Conference oass::racers

    That explains why they had 8(!) Lotus Turbo Esprits in the paddock with
    mfg plates on them.....(drool).....
    
    Dave

      I am going to be in Atlanta the week of Oct 1 for a meeting and
    would like to visit Road Atlanta. Would anyone know if there are any
    races sceduled for either weekend of that week that I could attend. If
    not there, mabe something at the large oval track in the area.
    
      Thanks in advance,
    	Al Wagner

If you come down the week of Oct 1 you'll miss the Runoffs by one week.  Try
to reschedule your meeting for the week of Oct 8th.  The Runoffs are from the
8th to the 14th of Oct.

I will look in our regional newsletter and see what will be at the track the 
weekend of Sep 29/30.  If I remember correctly, thr week before the runoffs
is reserved for private testing by teams and then the weekend of Oct 6/7 will
be for track repairs proir to the week long runoffs.

Dave (who'll be working EV during the Runoffs)

    
    	Hi there!
    
    	I'll be down at the Run-offs that weekend also. I'll be down with
    Mazda driver Mike Green from Greenville, S.C.  
    
    	How about getting together for a few cold ones?  Let me know where
    you would like to meet if you can.
    
    J.W.

I'll be in the EV area (next to the Quack Shack, right near the pit entrance)
on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday (got work commitments on
Monday and Thursday, bummer...)  Stop by sometime and say hi.

Dave

    RE .4
    
      Thanks for the quick reply. I got busy and haven't had a chance to
    get back into this note until today. 
      The meeting is not something that I can change, so I will be arriving
    in Atlanta on or about Sept. 28 and staying through to Oct. 6. I would
    like to at least visit the track even if there are no races. How does
    the track management deal with visitors or is it even open to look
    around when there is no activity? I did this at Daytona once and got a
    ride around the track in a van. Not quite the same as a race car but it
    sure gives you a different outlook on the track.
    
        Al Wagner
       

    I'LL BE THERE ALL WEEK-END, I'LL BE SURE TO STOP BY.
    
      JAN

I'll be at Atlanta all week (In on Sat., leave on Monday, 9 days later)

I'll be working as a steward, someplace. (Nothing is firm yet)

I don't know the management at Road Atlanta but I would guess just showing up
and asking if you can look around might work.  Are you an SCCA member?  That
might make it easier to get in.

Dave

Well, we all went to the track Saturday (the 6th) and I ended up hauling trailers
most of the day.  Teams are olny allowed a space for their race car and some
sort of support vehicle (van, motor home, enclosed trailer, etc).  They cannot
keep their regular trailer in the paddock.  2 of use got 'recruited' to drive
around the paddock picking up any stray trailers and hauling them up to a 
parking area on a hill behind the skip pad area.

While I was picking up trailers, Diane (wife) and Anthony (22 months old) 
wandered around the paddock and bumped into a few friends from the Northeast.

I took a few breaks from trailer hauling and sat in EV.  I got to flat tow in 
a Shelby Can-Am from turn 6.  It was a pain trying to loop the tow strap through
the cross brace behind the driver's head.  I don't know if they all come that
way.  If they do, someone should have left more room behind the brace and the
fiberglass shell, it's too close to slip the tow strao through easily.

I'll be back at the track tomorrow and Wednesday and then back here at work
on Thursday and back at the track Friday-Sunday.  I'll post the interesting
bits Thursday.

Dave

    I don't know if I'll go into my experiences this weekend with Shelby
    Can-Ams but from what I saw you may be towing in quite a few of them
    
    Good Luck!

They will be having a demonstration race sometime on the weekend, but I assume
they'll be out there practicing and qualifying with the other SRs.

Dave

    
    Bring back the REAL CAN-AM cars. 
    
    The rollbar fairing of the Shelby Can-Am seems similar to the Swift
    DB-1.  When the DB-1's have to be towed in, invariably the fiberglass
    shrouding gets anywhere from cracked to shredded.  The price for
    aerodynamics.
    
    Any reports on the performance of the Shelby Can-Am?  Sounds like one
    was on the track at Road Atlanta, (it made it to station 6!!!) and another
    might have been seen on the track at the Glen?
    
    To date, I have seen a Shelby Can-Am being displayed at Lime Rock and
    NHIS, but not being driven on either track.
    
    
    I wonder what comments Mark Donahue would have to say about a car named
    "Can-Am?"      
    
    
    Bob
    Atlanta-bound for Fri., Sat., Sun. thanks to free tickets from US
    Scare!!  Yeah!!  

I would say there were 5 or 6 at the track Saturday.  Since I spent most of my
time in the paddock I didn't get to see the track too much, but I'm sure one
of them made it around at least once...:-)

I'll report back Thursday.

Dave

Dry and hot Tuesday for practice but then rain and overcast for Wednesday, the
first day of qualifying.  Today is basically the same, so no 'hot' laps for
the front rows this year.  The line did dry out a bit yesterday, but some drivers
opted for intermediates while others went out on slicks.

We had a SSGT Mustang stuff and roll on the front straight, an SR impact the
tire wall just before the starters stand and kicked a few tires up at the
stand.  There were 5 people on the stand at the time.  They dropped to the floor
pretty quuickly!

An MR2 went off at 1, up on the tire wall, up the dirt embankment and
centerpunched one of the billboards.  He slid about 40 feet from when he first
hit the tires to when he stopped.  The car really wasn't that bad, but a worker
standing at the base of the bridge dove for cover as the car came towards him
and ended up with a broken nose and finger (there were a few comments about that
combination, as you might expect).

We were expecting more banzai driving, but the dampness kept it calm.  I will
be back at the track tomorrow through Sunday.

Dave

    Dave,
    
    Any NER folks involved with this one???
    
    "Rain and overcast" - HELL, you got a tropical storm headed your way!!
    
    jim e
    

I only got a quick look at an entry list, but I don't think any NER people
were involved.  At least I didn't see any NER stickers on the cars when we got
to the scenes.  Granted, not all the body work was in one place either..:-)

It was actually sunny here (at the center, 20 or so miles west of the track) 
right around lunch, now it's cloudy again.

Dave

ps - if you hear any reports of a grey van cruising the track with a Skull and
Crossbones flag on top, it's just a figment of their imagination.....

oh yeah, the skeleton on the rear window isn't really there either.....


So much for a sunny, dry day.  Now the skies have opened up and the parking
lot here at work is a river again.

More on Tuesday.

Dave

    Was there a race in Atlanta this weekend??? I saw alot of road racing
    cars sunday, headed north on I-85, so I figured they were coming from
    there. Just curious!!!
                                                          M.J.

    
    The SCCA Valvoline Runoffs where this weekend. Wanted to go, but I was
    on standby.....
    
    Jim

    I saw the Timing and Scoring patches given out at the Runoffs this
    year.
    
    BEST LITTLE SCORE HOUSE IN ATLANTA
    
    
    Score house was in red...
    
    jim e

    I realize the Runoffs are all over, but is anyone from the North East
    heading down to Road Atlanta in the next few weeks?  I have my four
    mounted P7s with me and as with any trip, I have more stuff to bring
    back than I brought up.  If anyone is planning to go to some race in
    the south east, and you have room for 4 more tires, could you bring
    them down for me?
    
    Please contact me via email if you can help.
    
    Thanks
    Dave