catracer Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Maybe OT but just a heads up that the SCCA Road Racing National Championship races are being webcast live today and this weekend. Of interest to us are the F Production and E Production races. F runs today at 3:30 (central, 4:30 Eastern). Eric Prill in an original Lotus 7 has qualified well at 5th overall. Eric is marketing manager for SCCA, has been a lifelong SCCA member and is still driving the same car that his father ran since the 60's. E production is late on Sunday (4:30 central) There are 3 Caterhams in the race group. Kevin Leigh, from Harrisonburg, VA, has also qualified 5th in this race group. Quite impressive at Road America. Kevin has been on a tear last couple years, setting new class track records at several locations in the Northeast. He will have his hands full being as much as 100 hp down compared to several of the other frontrunners. But he drives well, can make up a lot of distance in the corners, and if it's a rain race, my bets on Kevin. He tells me that fuel may be an issue if the race stays green for the entire length. We've the standard fuel cell with an additional 1-1/2 gallon compartment. Hope it's enough. The Caterham driver from Texas, I do not know. Also, Richard "Woody" Adams is there again in a Caterham. Woody competed in the very first Runoffs in an original Lotus 7 America, one of 7 (I believe) race specific chassis brought in for SCCA competition. He still owns the car. In 2001, I think, Woody bought one of our racers and continues competing to this day. This is the 46th Runoffs. Hope I'm that fit when I'm his age..... Anyway, They are at Road America, a great track that requires handling, power and finesse. It's a thrilling , long, long track. I ran there only in 2003 and was amazed at the amount of concrete. Scary... flat out down a concrete canyon into a blind, off camber apex...Wish them luck. webcasts are at http://www.speedcasttv.com I watched one this morning (T2) and the coverage and commentary is excellent. Chip Bond Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHKflyer52 Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Very Cool. Sitting at the beach in my RV and having a beer and watching an auto race on my laptop......great..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catracer Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 Martin, too much fun. Raining and dreary here. Jury duty this morning, but, these are great races. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowss7 Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Thanks for posting the link Chip! That was fun to watch. Eric came in 3rd with the Seven. .0063 out of second!!! Long straights did him in. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxologist Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 oh god this is awesome. i hope to see Dave Lehman announce Solo nationals next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catracer Posted September 25, 2009 Author Share Posted September 25, 2009 Just got FAP'd (fair access policy) on my miserable Sat internet provider. But worth it!! That was a great effort! We ALWAYS paint the roll cage a brilliant color! Be sure and watch on Sunday. If it rains....could be very interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwduncan Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 Thanks for posting. This is cool and its much better than having to wait until they appears on Speed in November. Now I can see F1 qualifying on TV while watching the runoffs -- gotta luv technology. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 I enjoyed watching a Caterham win the Runoffs in '05, when I was a spectator there. As I recall, all the top runners took each other out on the last lap in an incredible display of overly aggressive driving. This left what I recall was the 5th place Caterham in line to inherit first. It was clear then that the Caterham is not allowed to run competitive power levels by the SCCA and that good handling alone is not enough, at least not on a horsepower track like Mid-O (and I wld have assumed Road America). Forty six years and still racing? Gives me hope! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catracer Posted September 26, 2009 Author Share Posted September 26, 2009 Kit, that's been the story of EP for many years. It's one of the reasons it's always scheduled late on the last day, usually. Keeps the spectators in their seats until the end. Anyone in the top ten can have a shot depending on attrition/crashes. Buddy Norton was in my car that year, had outside pole, couldn't get through the first corner on the first lap before someone tried to run us off the road. It was Kim Knapp that made a superb move late to get in front after the smash fest in the last lap. Always exciting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catracer Posted September 29, 2009 Author Share Posted September 29, 2009 Spoke with Kevin Leigh yesterday. The car took a pretty big hit. Kevins a bit bruised and sore but in good spirits. We lamented the fact that an entire season can come down to a single tire choice. As I watched the webcast while they were still on grid, it was apparent that the weather was really iffy. Flip of the coin. Really got nasty on the 3rd lap or so. From Kevins description yesterday, seem the car will need at least a full front clip. The Brit's call it a "long frame" It's the frame section from the front bulkhead forward. Arch Motors can provide it. I've put in several over the years, not a terrible job. In fact, frequently you do not even need to remove the side skins, just free them up to the cowl, and spread them enough to provide access to the tube frame. Anyway, After he gets back home and settles in, I'm meeting with him later this week or over the weekend to take a look. I'll take some pix and post them if anyone has interest. The winner, Sam Halkias, had a great drive and made the right call. I was running a TR4 in SCCA before I switched to Caterhams when they were first classified in 1999. Everytime he saw me at the track afterwards he jokingly would call me a "traitor". Great guy, he's been looking for this win for almost 30 years. Can anyone tell me where, or if there is a link to "club member join info" or something. Like to make a contribution to the admins. Help pay costs associated with the board and migration. BTW I had a lot of 505 errors a few minutes ago. Cheers Chip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCh Posted September 29, 2009 Share Posted September 29, 2009 Chip, to join the club, go to User CP, then click on Paid Subscriptions near the bottom of the left nav. You should also be able to access that page via this direct link. http://www.usa7s.com/vb/payments.php -John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catracer Posted September 29, 2009 Author Share Posted September 29, 2009 Thanks for that, John. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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