Calif. Festival of Speed

[RSupdate]

Well....since my own car is in the middle of a severe case of "while you were in there..." I ended up being pit crew for our own Mike Gagan, #59 Bromos themed '69 911 in The PCA club races out at Fontana......basically 3 days of sun up to sun down hard work and a lot of fun.

There were periods of intense work and others of waiting around....which is typical at track side....

During the intense work modes I barely kept track of time....but during the slack times I looked around for any of my Early S registry and RGruppe 'bro's and out side of John Dilger, Mike Hammond, Dave Buhain, Will Snyder (all racing their own early 911's) SWBSam (thx for the burgers Sunday Sam !!) Jim Planet, Chuck Miller, Lars, Chris 'O and Tony Gerace ......I think I either missed everyone else or we were missing a lot of the regular guyz.... and it was sunny and warm to boot !!!

Even Jack Olsen managed to make an appearance in between writing assignments...


So where was everyone?...or was my head down and working when everyone passed thru and said Hi...?

Inquiring minds want to know !!!!!

[sithot]

Did Dave Buhain put the db meter on anyones exhaust? I sent him one to see who was "loud". I'm curious who was making the most noise.

Tom

[RSupdate]

Dave had it out Sunday morning. He was playing arouind with it using his own car, but that's about all I know about it.

[Zeke]

I stopped by to say "hi" to Mike, you where probably there at the time, but in the trailer out of the sun. Saw John Dilger in another area. This was Sunday. I think many went one day only, i.e., Jack Olsen.

Although the CFoS is fantastic, it's a little intimidating for slower stockish cars. So much money spent on support equipment. I think Jack has the right idea. Drive to the track in your 'race' car. The RGruppe cars are probably best suitted for playing around at less intense venues. At least that's my opinion after trying the trailered race car deal. The RGruppe track day at Willow looked to be a perfect outing. Kevin Buckler to go flying by half again faster than what what you can manage.

See you soon at the smaller events.

[swbsam]

[ttweed]

Originally posted by RSupdate
......I think I either missed everyone else or we were missing a lot of the regular guyz....

Are we forgetting someone, bradda? Maybe the guy who took this pic of you at Casa Gagen/Buhain on Sat., and is standing right behind you in the pic of Sam's above?

There's Dave and Will's cars on the right, and a GT3 on the left, for good measure.

And I think you left out Magnus, who was running in the POC groups:


Then here's swbsam writing up a SSSP citation on the '68S with the incorrect bases on the sport seats...


and the front view w/ the nice fogs:


Some more SWB eye-candy for Shawn:



A '73S undergoing judging at the concours:


(Boyohboy, I really hate those big rubber USA bumpers!)

The Carrera GT set to lead the parade laps in front of the Alex Job/McKenna GT3RS:


A little further back in line was this rare 220S Jag:


So JR, how did Mike come out in the Club Races? I couldn't stay for Sunday and watch. I heard he held his own in the enduro.

TT

[RSupdate]

"Are we forgetting someone, bradda? Maybe the guy who took this pic of you at Casa Gagen/Buhain on Sat., and is standing right behind you in the pic of Sam's above?"

Uhhh-Ohhhh!!!!!!

My total appolagies to ya Tom !!!!!
(embarrassed...)

Just for the record everyone - this was a BIG time "oppsie" on my part....I totally over looked the fact that my very good buddy Tom Tweed spent a considerable amount of time with us over at Camp Gagen/Buhain over the weekend.

jeezo....my memory is goin already !!!!

[Gburner]

Nice pics TT, that Jag was serious eye candy!!

Pardon the long post, it's a 4 day track event recap.
Sorry I don't have one event photo, just hours of in car video.

I really enjoyed the company of all the Porsche owners that visited with us this weekend. It was fun to see all of you. I hopefully was not too distracted to remember to offer you something to drink or some shade. Will Snyder a big thanks for the grub Friday night and Saturday morning too. Sam thanks for bringing us a care package Sunday of In and Out double doubles! Sam took a bunch of pics, I’m sure some worthy of his witty captions.

Here’s a hobby racers recap of his first wheel to wheel weekend.

First a very serious thanks to John Risvold. He was not racing so over the 3 day event he made himself available as a very dependable resource for our pit group of 8 early 911 cars. He could write a chapter on everyone he helped. One example was his willingness Saturday morning at 4am to pick up a monoball in Long Beach and get it to the track at 6am leaving Jae time to reassemble his trailing arm and make his 8:30am run group. Thank you John. John’s wife Gloria and her friend Shiela treated us to a huge ice chest with lunch and all the fixings too.
Thank you ladies.

Racing the early 911…
Over the 4 days I stayed/camped at the track my 47 car field (one of 4 car fields doing basically the same format) participated in 5 mandatory driver’s meetings, 5 hours or 300 miles of wheel to wheel racing, warm up sessions then qualifying sessions along with ½ hour sprint races and a 1 hour Enduro race. A POC TT and a PCA DE shared some track time too.

Fill in time was spent conducting normal between rounds car service (air pressures, fuel, oil, sway bar adjustments, tire changes, reloading the Video camera and the cool shirt ice chest. This was also a good time to check/resolve a mysterious rubbing noise on the 135mph NASCAR bank, the wisps of smoke that enter the cabin occasionally (I might add sometimes trailing the car in dramatic fashion) be they tire smoke, a ruptured oil return line, or grease from ripped CV boots. If you saw me Sunday I was a little tired having replaced two axles at 7am.

In my 2 previous years of AX and TT racing a bum starter was my only mechanical issue. This weekend I did have two outside CV boot rip and the return oil line from the tank had to be replaced.

Hours were spent on mostly minor repairs helping others or being helped. Solitary moments of boredom/exahastion. Enjoying the company of all the friendly Porsche guys that dropped by with positive reinforcement and bits of pit gossip keeping us informed of what was happening at the event outside our little universe.

1 hour Endruo Race results.
In the 1 hour Enduro I qualified 32nd out of 67 cars. There was a large turn out of Racer’s Group cup cars too. Yes I shared the track (for a moment) with the same blue Racer’s Group #68 that was at Sebring just a week before. On the grid if felt like almost 20 cup cars were at the front. Cort Wagner was the Enduro winner. It was going to be a meaningful challenge for my first wheel to wheel race.
I had a clean start and after a few laps I got into a comfortable zone, passing and being passed.
My car handled well during the entire hour. I did get black flagged and had to take a 2 minute stop in the pits. My infraction was that during the mandatory 5 minute pit I left 19 seconds early.
My pit timekeeper had got distracted (he was timing 3 of us) and let me go early. No sweat so anyways the race had started an hour late and the sun was low. Actually the sun went down during the last 10 minutes of the race. Most cars did not have headlights. Some of the Cup cars had very bright headlights; you would see the lights in your mirrors then look forward quickly trying to regain your night vision. Then again some of the cup cars did not have headlights, in the mirrors they appeared as difficult to track high speed darting shadows. So when it all was over I finished a respectable 2nd in GT3S class. Just 90 seconds out of 1st in class, my 2 minute black flag penalty was costly. Still no sweat my first wheel to wheel race, what a kick in the head!

Saturday eve after the race we had a banquet dinner we were late for. Kevin Buckler and George Folmer were our guest speakers. It was not until Sunday morning at 6:30am John Risvold and I diagnosed the cause of some light smoke and smell my car had made during the Enduro. Both my outside CV boots had failed. We did a quick 2 hour repair and replaced both rear axles.

The sprint race..
Sunday I qualified 10th for my 47 car ½ hour sprint race.
No factory Cup cars in this race. My race was good, I dropped a few spots made a few spots back. I was running 3rd in class/10th overall at the halfway point. Then I started to experience a noticeable push that really slowed my cornering speed in T 5 and 6. A small pack caught up to me with 2 laps to go and I dropped to 14th overall and 4th in class.

Driving the NASCAR oval was a thrill. My early 911 with a 3.2 and close ratio gears was flat out at 7,000rpm and 130+mph at the end of the straight. That’s were you would slowly set the car for the left bank and continued through the long left bank flat out, never having lifted the throttle until exiting the bank and braking for the entrance to the infield road course. Drafting on the bank at 130mph then slingshot passing flat out in 5th is the fastest I have every driven. I raced the entire weekend on one set of Toyo Ra-1 tires, they lasted very well. Perhaps 2 seconds a lap slower than a new set Hoosiers.

Again thanks to all of you that visited our pit area providing us a little more encouragement to push ourselves a little more every session. Sorry I’m going to miss all you guys at Monterey, I have a previous commitment for a PCA race at Vegas that same weekend. Get that gas blender on the pipe once for me!

[ErichW]

Sounds like a great weekend Mike, good job!

Erich

[JackOlsen]

Congratulations, Mike!

(Great write-up, too.)