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Jefferson 500-Soon!

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aeronca65t

aeronca65t

Great Pumpkin
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I fully realize a lot of you will be going to The Mitty at the end of April, but for those of you easteners who are too far away from Road Atlanta (like me), here's another option:

~The Jefferson 500~ ~ Vintage Festival at Summit Point is the same weekend. Lots of great cars and a wonderful, laid-back atmosphere.

Brian Redman is scheduled to appear as well as ~The Girls~

There's also some talk of Vic Elford attending (Brian and Vic have both attended in the past) I chatted with Brian for 15 minutes last year. He's a great guy and it was a real treat.

I also got to chat with and race with ~Ray Stone~ and his Bugeye. I've been following his exploits since the 60s, so this was another treat!

If you're going to The Mitty, I hope you have a great time! But if it's too far and you're in the east, I hope you'll ~join us~ at the Jefferson 500 on APril 30 thru May 2
 
I hope to see you there, Nial, if my health permits.
 
I'm flying East and will attend one race or the other (and celebrate my dad's birthday), but I'm still on the fence about WHICH race. People keep telling me what a cultural event The Mitty is - with stars of radio and screen mingling with racing greats in the paddock - but I don't go to races to see people. I couldn't care less about the Mitty's BRE-Datsun reunion or its pro-level race for Miata drivers. I go to races to see and to photograph British race cars in the paddock! It's bad enough that these two events conflict with each other AGAIN this year... bad for the racers, bad for vendors, bad for fans - but I really think the event organizers are screwing-up by not keeping their respective registration lists online and frequently updated. It would be so easy to do!
 
I don't mean to be obstreperous, but it's absolutely NOT easy to do.
Race tracks book events regionally and can't possibly consider ALL the consequenses of conflicts in other parts of the country. It's hard enough just getting new dates locally due to existing, promised time slots. Typically, the tracks stay loyal to regular customers who return each year. Most of these groups have long-time fixed schedules, so if they're "bumped", they aren't free to come an alternate weekend (and the track loses them as a customer). With all the various track day groups, road racing clubs, bike clubs and vintage groups trying to get the best dates, it's really tough to make changes. Once a track has a regular "set" group of returning groups, they tend to stick with the schedule.

And while there might be a few cars and fans that would like to attend the Mitty and the Jeff 500, I doubt it's enough to make economic sense to risk losing their regulars.

Track time at most tracks is spoken for years in advance. If you'd like to book Watkins Glen for <span style="text-decoration: underline">2011</span>, I think they have ONE day open right now....and I'm pretty sure it's a Tuesday.

Tracks can't easily move other events. My local NASA region books Pocono at least 3 years in advance. I would bet that most of the weekends at Summit are spoken for into the next 3 or more years. Probably the same at Road Atlanta.
 
I wrote:
CurtisJ said:
...I really think the event organizers are screwing-up by not keeping their respective registration lists online and frequently updated. It would be so easy to do!
Click to expand...

Event organizers such as VRG, HSR, SVRA, etc. surely enter participant registrations into a computerized database as they receive them, and then share the registration lists among their staff for planning purposes. Putting a version or subset of that information on their respective websites is what I think would be easy. (I have a little bit of experience with web design!) Now, as a participant wouldn't you like to be able to verify that your registration was received in good order? Wouldn't you like to know which of your friends or rivals are pre-registered? Don't you think vendors and fans want to know who is pre-registered too?
 
CurtisJ said:
....It's bad enough that these two events conflict with each other AGAIN this year... bad for the racers, bad for vendors, bad for fans -.....
Click to expand...

This is what I was commenting on. The tracks don't really see themselves as flexible to allow "convient" dates for all group. Some group run short of money and leave them high and dry, so they try to stick with the reliable ones. But that changes from year to year as group are managed/mismanaged or simply go out of fashion. As the tracks deal with multiple groups that are "managed" in all sort of ways, the groups deal with tracks that are also unpredictabley managed. This has the effect of making changes very, very difficult. Just the different types of personalities in this arrangement is a trip. We wish it were easy. It ain't.
By the way, if I want to know if my rivals are coming to an event, I just call them on the phone (or look at our Yahoo group). Many fans in vintage events are just crew (at least in the non-profit groups) so they hear about stuff from the racers.



As far as online stuff: VRG is considering switching to Motorsportreg.com (I suggested it). Prior to that, there was no one on the VRG board who could reliably design and maintain an online registration program for free or very low cost (we've talked about it for at least the last three years). VRG is a 501C non-profit....none of the "workers" are paid, so it can be hard to find a person with this sort of skill who has the time and can commit to staying on task for free. Most board members are racers....not MBAs or computer jocks.
I'm not even sure what data base info Motorsportreg.com can share. There may be privacy issues. I am talking with another group that just started using it; we plan on reviewing their success/failure.
SVRA just went through a complex ownership change. I'm pretty sure they are just sorting out the basics right now. Maybe they will look at this once they have little time under the new management....
 
Well, Aeronca, guess we won't meet in person just yet. I'm running the first MARRS race (looks like about 15 cars in the EP-HP field so far) this weekend, and then the double regional at Nelson's on 15-16 May. And then I have a bunch of overseas travel, temporary duty for work. And I still have not had the time to prep & paint the steel deck lid to go on in place of the glass on the Midget, nor have I even found a steel bonnet, and rather than approach a first vintage event with trepidations about being sent home, I'll continue with the SCCA. It does look like the R888 Toyos will be getting broken in this weekend, as rain isi n the offing for Summit. BTW what pressures do you run on the Toyos in the rain?

Best,
Bugger a/k/a #0 BRG Hprod Midget
 
Have fun at the MARRS event! I think one of my SpecMiata pals is running too.....I'll have to ask him.

Just so you know, VRG is not likely to send you home if you have a fiberglass bonnet. They might suggest that if you intend to be a regular runner, that you get a metal lid. But that's it. Basically, we're just running for fun anyway. If you become a regular and your car was clearly faster than other cars in the class (due to lightweight panels or whatever), they'd probably ask that you move up a class (with MBGs, etc).

For the 888s in the dry, I run about 36 to 38 psi HOT.

In the wet, I'd guess about 32 to 34 HOT (although they may not get that hot if the rain is heavy).

I'm running stock, steel Rostyle wheels. With better, wider rims, you might drop those numbers about 2 lbs or so.
 
yes, they are 5.5 Panasport racing rims, so I guess I'll start them at 28 or 30 and see how they work. I know that if I push them like the cantilever Hoosiers, and there's any rain on the line, I'll be doing some gardening...but eager to see how they work nonetheless. Have a great Jeff 500 -
 
Nial--

Barring something unforseen I will be there on Friday with the new (to me) Elva Mk IV sportsracer (see picture attached. The engine has just been assembled and literally has zero hours on it. Similarly my only seat time in the car is when I sat in it just prior to writing the seller a big check! So I am regarding this event simply as a glorified practice session and intend to go out as the last car in my race group and stay well clear of any close action (Funny, I always say this and then get caught up in the action, but this time I mean it!)

Michael Clifford, the fellow who assembled the engine has told me that while he tuned the Webers (40's) in the shop to where he think they should be happy the only way of knowing is either on a dyno or a track and I told him that I would prefer to do it on a track with him doing some driving as well as he has had years of experience with the car since he supported the previous owner. So when you see it going fast you'll know it is Michael C. driving!

I will be parked at Clifford's rig which is usually over by the fence very near where Joe Blacker parks so look for me there. I'll also be selling VRG Regalia (actually I am putting my wife Mary in charge of that) and plan to be wearing one of the new jackets that I have been pushing on the VRG newsgroup.

I look forward to seeing you but do not try to tempt me into any dices--I really just want to lay back, get used to driving a new (RHD) car and see what if any further work it needs. I know it will be a vastly different experience from driving the Courier which I simply fling around corners--this car should actually handle!
 

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Micheal:

That looks <span style="text-decoration: underline">great</span> and I love the familiar colour scheme.

My new-to-me ~Austin~ (also rhd) will not be ready until later in the year, so I will be dragging the (very tired) Spridget out again. I changed the oil and did a little basic maintenance this week, but that's it. Old tires. Never changed the trans or diff oil. I may not even have a chance to wash it. I wonder if Tivvy will reject it for being too dirty? :laugh:

We've bought a new (to us) house and the process of that (plus our ungoing "sandwich generation" duties) has left little time for car work. The new place has a 3 car garage so I'm hoping my car working will get more efficient once we're settled in.

One improvement: we'll be towing our tired Spridget with a new Chevy cargo van. I'm calling it <span style="font-style: italic">Vanna White</span> due to the colour.
grin.gif


Even if we're learning a new car or nursing along a tired old car, we can still have fun! Look forward to seeing you guys!
 
I'll be selling VRG Regalia Friday and Saturday and will probably be set up either in the classroom or at Michael Clifford's rig--just look for the Elvas and the "VRG Regalia" sign. For info on what is available go to: https://www.vrgonline.org/sales/

Seeya there--Michael
 
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