SCCA Racing Caterhams

[CarMan]

I kind of hijacked the thread in "looking for parts" and turned it into a Racing discussion.

 

So I was hoping this would take over as a medium for racing discussion in the SCCA. Where the Caterham is "not competitive" in EP.

 

But, we are competitive!

I was a the the SCCA Majors race at Watkins Glen Last weekend and even though I finished 4th to the BMW Z3s and the Frankenmazda. I had a Blast!

The Majors Weekend was extremely well run and the driving was super professional. The Speeds were Quick and I ran with a group of EP,FP,HP and GTL cars.

As I came around to lap the slower cars they always held line and even gave pointbys! Amazing.

 

I found the Caterham had Many admirers and the Winners in EP Had raced their own 7s in years past. They all remember the 7 as a real drivers car that was driven with the throttle and was "dirt tracked" around the place.

There was even another 7 here. Driven by Joe Kelly from California. His Cat was Completely Orange. Everything Orange.. Fenders, roll cage, All the trim.

He was a very nice guy and his mechanic was a real Caterham fan. His goal is to go to the Runoffs at Laguna this year.

 

We started side by side in 5th and 6th place and were evenly matched in acceleration. As the FrankenMazda and BMWs slowly sepatated themselves on the high speed straights, I was able to put a gap on the Orange Crush. But after 5 laps he was gone. After the race I talked to Joe and he told me he was not about to stress the car keeping up with me, as I knew the track better.

So, I finished 4th in EP in both races. Since I had never been to a Majors Race..... I was Pleased and felt I could drive with the Good Guys.

 

next Up..... July Sprints at the Glen

[dallasdude]

This is a post from another blog by one of the GTL racers at Watkins Glen:

 

Here are my videos. I had some fun racing with the prod guys, so I thought I'd post it here. The Caterham especially. Very clean gentlemanly racing!

 

Saturday:

(lap 2 is the new GTL track record lap)

Sunday:

 

I think there is a compliment there for you. You drove a very good race. Lots of people don't realize the concentration or judgement required to do a 30 or 40 minute race with another car.

Edited July 14, 2014 by dallasdude

[CarMan]

Thanks!

I loved viewing these on youtube. Kyle Disque was the GTL racer that ran with me. The Frankenmazda and BMW Z3s are uber fast and they had VERY good drivers behind the wheels.

 

This was my first Majors race and I was looking for the experience. I found the races to be FAST, Long and Competitive as hell.

 

I LOVED it!!!!

 

After the race I stopped in to see Kyle and we had a nice conversation. We both realize that we are racing for.... well ..... nothing but pride.

 

So why not race clean and have a nice dice with someone and come away with a great story? Believe me, The other drivers in the race were also racing clean. When I came up to pass backmarkers, They gave me pointbys and were aware of when we there in the corners.

 

Now its back to the Glen for the July Sprints this weekend. Kind of a social weekend as we are introducing about 15 people to auto racing. They have never attended an auto race in their lives! Poor Children. So we are giving them a chance to see some racing, drink some wine and eat at the Seneca Lodge.

 

See you at the track!

 

George

[dallasdude]

Lots of close racing in Colorado at High Plains and Pueblo when we did the two races out there. Four Caterhams entered. Both are fantastic tracks. This is the first lap at Pueblo....from a Miata. There was a black flag to bring everyone in to clear the track and a restart.

 

[James A]

Wow, Rick spun big time didn't he? Nice job getting around him on the start.

[twnpipe]

Fun video's. What engine's for the 7's? I have a miata turbo in mine and they said they would find a home for me in Vintage racing. Gentleman racing it is. Getting back out shortly on the West coast.

[dallasdude]

"Find a home" in vintage seems to be a moving target. My cars were raced in vintage before I owned them. CVAR (the vintage org for Texas and Oklahoma) decided 7 or 8 years ago they didn't want Caterhams anymore. They are not allowed in a lot of the other organizations either, except maybe on an "exhibition" basis. I was told by the expert in racing Lotus 7's (and a poster on this board) that I not only needed to backdate to a pushrod engine, but the rear axle from a dedion to the older axle setup with drum brakes to be accepted in vintage competition. It is wise advice. They may let you race in some vintage groups, but they probably won't issue you a permanent logbook and the old guard starts complaining and you will no longer be welcome.

 

The world is changing however. SVRA is the national level .....800 pound gorilla in vintage racing. In some cases they are pretty flexible. I wasn't at their very successful indy event a few weeks ago, but I understand they had several late model Mustangs (they have done that before) and even some Spec Racer Fords there. There are several schools of thought today as far as vintage groups. One is they need the entries to pay the track fees and don't want to exclude. Everyone just wants to race and have a good time. The other is that allowing in cars with modern specs makes it no longer historic racing celebration, but a run what you brung. Past that you can have some older fairly fragile vintage cars on the track with cars that weight 2 or 3 times as much. You can be doing gentlemanly racing but still be a sitting duck as Rick was in the video I posted. It had nothing to do with aggressive wheel to wheel racing. Amazingly the whole field of 25 cars went past him...some on one side and some on the other. He was lucky that is mostly blind going onto that straight, but you are talking about a fairly experienced group of drivers.

 

The engine we are required to use is a Zetec, with several limitations as far as modifications allowed. By running the limited Zetec engine....we are normally not on track with Vipers and Corvettes as the power to weight of a Duratec would put you in with.

[CarMan]

Wow!

Just came back from the "Fun One" event at the Glen. This is an SCCA Event that is now 50 years old.

The first day you run the "long" course and the second day you run the "short" Nascar course.

 

Saturday Morning: Freakin Freezing cold and Raining cats and dogs!!!

Group 3(that's us) has 57 cars in it for qualifying. Since the weather is so changeable here we put two rain tires on the right side, so we only have to change 2 just before we go out. We watch the doppler weather and decide with 5 minutes left..... Rains.

Good choice because, right after the warm up lap.........rain.

But driving in the rain is a blast. The rain line has good grip and although the lap times go from 2:11 in the dry, to 2:47 in the wet, you learn a lot out there about where to find grip and car control. After the session there were a lot of stories about lurid slides that suddenly and magically found grip, just before disaster(or a barrier)

Qualified 2nd overall. And I was being careful. We only had about 35 cars try to qualify in the wet, as many choose to stay dry in their trailers. We Caterham types have to answer to our English drivers and not going out in the rain in an open car, is NOT an Option.

 

The afternoon race was on a drying track in cold temps. Took the lead at turn one with an aggressive braking move and made it to the end of the long straight still in the lead. This is important as the second place car had about 75 more horses than I have. Going into the technical part of the course(The Boot) is where I can use the "Cat" to its real advantage.

After three laps I began to see lap traffic coming into view. I was having a hard time keeping the second place car back on the long straights. He was able to pull me with his bigger motor and his aerodynamic advantage. The Cat is a Brick in that dept.

But lap traffic was my shield. I was able to use them to my advantage. I was able to pass them at just the right time so as to not lose momentum.

 

It was a thrill seeing my car # on the pylon at the top! And to get an official race result with my car at the head of a 57 car field! And later find out that the second place car was driven by a hired professional driver.

 

Indeed a good day all in all. Time for a cigar!:driving:

 

later................. The next day and "Dale Earnhardt has nothin on me.... I can pass in the grass tooo!"

Edited September 16, 2014 by CarMan

[Kitcat]

Good job: time to turn pro:)? Passing in the grass, top outta 57, not bad. Rain is the great equalizer: results are much more in line w/driver talent than driver $. Thx for keepin the se7en race-torch burning!

[CarMan]

Dateline Sunday:

Back at the track, and another round of qualifying, using the short NASCAR course. Qualified 2nd. but the Spec Racer Fords get to start in front of us by about 40 seconds(this will play out later)

Same order as yesterday. With the Honda on pole. With more horsepower and a pissed off pro driver(he got razzed big time last nite by his "team" for losing to this unknown, driving an "old" car)I knew he was going to have his way on this speed course.

 

Right after lunch we head out to grid. I boldly go down the line of starters and find that they want me to grid 3rd. This is actually better than being 2nd. I can follow the Honda into turn one, and maybe slip by. But silly me.... I didn't look at the sponsor on the #2 car. Same as the pole Honda.

I had a good start and roared into the turn one braking area ready to follow the Honda around. But Noooooo. The second place FrankinMiata chopped me off big time! and it was "Game On!"

It took me 3 laps to pass the Mazda with a smooth braking maneouver.

And we were into lapped traffic already! I was lucky at some passing points and unlucky at others. I even passed a car "in the bus stop chicane!"

I was making some inroads in the Honda's lead, but he could pull me on the straights(And now we had 3 really long ones and very few technical turns)

 

So.... The "pass in the grass" you ask.

I came upon a Spec Racer Ford in the chicane and followed him around the carousel turn. Making sure he saw me as I weaved from his right mirror to his left. As we exited on to NASCAR straight, I pulled aside him (my left front wheel to his right front wheel) and HE MOVED ME ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE TRACK to the point where I had to put My right side wheels on the grass............... At full throttle, in 5th gear!

DIDN"T LIFT !

Was AFRAID to Lift!

If I lifted, I was going to have the dreaded trailing throttle over steer. And I would crash into the blue Armco barriers.

So....... I kept my foot in it!

And passed the Spec Racer F--- anyway!

 

So Dale Earnhardt and I have "pass in the grass" on our resume..... SWEET!

 

I still couldn't catch the Honda. He won, and warmly greeted me in impound. I couldn't help smiling that I'd survived. And the Honda pilot could go back and say "I beat that unknown driver in the Old car!"

 

All was finally right in the world of racing again.

And we all lived happily ever after................ Or until we meet again at the next race!

 

That is my story and I'm Sticking to it!

[Kitcat]

Yeah, the Honda driver won, but it took a team of drivers to beat you:)!

[CarMan]

My "Team"

Me,

Tom, a lawyer who knows how to "fix nothing"(his own words)

Skip, a well meaning ex-MG mechanic who finds these modern contraptions "way too confusing"

 

But

They bring good bourbon and very nice cigars. So they are keepers for sure.