 Kindly disregard the shameless and gratuitous use of sex appeal to boost the click rate on this post. It was a pleasure meeting our fellow twinturbo.net members who turned out for the Grassroots Motorsports Ultimate Track Car Challenge on Friday, July 27, 2007. Among the spectators was Robert {bobZtwin(NC)} with his lovely wife, Terry; and Jon {Insomniac (VA)} with a few of his friends whose names I didn't catch. Among the competitors was the SPL team (Kuah {kuah@splparts.com}, Ryan Hampton {not a member here, but a heck of a driver}, Ryan {RyanZ06}, and Sean {sfarrah}). I also met Roy (who owns a gold medallion-awarded Z car but races his '73 510), and Tom, who owns and races his beautiful '78 280Z turbo. Good people one and all, and each exemplary of the fellowship Z car enthusiasts extend to each other. My friend, Caroline, and I arrived at the track shortly after warm-ups had begun (around 9:20). We got there on time to see the SPL car make the two -- and only two -- laps it would make during the warm-up session before heading to the paddock with a problem that resulted in rough running and lots of backfiring -- something to do with bad connections to the coilpacks, I think I heard Ryan say... So the SPL car would be going into the first timed session without the benefit of being fully wrung out and dialed in for the track conditions. It would also be starting near the back of the pack, a distinct disadvantage in an event where all classes are run together. Nonetheless, Ryan was able to find enough daylight through the traffic to post the fourth fastest time during the first session ...Quite an accomplishent in light of the sophisticated hardware -- and enormous budgets -- that SPL was up against. (Check the photos...) This was the first time out for the SPL car with its new roll cage and new coil-overs, and also the first time the car has been shod with Pirelli slicks, which were reportedly much stickier than the tires used previously. So the team had its hands full getting the suspension tuned to their liking. ...But I'll leave the technical reporting to Kuah, Ryan, or Sean, since everything I'd have to report is hearsay. I believe that the team was able to improve their time in the second, and then again in the third sessions, whittling away at the handling and tuning issues associated with introducing so many new variables into the car's handling and performance equation. Sadly, they were not able to take advantage of the improvements they had made throughout the day in the final session. You'll see why in the photos and video. Despite the unfortunate ending, it was a great day to take in the sights, sounds, and smells of racing. So, without further adieu: (The video compilation is the same footage, just in different formats.)
27.6 MB .mov file (640 x 480)
- or -
43.2 MB .mp4 file Photos Jon and Bob were both taking lots of photos, so look for their posts too. The rest of the story: As the final session came to a close, the weather took an ominous turn for the worse. Thunder and lightning came rolling in, and the wind lifted tents from their moorings across the paddock. With rain only minutes away, Kuah was searching on-line for windshield repair services enroute to St. Louis, that would have a 300ZX windshield in stock. Jon offered the windshield from his parts car 70 miles away, but none of us have the tools or training to remove and then re-install windshields. Caroline called a friend who owns an auto glass shop in Richmond, who stocked and could install a new one on Saturday. But that would have taken the SPL team four+ hours and hundreds of miles in the wrong direction. Kuah opted to head west. We left as the rain started, hoping Team SPL finds a windshield on the road to St Louis.
 |
Let's Go Racing! One spectator's report from VIR. - 
