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Today, I am a Racer!

schmoo — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 02:26:15 +0000

It was supposed to be an ice race, but the recent stretch of warm weather meant it was more of a slush/snow/ice/water/gravel race. Regardless, it was an absolutely amazing time!

During the morning, Protege2886, Aero, and I piloted Caboose (#33) through three single-car practice sessions around the snow-x track at Capital City Speedway. Caboose was riding on brand spanking new Continental Extreme WinterContact tires and the difference was remarkable — we actually had some control!

Each of us faced vastly different track conditions as snow, ice, and water on the track started to give way to hard ice and bare spots. We didn’t see as much water as the early runners (those cars seemed to vanish into a lake of mud), but it was pretty clear that running with the T-Top open, as Protege2886 jokingly suggested, wasn’t going to happen.

After the lunch break, we moved to practice sessions with all cars on track. I drove in the first session and discovered that with all the cars streaming through the first corner, we discovered that despite the reduced water levels, there was enough to completely blind the driver in a thick muddy mess. Windshield wipers FTW!

Protege2886 drove the second and last “all competitors” practice, leaving Aero to rely on the two ride-alongs. Since he’s the most talented among us, we figured he’d be fine… and he was.

With me spotting for him from the passenger seat, Aero drove well through the first heat, keeping our nose clean and nabbing a few spots without losing any laps. Unfortunately, as we got out of the car, we heard a hissing noise from the right front tire. It was leaking air very quickly. A quick canvas of folks in the paddock indicated that there was no tire slime to be had so we pumped it up with air and crossed our fingers as Protege2886 hit the track with me once again as spotter. Unfortunately, we missed the start on account of the tire drama, started from the pit lane, and lost about a lap on the field.

Again, we did well making some good overtaking manoeuvres, staying out of trouble, and staying on the lead lap. We actually kept ahead of AWD cars! Exiting the track, the tire seemed to be OK, but we added air and got more hissing, which quickly subsided. All was well… or so we thought.

I drove in the final heat, with Protege2886 spotting. We started at the back of the pack, but found a gap in the pack and moved to mid-pack off the start. Unfortunately, a huge splash of mud blinded me in turn 1, resulting in my putting the inside wheels in the snow, which cost us some places. Who cares though as fighting to get those places back was a ton of fun and once we got clear of that traffic, including that hard-to-pass red Honda Civic, we took off. That’s when the tire came back to haunt us. It had lost too much pressure and finally popped from the rim, leaving us crippled on track. I tried to limp forward, but it was no use… we needed a tow.

We’re awaiting the final results, but no matter where we finished, we had a great time. If MCO runs events like this next winter, we’ll be there with Caboose for sure. Now to get that rim and tire looked at.

Photos: Pat McDermott

Joel Stein: My Prius Problem – TIME

schmoo — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 19:38:18 +0000

Joel Stein: My Prius Problem – TIME. A truly great and amusing article that every “eco-snob” should read.

Talking to Americans

schmoo — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 03:54:03 +0000

All you can do is scratch your head.

SnowX Update

schmoo — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 01:05:58 +0000

Event 1 took place on January 16. Shawn did a write-up here. Event 2 was today, but I skipped it on account of being sick.

Good-Bye to Zhaan & Hello to Scully

schmoo — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:59:17 +0000

Less than two years ago, we welcomed Zhaan into our family. Zhaan’s arrival set-off a chain of events that led to the acquisition of many tools and jacks, the purchase of Ginger in October 2008, a summer spent doing autocross and lapping events, and most recently, the acquisition of Private Caboose for snowx. Zhaan was the first car that I ever drove in competition and in her six event career, we managed two podiums. With all this history, it was with a heavy heart that I took my final drive in Zhaan to drop her off at Kanata Mazda on January 20, 2009.

The trip home was made in a 2010 Mazda 3 Sport GT in Velocity Red that we’ve named Scully. Scully is a 2nd generation Mazda 3 and provides us a much upgraded interior and a generally higher level of refinement and comfort without sacrificing too much of Zhaan’s sporting demeanour. Unlike Zhaan, she won’t see competition or any meaningful modifications as Ginger is around to take that abuse. So far, with about 400km on the odometer, we are both very, very happy with Scully.

Dear God! He’s back… and he’s back with Ross Brawn

schmoo — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:45:21 +0000

Holy Shit. Schumi is back: Schumacher signs with Brawn-Mercedes!

The Child Has A Name

schmoo — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:38:45 +0000

Tonight, Jeff and I agreed on a name for our new NX 1600. After careful reflection, and in consideration of its colour, condition, and mission, we have christened the little NX, Private Caboose. Yes, we named him after the lovable, if idiotic, Blue soldier from Rooster Teeth Productions’ hit series, Red vs. Blue.

Joint custody… of yet another child

schmoo — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 03:17:52 +0000

After a few evenings of scouring the net, Protege2886 and I have procured a 1993 Nissan NX1600 for the purposes of improving our winter driving skills through participation in the MCO 2009-10 SnowX series. Yes, the car count is now 2.5 for our household, but this one won’t be insured or plated and cost us a grand total of $350 dollars, so $175 each. Her suspension, steering, and engine seem good and solid, aside from an exhaust leak that we will have to patch. Other than that, there is some rust from the trailing edge of the doors and through the rear wings, but nothing too bad. Remember, only $350. Electrics work fine, T-top doesn’t leak, and interior is clean and even has a really cool electronic dash.

The car is currently still at the former owner’s house. All we need to do now is coordinate trailering the car to our rental property, complete the basic prep work (interior stip, check brakes, etc) and then wait for snow, at which time, we’ll be trailering her to track at Capital City Speedway where she’ll spend the winter. Needless to say, we’ll be begging the other partner at bdubracing.com (Shawn) for help with the hauling.

Here are some pics:

: SnowX Champ in Waiting

Pics from PMG

schmoo — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:15:39 +0000

Just added some pics shot by Tony Collins to my earlier PMG post. Here’s a sample (post-processing done by me, not Tony).

Festivus 2009… even better than last year

schmoo — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:50:29 +0000

Thanks to James & Tracey for letting the conehead crew back into their home for Festivus 2009. There was Rockband on Wii, a Need For Speed Shift Fast Lap contest (1st: bigdog; 2nd: echocarver; 3rd: schmoo), billiards, and the annual Festivus gift exchange. A great time was had by all, including the significant others who accompanied their cone-afflicted partners. Some pics for your viewing pleasure:

uncommonpear.com

Today, I am a Racer!

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