That’s right, wait – how did you guess? – Dave, our 80 years young racer-friend, Ambassador and BARC Boy of legend (check it out to find our how those are made – and kept), keeper of the one and only Honey Bee (the MGA with a sting) made it there with Nazdar (the 2002 he raced in – hold on for this – the ’70s! and that’s also sporting your colors – of course).
Here is his very own race report, with a few photos to illustrate – it is a full-on summary of what vintage racing is all about – gnashing teeth and frustration tears included – at life speed!
”
Back racing in November, but a long way from Lime Rock or Watkins Glen [Note from your editorial team – we told you everything about these adventures in earlier posts, stop whining already] . I flew east in mid October, picked up the RV in Virginia, had the trailer serviced and new tires, went to Apex Vintage in North Carolina, picked up up Nazdar and 2,748 miles later parked in front of our home in Palm Desert, CA. I could write 1,000 words on how wonderful it was to enjoy our magnificent country from the fat trees and hills of the east, through the plains of the Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas and into the wild desert landscapes of New Mexico and Arizona and finally home.
Now we’re at SonomaSpeedway formerly Sears Point. I was here to watch a race in 2011 and at that event made the decision to buy Honey Bee. When you watch Sonoma on TV it looks fast. It is not. This is a twisty, tough, difficult and medium speed, at best, track. There are 4 places on the track where it does a complete 180 degree switch. The circuit has a bunch of configurations and to someone who never saw it, driving it for the first time is a bit confusing. There are two places where the track goes straight but the driver is blocked by 4 tall PVC pipes. Honest. My second lap I am going down a short straight and cannot figure what to do – once I got close it was clear that straight was the end of the dragstrip and we had to make a slight left. On the backside a similar 4 pipe barricade also signals the driver to watch where the track goes. As you already figured, after about 5 laps you never really see them.
The course is wonderful. It is very bumpy but the word is repaving in February. There is no place to relax and gaze at your gauges. One is driving every minute. There are at least 5 places that are completely blind and demand the confidence you can keep your right foot flat. Not easy.
The Velocity folks have created quite an event. This is not like any race I’ve ever done and probably you have not either. This is Goodwooda la California. Every car is lined up under long tents in a smallish space along with all the cars in their race group. No trailers, no monster toolboxes or cubic feet of spares. The big rigs are hidden in the backside of the paddock behind custom made green fences. Every car gets a table, two chairs and electric, so maintenance is possible, but if you didn’t bring it with you from your trailer, you have to hitch a ride with one of the “driver” golf carts up to lot 2 and your get your part or tool. I made a deal with Jim Froula of Racecraft out of Oregon and his team of guys are taking care of Nazdar. I come off the track and take it to their trailer, they get it ready and deliver the car to its appointed place to be admired.
OK to racing. I signed up for the Thursday test sessions and needed it more than I expected. As mentioned, with blind corners and long 180’s plus big elevation changes this is not an easy circuit to learn. Between morning and afternoon I picked up 5 seconds a lap. A problem started early on when I noticed a lot of wheelspin when exiting a corner. Nazdar has a wonderful limited slip which is supposed to not allow that to happen. Think driving on ice or snow. You hit the gas and the rear wheels spin because they have no traction. With a racecar we are putting so many G forces going through a corner the inside rear wheel has very little weight and when you go for power that inside wheel spins or slips. Hence the word limited slip. Those of you not familiar may recognize the word posi-traction, which is simply a different word for limited slip. Regardless I was getting quicker and actually raced with and passed an 800hp ex Wittington Brothers 935K Porsche.
This morning for the first official practice, the guy assigned to me got the tire pressures backwards and on the second lap I went into a high speed, uphill turn and the car didn’t turn. Yep, I went straight onto the grass at about 90mph and expected the worst. But nothing happened. The hill I went over was smooth, no ruts, no trees, nothing. I slowed down and came back on the track. But the car was a handful and the session was basically worthless. For the afternoon that problem was solved but the rear wheel slip was worse. The fastest corner on this track is #10, a slight right which is bordered by a huge NASCAR fence with not 1″ of runoff if you make a mistake. Even with Nazdar I’m going in there well over 100 and the differential was so loose I was actually getting wheelspin. This got worse as the session went on and I decided it was best to stop and go back into the pits. The good news was I am understanding the course and its variations and was driving much better.
The better news is Rod of Apex packed our original diff as a spare and RaceCraft will swap it over in the morning. Our first race is at 1:55 so time is not a problem. The new diff has 3.9 ratio where the bad one is a 4.2. What this means is the 3.9 is made for longer straights and high speed, the 4.2 is more for acceleration and punch coming out of corners. Frankly, I don’t care. I’ll drive around it and make the very best of the situation and who knows? The longer rear ratio may work out just fine. I’m here to race not complain.
We are the smallest powered car in the race. Our group has a couple of twin turbo 935K 800 hp Porsches, a half dozen 3 liter RSR Porsches, two DeKon Monza TransAm cars, a Greenwood Corvette and Charlie Kemp’s old Mustang Cobra along with 3 solid Datsun Z cars and a couple of Alfa’s and 2.5 liter Porsches. To prepare, I bought 6 new Hoosier radials at Watkins Glen for this race only to find out racing slicks are legal for this event. In snooping around, we are the only car in the field with treaded tires. Oops. that is worth 3 seconds or more a lap. Again, while it is a disadvantage I don’t care. We are at a new track, a fabulous event and we’ll go racing Saturday and Sunday to show old Nazdar to literally thousands of spectators, many who are BMW fanatics who have come by to talk. The weather has been super. 65 to 70 and sunny during the day but chilly in the 40’s at night. Good luck for us we don’t go out until the afternoon.
chasing 935
chasing CSL
heavy traffic
Mss Rosemary, the most dedicated supporter, in turn 11
Nazdar, the 2002 in turn 2
Under the tent – the whole story
Saturday morning I went to the car and the RaceCraft guys already had the new differential installed. A quick drive around the paddock told us it was fine. My old buddy and partner Tom Kiely and his wife Mary Charles came with friends from Hawaii and it was a happy reunion. Rosies daughter and friend were having a ball. There are so many things to do here it really is kind of an automotive amusement park.
I go to the grid thinking about the cars I might pass and happy anticipation. We go out on the pace lap, brakes warmed, tires scrubbed and when the green flag drops off we go. I actually got past one car going into the traffic jam at the turn 2 hairpin and out we go, flat to the floor. Wait a minute !! It seems as if the diff is slipping again. We finish half the first lap and I am still in front of maybe 3-4 cars when the dreaded big slip comes back. I did a second lap in a lonely last place and retired the car. What we now know is it never was the differential, it was the clutch.
Most likely the clutch disc has worn and when heavy pressure is applied it simply has no grip and therefore no power to the back wheels. There is a very small chance we can adjust it some but it is a 99 to 1 chance at best. But it is now 7 am Sunday morning and thousands are streaming into the course. We’ll go down and decide if I should take the start or not.
It is a shame with all the distance traveled, all the arrangements made, to have so little success. But on the bright side, old friends came to watch, Rosemary’s daughter and beau were here for the weekend and we made a lot of new west coast racing friends. The event is quite spectacular with generations of McLarens everywhere, dozens of legendary west coast cars from the past and vendors selling more than I can describe. So life goes on and as we all realize, racecars break. As for Nazdar, we have gone two full seasons with many wins and a championship and this is the first time she has not seen the checkered flag. I wish there were better news.
”
That’s all from Dave, except that if you know Dave at all, you know he’ll be back swinging any time soon and will take the whole field by surprise (yes, including THAT 935 – one can dream), so stay tuned for more – at life speed!
Velocity at Sonoma and guess who’s invited?
That’s right, wait – how did you guess? – Dave, our 80 years young racer-friend, Ambassador and BARC Boy of legend (check it out to find our how those are made – and kept), keeper of the one and only Honey Bee (the MGA with a sting) made it there with Nazdar (the 2002 he raced in – hold on for this – the ’70s! and that’s also sporting your colors – of course).
Here is his very own race report, with a few photos to illustrate – it is a full-on summary of what vintage racing is all about – gnashing teeth and frustration tears included – at life speed!
”
Back racing in November, but a long way from Lime Rock or Watkins Glen [Note from your editorial team – we told you everything about these adventures in earlier posts, stop whining already] . I flew east in mid October, picked up the RV in Virginia, had the trailer serviced and new tires, went to Apex Vintage in North Carolina, picked up up Nazdar and 2,748 miles later parked in front of our home in Palm Desert, CA. I could write 1,000 words on how wonderful it was to enjoy our magnificent country from the fat trees and hills of the east, through the plains of the Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas and into the wild desert landscapes of New Mexico and Arizona and finally home.
Now we’re at Sonoma Speedway formerly Sears Point. I was here to watch a race in 2011 and at that event made the decision to buy Honey Bee. When you watch Sonoma on TV it looks fast. It is not. This is a twisty, tough, difficult and medium speed, at best, track. There are 4 places on the track where it does a complete 180 degree switch. The circuit has a bunch of configurations and to someone who never saw it, driving it for the first time is a bit confusing. There are two places where the track goes straight but the driver is blocked by 4 tall PVC pipes. Honest. My second lap I am going down a short straight and cannot figure what to do – once I got close it was clear that straight was the end of the dragstrip and we had to make a slight left. On the backside a similar 4 pipe barricade also signals the driver to watch where the track goes. As you already figured, after about 5 laps you never really see them.
The course is wonderful. It is very bumpy but the word is repaving in February. There is no place to relax and gaze at your gauges. One is driving every minute. There are at least 5 places that are completely blind and demand the confidence you can keep your right foot flat. Not easy.
The Velocity folks have created quite an event. This is not like any race I’ve ever done and probably you have not either. This is Goodwood a la California. Every car is lined up under long tents in a smallish space along with all the cars in their race group. No trailers, no monster toolboxes or cubic feet of spares. The big rigs are hidden in the backside of the paddock behind custom made green fences. Every car gets a table, two chairs and electric, so maintenance is possible, but if you didn’t bring it with you from your trailer, you have to hitch a ride with one of the “driver” golf carts up to lot 2 and your get your part or tool. I made a deal with Jim Froula of Racecraft out of Oregon and his team of guys are taking care of Nazdar. I come off the track and take it to their trailer, they get it ready and deliver the car to its appointed place to be admired.
OK to racing. I signed up for the Thursday test sessions and needed it more than I expected. As mentioned, with blind corners and long 180’s plus big elevation changes this is not an easy circuit to learn. Between morning and afternoon I picked up 5 seconds a lap. A problem started early on when I noticed a lot of wheelspin when exiting a corner. Nazdar has a wonderful limited slip which is supposed to not allow that to happen. Think driving on ice or snow. You hit the gas and the rear wheels spin because they have no traction. With a racecar we are putting so many G forces going through a corner the inside rear wheel has very little weight and when you go for power that inside wheel spins or slips. Hence the word limited slip. Those of you not familiar may recognize the word posi-traction, which is simply a different word for limited slip. Regardless I was getting quicker and actually raced with and passed an 800hp ex Wittington Brothers 935K Porsche.
This morning for the first official practice, the guy assigned to me got the tire pressures backwards and on the second lap I went into a high speed, uphill turn and the car didn’t turn. Yep, I went straight onto the grass at about 90mph and expected the worst. But nothing happened. The hill I went over was smooth, no ruts, no trees, nothing. I slowed down and came back on the track. But the car was a handful and the session was basically worthless. For the afternoon that problem was solved but the rear wheel slip was worse. The fastest corner on this track is #10, a slight right which is bordered by a huge NASCAR fence with not 1″ of runoff if you make a mistake. Even with Nazdar I’m going in there well over 100 and the differential was so loose I was actually getting wheelspin. This got worse as the session went on and I decided it was best to stop and go back into the pits. The good news was I am understanding the course and its variations and was driving much better.
The better news is Rod of Apex packed our original diff as a spare and RaceCraft will swap it over in the morning. Our first race is at 1:55 so time is not a problem. The new diff has 3.9 ratio where the bad one is a 4.2. What this means is the 3.9 is made for longer straights and high speed, the 4.2 is more for acceleration and punch coming out of corners. Frankly, I don’t care. I’ll drive around it and make the very best of the situation and who knows? The longer rear ratio may work out just fine. I’m here to race not complain.
We are the smallest powered car in the race. Our group has a couple of twin turbo 935K 800 hp Porsches, a half dozen 3 liter RSR Porsches, two DeKon Monza TransAm cars, a Greenwood Corvette and Charlie Kemp’s old Mustang Cobra along with 3 solid Datsun Z cars and a couple of Alfa’s and 2.5 liter Porsches. To prepare, I bought 6 new Hoosier radials at Watkins Glen for this race only to find out racing slicks are legal for this event. In snooping around, we are the only car in the field with treaded tires. Oops. that is worth 3 seconds or more a lap. Again, while it is a disadvantage I don’t care. We are at a new track, a fabulous event and we’ll go racing Saturday and Sunday to show old Nazdar to literally thousands of spectators, many who are BMW fanatics who have come by to talk. The weather has been super. 65 to 70 and sunny during the day but chilly in the 40’s at night. Good luck for us we don’t go out until the afternoon.
Saturday morning I went to the car and the RaceCraft guys already had the new differential installed. A quick drive around the paddock told us it was fine. My old buddy and partner Tom Kiely and his wife Mary Charles came with friends from Hawaii and it was a happy reunion. Rosies daughter and friend were having a ball. There are so many things to do here it really is kind of an automotive amusement park.
I go to the grid thinking about the cars I might pass and happy anticipation. We go out on the pace lap, brakes warmed, tires scrubbed and when the green flag drops off we go. I actually got past one car going into the traffic jam at the turn 2 hairpin and out we go, flat to the floor. Wait a minute !! It seems as if the diff is slipping again. We finish half the first lap and I am still in front of maybe 3-4 cars when the dreaded big slip comes back. I did a second lap in a lonely last place and retired the car. What we now know is it never was the differential, it was the clutch.
Most likely the clutch disc has worn and when heavy pressure is applied it simply has no grip and therefore no power to the back wheels. There is a very small chance we can adjust it some but it is a 99 to 1 chance at best. But it is now 7 am Sunday morning and thousands are streaming into the course. We’ll go down and decide if I should take the start or not.
It is a shame with all the distance traveled, all the arrangements made, to have so little success. But on the bright side, old friends came to watch, Rosemary’s daughter and beau were here for the weekend and we made a lot of new west coast racing friends. The event is quite spectacular with generations of McLarens everywhere, dozens of legendary west coast cars from the past and vendors selling more than I can describe. So life goes on and as we all realize, racecars break. As for Nazdar, we have gone two full seasons with many wins and a championship and this is the first time she has not seen the checkered flag. I wish there were better news.
”
That’s all from Dave, except that if you know Dave at all, you know he’ll be back swinging any time soon and will take the whole field by surprise (yes, including THAT 935 – one can dream), so stay tuned for more – at life speed!