Larry,
It was always fun racing with Orlie. He is a little more aggressive than
most of the people in Group 4, but he got that way trying to keep up with
the Big Healeys. He is a good guy. Wait until Little John finds out that you
are faster than him and his Abarth. When I finally got up to speed and began
to run in front of him, he didn't like it much. He was used to having the
yellow 3 in his mirrors. He had a couple of spectacular spins trying to cut
inside of me, going too deep off the line and spinning out the other side.
It was fun to watch, and it may be in your future as you've been running
behind him.
Did I ever tell you about the time Orlie's door opened up as I tried to pass
him at Hallett? Turn 2, the first weekend with the 4.10 gears and I was set
up just right for that course. I tucked under him when he went too wide and
just at the apex his door opens. I had to lock it down. Him being in front,
he recovered faster than I did, but we both lost the front pack for that
race!
As for turn one, it's wide and fast, and everybody has a different route
through there. Some guys, mostly the fast cars, stay on the straight late
and drive through the turn the long way at higher speed. The slower cars
try to enter the turn early, keep it tighter and shorten up the distance.
Most take it down the middle and slide to the outside to set up for turn 2.
The only thing that is important is knowing what the cars close to you,
front and back, are doing and working in and around their lines (and
watching for big screw-ups ahead of you if you aren't near the front). If
you were in front of him, he should have been watching your line and picked
his spot better. If you were passing him on the outside and you cut down
into his line, he may have had a point. As fast as you must have been going
into turn one I doubt you could have cut down on him or completed one of
those darting blocking moves, so I suspect he was just surprised and caught
off guard that you were even there, and simply thought you should have
stayed wider. Group 4 is pretty spread out, and he hasn't been out there
with a large group very often. You guys have started a racing relationship!
Bob Kramer
rgk@flash.net
----- Original Message -----
From: "Larry Young" <cartravel@pobox.com>
To: "Bob Kramer" <rgk@flash.net>
Cc: <fot@autox.team.net>
Sent: Monday, February 24, 2003 8:05 PM
Subject: Re: Races at TWS
> While we're talking about unsportsmanlike racing. I have to say that the
only
> damper on the weekend was that Mike Orlie accused me of cutting in on him
at the
> end of the straight, causing him to brake hard and spin out. I really
believe I
> was well passed him, but I don't know for sure. I hadn't had much
experience
> with passing people until this weekend. I felt a little vindication
during the
> next session. He spun out in almost the same place, while I was 200 yards
ahead
> and steadily opening the gap. When I saw that in the mirror, I thought
"you
> can't blame that one on me!".
>
> Everything I've done to the car is well documented in the Competition
Manual,
> the Technical Talk Volumes (Southern California Triumph Register - Ken
> Gillanders, et al) and the FOT archives. Most of us have a strong
attachment to
> the Triumph marque. For me, this is all about how to make these cars as
good as
> they can be and learning how to drive them. Beating the Porsches and
other
> marques is what its all about. In addition to all the information, I've
had
> many people offer free parts even though I offered to pay. What a great
bunch
> of folks!
> Larry
>
> Bob Kramer wrote:
>
> > Larry,
> >
> > I was waiting for you to check in before tooting your horn to the list.
> > Larry won every Group 4 race outright this past weekend and even lapped
the
> > field on Sunday! Larry has crossed over from "newbie" to "speedie"! The
best
> > I ever did with that car was pass Orlie when he spun. I was able to
harass
> > him enough that he did that on two or three occasions. He has made the
> > Porsche must faster since then, as you have done to the TR3. I don't
think
> > Wilt ever got close to him in his 2 years with the car. I always said
that
> > you could get that car to run as fast as my TR4 with the right prep.
Your
> > almost there. I'd better get back in the garage.
> >
> > I talked to Bob Green to verify my thinking as to racing rights and
wrongs
> > and he agreed that to modify your line by jumping over to block a car
that
> > is making a move and is going faster than you is indeed blocking and
> > discouraged by CVAR. I wonder what it's like elsewhere? The driver was
given
> > a talking too to make sure he understood. I probably should have spoken
up
> > earlier. I had the same problem with him at Hallett as well as with a
number
> > of RMVR cars that blocked like crazy. He is a backmarker in CP, and most
of
> > the CP cars can take him on the straight. Only a few of the slower CP
guys
> > and the transfered DP cars have a problem with him. They agree about his
> > track behavior. I hope it changes. It takes away the fun.
> >
> > Again, good show!!!!
> >
> > Bob Kramer
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Larry Young" <cartravel@pobox.com>
> > To: "Bob Kramer" <rgk@flash.net>
> > Cc: <fot@autox.team.net>
> > Sent: Monday, February 24, 2003 4:39 PM
> > Subject: Re: Races at TWS
> >
> > > Bob,
> > > Sorry to hear about this. Did CVAR do anything? That type of
behavior in
> > the
> > > other groups is one reason I really like group 4.
> > >
> > > It's probably no consolation for you, but my weekend was fun. Ok, so
most
> > of the
> > > fast guys weren't there. All the work on the suspension has
transformed
> > my car
> > > completely. The fastest car in my class was Mike Orlie's Porsche 356.
> > With the
> > > engine rebuild last fall, I found I could outrun him on the straight,
but
> > it was
> > > hopeless in the turns. Now with the suspension work, I think my car
> > handles
> > > better than his in the turns too. I haven't done anything magical,
just
> > shortened
> > > the upper A arms and the other mods that all of you have figured out.
> > Winning is
> > > great, but when you beat a Porshe it's even better. I can't wait to
see
> > how the
> > > car does at Hallet in three weeks. However, I first have to dig
through 8
> > inches
> > > of snow to get the racecar back in the garage. Sunshine and 75
degrees in
> > College
> > > Station yesterday, 8 inches of snow and 10 degrees in Tulsa this
morning.
> > >
> > > Larry Young
> > >
> > >
> > > Bob Kramer wrote:
> > >
> > > > John,
> > > > Group 7 sure is frustrating. The last race Sunday was very similar
to
> > the
> > > > rest, except that I finally got fed up with the #44 240Z blocking
and
> > put in a
> > > > complaint after the race. Every time I tried to make a move inside
or
> > outside,
> > > > he would change his line to jump over in front of me. That in itself
I
> > could
> > > > live with but on 3 occasions in the last race, he did it when I was
> > already up
> > > > inside his rear quarter. What was sad, was that early in the race I
did
> > pass
> > > > him after drafting him down the straight, and going faster into one
and
> > was
> > > > pulling away from him. I was running a second a lap faster, and
catching
> > a
> > > > pair of 911's in front of us (ones I hadn't been able to run with
early
> > in the
> > > > day), but my car started running too hot. After 3 laps or running
slower
> > to
> > > > cool it down, the 240Z caught me and passed me on the straight. Soon
I
> > was in
> > > > a safer cooling zone so I proceeded to try to pass him back for the
next
> > 4
> > > > laps, with him blocking every move.
> > > >
> > > > After cording the Hoosiers, I was very surprised that I put up my
best
> > lap
> > > > times of the weekend on Brad's 8 year old Yoke 008's. Being slick as
> > they
> > > > could be, I drove them pretty much the same as with the bias ply
TD.s,
> > > > drifting, really sliding through the turns. The shorter tire and
rear
> > ratio
> > > > change more than made up for the loss of grip.
> > > >
> > > > Bob
> > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > From: John Price
> > > > To: Bob Kramer
> > > > Sent: Monday, February 24, 2003 8:38 AM
> > > > Subject: Races
> > > >
> > > > How did the rest of Sunday go for you?
> > > >
> > > > John
|