Car looks and sounds great.

Love seeing Sutton still lurking and following whats happening with car. I know it's just killing him that he's not the center of attention and has been relegated to the butt of all jokes.
(FYI, he was last logged in to LatG yesterday).

I was talking with Blake after the first session on Sunday about the car and how it was working and the one thing I loved the most was when he said the catch can was empty after every session. :)

Coolant temps steady at 195, oil pressure steady, no fluid leaks at all, no parts falling off...you know, all the basic easy stuff to take care of that wasn't before.

Greg,
As if the track footage didn't make me smile enough, seeing how much fun you guys had sure added to it. I'm stoked for you and that the car did so well. Watching it repetitively blow doors off of Miatas was surely entertaining. I would have made the drive if I still lived in California. I can't wait to see more!

We are all flipping Sutton off in that picture. He is a form of Cancer.

Its just not right how you cut Scott out of that picture, after all the good things Scott has said about you............oh wait.

Awesome!!!! Congrats!!!

What app is it?

Regards

Here is a little comparison. The fast unclean lap of 1.43 ish. with more tuning to be done. The #1 qualifier for the trans am race with LOTS of clean laps.....
1.38.

Thank you Greg for entrusting us with the dirt missile redo. I hear we have a new name for the car possibly??

PacMan because of the way it eats up the cars in front of it on track!!

V-Box video — it’s an automotive/racing set up

It’s not set up well at all - and is capable of so much more “on screen” data - we will work on that now - but doing video **** is kind of the “last thing” on the project - since it’s really not important to the cars performance - it’s just for smiles afterwards. We’ll try to do better.

My greatest regret in all of this - in hindsight - is that I just didn’t pull the “date” for the car to be built - and insist you guys build it in the first place. It would ultimately have been done “sooner” than what this weekends date was!! And I might possibly have had a chance to wheel this biotch myself. Hindsight is always 20/20

Our personal friendship over the years - which outsiders may not understand - has meant the world to me - and to be able to watch the growth and success for all involved in Speedtech Performance has just been outstanding. I’m so proud of you!!

Many don’t know that Blake and I have just been hot rod buddies for quite a few years — but I’ve never spent $1 with the company. For no reason than the cars I’ve been building don’t use these kinds of parts. I have tried to be there for business discussions = as a friend to good friend.

Love you buddy - and forever in your debt!

What you and Anita meant to this weekend is unspeakable.... being there - thrashing on the car - cooking meals - hanging with everyone and seeing your effort wail on some pesky Miatas *LOL* - a 24 hour round trip drive on top of that!!!

NOW — Get that drag car out and give ME a weekend to come see YOU run that bad boy!!

I like it!! And congrats for that car!!

Thank you Greg!!
September 6-8 Las Vegas Motor Speedway, we will just rent a BIGGER RV!!

Hey Ron Sutton — if you’re lurking — SUCK IT!!


NOBODY NEEDS YOU!

I see what you mean about traffic, wow. That speedometer climbs like a tach. The shifts with this trans is so quick. This thing screams!

Kurt Urban at Scoggins Dickey Race Shop knows how to build a motor —- SUTTON DOES NOT.....

The tranny in this car was the reason the car started in the first place —- I had three track cars — vintage Old Yeller - The Lotus - The big wing ‘07 car —- I wanted more tire - a little bit more motor - and a sequential. Rather than rebuilding and modifying one that I had - seemed like a good idea to just build a whole new car from scratch...... ENTER MUTTONHEAD — F’d it all up....

He thought he was the only one that knew anything about building a car —- I got news for ya — ain’t my first rodeo — and I have lots and lots of great people I can lean on for support..... nobody needs this ahole fake.

It was like everybody else was on the pace lap. Damn that thing gets it! Hey, it was only one redo. Not bad for this board. HA

Leave you know who in the past, right where he belongs. No regrets, my friend.

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-...PKM4fvj-XL.jpg

When the "rough" tuning is complete and it's in the fine tuning phases this car should open a more than a few experienced eyes at the track.

Darrell's experience and ability to adapt and drive around a less than ideal set up is very impressive. He was forced to be feathering throttle off most the critical fast apexes to maintain front grip, when they get the front gripping look out!

Besides being a talented driver, Darrell's willingness to let a bunch of unknow outsiders freely use his shop and tools and him lending all his time for the "cause" was genuinely impressive.

He went above and beyond every minute of every day, an absolute class act, always polite and curteous with a great personality and sense of humor. I left with a huge amount of respect for this man that I only met on Thursday evening. :thumbsup:

Happy to see this car out and about and KILLING it!

Kudos to you and all the parties involved making the resurrection a success.

Agreed I pulled up in a rented motorhome. He met me at the gate parked me right in front of his shop handed me a extension cord and a key to the shop never have i met him before talked on the phone 1 time. GREAT GUY for sure

Then SIEG showed up, so i packed up and ............. lol JK buddy

THIS


He went above and beyond every minute of every day, an absolute class act, always polite and curteous with a great personality and sense of humor. I left with a huge amount of respect for this man that I only met on Thursday evening. :thumbsup:

The car is basically a Trans AM car without the rules..... fast lap for TransAM this weekend was a 1.38.5 ==== we can get there, I think.

The beauty of it — NO SAUCE REQUIRED. It’s a simple 3 link rear - wide stance - great shocks (JRi’s).... there’s nothing magic - nothing secret - The Kurt Urban lawn mower motor is absolutely STELLAR — again — no sauce... but a real actual motor builder that knows a thing or two.

What held it back??? Two last Sutton items - the pushy locker - and his too heavy of front bar. Ditching that as we speak.

Lawns will be getting shorter.

.....
 

......

This is priceless!!!

(well that didn't work, but that image is awesome!)

Gregg, ecstatic to hear this car is starting to perform to it's potential.
Couldn't happen to a better guy.

About the locker, are you loosening up the locker or ditching it for a posi unit?

Has me second guessing about the locker going in my car. Maybe Lance can chime in on the performance, I know he put one in Barney. I am assuming it is still in his car.

Good friends and fast cars, doesn't get much better than that. What a weekend!

Talked to the driver about his pass on me at turn 11 at about the 7:40 mark. I was turned in on my line and had I not noticed him, and heard the down shifts, I would have turned right in on him..his fault. After watching the video, he stole the inside line from several people....not a good way to make friends and quickly become "that guy/that car".
While TT is racey, it is not a race. Dive bombing and stealing peoples track out area is a bad idea, as those of us in 4500lbs cars on 295 street tires don't have a lot of options.
Not mad, no one got hurt, but it cost me a lap. Speed safe guys.

The locker on my car was a great cure for the issues I was having at the time (lifting the onside rear tire). Now that I have cured that issue with other methods, the locker is now a bit of a nuisance. It still does a lot of good things but especially with the way I drive it while autocrossing (left foot trail braking) it stays bound up then when it finally releases it bangs real hard and can upset the car.

Much like Darrel did on PacMan last weekend, I just drive around it for now. My issue is not as bad as he dealt with but at some point I'd like to try something different once again.

Dan, right? This was a combo of HPDE4 and TT, passing anywhere on track. I’d be willing to bet if the winged BMW hadn’t yielded he would have been on that same line. IMO you left that wide open, especially for a lighter car with the ability to late brake. 4500lb cars on 295’s take different lines then the e30 in front of you, the BMW behind you and obviously a TT car. Looked clean to me.

A couple of those run groups looked like a complete cluster F, surprised there weren’t more incidents.

What did Darrell say about the turn 11 pass?

With 100 cars on track and full open passing I don't know how you couldn't expect to see attempted passes there... and pretty much everywhere. :)

Word Cotton ….

Dan,

I know what you’re saying but....

NASA can fix that by putting the proper groups on track..... they made it nearly impossible to be able to get any clean runs. We’re out there trying to get fast lap - while others are out parading.

In the TT classes — Which require comp licenses — you are supposed to be aware of faster cars on track at all times.

I agree — as the rules go - he was NOT past your door yet and you were turning in.... but as rules go - we all know “stuff” happens pretty quick out there and sometimes it’s hard to react. You did have a very wide line in to that turn which left the door open so to speak...

Dirt missile 2
 

I run with Checkered flag racing.. one race group, one group A
which most can run in the race group as they are that fast
and no point byes and one group B with point byes

Most of the time it is 20-30 cars max with lots of open space
They are a great bunch of guys and run Laguna, Sears and
Thunderhill... guests are invited but most can get in

My viper buddy likes to start at the back of the pack
and run thru the group.. I do that with him but prefer
to start at the front and get a clean track until you hit
the lappers

I did the parking lot running with Shelby Club for a while
and finally went with these guys.... besides the founding
fathers 25 years back were all Pantera owners (best people
in the world:).. they go nuts when a few of us current Pantera
owners show up

Bob

I've been around this crap for a long time, run 10 or so different road courses. I have to say Nasa @ Sonoma is a bit of a cluster. So many cars on track, that they end up with cars stopped on track in grid, while cars have made a full lap, and are coming back around to grid hot. You add having TT and HPDE on at the same time, reminded me of the DC beltway.

Craziest thing I've ever seen, yeah I'll pass on that. I understand having to keep the sessions full to be profitable, but that was ridiculous.

Like I've told you and others.... the June event is the BIG one.... the other 4 or 5 during the season at Sonoma are fine.

Grow a set. Embrace the traffic. :lol:

Greg's comment about not mixing HPDE with TT in the same group is spot on. However, NASA groups the rules for the two groups (HPDE/TT) in the same section of the rule book and currently there is only one comment about passing - "6. The driver attempting to make a pass is solely responsible for safe outcome of that pass. Drivers making a pass should be certain that the driver ahead of them can see them before attempting to pass." The guidance regarding what constitutes a safe "racing" pass (past the door, etc.) is in the competition section, which does not include HPDE or TT; however, after contact in TT I have seen NASA use the competition rules to determine fault. Most NASA HPDE Group 4 briefings include "passing with courtesy" and participants are reminded that the overtaking car cannot take the other car off his line. That is not appropriate for TT cars trying to get a good lap time. The groups should not be mixed!

Pappy

I will say —- Dan is correct — And I agree with him.... We have to know the rules and there are rules.

Every situation is different - and in the heat of battle - we’re all racers and take an advantage of any situation we can. Some of this is born out of frustration... as I’m sure this weekend was frustrating for many. However — doesn’t make it right. I’ve watched the video a few times in review —- I know myself — had it been me in the seat - I’d have taken that same pass.... 😂

What gets me is that NASA is putting cars out where the delta of lap times is just way too large. I think I now see why there’s so few cars in the upper groups. I noticed on Saturday there were way more TT cars — and they just must have packed up and gone home on Sunday. I now see why. Our plan was to run the two early TT sessions because the third session was TT and HDPE4 and supposedly that put about 100 cars on track. Darrell was smart enough to tell me “I’m not going to waste fuel and tires doing that”.... and I totally agreed. However — even the Sunday TT runs were mostly Miatas! WTF - I don’t care what you do in a Miata — it’s not going to run with almost 700hp. I also noticed the TTU Norma — it seemed to come out — do a couple hot laps and disappear... Given the rules for TT — just set fastest lap - doesn’t matter if it take you one lap or 10... that makes “sense” given the traffic situation. By the time the NORMA (OR US) came around for 2nd and 3rd lap — it put you into a cluster F....


SO what I’m trying to say is —- DAN —- Sorry that happened.... Glad it was you and not someone else. You had the skills to handle it.

By the way ——


WE are trying to make SCCA July 6th and 7th @ Sonoma — were we’ll put the car in Super Production class... that will be a real race and run like a race.

We have a lot of “stuff” to get done — and hopefully there’s not a big snafu that throws a monkey wrench in our well laid plans.

Dirt missle
 

Greg
Is super production Merc9 class?
Saw him go by me a Laguna one day
Let me say it again. Saw something go by
me at Laguna and my buddy told me it was
Merc9

Bob

I deal with traffic everyday, I race to blow off steam and enjoy the experience. Just know, its not like that everywhere. Dealing with crap that's unacceptable everywhere else in the world must be a California thing. LOL

Exactly what I was thinking.:D

I thought the same thing as you... til I actually went out there and carved it up in those combined sessions. It was fun and tense at the same time.


CA has its issues.... NASA Norcal registration numbers is not one of them.