrier prior to that day. I felt pretty good after the session, my foot was a little fatigue, but nothing too bad.

Our only hiccup in qualifying was getting stuck in the pits during the driver swap between V and Scott. The stop was about 16 seconds slower then the other average stops during qualifying.

We completed 76 laps during qualifying, 3rd most. We were quite happy with that stat.

So to review qualifying...we didn't look like morons...7th out of 12, not bad for first timers.

Before the race cap...We did all dress for cold. The warehouse in which this place is run...indoors, is definitely not heated and to keep out that bad exhaust gas (CO2) the dock doors remain open in the back. So long thermal under jeans, and two long sleeve shirts was the dress code for me. Plus racing gloves, racing shoes and of course my All-American helmet with markings of getting out of my rolled over car...yep, better avoid the crazy driver! The other guys had winter gear as well, mostly snowmobiling attire.

To the race. We started Formula One style...it was cool. This driver does need to learn on how to push the green pedal down a little harder at the start. Everyone keep their cool to start, nobody going backwards, but I was soon running 8th and then 9th. According to the nice racing chart provided by Kart2Kart, by lap 12 I made a lap time of 29.09, and ran some consistent times in the 29s. Even had a lap of 28.93 which matched Eman's qualifying time.

I remember being tired about 10 minutes into the driving stint but everything kinda goes numb after a while. You get into the zone, listening to the engine, trying to keep the revs up. Watching the line of the driver in front of you trying to go just a little quicker. Watching the pit board, with lap times, and trying to stare at the screen for placement. I was very happy with the place, just not the place on the track. We were as low as 10th, before other drivers started to peel off for driver changes.

When the driver change occurred, I jumped out helped V get into his seat and belt up and pushed him away. My legs were close to jello but my smile was perfect. I grabbed a quick drink to join the other members out near the pit board. We were 5th. We had a great pit stop, it worked out well.

Vidhyesh had a good run, not the fastest, but it seems he was passing cars on a regular basis.

Scott took the karting over for the third stint, he went fast, the track seems like everyone was getting more aggressive. More bumping, etc. But he turned in the team's fastest time of 28.60.

Eman took the last leg. We were 6th at that point. We were a lap ahead of the team behind us and a lap behind the team ahead of us...follow?

With about 8 minutes to go the kart ahead of us broke something. They got a new kart, and something was wrong with that kart too. So we finished 5th. Kart #9 and kart #10 finished first and second, 9 laps ahead of us. #10 spun twice and was still 6 laps ahead of us. The last place team was 24 laps down.

So again, we did pretty good for the first time team. 5th out of 12...similar to the first my first time out at Mid-Ohio.

We will begin 2012 with a bang January 26th, the next enduro. Eman, said something about it being cold or something. We will be looking for kart #9 or #10 and hopefully improve our position. Of course...no Waterford Hills regular were there this time...we will see next time.

So until next time, be safe and make quick driver changes!

A Merry Christmas to all..

2011-12-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas from the TF American Racing Team. Hope you all have a wonderful time with friends and family.

God Bless and keep it on the track!

Random NASCAR and Dreams...

2011-12-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Kurt Busch is out of a ride after a "mutual" split...right and I am a 140 pound linebacker for the Detroit Lions. It is so sad to see a driver lose his ride, not because of lack of talent or results, or because of injury...no the spoiled brat can't keep his emotions in check. What a waste.

NASCAR has just become like all the other sports. These drivers have more cash in hand before they ever sit behind the wheel. Where is there motivation? Sometimes it seems better just to keep the sponsors happy and you can drive in the middle of the pack for as long as you can prop yourself up to the wheel. (Michael Waltrip anyone?).

Post-Earnhardt (Sr. that is), is so much different then pre-Earnhardt. Drivers drove for the glory of winner and beating others, didn't matter the prize money. Now they approach this as a job, not a fun professional hobby. Its sad really. Even other sanctioning bodies are the same way. ALMS, Grand-Am and even IndyCar are buy-a-rides, not the best talent racing against others (Milka Duno, anyone?). You can tell this a lot when other drivers, Stewart, Kanhe, Robby Gordon, etc...drive in events outside of NASCAR, and they seems to have more fun doing that then Sundays at the track.

That is why I like Waterford Hills, and Dixie and Auto City for that matter. Guys devoting most/all their time and money to racing. It is in their blood. Some others drive because it is a hobby, only pick a few events, as cash and time allows, but still respect the sport. The first time someone shows up to Waterford Hills paid to race...I am out of there!...lol. And yes, I am sure there are some ride buyers, but the more drivers the merrier. Waterford Hills does a great job regulating everyone to race. No one place is perfect, but I haven't found anywhere better.

It would be a cool dream to build my own racetrack. Back in the woods, a 1.42 mile road course, with 13 turns, elevation changes, big run off areas. An 1/8 mile and 1/2 mile oval for fun, maybe a dirt pit for demo derby cars! Garages on the grounds for me and 30-50 of my closes friends. Races every weekend from March to October...ah a guy can dream, can't he.

Until next time, keep the tires on the road, even in the white stuff.
God Bless.

70 years ago...

2011-12-07T23:00:00.000-05:00

...was the attack on Pearl Harbor. On this day remember those who have served out country. All gave some, some gave all.

God Bless

A Failed Go-Karting Enduro Trip

2011-11-30T06:01:00.003-05:00

So, the task is simple, gather 1-3 friends and go race a go-kart for 2 hours. With qualifying, driver changes and strategy. Simple concept...of course if we actually GOT to race this blog post might be a little more interesting. We were on the waiting list and well...everyone showed up for the Nov. 26th Kart2Kart endurance race.

Our Team

Scott S. (officially car chief of TF American Racing...if he likes it or not) and great friend and now former co-worker, who knows his way around a car, but prefers only going straight (i.e. Has a 1/4 mile Mustang...topping out at over 500hp).

Vidhyesh K. - former co-worker and wicked fast in a go-kart

Emmanual V. - co-worker and wicked fast in a go-kart

And somehow...when we do race on Dec. 29th...I feel like I will be the anchor. I feel it has a little bit to do with the 60-100 pounds I add to the kart versus everyone else!

We did stick around for a little bit. And watched a little practice, before I headed to my weekly visit to the Home Depot for home improveement materials and tools (future blog entry). There were fellow Waterford Hills racers there. Jon Horgas and Jacob Carpenter ended up taking the win (info via Facebook). Also there was Dennis Baran and Bill Wise. All open wheel drivers...hmmm...interesting, light and nibble karts and the open wheeler drivers are driving them.

Goal - finish in Top 5...out of 12 teams...when we race on Dec. 29th. Can't wait!

How breaking an $8 part costs $1500... and then some!

2011-11-17T18:30:00.000-05:00

Ah...so here we are, the story of the Saturn.

The official "Daily Driver / car that goes and picks up car parts for the racecar" of TF American Racing had a little issue last October. The 2005 L300 Saturn is a slick looking 4 door sedan with at that time 128,000 miles. Driving home from work, the engine started making some bad noises near home.

A little history, my neighbor, at the time, Tim had let me know he just replaced valves on another Saturn with 120,000 miles, just like mine (same V6, 3.0L engine) because the timing belt broke...ah nice, inference motor. So we caught it just in time. The timing belt was replaced in September at 126,000 miles. It was time.

Then on the above mentioned date, the bolt to the timing belt idler pulley broke… loosing the timing belt, that eventually shredded. The pulley broke the plastic cover covering all the pulleys and naturally smashing valves. The bolt had spun out and then broke…not sure if we didn’t tighten the bolt when we replaced the timing belt…or the new belt created strain. Greatfully, I had driven to Cedar Point a month early after replacing the belt...blessed it didn't break then.

So Tim offered to help do the same job on mine he did on the previous one. We went to work. The parts came from 5 different sources ($12 a piece for the valves from dinosaurparts.com…better than $171 from the dealer). The broken bolt…yep, $8 from the dealer. Probably close to $1100 in parts. Why the $1500 then...driving a 2 ton, 11 mpg, $4 a gallon, van in place of the 25mpg Saturn over a few months...I am being generous.

The repair took time. The broken bolt was the toughest part. It had to come out of the block and it was right in line with the front frame beam. I tried spinning it with a screw driver and welding on it…both unsuccessful. Dave, came over and had the right tools for the job. A little drill here and a tap and spin there…all good!

Between October and June…yes June the car was finally finished. Tim went back to work, as he was unemployed when he started the job, and between work, winter, the broken bolt in the block, the holidays, planning the wedding, having the wedding and the honeymoon, I didn’t get much time to it.

So this is where the story usually ends….but it doesn’t

About 100 miles after the repair…the car started running on 5 cylinders…well at least that is how it started acting. All the lights would come on in the dash and the car did not like idle. The farther it drove the worse the electronics tried to compensate for the issue. Off to the dealership…they stated it was a loss of compression in cylinder #1. Off to Jefferson Motor Service and speedy racer Jim Lamb, owner/operator. Well the car did have a compression issues, but not enough to do what it was doing. Jim still to this day doesn’t know what is wrong with it. He would try to fix one thing and something else would act up…ah yes the issues. So, Jim being the nice guy he is offered a trade. Ta-Da, 2000 SL Saturn 4cyl with 134K, new tires and new transmission…and most importantly…running.

One day Jim will get to that motor and fine out what is wrong with it…until then…

God Bless, be safe …and make sure you get those bolts tight on the engine!

I'm back...life is great...and an announcement

2011-11-16T18:01:00.000-05:00

Soooo…hello world…its been a while…about seven months...

What’s new? Where do I begin?

Our wedding was wonderful, a truly perfect day. We were surrounded by approximately 170 family and friends. We had a great, memorable time. Thanks to all involved and made our day special.

The honeymoon was great. We left the Wednesday after the wedding…couldn’t believe how small airplane seats get after 8 hours. Italy was wonderful with stops in Rome, Naples, Pompay, Sorrento (hotel overlooking the bay..it was wonderful!), Capri, Florence, Pisa, Verona, and Venice. Had beautiful weather everyday but Venice where it was cold and raining. We spent two wonderful relaxing weeks there, saw beautiful scenery, met some great people and ate some great food. Even saw the 1000 Miglia in Verona…really cool seeing vintage and modern sportcars driving through the narrow streets of Italy.

Work is work, busy and will be busier as new programs get nearer. I have to get moving in my side business, need to and want to.

The racing – I did not hit the track this summer. Never found the justification of funds…especially with Jenna now pregnant with our boy. Yep, Jenna is about 22 weeks pregnant, due Mid-March. We are working on names, but not anything decided. It is pretty cool knowing you have been part of God's miracle…I don’t think it has hit me yet that I will be a Father and responsible for him yet, but I am sure it will set in sometime soon.

Jenna and I are awesome…we are. I am having the most wonderful time in my life with her. She brings me much joy and much happiness. Marriage is work, and dedication, but with God’s help we are very much up to it.

We did head to three amazing concerts this summer. Christian bands and singers at DTE Music Threater (or Pine Knob, as we like to call it). Our favorites…Jars of Clay, Third Day and Toby Mac!

We as a couple have been going to a couple’s bible study together. It is much fun and it is great to hang around like minded people, our age. Most are married and some have young children. Learning and growing together is our goal...and we plan on continuing to do such as long as we exist.

A few weeks ago I found out an interesting tidbit about the church we go to, The River. I also go to a Men’s bible study that Pastor Jim leads. Come to find out, I use to run derby against him. Yeah the Pastor of the church raced Figure-8 and demolition derby at the Davisburg Fair…how cool is that? He didn’t run this year and the last time he did he broke his shoulder blade…ouch.
In the men’s bible study we are studying Nehemiah. It is interesting to learn about Nehemiah, and Pastor compares himself to Nehemiah. It got me thinking…I am more like Noah…I was a Northern race fan before it was mainstream. I do things a little different than anybody else…sometimes that gets me into trouble. And Noah just listened to God, no matter what people said to him. I am the same way; listen to God…no matter what others say.

Also, one other event my wife and I attended was the Waterford Hills Road Racing banquet. We had a blast. I even won a free OCSC membership…pretty cool. It was great to recognize all the winners. Chris Tumpkin was this year’s Driver of the year (most points scored). Not bad for an ITB racer. Hopefully Old Glory can be put together and ran against his Capri in the future. That would be a fun event to be part of.

I am no longer serving on the BoD at Waterford Hills. I had a great time, but with a bad Saturn (still need to tell that story), the house requiring upgrades (and not just a baby’s room), a broken furnace (bye-bye racing fund) and a new marriage, it was time to focus on more important things in life. I don’t plan on leaving Waterford Hills. I will still be involved, I plan to still write for the website and help when and where I can. It will just be in a smaller role. I loved being part of the Board, it was great, I learn a lot and made many friends. Truly memorable. Jim D. also took a step back this year, he is no longer the President and Joel H. will be the new President. Waterford Hills is in good shape. I am excited for the future. I can wait to be back on the track and be part of it.

Blog update...it is odd that I haven't written so much in a while. I truly believe having someone to share your life with you allows you to communicate out all your thoughts, emotions, etc. I think before I did not have that as much. You sit at home and think...to yourself, and ponder...to yourself...and stew madly...to yourself. Thus...writing to the whole free world on a blog...well that was an outlet. But don't worry...I have many things still to talk about. And the racing will come back...not right now, but it will come back. Sooooo...I guess I am saying that communicating with my wife is more important than writing on a blog. But know I will be writing a bit more. Winter is here and then there won't be THAT much to do...granted, baby on the way brings on some tasks to do. I will try my best.

Be safe, enjoy life and drive safe…watch out for those blinding Christmas lights…in November!

Ah...the bully with the racecar...

2011-11-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

I will be posting soon a new post to get you all up to date...in the meantime...

I saw the "accident" with Kyle Busch in the truck Series this weekend (OK in Texas a few weekends ago).

He really is just a bully with a racecar.

Wrecking Ron in the corner...I can see it
Racing for the win...I can see it.

But not, when he is in a Championship points battle.
Not when it is 13 laps into the race.
And absolutely never under CAUTION!!!!

Come on, did you forget your brain?

Be safe, and no wrecking racecars under caution.

Still here!

2011-04-15T16:00:00.003-04:00

...I am still here.

What have I been up too over the winter?

Fixing a Saturn 3.0L engine, that will not be fixed. (a blog feature coming up soon)
Driving a van around at 11mpg and $4.00 a gallon
Planning a wedding / honeymoon / being in love (mushy...isn't it!?)
Some go-kart racing
Some minor home improvements
Trying to stay warm
Serving on the Waterford Hills BoD
Working too much on new projects at work
Family and friends, outing/events/gatherings
Talking to potential sponsors

What does the future hold?
Scrapping a Saturn...or beating it with a bat...or entering it in a demo derby :-)

What else?
Getting married, going on a honeymoon to Italy, and relaxing

And your racing plans?
Minimum...one race, renting a....oh I can't give it away can I?...This driver has been humbled at the offers.

Derby?...probably not...well...if the Saturn doesn't work out...the racing budget has (mostly) became the wedding budget...LOL. But I have a few cars to scrap...thus adding to the racing budget. ;-)

Wedding is April 30th...CAN NOT WAIT!

Not sure if I will post between now and the wedding...probably not until we return for Italy!

Hope all is well in your worlds out there...until next time.

Be safe and keep it on the road. God Bless!

Happy Birthday!

2011-03-26T03:30:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday! To the future wife of TF American Racing - Jenna!

NASCAR quick hits

2011-02-21T18:30:00.000-05:00

Mr. Bayne...congrats...nothing like winning a race in a famous car in just your second start on NASCAR's biggest stage. I am super jealous...LOL.

Special K'S Big Brother Brian.
Congrats to you as well. Making the big race in a 5 year old car. That is like qualifying on the pole for a AS race...in my ITB Mustang...LOL.

The spring started creeping in and then...BAM! Hello winter.

Hope you are all behaving yourself this winter and getting ready for the spring...and race season!

Be safe and keep it on the road!

Happy Birthday

2011-02-04T05:00:00.000-05:00

TF American Racing would like to wish Team Driver Tom Forst a very happy 29th birthday!
Only 85 days until the wedding day!

Waterford Hills race date change

2011-02-02T19:00:00.000-05:00

Vintage weekend is now July 29-31, not in August. I can not wait to watch!

Happy New Year, Hello 2011

2010-12-31T23:59:00.002-05:00

From everyone at TF American Racing, Happy New Year. Hellio 2011.

I have had a wonderful year driving Old Glory at Waterford Hills with all the wonderful people. (Merritt, Bob, Billy Bob, Jim, Randy, Vern, Dorothy, Al, Chris, Lyn, Rich, JB, Brian, Jeff, Kristen, Liz, Ralph, Bruce, Vaughan, Kris, Charlie, Jim, Joel, John, Lee, David, Laura, Doug, Becky, Brenda, Bruce, Mary, Andy and everyone else I missed)

I can not thank my crew, friends and family for their support and late hours
(Dad, Mom, Alan, Cathy, Kelly, Jason, Andrea, Scott, Bryan, Michelle, Kenny, Jason, Billy Bob, Tim, Dave)

And of course, the best thing that has EVER happened to me...my lovely fiancee Jenna.

Cheers to 2011 and another great and joyful year. God Bless.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T01:00:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas from TF American Racing. I hope your time is filled with family, friends and memories, new and old. God Bless

Race schedule for next year

2010-12-21T16:00:00.000-05:00

TF American Racing driver Tom is looking for rental opportunities for the 2011 race season. Feel free to contact him at anytime.

The Waterford Hills Road Racing schedule has been released. Here are the dates.

Race 1: May 7-8
Race 2: June 4-5
Race 3: June 25-26
Race 4: July 16-17
Race 5: August 27-28
Race 6: October 1-2

Vintage Race: August 12-14

Tom is happy to see the Vintage race is back. Should be a great weekend.

What is the world coming to?

2010-12-10T16:00:00.000-05:00

Four cylinder engines in Formula One. WOW!
What's next? NASCAR to six cylinder engines?

http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/36209.html

Snow, driving the tow van, working on Old Glory and just smiling

2010-12-03T17:00:00.002-05:00

Hello December,
It was nice of God to let winter in easy on us this year (minus Buffalo, NY of course). Nice to see snow coming down to start December and not dumping on us. The Holiday season is the time of year that is TF American Racing's second favorite next to, of course, racing season. There is nothing like a warm fireplace, friends and families, and where we are just happy to be us for a while.

Looking back at this year, I still just shake my head and smile. Had the time of my life. I finished 2nd in ITB points at Waterford Hills, with two vastly different cars, finished 20th in overall points, and went to a new track (Mid-Ohio) and finish 5th out of 12 cars in ITB! I can not wait to go back there. True I wrecked Old Glory, but that is life, somethings you want to hit the brakes of life and nothing happens, same is true for Old Glory I guess...LOL. Or is it sometimes you are the bug other times you are the windshield?

It seems forever since I was on the track. Usually around March, I kind of get this bottled up energy and butterflies in the stomach thinking about racing. This year it has hit early. Where is the car, I want to go racin'?!

Tom has not worked on Old Glory very much since "The wreck heard 'round Waterford Hills 2010" (maybe the name is a little over the top?) other then changing some tires and pulling the mangled fenders and front bumper off. Tom will eventually start pulling some parts off. Trim, doors, destroyed windshield, etc... Tom has been busy with, house remodeling, wedding planning and that little thing called work that keeps the bills paid (But it gets such in the way of life). Tom also has been volunteering his time on Wednesday nights, being the official "Cook to feed hungry high schoolers for youth group at St. Daniel's". Most times prior to Waterford Hill meetings. All that keeps me busy and out of trouble.

In other news, prior to Tom and Jenna's trip up to Petoskey (where Tom proposed), the official "daily driver"/"transport to get the parts from the part store you broke on the racecar" of TF American Racing, a 2005 Saturn L300, had a $8 part break, resulting in $900 in damage. Ouch! The Saturn is still under repair. The Official neighbor/friend/local mechanic of TF American Racing, Tim, has it in his garage and has the valves replace. The tough part is trying to get the broken bolt out of the block. That bolt broke which held on the timing belt idler pulley, then resulting in a shredded timing belt (new only 6 weeks prior) and then smashing valves.

So the official "tow vehicle" of TF American Racing, a 2002 Chevy 2500 Cargo Van has been the transportation for Tom to get to and from work and around town. At a whopping 12 miles to the gallon, it has been no so fun on the check book. But I have learned more people get out of my way in a big cargo van then my car. Who knew?!

Until next time.

God Bless, be safe and keep it on the road

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T10:00:00.001-05:00

From everyone at TF American Racing have a great Thanksgiving. We have a lot to be thankful for to participate in the wonderful sport of auto racing!
Enjoy!

And as always, be safe and keep it on the road. God Bless.

Veterans Day

2010-11-11T08:05:00.001-05:00

Thanks to all those who gave some and some that gave all.

Some of my heros I get to call family...

Grandpa Edward Forst
Grandpa Jim Fisk
The late Grandma Sophia Jankowski
Uncle Robert (Bob) Kuss
Cousin Kurt Ziobro Jr. currently serving in Afganistan

Thank you for serving my country...so proud to be an American.

NASCAR quick hits

2010-11-09T17:10:00.000-05:00

Some observations as the NASCAR season comes to a close.

- Kyle Busch will never win a Championship until he grows up.
- His brother was lucky to win in 2004
- Kasey Kane is the next Dale Jr.
- There will be short fields next year
- I hope Denny Halmin wins the Championship. Anybody but Johnson....and Gordon.
- I am a new Clint Bowyer fan, RCR is back...finally.
- The racing is good, the tv coverage is awful. Which is truely amazing because there was never a pre-race or post-race show 15 years ago.
- The Nationwide Series (I still want to call it Busch) is in trouble.
- I still follow it and know what is happening...but I don't watch every race like I use too. Maybe because I would rather be racing....LOL

Be safe and keep it on the road.

2010 Waterford Hills Award Winners

2010-11-02T15:35:00.000-04:00

These are the non-championship awards given out each year at the Waterford Hills Banquet. TF American Racing decided to skip this year's banquet to save some cash for the injured racecar, a wedding, and a Saturn that decided to break bolts and smash valves. Ahhh...life.

Congrats to the winners

Lynn Bertin - Presidents Award
Lynn seems to always be the first to the track and at every event, a race or an open track day. The Leader of all the corner workers, she is one reason that Waterford Hills is a great place to be and keep us drivers safe. I do remember when she was racing herself, in a white SSB #11 Neon.

Eunice Lucas-Logan - Female Enthusiast
I had the pleasure of working with Eunice during the August Open Track Day at Waterford Hills. She knew her stuff and did it all with a smile. You can find her behind the wheel of her Miata...just not on the track.

The late Bill Gamalski - Male Enthusiast
Bill had enthusiasm like no other. He was a racer too. He passed away last December unexpectedly. He has been missed by many.

Liz Hammond - Rookie of the Year
Liz might just start kicking my butt on a regular basis next year in her SM/ITS Miata (Note as much as it pains me...Miatas go faster then Mustangs at Waterford Hills). Always a great qualifier and a smooth predictable racer. She always had the right attitude and had a smile on her face as well. Her crew (Dad and husband) kept the Miata in tip top shape and Liz will be pushing those leaders soon.

Vern Roberts - Sportsmen of the Year
I am not sure what I can say about Vern. Vern is a sportsman, a gentleman and a great asset to Waterford Hills. He had a health scare earlier this year, but he is a determined guy and was back racing in no time. It has been a pleasure to get to know Vern more and more this year working on the BoD and at racing events. He even made sure I felt welcome traveling to Mid-Ohio for the first time earlier this year. A place he really enjoys.

Dave Cordier - Gary Taylor Memorial Trophy

Note, I know that October was light on the posts but TF American Racing is committed to keeping you updated. During the off season check in about once a week. There is a lot to talk about, even in the off season.

God Bless, and keep it on the road.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T08:10:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween from TF American Racing.

NEWS

Only item to report is on 10/23/2010 driver Tom Forst ask Jenilee Weaver for her hand in marriage. She said yes. The TF American Racing team is quite excitied and the planning has begun. Stay tuned for more information on the team and wedding plans.

Automobile Magazine

2010-10-20T16:00:00.002-04:00

Here is the article in the Automobile Magazine, now online, from my little test driving on Belle Isle earlier in August. Big thanks to Mike O. for this great, great opportunity.

http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/driven/1011_the_perfect_car_for_every_life_crisis/index.html

Bye, Bye Rusty

2010-10-17T11:33:00.004-04:00

Bye, Bye Rusty

Took Rusty to the scrap yard on Friday. I got more money in the scrap metal then I paid for the car. Cha-ching!
It was a fun car, but time to move on (and get my driveway back).

RIP Rusty

In the newspaper again...

2010-10-08T15:35:00.000-04:00

I did finish 10th overall in that race. But I finished better in the other races.
I wrecked in August not July. Still its cool to be in the paper.

http://de.theoaklandpress.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=T0xQLzIwMTAvMTAvMDgjQXIwMTcwMQ==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

Overall points update!

2010-10-07T18:55:00.002-04:00

So absolutely cool. Tom Forst finished 20th in overall points at Waterford Hills.
I did not think I was that high in the overall points, but that is definitely exciting.

Be safe, say a prayer and keep it on the road.

Some articles

2010-10-01T17:01:00.000-04:00

This talks about the whole adventure of racing...sometimes the happenings off the track mean more then what happens on the track.

http://www.frontstretch.com/jpotts/31595/

This article is more about how NASCAR isn't racing...but there is a lot of true in it. Forget the hype, the plastic trophies, the people...other racers who you don't get along with...its about racing. You and that car, going as fast as you can go...nothing else really matters. Its really a blessing to be able to do it at all.

http://www.frontstretch.com/ahenderson/31601/

Be safe, God Bless, and keep it on the road!

Sunday Results & BIG thanks

2010-09-29T22:00:00.000-04:00

For the feature race.
I started 10th overall, 3rd in class behind #81 Chris Tumpkin, #83 Kenny (my step-bro), and #35 Steen - an ITS car.
I got a good start and was right behind Kenny after lap #1. It took me three laps to get by Kenny and then going into turn #3 I took the protection line. The inside after the kink. Kenny got in the grass, hit my back bumper and spun out. Sorry bro.
It took me 3 more laps to catch up to the #81 car, who was, at least to me being held up by the the #35 of Steen. I got to Chris' bumper but kinda want to see how the battle ahead would play out. Coming to the white flag, Steen went off in turn #8 (swamp). It was just me and Chris now. I think I over drove the car a bit on the last lap and finished 2nd probably even to Chris' rear bumper with the front.

I am still very proud of how I did this weekend. And I got a few more stories to tell, and will update later...I got all winter.

For The Record
#81 Chris - heat cycles on tires - 5
#5 Tom - heat cycles on tires - 15

BIG thanks
Al - That is an awesome car and thank you so much for letting me rent it. Thank you for letting me prove to the world I can be a very good racecar driver, no matter what I drive. Thanks for working on that car and getting it to tip top shape. You are an awesome car owner and person.

Jenna - Welcome to the world of racing. Thanks for supporting me through all this and being proud of me. Not sure where all our priorities will fall in the future, but I know you support me doing this and that means everything.

Mom - Thanks for showing up and watching the races on Sunday. Sorry I made you cry with the whole Kenny and Tom racing very close to one another.

Kelly, Andrea, Michelle, Bryan - Thanks for all the support this year and the last few years, it has been a blast and I look forward for you racing next year Bryan (no pressure...LOL). And Sis thanks for getting up early and traveling from WV to watch both races.

Alan, and all the rest of the volunteers - You make this place great and without you...I am not sure what I or the rest of the drivers would do.

To my fellow ITB drivers - Great racing with all of you. Chris Marsh, congrats you are a great, great Champion! Tumpkin - I have no problem finishing second to you. You are a genuine person to the nth degree. A true winner...unfreeze your race suit yet?

Updates

2010-09-26T14:47:00.000-04:00

Qualified 4th in class on Saturday. Ran a 1:21.9

Class race I finished 3rd in class 10th overall. Behind a very fast Dave and Chris Marsh. Chris won the points.

Sunday class race finished 6th in class after leading and running out of gasoline.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Friday Practice

2010-09-24T18:30:00.001-04:00

Just a quick note...ok it didn't turn out that way...LOL

Everything went very well today in the #5 VW Golf owned by Al. Secret is out now ;-)

I ran three practice sessions. After the second session, Al worked on the toe of the front wheels. Things were very comfortable, stable and fairly fast (like someone told me I ran a 1:23.5). I am driving it like a rental which is good.
The front tires are from Old Glory and the rears are old ones Al had. They are different sizes to make the car turn better. Good tires, but not great.
I sit a little different in the car, but the steering wheel seems easier to turn and shifting is heaven compared to the Mustangs. The car doesn't roll....(choose different word)...lean as far as I thought it would and even after hitting a curb or two.

FWD vs RWD - Big difference to me is that in a RWD car, you have to be on the throttle to get it to steer....FWD the exact opposite. I have to brake later in the FWD car and turn while braking, something foreign to me. And also use both feet and brake and gas at the same time...again...foreign. The Mustang was mostly one input at a time.

Oh, by the way, I am not missing the fact I have to brake LATER. Just what my mind needs...brake later...at least the brakes worked very well today. This is a mental game for sure...a mental game...the car is capable...the driver has to get there.

I must also mention that Dave's car was back. Looks like he left some of my paint on his car. It looks.....interesting.

Tomorrow brings, qualifying and class race #1...Mr. Marsh you sure you want to race? Oh and registration without my hard card...should be interesting.

I am having a blast in this little thing called life.

One last note...Al a frequent vistor to the blog, I have found out...told me to mention that when the car caught on fire, he was leading and still finished 4th (it caught fire on the last lap) and stop in front of the Fire & Rescue team to put out the fire! Heads up driving for sure.

Be safe, hope to see you this weekend and HEY! Keep it on the road. God Bless!

The Challenge...oh I like a challenge

2010-09-21T17:55:00.003-04:00

Race weekend number six at Waterford Hills is coming up quickly. So, here is what to expect.

My Challenge - take a rental racecar I have only sat in once, that has a higher center of gravity, that is front wheel drive, that the last time it was on the track, it was on fire and win with it....while on probation...making up 12 points in the ITB championship...and trying not to scare the crap out of the car owner....my Mom...my family and friends...and my new girlfriend.

Oh...I like a challenge.

Friday is practice day for Tom to get accommodated with the new car, the car's drive train and what brakes feel like...LOL. I hope the rain stays away for the day but the forecast is looking like a mixed bag. And since race weekends are 4 for 5 in the rain department at Waterford Hills this year, I have feeling we will be seeing some rain. But that maybe a great equalizer...or advantage...front wheel drive cars do better in the rain.

Mr. Marsh only has to beat me in the first race to clinch the championship. 12 points is the maximum you can score in a race (well unless you break a class track lap time record...not happening), so if he extends his lead in the first race, the points race is over.

I do have to do some calculations to determine if racing the feature will be worth it...having a chance at the Top Ten! (Not holding my breathe).

So, stay tuned to this channel...ok...blog throughout the weekend. And we will see what God's has in store for me this weekend. I do know this...it is going to be really fun!

Be safe and keep it on the road.

Dear Chris Marsh

2010-09-17T17:55:00.000-04:00

Because I can not contain my excitement!

http://www.waterfordhills.com/cms/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3081

Post 100 and the newest TF American Racing crew member

2010-09-17T16:44:00.000-04:00

Wow! Post number 100...I would like to thank....

Anyway in other news.

- My nephew Lawson Thomas Phillips was born on Monday September 13th, 2010 at 7:58am. Mom and Dad are doing well...even though Dad still looks like a deer in head lights. Love ya brother ;-)
Here is a picture of the "Future TF American Racing Jackman" ;-)

- Thanks to all those who supported me after the wreck, and ranting. TF American Racing team nurse Michelle called me 5 or 6 days straight to make sure I got up every morning. (And so did my Mom but I think she was more interested in my new girlfriend...LOL)

- My garage and driveway is a sad site...there sits the green machine, Old Glory and Rusty.

;-(

Quick Announcement

2010-09-12T21:37:00.002-04:00

TF American Racing is proud to announce that Tom Forst will be in a ITB car for race weekend #6 at Waterford Hills. Stay tuned for further information.

No Appeal, Auto City, & what to do now?

2010-09-09T17:05:00.001-04:00

Hello to all you race fans of TF American Racing,

So glad you are checking out the blog. I am requesting some input from the fans. What to do now? The 2010 race season is quickly coming to a close, do you think there is an event I can still enter? What should I do with the bent racecars? Got an event you want to see me race at this year or next? Feel free to comment here or on my Facebook page. No idea is far fetched...well don't suggest Formula One...I can't afford that. Maybe in a future blog I can get a poll up. Please read down further on some event options. ;-)

Oh...and if you have a gmail account, please "subscribe" to the blog...it is nice to know who is checking this place out. ;-)

Now onto the juicy details...like ESPN's Sportscenter...the top story isn't about sports, its about the latest in the court system...LOL

The owner/driver of TF American Racing decided not to appeal the SOM (Stewards of the Meet) penalty for my accident during the Sunday class race at Waterford Hills during weekend #5. I did write up about 80% of my appeal, when back to the track and took a ton of pictures of the track and racecar, but I decided, it really wasn’t going to solve much. I know how I race and what happened. I understand what it looked like and I understand other parties involved were upset and the SOM had to do something. I know I can control the car…when it has brakes. I actually probably don't give myself enough credit on how well I have driven and raced this year. I turn faster laps during the first weekend in the new car then I did...ever in the old car. I qualified 7th out of 12 at Mid-Ohio, without ever seeing the course. I ran 3rd in class at Mid-Ohio during the Sunday class race. I did a great job of avoiding wrecks this year. (I counted 4 spinning cars in one weekend alone and two major wrecks.) I ran 1:21.4 in Old Glory at Waterford Hill...never thought I would ever go that fast. I stayed consistent in lap times in races 2 through 4 at Waterford Hills with the same set of tires. I ran 0.3 seconds slower in the same car as Mr. Chris Childs...a very good, experienced racer, during the same weekend.

I feel the SOM did overlooked some items and the process can be improved…but why create a stink? These are volunteers doing the best they can…I am one too. If/When I make it back to Waterford Hills, it will not change how I drive/race…in fact I think it will be more motivation to race harder, and kick some butt. I am not a bad driver, I am not a menace on the track. I don't have a history of wrecking cars...I did not spin once this year at Waterford Hills. I had an unfortunate driver error accident last year. This one was a brake failure, nothing more. That’s racin’. If people view me different after the accident...so be it...I am not that concern on people thinking. I just move forward...continue to learn, seek and grow.

I have learn some lessons during this process too. I have a better understanding of the course of action in dealing with problem drivers in the future. I think I also have more of an awareness to speak and be more open to drivers whom are beyond the line of control. Better do it before they make a bigger mistake, let them know where you stand on their car control ability, do not be afraid to say, "Hey I am watching you, you kind of scare me and frankly if we wreck, I will file a paper against you". Filing a paper is an option and will be used in the future. Even to the legality of the cars.

I made some points on my posting at the Waterford Hills forum and here on my unhappiness of the whole situation (I just lost a car...I could see myself retire in). I was emotional, on sensory overload and well…vented. Does it make it right or wrong? I do not know but I do not regret anything. I am what I am. I am human after all.

I think it will be good for the members of the club to see the penalty and maybe for those that actually NEED to be watched, or talked to, or drive over their heads will take notice and make sure to click it back a notch to know that a penalty this harsh to me, could be even harsher in other situations. Let’s race and quit bending metal.

There are also other options in the future besides an appeal. I could petition for an early end to the probation and options to race other places with my license if necessary. My two big issues with the penalty.

In other TF American Racing News…

I will be entered in race weekend #6 at Waterford Hills. It should be fun. But I can let the entire cat out of the bag ;-) (I will say I always wanted to race a Corvette…hehehehe).

Not sure what I am going to do now. Never been at a point in my life like this. Sort of unsure on what to do. There is pros and cons to the situation I am in...risks and opportunities. I love racing, it consumes me. God has given me a passion for racing, as a driver, owner, promoter and most importantly in my eyes...a fan. I love racing. I mostly enjoy the long nights working on the car. The efforts to beat the fender out of derby car for that extra inch of wheel clearance, it is fun and I have a child-like enthusiasm for it. The family and friends that support me in this...what a treat...what a blessing. And the family I met at Waterford Hills, a total blessing. But the funds are currently not there. I am involved and committed to many activities (and if you ask anyone too many activities...LOL). Many I enjoy and find a calling for service too. The passion is there for them too...as much as racing...no...but a passion no less. I put my heart and soul into everything I do, how else can I do it? (Which personal motto would you like - "I rather burn-out then rust-out" "I don't just burn the candle at both ends, I use a blow torch"). Racing does take up a lot of effort and time, but I find it is so worth it. Others may not agree. So do I pull up the trousers...(what is this 1960?) pants and get working...or do I take ball and go home (not that I really feel like that)...or more, cut my losses and focus elsewhere (Still not true)...or say thanks for the blessing and its been fun...now where do I truly go from here?

(Wait two weeks...that September race weekend is right around the corner...LOL)

I have a derby car with, what I think is a bad starter. Two wrecked ITB Mustangs, with a feeling I really don’t want to run ITB again…at least at Waterford Hills (still time will tell). I have a derby car not built. One Caddy I would love to short track race…or sell. A tow vehicle needing some work, as well as the trailer...silly brakes lights and I pulled the first rotted board out the other day. And my daily driver needs work for that matter ( I hit that 120K mark…check list for this weekend, timing belt, serp belt, and fuel filter, inspect wheel bearing). But time will tell…well and the bank account too. Time to sit back and enjoy the fall….btw did God just flip the switch between summer and fall…30 degrees cooler overnight! Wow!

I did have the opportunity to take my date (now girlfriend) up to Auto City Speedway last Saturday, for what I will call “Redneck Games”. She enjoyed the adventure and dealt with the very cold temperatures and wind. A trooper.

I think the TF American Racing team might need to try some of these events in the future. (Calling for driving partner…Bryan or Scott you available?)…events included (besides the partially regular show of Lead Sleds/Pure Stock and “Hornets” – 4 cylinder car with young kids…even had two Mustangs entered!)

- Skid cars…front wheel drive cars with “skis” welded to the rear rims. Quite a shower of sparks. Spin out mandatory. (hmmm…I would have to find a front wheel drive car)

- The always popular School bus figure-8…no accidents at the intersection. But entertaining no less. (hmmm…no CDL…pass)

- Hare and Hound….how to explain this…first Auto City has a track within a track. The “big cars” – modifieds, late models, sprints, etc… race on a ½ mile oval…which turn one and turn two is shared with a ¼ mile where the "small cars" - thunder trucks, lead sleds, and pure stock cars, etc… race. Also there is a figure-8 in the middle as well. Now this is what they do. Line up four cars…and from what I figure, any kind of cars can enter. The first car is the hare and can race anywhere on the track….yep…anywhere. The rest are hounds and the goal is to pass the hare and become the hare before the three minute time limit is up. So the hare takes off goes into turn one and two then down into the figure-8, might turn left at the intersection, back into turn one and two then down the ½ mile back straight….etc. Quite entertaining. Especially when someone gets really behind and they start running head on towards one another! (hmmm…I totally could see me doing this!..I think we should try this at Waterford Hills!)

- Figure-8…crazy…much more crazy then when I do it. (No way…I think some of these drivers come in cages to the track)

- They had fireworks too…something we only dream about at Waterford Hills…LOL

Now for my two personal favorites.

- Chain gang race…two cars chained together, first car has engine…and no brakes (hmmmm…something I have experience with) and the second car has a disabled engine and working brakes. Put twelve teams on the ¼ mile track and hilarity ensues. One team had two ½ ton pickup trucks, one team had matching mini-vans (and did not do so well). There was a team that had a Bonneville that looked like it was Grandma’s car two days prior. This race started Formula One style (for some reason I think I was the only one there that might have understood that) and the leaders ran three wide for the first four laps until…a Sunbird ended up on its lid, driver was ok (…on second thought…). The winners had a Caprice Classic sedan pulling a Camaro. The pickup trucks lead for quite a while until the rear truck hit the wall and flatten a rear tire. The trucks would go into the corner the rear truck would side out…correct then the front truck would slide sideways….correct…repeat until through the corner…talk about car…errr truck control.

- Push Car race…Just like above except the cars are separated and get in each others way. It was funny to see the engine car that would purposely turn 180 degrees on the track to go back for the other car.

Life may not be fair…but it is good. I am still smiling and just shaking my head because everyday I find more and more blessings.

Stay safe, be careful and please try to keep it on the road. (And do not follow the author's example on how to get into the newpaper!)

BNROLD School of Performance Driving

2010-09-07T00:16:00.000-04:00

I have some great friends! Thanks!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

The video from the Oakland Press

2010-09-04T11:10:00.000-04:00

Unfortunately not the one from my car.
In Joel's defense he did not know I did not have any brakes. ;-)
But the video tells it all.

http://bit.ly/94PkUr

NOT the way TF American Racing wants to make the newspaper

2010-09-04T11:05:00.001-04:00

http://de.theoaklandpress.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=T0xQLzIwMTAvMDkvMDEjQXIwMTUwMg==&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom

I am "ok" the car is not. Lost my brakes
Look to try to link to video too.

What is in a number?

2010-09-03T15:33:00.000-04:00

http://www.frontstretch.com/jpotts/31121/

I can relate!

ITB Point standings at Waterford Hills

2010-08-31T16:55:00.000-04:00

Congrats to the 2010 ITB Champion #55 Chris Marsh
Class points are calculated based on the first two races of each weekend at Waterford Hills. Maximum points for a weekend is 26 - two race wins and two track records, Chris doesn't even need to show up.

Driver TOTAL Made all races
#55 Marsh 86 *
#00 Thomas 74 *
#73 Kimi 57 *
#15 Jim 46
#47 Dave 44
#88 Bob 43 *
#83 Kenny 35
#3 Tim 22
#32 Franz 19
#77 Meritt 17
#49 Bill 15
#41 Sean 13
#0 Lee 11
#8 Dale 10
#81 Ron 0

Weekend look back

2010-08-31T16:54:00.001-04:00

Hello race fans of TF American Racing,

Well the weekend did not end very pretty. Tom ran out of brakes down the backstretch on the last lap of the Sunday class race at Waterford Hills. Hit the curb, hit Dave C. in the #47 car (more on that later), through the sand trap and into the tire wall...and onto my lid...the roof. I didn't sit there long and came out the passenger side...don't ask me why. Hit my helmet pretty good on the padded roll cage and I have some bruising on my left side shoulder and neck. Feeling very well after two days considering. Wish someone had pictures...no video...forgot to clear out the Mid-Ohio race on the disk...got only the first lap...I was leading!

Old Glory is bent pretty good. But all the safety equipment did exactly what it was suppose to do (Thanks again Chris). The floor pan by my feet is bent, the strut came through the shock tower on the driver's side, the whole front clip is tweaked, the windshield is smashed, the radiator is twisted and the roof is pushed down on the roll cage near the windshield. Both front fenders are damaged, the front fascia had a tear, the driver's side door is a mess, and the roof is not what it once was.

The hood is actually not bad considering the car was upside down on it. The engine even turned over when I got it back to the house...only about a quarter of oil leaked out the carb while it was upside down for 15 minutes.

The brakes...well I will let that information go to through the appeals process first...if that is what I do.

Thanks to all the corner workers and rescue team for a job well done as always.

The more later part...
I tried to apologize to Dave C. after the wreck but he didn't want to hear it. He said "that was stupid...a stupid move", all he heard were locked up tires and "Did you really think YOU could out-brake ME?". I told him "I wasn't even trying to pass" him and I was sorry and left. I guess the whole distance difference...he was maybe 20-30 feet into the sand trap...I went through the 70 foot sand trap AND still had enough energy to hit the tire barrier at such a force to flip the car on its roof. Didn't really show enough proof, I had NO BRAKES. I understand he was mad and angry, maybe I shouldn't have talked to him that soon...but...well Mom always told me to say nothing if you don't have anything nice to say...

Unfortunately the protest (which he didn't even tell me he was filing) was heard and I was found at fault. Its ok, maybe I should have just quit after Dave C. passed me and settled for third and maybe I should not have "showed the nose" all the way into the inside of the back stetch (a few of the old timers including Dave, like to drive down the middle), with no chance of getting him to drive off line. Of course, if I hit the rear of his car...he has no fuel cell and that could have been really bad. I understand I didn't make a great choice, but if I had brakes we wouldn't be talking about it. Oh...I also understand I am responsible for the car...I get it...it was poor prep on my part. The car had great brakes on Saturday and I knew...and was very surprised how they faded during the race on Sunday, but I braked the earliest on that last lap then I did at all during the whole race...350 mark. No brakes.

I could appeal...no flat spots on the tires, little brake fluid left in the reservior, and the distance difference. But I will (maybe) save the 50 bucks and put it towards repairing the car.

Not sure what to do now. Old Glory has a lot of work to do, but honestly not sure if I want to race in ITB. That might pass. I was offered to race with the Miata guys...LOL.

Despite all this...I am blessed,
I posted this bit on my "For sale" post on the Waterford Hills website.
"I have been very blessed to do this, I enjoy this and I think I do it quite well, I have no regrets and get to check racing off my bucket list and I don't know what my future holds...maybe it is a Miata."
Maybe it is back to demo derby, maybe I will sell everything, maybe I retire for a few years, maybe somebody will offer me a ride, maybe I win the lotto...of course I think I have to buy a ticket first. LOL.

It has only been about 48 hours, so I think I need a little time to think about this. Even though Bryan and my neighbor Tim helped pull the fenders, headlight assy and front fascia off the car on Sunday, I haven't been motivated to do much else.
Probably need to sit down to put together a budget. Determine what the "Fix-it" budget is.

I know I posted this a while ago but I will say it again. I won a few races this year. I adapted to a new car pretty quickly and I learned a lot along the way. I am blessed, if I never take another green flag, its ok, there is a lot God has blessed me with, gifts and talents. Maybe it is time to move on, maybe I still have work to do here, but time will tell. Still had a ton of fun and worth every penny.

Wouldn't have to talk about this if I ran half throttle down the back stretch and settled for third....oh wait I was going to settle for third....LOL

...as my date said last night "Everything happens for a reason". Very true.

God Bless and really....keep it on the road!

FS : 2 ITB Mustang

2010-08-30T01:00:00.001-04:00

http://www.waterfordhills.com/cms/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=3026

;-)

Season Review

2010-08-29T18:29:00.000-04:00

Well the season came to a tumbling conclusion today. Unfortunately the car will not be out for the rest of season. Stay tuned for further developments.
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Race results

2010-08-28T20:06:00.000-04:00

Finished second today in class. I led the first lap but did not go as fast as I did in qualifying. Started and finished sixth overall. Unfortunately #55 Mr. Porsche went three tenths faster in the race today.

Stay tuned tomorrow is another day.
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Qualifying results

2010-08-28T12:44:00.000-04:00

Wow, fastest lap ever! 1:21.4, only a tenth off the ITB pole. 2nd in class, 6th overall.
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Getting ready

2010-08-28T11:02:00.000-04:00

Here Bryan is helping with the tire pressures.

High number count at the track this weekend.

I am ready to go!
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Preparing for the weekend

2010-08-27T22:05:00.001-04:00

Dropped off the car today. Looks like a great ITB field. Kenny is back and so is Bill and Lee. Merritt is back after skipping a weekend. The Couriers were there and I look forward to racing everyone...especially Marsh.

Looks like I will have a great fan base this weekend too. Bryan and Michelle are staying at "Hotel Forst". Kelly and Jason will be up and Scott (Woodward Cruising Scott) will be visiting too. Plenty of pit work too...LOL.

Stay turned here all weekend for updates!

Old Glory is alive!

2010-08-22T20:15:00.000-04:00

And so am I....being a passenger down Woodward at 1:15am in the morning...let's just say...good times!

Old Glory fired up today, I believe the battery is not as good as it once was.

I worked the Open Track Day at Waterford Hills today. I worked corner number seven. What an experience! Had a car roll over right in the turn! But also gave me a different perspective on the track.

Now, a big reminder. I hope I can get some people to come cheer me on next weekend! This is the ITB points leader!

Be safe, stay on the road and God Bless!

Why does the racecar not want to start?

2010-08-16T22:40:00.000-04:00

Absolutely crazy! Tried to start Old Glory tonight to put it in the garage and off the trailer. Maybe the battery was too low but it was a no go. No idea what is going on but it needs to stop! But I must say I am getting very good at rolling the racecar off the trailer by myself....hehehehehe. Got to look at the positive side, right?

Old Glory will get a new side marker and some fresh bearing grease between now and the end of the month. Probably should due a brake bleed as well. Mentally the driver is preparing for fast laps and proper lines to hold off a certain Porsche. ;-)

Some pictures from the last few months

Rusty and Old Glory sharing driveway space
Seemed like Old Glory was in this position a lot during the Mid-Ohio weekend.
An ITC battle throught the key hole on Sunday at Mid-Ohio
Sharing trailer space with Chris Child's Neon. Thanks sooooo much Chris!

A little out of place at the SCAMP charity car show. Only racecar there.

More Pictures

2010-08-16T22:35:00.000-04:00

More cars from the SCAMP car show in Depot Park

These cars were at the Knight of Columbus car show the next day
One of these cars is not like the other...Seriously.

Scott's tight Woodward ride

More Pictures

2010-08-16T22:30:00.002-04:00

Some cars from the Woodward ride

The vehicles I got to test on Belle Isle. 2010 VW GTi & 2010 Honda Civic Si
Please start, please.....paaallleaaaazzzzzzzze. I took this picture because the light was just right for it.

What?! ITB points lead? Woodward, Test driver, The Shack and other random notes

2010-08-11T23:05:00.001-04:00

So...wait a minute...this can't be right...65-62? I have the points lead? ITB class...me...#00 ITB Mustang Tom Forst - 65 points
#55 ITB Porsche Chris Marsh - 62 points
Wow!

I hold the points lead for ITB at Waterford Hills going into the last two race weekends. Wow, just wow...last year I was hoping to score more then one point a race and...finish...on the lead lap!

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to go "cruising" on Woodward. It was a blast sitting in the passenger seat and saying "Wanna race" all night long! :-) I will say hearing the tires chirp in third gear after sliding through first and second was a blast. I COULD NOT BELIEVE PEOPLE WERE ALREADY SITTING OUT IN LAWN CHAIRS! And there were plenty of cars to look at. I went with my buddy Scott from work. He has a quarter mile Mustang - Fox body of course... 331, 5.4L, no fuel injection, no nos, but it was a sleeper, he changed the tires ;-)

Last Sunday, in the early morning hours on Belle Isle, I had a great opportunity. Mike O. that I race against at Waterford Hills (and beat..soundly his ITS Golf...hehehehe) happens to be the road test coordinator at AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE (I wonder if they want to sponsor a vintage racecar? Hmmmm). Since we are all so technologically advanced, he facebooked me (is that a verb?) and asked if I would be willing to "Autocross" - drive a car really fast thru cones, like highway construction zones but without other cars, a 2010 VW GTi and a 2010 Honda Civic Si. Since I was a twenty something and drove a racecar, that I could see which one I liked better. Well of course I said I am in. So I went with helmet in hand, they took pictures of me...I don't know why...LOL. And I looked the cars over, sat in them, learned which gear was 1st, stalled the cars a few times, got comfortable in them, opened the hood, the trunk, play with the gadgets and knobs, drove them on the Autocross course...I felt bad for the other guy with the 2010 VW GTi...I made a better lap then him...hehehehe...of course he didn't stall it on the start line once. And I made a great pick....and you will have to pick up a copy of the November issue to find out.
It was a great opportunity and a great time. Thanks Mike.

Random Notes

*I still follow NASCAR, but I must say I watch races less and less. With technology I can watch the whole race in "10 minutes" on yahoo.com on Monday at work....no I mean...ummm, Sunday night at home ;-)...ok at work...during lunch! Oh and I can NOT stand "The Chase"...proof it is not working. Matt Kenseth will make "The Chase" more then likely...wins...zero. Jamie McMurray will NOT make "The Chase" but has won the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400...I will remember Jamie McMurray's season 10 years from now...Matt's nope. The point...win the race, not finish somewhere in the Top 10 every week, that is the point of racing....hello NASCAR.

*It was cool sitting at the parents house watching "The Speed Report" on Sunday night and seeing the Indycars race around the Mid-Ohio track. I was like, "Yeah I was totally on that very track last week" (Wow, do I sound like blonde 14 year old). Wait...I think Milka Duno just got lapped again and just finally turned a faster lap then me...LOL

*I did both car shows listed in the other post. Some great cars, talked to a lot of people, handed out some Waterford Hill flyers, money was raised for charity...win, win. Very surprised at all the good words for my car. It seemed so out of place.

Lastly I leave with this. Life has thrown me a lot of...will say "stuff" lately (Thus the lack of posting). It is amazing the ups and downs of this roller coaster called life. God is never, ever going to give me more then I can handle, but wow, with the great comes with the not-so-great. But I guess it is how you look at it. I have been getting back to reading "The Shack". I am amazed at God's love and his faith in me. Ever time I start reading the book again, it is like He is speaking directly to me. Or any other faith based book. Surgeries, death, cancer, personal issues, and a lack of faith can bring you down quickly, but from those so much good can come from it. Hurricane Katrina...a lot of people effected by that storm are by far better off today, a stronger person today then 5 years ago. Same with this oil spill (both of them), same with Nashville flooding, Haiti and same with me, more opportunities to love, share my faith, be someone to help hold you up, be the answer to prayers by words you speak, by actions you take, just letting know we care and you have a family member praying for you, giving your talents and asking for advice to someone that now knows you trust them, and hold them up in high regard. It is not the "what" that happens to you, it is the "how" you deal with it that makes the difference.

I do sometimes wonder why I have such a passion to race. I am frankly going to be bouncing off walls this weekend not being able to be in a car and drive it to its limit (I have the last three weekends). But I always continue to wonder... what would happen without it. My family doesn't meet at the track (an opportunity to bond, get closer), I miss the great and I mean great and talented people at the track, that become friends, I find out my true friends that travel far and wide to watch the race or crew, or help in the garage. And I get confidence in myself that...well I can...do this...and do it well...that I can do anything I put my mind to and enjoy with a passion. But I get to do it because He gave me the passion, the desire and the talent. And I share my faith by showing everyone, who I am, a reflection of Him (Wait...I am not perfect..but He does show through). I am not hear to preach (not one of my talents), I just show my faith through my actions, my emotions, and I try to keep it as simple as possible. I don't know how else to do it.

I just have been shaking my head lately and just smiling. I was a test driver for an automobile magazine! I was running 3rd at Mid-Ohio out of 12 and braking so, so, so early at the end of the straight, and it was my first time...SEEING the track! I am leading the ITB points at Waterford Hills...oh my! I was a shoulder to lean on, I called a person I trusted for advice. I was the answer to prayer, and I said so many prayers the last few weeks for so many. It is humbling.

If it all ends tomorrow, it was His choice and frankly I am happy. If I never win a race again, its ok, I am, have, and will be blessed. My faith is strong and that will always be comforting.

Be safe, keep it on the road and see you at the track!

A look back in time

2010-08-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

When I was a young, small child....kidding.

Ok so let’s step back in time a bit. Friday before Waterford Hills weekend. I had the day off due to work moving….no, no. I was working from home that day due to work moving buildings. ;-) I got up early to get the car on the trailer but I had to finish putting on the new brake pads with the freshly turned rotors. Trying to put the right side brake pads on proved difficult due to the hole being smaller then the bolt needing to go through them. A little drilling and it got the job done but took some time. I then wanted to load up the racecar onto the trailer and take to breakfast with the family visiting from Arkansas (Kim, Holly, Shane) and West Virginia (Sis and Tony). Of course the derby car was in the way and did not want to start. I pushed it off…with two flat tires. The racecar then went on the trailer but there was collateral damage. The exhaust pipe broke a weld when the muffler hit the trailer.

So off to breakfast I go and my blessing called Chris Childs, text me asking if I was still going to the Mid-Ohio race. I called and told him yes but I might not make this weekend.

Took the car over to Chris’ raceshop and got the pipe re-welded on. Tried to see how it would sound….the starter went bad. Off to Autozone for the warranty replacement….just bought the starter in June!

Once everything was put back together, off to the track I went for practice. Got on the track and in the second lap, decide 3rd gear wasn’t as good as fifth gear going into turn one and it broke my concentration. Off the track I go and into a half spin. Got back onto the track and hear a horrible sound. Turn 5, a right hander it got worst. I came into the pits.

Now the muffler and exhaust pipe was rubbing against the drive shaft. So 90 minutes later that was fixed just in time to go to my two gatherings for the night.

Saturday the rain came, but I left the slicks on thanks to the radar map on the fancy phone. It stopped just before group four went out and didn’t rain when we hit the track. I pulled a great lap late in the session and started fifth overall, third in class.

More to come….

Car Shows

2010-08-02T13:34:00.002-04:00

If I can get the racecar running again....

I will be at the SCAMP car show at Depot Park Friday August 6th. I believe the show runs from 6pm to 8pm.

Also Saturday, August 7th at the Knight of Columbus at Maybee and Sashabaw, there is a charity car show. Runs from 2pm until 6pm.

TF American Racing

The past two weeks and Mid-Ohio recap

2010-08-02T13:10:00.002-04:00

So a lot has gone on the last two weeks. This is a brief review on the weekend at Mid-Ohio. I will try to update the stories through out the week. Pictures to come too. Got to go pick up my racecar now!

I arrived late on Friday but got one practice session in. I am quite sure Vern (#24 Southern Motors Corvette) passed me but he was such a blur, I missed it. LOL Learned how to shift into fifth gear and had a vibration. Saturday morning I rotated the driveshaft and it fixed that problem. Installed the new tires and I was ready to go.

Chris Childs told me if I ran under 2 minutes during qualifying I would be doing ok. I ran a 1:53.2 during qualifying, started 22nd overall 7th in class. During qualifying witness a nice four wheel off by a Dodge Charger ITB avoiding an ITR rookie going into the chinane before the key hole.

I blew up the starter before the Saturday race, found a loose ground wire bolt on the block later. I was late to grid and had to start last. Passed 7 cars into the first corner, lasted only five laps as the clamp holding the downpipe to the exhaust pipe came loose and pulled in. Ran a lap .05 seconds faster then my qualifying lap. Found the loose ground wire and melted the 3 day old starter solenoid. Found other items loose, must have been the whole running at 7000 rpm thing shaking everything loose.

Sunday morning qualifying race I finished 22nd overall and 8th in class. Ran one second faster then the previous best. Ran with about five other ITB cars, kinda being held up by a ITS car. After pulling into the pits, found the muffler missing.

Borrow a muffler and clamp from Merritt/Vaughan (#77 ITB, she was going home early due to a gas tank crack, but SCCA found my muffler on the track and returned it to me. Finished installing the muffler and the starter (probably damaged from the previous day) died. Replaced the starter...with one that spun but didn't engage...so got a push start and was last to grid but made it.

I avoided the "Big One" on the first lap coming out of Thunder Valley. Had three ITB cars wreck and a ITR car. One driver took a ride to the hospital, but heard nothing serious. I was running fourth in class during the caution. on the restart made a pass for third, but I still was braking a mile early at the end of the straight away and gave it back. Raced back and forth with an ITB VW from PA. Had a great race, had a Honda pass both of us. Finished 5th in ITB and ran a lap time best of 1:51.1

So, I kept the car on the track, didn't hit anything or anybody and ran pretty fast.

Mid-Ohio is a great facility (well minus the bathroom left a little bit to be desired) and enjoyed the view and the people and fellowship.

I had some mixed reviews on the SCCA and the event itself. It was a great event very friendly people and overall I will go back. Too much misinformation. Practice was $200 not $150. Dinner on Saturday night, while free...a 1/2 cup of spagetti and salad is not much of a dinner. And my big thing was getting to grid and no one checked my belts!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Chris Childs for letting me stay in the toter and hauling my car down and all the help you provided this weekend. Thanks Charlie for all the help. Vaughan, Merritt and crew thanks for the food and the pointers. Kristian and Vern thanks for the advice too!

I will go back, not sure if it won't be until next year, but I will go back.

Be safe and keep it on the track.

Mid - Ohio qualifying results

2010-07-31T12:03:00.001-04:00

7th in class 22nd overall, Chris C. told me to run under 2 minutes. 1:53.298, ITB Pole is 1:47.9, second place is 1:50.4 Should be on track for the race around 12:30p

Sunday results and trophies!

2010-07-25T22:39:00.000-04:00

I finished 1st in the class race this morning holding off Chris Marsh in a two lap shoot out. I finished 3rd in the 15 lap feature. Chris and Dave C. Finished ahead of me.
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Saturday class race results

2010-07-24T19:34:00.000-04:00

Wow what a race! Had a mess at the start, the front row did not go at the wave of the green flag and everyone was on the gas and brakes, it was nuts. After the first lap I was following #3 Tim in a Omni. Passed him going into turn one about three laps later. Then I ran down #15 Jim in his Rabbit. I ran into the back of him with two laps to go going into turn six. I could not get by and had Chris Marsh right at the back bumper. It was a very tough 10 laps. All the problems from yesterday (more in the wrap up later in the week) disappeared and everything went well today.

Be safe and keep it on the road.
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Saturday qualifying

2010-07-24T11:55:00.000-04:00

Qualified 5th, 3rd in class in the wet on slicks. A whole lot better then yesterday.
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Team Motto

2010-07-21T05:00:00.000-04:00

I need a team motto...feel free to post some options in the comments section.

TF American Racing - I don't just burn the candle at both ends, I use a blow torch

TF American Racing - Zip ties, duct tape, hose clamps, and a sledge hammer is all I need

TF American Racing - Still looking for a trophy chick <--- that is just funny there, I don't car who you are...LOL

TF American Racing - More wins then Billy Bob

Bump and Run Oakland County 4-H Fair Results

2010-07-19T23:59:00.000-04:00

So I had fun...not exactly the results I wanted but I had fun. (We can't always get what we want)

I arrived with Bryan and Michelle being my crew for the afternoon. The official mascots of TF American Racing were left at home (Oscar, Max & Minnie). Those are Bryan & Michelle's kids...ok dogs. Bryan is the crew chief and co-car chief. Michelle the Team Nurse.

They were finishing up the derby when we got there because it was cancelled on Thursday due to the weather. Only 12 cars show up at first. Boomer (promoter) talked about how to run the event for the afternoon. There were 7 "small car" - front wheel drive, V6 or 4 cylinder. And 5 "big cars" V8, full frame cars. They decide to split the event into two classes. Run two heats per class and one feature per class. There was a late entry for the small cars and some of the derby cars that were still running decided to join the show. 16 total cars. Jeff the tow truck driver for Tracy's Towing (They tow at Waterford Hills) came out with his "big car", he had over 30 races on it. He finished second in his heat and in the feature.

The course was setup very, very well. Kinda hard to explain, but it used a hill at one end of the track that was a figure-8 and had well built jumps.

I drew starting position number 2 out of 4. I got a great start but unfotunately run a little too fast into the figure 8 and was going the wrong way and had to stop. So by the time I backed up and started moving forward I was last with a flat tire on the driver side front. I just ran as fast as I could with the flat tire. I nose-dived over one of the jumps and knocked the front bumper off and the radiator protection bar. The bumper was underneath the car and I think kept the car high centered with the one good tire I did have. Oh well, stuff happens.

Next race....well I have two weekends of road racing with Old Glory. One at Waterford Hills and one at Mid-Ohio. A track I have never seen before, besides on tv. But I will probably run Genessee County Fair in Mt. Morris on August 18th (a Wednesday) with Rusty. I have to get the front bumper back on and the radiator protection bar. Also I have to get some tires for Rusty.

Remember you are already a winner. Be safe and keep it on the track.

Rusty's Timing

2010-07-18T12:25:00.000-04:00

Just a quick update and probably should have done this last night.

Rusty wasn't running correctly due to the timing. My neighbor adjusted the timing and Rusty ran awesome, up and down the road. My neighbor Tim pulled the rear of the car straight....ok kinda straight, enough to pull the fenders from the rear tires with this pickup truck. It was fun. I welded the rear bumper on and pound some other sheet metal.

I will be leaving here in a bit and head out to the fair. Weather is looking iffy but hopefully we wiil get the show in.

Keep it on the road.

Sunday, SUNday, SUNDAY

2010-07-15T19:47:00.000-04:00

TF American Racing has decided to run on Sunday at the Oakland County 4-H Fair. Race starts at 4pm. And it is $7 bucks for the show (I believe there is a fee for parking too).
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Eaton Derby Results

2010-07-15T17:01:00.000-04:00

Showed up. Pulled card number nine out of nine for heat two. Ran at half power the whole race because the car did not want to run. Stupid carb. Got some damage to the rear from other drivers helping me push my car around the course. Made maybe 7 or 8 laps out of 12 and finished maybe 6th or 7th. Put the car on the trailer. Had dinner with Bryan and Michelle at Big Boys in Charlotte, went home. Not exactly the plan, Momma said there would be days like this, and hopefully will get it fixed and running properly for Sunday's event at the Oakland County 4-H Fair.

Yeah...

Be safe and keep it on the road.

Tow vehicle under repair

2010-07-11T23:30:00.000-04:00

Every great race team has a hauling vehicle to get the racecars from home base to the race track. Mine just happens to have 271,000 miles on it!

Thanks to my neighbor Tim for working on the van this evening.
Yes sometimes the old beast has to be worked on too. I helped Tim replace the orginial!!!!!! ball joints today.

Rusty in new paint!

2010-07-11T22:15:00.000-04:00

Here are a few pictures of Rusty. The paint even dried before it rained.

Hopefully it looks more American then French...LOL

So its kinda square

Now you just have to hear Rusty the rat singing "Bad to the Bone" to give the overall atmosphere.

TF American Racing Derby Adventure Annoucement

2010-07-11T10:05:00.000-04:00

TF American Racing is bringing out Rusty and running at the Eaton County Fair on the USA Demo Derby circuit. http://www.usademoderby.com This race will be held on Wednesday July 14th at 7:30 pm. The Eaton County Fair is located in Charlotte, Michigan

If Rusty survives this adventure the next race will be the weekend of July 17th & 18th at the Oakland County Fair. The team hasn’t decided if it wants to race in the Figure-8 or the Enduro derby.

Last year Rusty was a new build and raced 4 times with mixed results. A big thanks to Dave H. for fixing the carb issues for me.

Rewelded radiator bar and front bumper....front Mustang bumper
Rusty fired right up after a long winter nap
Rusty the Rat...driving and singing "Bad to the Bone" Tom's co-pilot....well more of a passenger
That should fix the issue
See straighter...less wrinkled...driveable.
Fresh paint...to give Rusty the American feel
Fresh blue, no more green...

Announcement - Extended Schedule

2010-07-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

TF American Racing is venturing from their home race track to run at Mid-Ohio for the I*T* Fest on July 30-August 1. Hope to see you there!

15 million

2010-07-07T08:00:00.001-04:00

I heard this the other day. I was already a winner. Think about it. A long time ago you were one of 15 million sperm at the start line and you won. Talk about being a winner!

Happy Hump Day.

Slow down. Remember you are already a winner.

One Picture I missed

2010-07-06T18:00:00.001-04:00

Notice - Kids do not try this at home
Notice - Mom - Yes the car was pointed at the flag stand where the concrete wall is
Notice - All fellow racers - That is "loose" or "understeer" Or maybe too much dirt under the car coming out of eight?
Notice - The skid marks behind the tires means I was still on the gas
Notice - A big thanks to Tom Dahlem for the picture
Notice - This was on the end of the first lap
Notice - Do you really think I was trying really hard not to lose to Kimi?
Notice - A picture is worth a thousand words (or about 100 above)

More Pictures

2010-07-05T15:12:00.003-04:00

All pictures by Tom Dahlem

Winning!

2010-07-05T15:00:00.001-04:00

Some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T13:00:00.000-04:00

From Tom Forst, Old Glory, Rusty and the whole TF American Racing Team. Happy 4th of July. Thanks to all who gave everything, and those that give today for this freedom. Have a great day of fun, food, and fireworks

Here is a link to more photos of the car and the building process
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31661&id=1611483310&l=1cace9d396

Keep it on the road.

Tom

Waterford Hills Race #3 Recap

2010-06-29T16:36:00.003-04:00

Oh my...I won...I actually won in ITB...and I won twice. I am still in a little shock really.

The first race was described below. Leaders spun, I got pass, Marsh wrecked and I outran Kimi. Crazy. Oh and the video did not work, I got two minutes of sitting on grid. Note to self buy new batteries for video camera.

The second race was more interesting and I have the video to prove it. I decided just before the green flew that I should be in third....oops. Wrong move. The leaders started very slow this weekend. Kimi got by quickly. So I followed her...tried to get around her a few times. Drove in the dirt, drove over some curbs. Nearly spun coming onto the front stretch once. Scared #15 Jim in the Rabbit behind us. Bumped her once down the straight away. She even pointed me by once but I had half the car in the grass out of turn five at that point. I watched her remove her sunglasses. Then....(angels singing)...it began to rain. With two to go we crossed the start/finish line. Going into turn three Kimi almost lost it. I went high, thinking she had it save and just clipped her (see pictures below). That was enough to get by. Going into eight on the same lap, I decided to make it interesting and drove in the grass. Kimi got right next to me again. Little did I know (and she isn't going to be happy I am mentioning this) but Kimi did not have the wiper blades on her car. So she couldn't see very well. I passed her back. One to go and it is now full bore raining. I opened up some space on her and I am glad I did. Going into turn seven, where the track goes from asphalt to concrete (imagine snow to slightly melting ice with enough water on top....well you get the picture) and off I go. I FLOORED it and hopped back on the track. I won the race. It was ugly but it was a win. Crazy.

That was the last race of the day due to the weather, even though we didn't get much bad weather after the rain stopped but it was the right call by the officials. Better safe then sorry.

Haven't been in the garage since putting Old Glory in there after the weekend but I think minus a little paint (Kimi you can come pick it up anytime) and missing a side marker, everything held together. I will probably perform a oil change and a fuel filter change between now and the next race weekend (really 3 weeks I have to wait).

I may pull out the Rusty the derby car and go race the weekend after 4th of July. I am also figuring out the budget to see if Mid-Ohio and the I.T. Fest is in there. I think it just might. I have to get the old trust tow vehicle to make it down there (271,000 miles in all).

It has been an absolutely awesome 7 days. CHWC and racing at Waterford, it has been a blessing!

Be safe, Drive safe and God bless

My paint scrap and missing a side marker

2010-06-27T21:18:00.000-04:00

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Leaving paint on Kimi's car

2010-06-27T21:17:00.000-04:00

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Absolutely Amazing

2010-06-27T21:16:00.000-04:00

I won...twice. Crazy stuff happened.
4 hours of sleep, got me a 5th overall starting spot and did it pay off. Going down the back stretch and into on the first lap, Randy Shaw spun going for the lead, I followed Christian Cook through the mess and was 2nd overall and first in class. Unfortunately Chris Marsh in his Porsche spun out avoiding the spinning cars and hit Steve Steeb and got hit by Bob Haggerman. I lead Kimi in the longest race ever for the win! I got the Waterford Hills wet down and my seat was still wet on Sunday morning.
More to come... The second win and trash talking on Facebook 101.
God Bless!
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Revised

2010-06-26T13:31:00.000-04:00

Actually 5th overall but still 2nd in class. 1:22.273
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Race #3 Qualifying

2010-06-26T13:22:00.000-04:00

1:22.271
Starting 4th overall, 2nd in class. The ITB field has 10 cars today.

VERY HAPPY. Car still needs a little more work too!
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Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T05:00:00.001-04:00

Happy Father's Day from TF American Racing

A cool story for anyone who loves a racer or race fan.

In the Garage Update

2010-06-16T17:32:00.001-04:00

A quick update and picture before I head off to the Tigers game tonight with my Mom, step-dad and uncle.

I got the bearings and the brakes done. I put in old brake pads because I will not have time to heat cycle the new brakes pads in for the next weekend.

The starter is in, and oh my does that make a difference.

Now I just need to put the rear bushings in and fix the fan (would have last night but bought too short of bolts).

That is all.

I love this picture. Bubba took it during the first race weekend. Look at all those cars behind me!

Be safe and God Bless

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In the Garage Update & CHWC

2010-06-14T17:01:00.000-04:00

How come every time I go into the garage after a race weekend I find more stuff broken?

On Sunday night, I was going to simply change the starter. Easy task right? I wanted to take off the right front wheel to get better access to it. Well here is the list of items I found.

Right front tire – flat spotted
Brakes – almost wore down to the rotor….both sides
Front bearings – needs grease replaced…both sides (Ok I admit that Chris told me I needed to do this anyway)
Radiator fan – missing fasteners, made a slight impression into the radiator

So needless to say the brake pads are on order, I have the grease and I will be making a trip to the hardware store. Also I must go to the tire shop to get some tires mounted. Yikes!

I only have this week to get everything done, because I am going on vacation….well I view it as a vacation, many probably don’t view it as a vacation.

Here is the deal - I am leaving at 5am on Sunday morning June 20th to go to Milwaukee WI. I am one of 12 chaperones taking 60, yes sixty (They out number us 5 to 1 for you math majors), high schoolers on a mission trip. This is my fifth trip with the St. Anne’s & St. Daniel’s youth groups. The Catholic Heart Work Camp (CHWC) is the organization that runs this event. They are in four different cities each week, every week for about 12 weeks for the summer, mostly east of the Rockies. There will be almost 400 people in camp in Milwaukee. They are based in Orlando, FL. We will travel on Sunday. One tour bus, one smaller bus, and one van with trailer (That I will be driving). Monday through Thursday the schedule goes something like this. Wake up, breakfast, pack lunches, get tools, gather up and go into the local community for service projects, from helping elderly clean up their yards, to minor home renovation, to church projects. Return to base camp, eat dinner and then various program activities for the night. I always seem to get volunteered for the adult skit one night. Then on Friday it is “Fun Day” and we will be going to Six Flags near Chicago. Then head back home, arriving sometime Friday night or Saturday morning. Then I go to the race track. Yep, I have done that schedule the same way the last three years. Crazy…maybe...fun…you bet.

I enjoy this time with the youth. It also is a great time for me to focus on my many blessings and the many gifts He has given me. Every time I take this trip I hope I teach something to someone, but I learn a lot from the youth too. It is a joy to work with these great kids and know that the future is in their hands, and they will do a great job with it.

Anyway…wow I got a little sided tracked…Let’s hope the schedule will work out and I can get everything done before going to Wisconsin.

Be safe and God Bless!

Four Spinning Cars

2010-06-13T00:29:00.004-04:00

Even though I am tried, wore out, muddy, sore and not-ready for the work week, can I ask this question? -> When can I start racing again? Having the time of my life.
God is so good.

On Saturday it was great to have Chris Childs helping out. The car was fast even on old tires for STU qualifying. I changed the tires for ITB qualifying and promptly forgot to torque down the left rear. The race was fast on the track but loose. I stopped between turn 4 & 5 after qualifying to discover the issue. I tore up the wheel pretty bad, is it is now junk. Luck would have it the wheel studs held up well being steel and the aluminum wheel…not so much. We also found out the suspension bar in back was loose as well. And some bushings need to be replaced in the rear suspension.
For race the STU race, it was a fun challenge racing the #18 SN leader David Houser. I got passed him on the last lap in turn six, but still finished 3rd in class (out of three) and 12th overall.
The ITB race was an absolute blast. I start 9th, which I have never started that close to the front before. That is where I finished. I followed very closely to the ITC cars of Steve Steeb and Kris Smith. I finished 3rd in class. I beat Kimi (sorry) and I beat Bob in the #88 for the first time ever. The adjustments Chris made were exactly what the driver needed. I record my fastest lap ever 1:22.159

On Sunday, things got a lot more interesting.
First the STU class race was run in the rain and the rain tires did not help a whole lot. I finished way down in the order and seemed to get passed by everyone.

In the ITB class race the track was drying up. I started fifth, because all the ITS drivers decided to start in the back. (I think they all went crazy). I got an ok start and was side-by-side with #90 Steve going into turn 5 where he just plain smoked me going into the corner, I think he forgot to brake. Really, you should watch the video….

Quick side note, I have video, but no idea how to edit it. I have to figure it out because see it is so cool. I guess I could try to upload the 40 plus minute video, but I like the blog.

Now going into turn eight on the first lap Steve made a move inside #39 Kris (both ITC cars by the way) and passed him, I followed into turn one. Then Steve spun out in turn three, just brushing Dave. Then I started over driving the car seeing Dave. Two wheels off out of five, hit the curb in six and then put the car off the track in turn eight. Kris and #73 Kimi got by. Kimi getting by only lasted two and a half laps where she spun (scarying the heck out of me…so much I almost blew the next corner) coming onto the back stretch and spinning to the inside.
I only lost two positions the rest of the race to two ITS cars. 3rd in ITB, fifth overall…I have never finished in the Top 5 before.

The STU race was uneventful. I finished only 2 seconds behind the STU leader, I had a tough start, but had a great consistent race.

The ITB feature race was again eventful. First the rains came (As seen in the picture below) and I chose to stay on slicks hoping the rain would stop and it did for about 5 laps. First I spun the tires at the start and a few cars got by. Kimi spun going into turn eight in front of me. Later in the race, after #24 Mr. Mudd in the Fiero following Liz in the #2 ITS Miata by me down the back stretch, he spun out coming out of turn two. I finished first….on slick tires…in class (4th) and 8th overall.

Work is busy

2010-06-10T17:29:00.003-04:00

I will have an update on the rest of the weekend soon. Work is super busy this week. I did not wreck anything, even with the rain and I finished very well I Sunday. More pictures to come too.

Podium!

2010-06-05T19:01:00.000-04:00

The ITB race was AWESOME! I finished 3rd in class! 9th overall. I ran the fastest time ever 1:22.159. I beat Kimi and Bob, I have never have beaten Bob before.

Chris Childs ran the co-driver race and finished second. He ran .3 seconds fastest then I did. Excited for tomorrow, maybe even a little more speed.
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Afternoon Update

2010-06-05T15:31:00.000-04:00

Qualifying for STU went well. I ran a 1:23.8 to qualify 3 of 3 and 13th overall.

Qualifying for ITB I ran a 1:23.06 but almost lost a wheel. I forgot to tighten the rear left wheel. I stop in turn five after the checkered flag.

For the STU race I followed the #18 Spec Neon leader for most of the race until the caution came out. The #1 spec miata Joe got by me before the caution #2 Liz put it in the sand trap at the end of the back straight. On the restart I had the #75 Neon make slight contact as we raced on the restart. Joe got by #18 on the restart as well. But with two to go I passed the #75 and quickly closed in on the #18.
On the last lap of the race I tucked inside the #18 on the back stretch and passed him before the esses.

I finished still 3rd in STU but 13th overall.
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One more picture

2010-06-03T22:42:00.001-04:00

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A quick preview

2010-06-03T22:42:00.000-04:00

So the driver of the TF American Racing thought it would be a great idea to run two classes this weekend. ITB - like every weekend & STU, where his butt is kicked but does have a win in the group. And have a co-driver to help get the car setup right. Old Glory is going to be working pretty hard this weekend.

The car is ready and the driver is excited. As seen below my Dad came over and finished the decals on the car. I think Old Glory is going to run faster now.

Tomorrow I have some tools to load in the van and I need to repair the ramps on the trailer before loading the car. Then off to the track for setup and registration.

The plan this weekend is to go faster and beat Kimi. :-) Oh and bring it home in one piece. I hope to see you at the track!

Oh and I almost forgot...I get to be the MC for the trophy awards on Sunday in place of Billy Bob. This should be fun.
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Introducing Old Glory

2010-06-03T22:34:00.000-04:00

Introducing Old Glory! Decals are done, now its ready for the track. Stars and Stripes make her faster.
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Somebody is watching over me

2010-06-01T17:01:00.000-04:00

I know it may sound silly but frankly that is how I felt lately.
I am very blessed and my continued prayers must be getting answered.

When I pulled the car off the trailer last Wednesday there was fluid on the trailer. Saturday morning I decide (well I finally had some time) to look over the radiator. You could see there was a little bit of dampness next at the top of the fan and the driver side of the radiator….so I took a little test drive (waking neighbors not included). Pulling back into the driveway the racecar was steaming like a kettle.

If that had happened two laps into qualifying I could have had a blown motor or had fluid spraying onto the slick tires or worst. Somebody is looking after me.

One radiator replacement coming right up, turns out the backup was leaking too. Call three auto parts stores (which will remain nameless…unless they want to sponsor me!!!). Prices for replacement radiators $234, $139, $91…guess which one I bought. It pays to shop around.

Saturday night I hung out at Kelly & Jason's, Sunday I watched the Indy 500 and then went fishing with my Uncle Bob in Algonac.

On Monday morning I pushed the car out of the garage because I was going to give it a small bath because my Dad was coming over to finishing applying the decals. Also wanted to make sure there were no leaks after the radiator replacement and adding the new oil pressure gauge. The car would not turn over and the volt gauge was reading around nine volts. I did not leave the kill switch on. I charged the battery and jump started the car. Again quietly not waking my neighbors I did my little test drive, with my neighbor Tim (finally someone in the neighborhood with more cars in the backyard then me) noticing I was leaking oil. I guess I should tighten the oil pressure line a little better.

After a quick suggestion from neighbor Tim I went to the parts store to check the voltage regulator to determine why the battery was low….all on the up and up. So off came the alternator….almost in pieces. Seems one of the casting bolts broke, along with a bunch of parts in the inside making the alternator sound like the marbles rolling around in the empty skull of a redneck (I am one). I guess I was getting all the muscle out of the racecar last weekend.

If the alternator during the first laps of qualifying broke the pulley, or threw a belt, who knows what would have happened. Didn’t buy a new alternator, my neighbor and I did some redneck alternator testing and found two of the six I had were still good (and I actually found another two after we were done testing as I was cleaning up the mess I created finding spare parts). Anyone know what alternators are going for at the scrap yard right now?

Again the good Lord is looking after me.

Only 3 more days until the racecar is back on the track. I CAN NOT WAIT!

Pictures of the racecar with full decals coming soon.

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

2010-05-31T05:55:00.000-04:00

I am blessed to be in this country and know that some gave everything to let us have this freedom.

Planning for the holiday weekend

2010-05-28T15:59:00.000-04:00

The racecar (still working on a name for it) is sitting peacefully in the garage.....and leaking water...I think it is the rad hose. So, that is the plan for the weekend. Fix that. And add the oil pressure gauge line and gauge, a little vacuuming, and finishing up the decals. And get some tires mounted for my co-driver for next weekend....my secret weapon.
I also need to work on the tow vehicle, the serpintine belt is getting way too loud. I will enjoy the weekend and relax and work on all those other things I should have done while working on the racecar. There is a bonfire and a fishing trip planned (probably will skip out on the drag racing trip though, sorry Scott)

I did watch the videos last night (thanks Al). I have much room for improvement. Oh and a big sorry for getting into Dave C. at the start of the Sunday class race. I thought I was more square then I was and he made a good save, all three times....oops. I saw the green flag and hit the gas pedal but I the inside line is limiting on the start sometimes.

That is all for now. Here are some pictures from the Waterford Hills website that have popped up after last weekend.

WH Race #1 (The unofficial press release)

2010-05-25T17:01:00.000-04:00

Holy smokes, the car is fast and I better learn how to drive this thing quick! I ran a personal best during the last race of the weekend. And the car passed tech with a weight of……no, you actually thought I would give you the weight of the car….LOL. But the driver does need to lose some weight. Overall a great first weekend. Everything went according to plan. The car didn’t leak, the old tires held up and it was racy. Everyone liked the paint scheme (even if it isn’t finished) and I had a great crew and support at the racetrack. It was a great first weekend. I can’t wait to get back on the track in two weeks!

Waterford Hills Race #1 Recap (Press Release)

2010-05-25T12:05:00.000-04:00

It was a great weekend to be racing. The TF American Racing ITB Ford Mustang performed beyond expectations. Even the driver is starting to figure out what he was doing.

Friday afternoon for practice started out a little slow. Tom had the wrong tires on when the track opened up so after a quick change from rains to slicks he got it on the track. Tom came up to speed slowly, but some unofficial stopwatches had him running decent lap times. A total of three practice sessions were run with the last one heat cycling a brand new set of Hoosiers.

Saturday brought the rain early. After qualifying a poor 22nd in the rain on old slick tires Tom was anxious to have the track dry up and get the 2010 racing season under way. It was an exciting start to the season, Tom passed three cars through the first three turns. Then the #90 ITC Plymouth Arrow of Steve Steeb and the #8 ITB Fiero of Dale Mudd spun about three cars ahead of Tom between turn 4 & 5. Dale’s car ended up quite wet in the swamp. Tom didn’t hit anything but was worried he might have flat spotted the tires, quickly hitting the brakes so hard.
Full course caution came out and then the red flag to clean up the mess.

On the restart Tom moved up a few positions due to the crash and a few penalties handed out (Do not pass under yellow). He got a good start leaving #73 Kimi in the dust, albeit temporarily. Tom quickly caught the #32 of Franz in his Fiero and followed him in passing the #1 (Joe) and #2 (rookie Liz) ITS Miatas. Tom then had a mirror full of Kimi and her Dad, #47 Dave. #90 Steve , coming through the pack and recovering from the crash quickly sprinted into the rearview mirror. Once Steve got pass Tom, Franz made contact with Steve missing him in the rear view mirror. After the slight contact, Tom took advantage and got by both. Steve then pass Tom back a few laps later and then Kimi was back in the rear view mirror as she and her Dad got by Franz.
After holding off Kimi and Dave for a few more laps, #77 Merritt showed up through the windshield. Tom made quick work in getting around Merritt’s Porsche. Then Kimi a lap later got the inside line coming out of eight and got by, with her Dad in tow. Going into turn one on the last lap, Tom made a slight…..kinda big…..ok major mistake by shifting into fifth and not third going into turn one. By the time Tom got the car in the correct gear, Franz was in the process of passing Tom and finished the pass going into turn five.
Tom finished 14th and seventh in class in this 11 lap race (Not sure how we got an extra lap in but we did). Not too bad for starting 22nd
Congrats to Kenny on his win in class and charge from 18th to 8th overall.

The Sunday class race was much less eventful. Starting the same way he finished on Saturday 14th overall and 7th in class. Tom couldn’t keep up with Franz in this 10 lap race. And finished 14th overall and 7th in class. Tom did make a slight tire pressure adjustment and a slight suspension adjustment for this race and went 0.2 seconds quicker in lap time.

The Sunday 12 lap feature was a little more exciting. Tom made a bigger suspension adjustment and started 17th overall and 8th in class. The start is based on the best lap time from the previous two races of the weekend. Tom got another excellent start and passed the #41 Prizm and Liz in the #2 Miata. Tom quickly caught Franz and passed him too…and started to pull away. Tom then was trailing a pack of cars that included Kimi, Dave, Kenny and #88 Bob. Tom kept up with them for a few laps but they began to slowly pull away. The tires on the car began to fall off late in the race with the #41 starting to reel the #00 Moonbeam Massage ITB Ford Mustang back in but it wasn’t enough. Tom ran a personal best lap time 1:24.4 in the feature race. He finished 12th overall and 6th in class.

Thanks to all the crew and support Tom had this weekend. Thanks to Moonbeam Massage and Tom’s check book for sponsoring the car this weekend…and for the 2010 season. Tom picked up two trophies (well he is holding them for Kenny when he returns in two weeks) and is looking forward to racing June 5th & 6th.

Sunday races

2010-05-23T21:08:00.000-04:00

Started 14th overall and 7th in class for the first race and finished there too.

For the Feature I started 17th. Finished 13th overall and 6th in class. Also turn my fastest lap ever 1:24.4.

I had a great weekend and was so happy and excited to have all the support out there. But now I can barely keep my eyes open. Work tomorrow so I can rest up for racing in two weeks!
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Saturday Race #1

2010-05-22T17:18:00.000-04:00

Well the car is in one piece and I went from 22nd to 14th. There was a crash on the first lap and I avoid it and passed 5 cars at the end of the lap. Now packing up and heading to Mom's for dinner soon.
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Qualifying

2010-05-22T13:13:00.000-04:00

I qualified 21st out 22 cars. Unfortunately I went out on slicks and then it started raining harder. Came in early because the window fogged up and I couldn't see.
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Good morning!

2010-05-22T08:48:00.000-04:00

I sit in my van this morning typing this out and reflecting on the last 36 hours. God is very good to me. Thursday night I picked up the racecar from Angry Sheep Motorsports. I finished up some minor issues and then my Dad and I went to work on the decals. My Dad does good work. We didn't finish everything but it looks very good! We worked until 11:30. Yesterday I got to the track around 10:45a. With the rain tires on. But by practice time the rains stop and the sun was out. So I had to skip the first session to change tires.

I ran 3 practice sessions learning the new car. A LOT different then the old car. I also heat cycled the brand new set of tires.

Nothing broke. That was a good thing. The only issue I had was a piece of roll bar foam coming off.

I will update more later!
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