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SVRA US Vintage Grand Prix @ Watkins Glen

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M

Monkeywrench

Jedi Trainee
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About a week away.

Here is the current entry list by run group https://svra.com/SVRA/SVRAHome.nsf/attachmentweb/EJEN-7Z4QZ5/$file/Entry+List+-+By+Class.pdf?OpenElement
 
I'll try a race report...

The TR4 had a good showing. Rain throughout the weekend and a large 52 car field made for tough driving conditions.

Saturday afternoon Qualifying race.

Started 8th oa and picked up 3 spots right away. A 3.0L Alfa 3000CM started on pole and motored off. 2nd through 7th consisted of Denny Wilson's Super 7 (former SCCA Nat'l Champ in a TR6), Vic Skirmants' Porsche 356 (former SCCA Nat'l Champ), Mike Besic Alfa Duetto, Dick Stockton Triumph TR4, Bob Leitzinger Datsun 510 (former IMSA GTU Champ), Ceasar Cone Alfa Duetto. The top 7 stayed together for the first 3 laps and ran away from the rest of the field. They ran as a group until they hit traffic, and then spread out while they worked through lapped cars. The TR4 and Datsun ran nose to tail, swapping positions while they lapped ~20 cars. A lapped car balked the TR4 at the exit of T9 which allowed the 510 to make a run in T10. The checkered came out one turn later. Finished 6th of 52 and turned a 2.21.0. Results here
https://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=1690447


Sunday was rain, and their race was at 5pm. With a 6hour ride home, no one felt like sticking around and most of our competitors packed it up and went home.

The front group is turning incredibly fast times for vintage 4cyl cars. Here's how those times compare to the "All Triumph Race" held under similar conditions in 2008
https://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=951067 (the top 4 listed are 6 cyl powered cars, 3 of which were on 9" wide slicks).
 
Thanks for the report...sorry you guys had crappy weather.

Unfortunately, weather is always a crapshoot. We had SNOW at our Watkins Glen event last year.

The race weekend weather at Lime Rock Vintage was excellent.....and it's been great this week (drove my MGB to work three times, top down).

Anyway, if you want another shot at The Glen, we'll be up there with VRG on October 15 - 17. (but pray for no snow)

Also, just a reminder: VRG is hosting the NJ Historics at NJMP in two weeks (Sept 24-25....that's a Friday and Saturday). The event includes an airshow and British Car Show too.
 
Nial--

I will be at NJMP in the Courier and look forward to seeing you. I am handling VRG Regalia and will be bringing a bunch of it for sale--nice sweatshirts and denim shirts for the cooler month so bring some extra $$$.

I have never driven on the Lightning Circuit and wonder if you or anyone on the forum has any video of it that I can study prior to the event.
 
Michael:

This video (below) starts at the end of the main straight, going into the first turn. At about 1:05 in the video (the lap has been edited shorter), you are back at about the same point again. it's a pretty short track....I think about 1:25 lap times......I forget.

There's plenty of run off room at the first turn. It's sort of blind at one point, but you can go through there pretty fast (4th gear for me).

I found that as I was exiting the last turn onto the main straight I was already at 6000 rpm. (Lee Brahim calls it the "parabolic turn"). It's fast at the end.

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On ~this track map~, note that you ignore the apex at T2 (and run through the middle of it) so that you are better set up for T3. After T3, hug the right side as long as you can, to set up for the next turn.

If you have good brakes (I don't), you can out-brake people going under the bridge and into the slow left-hander (I think that's T5 or T6). Again, lots of run off if you screw up. :laugh:
That's all I can think of right now.
 
Sorry I missed everyone at Watkins. My work schedule looked as crappy at the weather.
Nial, I'd love to try and meet up at the VRG race.Can ya get me in? Keep me posted.
 
Excellent! I'll get with you when it gets closer to set up details. This'll be fun.
 
The noise from the ancient 948 in my car is so bad, I replace it with music.

Here's one of my videos from the Glen a few weeks ago (note the exploding MGA):

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Interesting to see 2 Northwest drivers in the top five in the 2008 "All Triumph Race." I battle both Tony Garmey (2) and Bill Babcock (5) regularly with SOVREN here on the left coast. They can both drive the wheels off almost anything.

Dougie
 
I've never met Tony, but he's a great driver and the Glen is perfect for the TR250K. The car and driver were a perfect match that weekend. The TR4 I crew on was right on his bumper up through the esses, and the TR250K pulled away and ran down Halkias and Kreger down the straight. Looking at the aerodynamics of that car compared to a TR, and it's not hard to see why!

Bill's a great guy! He's a motorcycle racer at heart, so that makes him a winner in my book.
 
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