California Speedway weekend report

Jack Olsen · 01:22 PM

I attended the Touring Car Racing Club's event this weekend at California Speedway, testing out my 'Home Depot Motorsports' front chin splitter, and competing in their time trial event. I'd never been to California Speedway, and this group had secured the full ALMS-style 3-mile oval/infield course.

Black Beauty was looking not very beautiful for the event, covered in a bra and primered-up splitter.

Like Las Vegas motor Speedway, this course lets you stretch your legs out on the big Nascar banked sections of the oval, and then throw the car around on the infield section.

Starting the day with 2:14's as I tried to figure out the track, I ended up winning the time trial for my class with a 2:03. My wife's getting a little leery about the tropies starting to line up on her piano.

Here's a video clip of the main straight, with a chicane they put in to keep guys from killing themselves. It's 7 megs and in Quicktime format.

Main straight.

Here's the whole lap, in a 14-meg file.

Full lap.

My video camera was acting up, and the footage is a little bit choppy.

pbs911 · pbs911's Garage

I am so jealous! I was planning for over a month to go to that event and have ben looking forward to one where the big track is opened up for 6 months. Alas, a family trip to Catalina few weeks ago delayed getting my car together. Oh well, next time.

It sounds like you are really becoming quite the driver. What other cars were in the class? Did you like the event organization? Anyone else from the board go? What were the results of the home depo front spliter?

BTW, the video clips are not working for me.

Tim Walsh · Tim Walsh's Garage

they don't work for me but that sounds like ALOT of fun

Jack Olsen · 09-23-2002, 12:01 PM

Check for the video clips after 2pm on Monday. I'm having trouble getting them uploaded.

My class was 3-5 liter cars. It included the odd combination of a Ferrari 360 Modena, an automatic Lexus IS 300, another 911, a couple of M3's, A Ferrari 348, a Porsche 928, and a Porsche RS America. I'm not sure how many of them were actively competing, though. The RS America was closest to me all weekend, but didn't get below a 2:04.

Tyson Schmidt from the board stopped by to check things out, but not to drive. There was an SCCA autocross the same weekend in the Speedway's parking lot.

TRE Cup · TRE Cup's Garage

Hey Jack
That splitter prototype is looking pretty nice! What oil temps did you see out there?

Jack Olsen · 09-23-2002, 01:24 PM

Oil temps were great. Never hotter than 220.

The videos should be working now.

surflvr911sc · surflvr911sc's Garage

Looks like a great time. I wish I could have been there. New Orleans wasn’t a bad way to spend the weekend but yours looked like much more fun.

I enjoyed being there for the Historic Sports Car Festival in June. Much better to see the track from this angle Jack.

DByers · 09-23-2002, 03:37 PM

Thanks for the video clips. I like this camera angle better then past clips I have seen from your interior camera, more track and less review mirror now. I was at California Festival of Speed back in May when they had the same set up for the track and the chicane they had set up was a little higher on the bank but definatly kept people in check. That was alot of fun to watch.

Jack Olsen · 09-23-2002, 06:19 PM

I put a more sophisticated camera mount on (a 6-inch scrap of 2x2 with a hole drilled through it and a pipe clamp) to lower it below the mirror. Tyson Schmidt came by and pronounced it "Flintstone Technology," but it works.

Tyson Schmidt · 09-23-2002, 06:39 PM

Actually Jack, I said: "Nice camera mount", then started singing the Flintstone's theme song.

But between that, and your front splitter, maybe "Flintstone Motorsports" might be a nice sponsor name!

BTW, nice driving Jack!!!! Now we must autocross together to sharpen our skills for next years total dominance of the 2nd annual "Open Track Challenge".

Jack Olsen · 09-24-2002, 08:23 PM

I'm proud of one thing that shows in the full lap clip. For the time trial, we were given one partial lap to warm up, then two timed laps, then the checkered flag. We were released at 10-second intervals, so that we'd have clean laps.

A prepped Viper pulled to the head of the line as I was waiting to go out. He had adjustable front and rear spoilers, and there had clearly been other stuff done to his car. He explained to the starter that he didn't want any of us sub-5-liter cars slowing him down. So he was sent out 10 seconds before me.

In the clip, I'm on my second timed lap, and you can see that I'm steadily pulling him back in. I caught up with him by the time we got the checkered flag.

Now, my car's not faster than a Viper -- partlicuarly not one with all the race goodies added on. But in this case, the driver of the 'faster' car was not quite as fast as he thought.