I have to get better at writing my blog as it has been WAY too long since I wrote anything! The past several weeks have been spent working furiously on my new ride for the 2007 season. My new car is a USAC Midget with a Gazan Racing prepared, Ed Pink Chevy motor. We plan to run it on both dirt and asphalt. Although it is a dirt/combo car, we hope to be competitive on the asphalt tracks in Colorado with the Rocky Mountain Midget Association, since their rules specifically disallow asphalt-only chassis.
Today was the first practice day at Sandia Motor Speedway (a half mile asphalt track). Although the track does not run a Midget class, they were very accommodating and allowed both my team and John McGerigle's team to get on the track to break in our newly freshened motors and run some practice laps.
After some coaxing, my car started but did not want to run at low rpm. It became clear that the problem was not easily solved and we decided to take the car back to the shop for more thorough analysis.
I had been looking forward to driving my car, so this was a bit disappointing. John McGerigle then made an incredible offer by asking if I wanted to drive his car. Of course I said yes, and after some pillows and blankets in the right places, I was able to see and reach the pedals.
Once on the track, I took it easy for a few laps, just getting used to the throttle and brakes. The car was a little on the tight side, but handled quite nicely. I began to pick up the pace while getting used to the feel of the car. Each lap I ran faster and faster, and by the end of the session I was only about a tenth and a half slower than the car had run earlier in the day.
The midget definitely had more horsepower than what I am used to, and it was very touchy with the throttle. It was very cool to be driving a car that made enough power to spin the tires on pavement if I rolled into the throttle a bit too quickly. I had a great time and cannot wait to get back on the track again! I am definitely looking forward to this year, and I owe a big thank you to John for helping us and for letting me drive his car! I also want to thank Butch Blackberg, Scott Baron, Dana Beatty, Jon Taylor and Dick Gazan for their help as we prepare for the 2007 season.
03/04/06
I Got To Drive a Focus Midget Today!
A couple of weeks ago my Dad and John McGerigle were talking and they discussed letting me drive John's Focus Midget. Last weekend we went to the Gazan Racing shop where John keeps the car and got me fitted for the cockpit. We knew that Sandia Speedway was going to have a practice day on 3/4/06 and we thought that would be a perfect environment to get me used to a bigger, more powerful car. I had a bit of a difficult time getting the car rolling as the clutch and throttle are considerably different than either of our mini sprints. Once I got onto the track I started getting used to the feel of power steering and the characteristics of a car that weighs about 300 pounds more than the mini sprint and makes considerably more power and torque. After about 5 warmup laps I started to "let her eat". The car had a great setup on it and seemed very balanced and comfortable. It had a little hesitation as I rolled into the throttle on corner exit that John attributed to a rich barrel valve setting. My Dad said that I ran in the 15.03 - 15.20 range once I got a little used to the car. I was pleased with that as John indicated that the car had run a 14.80 best at this track. I got to go out for a second session with some of the other mini sprints that were there. The car wasn't quite as comfortable in this session and I really did not want to push it to the edge. Our times in this session were a few tenths slower. This was a great opportunity for me and will make my experience at the Cory Kruseman school even better since I now know what a midget feels like. I REALLY owe a huge thanks to John McGerigle and Dick Gazan for letting me have this opportunity!
I also did 3 practice sessions in my Stealth Mini Sprint. We were trying to get the car loosened up after the first practice a couple of weeks ago where we seemed to be unable to dial the push out of the car. We succeeded - probably too much - the car was definitely loose. Dad decided not to mess with the setup too much as the right rear tire was practically down to the cords.
