The long overdue update from my August 20-21 event at Firebird West has finally arrived. More than a day late, and I have no excuse, so let’s get to it!

This event was very crucial for me as I was going up against Tage Evanson and his wicked grocery getting Honda Accord. Don’t laugh cause this car has more track records and in multiple classes than Black Betty does. So the pressure was on to rise to the occasion and get the win, no excuses. First session out Saturday was pretty cool as Tage and I ran together throughout the session, but I ended up 1 tenth down, 1:07.8 to 1:07.9. A quick adjustment to the car and driver for the 2nd session and we were back at it again. This time I just slayed the track and beat my own previous track record by 2 tenths to set a time of 1:06.3! This time would hold up for the rest of the day, but Sunday was still up for grabs.

The goal for the first session Sunday morning was to break the 1:05 barrier, but it was not to be as my transponder didn’t communicate with timing and scoring. Having to go back out in the 2nd session was not the plan, but there was no choice other than to suck it up and get the win. A 1:06.7 was not what I was hoping for, but it was good enough for the win and the much needed tire so I could get some more Hoosier tires. I had a good run in Time Attack, backing up my Time Trial time with another 1:06.7. So 3 events, 3 wins and a couple of tires from Hoosier made it a successful weekend.

Last weekend’s event was the final event before a well deserved Summer break.  The event schedule was only half a day, so there would be fewer sessions and less time in each to get the job done.  First session was at 6:15am and all was going well until my foot slipped off the brake pedal heading into turn 4.  So I had to use the 2nd session to put it all together and set a time of 1:06.4.  The time was about .5 off my track record, and since the track was slowing down at that point I decided to wait til Sunday to better my time.  I used Saturday night to pinpoint the corner adjustments and figure out what setup changes I wanted to make.  I decided on making a rear sway-bar change and dialing some more brake bias to the rear. First session on Sunday I went out and was running fast and the car was handling more to my liking.  However, I had the same issue occur with my foot slipping off the brakes, this time coming into turn 2.  After getting back to the pits I found that the rubber pedal cover had broken and slipped off and thus my foot went with it!  I was pleased the changes allowed me to get more rotation on corner entry without locking up the front brakes.  The stop watch never lies though, so considering how much better the car felt I was bummed to only lower my time to 1:06.2.  Given the track conditions and my tire life, or lack there of I can be happy with 3 wins.

I have been fighting Black Betty all year long with the changes I made over the off-season.  So with the big 11 week break in the schedule I am going to get everything sorted out and get the handling back on track.  So I can put the fear back in my competition again!

Weekend Results:
Saturday
1st Place NASA-TT: 1:06.4

Sunday
1st Place NASA-TT: 1:06.3
1st Place UMS Time Attack: 1:06.2

Victories and track records! INDE Motorsports Ranch is a new track located down in Wilcox, AZ. Preparation was the key to my success. I networked my way into getting some test time before the event. So heading into the weekend I was well prepared and ready to win. Saturday morning I hit the track for the first Time Trial session and immediately found traffic. With the track folding in on itself, I was able to see my competition, so I let the group fight it out ahead of me. I then focused on getting a gap to nail a winning time. With a time of 2:04.1 I locked up the win early on and let the rest fight for 2nd place. This was good as I had some overheating issues due to my new radiator overpowering my old hoses. A quick run up to the store and it was fixed. After a quick test run to confirm it was resolved, it was onto the Time Attack, with a 2:04.7 I was able to hold onto the win.

That night I went over the track map and found 3 places I could go faster and put it all together in one session. So first time out Sunday I put down 2 laps in Time Trial and ran 2:03.3! I then went on to a 2:03.7 in the Time Attack. So 4 first place finishes in as many attempts, and no off track excursions. It was nice to tackle a big event like that with the travel to get there and the unexpected that the track can throw out you. The next event is June 4/5 @ FIR East, so not much time left before the next event and there is always more preparation that can be done.

Weekend Results:

Saturday
1st Place NASA-TT: 2:04.1
1st Place UMS Time Attack: 2:04.7

Sunday
1st Place NASA-TT: 2:03.3
1st Place UMS Time Attack: 2:03.6

NASA-AZ’s night event at Firebird is the biggest event of the year and I’ve never had much luck.  I’ve had mechanical failures the 2 previous years I competed in the event.  But heading into the event this year I was confident there would be no mechanical issues.  The event would actually be split into two events, one in the morning/afternoon at the West track and the other in the afternoon/night on the Main track.  I was set to compete in both NASA Time Trial and UMS Time Attack.  Going for 3 wins on 2 different tracks in 1 day was no easy task.

So the plan was simple win everything, all day and night!  Well, that plan got derailed rather quickly as I struggled all over the West track.  With no grip and diabolical handling, I was unable to put a solid lap together.  One of my competitors put in a strong 1:06.8 laptime while I was way back with a 1:08.2 after the first session.  Unable to make it on track for the 2nd session I went out for the third and final session on the West track. I gave everything I had and more, but it wasn’t enough.  A 1:07:6 was the best I could produce with the car.  Having to settle for 2nd was tough to deal with, but fortunately the event quickly moved onto the Main track.  A fresher set of tires and I was out for the 2nd session on the Main track around 7pm under the lights.  Knowing that I had the car to get the job done, I hit the track ready to go for victory.  It was absolutely crazy out on track, with some 2-3 wide action and eating up slower cars mid session.  Somehow I was able to get a gap and put the hammer down for 2 laps and got the time I needed to win, 1:12.2!  I had a short break before I had to compete in the UMS Time Attack where I was determined to keep my Time Attack win streak alive!  So I ripped off another 1:12.2 and called it a night with another win in hand.

Weekend Results:
2nd Place NASA-TT: 1:07.6 (West Track)
1st Place NASA-TT: 1:12.2 (Main Track)
1st Place UMS Time Attack: 1:12.2 (Main Track)

Here’s a photo of my front splitter after my TT and Time Attack runs on the Main track.  My Dad said as long as I keep winning he doesn’t mind fixing the splitter, I’ll do as I’m told!

What a day, what a track, what a car, thankfully it was not a day of what if’s!  The goal for the day was to compete and win in both NASA-TT and UMS Time Attack.  Mission accomplished, but it certainly was not as easy as it appeared.

Coming off a tough event at FIR East where I drove off track Saturday, I planned to have a smooth event this time around.  Having to get the car realigned in between events, I quickly found out the specs I provided were not so good.  The car was slow to turn in and then just understeered through to corner exit.  Rather than try to change a bunch of things on the car, I just let the track come to me.  Even when the car isn’t to my liking, it’s still one badass ride as long as I keep her on the road.  Within 2 sessions the track was in better shape and I was able to put in a solid time for NASA-TT.  Then it was onto UMS Time Attack where I planned just keep the car on the road, and bring it home in 1 piece.  Fortunatley, this was enough to get the win in Time Attack as well.  So 2 events, 2 wins again, but the car was not as I would like, bad news for the competition!  With less than 2 weeks before the big Firebird night event, I am going to get the another alignment with some better specs.

The night event is NASA-AZ’s biggest event of the year, and now we’ll be competing on 2 tracks in 1 day!  Black Betty is entered into 3 events, and she’ll be ready to win all three as long as Rubber Toes is up to the challenge!

Weekend Results:
1st Place NASA-TT: 1:53.07 (TTD Track Record)
1st Place UMS Time Attack: 1:52.6 (TA-A Track Record)

What started out as a promising weekend, quickly turned into a trying weekend.  Black Betty had the fuel pump issue reslved, received new springs and had a fresh set of Hoosiers to break in for the upcoming AMP event.  The plan was to run 2-3 sessions each day to dial in the new springs and get a couple of fun runs in if time allowed.  First session out I had to get through some traffic to run some fast laps.  The car was great right from the start and I was able to lock in a time that would be good enough to win.  I made a swaybar change and was ready to attack the 2nd session…

The car was better, and I started to really attack.  As I slid off the track at turn 9, I knew it wasn’t going to be good.  I caught a little hangtime and spun the car as it came back onto the track.  It took two starts for the engine to keep running, then it was off to the pits to assess the damage.  The inside of the curbing cut my right front tire and bent the rim.  A fresh set of tires resolved that issue, but the alignment was off.  Right hand turns were not an issue, left hand turns however were sketchy.  Thankfully, FIR East only has 3 simple left hand, but 7 right hand corners.

I spent the rest of my evening driving laps in my mind as I prepared to redeem myself Sunday.  First session out, I got to grid early and put in 5 solid laps to set a time no one could match.  I then kicked back and prepared myself for the Time Attack later in the day.  I wasn’t pleased with my performance in TA due to overshooting my brake zone into turn 1 each lap.  But it was good enough to win and break the previous track record by over 2 seconds!

So you maybe down, but never out.  It was my fault for going off the track, but I had the opportunity to make it right.

Weekend Results:
Saturday: 1st Place NASA-TT, 1:06.6
Sunday: 1st Place NASA-TT, 1:06.4 | 1st Place UMS Time Attack, 1:06.6

The first race of the 2011 MBAA race @ McDowell Mtn was a big deal for me.  I have been training for the State Championship event in Flagstaff this summer and this was to kick off that campaign.  Competing in the SingleSpeed class I was looking to finally conquer my nemesis, McDowell Mtn.  I’ve raced there 4 times previous and always on the podium, but never on the top step.  So the plan was to hang with the leaders if I could and then burn ‘em with 4miles to go.

The start of the race was an absolute disaster due to getting launched right after the CAT 3 guys.  This made for quite an entertaining first half of the race, I certainly didn’t make any friends along the way, I always knew my sharp elbows would come in handy someday….  I settled into 3rd place behind 2 DNA cycle riders, but quickly grew tired of our passing struggles.  So I let it be known and put the hammer down to get some clean track.  Moving up to 2nd place and enjoying some clean track I worked on keeping my cardio in check, unfortunately this put me back into 3rd behind a rider who also made it known he didn’t care for my previous action.  Now back in 3rd I just focused on surviving the cardio sections and not using the brakes on the fast twisty sections.  This strategy put me right on the leaders rear wheels heading into the final lap.

Again hitting some nasty traffic on the tech loop climb, I shouted, used elbows and was called a not so nice name.  However, I was still in 3rd and within reach of the leaders when we completed the final big climb.  This lead right onto a fast rocky section and I was up for the challenge.  As we made our decent I was in position to have a shot at the win.  I rode the leaders rear wheel for 1 more mile and with the final 4 in front of me, I went for it.  Shooting into the lead and pulling a gap was a beautiful thing.  The personal training and dieting efforts of Kim Saari of Strong for Life had paid off and I was going prove it.  However, with half a mile to go the karma police sprung into action and my rear wheel quick release had come undone.  As I frantically fixed my rear wheel and waved to 2nd and 3rd as they reclaimed their spot.  I finally got it fixed and rode on to 3rd place.

Now I realize this is a respectable finish, I get that.  I also, understand that people race to have fun as do I.  However, I race to win, that’s the fun part for me.  Although, I am a bit dejected right now, I will stay the course and am more motivated than ever to continue this effort.  The next event I return to the track I’ve won twice, Estrella Mtn.  This event is going to be a crucial part in a monumental weekend effort, win 4 events in 2 days!  I’ll have more info on this upcoming adventure soon.