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MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical - 2007 Meet tracktime

Hi Guys,
I just had another talk with the owner of the Nelsons Ledges road race track about getting the track for next years Meet. To get the most bang for the buck, we would get the track for a Wednesday or (more probably) Thursday for 8 hours. The total cost would include the track, ambulance and corner workers for about $3600. If we got 15 cars, the cost would be about $240/car, for 20 cars $180/car, for 25 cars $140/car. The price may come down some beacuse we MAY be able to use our own people as corner workers, the owner is deciding about that.
The track is approx. 1 hour from the Meet hotel and we will have a trailer there to take any wounded cars to a repair facility which is available near the Meet hotel. (Lift, welders and machine shop, no cost) What I need is some idea of who would be interested in participating at the track. Responding does not mean you are obligated, I just need a ballpark figure.
We are shooting for the first or second week in August.
Also, how many are interested in drag racing? There is a local track which may have a test and tune during the Meet. Autocross is a given, already have a place lined up.
Kurt Schley

Hello Kurt, lets see , $ 140. for a chance to REALLLLLLLY blow my car up ? Hmmmmmm ? YEAH OK!!! Drag racing ? Hmmmmm , lets see ,so if I dont blow up the car at the road course , I get another chance at the drag strip ? Hmmmmm , YEAH OK!! Auto cross ? whats the worst thing that could happen there ? Hmmmmm? Blast through a couple of cones , then into the crowd , YEAH OK !!!
denny 1

Road racin'. You know I'm in.

Drag racin'. Hard on the cars. I'll play if everyone else wants to.
Carl Floyd

Kurt, what safety gear do we need?
Definitely interested.

Jim
Jim Blackwood

Kurt,

Count me in for 3 cars, plus what we talked about in Townsend.

Cheers

Pete
Pete Mantell

We're in fot the track. p
Probably not the drag racing.

Really like the August dates. Thanks Kurt!
Martyn & Graeme

"Count me in for 3 cars, plus what we talked about in Townsend."

Cool, Pete. I want to drive the Lola! :)
Carl Floyd

Carl,

Sure, she'll be all tuned and ready.
Unless I break her first during next season.

Cheers

Pete
Pete Mantell

Seriously?! YEEEHAAWW!

Do you know how looong it will take for August 2007 to get here?

Look out, boys, me on drugs:

http://www.paulsands.org/sil151005/hscc/slides/Img_0918.jpg
Carl Floyd

Kurt, count me in in in! Drag racing sounds good too.
Chris
Christopher Trace

Kurt,count me in for sure.I want to see Carl squeeze into the Lola.He may not get back out. Mike
Mike Moor

I'm not sure what ALL this talking is ???? I know what a Lola , can I
denny 1

OK pushed wrong button ,, whats all this 3 car thing ?? one to break at the road course , one to break at the strip ,, one to get home ??? WISH I was so lucky to have 3 to break.... Anyway I dont know what I'll show up in next meet , been talkin to a guy & thinkin about an xjs with a tpi 350 its a t- top convert. [87] looks very nice , waiting on more pic's & a talk or 2 on phone[can I come in a Jag. ?? ] Again thanks carl , richard & your son Mark ?, & everyone else.....
denny 1

Denny,

I came & played with a 4 cylinder MGB for 3 years. You will be welcomed with open arms with a 350 Chevy powered Jag. I love small block Chevys!

"Again thanks carl , richard & your son Mark ?"

That was Mike Moor with valve spring in his trunk. Wasn't that handy?!

Mikey,

BTW, I have autocrossed a Formula Ford twice (neighbor's car). Had to drive it barefoot, cause of no room for my size 12 shoe. Beat the owner by 2 full seconds. :) I'm sure that wouldn't be that case with Pete. Besides, I want to drive it at Nelson Ledges. :D

Damn you, Bill Guzman, you have gotten me all fired up. I taped & watched the Nascar race at Sonoma thinking that I could do that. I want to go road racing so bad I can taste it.

Disclaimer: Will drive for food. :)
Carl Floyd

Pete's Lola is a VERY interesting beast. I look forward to seeing at speed...Pete's going to have to change out his Blue Power Ranger suit though...it currently clashes with the colour scheme of the car!

:-)

Carl...we will make you will fit...bring some bacon grease and a showhorn.

rick
rick ingram

:D

I'll have to see what matches the color scheme !

;)
Pete Mantell

Hi Guys,
Jim, I believe that the only safety equipment required is a Snell approved helmet. I will be checking on the required Snall rating and let everyone know.
There will probably be a couple of Subaru WRX's, engineers from here at work. This would help offset costs + they might be able to get a Beemer there. This would help offset costs + the Beemer driver is apparently a Dunlop representative and reportedly can get a couple of sets of tires for the auction. (I told hi bribes are greatfully accepted)
Track and Meet dates should be firmed up in the next two weeks.
Kurt Schley

I was wondering about roll bars. It is possible to roll at Nelson if you go off course at a high rate of speed in the wrong location, a buddy had a BMW2002 with a tire outline on the roof where he went through the tire wall in the wet a few years back. Wouldn't be fun in a convertible. As I recall it''s a long off camber sweeper with a downward slope to the tire wall. Known hazards are easier to defend against but a rollbar requirement would not surprise me any. I plan on breaking out the old SCCA rulebook and see how creative I can get with rollbar design anyway, I'm thinking I might want a removable one I can install for track days. Got a year to design and install it so that should be plenty of time.

About those tires.... is the auction before the track day? Can I put in a tire size request? ;-)

Jim
Jim Blackwood

Carl, looking for a RB shell, made some calls.
Also call my buddy Tom from Super Sevens at Botton Willow raceway, he will be making the roll cage.
It may be ready by next year, but like I said Carl it all depends on $$$$$$

Bill Guzman

Count me in.......both road course and drag strip!
Dave Kirkman

Okay, let's get those V6 orders in! V6s are the future & Bill's the man!
Carl Floyd

Kurt,

Could we schedule it around one of the tracks "Fun Days"? They seem to have them about once a month on a Friday. Cost is currently $120/car.

Looks like it would take quite a few of us to work the corners. Wouldn't be to many left to drive the course. :)

This looks to be a fast track (needs a few more turns). Like Jim, I'm concerned that off-track excursions could be hairy. Leaving the track in a straight line is safest, but may be difficult to accomplish in some of the over-powered beasts in our fraternity.

I'm contemlpating a rollbar redesign, myself. My son wants me to install a roll cage! ;)

Fun day track rules:

http://www.nelsonledges.com/GOTDrivingRules.aspx
Carl Floyd

The big sweeping right hander is the one to watch out for. It's a high speed turn and IIRC is a little off camber. The ground slopes somewhat downhill from the track but there is a wide margin before the tire wall. Sliding off that one and tripping at the edge of the track can put you over if your luck happens to be particularly bad that day. I wouldn't say that it would ordinarily be a problem, but it can be. With plenty of power on hand it might be tempting to hang the back end out but that turn just keeps going, and going, and going... All in all it is really a good course. The pavement could stand to be a bit wider but where could it not? There's usually a lot of action at the last turn before the pits. We were discussing the possibility of driving the RV up there. It would be a handy thing to have in the lot behind the pits and much of the track would be visible from the roof.

Jim
Jim Blackwood

Hi Guys,
I am meeting the track owners Monday evening at the track to discuss several topics, such as required equipment. Carl, the fun days would be cheaper, but the track owners do not make up thier track day schedule until some time in mid-October. I had hoped to have a definite Meet date before then, but this is one of the other subjects I will be talking over Monday. If it looks like we could save some money, I may just have to wait until October to set a date and get the hotel blocked out. The hotels I have been talking to are quoting rates of about $62 (single) to $73 (double)+ tax. Does that sound reasonable to you folks?
KS
Kurt Schley

Kurt...

Anytime you can keep a room under $100 these daze is reasonable.

rick
rick ingram

About the only way to get more reasonable than that would be to bring your tent & camp with Jack.

Hey, let's all have a big campout at Kurt's farm!
Carl Floyd

Kurt has a farm? Hey, I've got a big RV...

Jim
Jim Blackwood

Hi guys,
I met with the Nelsons Ledges people last night at the track. It would appear that a "lapping day" where we have exclusive use of the rack would be the better way to go. If we go on a fun day, there may be up to 50 cars there in addition to us + if just one open wheel car shows up (as often happens) the track time has to be cut in half for the closed wheel cars. Open and closed wheel cars are not allowed on the track at the same time. (And no, taking the front fenders off an MG does not create a hybrid which can run in either class! That question just got me a "village idiot" look.)If we get 25 cars the cost is about $145 for the whole day/car. Only equipment requirements are a Snell approved helmet (does not matter which Snell rating/year) and a roll bar for open top cars. Track is about 60 minutes from the hotel.They tell me that Nelsons is the fastest road rack track in the U.S. with the track record at 58 seconds for the 2 miles! I should have the Meet dates set in the next few days.
Jim, I don't have a farm but do have six acres, a pond, lots of woods and no neighbors except my Dad. You are more than welcome to keep the RV there. It is about 25 minutes from the hotel. (Dad will probably talk your ear off though!)
I got to the track about 30 minutes before the owners and walked the course. Total silence except for the wind and completely deserted, kind of neat. Much like wandering though an old, deserted junkyard. Lots of ghosts.
Kurt Schley

"And no, taking the front fenders off an MG does not create a hybrid which can run in either class! That question just got me a "village idiot" look."

No sense of humor. I thought it was funny! :)
Carl Floyd

I thought that was kinda creative. But I remember the 'no sense of humor' thing. Definitely a no-nonsense bunch there, so I wouldn't expect too much slack on the rules. Make sure your rollbar feels solid at least, and looks like it is SCCA compliant. Definitely not Putnam Park, a removable hard top won't get you by I don't imagine. That track gets narrower the faster you go too, and I seem to recall a hump in the back straight close to the bend. Kurt, since you walked it maybe you can confirm or refute this? Cars really get moving on the back straight. Of course, none of us is likely to get anywhere near the speed of that track record, and with no more cars than we'll have out there at any one time I can't see any problem if someone just wants to run a few parade laps, so it makes a good course for getting your car out there and seeing what it and you are comfortable with. The hairpin entrance to the front straight is a great braking and slow speed challenge, and the rest of the turns offer everything from there up to a full-on balls out white knuckle experience if that's what you want. (Are you listening Carl?) I don't really have the tires for that myself.

Kurt, the farm sounds intrigueing (or something like that) what would be the odds of having a group of campers out at your place?

Jim
Jim Blackwood

This thread was discussed between 30/06/2006 and 18/07/2006

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