Mar 2004 Racing Article

[mark belrose]

For more background, please read the Jan and Feb 2004 articles previously submitted within the General Racing forum.

During the weekend of 14-16 February, I had the opportunity to race at the Vintage Auto Racing Association (VARA) Route 66 Classic, at California Speedway. It was a great weekend of racing for most, but due to the many mishaps the event may soon become known as the Route 66 Demolition Derby – more on that later.

VARA invited several organizations to share the venue for the weekend, including vintage NASCAR and historic Champ/Indy cars. Some of the early Indy cars were traveling so leisurely around the track, my Aunt Bertha in her ’88 Yugo could have whupped up on ‘em. The NASCAR guys were tearing it up though, with a vintage Jeff Gordon #24 seen racing against Earnhardt’s #3.

The circuit requires both horsepower and handling to get around it quickly - horsepower for the long front straight and banked corners 1 and 2, and handling for the technical infield. The course is about 2.4 miles long, with cars in C Production averaging about 75-80 mph. When taking into account that cars like mine are probably hitting 140 mph on the front straight, you can imagine how much slower and tighter the infield is configured.

I am still the only competitor running a Zcar in VARA’s C Production, although several more are in the works. It will take a lot to beat the top Porsche 911 and 914-6 cars, as in a lot of money. These guys unload their cars off of semi-trailers and have their own mechanics. From what I’ve heard, their engine cost is typically $12,000 on up, and they run the best of everything. I’m not on quite as extravagant a race budget so if something breaks, I’d better get my butt down there to fix it or it won’t get done.

Friday was a practice day to test new equipment and familiarize everyone with the track. The drivers are supposed to take it a little easy, but our sessions deteriorated very quickly to full-blown racing including passing on tight corners and short straights.

Saturday was qualifying day for Sunday’s final. The racing was very intense, with several collisions and numerous cars either forced off track by other drivers or by their own ineptitude. I did my share of cursing inside my helmet. A friend of mine in a Formula V (a VW-powered open-wheeled car) had another car literally run right up on top of her with one of its wheels coming within 18 inches of her head. As a result, race organizers read everyone the riot act prior to Sunday’s final. Anyone making an off-course excursion, regardless of fault, would be given the black flag and asked to call it a day. Those involved in contact would be immediately disqualified for that event and the next one too.

Gridding up for Sunday’s final, I noticed several vacancies in the line. I’m guessing they got the boot for contact. Vintage racers are supposed to maintain the “vintage bubble” around them, meaning contact it s strict “no-no” and all passing needs to be made cleanly. Maybe some of them popped the bubble.

I gridded up in 9th place, a couple of Lotus Elans, an early 60’s Corvette, and my 240Z being the only “not-a-Porsches” in the field. I got an excellent start and was quickly challenging for 4th place behind a 911S and an Elan, when upon braking from 120 mph into a sharp left hand turn my steering wheel slammed to the left and I lost my brakes. Luckily there was a bail-out through the cones, which I took and coasted to a stop. A few moments later I gathered myself and putted around the track back to my pit. The right-front brake rotor mounting bolts had sheared away at the rotor/hub interface. Luckily there was no other damage to my car, and more importantly to the other competitors.

I had been having a pretty good time up until my brake failure, which sort of put a damper in the weekend. On the positive side, at least I don’t have someone else’s hood paint etched into my driver’s side door or tire marks on my helmet.

‘Till next time,

Mark