Harris Hill Raceway Spring Race

[QuaTTro]

Big thanks to Champcar and Harris Hill Raceway for putting on an incredible event last weekend.  47 cars and 1.8 miles made for some of the best racing I've had in a long time.  There was never a dull moment as you were always in the thick of some action.

 

Team Unintended Acceleration in our red 1990 Audi 90 Quattro (5-cyl/20V) placed 8th on Saturday and 16th on Sunday.  

 

Friday tech was very thorough, with Jay, Martin and John really pouring over the cars.  They were scrutinizing the safety aspects of all cars and sending many back for updates.  Seemed like the primary issue for most cars (ours included) was the firewall.  We run a factory fuel tank in the trunk with sheet metal patch panels and metal tape to seal it away from the cockpit.  But Jay sent us back to make it better because he could see some light when looking through the trunk.  He required sheet metal and expanding foam (no metal tape!) before he would pass our car.  We also had to install some additional roll bar padding.  

 

Besides those 2 items, we were informed that before the next race we would have to:

-  install an additional fuel tank vent routed our the back of the car (despite having all the OEM fuel venting system in place)

- install a "T" in the fuel lines in the engine bay so that they can check fuel capacity by pumping out at races later this year

 

While it was frustrating to have to make all these updates on a car that has always passed tech in the past....I was thankful that Jay was making sure all safety items were up to par.

 

Racing was frantic with more cars than ever on the track at once.  It was really fun to battle it out with all the great competitors, including 17 Miata's, a couple BMW's, and lots of oddball stuff like 3 Audi's, a Dodge Shadow, Hyundai Accent, Dodge Neon, Ford Focus, 240sx.  Our favorite part was that all 3 Audi's were virtually the same lap times so we could really trade positions with them all weekend.  There seemed to be a little more aggressive driving and more contact than usual.  We had a few small "touches" on the passenger side of the car but nothing serious.  

 

Our car ran really well all weekend.  Our only issues were a badly flat spotted tire near the end of the day Saturday and a failed voltage regulator on the alternator Sunday afternoon.  Combined with a few missteps in the pits we lost a few positions.  But I can say we were very pleased with the overall results.  

 

Impound was exciting and thorough both days, with Jay asking teams to remove valve covers, hubs, etc....if there was suspicion of unaccounted for parts.  For the teams "caught" with these parts, Jay made the call to add the points to the VPI in the moment.  This didn't have an impact on the final standings.  As you can imagine. there was some disagreement on if this approach was better than just disqualifying those teams.  Either way, I was happy to see some real inspections facilitated by the Champcar staff.  They indicated it would be even more strict as the year progresses. 

 

I can't wait for the Fall event at Harris Hill.  If you haven't made the trip down, you're missing out!

[ETR]

1 hour ago, QuaTTro said:

 

I can't wait for the Fall event at Harris Hill.  If you haven't made the trip down, you're missing out!

 

 

Yeah we'll be there but I'm still holding my breath for MSR Houston, MSR Cresson, NOLA, Hallett, ANYTHING that's not a three day haul from south Texas before the end of September.  I bet I'm not the only one.

 

We were in the #149 nb miata, Effective Team Racing.  We've been racing Champ and wrl with other teams in other cars, but came to Harris Hill as a newly formed team with a new car.  We ran as EC which is sorta odd for a miata I know, but I'm not sweating the classing until I see more CC within reach.  I prefer CC, but you gotta do what you gotta do. 

 

So with a completely new car with zero track time, we came into this hoping to learn as much as possible and just have fun.  Had a few hiccups along the way Saturday, such as a loose #4 injector connection (thankful it was within reach), but we kept pressing on.  Car had a waaaay too aggressive alignment for our tastes (hey looks good on paper right?), and we had trouble getting comfortable and settling in.  All drivers agreed it was just wiggly all over and we felt pretty slow.

 

Sunday we go out there with a few suspension adjustments and our first driver says it's a lot better.  Minutes later in the braking zone for the back off-camber right hander, a white e46 locks up on the inside (bout a car length or more behind) and smacks our right rear.  I was spotting at the time so I happened to have my eyes focused right on the incident.  Car hobbles in and now we've got a destroyed wheel/tire and 1" toe-in on the rear, yay.  Diagnosis is some bent stuff but nothing broken, so I max the alignment eccentrics but can only get to 3/4" toe in.  Out we go crab walking for the rest of the day and still manage to turn our best lap times of the weekend.  Rock on! 

 

All in all we had a great weekend.  Seeing the checker both days with minimal time in the pits is an achievement with a new car.  Most importantly we all had fun, and that was my #1 goal when forming this team. 

 

That e46 happened to be our pit neighbor, and unfortunately it ended their day.  We come to race with the understanding that these things happen, but still a "my bad" is protocol in my opinion.  Didn't get it.  Sad face.

 

C'mon Champ, you see the demand here in Texas.  We want to race CC!

 

 

[turbogrill]

3 hours ago, QuaTTro said:

 

 

3 hours ago, QuaTTro said:

Big thanks to Champcar and Harris Hill Raceway for putting on an incredible event last weekend.  47 cars and 1.8 miles made for some of the best racing I've had in a long time.  There was never a dull moment as you were always in the thick of some action.

 

Team Unintended Acceleration in our red 1990 Audi 90 Quattro (5-cyl/20V) placed 8th on Saturday and 16th on Sunday.  

 

Friday tech was very thorough, with Jay, Martin and John really pouring over the cars.  They were scrutinizing the safety aspects of all cars and sending many back for updates.  Seemed like the primary issue for most cars (ours included) was the firewall.  We run a factory fuel tank in the trunk with sheet metal patch panels and metal tape to seal it away from the cockpit.  But Jay sent us back to make it better because he could see some light when looking through the trunk.  He required sheet metal and expanding foam (no metal tape!) before he would pass our car.  We also had to install some additional roll bar padding.  

 

Besides those 2 items, we were informed that before the next race we would have to:

-  install an additional fuel tank vent routed our the back of the car (despite having all the OEM fuel venting system in place)

- install a "T" in the fuel lines in the engine bay so that they can check fuel capacity by pumping out at races later this year

 

While it was frustrating to have to make all these updates on a car that has always passed tech in the past....I was thankful that Jay was making sure all safety items were up to par.

 

Racing was frantic with more cars than ever on the track at once.  It was really fun to battle it out with all the great competitors, including 17 Miata's, a couple BMW's, and lots of oddball stuff like 3 Audi's, a Dodge Shadow, Hyundai Accent, Dodge Neon, Ford Focus, 240sx.  Our favorite part was that all 3 Audi's were virtually the same lap times so we could really trade positions with them all weekend.  There seemed to be a little more aggressive driving and more contact than usual.  We had a few small "touches" on the passenger side of the car but nothing serious.  

 

Our car ran really well all weekend.  Our only issues were a badly flat spotted tire near the end of the day Saturday and a failed voltage regulator on the alternator Sunday afternoon.  Combined with a few missteps in the pits we lost a few positions.  But I can say we were very pleased with the overall results.  

 

Impound was exciting and thorough both days, with Jay asking teams to remove valve covers, hubs, etc....if there was suspicion of unaccounted for parts.  For the teams "caught" with these parts, Jay made the call to add the points to the VPI in the moment.  This didn't have an impact on the final standings.  As you can imagine. there was some disagreement on if this approach was better than just disqualifying those teams.  Either way, I was happy to see some real inspections facilitated by the Champcar staff.  They indicated it would be even more strict as the year progresses. 

 

I can't wait for the Fall event at Harris Hill.  If you haven't made the trip down, you're missing out!

 

Your car/drivers seemd much faster now then previous races! That is awesome!

 

55 minutes ago, ETR said:

 

Sunday we go out there with a few suspension adjustments and our first driver says it's a lot better.  Minutes later in the braking zone for the back off-camber right hander, a white e46 locks up on the inside (bout a car length or more behind) and smacks our right rear.  

 

 

If I ever bring the datsun to a chumpcar event I am probably going to add the bumbers back, heavy but they seem like they can knock out most cars. We also got hit and lost 30mins due to that.

[ETR]

58 minutes ago, turbogrill said:

 

If I ever bring the datsun to a chumpcar event I am probably going to add the bumbers back, heavy but they seem like they can knock out most cars. We also got hit and lost 30mins due to that.

 

You know, I noticed quite a bit of aggressiveness this past weekend, and that's not the "shiny new car" talking. 

 

I specifically remember some from a certain popular yellow frontrunner that we've run with before, and I'm expecting a thank-you card in the mail any day from them.  It takes two hands to count how many times I had to check up as they shot back over too soon into my line after making a pass.  Why?  Totally unnecessary and I saved you guys many spin outs by dodging your ass (rear bumper).  Your welcome.  There's another 5' of car behind the back of your seat dude.  No I didn't have a camera.

 

Still a wonderful event!

Edited April 3, 2019 by ETR
Spelling

[Wink]

@QuaTTro, I'll go ahead and apologize for some single finger gestures made your car's way on Sunday afternoon. There were two blatant blocks that happened within 30 minutes of each other. We were doing our best to chase down 11/10's, and post red mist my reaction was unnecessary. 

 

Great event though, the traffic certainly made it exciting. I hope the driving of our team was clean in everyone's eyes. We're looking forward to the next one.

 

Thanks, 

 

[QuaTTro]

18 minutes ago, Wink said:

@QuaTTro, I'll go ahead and apologize for some single finger gestures made your car's way on Sunday afternoon. There were two blatant blocks that happened within 30 minutes of each other. We were doing our best to chase down 11/10's, and post red mist my reaction was unnecessary. 

 

 

 

 

Appreciate that apology and awareness of the red mist.  It happens to the best of us.  I can't speak for my other drivers, but I personally tried to give easy passes (usually point by's) anytime I saw the front-runner cars in my mirror. But your shiny hubs blinded me every time you went past me.

[Clifford Beisler]

9 hours ago, QuaTTro said:

 

Impound was exciting and thorough both days, with Jay asking teams to remove valve covers, hubs, etc....if there was suspicion of unaccounted for parts.  For the teams "caught" with these parts, Jay made the call to add the points to the VPI in the moment.  This didn't have an impact on the final standings.  As you can imagine. there was some disagreement on if this approach was better than just disqualifying those teams.  Either way, I was happy to see some real inspections facilitated by the Champcar staff.  They indicated it would be even more strict as the year progresses. 

 

 

What all was checked in tech?  More than just a visual?

[tommytipover]

22 hours ago, QuaTTro said:

Besides those 2 items, we were informed that before the next race we would have to:

-  install an additional fuel tank vent routed our the back of the car (despite having all the OEM fuel venting system in place)

- install a "T" in the fuel lines in the engine bay so that they can check fuel capacity by pumping out at races later this year

 

 

@National Tech Why are these guys still making up rules in the Tech line???????????

[turbogrill]

I don't mind the aggressive driving to much, but the blocking annoys me. Some cars would be all over the track trying to block passes, I don't think that is safe or fun.

44 minutes ago, tommytipover said:

 

@National Tech Why are these guys still making up rules in the Tech line???????????

 

Yes, what? Isn't it hinted that if you have OEM, keep it that way because the  car manufacturers actually knows what they are doing?

[u-turn]

I ran the first stint Saturday and I thought the driving was very good. I especially want to complement the drivers for closing up the field during full coarse cautions. Usually a big problem with someone deciding to become the pace car.

Shout out to our pit neighbors F-bar racing #19 green Neon that came down from Alberta, Canada. Great drivers and fast car.

Wish we could of ran all both days but in the middle of 3rd stint Saturday our transmission decided to take the rest of the weekend off.

[ETR]

25 minutes ago, turbogrill said:

I don't mind the aggressive driving to much, but the blocking annoys me. Some cars would be all over the track trying to block passes, I don't think that is safe or fun.

 

In agreement here.  We started finding some speed on Sunday and saw questionable moves as well.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯   Oh well. 

Edited April 4, 2019 by ETR
Can’t spell.

[JoSal73]

22 hours ago, ETR said:

 

Yeah we'll be there but I'm still holding my breath for MSR Houston, MSR Cresson, NOLA, Hallett, ANYTHING that's not a three day haul from south Texas before the end of September.  I bet I'm not the only one.

 

We were in the #149 nb miata, Effective Team Racing.  We've been racing Champ and wrl with other teams in other cars, but came to Harris Hill as a newly formed team with a new car.  We ran as EC which is sorta odd for a miata I know, but I'm not sweating the classing until I see more CC within reach.  I prefer CC, but you gotta do what you gotta do. 

 

So with a completely new car with zero track time, we came into this hoping to learn as much as possible and just have fun.  Had a few hiccups along the way Saturday, such as a loose #4 injector connection (thankful it was within reach), but we kept pressing on.  Car had a waaaay too aggressive alignment for our tastes (hey looks good on paper right?), and we had trouble getting comfortable and settling in.  All drivers agreed it was just wiggly all over and we felt pretty slow.

 

Sunday we go out there with a few suspension adjustments and our first driver says it's a lot better.  Minutes later in the braking zone for the back off-camber right hander, a white e46 locks up on the inside (bout a car length or more behind) and smacks our right rear.  I was spotting at the time so I happened to have my eyes focused right on the incident.  Car hobbles in and now we've got a destroyed wheel/tire and 1" toe-in on the rear, yay.  Diagnosis is some bent stuff but nothing broken, so I max the alignment eccentrics but can only get to 3/4" toe in.  Out we go crab walking for the rest of the day and still manage to turn our best lap times of the weekend.  Rock on! 

 

All in all we had a great weekend.  Seeing the checker both days with minimal time in the pits is an achievement with a new car.  Most importantly we all had fun, and that was my #1 goal when forming this team. 

 

That e46 happened to be our pit neighbor, and unfortunately it ended their day.  We come to race with the understanding that these things happen, but still a "my bad" is protocol in my opinion.  Didn't get it.  Sad face.

 

C'mon Champ, you see the demand here in Texas.  We want to race CC!

 

 

 

Hey man! I was the driver of the BMW who hit you guys. I'm very sorry and sincerely apologize for the incident. I had no idea you were our neighbors, or i would have done it in person. I didn't find out it was you until we were almost home after a discussion with the car owner. I was running around trying to find parts and tools after the incident to try and get back on track, but no such luck.

This was my first wheel to wheel and i dropped the ball big time. I came in way too hot and was pushing way too hard so early in the race day. Our comms wasn't working either, and I'm sure our team leader would have reminded me of the "endure" part of endurance racing.

 

Initially I thought we were really close and your car crossed over in front of me, but after seeing video it is very evident I punted your car off the track..totally my fault. I'm very glad to hear you guys weren't hurt and that you finished the race!

Here's the video from our car. We had the camera set up to time lapse by mistake, so this is the best i could put together.

 

 

[ETR]

@JoSal73 Thanks bud, no worries. Takes a lot to own it like that.  We’ve all made boo boos.  Hope it doesn’t discourage you and we’ll see you guys at an upcoming race. 

Edited April 4, 2019 by ETR

[11 Tenths Jay]

Our weekend went pretty well.

 

On Saturday, we had to replace a hub mid race and the transmission started making noise when shifting into 4th. Even with the hub change costing us 4 laps, we came in 2nd overall.

 

On Sunday, the transmission got worse and we lost the clutch slave cylinder near the end of the race. The last two hours were 4th gear only. Fortunately we had our fastest driver in the car and we were able to hold onto out lead and got 1st.

 

We ended up with 3 hub failures for the weekend. Those hubs #910 had look pretty appealing right now.

 

On 4/3/2019 at 3:25 PM, Wink said:

@QuaTTro, I'll go ahead and apologize for some single finger gestures made your car's way on Sunday afternoon. There were two blatant blocks that happened within 30 minutes of each other. We were doing our best to chase down 11/10's, and post red mist my reaction was unnecessary.

You guys had us worried, especially when you lapped me early Sunday. You car is fast and well prepped. Was fun racing with you.

 

On 4/3/2019 at 2:08 PM, ETR said:

I specifically remember some from a certain popular yellow frontrunner that we've run with before, and I'm expecting a thank-you card in the mail any day from them.  It takes two hands to count how many times I had to check up as they shot back over too soon into my line after making a pass.  Why?  Totally unnecessary and I saved you guys many spin outs by dodging your ass (rear bumper).  Your welcome.  There's another 5' of car behind the back of your seat dude.  No I didn't have a camera.

Which yellow front runner? If it was us, tell me what time/day and I can talk to the driver. We try to be courteous out there.

 

On 4/3/2019 at 7:40 PM, Lethal Cliff said:

What all was checked in tech?  More than just a visual?

On Saturday, Jay crawled under out car looking at ball joints, checking for offset suspension bushings, and I don't know what else. He also had us remove our valve covers and asked if our cams were legal.

 

On Sunday, we had to take our valve cover off again and he looked more closely at our cams.

 

We were told that in future races, he'll inspect pistons with a bore scope and check compression ratios.

 

He also said that he would be pumping fuel tanks and measuring capacity. Anything over manufacturer listed capacity will be a DQ. I think the limit should be higher than what the manufacturer says as every car I've ever owned, straight off the dealer's lot could hold more than what the specs say. He told me to email him what I think the capacity should be.  So if anyone else has an opinion, email him.

 

[turbogrill]

23 minutes ago, 11 Tenths Jay said:

Our weekend went pretty well.

 

On Saturday, we had to replace a hub mid race and the transmission started making noise when shifting into 4th. Even with the hub change costing us 4 laps, we came in 2nd overall.

 

On Sunday, the transmission got worse and we lost the clutch slave cylinder near the end of the race. The last two hours were 4th gear only. Fortunately we had our fastest driver in the car and we were able to hold onto out lead and got 1st.

 

We ended up with 3 hub failures for the weekend. Those hubs #910 had look pretty appealing right now.

 

You guys had us worried, especially when you lapped me early Sunday. You car is fast and well prepped. Was fun racing with you.

 

Which yellow front runner? If it was us, tell me what time/day and I can talk to the driver. We try to be courteous out there.

 

On Saturday, Jay crawled under out car looking at ball joints, checking for offset suspension bushings, and I don't know what else. He also had us remove our valve covers and asked if our cams were legal.

 

On Sunday, we had to take our valve cover off again and he looked more closely at our cams.

 

We were told that in future races, he'll inspect pistons with a bore scope and check compression ratios.

 

He also said that he would be pumping fuel tanks and measuring capacity. Anything over manufacturer listed capacity will be a DQ. I think the limit should be higher than what the manufacturer says as every car I've ever owned, straight off the dealer's lot could hold more than what the specs say. He told me to email him what I think the capacity should be.  So if anyone else has an opinion, email him.

 

 

You guys are crazy fast. 1.27! That is impressive 

[11 Tenths Jay]

1 hour ago, turbogrill said:

 

You guys are crazy fast. 1.27! That is impressive 

 

Thanks! That was our awesome Danny Soufi. He's practically grown up at H2R. Started racing at 10 and had his first pro race last month with World Challenge

[JoSal73]

4 hours ago, ETR said:

@JoSal73 Thanks bud, no worries. Takes a lot to own it like that.  We’ve all made boo boos.  Hope it doesn’t discourage you and we’ll see you guys at an upcoming race. 

 

Thank you sir! We plan on being there for sure. Our next immediate goal is to actually finish a race weekend 

[55mini]

11 hours ago, 11 Tenths Jay said:

On Sunday, we had to take our valve cover off again and he looked more closely at our cams.

 

We were told that in future races, he'll inspect pistons with a bore scope and check compression ratios.

 

He also said that he would be pumping fuel tanks and measuring capacity. Anything over manufacturer listed capacity will be a DQ. I think the limit should be higher than what the manufacturer says as every car I've ever owned, straight off the dealer's lot could hold more than what the specs say. He told me to email him what I think the capacity should be.  So if anyone else has an opinion, email him.

First off congrats on your win!

 

Jay is really looking much closer at all cars to step up the game which I am happy to see and doing a great job. The plan as I have heard will be to measure what they can motor wise and checking cams and soon measuring lobs and such. As for fuel pump out, it is coming but need to sort a process and identify that for everyone to know, be ready for that to happen. It is being tossed around to add an extra 1/2 gallon to the load for the fuel tube and lines, as you said email what you think is right and they will make a call as soon as they sort the process I'm sure.

[turbogrill]

So how is that going to work? Are they going to fuel your car for you and then pump it out?

 

 

[bendawson3]

Glad y'all had a fun race down there, but I'm even more glad to see champ teching so much more stuff. I bet that trend is liquifying some bowels out there though.....HA!

[QuaTTro]

10 minutes ago, turbogrill said:

So how is that going to work? Are they going to fuel your car for you and then pump it out?

 

 

 

That was my understanding according to Jay during tech.  He wanted to see a "T" off the fuel line in the engine bay.  They would fill the tank and then run your fuel pump to pump it out.

 

He specifically said they were not looking for anyone to modify the fuel tank for draining/pump out.

[Wink]

When we went through tech, I was told +10% over stock capacity, we'll see if that holds true. 

[Chris Shay]

14 minutes ago, Wink said:

When we went through tech, I was told +10% over stock capacity, we'll see if that holds true. 

It would be great to clarify the allowed fuel capacity. 

 

@Bill Strong can you post the fuel capacity limit in the BCCR tech update forum?

[hybridshocker]

This was a very enjoyable race for me as our car felt pretty good, and it seemed like we had decent pace.  Our team broke early on Sunday though, which is less than enjoyable.  My personal lap times have dropped many seconds at this track but I still watch Miatas pass me like I am standing still.  Winkler, I watched your FB video and I am in awe over what that car and driver combo can do.  I am also very embarrassed to get my very first black flag, part of the black flag party when the full course caution came out Sunday morning. I am looking forward to Kentucky and the Fall race back here.

[Bill Strong]

1 hour ago, Chris Shay said:

It would be great to clarify the allowed fuel capacity. 

 

@Bill Strong can you post the fuel capacity limit in the BCCR tech update forum?

 

 

Once the BOD ok's a process and the rule change, they will let me know, then I will post it. For now, use what is in the BCCR. I can't comment or even think about anything not in the current BCCR.