Watkins Glen 2010

[Purple Frog]

I've been waiting for The Sprints to become history. I didn't want you folks to be in overload trying to think about too many great FC races at one time.

This coming weekend. Watkins Glen International. Be there or be square.

40 of the best FC cars from all over North America are entered in one of the premier events of the F2000 Championship Series. If it is anything like previous years, F2KCS may put on a better show than the IRL headliner. We definitely will have a larger field.

What a great venue. Add to the location the whole Independence Day celebration going on both "on the hill" and all around Lake Seneca, and it becomes one of the must attend events of the season.

The Finger Lakes region might be one of the best areas on the East coast to visit. I believe there are at least 42 wineries within 35 miles of the track. (i lost count. ) Last year we watched the village fireworks show from out on the lake. Good restaurants.

No Seibkins, but the Seneca lodge can be just as entertaining.

And... there are those two 40 car F2000 races on one of the greatest tracks in North America.

Follow it all on the F2000 Championship Series website.

Fast Matt, you drivin' or coachin' ?

Cole, who's tent you goin' to be under?

Are the Fat Boys going to be headquartered at Glenora?

[Matt M.]

Fast Matt, you drivin' or coachin' ?

I've been on the phone to California, New Hampshire, England, France and another US state I can't say - (I'm sworn to keep the nondisclosure binding with a new manufacturer) trying to wrestle up something besides a worn out, dinosaur VD....
Sad to say for the fans, and fast matt fans everywhere - it will not be as exciting as last years race - and everyone IN the race can breath easy .... I will be coaching at the glen (for now).....And the bar at Senaca Lodge - and the bar down by the water with the palm tree (what is the name of that place??). Maybe morning calisthenics by the pool at Glen Motor Inn with Mike Rand around sun rise.........

[Monty M]

It's looking like an epic field .

Daniel Erickson is back from Australia - unfinished business from VIR one assumes. http://www.f2000championshipseries.c...kins-glen.html

Stevan McAleer rounds out SMR/Race House and brings Skip/FBMW/karting fame with him. http://www.f2000championshipseries.c...in-at-smr.html

And then there is the gigantic entry list http://www.f2000championshipseries.com/drivers.html

[Beartrax]

I'll be there! Unfortunately, not until Friday evening, but I am really looking forward to it.

[jim morgan]

My 1st race away from the track since Cole started in 2005. Any updates appreciated.

[LoPresti]

Matt,

The Tiki Bar.

Ed

[Purple Frog]

Monty is going to be real busy this weekend reporting up-to-the-minute reports.

http://www.f2000championshipseries.c...n-preview.html

[tjcezar]

Was there last year and the F2KCS was the better show in my opinion. Wish I could get there this year.

[Matt Satchell]

jimbo -

cole may get some peace and quiet if you, howden, and I aren't there. of course, he did sweep the weekend that year.....

[jim morgan]

Matt,
I believe you ,me and Howden are what you might call "role models".

[Purple Frog]

When we returned from a evening cruise of Lake Seneca with Captain Bob Henderson on the 43 foot Road Runner, Carly and Cole met us on the dock at the Marina Grill. They were doing quite fine, except for maybe some of the company they were keeping. Thom, Hazelnut, and Charles Finelli, esq. had taken command of the inside of the bar. And all of Caldwell Racing had control of the outside deck.

So... Jim. nothing for a parent to worry about. Cole has a lot of mature chaperones looking out for him.

[DaveW]

And then there is the gigantic entry list http://www.f2000championshipseries.com/drivers.html

Uhhhh...

I didn't enter this one - we have a double national at Nelson Ledges to qualify for the Runoffs.

[John LaRue]

I understand that Nathan's new car is on display. Hopefully some pictures will be posted here soon!

[racer27]

Uhhhh...

I didn't enter this one - we have a double national at Nelson Ledges to qualify for the Runoffs.

I kept hearing your name and number announced over the PA system... Was looking forward to seeing another Citation up close...

[John LaRue]

It seems to be unusually quiet on here this weekend; not one report of what went on other than the official news line................. What happens at the Glen stays at the Glen.....

[Scott Gesford]

It seems to be unusually quiet on here this weekend; not one report of what went on other than the official news line................. What happens at the Glen stays at the Glen.....

Both races went nonstop. No full course cautions. The guys did well. No major crashes that I saw. Defer had to change an engine so they were there very late one night. The radon car was a bare frame that was only at the track for a day or so and then went to a shop. I never saw it.

Friday was a long day with 2 hours of track time/4 sessions. Rands scooter got hijacked. Finelli raised the bar for driver apparel.

[jim morgan]

John,

i agree there seems to be some disconnect between F2000 and Apex Speed other than Frog. That needs to be fixed. The most active and successful series has no information to a large potential following. Rand free wine at Lime Rock if you can work some kind of crossover from website to Apex.

BTW the pain of not being there was reduced with the live twitter updates. Kind of like my youth at Indy with a transister radio (how old can you go)

[Beartrax]

Finelli raised the bar for driver apparel.

Do you mean this?

[jim morgan]

I believe the terms"Finelli" and "Raising the Bar" are mutually exclusive.

[Beartrax]

I believe the terms"Finelli" and "Raising the Bar" are mutually exclusive.

Going from 30th to 15th on Saturday could be considered "Raising the Bar".

He is a lawyer, so he passed the bar.

He like to go to the bar...

[Scott Gesford]

Do you mean this?

I only saw him up on the grid. We all said he needed a tie to complete the look.

[Beartrax]

More Watkins Glen hijinks...

One F2000 team (who I will not identify - project the guilty) sent a mechanic around the paddock to take photos of female drivers & sponsor girls. That is one photo of their face & one of their backside. That night at the bar they had 3x3 prints & we had to figure out which head matched which tail. Fun game.

I was able to pick out Danica

[Peter Horvath]

I believe the terms"Finelli" and "Raising the Bar" are mutually exclusive.

How does he keep the cigar burning during the race?

Best decal of the weekend could be found at the Heluva Good cheese booth:

"I'm one Heluva Good driver".

No I'm not parting with mine. Although of course it's going on the F150.

[HazelNut]

How does he keep the cigar burning during the race?

we've got the latest Radon aero package that is designed to create a low pressure zone around the cockpit of the car. This effectively creates a low drag zero turbulence buffer zone which allows the cigar to stay lit, in fact it actually enhances even burning and provide slight increase in smoke flavor mildness. It's also worth at least 1 mph at the end of the straight away.

[Peter Horvath]

I'll take two. One for the tow vehicle

[SMRacing]

Watkins Glen was the... *ahem*

We had some ridiculous brake problems, and then later fuel pressure. But we started both races.

Mr. McAleer did a heluva job in his forst f2000 weekend. I loved the track, the carousel really brought back memories of my oval days... if only it went left instead of right.

[Scott Gesford]

Watkins Glen was the... *ahem*

We had some ridiculous brake problems, and then later fuel pressure. But we started both races.

Mr. McAleer did a heluva job in his forst f2000 weekend. I loved the track, the carousel really brought back memories of my oval days... if only it went left instead of right.

You'll like turn 1 at Mid-Ohio.

[Bob Wright]

For all who weren"t there...there are literally hundreds of pictures on the F2000 website of both on track and in paddock 'hijinks' compliments of Mrs Frog. http://f2000series.com/photos.html

The qualifying times for race two kind of defines what this Series is all about http://f2000series.com/results/271-2...lifying-2.html

[Peter Horvath]

Vaughn was on the grid Sunday when the clutch pedal wouldn't go down I'm bleeding the system, which leaves a puddle. It also doesn't help.
So I start the car at the two-minute signal and hope for the best.
The clutch pedal goes down, and there is a giant plume of white smoke. The smoke plus the puddle attracted a fire marshal. The field leaves the false grid.
I'm talking to the marshal so I can't hear the driver calling for a push on the radio. The engine is running but the clutch pedal is stuck again.
In the meantime a bunch of guys (thanks Dave) see Vaughn waving his hands and they start pushing, and off he goes.
Vaughn starts in the back, and whenever the clutch grabs it pulls him back big time, and now it's overheating, but he does OK.
Another day in paradise.

[SMRacing]

Vaughn was on the grid Sunday when the clutch pedal wouldn't go down I'm bleeding the system, which leaves a puddle. It also doesn't help.
So I start the car at the two-minute signal and hope for the best.
The clutch pedal goes down, and there is a giant plume of white smoke. The smoke plus the puddle attracted a fire marshal. The field leaves the false grid.
I'm talking to the marshal so I can't hear the driver calling for a push on the radio. The engine is running but the clutch pedal is stuck again.
In the meantime a bunch of guys (thanks Dave) see Vaughn waving his hands and they start pushing, and off he goes.
Vaughn starts in the back, and whenever the clutch grabs it pulls him back big time, and now it's overheating, but he does OK.
Another day in paradise.

In a sick way, I'm glad we weren't the only ones with car problems at the Glen. It was a rough weekend, but I really liked the track.

[nulrich]

So that's what happened. Kevin and I were walking to the grid when we saw Vaughn stalled on the access road. We pushed him up to his grid position and figured you had it under control after that. The smoke was a little scary, but we were glad to see him make the race.

We didn't have a great weekend, either, but all the cars went on the trailer in one piece on Sunday afternoon, so we figured we were better off than some!

Nathan

[nulrich]

we've got the latest Radon aero package that is designed to create a low pressure zone around the cockpit of the car. This effectively creates a low drag zero turbulence buffer zone which allows the cigar to stay lit, in fact it actually enhances even burning and provide slight increase in smoke flavor mildness. It's also worth at least 1 mph at the end of the straight away.

Damn! I forgot the ashtray in the new car...back to the drawing board. Hopefully we'll get the new design finished by 2012.

Nathan

[enjoythetrack]

Damn! I forgot the ashtray in the new car...back to the drawing board. Hopefully we'll get the new design finished by 2012.
Nathan

(Humor) Nathan, you must also remember two words: Cup holders

PS: As a very avid cigar smoker (i'll bring a small collection with me to LRP, and sorry no free handouts as these are 5+ year aged Co...a from my personal colection), real cigars do not need ashtrays and only perhaps two ash 'drops' an hour so a mere 30 minute race is no problem.

[Matt M.]

[FONT=Verdana][FONT=Verdana]I would just like to point out that I had everything to do with Dan Wheldon walking through the F2k paddock. There are [/FONT]less than half a dozen people in today's paddock that were in F2k way back when the Zetec took over in Jon's series....and Dan had won the year before. Dan was out for a walk and I stopped him to say good luck..... Yea, he remembered Fast Matt.... That was pretty cool...... He's very fond of F2k cars and apologized for not representing the class better (this from a 500 winner.... ) Told him no worries - we all get stuck with $#it cars now and then....[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]Dan is the man[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]Seems to me there should be a picture of him with a fat boys hat someplace... And he took it with him...[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]I also did color commentary on Saturday over the P.A. - The data I collected in the pseudo bog says - somebody should pony up the dough and have me do the rest of the races...... The best comment I got was "Ten times better than Monty..."[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]So, show of hands - who has spare uprights for the next race?? East or West... [/FONT]





BTW that match the butt to the face game is now copyrighted - so any attempt to duplicate will bring the full wrath of Mr Finelli onto you.... Charles the retainer is in the mail...

[nulrich]

Well, I asked Justin Wilson if he knew "Fast Matt" when he was visiting Mike in the GTP tent and he said no. I guess your reputation hasn't made it over the pond yet!

Justin also asked who those "odd fellows" were who asked him to hold a flourescent green hat for a photo...but I didn't have time to explain, he only had a half hour to hang out before IRL qualifying.

I do think you could learn something from Justin, though. He has an "investors club" which consists of a group of well-heeled individuals who put money towards his racing in return for some snazzy apparel and the opportunity to visit the hot pits.

I figure given your reputation you should be able to raise at least enough money to run the last few races of the season. I'll put in $100 if I get an autographed T-shirt! And I'll throw in the spare Van Diemen parts in my office, which include at least one upright...they all belong to Chris or Glenn anyways.

Nathan

[Purple Frog]

My aplogies to all the Apexspeed folk who have come to expect extra color coverage from the F2KCS races. This past week we took the two grandsons to their first ever big pro race weekend. WGI seemed like the perfect event. All extra time was filled with showing them all the Watkins Glen sights and activities. No time was left to post on Apexspeed.

On the way up we saw Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains, Natural Bridge, Luray, Skyline Drive, and the Little League Worls Series stadium in Williamsport. Captain Bob Hendersen took us out for an evening cruise around Lake Seneca aboard his 43 foot cruiser. At the track there was all the IRL stuff, and World Challenge, as well as living for 4 days in the F2KCS paddock, somewhat isolated from the 70,000 fans, but not Fat Boy Racing.

Since leaving the track Sunday afternoon, we've done the deal at Niagara Falls, Pro Football Hall of Fame, New River Gorge in WV, and now we are somewhere near the Blue Ridge Parkway...

I believe this past weekend has to be one of the best in the Series 5 year history. Large crowds, great weather, one of the world's great tracks, with IRL and WC thrown in. Two really clean green flag races just made it even better.

While Erikson won both races, Cole went home with a new track record, and Victor with his podium finish on Sunday, still is in the points lead, now more than half way through the year. Chris Livengood has to be pleased to have shown all that he is a force to be reckoned with. Tim Minor's podium finish on Saturday was evidence of the strength of the masters class entry.

And of course Fat Boys Racing's own standard bearer Charles Finelli esq. He opened the weekend with a flourish by having his car be delivered from Long Island on an open flat bed truck. This year's team shirt was released in a bright yellow, followed by a new supply of the now world famous day-glo hats. Beer, cigars, and non-standard clothing withstanding, Charles then goes out in Saturday's race and passes 15 cars to win the Hard Charger Award. A post race inspection by the Series officials showed his car to be legal, albeit a tad over-weight, what with Charles a full 100 pounds heavier than many of the kid speedesters. Charles celebrated in his usual fashion all night at the Tiki Bar on Lake Seneca, yet had no trouble making the race grid for Sunday morning's race.

My baby sitting duties were compounded by the fact that for the first time in his racing career Cole was without Dad present as chaperone. Thus, we did find out that Gibby is not real comfortable around snakes.

Many of us got to spend a lot of time up close to the new Radon chassis. Rand's scooter kept showing up in the craziest places. Monty and Janice's coverage of the weekend again outdid the coverage of the other series attending, even though those series have many time larger media staffs.

[HazelNut]

justin wilson, fatboy since 2009

[HazelNut]

dan wheldon, joined the fatboy ranks in 2010
(more pics to follow)