Autocross Report From Winston-Salem

At least it's not raining inside the car. 
I don't think any Porsche drivers were intimidated with my 2018 G Street Champion jacket from the Tidewater Sports Car Club in Virginia Beach. Maybe I'll try a WORLD'S GREATEST DRIVER AND I'M FASTER THAN YOU t-shirt next time!
Hey, come on, that was a joke! It's the Ohio state flag on my helmet that should be scaring people!

Yes, there really is a city named Winston-Salem in North Carolina, and there is much more there than Winston and Salem cigarettes! Specifically, last Sunday there was a Fairgrounds, and along with the Carolinas Region Porsche Club of America, it was time to autocross! 

Attention race fans! The grandstands are PACKED, so get your tickets NOW!

The course was set up on basically a figure 8, with the start in the middle of the 8. Oh, and it was raining the entire time, so it was a bit slippery! To tell the truth, most people don't want to go drive (or drive fast) in the rain. However, after experiencing 10 runs in the wet, I think I prefer it! Yes, the rain makes you slower, but it also makes it more fun and easier to rotate the car around the cones.  It made me feel like the car was close to the edge of losing control a lot more than normal, so maybe that's what real racers experience when they're pushing it on track. I'll just sum it up with some words of wisdom from Mr. Mario Andretti, who once remarked that:

                “If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough.”

If you're not familiar with Mr. Andretti, just picture someone that won the Indy 500, won NASCAR races, and won a Formula 1 world championship. Oh, and this was after his family lived as refugees after WWII in Europe, and then moved to Pennsylvania! He knows what he's talking about!

I was back with #77 and found a handy table to keep my stuff dry. 
2009 base model Cayman in Ruby Red Metallic. 

In a class of only 2 cars, I managed first place, and grabbed the overall 2nd fastest RAW time of the day. That was fun! In addition to Porsches, there was a 2013 BMW M3, a 2004 Mini Cooper, and a 1989 Ford Mustang. 

The other fun part of autocrossing (even in the rain) is meeting other car enthusiasts and talking about cars all day! I enjoyed working on course (in the rain) with a gentleman who was there to drive with his son and daughter. He's a pediatrician, so I tried not to act like a baby. 

Here's my fastest run, and some photos from the day. 

49.3 On YouTube

For a rainy chilly day, we had a good number of Porsches and some other cars too. 

Driver's meeting, NOT in the rain!

Very nice blue 2021 718 Cayman and a red 1986 944

#37 2006 Cayman S

#21 is a 2009 Cabriolet 911

You gotta love a #986 Boxster.
HINT: 986 is the internal Porsche model number for this 2002 Boxster S. 

This 2017 Carrera S 911 took fastest time of the day

PRO TIP: You can autocross a hybrid!
PRO TIP PART 2: You can autocross a Cayenne SUV!

#7 is a 2013 911 

#31 is a 2016 Boxster S

#

2024 Cayman GTS 4.0

#505 is a 2008 Cayman

#611 is a 2009 Porsche 911 4S

Lemons Block Party!

The Bunch of Idiots and their Dodge Coronet. But will it run?
And YES, that is the Coronet support vehicle on the right, a PEUGEOT!

Last Friday kicked off the Lemons race weekend at Carolina Motorsports Park, and the Coronet "Bunch of Idiots" team managed to get in some testing at the track before heading to the Block Party. All the race cars headed from the track down to Camden, paraded into town, and then parked on the street for a few hours of hanging out and car talk. During this time the Lemons judges came around to each car for a quick little inspection and then made the all important class determination. Known as the BS Judging, this is where the judges find out a little bit of info, like if your rusty old 70s Dodge really is just an old Dodge underneath, or if you've put a Corvette motor or something else in there!

Time for the BS Judging. Hoping for Class C. 

The most likely fast/reliable cars will go into Class A, the next slower cars in Class B, and the slowest/worst cars end up in Class C. This is totally arbitrary, so there is some haggling/bribing going on here, and it's all just part of the fun for a Lemons race. The Dodge Coronet started racing in Class C years ago, but then since they won their class one time, they have been bumped up into Class B ever since. 

STALL WARS!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Miata and Red Baron Fiero

On the outside: MAVRICK
Underneath: CORVETTE!
This car won the overall race!

Waffle House

Come on judge, a car with this much rust should be Class C!

Cars parade into Camden

Who You Gonna Call?

Where else would you race a car covered in, uh, blue jeans?

You have to admit that the Dodge is HELLASWEET!

Brian sprays some more FAMILY shirts

This tribute to Eddie Van Halen (guitar spoiler!) included a microphone shift knob!

Yes, that fill cap says EARL. SAE 5W- 20 EARL!

Our friends from Shellie's House of Speed with the mighty Dirtie Dirtsun (Datsun)!

RACE WEEK!

Luke, Phillip, and Kyle find out if the engine fits. 

Yes, it's RACE WEEK once again! Brian and the Bunch of Idiots will be wheeling the 70s Dodge Coronet back on track at Carolina Motorsports Park this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday! This is the annual 24 Hours of Lemons race, (or just Lemons) with racing most of Saturday and most of Sunday. No, this one is not a full 24 hours straight, but these guys HAVE done that before. 

We need help identifying which are the old and which are the new brake rotors. 
Or are they exactly the same?

One highlight of this event, and unlike almost all other Lemons races across the country, is that Friday night is the big LEMONS BLOCK PARTY! Downtown Camden SC is the place to be, and all the race cars will pull into town, park, and hang out with live music, food, and festivities from about 6-9:30pm. This event is open to the public, and you can walk around and check out all the awesome $500 cars on display! 

The Bunch of Idiots will also be out on track Friday making sure that the newly rebuilt motor and all the other parts of the car stay together and work. Then after the Block Party, they'll be ready to race the rest of the weekend. The Block Party is free, and spectating during the race is only $30 for the full weekend. 

Some inside info tells me that the mighty Plum Crazy Dodge will be wearing its usual #287, although the livery has been updated for this event. Rumors of a race car with a full working mirror disco party ball on the inside, still left over from the 70s, can NOT be confirmed or denied at this time. You didn't hear it from me, and I was never hear. Neither was Admiral Greer. And I hope you've watched the movie Hunt for Red October and know what a disco ball is too! 

Silver in the City

Once a year the fine folks in York SC host a little get together for airstream trailers. Here’s the view just walking down the street last Saturday morning. 

OK, not a trailer, but I wanted to remember the name of this restaurant and check it out.