[Shotimes] TCCA event review by Dyno Don

[Donald Mallinson]

The Gingerman TCCA event Thursday 6-23, was a pure blast for Ken and I, 
John Hrinsin, Dave Kegal, Kurt Metros, Paul Nimz and a few other SHO 
folk (memory failing again here) that showed up with about 20 or so 
other people (about 30 drivers were at the event). Non-SHO folk were 
mostly very young Taurus owners that were nice, and gave us old "SHO" 
folk (Alright, Just Paul and I, OK OK........ I was the only old fart) a 
nice reception.  Basically the SHO group were the instructors and the 
full "Advanced" class.  Everyone else was in novice but six drivers 
moved up to "intermediate" after the first session, apparently not 
content to follow my SHO around at a slow pace till the sun cooled and 
entropy took over.

I eventually picked up the pace, the novice class became very fast and 
my format worked like a charm again even if I am not charming anymore!  :)

I took the '96 SHO V8 to this event, being lazy and not willing to pack 
up the '89 on the trailer. 

In the first session I thought the brakes were going away.  I took it 
easy and just worked the novice class, for a while, but later in the 
morning I started kicking it up a notch and the brakes were back. Joy in 
apexville again! 

So I went all out, or 95% whichever fits,  and really started having 
fun.  Best moment was when I was out exploring yet another of my 
moveable "limits" and giving someone a thrill ride, when I noticed my 
son coming on track in front of me.  I was able to keep up and was 
feeling quite manly and thumping my chest at the surprised and somewhat 
scared passenger. That is, until we both pulled into pit lane and I 
realized that Ken had been talking to his wife on the cell phone while 
on the track and was still able to keep in front of me!  (not with an 
earpiece, but with a speakerphone!  It makes a difference you know) .  
Talk about seriously bummed.  Later Ken said he wasn't on the phone the 
entire time, but as he smiled, I may never know if he was sandbagging to 
make the old man feel good or not.

Doesn't matter, I choose to think I still have my "chops" and forget 
everything but the good part.  :)

It was hot but with a nice breeze.  The guy in charge of the control 
tower kept falling asleep.  I had to honk the horn to get him to wake up 
and wave me onto the track, which he did and in a haze put me out right 
next to another car already on the track...... Accident avoided I 
continued to have fun, but kept an eye on the pit lane.  Then I decided 
that having my eye on 100+ degree asphalt was not fun, so I just went 
about my business with blurred vision.

Ken and I could not stay for the rest of the Taurus Convention, but I 
hope everyone had fun.  I thank Bob Gervais for letting Ken and I be a 
part of the event, I think we helped make the novice drivers get up to 
speed a little quicker and safer.  Some of them were really good.  Here 
are some snapshots from my memory, such as it is.

The guy from Midas, and Canada (Al) was scary quick but after a couple 
laps I decided he wasn't going to make me end up upside down reaching 
over and turning off the car saying "I think we are done" and I relaxed 
and had fun.  His Sable had great brakes (the guy installs brakes all 
day and had a lot of pride in his work and the special Wagner pads and 
Canada-only brake fluid that seemed to work like a charm.) 

One Taurus with a young driver had upside down calipers (can't be bled 
properly, can you say "air in the lines?") and a battery that was not 
tied down (he got it bungee corded to the inspectors satisfaction, but 
they didn't catch the caliper thing)  and two really big exhaust 
tip/mufflers (the guy was so nice he could give fart-can exhaust a good 
name!), split a heater hose.,  The Mustang that was following did a real 
pretty pirouette on the newly GREEN track right in front of my son 
riding with another driver.  That driver didn't want to slow down for 
all this action going on right (now) around them.  But nobody crashed 
and the track got cleaned up.  The nice guy in the big exhaust Taurus 
got his car running sans coolant leak, and had a good time.  Like many 
in the Novice class it was his first track experience.

Dave Kegal had a nice expensive race brake rotor come apart, leaving big 
chunks all over the track, but luckily a chunk stuck in the caliper 
keeping the piston in, allowing him to still have brake line pressure 
and get stopped.  I am concerned that he got home safe with brakes on 
only three wheels (only one in front) As he just removed the offending 
disk, secured the chunk of rotor in the caliper and was bummed because 
that ended his day. 

Then I think it was Kurt and John that went back out at the end of the 
session after the brake shrapnel thing, and decided to stop on the track 
to pick up a big chunk of rotor that the track workers missed or else 
they thought it looked real pretty on the blacktop.  But there were 
still cars on the cool-down lap (although in front of their car), and 
stopping and getting out of a car in the middle of a race track is a big 
NO-NO to corner workers and the guy in the tower (now wide awake).  They 
reported to pit lane as ordered and stood and took a rather long and 
loud tongue lashing from the tower guy and a threat to ban them from all 
race tracks in north America except maybe the new one going up near 
Peoria IL.

Once again, as with almost every "driver education" event, it was the 
instructors that caused the bulk of the black flags with arms out 
windows, wild gestures and screaming and crying plus bad driving and 
generally being full of themselves.  But enough about me.

I tried to pass a big Lexus V8 that I was catching during the short 
twisty bits, but I was just blown away how the driver could take the 
wrong line through a turn, then all of a sudden "EEK" the car would 
straighten out and he would be gone in a blast of Lexus V8 power (more 
than my 234.4 in my '96) while I was four wheel drifting to the far side 
of the track using every inch of the track, the concrete extender and 
the double secret concrete curb plus some of the dirt beyond, on the 
exit from every corner.  The Lexus would just make a sharp turn and be 
gone, using about 10% of available track.  On street tires no less. ( I 
also was running street tires, the Yokohama ES 100's that I really think 
are the bargain of the year in street summer tires).  But that quick 
turn thing bit him later when his tires started coming apart and he had 
to slow, while I kept trundling along at my usual pace that was not 
stupendously fast, but still impressive to several 10 year old children 
in the pits, once I took away the big ball they were playing with so 
they would pay attention.

A Mitsubishi Lancer Evo with turbo, AWD, 300hp? (may have been more or 
less, I didn't ask about mods or what year it was) and seriously 
lightened (he took off the rear window wiper/washer) was voted best car 
to have at a very early spring or late fall event as the engine 
compartment threw off great huge waves of heat for hours after being 
parked.  It was also seriously fast and we decided if Porter's Subaru 
equivalent was the same at the SHO convention, we might just disqualify 
him on grounds of being too hip and fast for 
conditions..................... and hot for a summer event.

Ken and I ate about 1/2 a cow in Indiana on the way home, decided life 
was good and talked on CB's the entire way, luckily not on channel 19.  
That way we didn't have to listen to the whiney griping of the truck 
drivers we cut off and slowed down.  Bunch of complaining wimps!

Excuse me while I remove the Kenworth emblem from my back bumper.

A good time was had by all, I hope Dave made it home safely in his three 
brake SHO, and I wonder if Bob will ever invite me to another TCCA 
event.  Maybe Ron and Kirk will put in a good word for me? (they, who 
were conspicuously absent and greatly missed, from all the wailing and 
self mutilation going on in the pits where the plaintive cry could be 
heard all day:  ..."we went to this track event and all we got was Don 
instead of Kirk and Ron!".)

And as I stated to a stunned and rapidly receding group of young folks:  
"This is the most fun you can have in a car with your clothes on",  as 
they tried very hard to change the subject while managing to look 
extremely uncomfortable at the same time.


Don Mallinson
Audi Club of America certified driving instructor (kind of gives a whole 
new meaning to both Audi and Instructor don't you think?).

The above is totally tongue in cheek. If anyone has a problem with it, 
please write it down on very thick archive type paper and then chew it 
up and swallow.  Constructive criticism is welcome, please see my 
assistant "Mr. Bill Takethissuggestionandshoveit" to lodge a complaint. 
Again, all in fun,......... or is it?
 :)                 (smiley face makes all things good again). 
Peace and love, and keep the rubber side down.