The first time I was on track was in the car I autocrossed, representing GRM of course.
That car eventually got some lightening, a cool headlight intake mod, serious rubber, etc. Enough that I decided to tow it to the track.
With a rented trailer and an Intrepid. That's when I knew that a proper track car meant a truck as a daily. Maybe someday.
Wheel-to-wheel car? Lemons 2008. We had stuffed a 351 in it and the old T-bird had more HP than brakes.
My first SCCA race in the HP Bugeye, at Gainesville Raceway. My friend Mark Scharf and I bought the car from Howard Duncan for $375. Even that was so much money for us that we had to go in together on it. But the ratty Sprite took both of us through SCCA drivers school and to our SCCA licenses. Mark got to take the car to drivers school first, because he reached his 18th birthday before me. We would later race at PBIR, Daytona and Roebling Road. Good times!
At the time, Gainesville was the only track available to Central Florida Region SCCA. We raced down the drag strip, back up the return road, then veered into a couple of curves, defined by 55 gallon water barrels, in the paddock area now used for the $2000 Challenge autocross. A long right hand bend through the drag strip staging area sent us back back down the strip.
My 1st track car was for W2W ice racing back in 1996.
Toyman! said:Wheel-to-wheel car? Lemons 2008. We had stuffed a 351 in it and the old T-bird had more HP than brakes.
You know, when you meet somebody who has never heard of the 24 Hour Lemons series, just show them this picture. They'll get it.
They were still crushing the Peoples' Curse or whatever back then, right?
In reply to pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) :
There is a guy who towed his vintage race car to the track with a tow dolly. Recently he got all boojee and rents a U-Hual van and trailer. He sleeps in the U-haul (the track has showers).
I used to drag race the Intrepid locally, before that shut down. Also took it to some 'time trials / driver training' events and learned that a properly supportive seat can shave seconds off a lap time. (ymmv on the time shaved). I really need to get this thing back on the road this year.
67 thundering horsepower!! From 1984/5
I think this was 2004ish at Nelson's.
In reply to Danny Shields (Forum Supporter) :
Oh, man. Road racing on drag strips took me back to Indianapolis Raceway Park. The transition from road course onto the drag strip as the long straight that connected to the rest of the road course - that transition was the absolute scariest when wet. Turning left while crossing the drag lanes at a diagonal. Zero grip as you crossed the lanes.
David S. Wallens said:I guess it’s this: 1984 VW Rabbit GTI at Roebling Road in 1995-ish. Should have kept those wheels.
That's Car Guys on a Saturday morning. You're parked next to Bill Gratton. In the background Oscar is bent over the hood of that turbo V6 Firebird, Kenley is walking by in the driver's suit. Kurt's somewhere around.
I'm probably 1-2 cars back, torquing lug nuts in the tech line. So I probably torqued your nuts that morning. 😂
I think my dad was in your group that day in our '91 Civic and I was the next group up.
Jeez talk about formative memories. I was a Senior in high school and the madness was FULLY in charge already.
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