Latest Real Ride Racing News: 3/3/2000

Buttonwillow Raceway Test. January 30, 2000

The newest addition to the RealRide Racing stall is a Mazda RX-7 Turbo driven by Benoit "Benny" Pecqueur. Benny bought this car 8 months ago and has been dealing with one headache after another. A few months ago, after putting in a brand new engine, Gwan at TRS Group4 installed an Engine Management system built by a company called SDS. Turns out that the SDS system is designed mainly for piston engines and dislikes Rotaries. Somehow, Tim got involved a couple of months ago, probably due to his Rotary engine knowledge, and has been trouble shooting this problem child ever since. When Benny called me to say that the SpeedTrials USA group was having a one day event at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, we felt that this would be a perfect opportunity to test out Benny's car. Benny argued that a dyno would be a much better option, but between me and Tim harrassing him, he finally agreed that at $75/Hr on the dyno, we could at least get a baseline setting at the track.

Meanwhile, Lloyd had just finished putting his car back together (again with Tim's help) since he'd blown his headgasket at the Los Angeles Street Race and was dying to test out the car.He'd also done a few more mods to the car and wanted to see how effective they were. Both Tim's and my car were still in pieces after returning from the paint shop so we decided to just run the two turbo cars. The plan was for Tim and Benny to work on the RX-7 Turbo while Lloyd and I got the fun job of testing the 944 Turbo.

Saturday evening we convoy to Buttonwillow, Tim and Benny in one rig (Tim's Ford Explorer w/trailer), me and Lloyd in the other rig (My Ford Explorer w/trailer). I think we need to hit Ford up for some sponsorship! Benny brings some walkie talkies along and we put them to good use between the two rigs, especially when Benny and Lloyd practice their trucker codes. It's quite a riot to hear Benny trying his best to imitate a Red-Neck trucker with his French accent "Ey zere good buddy,...".

We finally arrive at the Day's Inn Motel in bustling downtown Buttonwillow at 10:30PM, about two hours later which is not bad considering the load we are towing. Getting to sleep is quite an adventure. Just as I'm about to fall asleep, Tim calls and tells me that his first room on the parking lot side of the building smells like an ashtray and now he's moved to the freeway side so he can sleep, good move Tim. He's decided to move his rig behind the Motel for security reasons and suggests that I do too. After trudging through the rain and putting up with Lloyd yaking with his girlfriend on his cellphone, I finally get enough quiet time to turn in. As I'm about ready to pass out, the parking lot suddenly fills up with a pack of cars with aftermarket mufflers. Seems like every Time Trialer in the state has decided to rev their "coffee can" exhaust pipe equipped Honda in the Buttonwillow Days Inn parking lot.

Sunday 8:00AM, Lloyd and I drag ourselves in the rain over to Denny's to meet Benny and Tim. Benny, complains that he'd been there since 6AM: "where the 'ell ave you guys been? We were supposed to meet at 7!", and in typical French fashion, he has already pissed off the waitress who is now taking my order! Fearing that she might spit on my food, I politely explain to her that I am no aquaintance of the foreigner sitting next to me. By the way, did I mention that it's raining outside?

We pull up to the track at 9AM and unload the cars. Rain seems to have slowed to an occaisional drizzle which continues off and on all day. Keeping temperatures down, but noy affecting the track conditions. Track remains dry after first couple of run groups and remains dry all day. Dirt and debris will be a problem all day as over zealous and untrained drivers do there mud bogger impressions. Our bright yellow PENNYWEB team jackets draw a lot of attention, especially since Gwan's TRS Group4 guys are also wearing bright yellow PENNYWEB jackets. Soon it seems that half the people at the driver's meeting are in yellow jackets. The Speedtrials USA organiser, Tommy announces that they'll also be running a special run group called "Drift" group. Lloyd and I look at each other and say "isn't that what we do anyway?".

For those of you who don't know, "Drift" is supposed to be the latest craze from Japan. Basically it's what most of us used to do back in High School, lots of parking brake manuevers. Amazingly, the track owners are letting these guys tear up the grass and throw dirt onto the track. I ask Tommy how they decide who wins, would that be points awarded to fenders crunched or points for number of rotations? He doesn't yet have an answer, or else he thinks I'm being a wise guy. Around me, some of the other racers are
speculating. Mike of the TRS Group says it's for LEAST number of times they hit the actual racing line while Lloyd says it's for most number of tires you can burn up. It just looks like pure chaos out there as some of the guys are accidently popping hatch releases and hitting their horns while frantically sawing away at the wheel. Hey, at least they're doing it in a closed course, unlike how I did it back in High School.

Lloyd takes the car out the first session. Tim and Benny are already busy working away on the remote programmer for the Mazda. They manage to get the car started and idling which is a feat in itself. Meanwhile out on the track, the field mainly consists of Lloyd in the 944T, an Integra TypeR from the Hi-Line Motorsports stable, a couple of Nissan Skyline GTR's, a Toyota SupraTT with an enormous wastegate chirp, a couple of Spec Racer Fords, and an assorted variety of street cars out playing. Lloyd comes in after a few laps and says that the car is running great except for excessive wheelspin coming out of the turns. Meanwhile, Tim and Benny actually have the car running and Benny gets to turn a complete lap before he's black flagged because the corner marshals are complaining that "There's a yellow RX7 that sounds like it's about to die".

Over the course of the day, Lloyd and I trade driving duties in the 944 while Tim and Benny continue struggling with the RX7. As the track dries out, we notice that the 944's wheelspin has slowly transitioned to clutch slip, and it seems to get worse every session, so much for Kevlar clutches. Tommy, the organizer has decided to split the track up into two sections since the "Drifter's" are throwing dirt onto the track and the racers are complaining. Since Lloyd has invited me to co-drive the 944T in several Enduros for 2000, my goal is to familiarize myself with the car so that I can turn in competitive lap times by the end of the day. After a couple of sessions, I find that this is quite possible as the car is a rocketship and sticks like glue, if only that clutch would hold better.

By 3PM, Tim and Benny give up on the Mazda and load it up onto the trailer. After 7 hours of wrenching on the car, poor Benny gets in one entire lap and burns up 10 gallons of race fuel (at $4/gal) just revving the motor in the garage. As we push the car onto the trailer, I hear him mumbling under his breath about selling the thing... Cheap! Meanwhile, I'm having such a great time in the 944 that I've invented the "Happy Dance" while strapped inside the car. With the enormous Brembo brakes on the car, I'm discovering the joys of late braking, which I put to use against a few race cars out there. Lloyd is having me take pictures of him pissing on his car so that he can send them to his girlfriend in New York, something about a dare that they had. Although we're not officially timing, Tim says that we're the fastest car on the track besides the sports racers... now if the clutch would just hold....

A little review of the video footage by well respected Motorola Cup/ Speedvision Cup Crew Cheif: Steve Frank

Nice spin Dave(alias "lifter Dave"), I especially enjoyed the grilling you got from Lloyd and Tim on not being able to get around the spec. RX7. "Oh my god he was on the brakes, the guy moved over and Dave got on the brakes!"

By the way that track looks like fun for a kart, but Christ, could it be any tighter for a car? It was like an autocross. Was that the streets of willow or not? I think your letter said it was Buttonwillow Park or something. It looked like the hills of Willow off in the distance.

I don't wanna work today Dave, its 70 deg Sunny, and racing beckons. Its weird, right now I'm so wrapped up in doing this composite shit that I hardly think about anything else, well... except of course of actually racing itself. Why cant we just all race instead of working?

I love your body Larry

Steve