Straw Hat Gala

[scannon]

Our new track held a grand opening Straw Hat Gala (whatever that means) today.

 

High Plains Raceway is located about an hour East of Denver and is a great replacement for the three tracks in the area we lost a few years ago.

 

I took the Caterham out having volunteered to give rides for donations to the track fund. Apparently they decided my car wasn't exotic enough so I didn't get any track time so I put it in the car show instead. I was parked with a Lotus M100, Esprit and two Elise/Excige across the way from us.

 

A Ferrari F430 Spyder parked next to me, beautiful car but sitting there watching the world go by I noticed that my car was receiving far more attention than the Ferrari. There would be 5 - 6 people standing around my car most of the time and 0 - 2 looking at the Ferrari.

 

There were a lot of interesting cars at the event, 3 Ford GTs, 1 GT40, probably a clone, 2 Nobles, 3 ZR1s, an Ariel Atom, a McLaren CanAM car, Lola CanAm car, 9 of the new Camaros, a few hot rods, a rat rod and a Morris Minor pickup with a 302 Ford V8 stuffed in it. Many others that don't come to mind at this late hour.

 

There was also an old Lincoln with a V12 engine. The cylinder heads appeared to be carved out of a billet of aluminum and polished to a high shine. What looked weird on that huge engine was a single two barrel carb.

 

Rides in the McLaren CanAm car were going for a $250 donation, the Ford GT was $100 and the others were $50 each.

 

The owner of the Ford GT is a friend of mine and he informed me today that he has a 2010 Corvette ZR1 on order to be picked up in September. I asked for a ride in it and he said no, you will have to drive it. OK, I guess I can live with that.

 

He has a number of interesting cars and tracks most of them. He has driven my Miata on the track and had a ride in the Caterham and I have driven his Ford GT, Porsche 911 Turbo S and Ferrari 360 Modena.

[pksurveyor]

"I took the Caterham out having volunteered to give rides for donations to the track fund. Apparently they decided my car wasn't exotic enough so "

 

Skip - I was awarded the same treatment two months ago on the Shriners Children Hospital fund raising event. The Caterham was allowed to give rides but it has few takers until I was told by the organizer to run a few "hot lap" to show it is not a dinky toy car. Holy smoke, it was one of the fastest cars on the track and the Caterham was running almost non stop with riders afterward.

[Wildcat62]

"Apparently they decided my car wasn't exotic enough so I didn't get any track time so I put it in the car show instead." Skip - Some people just don't have a clue.

 

Sounds like a fun time regardless!

[pksurveyor]

The Caterham waiting for riders at the Shriner Children Hospital fund raising event.

[scannon]

"Apparently they decided my car wasn't exotic enough so I didn't get any track time so I put it in the car show instead." Skip - Some people just don't have a clue.

 

Sounds like a fun time regardless!

 

The woman who was coordinating the rides did have a clue, she knew what the car was and said she had raced against several in the past.

 

I did have a great time, just disappointed at not getting on the track as well as earning some money for the track fund towards completion of the facilities there.

 

I spent a couple of long days getting the car ready but that's OK as it will stay in the trailer until I head for Grand Junction for the Flyin Miata Summer Camp on Wednesday. I have dyno time scheduled to get the water/alcohol injection dialed in, a track school and a track day to look forward to this week.

 

If we can get the water injection working correctly, there's another 30 - 40 hp in there just waiting to go to work.