Hello,
I am glad to say that BADROC made it back from Shasta in one piece. Yes,
there were the usual mechanical problems but nothing that a few collected
BADROC'rs couldn't mend. Otherwise I would say that the weekend went
fantastic! Thank you Modesto Roadster Group for your dedication and
endurance. You are all very much appreciated for your efforts.
My weekend started on Thursday morning when I started my tow (yes, with my
brand new used trailer) to Thunderhill Raceway. The trailer was fantastic!
I didn't know what to expect from my first tow experience. But the
Pathfinder was great.... the tow was straight ... and the wheel harnesses
held on to the Roadster perfectly! The weather at the track was hot. Just
plain hot! I hear that it was over the 100* mark. I set up my spot next to
Les Cannaday and Dennis Currington of Classic Datsun Motorsports and Marc
Sayer of Classic Datsun and Z Car Magazine. We had three cars amongst us.
My 67.5 U-20, Dennis' '66 U-20 and Les's '70 240 RHD. Btw... Dennis and Les
made some serious Roadster modifications. Their car had the aftermarket
coupe top on it as well as four major wheel flares. The car actually looked
very nice. Very aggressive looking! After the normal tech and talk sessions
we were set up into our run groups and let loose ... so to speak. We ran
amongst 510s. Z's......etc. Some of the cars were extremely prepared.
We had alittle trouble on the track. First off, I was unable to get my car
running right. I wasn't able to get over 5500 without the car bogging down.
Not exactly sure what it was but it was consistent throughout the day with
changes in dwell and timing during the pit stops. I think that it was just a
dirty fuel filter. Oh well..... at least it wasn't as bad as what happened
to Dennis and his 2000 GT. On the second or third session while he was
entering a turn his L/R wheel came loose and his car was tossed about five
feet up. He ended right side up but lost a brake drum, axle, brake
components ... etc. Oh yeah ... his rear fender flare is even wider now.
And his hood flew open upon landing and flipped forward only to cause more
damage to his grille and hood. At least Dennis was in good spirits if not
bounced around alittle bit inside to car. Yes, he is a good sport and a good
track driver.
Les and I finished off the day incident free. His 240Z hummed along
beautifully. I still wonder how he is able to shift so well with his left
hand. Anyway, we loaded up the trailers and took off into town of Willows
for the night. We spent about 30 minutes cruising in Marc's van looking for
a place to eat. We settled for a S. Western spot and after that we ended up
in Denny's for dessert. It was a major eat 'fest.
The next morning we took off for Shasta. I arrived in the Mt. Aire Lodge at
around 11:30 to find that the Canadian contingency was already there.
Actually, there were many Roadster already there. And across the street at
Roadster HQ there were another dozen or more Roadster sporadically parked.
After signing in and receiving my event package I talked Roadsters with the
folks and looked at cars. Folks were al ready washing off the bugs for the
next days showing. Keith Williams was washing away what he collected from
his trip up from Las Vegas. So were the many others from the Pacific NW.
BADROC finally arrived alittle late due to some small problems. Daniel's car
was overheating and needed some attention. And Fred Katz's battery came
loose and tipped over on the drive up. What a mess! But they made it up and
were making the necessary corrections soon after. We bought a thermostat
from Ross and installed it into Dans Roadster. Also alittle tightening of
the fan belt probably helped. Everybody was inside that engine bay.....
Fred, John Sandhoff, Keith myself and others.... No shortage of help.
After everyone settled in we all went to dinner. I have never seen such
large Margaritas. And the drinks were big too! ;>) The next morning I was
awakened by the sound of a U-20 starting up. It must have been before 7am.
Peeking outside was the most beautiful sight! The parking lot was jammed
packed with Roadsters. I think that there were over twenty at our place and
about the same across the street. It was awesome! S.S.S and I was out the
door. BADROC arrived in full force at around 9am. We were pointed to our
designated areas. As the day rolled along almost 70 Roadster arrived.
Incredible! There were so many modified cars this year. FJ20's, 240SZ
motors, Nitrous...! Much too much to write about. The show went well and
with the judging over I went to the All Datsun Meet at the Mt Shasta Ski
Lodge. This is always a wonderful event. Not only are the cars beautiful
there is also an auto-x and swap meet. I met Ronnie Day as he was doing a
great job videoing the event. His videos are available for sale too. I also
hung around the Classic Datsun Magazine booth with Marc, Les and Dennis.
Soon after that I was on my way back down to the motel. But on the way down
the mountain Daniel Neuman and I had had a great time blasting through the
twisties! Dan, try to keep up next time! ;>)
The awards banquet was great as usual. A nice BBQ meal and a cake to
commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Shasta Event. Raffle prizes were
given away and then the awards. I cannot remember all of the winners but I
can say that BADROC ran away with four awards. Ken Pletcher, Eric Armstrong,
Mike Young and Brian Cano.
Sunday morning we all packed up and were ready to leave when Dans Roadster
once again sparked up! Literally sparked up as a ground strap broke and his
throttle cable welded itself stuck. BADROC to the rescue! Fred pulled out
the electrical kit and reattached the ground strap. Dan and I replaced the
throttle cable with a new one from John Sandhoff. When he started up the
Roadster all I remember hearing was an applause from our wives, daughters and
girlfriends. Besides it being over 108* the trip home was uneventful.
Looking forward to the next event sponsored by Les at CDM. Until then....
Calspeed is out!
Michael "Calspeed" Carion
'67.5 SRL311-000248 Solex
San Francisco, Ca
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