March 7/8 SARRC Race at VIR

[tac911t]

The NCR SARRC race is scheduled at VIR on March 7/8. There are SARRC races on Sunday, 1 1/2 hour enduro on Saturday afternoon. A 1 1/2 hour and 45 min enduro on Sunday.

Most of the racers from the region are planning to attend, along with one or two new racers (Jeff Underwood for one).

If anyone has any interest in working the race in the capacity of Pit and Grid, Flagging and Communications (working the turns), Timing and Scoring, etc, this would be a good race to get started. The NCR region puts on a good organized race and they treat their workers very well.

[aged racer]

We'll be there in the newly repaired Spec Miata, running the ECR on Saturday and the SARRC and CCPS on Sunday. Drew and I will share the ECR, then we'll take turns on Sunday.

Tod, if you're running the ECR, want to share a pit box?

Also, let's try to paddock in the same neck of the woods, maybe that third row up near the false grid.

Lookin' forward to it!

Steve

[tac911t]

Steve,

I am only racing the SARRC. I have plans Saturday and Sunday night, so I will be commuting back and forth (got to love the 90 minute drive, and with the current gas prices, it is not too bad on the wallet).

Randy, my co-driver from last race, is going to the National that weekend, he is planning to attend the Runoffs if he does well in the Division this year.

I plan to arrive Friday afternoon, and we can paddock at the typical spot up by the false grid.

The big plans for that weekend is a new higher numerical rear-end with a locker, additonal ballast, and setting the corner weight.

[aged racer]

10-4. How are you getting your corner weights set? I need the same thing done, don't know anyone local that can do it.

Steve

[tac911t]

There is a set of scales that I borrow that are in Lynchbug, so I can set the corner weights myself. A handfull of drivers share the scales, so sometimes it becomes difficult to get the scales close to a race weekend.

[RexRacer]

I will be there!

I plan on running the SARRC for sure and possibly one ECR sharing my car with Bowie Gray.

[aged racer]

Jeff- looks like things went well at RR. Glad to hear it.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Steve

[Scott]

if I can get the car done by then, I will be there racing also

[aged racer]

Great, Scott, more the merrier. Look for us up near the false grid in one of the middle rows.

Steve

[Scott]

I wasn't able to make this event (family emergency), any updates?

[RexRacer]

I can't tell everyone else's tale because I left right after lunch on Sunday. It seemed like everyone was having a good time...

My first race ever was pretty exciting. Qualifying did not go so well and I ended up starting 4th out of 5 in ITB. I made some changes to the car Saturday night to hopefully get it going better. Apparently they worked. I got of to a pretty good start and had an awesome battle with Matt Douglass for the entire race. I ended up getting by on the last lap and held on for 2nd place in ITB setting the fastest race lap in the process. Matt and I had a blast racing with each other. Unfortunately Todd was down on power and was not able to duke it out with us. Hopefully he will get that sorted out so we can have some fun in the future.

Here is my in-car from the race:

http://www.underwood-racing.com/videos/VIRSARRC309.wmv

[aged racer]

Great weekend for racing- sunshine and 80 degree temps. The BRR had a solid showing in several classes, despite (in some cases) the snags that often arise the first weekend out:

FV- Greg Hastings took the SARRC win- unfortunately Gary Best had a DNF.
F500- Bill Bradley took that SARRC win.
ITB- See above- great run for Jeff for 2nd and Todd had fifth despite several misc. issues.
GT3- Larry Overstreet had a good run for a 2nd place finish
SM- I finished 12th in the SARRC, Drew 8th in the CCPS, behind Scott Malbon in 6th.

It was our first weekend out in the SM after the big crash last year. On the positive side, the car handled great. Euro-Specialty (highly recommended) grafted on a new front clip over the winter and the repair was flawless. The debit side revealed an engine clearly down on power, likely some residual damage from last year’s incident. We twiddled with it all weekend long but could not identify an external issue. We’ll probably skip the next event and pull the engine for some professional attention from Race Engineering (also highly recommended) rather than live with it. (Honey, there’s something I need to tell you….are you sitting down?)

Hope to see more Region members at the races as the year goes on. We won’t be driving at the upcoming VIR national, crewing instead for Emmitt Staley from Marion as he accumulates points for this year’s Runoff’s at Road America. We should be back on track no later than the MARRS/ SARRC at VIR in May.

Steve

[914geezer]

Great video Jeff and some excellent driving! If this is your first race in this car (?), I predict better things to come soon. Several fine passes! Seemed to be a little down on power coming out of Oaktree (?), fix that and you move on up.
Maury

[RexRacer]

Hey Maury,

Yes, this was the first race for this car (and me actually). There is plenty of development work to be done with this thing, so hopefully it will get quicker as the year goes on. I will be at it again in a couple of weeks at CMP. Double SARRC weekend...

[aged racer]

Maury, it wasn't Jeff's first rodeo. He's been whipping up at auto-x and track days for a long time. ITB is going to be a good fight this year!

In a postscript, there's been a raging dogfight throughout the IT and SM forums over a disputed finish in the CCPS race. The starter mistakenly threw the checker early to the 2nd place car, then withdrew it, then threw it again.....Some guys kept racing, others let up, so forth. I think the final results for now reflect the next to last lap, although the debate rages on.

Anyway, Scott Malbon was reclassified to a fine 5th place finish (not 6th as noted above).

Jeff, wish I could join you at CMP in two weeks but the SM patient is in surgery at the moment. We'll be back (hopefully) by the Double SARRC at the end of April at RR.

Steve

[914geezer]

Steve, I'm well aware of Jeff's autocross experience and expertise and have observed a lot of it first hand. Also aware he has done track days in recent years, however I am still quite impressed with the driving and passes in what was his first wheel to wheel race, as I understand it.

Too many track days can be a negative IMHO to the appropriate amount of aggression and mind set needed for racing. At least that was my experience in my first few races. (Back in the day, from a really aged/retired racer)

Jeff appears to have a great balance of driving skill and aggression already. I predict he will win his class at some events before the year is over!

Maury

[RexRacer]

Thanks Mary,

I am sure there is plenty more to learn. I will say that I have been a student of this game for a lot of years, so much so, that it may be by instinct now. The years of DE experience, and especially instructing, have helped my confidence as to what the car is capable of doing and where.

It told someone right before I got my Novice Permit that I have the driving part down resonably well, it is the racing part that I need to learn now. When you only have to focus on one of those two, it makes things a little easier. Even with the years of experience that I have driving, I approach every weekend with a learning attitude...I don't plan to stop that anytime soon.

Wish me luck at CMP next weekend.