I haven't uploaded mine yet. Post whatever you have from this past weekend!!

Just to start, I typed in Grattan in google image and got this:





Modified by Wai at 10:41 AM 6/11/2007

 

Hi Wai!

I broke my car again, I'll get video uploaded after I figure out if I can get it fixed easy in 2 weeks or not (going to work on car first, video 2nd.) Might be a couple days, will post when I have it.

 

Sorry to hear that your car broke.... Grattan is fun but it takes a huge toll if you go off. I guess I was lucky to just have the rear bumper torn off.

I will have pics up later on today.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Wai &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Sorry to hear that your car broke.... Grattan is fun but it takes a huge toll if you go off. I guess I was lucky to just have the rear bumper torn off.

I will have pics up later on today.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Ha! I tore up my front lip, no big deal, but my transmission started puking after 17 laps. I'm afraid to take it apart, it's really strange. Fluid is everywhere, but I don't see any holes. I guess I'll start by draining the tranny to see how much (if any) fluid is still in it

-Chris

 

You guys have any results to share? Who won!?!?!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Joe Moser &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You guys have any results to share? Who won!?!?!</TD></TR></TABLE>

Sat:
H1 - Kelsey, Chris, Inness
H2 - Wai (uncontested)
H4 - Colin, Sam, Andy (Eric's car overheated)
H5 - Tom (uncontested)

For Sunday, Colin went to H1 but had a wheel bearing problem. Chris' car broke after going off:
H1 - Inness, Kelsey, Andy
H2 - Wai (uncontested)
H4 - Sam (Eric's car overheated)
H5 - Tom (uncontested)

As for times, the H1 guys were running 1:29's I think. I had a 1:31. H4's were in 1:31-1:32 I think. Mylap results are not up yet so everything is based off of memory.

 

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

Sat:
H1 - Kelsey, Chris, Inness
H2 - Wai (uncontested)
H4 - Colin, Sam, Andy (Eric's car overheated)
H5 - Tom (uncontested)

For Sunday, Colin went to H1 but had a wheel bearing problem. Chris' car broke after going off:
H1 - Inness, Kelsey, Andy
H2 - Wai (uncontested)
H4 - Sam (Eric's car overheated)
H5 - Tom (uncontested)

As for times, the H1 guys were running 1:29's I think. I had a 1:31. H4's were in 1:31-1:32 I think. Mylap results are not up yet so everything is based off of memory.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Most of the H4 guys were in the 132's at some point in the weekend. I now have the H1 lap record of 1:29.1 or something (qual at 1:28.2?).

Saturday, we were all slow as molasses. At least, a lot of us were. H1 never got below 1:30's. None of us had been to Grattan before, except Colin.

I was leading H1 Saturday for most of the race, maybe 10-12 out of 17 laps. I totally roasted my front tires running away from the Acura TL. Kelsey's S2000 was strong in the 2nd half and got up to 2nd right behind me. I blocked for a few laps, and the TL was right behind for a while. Eventually Kelsey started taking advantage of my tires and mistakes. The TL did too, he almost passed both of us when Kelsey and I went side by side through 11/12, but a yellow flag kept him behind. We finished within 1.5 seconds, 1/2/3. Kelsey and I traded spots 5 times or so. We should get bumped back to HPDE-2 considering how slow we were driving though We were all sissies braking for 5 before the hill, and I don't know if any of us were particularly flat through 9, 11/12. I'll put up video of the last half, it's good for a laugh.

Sunday's race was less eventful for H1 even though we had 5. Andy Hughes in his Civic SI missed a gear at the start and was way back. I got a good start off the pole and Inness's TL notched in behind me. I pulled away from him a few tenths at a time for a number of laps, and then spun off in 5 and let Inness, Kelsey, and Colin past. I caught and passed Colin within a lap or two, but I couldn't move more than 4 seconds closer to Kelsey. After lap 17 my car was smoking so I pulled off, looks like the tranny puked its guts out, but I'm not sure why or where!

Fun track!

-Chris

 

Video, finally!

The END of Saturday's race. The battle is for 1st, and the three of us finish within 1.3 seconds. Inness (Acura TL), Kelsey (S2000) and I have never been here before. Inness and I both have fried our tires, and Inness's brakes are soft too. Kelsey's car is better balanced and he takes 1st place coming from the back after the start.

Kelsey started on the pole, I started 2nd due to Inness's blend line violation, and Inness started 3rd.

Enjoy.

http://video.google.com/videop...76048

I'll put up my better driving later, from Sunday. Better means spinning off in turn 5.

 

Got my pics up.




Before Saturday race:




During Saturday race, I went off at T7.
Due to how the grade slopes down, my immediately dropped like a foot or 2, bounced up and down, front lip was torn, and rear bumper was ripped into 2 pieces:




The lip didn't have much damage so I put it back on no problem. For the rear bumper, luckily the 3/4 of it still works:





Well, a little different camera angle would make it look like nothing happened :




Chris F's:





Random shots in the paddock:







Track shots:

 

nice pictures and video! Looks like you had was some great weather.

Chris, you take your tranny apart yet to see what happened?

 

Ah the memories. My first time ever on a track was a motorcycle school at Grattan in 1987. Damn. I feel old...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by thawley &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Ah the memories. My first time ever on a track was a motorcycle school at Grattan in 1987. Damn. I feel old...</TD></TR></TABLE>

Damn, you're old.

Have you been back there recently? It'd be really scary on a motorcycle. There's "a couple bumps" out there.

p.s. I totally love this track. It's got so much character, it really rewards you when you do everything right, and really punishes you when you don't. I've still got time to find out there!

-Chris

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Chris F &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Have you been back there recently? It'd be really scary on a motorcycle. There's "a couple bumps" out there.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Only did it that once. It was an eye opener, though. I'd been busting my *** to learn the line (and how to ride) so I could just keep up with a few of the other guys. Then at the end of the day I rode two-up on back of the instructor's stock BMW and he was passing the same guys on the OUTSIDE with ME ON THE BACK. That day and then a bad wreck a few months later ended all my illusions having any talent on two wheels.

Just as well. If I'd died young I'd have never discovered my true talent here on the internet...

 

Here's some faster video from Sunday, from the start.
http://video.google.com/videop...hl=en

My off is at about 10:00. Maybe I was thinking about how I missed the exit on 3 after waving to a cornerworker about a debris flag. Maybe I was thinking about that poor dead squirrel on the inside of 4. Maybe I was thinking about saving tires and the hot NASA Winner sticker that was at the end of the road. I dunno.

After getting on, my car is in a 2000 RPM limp mode. I hit the kill switch off/on and it comes back *whew*. That sucked.

I pass colin back at about 12:00.


Here's a minute of video from Tina towards the end. You can just make out the gap to 1st (inness's white/red TL), and then to 2nd (Kelsey's S2000), 3rd (me), 4th (colin red CRX), 5th (Andy White Civic SI), then Wai and Sam.
http://video.google.com/videop...54374

Holy cow Kelsey's new side exit exhaust is loud.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Chris F &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Here's some faster video from Sunday, from the start.
http://video.google.com/videop...hl=en</TD></TR></TABLE>

Chris, doesn't look like a normal off. You were back on the gas exiting already so obviously you didn't go in too hot. It looks like the car just got yanked to the right.

With all the symptoms you mentioned about the tran, maybe the LSD was broken?? Maybe the plates were stuck and caused the extremely hot temp?

 

Here is the front straight, which you drive up right along after entering the gates. These pictures were taken right at the track entrance, where you'd turn off the entry road and cross over the track into the infield/parking area.





The next set of corners that I could see are here, after turns 1 and 2 and I think 3 you come around and down these esses, and if you overshoot this corner you'd end up in a lake or something! Although you'd have to really, really expletive it all up.



After that it's this sweeping downhill right hander onto the back straight, which you see here:






And then the back straight, an exciting area to watch passing!







Near the end of the straight away is a hill that you crest going pretty quick, lots of cars caught air but I'm shitty and couldn't really catch those shots very well:





Then onto the esses!

This little guy was watching the action all day long Saturday:


"Here they come..."












"There they go!"







Few mishaps at the esses, I was surprised, just this one:



"Oh damn!"

During the lunch time, the F5 cars did drifting along the esses, driving the course backwards!




J/k, this guy just looped it:




After the esses there is this right hander then up a small hill:





Which leads us to the worst accident of the weekend:

Did you forget something out there Wai?


Oh yeah...


He couldn't watch the carnage.

Then it's into "the Bowl" carrying as much speed as you can!



Coming out of the Bowl is this big sweeping turn, I'm not sure if it's one big turn or two smaller ones. Either way they are really hauling *** through here.



It's basically a big loop with a nice elevation change, which then takes you to a (apparently very) tricky part of the course, an uphill hard right hander to sharp left that takes you onto the straight. If you don't know where to turn (as was the case for 85% of the cars there that day iirc), you had a good chance of just overshooting that right and going straight into the grass.
Here's the HC leaders coming through this section...





AI and AIX rolling through.



This is the Pure Evo, my twin! But he's got a little more power. He'd pass most people on the straights but got caught up in the corners (Azenis rt615's, and brakes were gone after 6 laps, afaik they never did diagnose that issue).


A CMC Camaro:


Brad Smith, H4 had his blinker on during part of Saturday's race. Sneaky HC tactics ftw :laugh1:


Wai's best buddy!



This guy was all loosey goosey, it was fun watching him through the esses.


I don't know if I posted these ladies before, but they are so hot it'd be OK if I posted them again:





Dunno what this is:




Look at the tire tracks :laugh1:


Well to give these guys credit, like I said I heard it was the first time at Grattan for like 85% of the guys there that weekend, because NASA's never been there before. Plus, the track is super bumpy from what I am told. We took a few parade laps at lunch in the rental Murano (not bad btw), and it was like driving on a curvy public highway in the northeast. Repaves everywhere.


This is what the esses look like

And our HC cars! Sorry if I missed anyone, I went through and deleted like 350+ photos for bluriness, overexposure and overall crapiness of quality.

 

I have over 7,000 from this weekend here:
http://00photo.com/content/

 

Al thanks a lot for the pics!! I love that bird.

Got a picture of you taking a picture of me :



<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 00Photo &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have over 7,000 from this weekend here:
http://00photo.com/content/

</TD></TR></TABLE>

Hector your photos are awesome! I plan on buying a CD from you.
Are we allowed to link the pics to the forum from your website?


I got video uploaded. I will post link soon.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Chris F &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Here's some faster video from Sunday, from the start.
http://video.google.com/videop...hl=en</TD></TR></TABLE>

Got mine uploaded. Thanks Google!

http://video.google.com/videop...hl=en

 

Sorry to hear about the bumper and tranny issues.. At least that was the worst of it I guess!

Nice pics and vids guys.. Sorry I couldn't be there..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mstewar &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Sorry to hear about the bumper and tranny issues.. At least that was the worst of it I guess!

Nice pics and vids guys.. Sorry I couldn't be there..</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah we missed you Mark. But glad that you had fun at VIR.

My damages are all cosmetic. I have spare OEM rear bumper at home anyway so it's all good.

 

Hey Hector! It's Al from PIC, I spoke to you a bit at the track, and you gave me some pointers on how to take those blurry-type action shots, thanks again! As you can tell I'm still working on it lol. Thanks again!

 

oh man, do those pants make my *** look big?

 

my time might be a little closer to getting on the track with you guys. Maybe next year I can make it out to a hpde...as Ill be back on that side of the pong. I gotta start searching for a chassis to put my parts in when I get back to the US.

 

Track looks challenging and fun at the same time.

Nice pics!