MCA 30th at Barber Motorsports Park

[bolt-on]

Rick McNutt and I have registered to run open track Thursday, August 31, and Friday, September 1. Any other SCMC members running or showing their cars at Barber Motorsports Park during the MCA's 30th Anniversary? As for the show Rick's 97 Cobra vert will be display only in the SVT Cobra corral. Our Cobra coupe will be in Judge's Choice 1997 Cobra Closed. Looks like our white 1997 track Cobras will look like weeds in the flower garden compared to what you usually see in a MCA showfield.

Yes, MCA is placing speed limits on the run groups, but with 17 turns in 2.3 miles I do not think they will be much of an issue.

[Hazman]

Brett is bringing the Yeller car down also...well actually I am bringing it down on the trailer with mine. It seems like I always wind up carring this guy one way or another!!

[Hazman]

Thought I would put this in upcoming events. How many SCMC members are planning to come to Barber for this event? If we can get 15 cars we can have our own corral maybe!!

[Hazman]

Well we had a great time at Barber. The track and facility look more like a golf course country club that a racing facility!!! The track itself is challenging and a blast to drive. Diving into the down hill esses in 4th, braking over the gator, downshifting to third and then cranking it hard right onto the back straight at WOT and then up and over the hill or hitting the late apex just right and going WOT over the blind hill of the tunnel turn were my two favorites.

Larry Bolton, Brett Marshall, Brian West, Jayne and I had a great time. We got through tech Wed. evening and were ready for some track time Thursday morning. We were all in group B with D being beginners upto A being mostly full track cars. It was a big step for Jayne and I to go out on a new technical track without an instructor!! We were more than a little nervous however by the third session of the day we had somewhat of a line figured out and were not handing out to many point bys.

I did spend part of two sessions Thursday sitting off the track watching the action. My car was shredding belts!! Finally I removed the offending AC delete pulley, replaced the tensioner and went with a 11.5 inch shorter belt. That seemed to work until the last 6th session of the day. I then adjusted the alternator position and managed to last through Friday. I guess three belts sacraficed to the track gods was sufficient.

Late Thursday a friend of ours David who ran with us at TGP showed up. He has several thousand miles on track at Barber and gave us some pointers to improve our lines and really bump us up a notch. Well it worked very well with Jayne and I getting bumped to A group! Jayne more than held her own even driving a lowly Mustang Cobra instead of her usual Z06. Brett would have been there with us but A group required rollover protection and a harness.

I had a blast in the new track car and got to run with some good drivers. I did have 4 wheel off late Friday chasing a really quick fox body but I just let the car drift off at the back chicane went around the track out cone and right back on track and only lost about 4 car lengths on him but even though I had not gotten the black flag yet I went in any way to take my medicine and the session ended while I was in.

All in all it was a great couple of days with some SCMC friends. We were flying the club logos and windshield banners with pride and hopefully represented the club well.

Now to get the cars ready for the Cobra Nationals!!!

[Yeller']

Originally Posted by Hazman

It seems like I always wind up carring this guy one way or another!!

But you're my hero, and as my hero you bare certain responsibilities... just think of me as an understudy. Hey, by the way, email me that pic you took.

Barber was awesome, it's like a golf course that someone accidentally dropped a road course on to, very beautiful.

The "speed limit" thing was gay, and them holding up circa-1965 radar guns at the drivers meeting was even gayer.

I said "If I get zapped, I swear I'm hooking up my radar-detector."

Everybody laughed... I guess they thought I was joking.

Lame... radar guns at an open track event. Although, I know our group had to be over the limit every session, so they must not enforce it.

All in all, awesome time though, just be prepared for some "over the top" rules. MCA was 100% on-schedule the entire time, so kudos for that!