Labor day Dbl at BRP

Marcus Miller · Aug 27, 2005

Who's going for the labor day weekend dbl @ BRP?

I'll be there in my pro7; the ITA car is still at 7's getting its cage built.

come on by and say hi, Pro7 #67 red/white/blue...

Marcus

Davis · Aug 28, 2005

I'll be dragging the green chicane (ITB VW) over from Phoenix.

I still think I can beat John Norris. :smilie_pokal:

Obviously, the Arizona heat has made me delusional! :wacko:

Marcus Miller · Aug 29, 2005

Cool, see ya there!
:023:

Marcus

Marcus Miller · Sep 5, 2005

You win some, you lose some, you crash some.

Saturday: started 11th / 18 finished 11th on track - end result DQ for car to car contact.

It was an overly optimistic (bad) move on my part; I was coming up the inside at the buttonhook, and thought the other gentlemen saw me. by the time I realized he didn't, it was too late.
The contact was my right front to the left rear quarter. If I hadn't locked the brakes and moved the car left I would have punched him on the door. Totally my fault, and I'm glad it was nothing worse than a little crinkled sheet metal. It was my first car to car contact outside of bump drafting, and something I hope not to repeat.

Sunday, dropped 3+ seconds off my lap time and qualified 8th of 18, finished DFL- ran out of gas.

That's what I get for trying to be fancy to get near the weight limit....

All in all, a very forgetable weekend.

Marcus

Marcus Miller · Sep 8, 2005

Not very dial up friendly… but pictures are up, even one of you Davis

Davis · Sep 10, 2005

Marcus,

The photos are great! Thanks for sharing them. :023:

What type of camera (and lens) did you use?

Sorry to hear about your incident, but glad to hear it was nothing serious. Regarding the gas.....been there, done that, won't happen again!

I also had a weekend to forget. Saturday, I had half-shaft problems during qualifying. Got that fixed by race time. Ambient temp. 103, track temp 147 at the start of group one. (Don't know what it was when you started.) Sliding alot, with two short off track excursions drawing a furled black flag. A first! Sunday, cooler...more comfortable, but still had pressures screwed up. More sliding than on Sat. Several seconds a lap slower as a result. Your picture captured my race perfectly.....I ran alone most of the day.

The good side...we had a safe trip and race. The car returned in one piece. We already have it 95% prepared for Willow Springs. I've never raced there, so looking forward to it. See you there.

Marcus Miller · Sep 13, 2005

I have no idea!

Its my brother's digital camera.... no external lens, jsut whatever is built into it.

Yep, runing out of gas was the pits.
The contact, I'm chalking it up to experience. The other driver and I spoke many times over the weekend, I don't believe there were any hard feelings, just one of those things.
We raced after you, I think it was even hotter. I hate hot deserts.

I'm going to miss Willow, I've got an event at Sears Point the same weekend.

I also had my car out this past weekend, at a NASA event at Thunderhill. My race report, from the crew chief position:

Owing to my racing last weekend, and his birthday, it was my brother's turn.
After his adventures last time out I was hoping for smooth sailing.

Saturday - unloaded, warmed car up, brake pedal went to the floor. Houston- we have a problem.
Chassis to rear axle brake line was squirting more fluid than a porno flick.
Off to the house, 100 miles away for spare parts. After making it there and back, including a fuel stop and disassembling the spare axle in 2 and a half hours.. I got back to the track, with plenty of time to swap it before qualifying. Some dumbass missed one of the parts we needed, sitting on the table at home.
My brother goes off in search of anyone who has one... lo and behold one of our competitors has one. Buy your brake parts from www.speedtoys.com by a racer for racers. Tell him I sent you and thank you.. I owe him lots!
We swap the line and its still squirting. I look at the fitting and its a different type (stock rear hose versus our SS braided version) It needs a crush washer. I scrounge one up, reconnect, and we now have brakes. 20 minutes to qualifying.

Saturday race is good, the driver is still getting used to the car, but finishes 3rd out of 4. We end up drag racing Shed Racing's (Tom A) VW to the checkered flag. wtg on mylaps for an official result of that.

Sunday *has* to go easier, right?

Practice is good, driver takes some more time off. He hooked up with a Spec Miata, and starts taking some serious time off his laps. (down to a 2:15.x from 2:20.x) Leaders are in the 2:12's.
Then, it happens.. exiting turn one at ~85 mph, the Miata spins, 10 feet in front of him. He goes off track driver's right, at high speed... It's rough and choppy, but nothing overtly bad happens.
He gets it back on track, and turns some decently good laps to close the session.

Qualifying starts, and its pretty obvious something is wrong. He says the car is proposing around left hand turns. I immediately figure we broke the watts link (F Mazda and the single shear mounting!)... Nothing appears wrong. We jack the front up, and poke around and I can't find anything. My dad grabs the right front and notices its wobbling more than a drunk at 25 cent happy hour. The strut insert is broken. The shaft is wobbling around internally and there are pieces clunking around inside. We send the driver out to search the paddock for a spare, for the 2nd time this weekend...
He comes back with Bill Coulter (B& B Mazda - *fast* rotaries.) and a strut housing with insert. After some short discussions (us proving to him the insert was F^&*ed, and not the housing as he suspected) he loaned us the insert on the condition we returned it after the race. Deal!
Dad and I reassemble the front corner and send him out... all is well, and spend another race dicing with the Shed boys.

Pictures:
http://images.miller-motorsports.com/Defau...ldr=thill091205

Yes, it was cold:
http://images.miller-motorsports.com/thill...05/P9100163.JPG

6 series:
http://images.miller-motorsports.com/thill...05/P9100164.JPG

A soon to be familiar site:
http://images.miller-motorsports.com/thill...05/P9100176.JPG

At speed:
http://images.miller-motorsports.com/thill...05/P9100180.JPG

The crew hanging out (Me/Dad/ Tom):
http://images.miller-motorsports.com/thill...05/P9100190.JPG

grass fire across the highway:
http://images.miller-motorsports.com/thill...05/P9100188.JPG

Late night mods:
http://images.miller-motorsports.com/thill...05/P9100228.JPG

Engineering:
http://images.miller-motorsports.com/thill...05/P9100226.JPG

At the track video:
http://images.miller-motorsports.com/thill...05/P9100233.JPG

Happy Birthday Scott!
http://images.miller-motorsports.com/thill...05/P9110266.JPG

Pro7 Grid:
http://images.miller-motorsports.com/thill...05/P9110268.JPG

Centerfold (Note the c-c decal):
http://images.miller-motorsports.com/thill...05/P9110282.JPG

Look Ma, no hands:
http://images.miller-motorsports.com/thill...05/P9110297.JPG

Fuck:
http://images.miller-motorsports.com/thill...05/P9110314.JPG
(Driver was okay - punted at the apex of Turn 8 by an SM that had 3 other contact incidents during the race)

Marcus, who is off to spend money on brake lines and struts.

avu3 · Sep 14, 2005

I have no idea!

Its my brother's digital camera.... no external lens, jsut whatever is built into it.

Its a 3MP Olympus with a true 10x zoom. Its the true 10x zoom that does it. a 4MP version of the same is currently on sale at amazon for less than mine cost 1 year ago.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...7210725-9487222

For my hand, this camera is fabulous. its got good weight/balance. Anyone with small hands or who doesn't like to focus/balance heavy things may not like it (its not that heavy, but its not an ultralight either). I suggest you head over to bestbuy/circuit city/good guys/office max/etc and try out the feel of it.

I wish it focused and shot faster, but I think you have to go digital SLR for that, which still costs $500ish.

Scott

Z3_GoCar · Sep 15, 2005

Originally posted by Marcus Miller@Sep 5 2005, 03:09 PM
You win some, you lose some, you crash some.

Saturday: started 11th / 18 finished 11th on track - end result DQ for car to car contact. It was an overly optimistic (bad) move on my part; I was coming up the inside at the buttonhook, and thought the other gentlemen saw me. by the time I realized he didn't, it was too late.
The contact was my right front to the left rear quarter. If I hadn't locked the brakes and moved the car left I would have punched him on the door. Totally my fault, and I'm glad it was nothing worse than a little crinkled sheet metal. It was my first car to car contact outside of bump drafting, and something I hope not to repeat.
--Snip--
Marcus

[snapback]59657[/snapback]

The Miata guys call that kind of incident "just racing" or "racing room" I'm LMA about a thread on specmiata from the SM challenge race the same weekend. A newb stick his nose up the rear quarter of the guy ahead in turn two only to get it slapped at the apex and thinks the other guy should have left him room :lol:

I look forward to trading door dings next time you're down Buttonwillow way.

James

Marcus Miller · Sep 15, 2005

James, agreed. I was killing myself with that thread.

The poster (or his relative) also did a number on his first SM at the driver's school....

Marcus

Labor day Dbl at BRP

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