Weekend Race Report

[Butch Kummer]

Vern says it's important to have pictures of everyone and I took a bunch today, but we've been recruiting some new members so I'll wait until next week to post all the pictures for fear of leaving someone out. Besides, my beer is getting warm as I type this!

Grid for Saturday's race:
. 1st GT1 (2nd OA) - Mark Mercurio, 1:46.283 (but broke the rear end on lap #2 of qualifying)
. 1st GTA (8th OA) - Tyler Wilson, 1:49.233
. honorable mention (9th OA) - Mike Longo, 1:49.909 (Mike was a 2016 member and has other stuff going on this year, but will be back in 2018)
. 2nd GTA (10th OA) - Randy Walker, 1:50.288
. 3rd GTA (11th OA) - Andy Trought, 1:50.408
. 1st T1 (12th OA) - Chris Durbin, 1:50,691
. 1st GTSC (15th OA) - Chris Evans, 1:53.966
. 4th GTA (16th OA) - Chris Gill, 1:53.986
. 2nd GTSC (20th OA) - Larry Hoophaugh, 1:57.105
. 3rd GTSC (22nd OA) - Mike Slutz, 2:02.316 (new member)
. 1st GT2 (25th OA) - Jim Meriwether, 2:04.041 (potential new member)
. 1st SPO (27th OA) Keith Orawicz, 2:06.645

Chris Durbin has also been on the recruiting trail with me and we're going to talk to the #1 qualifier (at a 1:44.909) Dan Raver in his Superlite Coupe that can run in ASR with us, but I'll know more about that tomorrow!

Everyone behind Mark moved up a spot when Mark's ring & pinion decided they were tired of working together on his second hot lap of qualifying, but he reported  "it was runnin' real good right before it done blowed up!" 

At the green the start was pretty clean, and when the pack came into my view on the uphill to Turn 2 Tyler and Mike Longo were battling side-by-side for fourth overall. Tyler was able to outbrake Mike into Turn 2 and maintained that lead until the full course caution came out. Randy Walker was behind that duo followed by Chris Durbin, a couple of other cars, then Andy. Andy will have to tell us why he fell back at the beginning, but he made pretty quick work of the interlopers and to form a train with Tyler, Mike, Randy, Chris (Durbin) and himself. Farther back Chris Gill was having a good race with Chris Evans followed by the rest of our intrepid bunch.

About lap 5 the overall leader (Dan Raver) came by me sounding off-song, then shortly after that they went Full Course Yellow. At the time I thought Dan had stopped on course, but he made it back to the pits about the same time a Porsche had coasted to a stop on the front straight with a pile of smoke behind the car. The pace car missed the (now) two leading Vipers and picked up Tyler (who was in third place) instead. Race Control realized the error pretty quickly and waved the entire field around the pace car, but unfortunately someone in the middle of the pack failed to pick up the speed to again catch the rest of the pack - this despite frantic waving by multiple corner stations (and myself!). Rather than finish the race under FCY, Race Control threw the green for the SECOND pack that was half a lap behind the pace car, then again to the lead pack as it completed lap 7 still behind the pace car.

As you might imagine, this created a bit of confusion amongst the leaders!  Tyler was not really expecting the green and was in second gear rather than first, so the guys behind him made "optimistic" runs to get by him. Apparently they were four wide going into Turn 1 and Andy, while trying to pass Chris Durbin (who had two wheels in the dirt!) did a 360 spin and never lost a spot! I don't believe the FCY really affected the eventual outcome, but it DID provide some excitement for both the participants and the spectators - MUCH boisterous (good-natured) discussion ensured after the race! 

So in the end, here's how our V8 Road Racers finished:
. 1st GTA (3rd OA) - Tyler Wilson, 1:49.621
. honorable mention (4th OA) - Mike Longo, 1:49.792
. 2nd GTA (5th OA) - Randy Walker, 1:49.606
. 1st T1 (6th OA) - Chris Durbin, 1:50,427
. 3rd GTA (7th OA) - Andy Trought, 1:49.106
. 4th GTA (12th OA) - Chris Gill, 1:53.699
. 1st GTSC (13th OA) - Chris Evans, 1:53.297
. 2nd GTSC (16th OA) - Larry Hoophaugh, 1:58.485
. 3rd GTSC (17th OA) - Mike Slutz, 1:59.052
. 1st GT2 (22nd OA) - Jim Meriwether, 2:04.695 (potential new member)
. 1st SPO (24th OA) Keith Orawicz, 2:03.222
. DNF - Mark Mercurio

There's another qualifying session tomorrow morning before tomorrow afternoon's feature race, and the grid for the Feature will be determined by the fastest turned to that point. Unless someone goes faster tomorrow than they did today, tomorrow's V8RRS line would be be this:
. Andy Trought, 1:49.106
. Tyler Wilson, 1:49.233
. Randy Walker, 1:49.606
. (Mike Longo, 1:49.792)
. Chris Durbin, 1:50,427
. Chris Evans, 1:53.297
. Chris Gill, 1:53.699
. Larry Hoophaugh, 1:57.105
. Mike Slutz, 1:59.052 (new member)
. Keith Orawiec, 2:03.222
. Jim Meriwether, 2:04.041 (potential new member)

Stay tuned!!! 

[Butch Kummer]

I will post a couple of photos, though.

Amy and her new golf cart (and pink headset):

[Butch Kummer]

And here's a small sample of the crowd that shows up for the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix each year:

[millstreet]

good times in Wampum this weekend
I've got the Sunday race uploading now, (I think)
We have an in car (from a following car) of the Saturday 360 spin, I'll try to get that one up loaded.
And again, (second race weekend in a row) a big thanks to Mark and Amy Mercurio and crew - for helping us out.
With out the help of the FW crew, our Sunday win would not have happened.

Andy

[millstreet]

good video from Mike Longo's 39 - Sat race Start;

https://www.facebook.com/michael.longo.1291

Andy

[Butch Kummer]

I got to the track about 8:30 Sunday morning to find the Flyin' Wrenches Racing crew hard at work rebuilding the quick change in Mark's car. It ends up Amy and her entourage had made a mad dash to Buffalo to pick up an old rear end that had been "rescued" from it's resting place under a trailer for the last two years, so the guys were busy making one out of two. After some hardware was sourced from a local Tractor Supply it became apparent they really were going to get the beast back together, so arrangements were made for Mark to get a hardship (out and in) lap to make sure everything was working correctly. Mark did give Don & I a bit of scare when he stopped on pit road just after leaving for that lap, but he was just putting the steering wheel on straight!    The newly rebuilt quick change survived the experience, so Mark was back in bidness.

Chris Gill, OTOH, was out after breaking (another) second gear in his Jerico during the Sunday morning session, so we were still left with 10 V8 racers in the field of 22 total entries. I had a 7:55 flight and things were running a bit behind schedule (more on this later) so I left right after Sunday afternoon's checkered flag, but I did watch the race from atop Spectator Hill.

At the green the LS7-powered prototype checked out while Mark Mercurio went into T-1 side-by-side with Jim Stout's monster Viper, then Mark pulled away heading up the hill towards Turn 2. A bit farther back Andy Trought was leading Tyler Wilson and Randy Walker in GTA (and maybe Chris Durbin was in there as well) when Randy put his two left-side wheels into the dirt while out-braking Tyler going into T-2. Chris came in after two laps, so I don't know if something happened in that exchange or not. At any rate, they kept the same order at the end of lap 2, then starting lap 3 Tyler went inside Randy going into Turn 1. Next thing I know Randy is doing a 90-degree spin with his rear tires kicking up dirt and came back across the track right in front of Mike Longo! Somehow Mike missed Randy while the red Camaro climbed the bank in front of the spectators before proceeding in about 12th place - our GTA guys certainly put on a show for the spectators BOTH days!

As the leaders completed lap three the FCY came out and Randy didn't come by so I was concerned Randy was the cause, but reports from the radio said Randy had come down pit road and retired. It ends up the yellow was due to a ASedan Mustang hitting the wall just entering the pit straight hard enough to require the ambulance. After two laps behind the pace car (five total laps) the race checkered. I don't know if that was because the wall was damaged beyond quick repair or what, but the day was done and I headed for the airport.

Final finishing positions on Sunday for our V8RRS drivers:
. 1st GT1 (3rd OA) - Mark Mercurio, 1:48.758
. 1st GTA (6th OA) - Andy Trought, 1:49.039
. 2nd GTA (7th OA) - Tyler Wilson, 1:49.665
. 1st GTSC (10th OA) - Chris Evans, 1:53.308
. 2nd GTSC (12th OA) - Larry Hoophaugh, 1:55. 739
. 3rd GTSC (13th OA) - Mike Slutz, 2:02.101
. 1st SPO (15th OA) - Keith Orawiec, 2:02.617
. 1st GT2 (18th OA) - Jim Meriwether, 2:01.621
. 3rd GTA (19th OA) - Randy Walker, 1:50.314
. 1st T1 (21st OA) - Chris Durbin, 1:57.789
. DNS - Chris Gill, broken transmission

Since I wasn't there I'll let others provide details about any discussions that may have ensued after the race, but rest assured the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix will be part of our 2018 schedule with the following "suggestions/requests":
. a V8RRS dedicated area in the South Paddock (with a couple of Porto-lets) for those who want to hang out together
. a request that we NOT be the last race on Sunday - the spectators love the show but many had left already
. just two sessions (warm-up and race) on Sunday rather than three

All in all, however, another good weekend from my perspective.

See y'all at the races...

[millstreet]

Sunday race (what there was of it) video - I think we got 3 or 4 laps in before the cautions flew;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I94CjeCc-j4&t=45s

Andy

[flyinwrenchz]

Can't thank everyone enough for all the help! Just about everyone pinched in somehow. I still can't believe we made it back out for Sunday. Andy I don't think I would have made it without your truck and hot rod driver Darrin. As always it was a great time. Can't wait for the next one!

And again, (second race weekend in a row) a big thanks to Mark and Amy Mercurio and crew - for helping us out.
With out the help of the FW crew, our Sunday win would not have happened.

Andy

[/quote]

[Butch Kummer]

As I suspected, damage to the track was the reason for the early checker on Sunday. Here's the response from the race organizers when I asked about the Mustang driver that tried to take down the guardrail on Sunday:

"The driver is fine, his car is a bit of a mess. They checkered it early, because he rolled the Armco back about 30 degrees on impact. Any damage to the Armco has to be looked at by the track and they have the final say if we can continue racing. The track did some quick temporary repairs and we were able to get the last group in."

They also are confident we'll be invited back in 2018 and will run earlier in the day on Sunday.

[millstreet]

here's what had the FW team flogging through the weekend (day AND night!!);

my guess is a tooth broke off the pinion gear and got between the ring and the pinion, and then destroyed everything else.



and



the donor center section had been removed from a dirt modified in the eighties, and had sat outside, under a camper ever since
the twenty minutes it spent in Mark's car were probably the roughest 20 minutes it's ever had....

Andy

[Tyler Wilson]

I'm working on video from Sunday, might be a few days.........

[millstreet]

Sat PM in car from white GT3 Porsche - watch Longo lurking in the rearview mirror 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOnEDkU_ecs

Andy

[Tyler Wilson]

Longo can break his tires loose on the green flag. That dude is quick

[millstreet]

Longo can break his tires loose on the green flag. That dude is quick

he's got a short (numerically high) 1st gear, that 35 MPH restart played right into his hands - he was off like a rocket 

Andy

[Tyler Wilson]

Makes perfect sense now! He was eating me alive out there.