Currently Face to Face (US Version) By Angel City, Angels Rockin' Haven't heard this since the eighties! see related

Late as usual.

If I was a newspaper, I'd be out of business.

 Last weekend was hot in the pits. Bloody hot (think crucible). I was sitting in a tin box in the baking sun, wearing a helmet, neckbrace and full fireproof suit. I was thinking, "CANT BREATHE!" and "MUST GET OUT OF CAR!" We were in the lineup waiting to go out for hotlaps (practice) and I literally wigged out. One icepack to the head later and it was all good. I think my brain felt like it was going to be cooked or something, but from now on if its hot I'm waiting till the last minute to put the helmet on.

If you read last weeks post, you'll know I was having problems with the rev limiter. Well I got bigger tires for longer legs and my car looked like a moon buggy! It also handled like a moon buggy. The car I know just wasn't there, if I tried to dig into a corner it was spin city, dude. I timed in with a HIDEOUS 17.9 seconds. Wound up in another C dash with #47 on my ass again. Repeat. I won it again and I have no idea how. The car was so dialed out. I switched back to the old tires and I got my car back. My only problem now, since the rev thingy seems fixed, is I slide way deep in the corners. I need stickier tires but I think maybe I'm coming in a bit hot too. Anyway, it opens up my inside and there is all the chance you need to take me out. Rick took the heat and then he got the B main too edging me out by not bloody much. I just couldn't get by that 240sx once he got my inside line. Billy had a huge hangover and a headache from hell. A really great situation if you're in the hot sun wearing the gear whilst being exposed to many howling engines at full RPM. In this state he managed to win the A main in a long, long battle with a bloodthirsty Kris McKenzie in #29 the Nissan NX. The prelude prevailed but it was a hunt. The guy who came in third, Wayne Lakerveld #77 wound up getting lapped by these guys towards the end. Now I don't feel so bad. There are no pics this time as I feel just too damn lazy to do anything about it, so sorry about that. Maybe later. For now, more beer.

ARRRRR! oh, shut up. bloody pirates...

'Twas a bit different this time. Oi wuz a Poirate y'see. The new engine has a glitchy problem with my rev limiter. Occasionally it decides not to come on. That may not seem like much, but when you're piling into turn three way too hot it can be a tad exasperating. I guess now we try switching out the distributor and the tach' and maybe even the computer. I need bigger tires too now because when it does come on, I'm still only halfway down the straight when it cuts off the torque. Consequently I timed in with a crummy 17.6 sec. lap. Mr. Bell snatches the lap record by a smidgin, then Title holder Kris McKenzie snatches it right on back, the dirty swine. Now it stands at 16.529.

  There were only twenty two or so cars there that night, and for the most part they were the veterans. The C-dash which is usually all rookie, had two rookies and me and Rick Sellers in his 240sx, #47. I managed to grab the win in a close run thing, and then Ricky reversed the roles in the heat race.

Rick Sellers.                                                                 Kris McKenzie.     

Since it was Pirates and Princesses day for the kids, some of us got into the idea and jolly japes ensued. Billys' girlfriend, Princess Brittany, (delightful in purple) did face painting for the kids. The ever-mischievous Wayne Goodwin had one of his demented-genius plans a-hatching and when Billy took the A-dash, I jumped into the back of his pirate racer and we plundered the winners circle for the trophy and Bills' car. Tiffany the trophy girl did her bit and ran screaming before I could capture her though, smart girl. The sad part was, my camera ran out of SD card space, leaving us with only these snaps.

Billy desperately fought back for Tiffanys' honour, but his plastic cutlass snapped in two and I must say I could get used to driving that Prelude of his!

There was a big A-main with everyone out there. Except for Jeff Sanca in #39, who got taken to the wall in a nasty tangle and wiped out in the heat. That sucked, he's a good driver that has had some bad luck at the track lately. I led for a good few laps until it was bandits at 6 o'clock! First Shuss, then Goodwin, Bell, Williams and McKenzie and Gazzer Radford. I kind of knew it couldn't last, but I can always hope. Anything can happen out there. If they all consquagulate each other, it's possible to get a lead on, but with 50 laps thats a bit much to ask for, and no, consquagulate is not a word. However, McKenzie did drop out for a pit with a technical problem. Mike Webb in #18 wound up halfway up the wall sideways when rookie Matt Ostermeier in #11 got himself totalled. Mikes' comment was, "I wish I HAD rolled, then at least I could say I've done it!" Honestly, you've got to wonder about the sanity of Hornet drivers.

'Mad Mike' Webb.                                                    Jeff Sanca.

Wayne Goodwin                                                        Curtis Williams

 There was a cool bit when I saw Gazzers' Integra low and coming up fast, I held my line as he skimmed by inches away. What is also cool is when sweat trickles down your face inside the helmet as you're racing. It's like in the movies. Cool. Stupid, I know. It's still cool. Billy and Jordan Shuss apparently had a battle at the end, I saw none of that from where I was, but #21 held on and took the win. It was Fathers day on Sunday and it was one happy dad in the pits, so it's hard to grudge him that win. Damn his eyes.

Jordan Schuss.                                                           Garry Radford

 I was happy in 6th doing my plunderdog thing, and those points boinked me back up to 11th spot in the standings from 14th. Breaking back into the top 10 could be quite a project as the names are a who's-who of badass drivers with sh*t hot cars. Next race in two weeks. 'Till then I'm playing street racer on facebook.

The inimitable Mr.William James Bell.                        The inedible Mr.Brent William Postlethwaite.

 Profile pics are the property of Terri Temperton. Finishline Photos, so there.

Elvis!

Polk Salad Annie. Just for the hell of it.

Just for some more hell, Here are some hard-earned tax dollars being spent the best way America knows how. HECK YEAH! Oh, I want one of those. One in each caliber. 30mm, 20mm, .50, 7.62, .223, I just can't decide!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RReAI3M1_K0&feature=rec-HM-r2

No date for the prom.

   After the crunch-up last raceday, I guess we were so focused on the wheel damage, no-one noticed that the fender had been groinched in on the other side from a separate impact. This one had split the radiator. Then add to this the fact that my car has a switch on the dash to turn on the fan with a red light next to it. Lets just say that I ran a fifty lap race at max RPMs and the little red light wasn't on. I ended the race smoking with an empty radiator. Fried the engine. F***! A week later we replace the rad and all seems fine, running smooth, can't believe I got away with it. Then, two days before raceday, head gasket and crank shaft death. Now, under ideal circumstances, a new engine can be done in the time left. This was not to be the case and Brent had no ride Saturday. I took a lot of friendly flak from the other guys, but I also noticed that Wayne Lakerveld, #77 was not in attendance, and he has more points than me so there's some damage control right there. Then Murray Jones in #17, who suffered a blown engine last week, had to pack it in with insurmountable wheel problems. Murray had very kindly offered me his spare ride (last years' car, an Accord) the day before, as well as help in getting it ready. The spirit of generosity and camaraderie amongst the Hornet drivers in this club is outstanding and positively humbling (see last weeks blog).  As it happened I couldn't arrange the transportaion and it fell through. In the event it would have proved to be an awkward moment, me feeling obliged to give up my borrowed ride so he could race. Anyway, ka-ching, more credit on the points scale, sorry Murray. Next, Peter Chick in #04, overheating engine. Then Jeff Sanca in #39 with wheel bearing problems. During the fifty lap A main, Curtis Williams' del sol #41 got the front end wiped out and couldn't finish, and team-mate Wayne Goodwin in #94 blew another engine and had to drop out. Now whilst I really do feel for these guys as they all have my highest regard, I got my own problems bud, and this is the kind of sport where you can feed off the misfortunes of your friends and not feel guilty. Hey, THIS IS SPARTA!

I shall return.

   Speed King Jordan Schuss in #21 built up almost half a lap of lead before Billy had a chance to get through the last of the back-markers separating them and took another A main first. They were 19 points apart in the standings in the battle for first spot so he will have closed the gap somewhat there. Kris McKenzie #29 was busy fighting his way back through the points spread after his early season wipe-out. Peter Chick won the A heat before he overheated and was visibly happy about it.

At the end of the night, because there were only four mini-stock cars there, they put the top five Hornets from the A main out there with them as filler. Now Hornets are way outclassed by these cars and there were no points in it for them. They were just there to make it entertaining. Well, Bill was out in front when two mini-stocks come beating up behind. Going into turn one, one of them absolutely torpedoes into Bill from the inside. He came into turn one way too hot and tried to shoot inside Billy when there was no inside to get. He had plenty of speed to shoot past on the outside and Bill wouldn't have blocked him, it's not like he could even win, it was a mini-stock race. Things got a bit shouty in the pits and then everyone apologised. Their team offered to fix our car at their body shop, but that's ok, I need something to do in return for Billy putting my new engine in, and sexual favours are just out of the question. Next week I can start working my way back up the standings from my plummet to 16th, but by the way things have been going, I will have some company at least.

The usual suspects...

Burning rubber and howling engines. NAR!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIKElSFmxF0

Errata: Despite what it says in the credits, it was actually Peter Enns who shot the footage and not my nephew Ben who was standing around idle, sorry Pete.

Ok, about last weekend... I've been too busy editing my wee film to blog, so here it be. Timed in ok at 17.3, got stuck in the pack in the B dash race and placed third while Billy got 1st in the A dash. I timed in good enough to be in the A main, and that was gratifying. There are a dozen cars spread over half a second in the time trial. Tenths are something you fight for, so when Billy opined that he screwed up and only got a 16.8, one might think, "jeez, I should be so lucky, you dick". But I understand where he was coming from, with that car, he wants to beat the the lap record at 16.6, and he almost had it. Plus the guy who has the record now is friendly rival Kris McKenzie, but rival nonetheless. You also have to do it in the time trial for the record.

After studying the 'mylaps' data from our transponders, it was interesting to note that the fastest laps and top speeds do not necessarily belong to the winners of the races. This bears out some theories of mine about racing. Foremost, the drivers ability to take the car to the extreme limits of its control envelope and hold it there is what makes you competetive. There is skill and some luck, but putting your car in front of the one in front of you is not always determined by the cars' ability to generate speed. Affected, yes, but there are always many more variables on the track. Taking advantage of the misfortunes of others, nabbing the inside line at the right moment, taking a corner just right with minimal brake so you slingshot out and ahead on the straightaway. This is what is racing, because if you look at the data from the transponders, it would seem to indicate that except for a handful, the cars are actually quite similar in performance. Time after time I see the unmolested leader pull further and further away from the pack. I've done it, while the rest of the buggers slug it out and swerve about. Even swerving scrubs speed, and we see from the time trials that tiny mistakes cost fractions, and those fractions cost you accumulatively. Lose just over a half second per lap in a thirty lap race and you will be lapped my friend, I know that too, I've had it done to me. ME! a lap car. Gods! Now having said all that, it is pretty obvious that the more powerful cars have a huge advantage, Schuss' Prelude #21 is consistently half a second faster than my car, and it shows; but like I say, we all came knowing what we were up against, and I know that as a B class car, my civic is a screamer, but in the A's she's just an underdog with attitude.

In the B heat, I was in ridiculous traffic, super close and dense, for a lot longer than was healthy. I knew something had to go. Little did I know it was me! I took a couple of hits and wound up nose in at 90 degrees just in time to watch a guy plow into my drivers front wheel snapping the hub knuckle in half and bending the control arm. That's that son, in the pits with you. As luck would have it, a stirling chap called Randy Doerksen happened to have the wrong parts for his car. They were for mine! His is a '93, mines a '91. Total fluke. Back in my pit, industrious Billy, gallant Wayne Lakerveld, (driver of #77) and benevolent Larry McKenzie (crew chief of #29 complete with compressor and air ratchet) were all clustered around the damaged wheel and going like a NASCAR pit crew at it. I, the awed and lowly driver stepped back out of the way. I must say it made a great impression on me and I thank you guys.

Oh. I see.                                                                  Note the broken hub knuckle.(upper right)

Wayne L.(#77) Billy (#55), Larry McK. and son Kris.(#29)                     

     Crew chief Haydn with the encouraging news, " Well it's a bugger, but I think you're gonna make it".

The wheel was on, and so to the A main with helter skelter alignment. Pot luck settings. It was a great old battle, just 50 laps of mostly hard work. I was getting decent times but that didn't stop Jordan Schuss in his #21 '88 prelude from lapping me in obout lap 45. Damn, half a second per lap, do the math. I placed a respectable 8th of 18 in the end and the car needs some work. Billy Bell got second place and what do you know, he had the fastest lap time and top speed. So there. Team mate Wayne Goodwin blew up his engine and had to drop out. Then at the end of the night a family came up to talk, and told me their little girl Jolene is apparently my biggest fan. Since I know of no others I was somewhat gobsmacked by this and signed her program. Then I got her to sign my car. Now I'm driving for Fairway motors, Goodwin racing, Napa, Ideal and little Jolene. That's a good feeling. In the season standings I have finally achieved a goal and jumped into the top 10 tied in 8th spot. They're calling it 9th. Whatever, NEXT!

  In traffic.                                                                  Wayne Goodwin #94 is a smoker.

                                                        R-Billy winning the A dash.

                                                       Heres some of the big boys toys.

That's never good.