NARRC runoffs at Lime Rock

[Dennis Valet]

album

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v2...runoff%202008/

Pictures I enjoyed

[stonebridge20]

GEEEE,...I'm really sorry I missed that one!

Dennis, Any results?

[Tom Valet]

Mike, if you look closely at that last picture, Bill actually has a checkered flag in his hand somewhere in the cockpit--it took all year but he finally beat Maxwell . Mike Scanlan continued his string of bad luck as he was punted from behind on the first lap when an FC dive bombed him at the left hander on lap 1. Friday was a monsoon, no fun at all, but somehow the race on Saturday went 32 laps in the dry and no cautions.

Take care.

Tom

PS, good luck to you and JT next week !!

[stonebridge20]

Tom, Congrats on the win to you and Bill. Billy always goes damn good at LRP. Tell him to put the flag in the air, NOT between his legs

How were the times in the race? I would tell you what we saw on Tuesday with Jeremy at our Runoffs pre test but I don't want to scare anybody.

[GregoryJ]

Thanks for the shots Dennis! And I appreciate Bill and the entire Valet clan coming over to help me diagnose my electrical issues.

Regards,
GregoryJ

[Tom Valet]

Thanks Mike. I didnt want to post one of my usual long, wind-bag write-ups of the event, but there is a lot more to the story. We almost didnt race because when we opened the trailer in the paddock after arriving on Thursday night there was a huge puddle of clutch fluid under the car--the slave master had completely given out and there was no pedal at all. With the weather as bad as it was and a crappy forecast for Saturday, I was actually kind of relieved and decided we should pack up and head home. I was not anxious to split the car and make the repairs sitting out in the pouring rain and besides I didnt have any spare gaskets. So we just watched the morning qualifying and didnt even try to go out. Then Steve came over and said we should fix the car, and Mike Scanlan came over and said he had spares, then he offered to let us work on the car under his canopy and with his help we managed to get the car fixed before the afternoon session. And with our 4 year old rains Bill managed P2 in class and was glad we decided to stick it out. After that the car ran flawlessly. So I will just say thank you to Steve and Mike who are not only great competitors but two of the nicest and least selfish guys you will ever meet.

Lap times were about a second slower than the National in August, best time was 54.2, Bill said the track was very greasy plus there was a river running across the uphill which made things interesting. We have some video of the race which we'll edit down and try to post tonight.

Greg, that was a great drive you had to finish 2d in a car new to you and that was not running well at all, so congrats on a terrific result.

Tom

[stonebridge20]

Tom, There's NOTHING worse than a long windbag post!

Mike Scanlon and Maxi are two of the best guys you will come across at a racetrack. Those two guys are part of the reason that FF in the NE is one of the best classes in the US.

Thanks for the "report"

[EACIII]

For those that were not there, there is no longer a "Rain line" at Lime Rock. Just drive the normal race line. Track has lots of grip even when wet. But I am sure the rain line will come back with wear.

Ed

[Phil Picard]

Great shot, Thanks, I didn't get too many laps in on Saturday to get any .............

Phil

[Douglas Kniffin]

Its great to see the Puder Potty IV on its way back to health. Great job in a short amount of time Greg! Keep up the good work.

[Tom Valet]

Video of the first few laps of the NARRCs:


http://video.google.com/videosearch?...rc&emb=0&aq=f#

[Douglas Kniffin]

Phil...you sure something didn't break in your car? That was quite the funky move it made on you, especially coming back across the track like that.

[Phil Picard]

We believe that as well. I never had any thing like that happen before.
I haven't really had a chance too look it over yet.
The forensic investigation will commence soon...........
While I thought I went through the car throughly, certainly anything is possible at this time, it was its 2nd use since purchase...don't forget where it came from.

[racer27]

Phil - Real odd... No puddles, debris, Kamakazi Turtles. You were already past the crest of the uphill, going straight...

This was the Zetec, right?

[Phil Picard]

yep

[J.D. King]

Video of the first few laps of the NARRCs:


http://video.google.com/videosearch?...rc&emb=0&aq=f#

Nice job Bill, and thanks for the great video. The track looks great and racey, not as bad as I thought it'd be.

[Bill Valet]

Thanks J.D.

It's nice to finally have the camera up and working reliably! Only took 2 years

Based off my time on track from this race and the August national the track is quite good as far as being able to pull off line and maintain a good amount of speed through the corners. Braking was also great offline which made for excellent passing opportunities. Unfortunately for the NARRC race the rain made for a very greasy and sandy track. The runoff from the heavy rain deposited quite a bit of sand in many spots around the track which coupled with the slick track in itself made for an interesting race. You can see from the video how much my car as well as others in front of me was moving around.

Hopefully we'll be able to keep the camera working and provide many more videos in the future your your viewing pleasure and for myself to learn from.