Hello all,
Connie, Barley and I still haven't really processed the whole Glen
experience yet... probably 'cuz we're not home yet. Thanks everyone
for all the great pics and videos that have been posted. As has been
said numerous times of the event, the REALLY special part was putting
faces and cars to so many FoT names. The road coarse reenactment was
truly surreal... the stuff of boyhood dreams to a guy like me. To
have a club, a track and a town honor the cars that I happen to be
partial to and fortunate enough to own, is a rare alignment of the
stars, planets or some-such. A tough act to follow. Thanks so much to
Joe, Jack, Tim and Gary and of-coarse Kas along with all the rest who
made the event possible. Glad to hear the destination is Portland for
next year. Kind of my old stompin' ground. I've never been on the
track there but have spectated enough to know it's got to be a fun
one. SIR [Pacific?] in Seattle would be great since it's my home town
and a track I actually know, but I understand the cluster of such a
large event. If it's the weekend before Kastner Cup/Portland I'll
likely combine it with that long haul [New Mexico is a long way from
anywhere but within reach of most anywhere - put please don't book us
a track in Newfoundland Joe]. I kind of figure that if one is in the
general neighborhood of a distant place, one ought make the best of
it. That theory is why we are now in Brainard Minnesota.
After the race we toured up to Niagara Falls with our friends Reno
and Claudia who had come for the race [from France - serious Triumph
junkies]. We parted ways Tuesday afternoon and headed home. Didn't
make it very far that day - I was finally and totally spent. Weeks of
12-14 hour days to allow for time away and getting the car ready
after a major freshening, 1900 miles in about 60 hours Abq NM/Glenn
NW, a high adrenaline five days at the track and then trying to
entertain friends and I was done. Period. Speaking of adrenaline,
then there's the story of my shift knob. Sometime on friday or
saturday, I came to the realization that a nice gentle up-shift would
cost me about 1.5 car-lengths with you guys so enough of that! Well,
in sundays feature, I broke the knob clean off... I don't mean
another cheapo knob lost it's set screw or anything, but broke the
shank of the shift leaver - don't know how many ft/lbs that might
take but I did it. I also had a major/minor problem - I was using 2nd
to try to get my open diff to hook up a bit coming up the hill [turn?
- never did get the names and numbers right]. with the up-shift to
third, the knob went a flyin'... I think it hit the dash, bounced odd
my knee and disappeared - until the next time I used the brakes.
After that it was a game of approaching a corner, looking around the
floor to see which petal it was under this time, kinking it out of
the way and repeating the process. This little private game went on
for three laps. As long as that front straight is, I found that it
goes by pretty quick when one is looking, reaching and kicking
everywhere trying to get the damn thing to show itself. Going into 1
the only thing I knew is that it wasn't under the brake petal last
time i looked. Third time around I spotted the little guy - right
next to my right heal - only way to get it was to lift [painful but
necessary] and kick it over to the left foot. It worked for an
instant but the right foot got back on it before the left could
respond and back under the seat it went. Next lap I got it in my
field of vision under the clutch petal, worked it back within reach,
grabbed it, and just about hurt myself trying to get it wedged
between my legs and under the crotch strap. The rest of the race was
actually quite enjoyable.
Anyway, wednesday morning we were finally putting miles behind us on
the way home. Fun and funny how a bit of windshield time can sooth
the spirit and give perspective. Around noon I started thing about
Brainard. My friend [and new Foter] Bill Swope had told me about and
invited us to join them up in Minnesota. 40th anniversary and grand
re-opening of a redesign of a very historic old track. $20 entry fee.
New to everyone. Almost, sort of, kind of, on the way home. I had
been thinking of it and talking about it since before we headed east
- almost in jest. By wednesday afternoon I was thinking seriously
enough to say it out loud to Connie [I knew Barley was already in
favor]. "If it's really on , and if you're up for it, and IF I can
get to the bottom of that high speed vibration, and if we turn right
soon, we could make it. 30 minutes later we had a plan - press thru
to Indianapolis and get a room. Pull the drive shaft and see if I can
get to the root of the problem. An easy fix for the vibration was the
determining factor. The next morning, a couple calls lead me to
Indianapolis Rack & Axle [great guys, GREAT service]. Pulled the
driveshaft in the hotel parking lot, and took it 10 miles up the road
for a exam. Sure enough, it was .030+" out. Likely from when Connie
parked it on a K barrier last year but undiscovered since the car has
never been on any track nearly as fast as Watkins Glen - the vib
could only be felt at well over 100mph when it would come in with a
vengeance [more on that later]. Straight and true driveshaft in hand
in under 45 mins., and we were headed north. Yeah, Indianapolis
Indiana is not the shortest route from New York to Minnesota but
still in the neighborhood as I like to say. 13 1/2 hours later we
were again fried, but in Brainard. Friday had a couple practice
sessions that were the first laps ever on the reconfigured track.
They've taken the old 9 turn, 3.5 mile, flat-out track and turned it
into a 13 turn 2.5 mile circuit with some fun technical stuff.
When the Glen planning first started to get momentum last winter, I
sent out a message saying I was in if someone would promise rain. Joe
replied saying "it always rains in Watkins Glen in September" and I
knew I was in. Some say "be careful what you ask for". I'm learning
to be very, very specific. When I mentioned my rain wish in the our
paddock last weekend, I almost got lynched. And I have to admit that
I wasn't being specific enough. We got It, but Saturday practice and
the last race Sunday was not what I had in mind and it didn't help
anyone. Today was a whole different story. Gloomy, foggy and cold
this morning - no point in going out in my view - lots of drivers
that had just gotten there this morning who had therefor never been
on THIS track and lost of potential for mayhem. The very first race
on this new track was our vintage group at 1:30. By 11:00 the foggy
mist rolled in. By 12:00 it turned to definite rain. By 12:15 I put
on those brand new, 8 year old, borrowed, slightly treaded Kuhmo
Victoracers on steel wheels who's only scrubbing was the drive from
the track to the village and back last weekend. By 1:00 it way
raining buckets and though giddy, I was also getting a bit nervous.
Unusual... what if my huff and puff was all bluff? After all, I've
never actually raced in the rain [not much opportunity in the
desert], I just know that I kind'a like slippin' and sliden' and have
always thought of slippery as the great equalizer. Damned if I didn't
win the thing!!! In all honesty, only because the GT350 with the
bubblegum rain tires broke a few laps from the end, but hey, you
gotta finish to win. Getting by the crazy-fast Mini - THE car for the
conditions was the part that really blew my mind. Didn't know I had
won until I got in. Couldn't figure out how the Mustang got out of my
sight, but the visibility was that bad... I had no idea he had come
in, only knew he was gone. Pictures of us coming into the new turn 12
[the toughest and tightest turn on the track show a literal bow wake
ahead of the cars. WHAT FUN!!! In the second race it dried out
unexpectedly fast and the under-inflated, lousy hard tires weren't
quite quite up to the task and I was happy to get a third behind the
deserving crazy-fast mini and a very well driven 'vette. If tomorrow
is dry as forecast, I'll likely get my tractor powered butt handed to
me on a plate.
Todays dose of adrenaline is nearing it's end, getting low on beer
and 8:00 am drivers meeting, so goodnight and have a pleasant tomorrow.
Greg "Lunker" Hilyer
TR4 #314
Albuquerque NM
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