Summit Point Aug 2022

This one may have been it. Twenty five years ago while attending the Runoffs at Mid-Ohio, I noticed a dashing octogenarian who took delivery of a spanking new Ralt Formula Atlantic and proceed to win his class. This former WWII fighter pilot, Dan Carmichael, set the bar for this aging racer. Anyway, I was resolved to be racing in my 80’s. I achieved that milestone last fall and have not found a good reason to hang up my racing booties. (Turns out that Carmichael was Mike Rand’s father-in-law.) I have evolved a racing approach where I don’t go if it is too cold, too hot, too wet or too much of an unpleasant tow. My event calendar is very brief.

Summit in August is a regional level Pro race for formula cars only. We get 3 hours of track time and 3 races. Can’t be beat. I haunted the weather forecast for two weeks prior to the weekend. Dire predictions of RAIN came and when a couple of times, thus proving the worthlessness of weather forecasts. It stayed DRY.

Friday would begin early at 0830 with a practice session. I expected racing RUST with this being my first outing of 2022. It was ugly, with missed shifts, wrong gear selection and a cold track. Plus, my nerve damaged right foot was being a limp noodle and causing some bizarre driving by getting hung up in the pedals. I did get the noodle under control after a few laps and was able to run a couple of reasonable laps. My 1:22.4 turned out to be the 5^th best of 16 racers. That was to my surprise. I came in after 8 laps of the 14 lap session not wishing to test the noodle further.

I was again 5^th fastest in the second 1125 practice on a 90 degree day. Also somewhat unexpected with a good time of 1:21.8 which was less than ½ second off the hot shoe kid, Garrett Dettman (not that I knew at the time; also I was unaware all weekend that my tires were 3 years old). Most of the RUST had dissipated but the foot was still a big problem. I came in at lap 12 after seeing several good laps on my dash and feeling somewhat pooped. Others did up to 15 laps.

I almost didn’t make it to the afternoon qualifying session. The ignition switch had been left on after downloading data earlier and the battery was dead. I was making wild arm motions while fully strapped in for the session. An attempted push start did not work. Finally someone understood by frantic shouting (full face helmets make conversation difficult) and fetched the jump battery from the ATV basket. The qualifying session had some “sprinkles” just to intimidate us. It was HOT with a heat index of 98 degrees. What am I doing here? Continuing foot noodle problems (foot would get caught up between the brake and the accelerator and/or get caught up under the accelerator) would cause me to go wide off T3 and to half spin in T5 a couple of laps later. I would come in after 9 laps and my best time was a slow 1:22.9. I would qualify 9^th. Boo Hiss, and I am still not feeling well after getting my heart rate up to exercise levels.

After the session, Mark and Chris (Vasques . . . a new guy) helped me devise a solution for my foot problem. A piece of angle bolted to the floor just in front of the pedals for a heel stop was removed. The foot would have more space to move around. That and adding an insole to the race boot to mostly eliminated the “pins’n needles” toe feeling and helped at least 99%. Things are looking up.

Race 1 is Saturday at 1030 and again sunny and warm. Starting 9^th, I drive conservatively for the first two laps. At the start, Oseth and Rand, driving vintage FFs, get by into T1 with Mark on their tails. I bring up the tail of this gaggle which is led by Weber in a cool Elden. The vintage cars/drivers (?) have much better drive/gearing out of corners and keep Mark and me at bay. I ease past Rand into T3. Lap 4, I pass Mark in T1. Lap 5, I get past Oseth in T10 and pass Weber on Lap 6 in turn 10. I can see Chip Van Slyke in his yellow Crossle 60 a couple hundred yards ahead and I am catching him. In fact, I am catching him quickly and turn the 5^th fastest lap of all the racers. In a couple of laps, I am on Chip’s tail exiting T1. It is HOT, very hot, and my heart rate is a full tilt and I am fighting back heavy breathing being motivated by yet another car to pass. This is great FUN.

I pull along side of Chip entering T3 (doing 92 mph), hit the apex but drop a rear wheel off at track out and start a totally unexpected spin to the inside of the track. There is gravel on the track out to catch you, but only slick grass and rough terrain on the other side on the way to a tire wall. Formula Fords are not built for off-roading. I get bounced in the air several times as I continue the 360 degree spin. I back into the tire wall at 50 mph (thank you data/video system for the images and information). The tire wall does its job and this octogenarian suffered only elbow bruises and some minor scrapes. The car did not fare very well. The race is ended, and I completed enough laps to be classified a finisher. Best lap time 1:21.1.

youtube video of my race/crash: https://youtu.be/_3CKHrHD_WY

The car. Both rear wheels toe-in at least 30 degrees and all suspension links are significantly bent. The left rear impacted the “soft” tire wall and there is the expected fiberglass damage and a few rod end tweaks. The upper attachment eye of both shock absorbers is bent and hopefully can be replaced. What is surprising is that the right rear suffered much more damage. It did NOT contact the tire wall. Three sections of the chassis rear are bent/bowed about ½ inch and another support tube under the engine is severed. Bouncing and bobbing and thrashing the car across the badlands outside of T3 took its toll. (It would be nice to have a gravel zone there like turn 10 and others.) The radiator has a leak and the exhaust header has a kink. The list goes on. It is obvious thal all of the suspension, frame and radiator damage came from the VERY trek across the rough, rock-infested “run off.” Track runoff areas SHOULD NOT EAT CARS!

Alone it took me 3 and a half hours to coax my wounded and non-rolling racetoy out of the trailer into the shop. Much lifting, tugging, pushing and cursing. My exposed aggregate driveway made rolling dolly wheels very difficult. I needed a day to rest afterwards. As trashed parts are being removed and the car autopsy proceeds, it is obvious that this season is finished. Calls to Neil Porter for parts and Eric Langbein to arrange for chassis repairs have been made. Eric is busy (of course) and may fit me in come November/December. Porter has suspension parts in stock and will endeavor to repair my shocks.

I now have a “project” to entertain me probably through the winter. So, am I going to hang it up? Maybe. Just not leaning in that direction yet. It really is fun to go fast and pass people. I even enjoy fixing crashed race cars.