It is going to be a close one for the rookie out of Chatlotte. A broken bearing carrier case has had me scrambling the last couple days. Taylor should finish up today and overnight everything to me today. The car should be ready to roll by Friday. Good luck to all on test day and hope to be there Friday night.
Justin
Damn, foiled again!
I was trying to get everyone to leave their beer at home, so I could sell $3 beers out of my trailer to fund the weekend. See what I get for not letting GT1Vette have a piece of the action?
Originally posted by GT1Vette:
that rule is enforced even less than the 55 mph speed limit on I-285.
! There's a speed limit on 285!???
I wish I lived down there......
Have fun guys!
The dirty F500 driver.
BC,
You probably could afford to live down here. We all drive Expeditions. You could fund a F-500 program just keeping our Expeditions running.
Oh, I forgot, you don't charge for Expedition help... nevermind.
More news from Atlanta:
42 cars in Group 7, 13 cars in Group 2. Not too shabby. Of course they have 79 cars in Group 3, on a track legal for only 64. And, OMG, 61 ground pounders in Group 5 (GT1 - ITS)!
I guess there is no stopping this over-hyped event now. The Palm Beach TV news traffic helicopter just spotted GR northbound on I-95. It's almost like the O.J. chase. CFC fans are lining the overpasses cheering him on, or is that celebration that he leaving the state?
We are calling in an anonimous warning to the Georgia Agriculture Inspection folks to make sure they request he empty his trailer at the state line, because he may be hauling un-inspected tropical plants into their fair state. [img]smile.gif[/img]
It's getting down to the time to "walk the walk", not "talk the talk."
Godspeed.
Did I win the race for first one Home?
(i have to make fun of this situation somehow)
Jon K
Jon K - 1986 Swift DB3/Honda
Sorry, you couldn't have won the first one home race,because I was home Friday evening! So much for repaired Swift uprights......
Doug Jewett
Come on guys, after all the build up to the race I want to hear the details.
Topper
Dallara F394 F3
Swift SE-3 FC sold
News at 1:00 p.m. EDST
Stay tuned.
[size="1"][ July 29, 2002, 11:00 AM: Message edited by: Purple Frog ][/size]
There is a reason they call it HOTlanta. The Atlanta Region heard that everyone was remarking about how hot it had been at VIR last August, and how unbearable it had been at the Roebling Road National July 5th, so… they turned up the heat. And the CFC gang responded by throwing even more beer in the coolers. Fight fire with beer.
Sportsfans, if you follow CFC in the SouthEast, then you already know it is a great breeding ground for up and coming pro racers. And no one is more up and coming than Richard Matthews. This season he has put it all together. He has progressed through the early growing pains of last season and the beginning of this year, and matured into one hell of a racer. His domination in CFC this year is based on a formula of great skill mixed in with tons of hard work, and a solid maturity.
So yes, he whipped all our butts again last weekend. Richard out qualified the rest of us by 2.8 seconds. That basically says it all. Then he went out in the race and showed off that coming of age maturity that will pay dividends in years to come. He knew when to charge, and when to concede to faster cars in the group. Months ago he would have tried to race for an overall win against FAs. Now he is wise enough to take what’s there and not throw it all away chasing a faster class car. Our field reporter (none other than last years Champion, Marshall Aiken) said he drove a cool race. And now we have lost track of how many wins he has. For certain he is taking the maximum six allowed into the SIC, and we still have 5 regular season races left.
Still there were the colorful stories of the also rans… and also didn’t runs.
Do not let Doug Jewett select the lotto numbers in your office pool. As they say, if Doug didn’t have bad luck, he would have no luck at all. At Friday’s test day the newly repaired front upright broke again. Damn. Sending Doug and his Swift back to Morrow GA, before it got way too hot.
We had reported last week that Jon Krolewicz was working hard to put together an assault plan to give chase to Mr. Matthews. Jon had scrambled to assemble a late 80s VD out of Chuck Cecil’s racing empire. Jon was hoping to put his experience from driving a LMP900 at this years Daytona 24 Hour to good use in possibly grabbing the SARRC CFC crown in a late season campaign. His hard work took a serious turn for the worse when a series of water pump related issues ended his weekend during Friday’s test day. He hung around Saturday morning to cheer the others on, but was soon heading back to Columbia SC to get out of the Atlanta heat.
No doubt the most serious DNS was claimed by none other than our famous jet jockey Michael Montfort. Saturday morning had dawned bright on his arrival to the track. Michael was sporting a new tow vehicle that actually had a V8 engine. The boy was styling. And on the track, with decent tires he was getting faster. Then in the qualifying session he decided to take flight. Coming under the bridge under full power he had liftoff. The rear of the car lifted off, but soon there after Montfort was back on terra firma, only going backwards across the gator teeth at the bottom of the hill. Sadly for Michael the Reynard custom gearbox shattered into multiple pieces. It was not a pretty sight. Needless to say, Montfort skipped the Saturday night bash and headed home.
Court Dowis won the whole burrito in 2000. He wants to win it again in 2002. To help the effort, Court is now the first CFC driver in the SE using data acquistion. Mathematically he is still in the hunt. And he is known for hard late season campaigns that place him on top of his form for the SIC. Court mounted up stickers and went out and qualified second behind Matthews.
Mark Hatheway brought out the Supertech team in new livery. With a new black paint scheme, a new aero package, and a new canopy to park a much lighter 84 Reynard under, Mark is really improving each event of his rookie season. And most importantly getting faster. He was even sporting sticker GYs on the Friday test day. His program is coming together, and he is having fun. Always the biggest smile in the paddock. He was 5th after qualifying.
Hard Rock Motorsports pulled the biggest surprise of the weekend. Glennon Reidler unloaded a new Reynard to debut at Atlanta. He bought a “T” car just for the event, when his primary car could not be fixed in time. Not a shabby backup. This 88 Reynard was showcar quality with a one hour old Butler engine. GR went out on the track for the first time ever on Friday, and got faster every lap, except for the one where the map taped to his dash blew up on his visor. GR lived up to his farmer reputation at T3 on Friday. That resulted in a failed clutch for Saturday’s practice session. Most would have packed it up. But in 100 degree heat, GR’s crew from 10/10ths Motorsports performed a clutch change before qualifying, and had time for lunch. These guys are serious racers. GR qualified 4th while using only 3 plug wires.
Mike Eakin was the last to show up Saturday morning. Seems that he and the Ms. heard about a margarita party Friday night and altered their schedule accordingly and took an 80 mile detour into North Georgia to party with GT1Vette. Eakin, hung over, decided to roll his Reynard under Dowis’s famous blue canopy, and skip the effort of setting up in the hugely crowed paddock. Using the tires that Defer ran on in the 2001 Runoffs, now in their 7th cycle, Eakin qualified 3rd.
So the field was set. Five entries still in it. It was time to party. Let’s just say the Texas Roadhouse Grill in Gainesville GA knew they had been visited by the time the moon rose.
The race on Sunday was around 4:00 in the afternoon. So most hangovers were clear by then. On the grid it was 100 degrees. From the start Matthews was cool and motored away from the rest of the CFC group. Most of the CFCers were in a pack of 10 cars all qualified within the same second or so. The start in that part of the field was going to be busy. Dowis was trying to keep Matthews in sight and for his effort was turning laps a second faster than he had qualified. Meanwhile GR and Eakin had a fantastic start. With GR tucked under Eakin’s rear wing, they sped on an off line tactic past five or six cars by turn six. Going into 7, the only front marker left between Dowis and Eakin chopped Eakin off. Eakin smoked the tires threshold braking, and GR almost missed Eakin. The key word being…almost. One should avoid touching his front tire against another’s rear tyre. GR rivaled the Wright Brother’s first flight, and again went farming outside T7. Eakin who had been left foot braking couldn’t get to his clutch before stalling, so the whole field including Hatheway streamed by. So much for the great start. The flag station at T8 reported that they could see Hatheway grinning from ear to ear as his black Reynard sped by.
And that was basically the race. Matthews stayed safely ahead of Dowis. Dowis turned his fastest laps of the weekend in pursuit. Eakin gathered it all up and chased down Hatheway for third. GR, realizing soon after touchdown that the only thing hurt was his front wing and any chance of catching Dowis… motored on, but out of touch. The grass in his radiators causing an already hot day to get hotter.
This reporter believes GR is probably showing the most rapid improvement of the gang, and if GR had not touched Eakin’s tire, GR may well have hounded Dowis the whole race. Dowis while having his sights fixed on Matthews for the series championship, is going to have to check his mirrors once in a while to see where Glennon Reidler might be lurking.
Unless someone else can get 4 wins before the SIC, Richard Matthews has it just about sewn up. And with Matthews planning to run all the events, it will be hard for anyone else to get those needed wins. Court Dowis is now the closest with 3 wins. He has five more regular season chances to get the fourth.
Now the CFC circus moves on to the “Big D” next weekend for a double on the high banks… and remember… Hooters is just across the street, and you have to leave the track by six.
Stay tuned…. You know where… the best forum in the world….F2000.com.
Congrats to Richard!
Frog, thanks for the report. Really makes me wish I could have been there.
Topper
Dallara F394 F3
Swift SE-3 FC sold
Whew!!!
We finally made it home. I'm talking to Florida and Georgia state officials to see what we can do to move these darn tracks closer together!!!
Young Mr. Mathews....WAY...TO…GO!!!! Congrates man!!
First, I just want to thank all the CFCr's in our group for once again putting together a weekend I will remember! Also a HUGE TX!!! to SUPERTECH Team and Frog for their assistance tackling what could have been a weekend ending (although turns out minor) technical glitch with my clutch. Just seems that Georgia clay and clutches do not mix well. With the muscle (actual) that SUPERTECH lent and the technical monitoring of clutch surgery by Frog, 10/TENTHS MOTORSPORT and Team Hard Rock flew into action and were successful getting me out for qualifying. A special thanks also goes here to my brother Anthony and his partner Roger for also jumping in to tackle this project. I invited them out as guests. (little did they know what a race weekend with me was like) They both had grease, dirt and oil up to their eyeballs. Thanks guys!!
This exercise was caused, as Frog has already informed everyone, by a quick Georgia three-step at T3. Just to maintain my "Farmer" image (and so we would have something to talk about here) and because I knew the workers were getting hot and losing interest, I decided to take off on driver's left at turn three for a triple 360 at the end of the last test session on Friday. It was beautiful!! 2 full 360's in the grass (and sand)But of course something DID (To give Frog more ammo, I had enough dirt and grass in the cockpit and engine compartment to plant several rows of soybean
But that was the end of that day!
The next morning we tried to clean up the clutch first by spraying enough brake clean into the area to clean up every car in the paddock next to us. I went out in the first practice session and found that that wasn't going to hack itand came in after only one lap.
With me thinking the clutch was fried, the 10/TENTHS crew was quickly scouring the paddock for a clutch. We found one on the Frog's lily pad and quickly set out on a task to change the clutch. That's when the fun began. There were arms and wrenches flying, liquids pouring out of the car (and of course sand falling everywhere), but we got to the belly of the beast in about the same amount of time as the Audi's take to change a whole back end. After we had the back end off the car, and as we pulled the clutch apart, we all got quite a smile as we noticed the volume of sand that came out. Everyone just looked at me. AT ME!!, Like it was MY FAULT (oh yeah, it was) After a few moments of discussion we determined that if we could get all of the sand out, I just might be good to go. We realized qualifying was up next on the schedule. We thrashed on it hard and completed our task with time for lunch and time to spare!!
We made qualifying and everything went fine until an engine miss developed on lap 5. (Here's where I'm thinking...... What else!!!) Not wanting to push my luck, I accepted the times I had and went to the paddock....To rest!! With the race not until Sunday, I knew we had plenty of time to figure that problem out.
I know I've been jabbering here for a while, but, I haven't even gotten to the good stuff yet!
If you have never seen this group together for a supper, you have not lived. I will tell you that you cannot drink alcohol outside of an eating establishment while waiting for your table for 20!! Although after they ushered us back into the building, I bet they wish they hadn't.
While most of us sat and watched some drag racing qualifying on Speed in the waiting area, and LOUDLY, expressed our enjoyment, GT1Vette kept disappearing, with libations in hand. It seems he was making visits to the table we were supposed to get, and staring at the group that had OUR TABLES, asking them if they were finished yet because we were hungry. Now……., if you have never met or seen GT1Vette, all I can tell you is that you would not want to meet this man for the first time in a dark alley. He is about 9 feet tall and a sturdy 3 feet wide! Needless to say, once he started his little visits, our tables were soon available.
That’s when the fun really began, not only did we provide unabashed entertainment for those sitting near our group, we had entertainment from the restaurant wait staff with what seemed like a 15 minute cheer, in which members of the CFC fraternity were seen joining in, both vocally and physically. Man then the stories started flying!!!!!!! After about 40 beers and other alcoholic entitlements, we were all sharing our track moments and pointers. Not to many were interested however in my commentary on how quick your footwork must be…… just to maintain a spin!!
During supper, Frog let me in on his strategy for the start and I was all for it. He thought that turn three would be the most interesting point of the start. Boy was HE wrong!
When the race began, I followed his lead and by the time we were through T1 and climbing the hill to T2 we had a full head of steam going! I followed him over the curb on drivers right at three and with both of us airborne we sailed on the outside by a gaggle of cars down into the esses. I didn’t take my foot off the throttle until T5 and that left hander. I was determined not to let that Frog out of my sight!! We continued our push through six holding our ground all the way. All was fine until T7, when a Frog’s butt suddenly appeared through a bank of tire smoke. I yanked the car to the left and planted both feet hard on the clutch and brake pedals,.....aannnnd.......almost made it. I guess I hopped when I should have hipped. I’ve enjoyed one of my favorite southern rock bands singin’ about the blue sky’s in Alabama, but I can tell you for sure that they got ‘em in Georgia too!!
After landing, and watching the pavement end and the beautiful Georgia farmland begin, I found myself about 10-15 feet off track facing where I just came from and watching the driver in the last car in the field gleefully wave bye-bye as he now knew he wasn’t last anymore. I was ecstatic that both front wheels were facing the right direction and that noting seemed to be missing on the front end so I managed to restart the car spin around and start heading in the right direction. Once on track I noticed I had about a 30-degree aero change to the right front wing, but other than that the car was handling ok. The trip up to the bridge and down that famous Road Atlanta hill was most interesting. It seems my car doesn’t handle as well with lift instead of down force on the right front. I kept my foot in it and after about two laps I was able to catch and get by the two Thunder Roadsters in our group. It was about that time I noticed the gauge temps getting higher and the sides of my thighs warming up as the heat started to climbed. I was able to catch and pass one more car before I decided there was no way I was going to catch the field, and that finishing the race was more important that making toast of my brand new motor. The lead cars started appearing in my mirrors after a half dozen more laps and I moved over to make sure I didn’t screw with their race, but kept up at about 80%. Richard flew by, then Court. But I kept my eyes peeled for the white front end of #48. If Frog showed up, I wasn’t gonna happen!!
I know, I know.. Three pages and still going.
But wait there’s more!
With huge construction delays South on I-85 from the track, we decided to follow Frog through some of the Georgia back roads to get south and pick up 75 near Macon. Man, we were flying through the forest. He was dropping two off here, jumping railroad tracks there, barely missing mail boxes, scooting past dead turkeys on bridges, etc….. Bill (10/TENTHS MOTORSPORT) showed him a nose every once in a while too, just to keep him going. Once we made it (safely) to the interstate, we had a quick bite to eat w/Frog and Mrs. Frog before sayin’ see ya’. It was almost as much fun as the race!!
Well, now we are off to Daytona. Stay tuned. Our year is not yet over.
Peace
Peace
HardRock Motorsport
OK,this track is very FAST!But seems to be the most fun? Well Ive maby learned that sliding & rotating can be good.
But the key seems to be the launch onto the back stright #%????
Mark H
SuperTech Engineering inc.
Mark Hatheway
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