Gainesville Again Report

jerry rowley · #1 (**permalink**) 06-09-2002, 12:02 PM

Just a quick report on Gainesville Again. We had 22 drivers signed up, 17 showed up and tried to run. Dennis Olthoff brought his little tester car with the small Rosch 302. He beat us all with STREET TIRES! Then he put the Hoosier Street TDs on and bettered his time by about a second per lap! Good driving exhibition, Dennis, everyone enjoyed seeing how a Cobra CAN be driven with some practice (a LOT of practice!). Robert Lightsey ran his Hunter with Bow Tie to beat Jerry by .05 seconds per lap for the best "also rans" time. A big block Chevy and three big block Fords dominated the top five times except for Dennis!

We stopped at lunch time during rain, and decided to end the day with a few more broken cars and, thank God, NO broken drivers.

I just got home, but, I will post a few times and more detail later. Right now I'm taking a nap. I made the trip home (375 miles) in 5.5 Hrs, same as the trip down. I averaged a better speed with the tow vehicle than the Cobra on the track!

Jerry

CobraDan · #2 (**permalink**) 06-09-2002, 01:08 PM

That's the way Robert, show those Ford boys how a BIG BLOCK CHEVY runs

Jerry you can make my house to yours in about 9 hours if you want to come on August 10th, this way you can count the Cobras for your self and then buy me dinner. Have a nice nappy

Dan

Engineer Ed · #3 (**permalink**) 06-10-2002, 05:21 AM

Finally, the track layout favored the BB Cobra's!!
Brakes were not a factor as the track was faster and the times showed. Lap speed exceeded 100 MPH on the straights. Wow!!
With an average lap time of 55 seconds, the quicker cars ran mid to low 50's, and the slower group ran times just over 1 minute.

Things were just getting started when the rain shortened us to only a half day of runs.
The first runs had been completed and the BB's were boasting a second or two leads on the small blocks.

Scrambling to preserve our Gainesville champion standings, a few of us small block guys tried different tire pressures to compete with the faster running Big Blocks. Dennis on the other hand swapped to his slicks.....,

Dennis showed us how to drive a Cobra... sideways!!!
He makes it look so easy turning a best lap time of 49 seconds.
The next fastest time was the Corvette~Cobra of Robert Lightsey.
The stretched wheelbase and BB Chevy motor handled this faster course with ease.
Jerry's was right behind him with the Jaguar IRS Big block Cobra.
Kuhmo Victoracer tires were worn by most of the cars and were definitely the tire of choice.
I am finally done with my street tires. This event scrubbed off what little tread I had left. Time for some Kuhmo's for FFR1997K.

We had the normal stoppage of runs to clean up radiator fluid on the track and a few minor incidents of cars running off the track.
The scariest time of the day was when a fire erupted in one of the Cobra's after the first run.
Brake fluid from an improperly tightened reservoir dripped onto the headers and burst into flames.
Thankfully, an on-board hand held fire extinguisher ended the drama before the fire caused any damage. The car was able to get back on the track to make a second run later in the morning.

The battle of attrition continued at Gainesville as cars were lost due to thrown belts, Exhaust leak, alternator failure, a bent throttle pedal slowed Jerry momentarily, low oil pressure kept the GT40 from running fast and I believe we had a fuel runoff problem in one of the Cobra's as well.
For the second time in a row, a thrown belt and loss of radiator fluid cost one of the drivers his chance to compete.
It was finally fixed, but the track was shut down before he could get a chance to make timed runs.

We should have stayed longer as the weather DID clear up. The Weather service forecasted rain all afternoon. Guess what, it didn't! We lost an entire half-day of running, as we believed the weather was going to duplicate Friday. Yep, it rained all afternoon on Friday. Next time, were not leaving till the end, the hell with the forecast!!!

For all who were waiting to see how the EE / Pomroy / Dino battle would end, lets just say I have lots of free beer sitting in my refridge at home!!!

A third chance make changes never happened...
We gambled on the rain and lost.

14 laps ( two sets of 7) were all we were able to get in on Saturday morning. No time to try different setups and make improvements.
Well, there is always next time....

I got lucky with an initial setup and was able to preserve my winning status over Jim and Dino.
Only .4 seconds separated our fastest lap as Jim did put on the pressure with a better setup on his second runs.
I was impressed with the way he handled his Supercharged Fox Body Mustang.

Again, Gainesville was awesome! Too bad Mother Nature fooled us and we were unable to run all day. We learned a bit more and will try to alter the track next time to give us different challenges.
Saturday was fast and furious.
Looking like we are going to schedule something for late in the year. The wet season is upon us till October.

If you haven't tried Gainesville, you don’t know what you are missing.

Thanks for another great weekend of racing.

Ed
FFR1997K

CobraDan · #4 (**permalink**) 06-10-2002, 05:42 AM

Ed,
Thanks for the up date. I guess one of these times I will have to come, if nothing else just to watch or pit crew(just so damn far for one day). My Corvette~Cobra will have to have power steering installed before I would think of taking it out on a race course, it steers worse than a truck.

I might take it out on the 1/8 mile drag strip down here just to get a time.
Dan

aumoore · #5 (**permalink**) 06-10-2002, 06:08 AM

Dan
With all the time you spend waxing your cobra you should have worked up enough muscle to have power steeiring yourself.

Glad to see everyone had a good time except Dino. Maybehe should just go with a V-belt setup or better yet a electric water pump.

Engineer Ed · #6 (**permalink**) 06-10-2002, 06:10 AM

He did swap to a V belt.
Alternator mounting was insufficient.

We discussed the electric water pump....

Ed
FFR1997K

John McMahon · #7 (**permalink**) 06-10-2002, 06:14 AM

Well, now that you guys have seen Dennis Olthoff drive in person, what do you think?????

He's an unbelievably skilled driver. I hold him in the highest regard. Great guy, is always there with a smile and an offer to help out.

He smacks that Cobra around like it was attached to him.

I just love to watch him go, being behind him (before he loses me in the dust) and watching him set that car up is just....unbelievable!!!!

Glad everyone had fun with no major mishaps!

JM

jason · #8 (**permalink**) 06-10-2002, 06:22 AM

So we got the 1st 2nd & 3rd, what about after that?

Wish I could of seen this.

Jason

CobraDan · #9 (**permalink**) 06-10-2002, 06:30 AM

Ruble,
I haven't put the first coat of wax on my car yet. Did anyone take movies of this event, I guess I will have to buy a digital camera and be the photograher.
Dan

niles · #10 (**permalink**) 06-10-2002, 07:13 AM

It was noted that Dennis turned some hot laps on street tires.
what size wheels and type tires was he using in "street" mode?

gn

Joe Smith · #11 (**permalink**) 06-10-2002, 07:23 AM

Well, we were rained out (NOT!) for the second half of the day due to a
bogus forecast, but I still think that everybody who attended had a great
time at our 3rd DSCC Gainesville Test Track Event.
I want to thank EVERYONE for all of the hard work and help for making this thing go including, but not limited to:

Jerry and Trudy Rowley: for paperwork, planning, buying us a tent, and
overall support.

Engineer Ed: helping with timing, starting, and staging
and his COOL awning, and trailer.

Jim Pomroy: flagging, staging, and great suggestions for next
time.

Lorrie Pomroy: Tent set-up, and cone break down

Gary Matthew: Catering (and a super GT-40 ride!)

David Niblett: Flagging and timing

John Digulio and wife: Flagging and GREAT supper comedy

Robert Lightsey: For spanking lots of Fords with his Chevy!

Dennis Olthoff Tire advice, and one whale of a driving show.

We had several turn marshalls that I did not have a chance to talk with,
thanks SO much for all of the help. One more thing I'd like to add, if you
see a car going out with and empty right seat at our next event, PLEASE
ask for a ride. Most DSCCers will be happy to give you a quick spin around
the track. It is the LEAST we can do in appreciation.

I am in the processing of researching dates for our next event. I'll
probably put out trial dates in about 2 weeks. Our main conflicts are
with Gator football games due to hotel availablity, but we'll work it out.

I'm shooting for a Sep-Oct. date, a Jan. date, and a March-April date, if we now have the "critical mass" the fill 'em all up. I feel that we do.

Gainesville 4 is now in the planning stage..........

Engineer Ed · #12 (**permalink**) 06-10-2002, 07:29 AM

Dennis ran 5 laps on the street tires.
Race prepped Superformance, IRS !
His times were 55.3, 54.9, 50.9, 55.4, 55.5 if my memory serves correct ???
Not sure what brand of tire he used.

Engineer Ed (FFR, 4 link, Sumitomo tires) ran times of 55 seconds and a best lap of 54.6
I was very pleased with my times when compared to Dennis on the street tires. **READ BELOW**

Dennis is expected to be consistent with his times and we are disputing the 50 second time.
His best lap on his race slicks was only 49.? seconds.
Something sounds fishy.....

Could the 54.6 have been the fastest on street tires !!
Could Jim have actually beaten EE. Being 0.4 seconds, was it the timer who errored???
We will never know for sure.....

We weren't happy with the way the times were being kept and the inconsistency of the timers.
An electronic time system is being purchased for the next event.

Ed
FFR1997K

Joe Smith · #13 (**permalink**) 06-10-2002, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by CobraDan
Ed,
Thanks for the up date. I guess one of these times I will have to come, if nothing else just to watch or pit crew(just so damn far for one day). My Corvette~Cobra will have to have power steering installed before I would think of taking it out on a race course, it steers worse than a truck. I might take it out on the 1/8 mile drag strip down here just to get a time.
Dan

Dan, I'm running a solid Ford 9" rear with a Drag Race "star-fish" detroit
locker rear end in my car. I run the track so slowy that I can hear them
snickering in the pits even when my trusty 460 is pulling at 5 grand!
I STILL have a blast every time. The beauty of Gainesville is that you
can push it to the limit or drive at whatever speed you feel comfortable
with. This is NOT a race....it's a test track. Trust me on this, you'll have
a blast here, no matter how fast or slow you want to run your machine.
And it is as safe a set-up for you, and your car, as you will ever find.

You owe it to yourself to try it at least once, MR. CLUB PRESIDENT!

CobraDan · #14 (**permalink**) 06-10-2002, 07:59 AM

My Cobra is sitting on a complete 1982 Corvette chassis and runs fine. It's really the steering that bothers me. I'm getting ready now to go to Ohio for the DVSFII. Gainesville is so damn far from Cape Coral, although I do have a trailer now. Set up a BIG Cobra night at Old Town for later in the year and I might tow up for that. I'm just glad you guys are doing something to keep interest in our club. Come on down on August 10th for my Cobra Bash and you will find out what a run to Gainesville would be.

Dan

Joe Smith · #15 (**permalink**) 06-10-2002, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by CobraDan
My Cobra is sitting on a complete 1982 Corvette chassis and runs fine. It's really the steering that bothers me. I'm getting ready now to go to Ohio for the DVSFII. Gainesville is so damn far from Cape Coral, although I do have a trailer now. Set up a BIG Cobra night at Old Town for later in the year and I might tow up for that. I'm just glad you guys are doing something to keep interest in our club. Come on down on August 10th for my Cobra Bash and you will find out what a run to Gainesville would be.
Dan

Dan, we run the tech, and drivers dinner on the Friday night before the
event runs. This allows everyone to be in position, rested and refreshed.
We then leave from the hotel early on Saturday morning for a quick
25 minute drive out to the track. Most of the folks spend Saturday night,
and have a leisurely drive home on Sunday.
And this is not a dig.....as one of the few Florida natives in the DSCC,
I'm well aware of how big this state is. It IS a long drive, but we have
several that have come just as far or further before. It's your call.

I was talking with Ken Collett about Old Town, and we both feel that it
is simply too hot to stand around in 93f heat on a concrete slab for 5 hours,
with no shade, and stop and go traffic for miles. Cobras DON'T dig stop n'
go traffic in 90f heat. Bad things can happen. (Especially to Big Blocks!)
Orlando is brutal until Sept. or so, that's why Old Town kind of just drops
off. Anyone in the DSCC is welcome to set up an Old Town cruise, it's just
a little warm for my personal taste until fall. Please don't let that stop you
or anyone else who wants to do it. It IS an awesome show.

I will make your Bash, work schedule, and weather permitting. Cheerio!

jerry rowley · #16 (**permalink**) 06-10-2002, 09:13 AM

To answer a few questions; Dennis was using Goodyear Eagle tires on standard 15" Trigo wheels (as comes on a SPF) The "race tires" were not, they were Hoosier Street TDs on the same type and size wheels. As far as the times are concerned, ALL the times are only a "guesstimate, at best, since they were all taken with a hand held stop watch. Also, they were NOT held by the same hands for each driver or car. Thus, since this was a "test & tune" event, the times are only secdondary and for "personal comparisons".

Even though this is true, I would like very much, as would most others, as we discussed it later, to see accurate times. This is important when you are still setting up your car suspension; tire pressures; shift points; breaking points, etc. Without fairly accurate times, you really do not know wheather or not the changes you make are good or bad!

Joe, thanks for running this one for us! You knmow I'll be there EVERY time to run. My trailer goes 375 miles to get there, but, it has gone 1000 miles before (each way). Dennis came the farthest this time.

I would like to thank Dennis for his participation and his assistance. I was also glad to see our Louisiana Area Rep there! Doug Reed came to watch (he had to deliver a car in thew area). Doug, we would be glad to have you bring one of your "race cars" any time too. Doug has at least two very hot SPF race prepared cars and has done very well at Run 'n Gun a couple of times as well as "One Lap America" shoot-outs. Doug is going to look into us running at "No Problem Raceway" near Baton Rouge.
Jerry

CobraDan · #17 (**permalink**) 06-10-2002, 10:06 AM

Joe,
As far as Old Town I was thinking later, in the cooler weather. I just thought with you guys being so close if you got something going now we could actually have something BIG that would be COBRA night at Old Town. Come on down I have posted the phone of a nice place to stay over night in Cape Coral for August 10th. We are going to be talking about all kinds of things all over the 8 states we can do with our Cobras.
Dan
You know now is the start of the rainy season so on August 10th it might rain, you being a true Floridian know that. Down here it usually starts at 4pm last about an hour, and a hour later you don't know that it rained. Come on down or buy a trailer.

Gatorac · #18 (**permalink**) 06-10-2002, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Engineer Ed

Could the 54.6 have been the fastest on street tires !!
Could Jim have actually beaten EE. Being 0.4 seconds, was it the timer who errored???
We will never know for sure.....

Ed
FFR1997K

Don't forget to mention the 2 seconds I had on you on the second run....

niles · #19 (**permalink**) 06-10-2002, 04:18 PM

Ed:
I would claim victory based on an obvious timing error.
Dennis can always "protest" your claim>

gn

CobraChuck · #20 (**permalink**) 06-11-2002, 06:56 PM

This was my first time at the Gainesville Test Track with my FFR1903, stock 5.0 and Kuhmo tires. As we arrived at the track, I observed all the Cobra's and their "big blocks". I began to feel intimated with my stock 5.0. We had some practice laps and then it was time to line up and begin racing. I was paired up with Jerry Rowley the first run and according to the timesheets, my best time averaged 55 (don't remember the tenths). The second run I was paired up with Randy and his big block Unique. His car was fast and I knew I had to drive my best so he wouldn't catch me. I finished all five runs clean and checked my times. My best lapped time was a 53.06. As I returned to the pit area, Dennis
(the awesome Superperformance driver) advised me that I blew my traction lock in my rear end, and probably the reason why I was smoking and spinning my right tire. I didn't care after seeing my best time (EVEN IF THE TIMES WERE NOT HELD BY THE SAME HANDS AND ONLY A GUESSTIMATE).

I would have liked to have gotten more runs in but mother nature didn't intend for that to happen.

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting all the people associated with the Deep South Cobra Club and thank them for putting together this awesome event. We definitely plan on attending the next one and passing the word around Palm Beach County.