TCRA at Willow Springs - March 22 & 23

[caliviper]

Hey Guys,

Bob Blizzard has become available to coach / teach / ride along with a few of us on Saturday at this event.  As you may recall, Bob is the chief driving instructor for Viper Days, so it doesn't get any better.  His cost for the day should be about $600.00 ($500 plus gas).  I'm in for splitting his cost with our group if we can get three other guys to go for it ($150 each for the day).  I'm guessing that Ben and I will run advanced (so we could each get Bob to ride with us for two sessions).  Lance and Bruce could also split Bob's time if they ran in other than the advanced group.

Please let me know if you guys are interested and I'll set this up with Bob and TCRA.

Thanks,

Dan  <2

Dan, I hope the other club members take you up on this offer.  Instruction is the best way to go faster.  Spending a day with a good driver will make you faster than spending $2,000 on go fast parts for your car, that is for sure.  If you haven't been consistently tracking your viper for at least a year, than you're likely at 70% of the car's potential at best, even if you think you're at 100%.   If you don't think so, on a day when Bob Blizzard or Terry Rossi is instructing, have one of them take the car out and you'll likely see several seconds knocked off the time.

I've had both Bob and Terry instruct me.  Bob scared the crap out of me at THunderhill when he drove my car because we were going so fast (this was when I first bought my car and was learning to time trial.) Then I took him out in a Lotus Elise at Texas World Speedway to show him how much better I got and we went flying off the track (Oh the terrors of being an instructor.)   Then after I went to wheel-to-wheel racing I had Terry spend 3 days with me at Willow Springs and while I didnt get scared (you finally do get past this) I learned some good stuff.  Not only that, but he aligned my car to where we knocked off 3 seconds per lap, confirmed via GPS and HotLap Timer by both of us running 1:23's there on 9 cylinders (1 plug was toast.)

Anyway, glad you are trying to get the group to buy in to one of these guys for each event.  Good stuff and good guidance by the club.  Learning one or two things somebody is doing wrong on the track may eventually save them from harming the car or themselves.

Manny

[Banzai Ben]

I'm going in on the instruction with Bob Blizzard. Looking forward to it.
Thanks for the great info and advice Manny. 1:23! Wow! That must be one scary ass ride!

Ben

[ViperX]

Hey Guys,

Looks like we have our 4 club members for in car instruction by Bob Blizzard at this event.  Ben, Lance, Mike Buckingham and myself will split Bob's time with in car instruction.

We've rented a garage for the weekend too, so we can spend time off track with Bob continuing to work with us.

Hope to see some other club members come out to drive and / or watch.  You guys that are coming but aren't going to have Bob ride with you can always do a lead / follow, i.e. follow that car that Bob is riding in.

Dan  8)

[redtanrt10]

Dan, thanks again, just got back from the NY auto show, nice to be back in SC.  Diann will be coming up so I hope Cathy is going to be there also.  We'll probably get up there around 9:30 pm or so Friday night.  Hope to catch up for breakfast.  Mike

[ViperX]

Hey Mike,

Glad you're back.

Yes, Cathy is coming.  We're going to try and get up there in time to park the trailer at the track and head over to the hotel.  We'll be in the Connor garage.

We're staying at the Antelope Valley Best Western.

Driver's meeting is at 8:30 AM at the track. 

We'll likely meet you guys for breakfast at about 6:45 AM at the hotel.  The breakfast is pretty good for an "included" breakfast.

See you there.

Dan  ^2

[redtanrt10]

Great, we're at the best western also. I need to get tech'd so we'll probably try to get out of breakfast by 7:15, see you there!

[ViperX]

We need to get tech'd too, so breakfast will be quick (it's buffet style).

Dan

[PCH VIPER]

THANK YOU Dan and Cathy !!
It was so nice having the garage to hang out in with drinks and snacks !  We are so spoiled.

I can't say enough about how great an instructor Bob Blizzard is. 
I'm so glad Dan was able to get him to spend the day with us.  I learned so much and had huge fun !!

<2   <2   <2   <2

I also need to thank Diann for taking pictures while I was out on the track.  There are some really great shots !

I posted pictures on my site www.kouchicentral.com

[PCH VIPER]

Here are some of the pictures from Saturday







OGO was there to keep an eye on us rookies.  Thanks for all the tips.


Diann and Deb

[PCH VIPER]

Track pictures

[PCH VIPER]

A few more

[ViperX]

Hey Lance,

What do you think of "Sidewinders" as a name for our track group?

Dan

[redtanrt10]

Dan

Really a great time, thanks for all the work and hospitality you and Cathy did for us!!  It was great to have Bob there for us also!  Hopefully we can get him out again.  How was Sunday?  I figured you and 5 other cars in your sessions?

Lance,

Great pictures, Diann wants your camera! I'll show here the link tonight.

Mike

PS, I think I broke the RR KW either on the 405 going up (the two bumps that my rear tow hook scraped -I'll never go that way again)  or finally on the track? Any advice on a shop closer then DC or A&C?

[Banzai Ben]

I'd also like to thank Dan and Cathy for again providing such a nice place to hang out at in between runs. Thank you Dan, for arranging the instruction by Bob Blizzard. He knocked two seconds off my lap times! He is awesome. I bet you probably ran faster too. Did you try some more of his tips on Sunday?

Thank you Lance and Diann for the great pics. Lance and Mike, you guys looked great out there on the track.

It was a pleasure spending the day with all of you.

Thanks,

Ben

P.S. Dan, I like the name.

[PCH VIPER]

Sidewinders is a good one.
I'll get to work on some designs.


Hey Ben, I was just glad that I stayed ON the track !   Did you make it to the show?   I was dead tired by the time I got home.