More press for the SuperVee's

great cars with great history get noticed...  and Ricardo is on the headlines again......

SVRA - VARA Historic Sportcar Festival

Ed Schwartz did  a great job in putting together another great week-end of great vintage race cars. Pam, Victory Lane Magazine, was able to secure a great group of IndyCar racers too.  Lots of cars, lots of people, and we had a very mixed week-end, with a set of front tires that were defective...put 2 older tires at the front and ...even if it was great fun for 2 laps.. then they lost all grip and the understeer was a challenge.  Never drove a car with literally no more grip from the front end on the last lap.  But racers race, so we started the sunday race anyway knowing that the car was handicapped by tires. I bit scary through turn 2...vibrations was really bad.   Thank you to German from Diario La Prensa, Carmen From WRadio 690m, and the friends that stop by.  Other supervees on track... Robert Merrit.(Ralt RT5)..again with a flawless run, Paul Lisec (Ralt RT5)  run into some electrical issues, John Acampora (Ralt RT5) had to retire (due to having to go to work on sunday--the car look great!), Dave Dwoskin (Ralt RT5) had a great run too.
Ok Iam told all CALIFORNIA SUPERVEE are going to Coronado, so mark your calendar and join us there....

AutoClub Speedway in Fontana CA

Final testing before the race...always something needs to be tighten or adjusted. Frank and Mathew (with Paul Deenan as on site supervisor and YouTube Tech Support) work well into midnite...Ricardo's ribs were a thing to try!

Surgery.....the vital organs are ok !

Water pump failure...but since the cyl. head is  out we may as well open it up and check!  A.. OK !

After 24 races the engine said...I am hot, tired, and "you" didn't take care of me this week-end. So Bang it went!

Robert Merrit, at the front again !

Engine Temp 100,110,120,130,140 celcius ! then...BANG! BANG!!!! DNF

One of seven MG Special 1934 made, an still racing hard

Le dije patron...andamos muy acostados, o era de acostado...?

National 1917 only one in existence, and running hard!

Buenos Dias.... a "shot" before practice.

Jap Twin at full speed !

At the champiosnship continued at ButtonWillow. A challenging track with all type of corners. We had a total of 9 laps the whole week-end. Missed practiced because the brake pedal went to the floor. Then in the afternoon the temp started to go up, up, and with one lap to go...well i should have pulled in. but the damage was done. Load things to the trailer and enjoy the Beef and Wine !. Great cars on Sunday. Great show by the VARA board.  Dont miss the next one ...the Indy-Car Reunion at the Fontana Oval.

The MARTINI was back !

 

Paul Lisec Ralt getting ready

CA door to beautiful SCCA Buttonwillow Track,, well almost there!

At the "car" hospital....

After the last event there was no option that to take the car apart. The clutch basically just wore off. Nothing left from the pad !.  Complete service and on the way to put together again.  

Weather and Mechanicals Failures Make Racing "fun" or was it?

The second round of the 40th Anniversary VARA championship took place at the famous Willow Springs International Raceway. A track known as the FASTEST road course is 2.5 mile circuit with 7 out of 9 corners that you drive very fast. Turn 8 is a wide right hander that you take as fast as you dare. We go through at 170 + (that is 280 KPH for my latin friends!) and then you hold your breath, look far, far into the right, point at a rock about 10 feet before pit entry, and dive into turn 9. To hold the car you need all the power pushing you through to make the aero work and never lift because the car, and centrifugal force of the rotating mass (remember all the weight is in the center of the car)will lead you to a spin

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The second round of the 40th Anniversary VARA championship took place at the famous Willow Springs International Raceway. A track known as the FASTEST road course is 2.5 mile circuit with 7 out of 9 corners that you drive very fast. Turn 8 is a wide right hander that you take as fast as you dare. We go through at 170 + (that is 280 KPH for my latin friends!) and then you hold your breath, look far, far into the right, point at a rock about 10 feet before pit entry, and dive into turn 9. To hold the car you need all the power pushing you through to make the aero work and never lift because the car, and centrifugal force of the rotating mass (remember all the weight is in the center of the car), will lead you to a spin.
now...Willow Springs to Socal racers is synonym with: air movement, blow, breath, breeze, chinook, cyclone, draft, flurry, flutter, gale, gust,tempest, typhoon, whiff, whirlwind, zephyr....etc.  When you are "committing" to turn 9 and a gust of 40 mph lateral wind takes over and at the corner apex your fuel pump decides to take a break some unthinkable things go through your mind... did I came here to risk my life?....
The wind became the challenge to all over the week-end. It was great to see the Martini MK driven by Joe Harding. Paul Lisec RALT's blue car seemed to run great after the fire incident in March. Richard Wilkinson 's John Player's Special look, as always, great (but he confessed the "driver" needs a tune up). Robert Merrit RT-5 Seem to be the fastest though.
We started with a failure on Saturday morning and it was one thing after another for the whole week-end. We found a bent wheel during practice so we had to change both fronts to match the wheel off-set. Even Joey Cabrera from our Sponsor MOTUL Lubricants gave us a hand to finish the car. Then the clutch gave up. No slipping, just broke ( I assume the springs plates). Once in gear the car would move but to change from one gear to another it would require some rapid  throttle and wrist play. Without a clutch, an engine miss, and later a failed fuel pump somehow we made it through the race. On Sunday ( I think) I finished 4th... I started from the pits, since I had no clutch my crew chief Frank Alvis gave me a push and I slammed 2nd gear...as I was getting into the track the official wanted me to stop...which I couldn't...I new the contenders were coming to start their race and I didn't want to ruined their start. I hurried through the first 5 corners on cold, slippery tires, to get to the back straight so I could let everyone else pass. Then , after all the cars in the group went by, my race, without clutch, started. Little by little I started to pass a few cars, then on lap 5 as I accelerated out of turn 1 my engine would run out of fuel. I started thinking that we forgot to fuel it? every lap would be the same at turn 1.  About two laps from the end, the car started to run out of fuel on turn 1, 3 and 4. It is a bit hard to drive with no clutch and with an engine wanting to stop running sporadically. Regardless I was determined to keep running until it stop, which it did.  I passed the checker flag , ending the race and the engine starter puttering...finally giving up on turn 4.  I was able to roll down hill all the way to turn 9, short of the pits. Having to be towed back to the pits is no fun, but we finished the race and thats what we came for.
Tired, wind burnt, and a bit frustrated it took us a long time to pack the trailer...but the barbeque with Martin and his family, Carlos D., Callin, Race announcer Alex, Supermodel Wendy Ferrari and crew chief Frank Alvis was the best.  And even the wind stop at 6 pm... .Lets get ready for the next round.