Pony Express 2004 Open Road Race Results
06-30-2004, 07:44 PM
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Pony Express 2004 Open Road Race Results
Pony Express 2004 Open Road Race
Race Overview:
Approximately 130 miles total. First leg was about 50 miles while the return leg was about 80 miles.
Cars enter into speed categories based on the amount of safety equipment. The speed categories are for average speed. The objective is to cross the finish line at a time that is as close as possible to your average speed. Max speed for our 120 mph class is 140 mph and the minimum speed is 85 (except for the canyon section). There are radar guns on the course to keep you honest. Radar detectors are not allowed. Safety is the highest priority. Speed categories range from 95 to 170 mph in 5 mph increments. There is also an Unlimited Speed category. They have very strict safety restrictions including, a full roll cage, fire system, fire suits, fuel cell, etc.
Cars leave from a light tree in one minute intervals (except Unlimited which are 3 minute intervals).
Changes to my car for this year:
Addition of GPS navigation. Allowed us to zero our trip meter at the starting line and monitor our location on the race course. This is critical for the navigator who advises the driver of the approaching turns from his course notes. Course notes have turn info by mileage and mile marker. The GPS is much more accurate than the mile markers. The GPS is also used to monitor our speed much more accurately than the speedometer (which is off about 3-5%).
Brand new Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires.
Five point safety harness for navigator.
Thursday:
Left Socal at 2:00 PM. No issues on most of the trip to Battle Mountain. Had the hammer down, 100-120mph through much of Nevada. We managed to slow down for the cops by using the Valentine One and police scanner.
On the last leg of the journey, we were now on a road heading north into Battle Mountain (Route 305). This is our first look at the race course and the sun is beginning to set. We slow down because of the dark and don’t want a ticket on the race road (instant disqualification).
All of a sudden, the road starts moving. There are billions of large insects on the road. They seem to be grasshoppers but they are black and about 3 inches long. The density was probably one bug every 3 inches. Driving begins to sound similar to rolling on a road of bubble wrap and Steve and I can only imagine how many are now stuck to the front of the car and in the radiators. This goes on for about 10 miles and then the density turns to about one every square yard.
We later find out that the bugs are called Mormon Crickets and they are especially bad this year. Here’s a link describing the crickets:
Cricket Link
Not to be outdone by the crickets, the rabbits are now using the road for they’re nightly activities. We manage to hit a jackrabbit while traveling at about 80mph. With an oncoming car and nowhere to go, the rabbit hits the front of the car with a loud thud and a spray to the windscreen. Despite our sorrow for the loss of the rabbit’s life, we press on know that we only have a few more miles to go.
Arriving at the Big Chief Inn in Battle Mountain, we open the doors of the trusty Porsche only to be greeting by the smell of burning crickets on stainless steel exhaust. We become used to this smell since it follows us and the other racers everywhere we go during the weekend. We are also greeting by the sight of a giant jackrabbit hanging out of the passenger side radiator air intake. It is not a pretty sight; since we hit him about twenty miles back. We check in and head straight to the quarter car wash.
Hoping that the bumpy roads would loosen the rabbit, we arrive at the car wash only to find him still there. After finally getting the rabbit out with the car wash brush (and a spray of blood and guts on my leg), I wrap him up in a big towel and give him a proper burial in the dumpster. Special thanks to my Navigator, Steve, for helping by taking pictures of the entire fiasco. The rabbit cracked some of the front end and the air deflector for the radiator duct but it’s kind of a nice battle wound.
Here's pics of the rabbit (WARNING! Very graphic):
Rabbit Link
Friday:
Registration and tech inspection first thing in the morning. Passed with no problems. Had to get safety wire for the latches on my harness buckles though. Went to local Napa for those.
Head out to the race course for practice runs put on by the race company. They would close the road for 20 minutes at a time to allow us a practice run through a short section (about 5 miles) of the course. This proved very useful for getting the nervous jitters out and allowed us to practice our stop watch and GPS coordination.
Many crickets during practice.
Friday night was the Blender Party for race participants.
Saturday:
Car show in the morning for all race cars in the local park. Locals came out to see very exotic cars for a town in the middle of nowhere.
Saturday afternoon: Ran the race course to make notes and make last minute speed decisions for the turns and straightaways.
Hit heavy rain and cross winds. One tumbleweed and one bird casualty.
Saturday Night:
Mandatory race participant meeting. Officials announced the possibility of a 60mph max through a five mile section of the worst cricket area in the tight canyon section. We scrambled to revise our timing and driving plan on the laptop. There was mass confusion from most participants because the math calculations almost made their heads explode.
Sunday (Race Day):
Nice weather in the morning. Convoyed to the starting grid and lined up. Race officials announced that the bugs were not too bad so we could stick to our original driving plans.
Fast cars left the line in one minute intervals. The white Viper GTSR had an engine fire and burned much of the car. Driver and navigator escaped unharmed. Course was red flagged and all cars came to a stop. They allowed everyone to turn around and restart. This delayed our start about one and a half hours. Racers reported that the crickets were very bad in the tight canyon section.
We finally came to our turn and we had a great start. Accelerated up to 135mph and held it for the first few miles of straightaway. Most turns were taken at 120mph. Steve did a great job announcing the turns well in advance and he also helped monitor my speed on the GPS. Turned the A/C on once up to speed and left it on for the remainder of the race. Gotta love the Porsche.
Arrived in the tight canyon section where the bugs were supposed to be bad and there were no bugs at all. Very fishy? Maybe rain approaching? Took all the canyon turns at 95mph. Could have easily gone faster. Maybe next year.
Exited the canyon section and put the hammer down once again. Looked like rain would start any minute.
Sure enough, I could see the car in front of us about a mile down the road hit some wet roads. I initially thought his engine blew up because the rooster tail from the water looked like white smoke. Slowed down to about 100mph for the rain (we were about 50 seconds ahead of schedule anyways). Hit heavy rain for about 30 seconds and then it stopped. Standing water in the roads for the next few miles made me hunt around the road for a semi-dry line. No problems with the new Michelin PS2’s though.
Roads dried up and we were then almost right on schedule. About 5 seconds fast. We held the speeds listed in our course notes for the remainder of the race.
The Mustang behind us had a slightly different driving plan so they passed us at the ¾ mark. Blue Pantera did the same thing. It sounded very cool as the Pantera passed us at 140 mph compared to our 120 mph. I got it on video from the in car camera.
A few miles down, the Pantera slowed and we passed him back doing 140 mph.
We crossed the finish line 2 seconds slower than our target time. We were very happy.
The Unlimited Speed cars were not allowed to run due to the rain and 2 lightning strike brush fires so they were convoyed to the turn around point and gridded there for the return trip. The first Unlimited car left after quite a wait and the remainder of the Unlimiteds left in 3 minute intervals. The Unlimited Cars sounded awesome as they ripped through the gears from the starting line.
After about a half hour, we gridded up for the return leg and it was announced that one of the Unlimited Cars had crashed while doing 214 mph. Turns out it was the first Unlimited Car that left the grid which was a cherry Studebaker. I haven’t heard what the cause was, but I’d bet it was the heavy cross winds. The driver was pulled out by the racer behind him and he was choppered to the hospital. He turned out to be totally fine and he made an appearance at the banquet later that night.
The course was red flagged and we were running out of time. The road was only allowed to be closed until 4:00 PM. They finally announced that the race was over, so we all convoyed back to Battle Mountain. Since the road was still closed, the 85 mile long trip was pretty fun. We rolled by the Studebaker crash site and it was about 100 yards off the road. It looked pretty bad.
Our driving plan called for us to arrive at the turn around point one minute late, and we planned on arriving about 2 minutes early for the longer return trip. Because of this, we figured our chances of wining were shot, since the scores would be based on the first leg only. We managed to still get 3rd place but it really meant nothing since everyone had different driving plans. We were still pretty happy though. Second place last year and a third this year. Not too bad.
Sunday Night: Awards banquet at the Owl Club. Met a two other young racers and decided that we should start a Young Guns team to compete against all the old dudes. We’ll see where that goes. Can’t wait until the next race, which will be ½ price due to the cancellation of the return leg of this race.
The ‘Stude with Tude’ that crashed rolled by on a trailer so we walked down the street to take some pictures. It looked like a metal ball.
We ended the night with some bench racing, games of Pool and some nice cigars that I brought. We were all feeling pretty good after a long, safe day.
We left for SoCal Monday morning and made the return trip in about 8 hours. Got home and had dinner with the family and quickly washed the big juice off the car. ½” thick bug juice is baked on to my exhaust and tips. I may have to use Easy Off to remove it.
I’m still tired as I’m writing this, but the memories of the event will be great. I’m glad the Porsche is being used for what its intended and not just a garage queen.
My garage stinks like Mormon Crickets and its also seeping into the downstairs. Wife is not happy. However, the best part of the trip is that my wife watched our son for four days and allowed me to go out and wash the car for a few hours after being gone for so long. What can I say…she is the greatest.
Race Overview:
Approximately 130 miles total. First leg was about 50 miles while the return leg was about 80 miles.
Cars enter into speed categories based on the amount of safety equipment. The speed categories are for average speed. The objective is to cross the finish line at a time that is as close as possible to your average speed. Max speed for our 120 mph class is 140 mph and the minimum speed is 85 (except for the canyon section). There are radar guns on the course to keep you honest. Radar detectors are not allowed. Safety is the highest priority. Speed categories range from 95 to 170 mph in 5 mph increments. There is also an Unlimited Speed category. They have very strict safety restrictions including, a full roll cage, fire system, fire suits, fuel cell, etc.
Cars leave from a light tree in one minute intervals (except Unlimited which are 3 minute intervals).
Changes to my car for this year:
Addition of GPS navigation. Allowed us to zero our trip meter at the starting line and monitor our location on the race course. This is critical for the navigator who advises the driver of the approaching turns from his course notes. Course notes have turn info by mileage and mile marker. The GPS is much more accurate than the mile markers. The GPS is also used to monitor our speed much more accurately than the speedometer (which is off about 3-5%).
Brand new Michelin Pilot Sport 2 tires.
Five point safety harness for navigator.
Thursday:
Left Socal at 2:00 PM. No issues on most of the trip to Battle Mountain. Had the hammer down, 100-120mph through much of Nevada. We managed to slow down for the cops by using the Valentine One and police scanner.
On the last leg of the journey, we were now on a road heading north into Battle Mountain (Route 305). This is our first look at the race course and the sun is beginning to set. We slow down because of the dark and don’t want a ticket on the race road (instant disqualification).
All of a sudden, the road starts moving. There are billions of large insects on the road. They seem to be grasshoppers but they are black and about 3 inches long. The density was probably one bug every 3 inches. Driving begins to sound similar to rolling on a road of bubble wrap and Steve and I can only imagine how many are now stuck to the front of the car and in the radiators. This goes on for about 10 miles and then the density turns to about one every square yard.
We later find out that the bugs are called Mormon Crickets and they are especially bad this year. Here’s a link describing the crickets:
Cricket Link
Not to be outdone by the crickets, the rabbits are now using the road for they’re nightly activities. We manage to hit a jackrabbit while traveling at about 80mph. With an oncoming car and nowhere to go, the rabbit hits the front of the car with a loud thud and a spray to the windscreen. Despite our sorrow for the loss of the rabbit’s life, we press on know that we only have a few more miles to go.
Arriving at the Big Chief Inn in Battle Mountain, we open the doors of the trusty Porsche only to be greeting by the smell of burning crickets on stainless steel exhaust. We become used to this smell since it follows us and the other racers everywhere we go during the weekend. We are also greeting by the sight of a giant jackrabbit hanging out of the passenger side radiator air intake. It is not a pretty sight; since we hit him about twenty miles back. We check in and head straight to the quarter car wash.
Hoping that the bumpy roads would loosen the rabbit, we arrive at the car wash only to find him still there. After finally getting the rabbit out with the car wash brush (and a spray of blood and guts on my leg), I wrap him up in a big towel and give him a proper burial in the dumpster. Special thanks to my Navigator, Steve, for helping by taking pictures of the entire fiasco. The rabbit cracked some of the front end and the air deflector for the radiator duct but it’s kind of a nice battle wound.
Here's pics of the rabbit (WARNING! Very graphic):
Rabbit Link
Friday:
Registration and tech inspection first thing in the morning. Passed with no problems. Had to get safety wire for the latches on my harness buckles though. Went to local Napa for those.
Head out to the race course for practice runs put on by the race company. They would close the road for 20 minutes at a time to allow us a practice run through a short section (about 5 miles) of the course. This proved very useful for getting the nervous jitters out and allowed us to practice our stop watch and GPS coordination.
Many crickets during practice.
Friday night was the Blender Party for race participants.
Saturday:
Car show in the morning for all race cars in the local park. Locals came out to see very exotic cars for a town in the middle of nowhere.
Saturday afternoon: Ran the race course to make notes and make last minute speed decisions for the turns and straightaways.
Hit heavy rain and cross winds. One tumbleweed and one bird casualty.
Saturday Night:
Mandatory race participant meeting. Officials announced the possibility of a 60mph max through a five mile section of the worst cricket area in the tight canyon section. We scrambled to revise our timing and driving plan on the laptop. There was mass confusion from most participants because the math calculations almost made their heads explode.
Sunday (Race Day):
Nice weather in the morning. Convoyed to the starting grid and lined up. Race officials announced that the bugs were not too bad so we could stick to our original driving plans.
Fast cars left the line in one minute intervals. The white Viper GTSR had an engine fire and burned much of the car. Driver and navigator escaped unharmed. Course was red flagged and all cars came to a stop. They allowed everyone to turn around and restart. This delayed our start about one and a half hours. Racers reported that the crickets were very bad in the tight canyon section.
We finally came to our turn and we had a great start. Accelerated up to 135mph and held it for the first few miles of straightaway. Most turns were taken at 120mph. Steve did a great job announcing the turns well in advance and he also helped monitor my speed on the GPS. Turned the A/C on once up to speed and left it on for the remainder of the race. Gotta love the Porsche.
Arrived in the tight canyon section where the bugs were supposed to be bad and there were no bugs at all. Very fishy? Maybe rain approaching? Took all the canyon turns at 95mph. Could have easily gone faster. Maybe next year.
Exited the canyon section and put the hammer down once again. Looked like rain would start any minute.
Sure enough, I could see the car in front of us about a mile down the road hit some wet roads. I initially thought his engine blew up because the rooster tail from the water looked like white smoke. Slowed down to about 100mph for the rain (we were about 50 seconds ahead of schedule anyways). Hit heavy rain for about 30 seconds and then it stopped. Standing water in the roads for the next few miles made me hunt around the road for a semi-dry line. No problems with the new Michelin PS2’s though.
Roads dried up and we were then almost right on schedule. About 5 seconds fast. We held the speeds listed in our course notes for the remainder of the race.
The Mustang behind us had a slightly different driving plan so they passed us at the ¾ mark. Blue Pantera did the same thing. It sounded very cool as the Pantera passed us at 140 mph compared to our 120 mph. I got it on video from the in car camera.
A few miles down, the Pantera slowed and we passed him back doing 140 mph.
We crossed the finish line 2 seconds slower than our target time. We were very happy.
The Unlimited Speed cars were not allowed to run due to the rain and 2 lightning strike brush fires so they were convoyed to the turn around point and gridded there for the return trip. The first Unlimited car left after quite a wait and the remainder of the Unlimiteds left in 3 minute intervals. The Unlimited Cars sounded awesome as they ripped through the gears from the starting line.
After about a half hour, we gridded up for the return leg and it was announced that one of the Unlimited Cars had crashed while doing 214 mph. Turns out it was the first Unlimited Car that left the grid which was a cherry Studebaker. I haven’t heard what the cause was, but I’d bet it was the heavy cross winds. The driver was pulled out by the racer behind him and he was choppered to the hospital. He turned out to be totally fine and he made an appearance at the banquet later that night.
The course was red flagged and we were running out of time. The road was only allowed to be closed until 4:00 PM. They finally announced that the race was over, so we all convoyed back to Battle Mountain. Since the road was still closed, the 85 mile long trip was pretty fun. We rolled by the Studebaker crash site and it was about 100 yards off the road. It looked pretty bad.
Our driving plan called for us to arrive at the turn around point one minute late, and we planned on arriving about 2 minutes early for the longer return trip. Because of this, we figured our chances of wining were shot, since the scores would be based on the first leg only. We managed to still get 3rd place but it really meant nothing since everyone had different driving plans. We were still pretty happy though. Second place last year and a third this year. Not too bad.
Sunday Night: Awards banquet at the Owl Club. Met a two other young racers and decided that we should start a Young Guns team to compete against all the old dudes. We’ll see where that goes. Can’t wait until the next race, which will be ½ price due to the cancellation of the return leg of this race.
The ‘Stude with Tude’ that crashed rolled by on a trailer so we walked down the street to take some pictures. It looked like a metal ball.
We ended the night with some bench racing, games of Pool and some nice cigars that I brought. We were all feeling pretty good after a long, safe day.
We left for SoCal Monday morning and made the return trip in about 8 hours. Got home and had dinner with the family and quickly washed the big juice off the car. ½” thick bug juice is baked on to my exhaust and tips. I may have to use Easy Off to remove it.
I’m still tired as I’m writing this, but the memories of the event will be great. I’m glad the Porsche is being used for what its intended and not just a garage queen.
My garage stinks like Mormon Crickets and its also seeping into the downstairs. Wife is not happy. However, the best part of the trip is that my wife watched our son for four days and allowed me to go out and wash the car for a few hours after being gone for so long. What can I say…she is the greatest.
06-30-2004, 08:01 PM
#2
Official Wednesday AM Red Bull F1 test driver
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Great report- gotta love that rabbit picture... can't imagine what I'd been thinking if I had to drive through those damned crickets!! Those GT3 radiators are a pain to clean...
06-30-2004, 10:26 PM
#3
Nordschleife Master
Great story Jake!!! That was one big wabbit...by the looks of his position, it looked like one 1/2 of his face must have been ground off...face on the road syndrome 
How did Watt do???
Thanks for sharing!
How did Watt do???
Thanks for sharing!
06-30-2004, 11:14 PM
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Originally posted by rockitman
Great story Jake!!! That was one big wabbit...by the looks of his position, it looked like one 1/2 of his face must have been ground off...face on the road syndrome
How did Watt do???
Thanks for sharing!
Great story Jake!!! That was one big wabbit...by the looks of his position, it looked like one 1/2 of his face must have been ground off...face on the road syndrome
How did Watt do???
Thanks for sharing!
BTW....I have relatives very close to you.
Contact Watt directly for his results. I'd rather let him tell it.
Jake
07-01-2004, 01:44 AM
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Originally posted by rockitman
Where abouts Jake??? I am 20 minutes north of Albany, NY...
Where abouts Jake??? I am 20 minutes north of Albany, NY...
07-01-2004, 07:24 PM
#7
Nordschleife Master
Originally posted by JakeMate
Balston Lake....my wife's brother. I've been there only once, but I was raised in Buffalo my first 25 years, so I'm a New Yorker.
Balston Lake....my wife's brother. I've been there only once, but I was raised in Buffalo my first 25 years, so I'm a New Yorker.
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07-01-2004, 11:09 PM
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Originally posted by rockitman
Ahhh, Ballston Lake...a mere 10 minutes away...I'm actually in Clifton Park...Is you wife's brother a Porsche guy???
Ahhh, Ballston Lake...a mere 10 minutes away...I'm actually in Clifton Park...Is you wife's brother a Porsche guy???
