Marlboro Veterans and Fans,

We need your help! If you’re thinking about joining us for the 2010 Marlboro Reunion at the Jefferson 500, PLEASE register now! We’re trying to make sure we’re prepared for the dinner, Friday, April 30th at 6:00pm. To make sure we can accommodate everyone we really need to hear from you now as opposed to later.

The fee is $50 per person. Make the check payable to “Steve Lloyd” and mail to:

Bob Houston

Workers at the VRG Jefferson 500 may attend the Friday night Marlboro Reunion dinner for $30 per person. Pre-registration by April 15th is necessary; it is NOT handled by VRG.

Thanks for getting your registration in early!

Steve

From WDCR Historian, Steve Lloyd

Hello Marlboro Veterans and Fans!

Just a reminder that our 2010 Marlboro Reunion is coming up with the VRG Jefferson 500 at Summit Point on April 29, 30 and May 1 and 2. Our Marlboro Reunion is schedule for an earlier time on Friday, April 29th. It will be at 6:00 p.m., after the last on-track session.

Once again, we are encouraging any of you who own a car that actually raced at Marlboro to show it off at the Reunion. We will have exhibition laps Friday for this purpose, as we did last year. One big difference is that we’ve staked out a prime paddock spot for all genuine Marlboro veterans cars (between the paddock restrooms and the “Tin Shed.”) You’ll be in the middle of all the action and everyone will have a chance to see these true veterans.

In addition to the dinner Friday, we’re planning on “story telling” sessions somewhat like those held at VIR for their 50th anniversary. The only major difference is that we welcome anyone with memories of Marlboro to participate and swap stories, anecdotes, and lies. This will be very informal, and everyone is invited to join us for some tales you won’t believe.

The registration fee this year is $50 per person for the weekend admission (Thursday through Sunday) as well as the dinner on Friday. When you arrive at the track, just go to registration and you can pick up your weekend credentials. Please be sure to give us the names of each person attending, as we will provide Registration with that list. If you are a worker at this event, we do have a dinner rate for you.

Our dinner speaker for this year will be international rallyist and endurance racing star Vic Elford.

To register, please send your check and the names of the parties attending to:
Bob Houston

Please make the check payable to: “Steve Lloyd.” PLEASE NOTE: One big difference between last year’s Reunion and this one is that we’re not getting anything in the way of financial support. We are going to be totally self-funding with this Reunion. So that we can properly plan the dinner with our caterer and be certain we will be able to cover that expense and others, getting your registration in as soon as possible would be most helpful. If you think you are coming to the Reunion, PLEASE get your registration in to us as soon as possible. Thanks for helping us make the Reunion possible for you!

If you know of anyone who’d be interested in this event, please spread the word. We are contacting most of you via e-mail, but not everyone uses e-mail, so we don’t want to miss anyone.

Steve

Steve Lloyd, Historian
Washington DC Region, SCCA

If you’re thinking this is an early April fools joke, you’re wrong. Hackers attacked the main wdcr-scca.org site overnight on 3-17 to 3-18. Our crack IT dept. is working on fix. Until then, enjoy all the new content here at the Straightpipe Magazine!

Brian Garfield put together these video’s of the 2009 WDCR Solo Championship Series. Thank’s for sharing via YouTube.

Enjoy these while you prepare for the start of 2010.

As I pass by pit out, I get the thumbs up from the Chief Steward and turn in and up the slight hill, riding third gear. As I crest the hill, I’m now headed left and sqeezing in the gas more and more, opening the wheel toward the corner exit.

At this point I can see the BMW in front of me and I’m thinking, I hope he’s hustling that thing, I do not want to catch him. You only get so many chances to sample a friends sports car on a real race track with no speed limits and wide open track. Having a full lap with no one to pass on sticky tires just up to temp was what I planned when I exited out onto the track just over a lap ago. Carefully I placed the 350Z at the end of the largest gap in a thinly populated instructor group.

Nearing the end of the straight, Im forced to shift but as soon as I do it seems I’m shifting back and taping the brakes as I turn into the long uphill left-hander. A tricky blind turn, just over the crest of the the hill on this more than 180 degree turn you find the apex. There are many ways to tackle this turn but all good lines will hit that point or you’re way off.

Coming out of the right hand kink at the bottom the gas pedal is once again floored and the Z steps the back out to the left just a bit. Entering the next turn fast with a quick turn in and tight line, I’m again headed upward. Spoting the flag station I see all is clear as I shift into 4th, floor it and head under the bridge. Being lined up is important here as fast cars can get airborne on the other side. As the Z’s front tires regain contact with the pavement I’m mentally preparing to enter the carousel.

A replica of the karrusel on the Nurburgring, the funnest part of the Shenandoah circuit for me is dropping down into this fast and heavily banked turn.

As I feel the car bottom out, the downward and right G-forces load up. Looking ahead here means peeking out of the drivers window upward as if you were trying to spot a helicopter overhead. As the Z pops up out of the concrete embankment I’m again headed up and into a fast section with another blind apex and braking zone at the end.

Turning in sharply I am low in the tach but perfectly lined up to stay wide open throttle all the way through the next two turns and the straight.

As I dip down and touch the apex of the slight left bend in the straight I’m still wide open and flirting with the limiter at the brake zone. Just in time I hit the brakes hard and turn into the smooth flat left hand sweeper. Back in third now, the car is at the torque peak exiting the turn and steps out to the right in a very comfortably slide.

Diving back to track left I see the BMW taking pit in. I’m braking hard and cresting the small hill as I head right and past pit out again. I again get the thumbs up from the Chief Steward and turn in and up the slight hill. At this point I’m thinking, he was hustling that BMW cuz this Z is fast!

Autocrossers Incorporated hosted a 6 event championship series in 2009, The Yokohama Tire/Radial Tire Championship Autocross Series presented by Autocrossers Inc.

The championship series visited the vast stretches of pavement at Fed Ex Field and also hosted the first ever autocross events at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, MD, better known as the Blue Crabs. Tackling adverse weather conditions became a necessity if you were to secure a class championship in 2009. With 3 of the 6 events featuring rain, sometimes heavy rain, the competitors had their work cut out for them. When the puddles receded, 17 classes qualified competitors for the Championship. Awards were handed out at the WDCR Region Awards Banquet in Jan. 2010.

Here are our 2009 season championship winners.



A Stock – Jerry Byrd

C Stock – Les Banyas

D Stock – William Marsteller

E Stock – David Sneeringer

F Stock – Kevin Parlett

H Stock – Adrian Arco



BSP – Stuart Fain

CSP – Lee Wood

DSP – Philip Emad

ESP – Jim Harris

FSP – Phillip Yates



XP – Daniel Hill

CP – Dave Mapes



STS – Brandon Yezarski

ST – Alejandro Aviles

STX – Ray Ramirez

STU – Jon Moon

Additonally, the club ran a consistency cup that awards the winner with a tire contingency from Yokohama. During event 5 at the Blue Crabs Stadium, Consistency Cup winner William Marstellar in D Stock had a variance of only 0.11774999999999913 from 4 times (47.527, 47.304, 47.716, 47.468)
A second tire contingency was awarded to Travis Finlay from Street Touring X class.

Congratulations to all the Class Champions and thank you to all the competitors for making 2009 a successful autocross season! If you did attend the banquet and did not receive your trophy it will be available for pickup at either of the first two events in 2010.

We look forward to your participation in all the great A.I. events in 2010!

We’d also like to especially thank our sponsors, Yokohama Tire and Radial Tire co.!

Autocrossers Incorporated is a Chapter Club of the WDCR.

2010 Dixie National Tour

March 13-14 2010

South Georgia Motorsports Park played host for the first SCCA National Tour event of the season. Several WDCR members made the trip to the SE Division for this event. Attendance was a record setting near 300 competitors according to scca.com.

Driving in his venerable 2007 Shelby GT, Mike Snyder picked up second place in FS. Frequent WDCR Solo competitor Sam Strano picked up first place co-driving with Snyder in the Shelby GT.

Rod McGeorge scored a first place in Street Touring Ultra driving a 2010 Subaru STI.

The father and son team of Gene and Bernard Cooley made up the A Modified field driving their 1973 TUI FSV. Bernard got the better of his dad this time out and took home first place.

A couple of Region members had some hard luck at this event, scoring a cone penalty or DNF on each run. Carrie Snyder driving an HS Honda certainly would have improved on her 16h place finish with a clean run each day. Falling victim to the same fate, Courtney Cormier competed in a Yellow Corvete in ASP and finished in 9th place after scoring a penalty on each run.

The courses were long and fast. Due to the narrow lot, there were lots of transitions, a 6 cone slalom and 3 180 degree turns. Two of the 180′s were tight and slow. The courses flowed very well and were fun to drive according to Mike Snyder. Saturday’s course was run in reverse on Sunday.

Written by Mike Collins

Spec Miata 2010: Are you ready for the best season ever?

The Washington, D.C. Region of the SCCA has long been known for it’s fierce Spec Miata competition. This season looks to be no different. In fact, it looks like it could be one of the hottest contested championships in the history of the Mid-Atlantic Road Racing Series.

Always competitive, and multi-time champion, Kenny Zalner will certainly be the man to beat, he sets and raises the bar every year. With his wingman and brother Brian in tow, this two man drafting squad sure knows how to get around the track. You can be certain the RP Performance/Performance Autoworks team is looking for another championship. Trying to hunt the Zalner duo down, I will be returning for a full season of SM MARRS racing with a car sponsored by SHEETZ and the support of my MEATHEAD Racing teammates. Brian Billey, Tim Jacobs and Neil O’Rourke will join me in the quest for a team success, and a bid for the 2010 SCCA National Championships at Road America.

These two teams are not the only ones to pay attention to: Kevin Kopp and his Kopp Motorsports crew will be back to fight for the points. No doubt, Kevin is fast, and with the track being newly paved we can only expect him to lower his track record of 1:27.238. We all know those 26’s are out there, we are just waiting for one in an SCCA event. In addition to these familiar faces, we can’t wait to see what new talent is out there. With Dean Copeland, Devin Cates and Ryan Ellis pursuing professional racing careers, there is room on the podium for new up and comers.

As in the past years, we are going to have a few special guests this year to mix up the field. Blake Clements will make an appearance and so will Jim Drago. Look for GoRacingTV to come out to the track for some in depth coverage of the MARRS and SM.

During the off-season, the SCCA performed a complete re-writing of the SM engine rules. Please, pay close attention to the specifications in the GCR. Now, more than ever, will it be easier to determine the compliance of an SM engine. As always, expect me to file protests on your car. This is nothing personal, in fact, it is meant to show the world just how legal the WDCR-MARRS racing is. I also have worked VERY hard with the SCCA this off-season to provide us with a Spec Miata MARRS Stewart. That’s right we will have the same Operating Stewart at every race. No longer will we need to wonder which set of rules we will be judged by at any particular MARRS event. Anticipate the penalties to be fair and progressive. With the same Operating Stewart at all the events we can expect repeat offenders to be dealt with appropriately, and first time offenders to get a fair deal.

The qualifying grid for MARRS I will be conducted the same way as every year, since you elected me, based on the 2009 championship points. Each race after MARRS I the grid will be set by current MARRS points, as I truly believe in rewarding the drivers who drive the entire series.

Race length will be based on participation numbers. The shortest races will be 16 laps, a class with more than 20 cars will get an 18 lap race, and with more than 35 cars gets a 20 lap race. We need to keep the car counts up! We averaged just over 30 cars last year so if we want the longer race we need to get everyone out on the track.

As in the past, I am always available to help with both on and off track incidents or questions and look forward to everybody’s input. Many of you know, I am on the SMAC, a committee that serves the Club Racing Board in developing the rules for SM. It is your feedback that guides my decisions; so if you want to see something happen with the rules, let me know. However, if, for any reason, you have a question or concern you wish to discuss with somebody else, feel free to go see Alex Ratcliffe the SSM driver rep for help.

Look for more articles to come throughout the season, as I am planning to write one for each race. I will try to highlight the racing, rules, protest process, and how to help you improve your car and driving.

Thanks,

MEAT

Mike Collins
MEATHEAD Racing
WDCR-SM Drivers Rep
SMAC Member

Written by CW Armbrust
Photographs available on the Flickr group

Advanced Flag School 2010

It has been a good morning. You have been turning some decent qualifying times, they have been right on the edge of your personal best. You set up to enter turn 3, your line is perfect then whump, thump, the whole world takes on an odd tilt and spins around you. There seems to be no controling of things. The next thing you know is all motion has stopped. Realization sets in you are sitting on the grass next to the tire wall pointed the wrong way. The car is sitting at a slightly odd angle and doesn’t seem to want to move.

Someone dressed in white appears next to you, leans in and asks; “Are you OK?” The person goes on to tell you; “You lost a wheel, let’s get you out and up on the bank.” As you are getting out you notice the white clad apparition is holding a fire extinguisher and carefully looking over your car.

How do these folks in white know what to do? It takes training and dedication. One of the things that happens sometime around the last week or two of winter before the start of the racing season each year is a day long Advanced Flag School. F&C folks, EV volunteers, and a few team members from other specialties join the class for updates, review, refresher, and briefing on plans for the upcoming year. In addition to the classroom work, every other year the class receives instruction on first responder car fire suppression. The first priority is to aid the driver in a safe exit from a potential burning car then to minimize potential fire damage. All this while keeping an eye on nearby high speed traffic and getting needed help to the scene.

The 2010 WDCR Advanced Flag School was no exception to effort to keep the group informed and up to speed. Greg McDermott (Flag Marshal for the WDC Region) moderated the class.

The classroom efforts included Terry Carraway (of SRF driving fame) presenting an excellent class on health and safety relating to the dangers of heat exposure and methods to deal with it.

Toree Holmes, our very own Professional Firefighter from DC, stepped up to walk the class through instruction on fire extinguishers and their use. Toree followed up the classroom portion of instruction with the out door open air carbque behind turn 10. Summit Point Motor Sports Park donated two cars to practice our rescue methods and burn for fire suppression practice. This was the chance for those attending to put what they learned in the classroom into practice, as well as a refresher for the experienced hands.

We are ready for the race season ahead. Let’s go to MARRS together.

This just in from Shirley Thompson:

The WDCR has been offered the opportunity for a group of SCCA volunteers to staff a Region Promo booth at the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. Tasks that need to be handled by the volunteers are: set up in the morning, staff the booth and talk about the SCCA to visitors, and tear down the booth and pack up supplies at the end.

The event is the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, it is being held on 7/5 – 7/6/2010 at the Prince William County Fairgrounds.

Contact the Club Office for more details at (800) TRY-4SCCA.