One Lap of America

[scottycards]

My buddy is running One Lap of America. Here is an email he sent me::thumbsup:

Hello from One lap of america! Today is Saturday, day 3. Day one was long as
we left the house at 8:25am and drove 1200 miles to South Bend IN, we switched
driver every tank of gas, about 240 miles.

The car is Great! Very smooth and comfortable but firm and spirited on the
track.

We got in to South Bend at 4:20am EDT, no kidding!

Day 2 was Friday and we slept until 11am then went over to get the car
registered as Dick said, there are some cool cars, 86 to be exact. There are 3
other cars from Colorado that we know and the people are all cool.

We had a drivers meeting which went over all the rules and route suggestions.
they had a sandwich dinner with free beer and Jagermeister. Yes the jager bus
is going the whole way with us!

Today, Day 3 we woke up about 630 and had pancakes then went to the skid pad
where they have sprinklers spraying a 200 Circle with water to make it more slippery, and you go 2 laps clockwise
and 2 laps counter clockwise. I did it in our car and pulled a .756 G's which
put us in 47th position out of 86 after the first event.

Next we drove about 10 miles to a paved 1\4 mile oval and MIke drove he did well
but we don't know if we moved up or down yet as they haven't calculated the
points yet.

Btw, each time we do each event we have to completely unload the car and spare
tires then reload, we are getting pretty effcient!

After we reloaded after mikes oval, we drove to Joliet Autobahn country club and
unloaded after 140 miles and our session didn't start until 330, we got there at
100, so we unloaded and ate lunch.

I drove at this track and think we did good, we don't have the 500 HP like other
cars in this class but smooth is fast!

As I write, we are headed to Mid america on Saturday night, 645.

Couple of folks have gotten sideways and one car overheated and out antifreeze
onthe track, but no incidents.

[scottycards]

More from One Lap:
Hello everyone.....here's the Friday update and activities....
We arrived early to take advantage of the no lines no waiting for the
registration. After signing our lives away, receiving our number (57),
getting the "route map", rules, and required sponsor stickers, we headed off
to the local car wash to make the little silver car bright and shiney.
After that we spent the next hour appling the sponsor stickers and heading
back to Tire Rack to get through tech inspection (having the sponsor
stickers applied AND in the right spot are required to "pass" tech
inspection).
On the way back to Tire Rack we spotted a Bowne facility. As Bowne is a
sponsor, we decided a stop for a personal thanks was in order. We asked for
the manager and he obliged with a photo op of himself and a staff member or
two.....Bowne building logo, car, Bowne logos, employees, and the grand old
American flag herself acting as props! What a great country.
We g ot through tech just fine....fireproof drivers suit (check), helmet
(check), fire extinguisher (check), safety flares (check), OLOA 2007 tire
brands/stamps (check), AND lord.....THE STICKERS (check). Oh and by the
way....the organizers don't care whether the fire extinguisher is even in
the car while on track. Such much for mounting it where you can actually
get to it if really needed??? Go figure. Brake pads? Who needs them? Can
you check again to see if they have the stickers??? The tires are spray
painted with the teams selected manufacturer's name (Michelin in our case)
and from here you dance with who you brought (more on this later). Tech
inspection completed....in under 5 minutes.
Changing subjects.....Ed the TB, from here on known as Mr. Pink (remember
Mr. White's TB) made it home fine, well almost fine, from Madison's Oyster
Bar. It was near 2:00 am and we understand that things got a bit dicey
later and that's all we'll say about that! Mr. Pink was forced from his
1:30 pm slumber as he needed to make it to tech and sign his life away even
as a TB. Mr. White and third team member, Mr. Black saw that this was
accomplished. I see the title to a future movie in this?????
We spent the rest of the day fiddling with the car and oogling (spelling?)
the 500 HP VW beetle and other like machines. The mix of cars is
incredible, right down to the open cockpit roadster that last year had to
drive through 28 degree temps, snow, and sleet! They wear motorcycle
weatherproof rubber suits that are heated.......life's a b@+?h if you're
that team. By the way, weather forecast....rain for the next two to three
days with possible snow showers in Wyoming on Sunday as we hit the
divide....life's a.............you know the rest.
Lunch at 2:00 was followed by a trip to Wal-Mart to get another pair of
jeans, rain jacket for Dick, sweat shirt for Dick, 2-1/2 gallon gas can (the
lunch stories of running out of gas in transit scared me in to submission),
and bananas (yes we are trying to eat right). The clothes are for the
predicted weather "change".
It's now 4:00 pm and we're off to the driver's meeting. Oh but wait....as I
walk past the car I spy a brilliant object shining in the afternoon sun and
wedged (more like punctured) in the left rear tire. What can that be....yes
a screw head in our brand new tire. I quickly hunt down an organizer and
explain my problem. I am directed to the VP of Tire Rack who puts me to the
front of the line for a quick tire change.....re-branding and all. For a
small fee of $225 we have a new tire mounted and balanced. What a great
country! I am thankful we had this now as it "cost" us no points (like we
plan to win???) and more importantly we are safe. A tire going down on a
track at speeds of 100 MPH + much less a highway is not a good thing. End
of this mim i saga is that the tire was changed during our driver's meeting
and we are good to go.
Arriving back to our hotel, we are greeted with a party of food, beer, wine,
and Jagermeister. A few beers and celebratory toasts of Jager leave us
feeling good about the start of tomorrow.....DAY ONE.......tough one at
that. Three driving events...wet skid pad (me), 1/4 mile oval (Dick),
Autobahn Country Club (me), and then to Pacific Junction, IA. Watch the
tracking tomorrow!
Last story is about the Rice University engineering students with an Alfa
Romeo that catches fire on the way to South Bend from Houston, TX because
the exhaust tip breaks off. Seems the very hot exhaust gases started
applying themselves to the plastic bumper cover. Smoke filled the passenger
cabin before they knew they had a problem. They pulled over an extinguished
the literal flames, but now what to do for an exhaust tip? A tall boy
(flavor unknown, but I'm guessing Bud) is purchased and consumed as nothing
goes to waste and a new exhaust tip is born. I saw the new tip and the
burnt bumper.....you can't make this stuff up!

[scottycards]

This one came in yesterday, Sunday:

Hello everyone......hope you have been enjoying the updates. It's hard to
believe we only officially started yesterday morning in South Bend. We just
stopped for gas in North Platte, NE and the gentleman I spoke with was
amazed and then truly blown over when I told him we were also doing track
events along the way. He thought it was a straight drive! We wrapped up by
giving him a flyer and asking him to donate to NPCC.
Before I move on about today, I wanted to follow on our adventures after
signing off last evening. About 30 miles east of Omaha, NE we hit a storm
that was intense! Rain, high wind, hail. By the time we got to Council
Bluffs the radio was reporting tornados. We pull in to our motel in Pacific
Junction at 12:50 am local time. Happy to be stopped and getting rest.
The motel room was a classic. First, it made the motel room in South Bend
that smelled like it had been soaking in beer for the past ten years like
the Ritz. The carpet was a lovely lime green and electric blue shag.
(Interruption in the report...sorry....had to switch the GPS navigation
unit, AKA Alice, to mountain time).
When you walked in the entry door the sink was right there. Like one of
those fountains you place at the foyer of your home......it just needed to
be half shell shaped and the image was complete. The final and absolute
best feature though was the notch cut in the edge of the door so that when
it swung in to the bathroom it would clear the front edge of the toilet!
Who says craftsmanship has been lost? It is alive and well in PJ, IA and
I've got photos to prove it.
Moviing along.....up at 6:30.....still raining, thundering, blowing like a
banche. A little breakfast at the local diner....picture Far Side
characters and you got it. Most frequently asked question....."What's all
'em stickers on ya' car fo?" Wolf down eggs and sausage and decide to leave
our gear (at least clothes) in the motel with our new found One Lap
friends.......wet clothes do not make happy drivers.
Off to the track. Unload the car essentials and raise the canopy for a
little protection. At this point the wind seems to be dying down. The
organizers hold a brief meeting and during the middle of it the tornado
siren goes off. Everyone is herded in to the restrooms of a cinder block
building. Yahoo!!!!! Five minutes pass and the siren ends...let's go drive
fast.....more yahoo's.
Before gridding up we decide to take down the canopy as the wind was now
picking up again. The organizers had also decided that there would only be
one run as we were starting late, we had the longest leg before us in going
to Tooele, UT (1,000 miles), and to boot the weather was predicted as snow
west of Cheyenne, WY. Today is Dick's turn to have some fun
(wet...dry....who cares it's driving fast and that's fun). We moved up 13
spots yesterday so Dick went out in the 5th group.....in other
words....early! The rain had stopped and the track was drying out......more
yahoo's. Dick did great with 2:07 times on a 2.2 mile wet track. It was
good enough to take 68th place for the event.
We packed up and retrieved our belongings from Shag Motel and started our
1,000 mile trex at about noon CST. We are currently 120 miles from Cheyenne
and making good time. Alice tells us we still have 591 miles to go though
so we've covered 409 miles in 5 hours 15 minutes (time of writing) with two
stops.
More info.......Dick just set a new high speed on Alice for this leg of 107
MPH (disclaimer not on a public highway...yeah right).....we have covered
1,591 miles total.......our average moving speed is 69.7 MPH with all
stops......moving time has been 22 hours 52 minutes.
More info......and this hard core. If I did not tell you there is an open
cockpit car entered in the event. I mean open in that there is NEVER a roof
on this car. Seems they had differential problems after yesterdays event in
Joliet. They drove back to South Bend to meet someone coming from Detroit
with a new diff. They worked at Tire Rack and replaced the defunct diff and
headed back west. In route the car just stopped running twice. They
finally decided to pull out the PC and re-boot the cars ECU (brain). They
arrived at the track in Pacific Junction, IA just before the first group
went out. 40 minutes of cat nap under a bridge overpass for the only shut
eye. They also drove through all the storms!!! They are still in the game
and high up in the standings. As one participants car sticker
reads......Sleep is for the weak!!!!!
I can't wait to do this next year and again more importantly support NPCC.

[TJay]

Specs on the car, #? Please keep posting. I love one lap.

[scottycards]

2005 RX8, modified. I don't know the specifics, since this car was substituted at the last minute after my friend's car was not ready.

I think they are car #39- Dan Aweida and Mike Pederson. It's Mike's car, and Dan is the guy I know.

He said 7 people got speeding tickets last night alone, driving between tracks.

[scottycards]

Update- not from my friend, but another car:
Hello from the great state of Colorado!? We arrived last night or should I say
this morning at 12:45 am in to Pueblo.? We took route 50 from Grand Junction.?
The road at first was great, but as we moved east and over the Rockies it became
a bit more "twisty" than one would hope with little sleep, animals (deer, elk,
fox, rodents) hell bent on committing suicide,? pitch black dark, and raining.? Don't get me wrong.....we love
twisties, but with the circumstances outlined above it was a bit intense and
stressful.? At the end of the day all that counts is that we made it!? And our
motel accomodations were the best yet........in fact the Hampton Inn and Suites?
Dick's wife Angie came down from Erie to see us and spend the day at the track
Tuesday..... is today Tuesday????
Well....the schedule tells us we are at Pueblo Motorsports Park....so it must
be Tuesday.? The weather is perfect again.? It was forecast to be rainy, but
we wake to bright sunshine and cool temps.? The engine in the little silver car
will love sucking in that cool air and the rubber patches will like the asphault
warmed by the sun.
Pueblo is a 2.2 mile, 10 turn track in the middle of sand dunes.? The track
has a long front straight (0.5+ miles) that doubles as a drag strip on Saturday
nights.? The surface is very grainy and has just gobs of grip.? Problem areas
are you can't drop a wheel anywhere as there is a 2-3 inch drop, the track is only 20 feet wide
(that's half as wide as Miller in Salt Lake), and turn 10 is where the road
course joins the drag strip meaning different pavement materials, bumps, and the
metal cover protecting the starting "christmas tree".? At the exit of turn 10
is the concrete wall (both sides) that run the entiire 1/4 mile strip.? More on
this "feature" later.
We decide I'll run session 1.? Getting to the track an hour early, I borrow
Woody Hair's razor (thanks Woody!) and go for a track walk to hopefully gain
some "insight".? Car #57 is called to grid and I get a great spot in my run
group.....last.? I like the last spot as the pressure is less than being in the
middle of the pack.? I am directly behind a Dodge Charger.? Well, my last
position is given up immediately as the Charger waves me by after the warm up
lap.? No worries!? Everything goes well until lap two where in turn one, a
long sweeping right hander that leaves the car fully loaded on the left side......problem becomes gas starvation as the pick-up is on the right
side of the petrol tank.? 3/4 of the way through the turn the car starts
bucking.? I realize I am in Colorado, but this is no horse I am on.? The same
condition occurs again at the fast double apex turns of 5 and 6.? Note to
self....try a slightly different line that will possibly assist in correcting
the issue and get gas after the session.? I finish 42nd for the session
(mid-pack) with a combined time of 5 minutes 55 seconds.? I'll take it that
laughing to the bank.
Afternoon arrives and Dick gets his shot.? He is doing very well on laps one
and two.? As he starts lap three you can tell he has the bit in his teeth.?
Coming to the final turn (remember turn 10?) He is approaching he turn a little
hotter (meaning faster) and he starts the turn in at approximatley 4-5 car
lengths early.? In early results in out early.? Unfortunately, out early here
and you are staring straight at the tire barrier backed up by concrete 18 inches thick.? Well.....soon after the apex of the turn, Dick starts quickly
running out of room and track.? Two wheels off (way off) and the car is only
aboiut 12 inches from the wall. Dust flying, car bouncing in the grass, Dick's
eyes I am sure WIDE OPEN.? The crowd is going "OH NO".? He saves it and brings
the car undercontrol back on track and finishes his last hot lap (a 2 minute 7
second wild ride).? The crowd starts clapping and cheering like banches.? Me,
I check my shorts and decide I need the heart paddles to bring me back from the
dead.? Way to go Dickie!!!!!! We live another day.? Dick finishes 66th in the
field and we stay in 58th spot over-all.
We pack up the car.? I give her a big hug and tell her we won't do that again
and that I love her!!!!? She needs attention after her scare.? Our route will
take us south into New Mexico for a few miles before we head east through
Oklahoma along route 412.
Switching gears (no pun intended), I wanted to talk about the open wheel car
that had the diff issue.? What I did not mention is that they tow a small enclosed
trailer while in transit from track to track.? The trailer houses their gear,
spare parts, etc.? It also has two more interesting features.? First, is that
has a spare fuel tank that is directly connected to the mother car while
traveling..cool enough, but the second feature is that they sleep in the thing.?
The trailer looks just like a coffin as it is low and coffin shaped.? They
climb in and the lid is shut.? No windows and no natural light.? Air comes in
through a PVC pipe that can be directed for air flow.? You want out....there is
a button that is tied to a horn and signal light on the dash so the driver knows
to stop.? We understand that the signal light is a new addition as last year in
pouring rain in FLA with the car hydro-planing across every lane available the
"sleeper" was blowing the horn for 50 miles trying to get out. Thanks, but no
thanks!!!? These guys are hard core......no doubt about it.
Time to sign off as we are doing a buck plus across Oklahoma and we just spied our first
deer.? Better to have all eyes focused on the road and the weeds to the left
and right.
From the road.....Chicken Hawk.