Rabu, 26 April 2017

Taking on Track Night in America



Last year the SCCA started a new program called Track Night in America.  It focuses on fun, non-competitive events at racetracks across the country and week nights.  The idea is you get off work a little early, get to the track, have some fun and then get home at a decent hour to get back to work the next day.

This month I decided to check out the event at Carolina Motorsports Park on a Thursday night. Several of the local SCR folks were out and we had a great time playing on track for three 20 minute sessions.  Generally it was much more relaxed than other track events, but for those of us just wanting to come out for a little bit of cheap track time, it was a great deal.
Image result for cmp map

Just about any car that's safe to drive on the road is allowed and it's a cool way to get a sense of what all this performance driving stuff is all about.  You can check out all of the Track Night events in your area here:

https://www.tracknightinamerica.com/


I had so much fun I forgot to take pictures, but Lemons/Coronet teammate, John had his camera rolling and got a few laps on track behind me in the red Miata:


The first weekend in May will see both the NMS North and South cars AND the Lemons Coronet out at CMP again with NASA. More on-track action to come!

Minggu, 23 April 2017

Lemons Coronet Update

The team was back at it today in Augusta, Georgia where the car currently resides.  The checklist to be ready for shakedown testing in early May at Carolina Motorsports Park is looming large.
Always more fun when there's more than 1 racecar around.

Big thanks to one of our newer teammates, Landon who is storing the car for now and let us use his shop space to work on the car alongside his own racecar. Up first we needed to service the rear axles and brakes, so I got to work removing the drum brakes and axles. 
With a bit of muscle and a ratchet, the rear axles pop right out.

We uncovered a little wear on the rear driver axle, so we'll investigate further next weekend but suspect a failed wheel bearing was allowing it to shift inboard too much and contacted the inside of the differential.  
On the left, you can see metal material that's been transferred onto the axle.  On the right, this one is like new. 

Up front, we refreshed the slightly larger calipers we sourced and got to work tearing down the front suspension.  Several bushings were completely torn up and the ball joints were looking questionable. We all voted to make the car safer to drive, so we'll be servicing all of those components. 
This pretty much sums up the overall state of a lot of suspension components.

While I was going through latex gloves at an unrivaled pace with the mix of axle grease, gear oil, and brake fluid, Landon was tackling the slick new hood pins up front.  While the factory hood latch was okay, the Coronet has one heavy duty hunk of steel covering the motor, so we wanted to really keep it in place.  We'll chalk that up to a safety improvement as well. 
New hood pin installed. Nice and flush mount unit to preserve that awesome 70s aerodynamic body.

Luke, our electrical guru was busy inside the car buried in copper, relays, and switches.  The car is getting very close to having full road-worthy lighting.  On Friday I transferred the title to myself from the previous owner in Texas, so we will have the option to street drive the car for testing or transportation to events or just bringing it out to cars and coffee if we want. 
Luke making spaghetti.

Today we also test fit a new routing for the brake ducts (because hauling down a heavy old car with drums in the back is going to need some serious cooling). We also managed to fix some failed valve spring retainers thanks to a good find at a local junkyard by Kyle.  

Old calipers get new gaskets and pistons.
Next weekend the full team will be back at it, possibly for a 2 day weekend to finalize the car for track time.  Everything is going to start coming together really quick and we're excited as ever. 

Shortly after this photo it exploded into a hundred pieces and a cloud of dust. More abused suspension components.

Sabtu, 22 April 2017

Williamsburg British and European Show Highlights

MORGAN

Up near Williamsburg Virginia this morning, we visited the 18th annual British and European Car Show. I think there was some rain later in the morning, but for the time we were there it was nice weather. We last visited this show two years ago, and I remember seeing some French cars at that one, but this year, the focus was on British cars. Here's the British highlights from today, and we'll follow up with some nice Italian cars later this week too.

MG GT


MG GT


MORGAN PLUS 8



MODIFIED MG

MG SPOILER ALERT!
MORGAN WITH QUILT

TRIUMPH TR7

TRIUMPH TR6

AUSTIN HEALEY

LEYLAND MINI

LEYLAND BADGE
LEYLAND MINI

AUSTIN

AUSTIN

SUNBEAM ALPINE

SUNBEAM TIGER

TIGER


TRIUMPH

LOTUS ESPRIT

LOTUS ELAN

ASTON MARTIN DB7

MARCOS

MARCOS COSWORTH ENGINE
BENTLEY

BENTLEY

1949 DAIMLER DB18


SCCA's FIRST RallyCross School: South Carolina Region!

We've talked a little bit about taking your average auto-cross and driving it on dirt instead of pavement, and the increasing popularity of the sport has led the Sports Car Club of America to start a new program this year. Just like they have offered instructional schools for autocross, the SCCA is now bringing The Starting Line School program to Rally Cross, starting with our friends in the South Carolina SCCA Region! This school will be held May 6th in South Carolina, and you can "read all about it" and sign up at this link on the SCCA website: StartingLine RX SC

Kamis, 20 April 2017

The Ballad of 400,000 Volkswagens


Remember that big scandal where Volkswagen was found to be cheating on diesel engine MPG and pollution? Well, apparently they've now started buying back some of the offending cars, and from the couple of people I know with TDI VWs, it's working out pretty well for them since they're getting a good price on their used cars. If I owned one of them, I'd probably be happy selling it for more than it's book value too, but what is going to happen to those cars?

Glad you asked! We found this article Autoweek that talks about those cars. According to Autoweek, it looks like  about 482,000 cars are affected. Some of them can be fixed and then re-sold, but not all of them. As in MOST of them are likely to end up being recycled into soda cans or new VWs. I don't know about you, but that sounds like a lot of cars!

Another bit of good news, is that the 2015 year model TDI models just might still be sitting on VW sales lots, and with the appropriate fixes, can still be sold! So if you're looking for a possible bargain on a turbo-diesel VW, check your local dealer now. From what I could find on line, you have to ask your local dealer for this deal, since they don't seem to be advertising it much. This article from Cars Direct says to ask at your dealer before the end of May, and you should see something like zero percent financing and $8,000 off the price of a newly repaired 2015 TDI Cars Direct

For more information on the legal settlement, check out this page with tons of info direct from VW: VW Court Settlement

Selasa, 18 April 2017

Sinko de Mayo!

CMP 

 The 5th of May is coming, and the popularity of Cinco de Mayo is increasing every year, as people love to salute Mexican independence with tacos, tequila, etc. Down at the Carolina Motorsports Park (CMP) on May 6-7, the NMS team will be driving at the jokingly named "Sinko de Mayo" event. "What in the world is that" you're surely asking. Glad you asked! SINKO

Brian at CMP

The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) has two days chock full of racing, time trials, and their High Performance Driver Education (HPDE). The HPDE program is a great way to get out on track and learn the fastest way around the course. Starting with beginners in HPDE 1 (like me in the NMS FIAT), I'll be driving with an instructor in the car and working to learn as much as possible about driving the CMP course. As drivers gain more experience, they can move up through the HPDE levels 2-4.

Brian hits the finish line at CMP

NASA splits up all the HPDE classes and the races into different 20 minute sessions, so there will be constant action on track, but for each individual driver you'll have four different times out on track during each day, with time in between to make car adjustments, re-fuel, etc. The HPDE drivers also have classroom sessions to learn the basics of going out on track, such as the track layout, the meaning of flags and other safety topics for driving on course, and driving techniques. In other words, the weekend should consist of 20 minutes of really fun driving, followed by a break for a drink and check the car (tire pressures and etc), then another really fun 20 minutes on track, break, 20 minutes on track, break, 20 really fun minutes on track, lunch, FUN, break, FUN, break, FUN, break, FUN, then tacos! And that's just day number one! Repeat on Sunday, plus a heaping helping of hanging out with all these car folks below in the evening, and sleeping at the track.

Brian and the Dodge Coronet LeMons team will be using their HPDE sessions to shake down the car and test for reliability, fuel consumption, and getting more comfortable behind the wheel at speed.
In addition to the NMS and friends, there are a lot of drivers that will be headed to CMP for this event. All these drivers won't be on track at once!


2017 Sinko De Mayo


Name

Hometown

Car Info

Class / Group

Car#

TX #
Adrian, MichaelSpring, TX2011 BMW Gray
HPDE1
25
Araya, WalterCanton, GA1991 BMW Blue/Silver
Course Official
9945502
Bailey, VictoriaSpartanburg, SC1997 Ford Black
HPDE1
21
Bailey, DavidSpartanburg, SC1997 Ford Black
Instructor in HPDE4
21
Baum, KristiIndian Trail, NC1988 BMW Black
TTD
119
8200690
Baum, BryanIndian Trail, NC1991 Ford White
TT2
13
8361213
Baumeister, H.Roxboro, NC1977 Volkswagen yellow
Course Official
bethea, powerchatworth, GA2015 ford red
HPDE2
004
Bezjian, JoyceOrlando, FL2009 BMW Back
HPDE1
13
Bickerstaff, RichardCharleston, SC1999 Ford Red
HPDE3
54
Bird, EdwardGainesville, GA1991 Toyota Black
HPDE3
18
-
brewer, DanMooresville, NC2002 Chevrolet Black
TTB
106
7068176
Brown, EthanWaxhaw, NC1987 BMW red
HPDE1
11
Buchanan, JacobSylva, NC1971 Porsche Red
HPDE4
107
Calhoun, FrankCarrollton, GA2005 Ford Red
TTU
44
3510181
Casselbury, JerryWendell, NC2006 Pontiac Black
HPDE2
83
Clark, JameyLiberty, SC1993 Nissan blue
Course Official
Cooper, KristopherSpartanburg, SC1997 Honda Midnight
Instructor in TTF
930
DeSalvo, ChrisWaxhaw, NC2014 Ford White
Super Unlimited in Thunder
50
2501541
DeSalvo, ChrisWaxhaw, NC2014 Ford White
TTU
50
2501541
DeYoung, KenSimpsonville, SC1990 mazda smurf
HPDE4
41
Dia, BayaniColumbia , SC2001 Mazda Blue
Spec Miata in Lightning
97
2110002
Digges, JerryLexington, SC2005 Chevrolet Red
TT1
32
5746094
Dunlap, NicholasRockledge, FL2000 chevrolet black
HPDE1
154
Fabeny, ColinCharlotte, NC1990 BMW Blue
SpecE30 in Lightning
540
4626659
Fatcheric, JohnColumbia, SC2011 bmw red
HPDE3
71
Fenton, LukeCharlotte, NC2000 Ford Black
HPDE2
191
Florea, FlorinCary, NC2016 Volkswagen White
HPDE2
777
Franz, PhilipWeaverville, NC1992 BMW Black
GTS3 in Thunder
43
7407418
Gabler, AndreasAtlanta, GA1999 mazda burgundy/black
Spec Miata in Lightning
33
1420783
gasparre, markjacksonville, FL2005 ford black
Instructor in HPDE4
35
Gerber, JohnRALEIGH, NC1987 Porsche Black
HPDE1
11
Gilbert, StephenCharlotte, NC2013 BMW Grey
HPDE2
715
Goldbach, JaredSeven Valleys, PA2000 Mazda Green
HPDE1
117
Goldsmith, JeffreyAlexandria, VA1991 Mazda Blue
HPDE1
17
Haff, JohnAugusta, GA1991 Mazda Red
Group Leader
3458262
Hampton, TommyBoone, NC1999 Mazda Green
HPDE3
83
Harrell, TylerHartsville, SC2001 Mazda Green
PTE in Lightning
78
5189901
Hennig, TomConcord, NC1998 Ford Blue
Group Leader
Herrera, JorgeAsheville, NC2007 Porsche Navy Blue
HPDE1
17
Hillard III, GeorgeWhispering Pines, NC2002 Birkin Red
HPDE2
6
-
jOHNSON, jEROMEWest end, NC1990 mazda white
HPDE3
77
Johnston, ScottIrmo, SC1999 Mazda Blue
Volunteer
Lapine, KlausMount Pleasant, SC2003 mazdaspeed red/yellow
TTD
77
6641369
Lattstrom, LarsRock Hill, SC2002 Factory Five Yellow
FFR in Thunder
17
0540255
Lawrence, KirkGastonia, NC2006 CHEVROLET YELLOW
Instructor in HPDE4
6
8693975
Lizak, MarkWilmington, NC2014 Subaru White
HPDE3
11
Lookabill, AllenGranite Falls, NC2011 Ford Blue
HPDE1
30
Loveday, JeffreyKNOXVILLE, TN2007 Honda Silverstone Metallic
HPDE1
27
Luter, BretClayton, NC1971 BMW Orange/Grey
HPDE3
73
Luttrell, MarcusKnoxville, TN1999 Mazda White
Instructor in TTE
92
1114167
Magruder, TomColumbia, SC2006 Ford Burgundy Metallic
HPDE2
33
Manker, BobJasper, GA1995 Mazda Red
Course Official
McCarty, GeneMooresville, NC1995 Porsche Black
HPDE3
258
McCarty, TrottySumter, SC1995 Porsche Black
HPDE1
58
McWhorter, BrettClayton, NC2002 Honda Silver
HPDE3
24
Middleton, KevinCameron, NC2013 Scion White
HPDE2
726
miller, dwightMatthews, NC2007 Ford Orange
TT4
10
3471074
Miller, Robertmonroe, NC2010 Ford White
Spec Iron in Thunder
20
0113183
Miller, GregoryHenderson, NC2000 Porsche Burgundy
HPDE3
371
Mitchell, ClaudeMatthews, NC1989 BMW White
SpecE30 in Lightning
033
5177436
Mitchell, JuttaMatthews, NC2010 BMW Black
HPDE3
27
Moon, ChristopherConcord, VA1994 Honda Black
HPDE3
63
Moore, MichaelAsheboro, NC2010 Ford Black
Spec Iron in Thunder
25
7482439
Morey, AnnDunwoody, GA1999 Mazda Black
HPDE4
80
Nixon, Robert A.Virginia Beach, VA2013 Fiat Rosso
HPDE1
77
Nixon, BrianColumbia, SC1999 Mazda Red
HPDE2
86
Norris, CoreySwansea, SC2001 Ford Black/Green
HPDE2
44
Norris, PaulRaleigh, NC2000 Ford Black
Instructor in TT4
44
5193515
ostrander, daleElon, NC2000 Mazda Maroon
HPDE3
87
OToole, Terryboiling springs, SC1974 Porsche Green
HPDE3
771
Owen, DexterSnellville, GA1987 BMW Black
Corner Flagger
-
Oxford, RobHendersonville, TN2001 Honda Red
Group Leader
4831412
Parker, RonnieSurfside Beach, SC2014 Chevrolet Silver
HPDE1
931
Parkhurst, LauraConcord, NC1989 BMW E30 silver
Group Leader
0464478
Parsons, RoyKodak, TN1991 VW Red
HPDE3
18
Patrick, JamesCharlotte, NC1988 Bmw Red
HPDE2
40
Pryor, CliffCharlotte, NC1990 Mazda Red
HPDE4
61
-
Ratani, KareemDecatur, GA2013 Ford White
HPDE1
5
RaySmith, KyleGreenville, SC2001 Mazda Blue
HPDE2
89
Rea, MikeCatawba, SC2009 600 Racing white
ThunderRoadster in Thunder
369
8282996
Reid, DavidCary, NC2003 Honda White
HPDE2
6
-
Roache, ChrisCharlotte , NC2007 Chevy Orange
HPDE2
129
Rogers, TaylorLexington, NC1998 BMW silver
HPDE1
43
Rountree, AdamJacksonville, FL1992 Ford white
HPDE3
111
Schattman, GlennWestport, CT2015 Thunder roadster White
ThunderRoadster in Thunder
340
Shattles, BrendanHuntersville, NC2013 Ford bluish
Instructor in TT3
43
109001
Siemon, SamuelCumming, GA2003 BMW Red
HPDE1
14
Sisler, TrishMt Pleasant, NC1975 Chevy Blue/white
HPDE1
38
Smith, DavidRock Hill, SC1965 Ford yellow
Instructor in HPDE4
19
Spittle, TimothyCharlotte, NC2013 Chevy black
Super Unlimited in Thunder
2
8326715
Spittle, RogerCharlotte, NC2013 Chevy black
Super Unlimited in Thunder
2
8326715
Spittle, TimothyWeaverville, NC2004 Mazda Burgandy
Instructor in HPDE4
35
Springer, PhilipFairhope, AL1987 BMW Gray/red/white/black
HPDE2
65
Stroman, ZacharyFlorence , SC1995 Mazda Black
HPDE1
42
Stukas, KayleeConcord, NC1993 Chevrolet Black
HPDE4
93
0109733
Sullivan, Joeygreenville, SC1990 Porsche Bronze metallic
GTS1 in Lightning
14
705097
Sullivan, Joeygreenville, SC1990 Porsche Bronze metallic
GTS2 in Lightning
14
705097
Swords, MatthewCharlotte , NC1988 bmw white
HPDE3
317
Tempel, MikeMarietta, GA1987 BMW gray
SpecE30 in Lightning
344
5514490
Thebert, MatthewLawrenceville, GA1983 porsche white
HPDE1
52
Tillotson, DavidColumbia, SC2011 Mazda Red
HPDE1
77
Turner, ShannonOak Ridge, TN2016 Dodge Red
HPDE2
156
Villella, PauloSnellville, GA2014 Acura Modern Metallic
Corner Flagger
Walker, RodriquesConley, GA1999 Mazda White
Spec Miata in Lightning
93
Watson, PaulFort Mill, SC1995 Ford black
HPDE2
54
Wells, WyattBoone, NC1995 Mazda White
HPDE3
68
-
Whyte, RobertBurlington, NC2005 Ford Yellow
TT3
93
4903315
Whyte, RobertBurlington, NC2005 Ford Yellow
HPDE3
93
4903315
Williams, JeffLiberty, NC2005 Thunder black
Super Touring 3 in Thunder
110
7553553
Williamson, KeithMilton, GA2001 Mazda black
Group Leader
8300664
Wilson, GarryLexington, NC1970 Porsche white
HPDE3
17
Young, TyAtlanta, GA1989 BMW Grey
SpecE30 in Lightning
31
6591774
zehl, danielLowgap, NC1993 BMW Green
HPDE1
191
Zurbuchen, Barryatlanta, GA1987 BMW Black
SpecE30 in Lightning
34
3629518

Sabtu, 15 April 2017

Quick Visit to FIAT and Alfa Romeo

Abarth = Big Scorpion!
Maybe next time we'll visit those other Italian auto makers Ferrari, Maserati, or Lamborghini that sell cars in the US, but today I stopped by my local Pomoco FIAT-Alfa Romeo dealer here in VA. With the recent release of the FIAT 124 Spider that would be perfect for me, and the Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan that my wife would love, I think I'm coming down with a double dose of that new car disease!

124 Abarth Spider
 Just to cover the basics, the FIAT Spider is a joint effort with Mazda, the folks that brought us the awesome Miata way back in 1990. The Spider has an Italian engine, Italian design body, and the Abarth beefs up the suspension and adds a couple horsepower to the basic 124 Spider.

Alfa Romeo 4C hiding under the red cover!
 If you are shopping for me, I'll take the Abarth version with the added Brembo brakes and Recaro seats please! If you can't find one of those, you can save some bucks and just get the regular Spider, priced similar to a  Miata.

Alfa Romeo Giulia
 I sat in this Giulia, and it was awesome! The steering wheel has a flat bottom like my FIAT, but the wheel is a bit thinner and felt very comfortable. Size wise, I can compare it to our Toyota Camry and say that it's a little bit smaller, but would be plenty comfy up front. The video display is built right into the dash, and with the car turned off you couldn't even tell it was there.

Alfa Romeo Giulia
 Inside the show room they had 3 red Giulias, with three different engine packages. The high powered beast is the cloverleaf Quadrifoglio, just in case you need over 500hp in your every day sedan! I believe it's a 6 cylinder with twin turbos.

That badge on the left means 4 wheel drive
 This car is available with all wheel drive, so that would certainly come in handy on an autocross course. I mean, in the snow, for my wife.

Giulia 4 cylinder version
 In the photo above, the engine bay shows off the bracing, and the built in struts to keep the hood  up when you're in there checking out the Italian awesomeness.

Giulia in Red Blue and Black
 Besides red, yes, Italian cars do come in other colors! Blue and black above in this case.

Blue Giulia

Awesome Alfa Badge

Alfa Romeo FIAT in the springtime