My 'no-burnout' burnout
Staging
Slowest reaction time in NE3G
Yep - it reads 14.17 @ 96.81
The 69 Adventure
Chapter 19 – MY First Race 8/22/02
After Mac's racing the car for the first time and going through the nerves from hell, I knew I had to get that first race behind me. It was a milestone I had both looked forward to and dreaded for over a year and it would haunt me until it had been run.
PK had hurt his back and when I called him the day before, his mom had to take the phone to him while he was lying on the floor, immobile. I didn't want to race without PK there. It sounds silly, but I felt I needed him. I told myself how stupid I was being and put it in the back of my mind. Before I left for the track, I found out PK was going to be there afterall - he couldn't move or stand in the pits, but he would be sitting in the stands. PK knows how to bring tears to my eyes!
I invited Sam. He planned on meeting us at the track after work and racing the 86 Fiero for the first time. He was bringing Heather. I didn't want an audience, but PK, Sam, Heather, and Kat would be OK.
Kat came over and rewired the alternator, adjusted the steering box, did one more look over of the car and we loaded up the wagon with a few extras, the digi, and headed for the track. Shell was going to stay home to study, although she might catch up with us later.
Four miles down Rt 37 in traffic, the temp gauge hit 180. It had only gotten that hot once. I was already nervous and I my tummy was telling me something wasn't right. The temp gauge slowly kept climbing and I swung out into the middle lane to try to move a bit faster. Kat, in front of me, did the same. The temp gauge slid higher. I pulled back into the slow lane just before the Parkway and pulled into a parking lot. Kat swung around and I told him it was running warm. He popped the hood before it hit 220. The fan fuse had blown - probably when we were messing with the alternator. A quick fix. Rat-ass Bastard was kicking me already.
Turning the car back on, I hadn't even gotten it in gear, when the passenger compartment started filling with 'smoke'. I knew I hadn't overheated enough to do damage to the engine; it didn't smell like oil, brake, or tranny and the engine was running good - the gauges were all normal - even the temp gauge!. Kat was out of the car in a split second and popping the hood. The power steering hose had split and fluid was ALL over everything! The 'smoke' was from the fluid on the hot engine. Kick #2 for the Bastard!
Kat headed off in search of a new hose, while I waited with the car. I called Sam...I didn't know if I was going to ever get to the track. Called Shell too.
Of course it took stops at two parts stores and we didn't have the right wrench and all sorts of little glitches, but Kitty didn't give up and after bruised knuckles, ALOT of roadside cursing, and many more phone calls, we were on our way. I don't think Kat was going to let me out of racing for any excuse! No more incidents...well except for Sam not having money to get into the track...but that's another story.
At Atco, they never checked for tech, just wrote numbers on the windows and I got in line. I wanted race #1 over with. They put me in the left lane. I hate the left lane.
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My 'no-burnout' burnout |
Staging |
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Slowest reaction time in NE3G |
Yep - it reads 14.17 @ 96.81 |
Not very fast for this car. It didn't feel fast.....didn't feel as fast as a 15.3 in the vert! I didn't 'launch' it, didn't give it more than maybe 1/4-1/3 throttle. But it ran straight, didn't shimmy, felt solid, and stopped fine. I was comfortable and ready to try to actually race the car now that I knew how it handled over 60 mph.
I headed back to the lanes. Kitty took money to get Sam in my biggest fear was they were going to line him up next to me. Sure enough, it looked that way for a bit. There was NO WAY I was racing Sam! Heather took the camera.....and the only other decent pic of the 69 racing for the rest of the night is below :).
Second race felt fast - as fast as the vert at 15.3. But the front end was all over the road just after the 1/8 mile mark, probably about 90 mph or so. I still didn't launch, just hit the gas. And I let off way before the quarter mile mark. I didn't like the brakes either.
I watched Sam's run as I came down the return lanes. He was safe, not happy, but safe.
I knew I was faster than the first run, but I had no idea how much faster. Without my glasses, I am blind. So I had to pick up the time slip and head back to the lanes and dig out the glasses or ask someone to read me the slip. I had met my goals for the night - to get my first race behind me and to get the car into the 12's.
Kat could now race the car. And race it he did! He produced a best run of 12.44 @109.75.
In search of PK, I snagged celebratory french fries which the two of us shared. Of course, he offered me a PK beer, but I had to decline. I had to drive the bastard home and go to work the next day! I owe him a celebration. Shell showed up and Nate was there!
After Kat's two runs, I decided to try for one more. And the weatherman was proven a liar once again. A few sprinkles became a regular rain storm. PK volunteered his driveway as sleeping quarters for the Bastard for the night. I was not driving it home in the rain! Sam didn't want to wait for us and got lost. I followed PK to his house, feeling like I was doing a burnout the whole way there, I had such little traction! PK donated a plastic bag to cover the air cleaner and the cover from his car, and the Bastard was parked in the VIP spot. Good thing PK's pop wasn't sleeping, we would have woken him!.
| Not bad for the 2nd night at the track and only 5 runs out
of this car. Neither Kat nor I liked the way it handled over 90 mph;
both of us were letting off. Neither of us felt like we were pushing
the car. The car has a lot of potential left in it yet....it also
has a few things we still need to work on before we can tap that
potential. But we're getting there.
The moose had a good couple of rides tonight!
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