Greatrace 2013 is in the bag. And the winner is......
Barry and Irene Jason from Keller, Texas (grand-champion)! Congrats to Barry and Irene. BTW, they are repeat winners... they won last year too.
And the 2013 Sportsman class winner....
Dixie Racing!!!! YEAH! WE WON!
Special thanks again to Danny Byington and Alan Calvert. The car ran perfect.
And special, special thanks to my nephew Preston. Awesome job buddy!
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Greatrace 2013 - Day 8
I believe it was Charles Dickens who said, "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times."
Let's start with the "worst of times." We got a 28 second leg. Ugh! We took a speed adjustment at the wrong sign. We weren't sure exactly how much time to make up, so we "hacked" off the car in front of us. Bad idea. They were off too. Nuff said. As mentioned in an earlier post, no scores are dropped on days 8 and 9. So we got what we got....
The Best of times: three Aces!!!!! The car was dialed in and we had an outstanding run.
Leg 1: 1 second early
Leg 2: ACE
Leg 3: 2 second early
Leg 4: 3 second late
Leg 5: ACE
Leg 6: 1 second late
Leg 7: 4 second early
Leg 8: 28 second late (uuuggghhhh!)
Leg 9: ACE
Leg 10: 3 second late
That's a 42 second raw; 34.65 second adjusted.
I'm not sure of standing- they haven't been published. My guess is that we dropped out of 1st. But we should still be "in the hunt."
THIS JUST IN: the results are out; and we're basically tied for 1st in class (16th overall). Technically, we're 2nd in class. The other team is 6/10th of a second ahead. Whew! Dodged a bullet today with the 28 second leg.
Let's start with the "worst of times." We got a 28 second leg. Ugh! We took a speed adjustment at the wrong sign. We weren't sure exactly how much time to make up, so we "hacked" off the car in front of us. Bad idea. They were off too. Nuff said. As mentioned in an earlier post, no scores are dropped on days 8 and 9. So we got what we got....
The Best of times: three Aces!!!!! The car was dialed in and we had an outstanding run.
Leg 1: 1 second early
Leg 2: ACE
Leg 3: 2 second early
Leg 4: 3 second late
Leg 5: ACE
Leg 6: 1 second late
Leg 7: 4 second early
Leg 8: 28 second late (uuuggghhhh!)
Leg 9: ACE
Leg 10: 3 second late
That's a 42 second raw; 34.65 second adjusted.
I'm not sure of standing- they haven't been published. My guess is that we dropped out of 1st. But we should still be "in the hunt."
THIS JUST IN: the results are out; and we're basically tied for 1st in class (16th overall). Technically, we're 2nd in class. The other team is 6/10th of a second ahead. Whew! Dodged a bullet today with the 28 second leg.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Greatrace 2013 - Day 7
Day seven is in the bag. It has been an amazing week. We have watched the endless cornfields turn to cotton fields. We have watched the weather go from 80's to 100's. And the food is now all BBQ. You know you're in a Southern gas station when they sell a rack of ribs and fried cat fish along with the gas!
Alas, our performance continues to slide:
Leg 1: 11 seconds early
Leg 2: 4 seconds late
Leg 3: 9 seconds early
Leg 4: 3 seconds late
Leg 5: 4 second late
We're still 1st in class by just hundredths of a second, and 15th overall.
Tomorrow is when the REAL race begins. Until now, the worst 5 leg scores have been dropped. Tomorrow and Sunday, no drops. All leg scores count. If the car breaks down, too bad.
Alas, our performance continues to slide:
Leg 1: 11 seconds early
Leg 2: 4 seconds late
Leg 3: 9 seconds early
Leg 4: 3 seconds late
Leg 5: 4 second late
We're still 1st in class by just hundredths of a second, and 15th overall.
Tomorrow is when the REAL race begins. Until now, the worst 5 leg scores have been dropped. Tomorrow and Sunday, no drops. All leg scores count. If the car breaks down, too bad.
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Greatrace 2013 - Day 6
We are now officially two-thirds of the way complete. We finished yesterday 1st in class and 10th overall. I'm sure we slipped a few more spots today. It wasn't a steller performance.
Bottom-line: lack of sleep + lack of caffine + warm car = sleepy driver
Leg 1: 14 seconds late (YGTBSM!!!!!)
Leg 2: 4 seconds early
Leg 3: 1 second late
It was a long, hot day. Seven of our compatriots ended up on the trailer. The 100 degree heat and hard running took its toll.
Three more days to go.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Greatrace 2013 - Day 5
Quick post tonight. Long day. Early start tomorrow.
Results:
Leg 1: 3 early
Leg 2: Ace!
Leg 3: 3 late
Leg 4: 1 late
Leg 5: 6 early
Leg 6: 7 early
That two aces so far; but just a so-so score. I haven't seen the standings, but we probably slipped a few spots. There's always tomorrow.... and we are more than halfway through.
Results:
Leg 1: 3 early
Leg 2: Ace!
Leg 3: 3 late
Leg 4: 1 late
Leg 5: 6 early
Leg 6: 7 early
That two aces so far; but just a so-so score. I haven't seen the standings, but we probably slipped a few spots. There's always tomorrow.... and we are more than halfway through.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Greatrace 2013 - Day 4
The Good: no flat tires, no over-heating, no rain (yeah!).
The Bad: a hornet flew in the car and as I'm frantically swiping at it, a deer ran into the road, and then a tractor loaded with hay pulled in front of us. Thankfully, nobody died.
The Ugly: the next time it's 97 degrees out, drive around with ur windows down and the heater on full blast. Yeah, baby! That's what it's like great-racing in this car.
Actually, I really like my 1935 Ford. Good torque. Easy to drive. A little hot, but hey.
We did okay:
Leg 1: 2 sec early
Leg 2: 2 sec early
Leg 3: 2 sec early
Leg 4: 7 sec early
Cumulative, we're still 1st in class and 7th overall. But we're only on day 4. The REAL competition is still five days away....
PS- yesterday, I left my gas cap at a fuel stop. Preston and I smelled a strong gas odor as we raced down the road. I stopped and fixed it with rubber bands and a plastic bag (southern engineering). Someone found it and it made its way back to me.... :)
The Bad: a hornet flew in the car and as I'm frantically swiping at it, a deer ran into the road, and then a tractor loaded with hay pulled in front of us. Thankfully, nobody died.
The Ugly: the next time it's 97 degrees out, drive around with ur windows down and the heater on full blast. Yeah, baby! That's what it's like great-racing in this car.
Actually, I really like my 1935 Ford. Good torque. Easy to drive. A little hot, but hey.
We did okay:
Leg 1: 2 sec early
Leg 2: 2 sec early
Leg 3: 2 sec early
Leg 4: 7 sec early
Cumulative, we're still 1st in class and 7th overall. But we're only on day 4. The REAL competition is still five days away....
PS- yesterday, I left my gas cap at a fuel stop. Preston and I smelled a strong gas odor as we raced down the road. I stopped and fixed it with rubber bands and a plastic bag (southern engineering). Someone found it and it made its way back to me.... :)
Monday, June 24, 2013
Greatrace 2013 - Day 3
[Hey Danny, no flat tires so far!]
In no particular order:
Ours friends Barry & Jule have had 3 flats in 4 days. They had the tubes taken out of all four tires today.
We started the day with more rain. Ugh!
Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri sure have a lot of corn. I mean, as far as the eye can see....
We had a pretty good day:
Leg 1: 7 sec
Leg 2: 2 sec
Leg 3: ACE!!
Leg: 4: 1 sec
Cumulative so far, we are 1st in class and 7th overall.
In no particular order:
Ours friends Barry & Jule have had 3 flats in 4 days. They had the tubes taken out of all four tires today.
We started the day with more rain. Ugh!
Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri sure have a lot of corn. I mean, as far as the eye can see....
We had a pretty good day:
Leg 1: 7 sec
Leg 2: 2 sec
Leg 3: ACE!!
Leg: 4: 1 sec
Cumulative so far, we are 1st in class and 7th overall.
Day 2 Update
As of this morning, we're 1st in class and 8th overall. A lot can change in the next seven days....
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Greatrace 2013 - Day 2
Arrived in Davenport, Iowa tonight. It was pretty good:
Leg 1: 2 sec
Leg 2: 1 sec
Leg 3: 1 sec
Leg 4: 11 sec
Not sure what happened on the last leg.
Funny thing happened while we were at the finish line tonight. The owner of a local pizzeria stuck a pizza through the drivers window and asked if he could take a picture. We posed. He snapped a pic. We got a free pizza. Sa-weet! Is this how rock stars live?
Leg 1: 2 sec
Leg 2: 1 sec
Leg 3: 1 sec
Leg 4: 11 sec
Not sure what happened on the last leg.
Funny thing happened while we were at the finish line tonight. The owner of a local pizzeria stuck a pizza through the drivers window and asked if he could take a picture. We posed. He snapped a pic. We got a free pizza. Sa-weet! Is this how rock stars live?
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Greatrace 2013 - Day 1
Day1. The good news: No flat tires. Car didn't over-heat. No rain (during the rally). Bad news: after the rally, prior to getting the hotel, ANOTHER TORRENTIAL DOWN POUR!! Uuggggh! Enough rain!
I saw an Amish horse and buggy on the road today. I'm not sure who looked funnier- him or me (in my 1930's knickers).
Quote of the Day: Preston, "Gee, Wisconsin is just like I pictured it...."
We did okay.
Leg 1: 5 sec early
Leg 2: 1 sec late
Leg3: 5 sec early
Leg 4: 16 sec late
Raw score 27; adjusted score 22.28; after dropping one leg = 9 sec!
I saw an Amish horse and buggy on the road today. I'm not sure who looked funnier- him or me (in my 1930's knickers).
Quote of the Day: Preston, "Gee, Wisconsin is just like I pictured it...."
We did okay.
Leg 1: 5 sec early
Leg 2: 1 sec late
Leg3: 5 sec early
Leg 4: 16 sec late
Raw score 27; adjusted score 22.28; after dropping one leg = 9 sec!
Friday, June 21, 2013
Greatrace 2013 - Day 0
Tonight's post will be quick. It was an interesting day that culminated in a trophy run (practice rally). This allows veterans to scrape off the rust, and rookies to gain experience before the big show begins. The car performed flawlessly. No flat tires! I was worried about our "tubeless" set up, but so far - no problems. The same couldn't be said for our friends Barry and Juke. They too have new tires and went with the recommended tubes. They had not one but TWO flats today! Uggh.
Our problems didn't start until AFTER the rally, on the way home. The skies opened up and a torrential flood came down. The car stalled out and had to be towed home the final 10 miles (thanks to Jim and the guys at Hemmings Motor News for the help!). We dried out the distributor cap and should be good to go for tomorrow.
We did well today considering I haven't rallied in two years and my nephew has never rallied before. We ended up with a 17.33 second day (33th out of 99 cars)
Raw scores:
Leg 1: 1 sec late
Leg 2: 14 sec late
Leg 3: 3 sec late
Leg 4: 3 sec late
(note: our raw score was 21 sec (x) times our age factor .825 (1935) = 17.33)
The winning time in our class was a 3 sec raw score: Ace, Ace, Ace, 3...... whew! That's good.
For the record: we got a 14 second on leg 2 because we missed a turn. Preston saw it, called it, and I drove past! Totally my fault. Uggh.
Our problems didn't start until AFTER the rally, on the way home. The skies opened up and a torrential flood came down. The car stalled out and had to be towed home the final 10 miles (thanks to Jim and the guys at Hemmings Motor News for the help!). We dried out the distributor cap and should be good to go for tomorrow.
We did well today considering I haven't rallied in two years and my nephew has never rallied before. We ended up with a 17.33 second day (33th out of 99 cars)
Raw scores:
Leg 1: 1 sec late
Leg 2: 14 sec late
Leg 3: 3 sec late
Leg 4: 3 sec late
(note: our raw score was 21 sec (x) times our age factor .825 (1935) = 17.33)
The winning time in our class was a 3 sec raw score: Ace, Ace, Ace, 3...... whew! That's good.
For the record: we got a 14 second on leg 2 because we missed a turn. Preston saw it, called it, and I drove past! Totally my fault. Uggh.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Greatrace 2013 - Prelude Continued
We made it! We are actually at the Airport Marriott across from the Mall of America! The entire trip took 15 hours 24 minutes and 49 seconds...... and 953.4 miles. We dropped our stuff at the hotel, returned the U-haul truck & trailer, and got the car put away. Tomorrow, we have registration, technical inspection, and a reception. We have a few things to do to the car: calibrate the speedo, check the oil, etc.
Now would be a good time to thank Danny Byington and Alan Calvert. Without both of these guys, I would not be here now ready to race. They are patient friends and highly skilled. Thanks guys!
Stand by - more to come....
Now would be a good time to thank Danny Byington and Alan Calvert. Without both of these guys, I would not be here now ready to race. They are patient friends and highly skilled. Thanks guys!
Stand by - more to come....
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Greatrace 2013 - Prelude
And so it begins. My nephew, Preston, and I departed today for St. Paul, MN and the start of the 2013 Greatrace. We made it to Kansas City and will finish the trip to St. Paul tomorrow. Today was uneventful - except for 20 minutes of torrential rain and hail. The car made it through unscathed. We're towing the Ford up with a u-haul truck/trailer. We're going to drive the rally then drive home from Alabama. That's Plan A...
More tomorrow. Cheers!
More tomorrow. Cheers!
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