Cheap Date Updates

I just want to say a huge thank you to the hubby/crew chief for the amazing thrash job he did on my/our car. :023: It loaded onto the trailer Friday night in a state of total, non-running disarray. A rebuild and rewiring job ended up stretching out all season. We want to run it at the Glen next weekend, and that was looking less and less likely. He told me that he could work on it at the track and would try to have it ready for the race. I looked at the car with wires trailing everywhere and honestly didn't believe it could be done. We had to use the tractor to load it into the trailer.

He and Bill and John worked on it all day Sat., and he was back at dawn on Sun. By the end of qualifying, we were bolting the last few pieces back in. Brian M was doing the annual tech on it during race group 2 (we were 4), and we drove out to the grid together. We had people coming up to us saying they couldn't believe he pulled it off.

It's not geared for NHIS, but I didn't care. I used the race as a test session, and am absolutely delighted with how it's handling and feeling. Hopefully, a few minor tweaks and different tires, we'll be all set for next weekend.

I didn't think he was going to pull it off, but he proved me wrong..... so here's to you, hon! :OLA:
 
Dave,

... We both could have done some things differently and I hope we both learned something.

--------------------

Andy Bettencourt
Flatout Motorsports[/b]
Click to expand...

Andy,
I agree fully.

For me this past weekend reached an unprecedented low in my 20 seasons of SCCA Club Racing. I have never before willfully made metal to metal contact with another competitor and for that I admit I was 100% wrong in doing so.

Andy, enough said, we do not need discuss what went on between the two of us any further.

I do feel though there is an underlying "Culture Clash" between the two basic groups of cars/drivers that precipitated what happened and that does need to be discussed to help others not get drawn into a similar situation. I will start another thread on that topic.
 
I want to make mention after reading through the thread this morning that I think all of you guys and gals are really such a wonderful group of sportspersonlike (that is politically correct way of saying it, right) people that I have had the pleasure of knowing and watching in a long time. You all work hard with one another, bounce ideas off one another, encourage each other in a way that I have not seen since IT became an entity in the late 80's. Tim, congrats on the ITB NERRC Championship. You really gave the kids a run for the $$. No offense, but, I hope you get beat in the NARRC though. :rolleyes: (Little bit of team pride there.)
Also, to those who came up to me in registration. Thank you for telling me all the nice things I was told about my kids. I AM proud of them and I want you all to know that. (But it's nice being told by people I've never met before that I SHOULD be proud... :D )
See you all at LRP.

And to Derrick and Rob.....Diane and Kathy want to go to LRP. Don't you think the trip would be fun???????? :happy204:
 
Well, that was ANOTHER fun weekend at NHIS. Great racing, great party, great friends. From my point of view, the best of what this club is all about.

Raymond and Trish (Raymond's mom) - thanks for the good words. The NERRC is neat to be sure, and I'm pround and happy to win it, but I will still be pushing my foot through the floor at LRP to try and grab the NARRC, as well!! Sorry Trish! Lately, however, I have had no luck running at the dang track! But, luck is NOT a word that I want to use around Raymond. He has had his share of bum luck this year.

Now, what can we do about those pesky Canadians, eh?? Actually, I had the hardest - best - funnest - race I have ever had with Rob McCabe on Saturday. Too bad we were fighting for second and not the win, but it was as hard as I can race! And I think that I now probably qualify for the Joey Chitwood Stunt team after my "encounter" with the right hand berm and the front of Rob's car on the last lap!! Strange, but it got real quiet while I was up in the air on 2 wheels. Surreal, dude.

I will be doing my best "Sun God" dance starting NOW for the Lime Rock weekend (has it ever NOT rained for the NARRC's?) - at least that way I will have a fighting chance of being in front of the Blethen Boys.

Raymond and Stephen, from what I can figure, either one of you has to finish at least 6th, and I have to be behind you for you guys to win. If you finish 7th or worse and I'm behind you, I still get it. If I finish anywhere in front of you, I get it. Yes? All of these numbers - my brain is hurting me!

See you at Lime Rock!

Tim M
 
Tim
I have started the work to get Raymond's trans ready & have discussed some ideas about Stephen's car.
Fear not, we will be READY for Lime Rock!! On second thought perhaps you should fear just a little :D
Tom Gray
RST crew
 
Tim-

Have no worries, we have given up our long time traditional Blethen endurance race at Watkins Glen (last chance Enduro) and the ARRC budget is now being spent on the NARRC so that we can give the NARRC championship our all... Good luck and we will talk the smack, but remember, deep down, I think you have been our favorite contender in all the years racing. From my perspective having you and my brother as my "arch enemys" is sort of ironic, as both of you are probably the most respectful freinds I have raced with ever.

The ARRC isn't out, but we certainly wont be going down with the original budget we had in mind if at all. The NARRC has been and will continue to be our main goal this year as it is the hardest championship to win by far. Whomever wins the NARRC this year certainly will deserve the title. Oh and yes your numbers are correct.

Raymond "congrats again Tim" Blethen
 
We need to re-pore through the points to make sure, but it apears Amy has clinched the NARRC championship with this last finish.
[/b]
Click to expand...

Greg - Congrats on the NARRC Championship - Impressive season of results. WOW! I'd lilke to say it was fun racing with you, but I never saw you. :lol:
 
Does anyone have any video of my car from behind in the afternoon ITA race? It had some "interesting" handling characteristics and I need some entertainment for over the winter. :wacko:
 
Thanks, Tim, I appreciate that.

Jeff was laughing at me this past weekend. Seems at the beginning of the year I/we had no real idea of how we would do except for an expectation of some limited success (shoot for the first win, get reasonable finishes, run some track we've been meaning to for a while, etc). At the time I had verbalized an apparent lack of priority towards the NARRC championship; in fact, I do recall saying as much on this board and noted to all that I believed the championship would go to someone that invested the time and effort to run the entire season consistently. So, Jeff was laughing that by the time this past weekend rolled around it's all I was concerned about!

Our results in that first rain- and sleet-soaked event at NHIS did nothing to dampen that idea (but it did dampen my driver's suit...) However, as the season progressed through the wins at Pocono and NHIS Andy Bettencourt pointed out that we had built a sizeable lead, and that I had a real shot at winning the whole thing. Right at that point of realization, the season attitude changed dramatically. I guess you could say Andy did it to himself... ;)

It wasn't too long after that my wife and I took a two-week vacation, right during the July LRP event and the Pig Roast double. Richie Hunter and Andy Bettencourt tightened up the points battle with their wins and we found ourselves digging in for a strong fight. It would be disingenuous (thanks, Dick) to ignore how tight the points truly were towards the end of the year; if Richie had chosen to go to Pocono he'd have 12 more track points; and the relative performance of the Miata at the upcoming double-points NARRC Runoffs will be one heck of a show. As Rick so noted, it's a great relief to not have to worry about that mosquito at LRP!!

2006 was a year of transition; there were many new entries (if not faces) and most of the last two years' pointy end chose other paths. I simply happened to be in the right place at the right time. Next year, however, is shaping up to be a barn-burner. Let's not forget that, generally speaking, there were many other dogs in this fight this year. Tim, you're in a very good car, and you are always a force to reckon with; Jeff Lawton in the ragin' Saturn has shown flashes of brilliance - did you guys know he's been on three-year-old Hoosier S03s all year? What's Ray gonna do? How about strong finishes from Victor, Erik, the Bogarts, JoeD, and any of the other 20+ cars out there?

Yep, good folks, good class. Seems like you're either in ITA, or you suck... ;)
 
Seems like you're either in ITA, or you suck... [/b]
Click to expand...

"Matt, this is a much faster route down to Atlanta than that silly Southern route. Yeah, much faster. We'll have Greg's car down there in no time." :P



Congratulations Greg!!
 
Yep, good folks, good class. Seems like you're either in ITA, or you suck... ;)
[/b]
Click to expand...

Gee...having known people like Paul and Eric Curran, Scott Carlson, Jim McMahon, Blethens, et al, I'm truly amazed that you can make such a statement like that even in jest. There are good drivers in every class out there. And no one's group 'sucks' Greg. That's not even a remotely humorous thing to say.
 
Greg-

I just called the Conneticut DOT and asked them to make sure you got a Lemon for a tow vehicle... maybe you will miss a few races :P

I am sure Greg was just "causin trouble" and doing a little smack talk, afterall the closest battle for NARRC points in years is in ITB :rolleyes:

Raymond
 
Raymond;

Hope that you, Randy, Tom, Stephen and crew find your gremlins! I can only imagine the frustration!!

In any event, I am really looking forward to the NARRC this year. I had not planned on being "in the hunt" for the championship at all. I was really only planning on running the "double events" this year, with all of the other "stuff" that has taken up so much of my time this year (daughter's wedding, business changing location, etc). But it's funny what can happen when you try to win each race, rather than simply "not wreck" as in years past. But forgetting about points, this year has been the most fun that I've had in racing. The good clean hard door to door, nose to tail races that you and I had over Memorial Day weekend, learning how to drive the Pocono enduro without brakes, the Canadian contingent (Derek and Rob) coming down for the Pig Roast and the Cheap Date - well, no matter how the NARRC ends up, it will have been a great time this year..........................which is not to say that I won't be doing what I have to do to stay ahead of you and Stephen on every lap!!!!!

Good luck - and see you in a few weeks!

Tim "just another sucky ITB racer" Mullen
 
And I think that I now probably qualify for the Joey Chitwood Stunt team after my "encounter" with the right hand berm and the front of Rob's car on the last lap!! Strange, but it got real quiet while I was up in the air on 2 wheels. Surreal, dude.
[/b]
Click to expand...

Standing at station 2 on Sat I can attest to the Chitwood-worthyness. Not since Tom Kelly went all the way up up up and not over at T3 have I seen anything like Tim's move in the chicane.


and no, I don't have a pic :bash_1_: I had packed up my gear to run to the car when the lightning got too close for my liking
 
Yup, and here's the in-car video complement to that...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkWX8U7hP10





Over 600 images are now online at the usual spot, including an interesting series:

DSC_3947.jpg


:figo:
[/b]
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top