Maui Musings: Newsletter Editor and Webmaster Journey on a Fact-Finding trip for SSCA

By the YSCCA Webmaster J Reuss

After exchanging a few e-mails (and a few phone calls for lastminute directions), the Newsletter Editor, the Webmaster, and the “Team Owner,” arrived at the home of Maui SCCA member and club photographer, Scott Hughes, in Kihei, Maui. (Mark Richlen told me that being the Region’s Treasurer would reap huge rewards. Boy, he was right!). Scott graciously welcomed us into his home and we spent the next hour talking “shop.” Initially, I anticipated hearing how different the Maui SCCA was from the Yellowstone Region, but the more we talked, the more it became clear that other than the nearly 3,000 miles separating the Regions, we were pretty much the same.

Ironically, the “movers and shakers” in the Maui SCCA were fellows by the names of “Scott” and “Chris.” (We checked to make sure there were no “Jays” or “Jerods,” but learned that there were
not.) The Maui SCCA holds events on a monthly basis. (Their schedule may be found at http://www.mauiscca.net. ) While the club does not have a timing trailer, everything related to autocross
on Maui is kept within a van owned by “Chris.” All of the club’s events are held at the same location—a patch of asphalt about 10 minutes northwest of Scott’s house. Somewhat similar to Lewistown, the site is located on an abandoned airfield. Also located nearby is a NHRA sanctioned drag strip and a motocross course. To put it kindly, the site presents some huge challenges for event organizers and entrants. As attested to by the photographs on page 2, not only is the asphalt surface nearing the end of its useful life, being located in a windswept area of Maui requires that the area be swept clear of Maui “red dirt” on a regular basis. Unfortunately, since the surface is so deteriorated, only dedicated entrants return for the next month’s event. Scott explained that parking lot regulations on Maui make it nearly impossible to find lots that are not broken up with planters, light standards, and other obstructions. However, the club does have hopes of convincing a generous philanthropist to help them create a dedicated autocross site.

Notwithstanding the pavement problems, Scott reports that it is not unusual to see a Lamborghini or Cobra replica at an event. In fact, the owner of a Lamborghini Murcielago generously purchased a new timing system for the club! Average entry numbers are pretty much the same as the Yellowstone Region and maximizing the number of runs takes precedence over nitpicking over scrutineering and car classification. By trade, Scott is a “destination wedding photographer.” He also photographs all events and maintains the www.mauisccca.net website. (There is also a
mauiscca.org website, but it hasn’t been updated on a regular basis.

Scott is originally from St. Louis, MO, but moved to Maui to “take his life in a new direction.” (If you would like to touch base with Scott, check out his FaceBook page.) Similar to “Scott” in the Yellowstone Region, Scott Hughes maintains the FaceBook page for MAUISCCA. (Check out the page and become a “fan.”) As we left Scott’s house, he gave us a tour of his garage and showed us his “stable” of BMWs. Scott has two M3s in the garage and he volunteered that his next vehicle would also be an M3. (Kait and I were more than relieved that he did not have a garage full of Mustangs like the Yellowstone Region’s “Scott.” I bought a MAUI SCCA t-shirt from Scott and assured him I would wear it proudly at future Region events. If you ever find yourself in Maui towards the end of the month, make sure to stop by Maui Raceway Park on Sunday and put your rental car “through the paces” at one of Maui SCCA’s events. If Scott is any indication, the Maui SCCA “ohana” (family) is as welcoming and friendly as the Yellowstone Region. Thanks, Scott, for letting us “pick your brain.” If you are ever “offisland” and find yourself in the area, I hope you will stop in. J.

Jackie nips at the heels of the big dogs in Lewistown

By good friend of the Region and local radio personality, Jackie Bell

For my birthday, my husband paid for me to attend the Porsche Club driving school in Lewistown. I have autocrossed with the Yellowstone Region for about 5 years, but this was my first opportunity to attend the event and I was excited. I decided to participate on both Saturday and Sunday.

I arrived in Lewistown on Friday afternoon, checked into my motel, and set out to locate the Lewistown D.R.I.V.E. facility to the west of the airport. (I had downloaded a great map from Porsche website.) After I found the course, I came across David Cooley, event coordinator, who was out on the track pulling a trailer full of cones. I introduced myself and he put me to work. I was glad to help. Dave drove the truck and I rode on the trailer setting out cones at designated spots.

When we were done, Dave told me to get in my car. (When I autocrossed in the past, it was always in my 1972 Ford Gran Torino. However, I recently purchased a ’99 Mitsubishi Eclipse and autocrossed it just once prior to Lewistown.) Dave got behind the wheel of my car, I took the passenger seat, and he proceeded to gently take me through the course explaining the philosophy behind braking, turning, finding the “line”, etc. We did three laps with Dave driving and then I drove. I was not nearly as smooth! However, I went back to the motel elated and couldn’t wait to get started on Saturday morning.

I arrived about 7:30 and got to meet some great people with some cool cars! The drivers’ meeting was around 9:30. There were 12 new drivers and about 20 drivers who had taken the course before. All new drivers were required to ride with an instructor until they were certified to run “solo.” Instructions were given, group assignments made, and we were ready to roll. The experienced racers ran in two groups with the rookies ran in two other groups. Fred was my instructor. On the first few laps, Fred drove my car and I rode. Fred provided instruction as he drove. I tried to listen, but I was so amazed at what he had my car doing that I had a hard time concentrating!

Then it was my turn to drive. I drove with Fred instructing me all day Saturday and on Sunday morning. I was having some trouble with the “okay, you’re coming into a corner at high speed so you need to brake, clutch, downshift, turn, set yourself up for the next turn, watch the guy in front of you and behind you, be in the right gear and position as you exit the turn for maximum acceleration”……learning curve.

Late Saturday afternoon, Fred decided that maybe I should ride with him while he drove his Porsche so I could watch his braking and shifting technique. That was a good idea in theory, but while I watching his feet instead of the track, I started getting car sick. I asked Fred (politely) to take me to the pits and let me out (although inside I’m screaming, “I’M GONNA PUKE!”). He graciously complied. I made it to grass adjacent to the pits and promptly “tossed my cookies.” So ended Saturday’s racing.

On Sunday, I finally got the technique down pretty good and had some high-speed (110 mph) runs. Fred was just about to let me go “solo,” when the clutch in my car quit clutching! Bummer! I had to pull off the track and be towed back to the pits. It was the PITS! Luckily, Scott Cranston and Jarod Staebler were at the event with Scott’s trailer. Scott graciously agree to drive his “Stang” back to Billings and put my car on his trailer for the return trip.

“J-Rod” and I were tooling down the road when Scott’s pick-up started running rough. Just outside of Lavina we decided to find a place to pull over. As we rolled to a stop, the truck died. It was not the best area for cellphone reception and we were forced to stand on the roof of the truck to make calls.

We finally got through to my husband and he brought out another pick-up to retrieve the trailer. In the meantime, J-Rod got the pickup started and he was able to drive it home. So after an extra couple hours on the side of the road, we all arrived home safe and sound!

Oh yeah, I’m getting a new clutch put in my Mitsu…. and it’s not gonna be stock! The weekend turned out to be a bit more expensive than Jeff originally intended! Amazing fun though–and well worth it. As Arnold says, “I’ll be back.”

Superstars of Superkarts 2008 Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

by Region Member Mark Brown

Wow, what a week! I think the racing gods were trying to tell me something before I left for Laguna Seca. I’m still glad I didn’t listen to them.

The week before we were supposed to leave, we had that huge snow storm. You remember? We had like 4 to 5 feet of snow. It took me two days to plow the road just to get out to the highway and another day just to get the trailer shoveled out so I could move and load the trailer. I had a friend of mine, Duane Kenaston, come along to help me out. I’m sure glad he did, he was a huge help. My plan was to have the trailer loaded and ready to go by Sunday night and leave early Monday morning. We had to be at the track by Wednesday morning to set up our pit area. Well, I loaded most of the trailer myself Sunday night. Duane and I loaded the rest Monday morning. We didn’t leave Red Lodge until 11:00 a.m. I was a little concerned about the road conditions from Red Lodge to the Interstate at Rock Springs at first, but it was pretty clear most of the way. It felt great to be on the road, finally heading to sunny California! It always seems like it takes forever to get thru Nevada. I don’t know why; well, I do, but that’s another story. Anyway, we arrived in Seaside, CA, around 10:00 p.m. Tuesday night, and got a room for the night, wanting to already be at the track.

Wednesday morning we get prepped for the long weekend at the track. We were told to go to a certain area of the track to wait for our turn to get in. Pretty soon a lot of old racing friends are arriving behind us. While we were in the hurry-up-and-wait mode, the bench racing started along with a few bottles of Bud to wash it all down. It was great to see a lot of these guys. I had not seen most of them since the ’06 running at Laguna. All during this time, the “big guys” are passing us. Audi, Porsche, Corvette, Austin Martin, and Ferrari.

After what seemed like hours had passed, we moved into our respective assigned spots. Our paddock space happened to be at the exit of turn 3. We set up our pit space in short order and got right to work installing my new engine. About this time, Denise and Jake had arrived. They had flown in and were spending time with Denise’s sister, Christine, and brother-in-law, Buddy. It was all going too smooth, I thought to myself. It was well into the evening before the kart seemed to be ready to fire up for the first time, but we had to wait until morning–“quiet time” had come.

Thursday morning was a nice, warm, bright sunny day. Things were looking great. There was a paid practice today. I opted out. It was a little too pricey for me. It worked out to be $24 per minute of track time. Anyway, I still had stuff to do on my kart. I filled the transmission with ATF and got ready to get her started. I Looked down at the floor pan and noticed ATF dripping off the edge! A closer inspection revealed a leak at the case halves. Great, just what I needed! There was only one thing to do. Pull the engine, pull the cylinder, and split the cases. Turns out the case gasket had shrunk and pulled through the bolts. Well, off I went in search of parts. Thank God for great competitors. It took me all of 5 minutes to find what I needed to fix the problem. A couple of my friends from the Dyson racing team stopped in to see me. Boz and Daryl always manage to find me and check in to see if I need anything. I have a lot of respect for the Dyson team. They are a great bunch of guys. By 7:00 p.m., we had the whole thing ready to go, but I still hadn’t fired it up yet. I was getting nervous. I knew we only had two 15 min. practice sessions on Friday. I had a lot to figure out in those two short sessions before qualifying Saturday morning.

I keep a log of all my data for setups on the kart and engine. That really helps get your tuning and setups close for a starting point. Friday morning my setup and tuning where just about spot on. I just needed a minor adjustment here and there. I really wasn’t trying real hard anyway. I had a fresh engine and it needed a little break-in time anyway. Most of my lap times were in the high 1:37’s, which for me was pretty good. This was the first time I had been in the kart since October of 2006. I was happy and feeling very good about my goals for this race. Oh yeah, my goals: (1) Finish the race; (2) Post a lap time in the 1:35’s; and (3) Finish in the top 5. In 2006, I qualified in 12^th position and ended the race in 8^th with a best lap time of 1:37.4. It was the first time I had started AND finished the race. Man, that felt good. I was looking just to do a little better this time. With two fifteen minute sessions out of the way, it was time to regroup and get ready for Saturday.

Qualifying: They really should just call it “drive for grid placement.”

Did I mention how nice the weather had been? High 70’s and 80’s on Wed., Thurs., and Friday. Well, that all changed Saturday morning. It was 42 degrees at 6 a.m. We qualified at 8:30 a.m. It was COLD. I had to tape off almost all of the radiator ducts just to keep enough heat in the engine so it wouldn’t cold-stick on me. Plus, it was foggy. That was a real problem. The first couple of laps were OK, but then it really got thick. It was real spooky not knowing who you were coming up on or how fast you were closing on them. Our qualifying was cut short by 7 minutes. I got 3 good laps in. We were supposed to have 20 minutes, but due to conditions, they cut it short. I was a full second off my best lap time from the day before. Lap time = 1:38.8, which was good enough for 8^th in class.

I was really happy with that. Now we had a little time to relax and check the kart over before the big race on Sunday afternoon. Duane and I went over the kart checking and rechecking everything. We were very optimistic about the race. I felt confident that I could still achieve my goals for the weekend.

It was Sunday afternoon already. The week had gone by way too fast. We had been checking the weather every 15 minutes and looking at the data to make our final jetting selection. As crazy as the weather had been over the week, I didn’t want to take a chance by getting it wrong. I was banking on the “A” types out there to push the limits just a bit too far and get it wrong. It never seems to fail; they always, well almost always, jet just over the edge. With the selections made and the kart ready to go, we warmed the engine up to running temp and pushed the kart to the grid. I think Duane was just as nervous as I was. The race director gave us the 5-minute-to-track-time, and we all piled in our karts. Our out lap is a warm-up lap and when we hit turn 11, it’s “game on.” We have two classes in the field, the twin cylinder class (FE) and the single cylinder class (ICE). The FE class starts in front, followed by the ICE’s. At the drop of the green, I was passed right away. That’s ok I thought, I’ll get it back. It’s always hairy going into turn two at the start of the race. It seemed a lot more crowded down there this time. As the lap played out, I had moved from 9^th place to 6^th place before the end of the first lap. I had the guys I had passed close behind me looking for revenge. One of those “A” types was ready to pass me at turn 5, but that jetting thing got him. I gained another position when the polesitter was just a little too aggressive going around Rainey curve (turn 9). He had to return to the pits to unload a truck load of kitty litter. I was feeling really good now. Up to 5^th–YES!. Everything was going pretty smooth. However, I had a nagging problem with my helmet. I don’t think I pulled on the strap enough to get it tight. At high speeds, the air would get under it and would start lifting me out of the seat. It was a little distracting. By the end of lap 5, I had caught up to the slowest FE kart. Leaving turn 2, and upshifting, the throttle stuck wide open with the transmission in between second and third. Total surprise! I was immediately passed by two karts while I pulled the lever back with my toes. I tried to get on it again and it stuck again. I nursed it back to the pits, trying to stay out of everyone’s way. Back in the hot pits, we tried to free it up. In hindsight, all we needed was just a shot of WD40. The fog the day before had rusted the throttle shaft just enough to ruin my day. Go figure.

All in all we had a great time. I felt I drove well. I didn’t meet my goals, but I was close. I’ll do better next time.

Here’s a link to the track photographer. You can’t download, but they are great to look at. http://www.dmtimaging.com/superkarts2008/index.html

Here is a link to some onboard footage from my Aussie buddy, Sam. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2o–m0wsu0

I hooked up with some old friends and made some new friends too. There’s something about Laguna Seca, even when the wheels are falling off, you can still have a smile on your face.

No worries.

Mark

Taking to the Track: Billings Gazette 2001

MARY PICKETT Of The Gazette staff | Posted: Saturday, August 18, 2001 11:00 pm

Anyway you look at it, the parking lot of Lockwood School is a long way from Indianapolis, Le Mans or Daytona. But on one recent Sunday, it was close enough to give a couple of dozen amateur racers a taste of far bigger racing venues. One by one, racers — men and women, the young and the less young — took off with tires screeching and engines roaring around a course marked by orange traffic cones.

Navigating through a course strewn with turns and slalom and figure-eight patterns, many racers topped speeds of 40 to 45 miles an hour and made it around the parking-lot track twice in a minute or less. If, to the uninitiated, parking-lot auto racing seems improbable, the thrills are genuine, aficionados say. It s a tremendous adrenaline rush, said Dennis McCollough, who ran the Lockwood course in 48.745 seconds, the second-best time for the day of all racers.

Called auto cross, it s the most basic, grassroots form of organized car racing. This type of auto cross is Solo II, in which vehicles run one at a time against the clock. Any type of vehicle can be used as long as it meets safety requirements. Entry fees are low, and drivers don t need previous experience or training. The vehicles lining up for their turn on the track formed an odd parade. Everything from a go-kart powered by a lawnmower engine to regular street cars to bona fide race cars was represented. Firebirds, Hondas, Mustangs, Corvettes, Datsuns, Camaros, MG midgets, VW Rabbits and Subaru Story Discussion Font Size: find out more The Yellowstone Region of the Sports Car Club of America has about 100 members, most of whom live in Billings Bozeman and Idaho.

For information type of auto cross is Solo II, in which vehicles run one at a time against the clock. Any type of vehicle can be used as long as it meets safety requirements. Entry fees are low, and drivers don t need previous experience or training. The vehicles lining up for their turn on the track formed an odd parade. Everything from a go-kart powered by a lawnmower engine to regular street cars to bona fide race cars was represented.

Firebirds, Hondas, Mustangs, Corvettes, Datsuns, Camaros, MG midgets, VW Rabbits and Subaru Imprezas all have raced. We even had a pickup truck one time because the driver didn t have any other vehicle to race, said Char Schulz, who along with her husband, Kurt, helped found the Yellowstone Region of the Sports Car Club of America in 1986. The group sponsors Solo II races from April into September, with events every two to three weeks in Billings or Bozeman.

Char used to race, and Kurt still does in a bright yellow Volkswagen Cabriolet convertible. SCCA racing vehicles fall into classifications based on how much they have been modified from the way they rolled off the assembly line. Others have been built from the ground up as race cars. A wide range of drivers complements the variety of racing vehicles. Mark Brown of Red Lodge was a novice racer when he brought his 125cc shifter racing kart to the Lockwood School. He had purchased his kart on the Internet a few months before and had driven it only in a few test runs before coming to the race. The vehicle has a 6-speed transmission and can go from zero to 60 miles an hour in 3 seconds, with a top speed of 120 miles an hour. Dressed in red helmet, red racing jumpsuit and red shoes, Brown cut a distinctive figure as he zipped around the course in his open-aired kart.

Billings resident Dwight Gilliland is at the other end of the spectrum with more than 30 years of racing experience. He had the top time — 46.699 seconds — of the day at Lockwood with his Formula 1-style race car that he built. His wife, Kristi, had the third-best time, with 48.820 seconds. Dwight Gilliland has been racing or working on cars since he was 13. For several years, he managed or was a member of pit crews and built race cars in several professional racing series including the Indy 500. He has won the Black Otter Hillclimb several years, including last year. Gilliland s car has the potential to be one of the fastest auto-cross vehicles in the country, Kurt Schulz said.

At 16, Alexandra Brelje is one of the youngest local Solo II racers. Her parents, Dale and Margie Brelje, started parking-lot racing to tune up for the Black Otter Hillclimb. We re big NASCAR fans, and this is as close as we can get, Dale said. Just before her turn on the Lockwood course, Alexander, wisps of red hair escaping from her racing helmet, climbed into the low-slung bucket seat of her 1-speed, 5-horsepower racing kart. As she adjusted her black driving gloves, her father pulled a lawnmower-like cord to start the engine. She s shy and timid around people, but this gives her a way to express herself, Dale said. It also should give her a sense of accomplishment. Alexandra s best time for the Lockwood race was 1 minute, 1.556 seconds.

Children as young as 8 are allowed to race 5-horsepower go-karts in Solo II events. Many racers blend work and play in the automotive field.

Kurt Schulz owns Billings Foreign Car Service, and Dennis McCollough has Mini Motors. Others pursue professions as far from a combustible engine as possible. Ken Decker, who started racing with the club three years ago, makes oboes and repairs wind instruments. The maroon Mustang GT that he races is his every-day car. The only modification he has made is strengthening the suspension. Before a race, he also changes the tires to a softer racing tire and adjusts the car s alignment.

Solo II is one of the safest ways to race, participants said. The time-trial form of racing means only one car is on the course at a time, which eliminates dangerous vehicle-to-vehicle crashes. Usually, the only thing that gets hit during races is a plastic pylon. Far less frequently, every few seasons or so, the concrete base of a parking-lot light is bumped. Racers could only recall one time in recent years that someone turned a car on its side. Cars are checked before each race to make certain vehicles are working properly. You can show up in an old beater as long as it s safe, Kurt Schulz said. Racers also must wear helmets and have seatbelts fastened. Races have several safety stewards who have gone through training and supervise the race. In each race, drivers divide into two groups. One group spreads out over the course to spot gates, reset tipped cones (for each pylon tipped over, drivers receive a 2-second penalty) and supervise electronic timing. After one set of drivers has raced three times, they assume track duties, and the other set of drivers races.

Marty Westland of Bozeman, who has been racing for seven years, thinks Solo II racing is more than an afternoon of fun. Drivers take the skill of handling a car in tight situations with them when they return to public streets and highways. You learn something here you don t learn in driver s ed, Westland said. You learn how to handle a car at the limit.

Solo II races take place at both smaller and larger courses than the Lockwood School. Skyview High School s lot is much bigger and will be used for the last Billings race this summer, on Sept. 3. Albertson s parking lot in Billings Heights is smaller. The group also has raced at Billings West High School, Rimrock Mall, Lowe s and Wal-Mart.

We go anywhere we can get pavement to play. The group also has raced at Billings West High School, Rimrock Mall, Lowe s and Wal-Mart. We go anywhere we can get pavement to play on, Kurt Schulz said.Mary Pickett can be reached at 657-1262 or at mpickett@billingsgazette.com.