hi fellas! really fun time racing again with NASA last weekend (as always!). since the H1 Civic still isn't ready to race with the fast crop of H1s this year, i brought the backup car along; 93 Ford Probe GT PS-1 (Probenstien):

http://www.we-todd-did-racing....D.jpg

had a terrible drive down from newark, de. usually takes about 6-1/2 hours; took over 10 this time. mega traffic; bumper to bumper for miiiiiiiiiiiiles and miiiiiiiiiles. i was whupped by the time i arrived friday night.

unloaded everything and slept in the trailer. it was HOT and MUGGY. blech.

practiced and qualified on sat. nothing exceptional; i think i qualified with a low 1:50. track felt greasy and power felt down a little. i chalked it up to very high temps....

we gridded and got ready for the race. with 3 mins to go, the heavens opened up. i mean RAIN. of course, i was running my best (and only) set of race tires; a set of old old mostly bald bfg r1s up front and a set of patchy kumho ecstas on rear. wet track is ok, in fact, good for me. i drive well on poor surfaces, i think. pouring down rain isn't so good; hydroplane city on that tire package!

we went out and man it was raining. water all over the track. the green flag flew and i dropped the hammer on that ole KL03 powerplant. i rooooolled up on the rows ahead; i would have passed, except visibility was ZERO. i mean, you couldn't see SH&@ in front of you. just tons of white spray. i couldn't even see the edges of the track. i tried to "feel" where the others cars were (ya couldn't see em at all) and made a guess as to when to brake for turn one. cars went off. i think quite a few; hard to say in that mayhem! we raced around to the other end of the track and i saw the leader go off trying to enter the crossover. green rx-7. wicked fast for a 1st gen rx-7. i don't think its a spec7, as it was very fast in qualifying. at some point, the lead SER, Rosen's, blue in color, bumped Chuck R's very fast Miata and sent it spinning (definitely looked accidental; wheel lockup in a brakezone). the next 4 laps or so were very trying in terms of "nerve". you still couldn't see anything thru the spray, and i didn't want to be a ***** and back off. the front runners weren't backing off, and due to attrition, i had moved up a bit. i got behind Harper's #38 SER (black in color), and man, was he doing his impression of Joey Chitwood. sideways everywhere, almost every turn. i got it all on tape, and it was awesome! by this time the rain began slacking off and eventually stopped. a very tenuous dry line appeared in places; the lower track had a dry line; the upper track after the crossover had very treacherous, very wet areas. several cars went agricultural during this phase. big time! the Probe and i started to stretch our legs a bit; the damp track was still slick, but not much standing water anymore. getting better for my bald tires!! i think i picked off Harper's SER after the last turn entering the front straight; i screamed by (at this point i was in "no mercy" mode; i was really turning that motor) and could now see Rosen's blue SER with BMW right behind. right behind me was Chuck; he passed in the technical section, and i didn't fight it. i locked on to his rear bumper and we started moving in. fast. like 10-15 lengths per lap. i knew time was short, and hoped there would be enough. by this time it was mostly drying out everywhere, and we started to fly. man, Chuck can move that Miata thru the twisties!! everything he made in the tight stuff i'd make on the motor down the straights. we would end up nose to tail by turn one. we ended up being short of Rosen and the BMW; i think two more laps and we'd have had them for sure.... great race; really testing of skill and patience. one of the best races i've been in for a long time!!!

sunday morning came and i pulled the front wheels to bleed the brakes and check over the car. disaster; front tires were wrecked (see other post concerning SP5000 Dunlop tires).

i ended up having to use my school tires; Dunlop SP5000s. standing start scheduled for sunday; woohoo! apparently, i was one of the few who felt this way! we lined up and the flag dropped. i got a great launch; Probenstien's got torque and got out of the hole well; i moved up as far as i could before heavy traffic and 3/4 wide became an issue. there was a real ruckus in turn one and a bunch of cars spun and went off. big cloud of dust; i was forced to avoid an old spec rx-7 and nearly had to come to a complete stop doing so; dropped many positions. i got back in it and saw the black #38 Harper SER way up. the Probenstien put its head down and went to work. after a bunch of laps, and some dicing with a bunch of BMWs, i worked my way up to the SER. got him on the back straight. i think he was starting to overheat, as it seemed down on power. the Rosen SER pulled over with engine malfunction. i was looking really good, and was attacking several BMW 325s when i felt it. a BAD vibration started; the kind that makes you wonder if an axle has gone or if your wheel has come loose and is falling off. the car started pulling really hard to the right and shaking violently. i tried slowing down a little to see if i could make it for the rest of the race (about 4-5 minutes left!). nope; it was too bad and i didn't want to risk a crash or a breakdown and subsequent delay of the next group. i retired

here's the front tires:

http://www.we-todd-did-racing....D.jpg

still had a great time and wonderful racing! always fun with NASA x10

todd

PS both days was SUPER SUPER close racing; didn't exchange paint with anyone! great time!!!

 

Todd, your Crazy...

 

Wow, those tires are, like, egg shaped or somthing.

My guess is some internal belts let go. I can't imagine why....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Todd Reid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">we gridded and got ready for the race. with 3 mins to go, the heavens opened up. i mean RAIN.</TD></TR></TABLE>

You guys ran a great race, considering the conditions.

 

Todd, great racing with you (and good report ), when do I get to see that video of me slipping and sliding in the rain ;-)

Stephen (I need a real radiator) Harper

 

good stuff todd....get your car back together.....we miss you in HONDA-CHALLENGE!!!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">1992 Nissan Sentra SeR PS1/ SER cup in 2004 race car</TD></TR></TABLE>

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">(I need a real radiator)</TD></TR></TABLE>
NX2000 2 row.....

Matt&lt;--Nice and cool SE-R @ VIR last weekend.....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MaddMatt &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">


NX2000 2 row.....

Matt&lt;--Nice and cool SE-R @ VIR last weekend.....</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm taking your advice, I have a line on one right now

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have a line on one right now </TD></TR></TABLE>


Good move.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Dented Rx7 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Todd, great racing with you (and good report ), when do I get to see that video of me slipping and sliding in the rain ;-)

Stephen (I need a real radiator) Harper</TD></TR></TABLE>

hi harper!

the video tape is with andrew zimmerman; i borrowed it from him, as we were in different run groups, with plenty of separation time... i will try to get to his place sometime and get the tape, and then set it up on a site somewhere for downloading. very fun to watch footage for the first 5 or 6 laps or so of that sat race!

and get a good radiator, so we can race for the entire 25 minutes! we are fairly well matched, my Probenstien and your SE-R!

will you be at Mid Ohio?

todd

 

na, can't make it to ohio, hopefully i can get away to summit in september, as child #3 is on the way for october so I know i can't go anywhere that month ;-)

ps. if i get the new radiator, you might actually need some real tires!

 

I like how you make it sound like the car is doing all the work and deserves all the merit.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Civic44 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I like how you make it sound like the car is doing all the work and deserves all the merit. </TD></TR></TABLE>

hi vince!

hell, it DOES do all the work! all i do is push the pedals, turn the wheel this way and that, and occasionally shift!

that old Probe has more heart than any other car i have ever owned. ever. its a just short of 200k miles; drivetrain is original; never been cracked open, and, man, i don't baby it whatsoever!!! it just keeps coming back for more and more and more..... i kinda think it "likes" racing; kinda "lives" for it, in fact!

i get the feeling, if i pulled the cage, put the interior back in, and started driving it to work, it would just sort of fade away and fall apart. its a little like "Herbie" in the LoveBug; put it in the vicinity of some other racecars and it sort of pulls itself together enough to race. when i drive it, i FEEL it straining forward and trying to pull up closer to the cars ahead of me... Weird? sure it is! no one ever accused me of being anywhere even in the same galaxy as "normal"

maybe i'll see you up at an EMRA event at the Glen sometime!

later,

todd

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Todd Reid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">drivetrain is original; never been cracked open, and, man, i don't baby it whatsoever!!! </TD></TR></TABLE>

Todd, silly question but wasn't this (this Probe's era) part of the joint development between Mazda and Ford that put out the MX6? If so, do you know if the transmission was a Ford or Mazda product? I ask because I managed to damage my (2G) RX7's transmission at around 60k miles. I am sure I brought it on myself but have heard that ITS RX7 guys/gals (only know a few so might be a bad random sample but man they seem to talk about the transmissions a lot) have problems w/ the transmissions. Just curious.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by phat-S &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Todd, silly question but wasn't this (this Probe's era) part of the joint development between Mazda and Ford that put out the MX6? If so, do you know if the transmission was a Ford or Mazda product? I ask because I managed to damage my (2G) RX7's transmission at around 60k miles. I am sure I brought it on myself but have heard that ITS RX7 guys/gals (only know a few so might be a bad random sample but man they seem to talk about the transmissions a lot) have problems w/ the transmissions. Just curious.</TD></TR></TABLE>

howdy!

practically the whole car is Mazda; the Probe of that generation is basically a MX-6 underpinnings with a Ford designed body. Engine, tranny, suspension, brakes, etc. all by Mazda.

i think the RX-7 guys break their trannies by shifting too hard/rough/fast. the trannies sort of lend themselves to it; they are nice shifting and are easy to "slam" into gear. i don't baby the Probe's tranny by any means, but i don't "slam" it, either. same as the Honda; i shift it firmly but not like some folks do...

todd

 

Well I would totally believe that for myself, it seems like 1:1 for everyone I know that races an ITS RX-7 - I wonder if the MX-6 has a beefier trans?? Or do they share the same transmission? I don't hear about guys breaking Miata transmissions (might just not listen well enough) and they seem to be very similarly laid out to my old RX7 - wonder if they beefed these later cars up??? Just curious. I bet the Probe is a fun car to drive, I really liked the MX6 (and pretty much everything Mazda made under 3k lbs.).

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by phat-S &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Well I would totally believe that for myself, it seems like 1:1 for everyone I know that races an ITS RX-7 - I wonder if the MX-6 has a beefier trans?? Or do they share the same transmission? I don't hear about guys breaking Miata transmissions (might just not listen well enough) and they seem to be very similarly laid out to my old RX7 - wonder if they beefed these later cars up??? Just curious. I bet the Probe is a fun car to drive, I really liked the MX6 (and pretty much everything Mazda made under 3k lbs.). </TD></TR></TABLE>

probe uses a front wheel drive tranny; totally different from the rx-7. and i believe that the 1st and 2nd gen rx-7s that are NA share the same basic tranny as the Miata. remember, the Miata was stock at around 120 hp; the later RX-7s that all the guys are ITSing in are 190+ by the time they hit the track. maybe that's why they break?

and the Probe isn't much under 3k with me in it; i got it down to 2680 with an empty tank and no driver!

todd

 

doh! fwd car - yeah, I guess that would be a fundamental difference there Sadddy, got lost in my own little world there. Didn't know they (RX) shared tranny with the Miata, interesting.

 

Todd,
I have a friend with a Probe GT('93) and is looking to get into road racing. Without revealing anything you don't want to, what have you done to the drivetrain/suspension/ brakes to get it roadrace ready? It's pretty rare to see Probes on the track. It's good to see a different car among all of the Hondas/SERs/RX-7s! BTW, those 2.5 v6s sound great at full song!
Thanks,
Jamie

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by The Toecutter &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Todd,
I have a friend with a Probe GT('93) and is looking to get into road racing. Without revealing anything you don't want to, what have you done to the drivetrain/suspension/ brakes to get it roadrace ready? It's pretty rare to see Probes on the track. It's good to see a different car among all of the Hondas/SERs/RX-7s! BTW, those 2.5 v6s sound great at full song!
Thanks,
Jamie</TD></TR></TABLE>

hi jamie!

yes, i'll go even so far as to say that not many cars sound as good as the KL03 winding out to 8k rpm on straight pipes; sounds glorious inside the car, at any rate!

i'm not really the right person to ask about car prep on the Probe, as mine has very very minimal prep. i bought it as a secondary backup car to the H1 civic, and this year it has gotten tons of use! mine is very simple:

- autopower bolt in cage
- gforce belts and window net
- remove AC
- remove entire interior except for driver seat and dash and driverside door panel
- remove sound deadening
- custom seatbrace bolted to cage
- tokico shocks up front/oem in rear. Eibach sport lowering springs (-1")
- big Addco rear sway bar
- Cobalt spec C pads in rear. Carbotech XP1109s in front
- bosal header. ReidSpeed exhaust pipes (straight thruuuuuuu!)
- iceman cold air intake
- crash bolts up front to increase neg camber to -2.5
- 1/8" total toe out

thats it; except for safety gear and a few boltons, she's stock

great car! i really love her!

todd