April Autocross Report

Wet

Sunday April 23 was the latest autocross for NMS-North, and while the day started out on the wet side, a good time was had by all regardless. We waited for the rain to stop, and then got cars rolling on course right about noon, and even with the delay (usually start driving at 10AM) every driver still had a shot at the course eight times. By the time we were driving, the pavement was just about 100% dry, so it was a fun day!

At the end of the day I managed to take 1st in my class of 4 drivers by just under 0.1 of a second, so that was close! On the overall PAX, I took 4th out of all 35 drivers, so that was pretty good for me. On my final drive of the day I lowered my time by another 0.3 seconds, BUT hit a cone (which is a 2 second penalty for that time) so that run didn't count. Oh well, if you don't hit a cone once in a while, maybe you need to go faster. Here's my final run of the day. Without hitting a cone it might have moved me up to 3rd on the day. 

FINAL RUN OF THE DAY

We split the drivers into 2 groups, and I was driving in the 1st group. Apparently all the really fast drivers were in the later group, because at the end of our 1st group first time to drive, I was leading the PAX standings! That felt pretty good, even though I was sure the fast folks would beat my time. Here's how it looked there just for a short time while I was leading:

In first place at least temporarily!

Here's the secret to how I had such a good day:

50% savings in license plate weight!
With the car now registered in SC, I put the new plate on the rear, and removed the two NY plates! All that weight savings must have made the car faster!

The course was a good mix of high speed (my top speed was 55mph) and a few very slow tricky corners. Out of 8 runs I hit two cones on the day, so mostly kept it clean and was improving all day. 

Cars and Coffee VIDEO!

Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing

Our local Cars and Coffee is a fun event, held just about every Sunday, with no admission, no judging, no trophies, just car folks and their cars. A recent event was EPIC TIMES THREE, because among the common everyday garden variety Corvettes, McLarens, Porsches, Ferraris, and Lamborghinis, there were 3 jaw-droppers. Probably the most impressive car (that you do NOT see every day) was a 1950s Mercedes 300 SL "Gullwing." Wow!

In addition, there were TWO Porsche Carrera GTs, in black and red parked side by side. I've seen maybe a few of them in museums, one driving down the street here in Great Neck, and now these 2. You might have seen one of these on Jay Leno's Garage, or some other TV show or Internet video. 

Speaking of video, here's a video of last Sunday's Cars and Coffee, and SPOILER ALERT, if you want to skip the part with the previously mentioned million dollar cars, you can see me getting interviewed with Ruby the 2009 Cayman at the 9:12 mark. Better yet, start just before that and see my friend Mitch with his Carmine Red Cayman too! Here's the link:

COLLECTOR CHASSIS CARS AND COFFEE

Simeone Foundation Auto Museum Highlights

Recently I was very happy that my wife went to a baby shower in Philadelphia, because it allowed me to drive south and visit the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum. Wow! You need to visit if you have any interest in historical vehicles, racing, and seeing cars that raced from Indy to LeMans in person. The collection was brought together by Dr. Simeone over many years, and I was also lucky enough to be at an event there in 2019 when Dr. Simeone was still living. Here's just the highlights!

Yep, 1 of only 6 Shelby Cobra Daytonas. Unbelievable to see one in person!

                                        

Cobra Daytona

What's it worth?
In 2009 one sold for $7,500,000

 

Famous flat "Kamm" tail for aerodynamics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        Ferrari Testa Rossa weighs less than a Miata

 

This car is the same age as me!

Testa Rossa, with red seats too

Be careful of the hot exhaust pipes when you get out

This must have looked like it was from outer space in 1958

Back to more Ford vs. Ferrari, the 1966 GT

This specific car started but didn't finish at LeMans 66, but Ford had others that swept 1-2-3. 

How do you like them bumpers!

The rear of the car with so many air intakes really stands out. The 1967 version coming up looks really different than what you see here. 

One year later, the Ford GT was re-worked for more aerodynamic efficiency, 300 less pounds, the engine power was increased, and again, Ford finished top of the heap at LeMans. This car tied the lap record while another Ford won the race. 

Lots of differences with the previous year's yellow car

I noticed the intake built into the NACA duct on top of the door

   1967 Ford

Even rarer than the 1 of 6 Daytona above, this is 1 of only 5 Corvette Grand Sports!

I'm just going to say "here's something you don't see every day!"

As I said, those are just the highlights! More from the Simeone coming up in the future.