Ramblings from Clash at the Glen
#62
What a great weekend, I am amazed at the weather holding out for all the races. It looked like bad rain quite a bit but every race was dry. I loved watching the green group run, I wish I could of seen more than the first half you guys fought like hell. Fred believes the track surface is everything but the blue stuff, man you were fun to watch run.
I had a good time running it is such a shame we had alot of shortened stuff in blue. For the record I hate double yellows.
I was also happy that the scruts were out in force, alot of people had thier cars reclassed after they had stuff they didnt know belonged
I had a good time running it is such a shame we had alot of shortened stuff in blue. For the record I hate double yellows.
I was also happy that the scruts were out in force, alot of people had thier cars reclassed after they had stuff they didnt know belonged
#63
Drifting
Man you got hosed by the double yellow. You had a commanding lead before it. Too bad!
What a great weekend, I am amazed at the weather holding out for all the races. It looked like bad rain quite a bit but every race was dry. I loved watching the green group run, I wish I could of seen more than the first half you guys fought like hell. Fred believes the track surface is everything but the blue stuff, man you were fun to watch run.
I had a good time running it is such a shame we had alot of shortened stuff in blue. For the record I hate double yellows.
I was also happy that the scruts were out in force, alot of people had thier cars reclassed after they had stuff they didnt know belonged
I had a good time running it is such a shame we had alot of shortened stuff in blue. For the record I hate double yellows.
I was also happy that the scruts were out in force, alot of people had thier cars reclassed after they had stuff they didnt know belonged
#64
In the green group a 944 got nudged into the wall coming out of the toe. The flaggers were on it and they went full course yellow. A 911 then hit the stationary 944!
#65
Rennlist Member
FWIW, it was only a local yellow in the toe. I was waiting for a full course but they never threw it. We went into the laces full bore and I backed out knowing there was no way that the 944 had been cleared since the prior lap. I let a few cars by before the toe because I wasn't going to race into the toe and become part of the carnage. Apparently others didn't take the same approach.
#66
FWIW, it was only a local yellow in the toe. I was waiting for a full course but they never threw it. We went into the laces full bore and I backed out knowing there was no way that the 944 had been cleared since the prior lap. I let a few cars by before the toe because I wasn't going to race into the toe and become part of the carnage. Apparently others didn't take the same approach.
On my first lap by, the flagger was waving vigorously and pointing everyone to the inside. By my second lap by, we were full course yellow.
I agree with you, racing to the yellow is fine for NASCAR, but not PCA.
By the way, I talked to the owner of the 944. He and PCA are still looking for the guy who nudged him to start this whole mess. If anyone has any video or knowledge contact PCA.
Last edited by Racerrob; 06-01-2009 at 04:26 PM. Reason: Addition
#67
Rennlist Member
#68
Rennlist Member
I had my best weekend at Watkins Glen. As many of you may remember, I did my first club race at the Glen four years ago, a track I had never been to. This was my third race there and I was really hoping to improve on my near DFL or mid-pack finishing. Speed at the track had always been elusive to me as I was bog slow my first year and a tiny bit faster two years ago but saddled with a broken rear away bar mount.
Especially in the enduro, the racing was nuts and nose-to-tail with very few people giving an inch (some of you were very good at taking away a few feet). I had some great racing with a silver and blue H 996, a red 911 I car, Brian Paulsen and John Haas, who came out of nowhere in the enduro (I thought he was an H car) and battled me for first place. John turned a smokin' 2:12.3, and it showed. We passed each other back and forth a number of times. John and I were sharing the same pit stall, and he was supposed to come in first. Neither of us wanted to quit racing each other.
My goal this weekend was to get close to the podium and try and get to the Rennpoints prediction of 2:14.X. For me to even touch the podium at the Glen was unbelievable, let alone to turn a 2:12.9, a time that I am really happy with. The car is capable of 2:10's (maybe 2:09's?), but I'm happy to have dropped 3.5 seconds off of my best time at a track that I have always been terribly slow.
I got really lucky with the win in the second sprint since Alain Goulet's super-fast 944 turbo cup broke in the second second race. In the first race, I lost first place after Alain passed me out of turn 1 like I was standing still. I managed to stay close to him and sniff around for a pass or two but couldn't make anything stick. I was really sorry to see DanR wreck his 944 turbo G car, as he was giving me some good competition in the first sprint.
Thanks to Streak aka Hunt McMahon and good hands aka Scott Bresnahan, I pulled off an almost perfect refueling pit stop which helped me win in G class. At least for this year, it was probably the only way I was going to beat some of the better drivers in E and F, too.
Thanks to Pete Tremper and all of the volunteers for their hard work. The food this year was exceptionally good.
I'll be back at next year's Crash of the Glen looking for 2:11's.
Especially in the enduro, the racing was nuts and nose-to-tail with very few people giving an inch (some of you were very good at taking away a few feet). I had some great racing with a silver and blue H 996, a red 911 I car, Brian Paulsen and John Haas, who came out of nowhere in the enduro (I thought he was an H car) and battled me for first place. John turned a smokin' 2:12.3, and it showed. We passed each other back and forth a number of times. John and I were sharing the same pit stall, and he was supposed to come in first. Neither of us wanted to quit racing each other.
My goal this weekend was to get close to the podium and try and get to the Rennpoints prediction of 2:14.X. For me to even touch the podium at the Glen was unbelievable, let alone to turn a 2:12.9, a time that I am really happy with. The car is capable of 2:10's (maybe 2:09's?), but I'm happy to have dropped 3.5 seconds off of my best time at a track that I have always been terribly slow.
I got really lucky with the win in the second sprint since Alain Goulet's super-fast 944 turbo cup broke in the second second race. In the first race, I lost first place after Alain passed me out of turn 1 like I was standing still. I managed to stay close to him and sniff around for a pass or two but couldn't make anything stick. I was really sorry to see DanR wreck his 944 turbo G car, as he was giving me some good competition in the first sprint.
Thanks to Streak aka Hunt McMahon and good hands aka Scott Bresnahan, I pulled off an almost perfect refueling pit stop which helped me win in G class. At least for this year, it was probably the only way I was going to beat some of the better drivers in E and F, too.
Thanks to Pete Tremper and all of the volunteers for their hard work. The food this year was exceptionally good.
I'll be back at next year's Crash of the Glen looking for 2:11's.
#69
Great job everybody...you were all fun to watch!
Last edited by Mike S.; 12-28-2009 at 09:59 PM.
#71
Rennlist Member
The enduro was the bomb. The highlight of my weekend was passing my retired mechanic and Summit point Porsche driver legend Dave Coleman. ( Ok he's like a 100 years old, hasn't raced in umpteen years, and was driving someone else's car ) There was so much carnage in the sprint races that the enduro was a welcome change. Maybe there is a different attitude with the drivers ?
#72
Especially in the enduro, the racing was nuts and nose-to-tail with very few people giving an inch (some of you were very good at taking away a few feet). I had some great racing with a silver and blue H 996, a red 911 I car, Brian Paulsen and John Haas, who came out of nowhere in the enduro (I thought he was an H car) and battled me for first place. John turned a smokin' 2:12.3, and it showed.
Next year, I'll hopefully not have some GTC2 cars holding me up and I'll get down to that 2:12 area with you. I'll probably be following you when that happens though
#73
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
I saw in mylaps the following for the Glen White Enduro :
987 C ZUGEL / E LUX 38 Fast Lap 1:51.622 In lap #33 mph 108.688
That is the fastest PCA lap by quite a bit I have ever seen at the Glen - what kind of car they were driving?
Amazing time & there were several running 1:53 & 1:54 which is verrry fast too!
Norm
987 C ZUGEL / E LUX 38 Fast Lap 1:51.622 In lap #33 mph 108.688
That is the fastest PCA lap by quite a bit I have ever seen at the Glen - what kind of car they were driving?
Amazing time & there were several running 1:53 & 1:54 which is verrry fast too!
Norm
#74
Rennlist Member
I think I can run sub 2:05 if I stop running the bus stop DE-style. I've broken my "bad habits" learned in years of DE in pretty much every WG turn except that one. (btw, I will check my video, but at least two of my 2:05s, including the best of my two 2:05.4s, I had a slight bauble in Turn 1. That was a few tenths right there, I think. Next year...)
As for Andy pit-pocketing one from me in the enduro, it couldn't have been a nicer guy getting lucky. He had the worst luck at Summit last year and has had a fairly long road getting the replacement car ready. A few teething pains later and his car is obviously running strong and reliably. I was pretty happy to only finish 30 seconds behind him (and 2nd overall) despite his pit strategy. Now if I can just convince him to re-sign up for VIR in a month...!