2011 Coupe for the 25 Hours [Archive]

Hankl

02-14-2011, 01:27 PM

Hi Gang,

I just want to post a few pictures so you can all see what we've being doing to make the Coupe even more competitive against newer model cars. As Mark Dougherty mentioned in another thread, this was a combined effort of many people, who hold the Coupe dear. Mark Dougherty realized the need for a change in the spring rates being used on the Racing Coupe, and developed an action to accomplish this, with Jim Schenck at FFR. I had seen some of the pictures of what Mark was up to, and volunteered to take care of procuring the new shocks(David Borden help me a bunch here, He's forgotten more about suspension and shocks than most of us will ever know!!), and do mount fabrication for Karen's Coupe.

What has evolved, is a shock very close to the 3 link shock, in valving and overall length. Part of the program, is to use parts and procedures that will be very simple for all of us to acquire and/or use, to mimic the same modifications. What has been accomplished by moving the shock, as close to the IRS knuckle as possible, is a reduction in the spring rate required, vs. the spring needed to do exactly the same thing with the rear inboard mount. Essentially letting us use a lower spring rate, for the same amount of work. The huge benefit, is having a setup that is more tunable, because we can change the spring in smaller increments, which equates to finer tuning of the suspension reactions.

Imagine being able to change 50lbs, vs 200lbs, to get the same reaction. With the heavier spring, you could hit or miss totally the sweet spot you were looking for, and not know it. With smaller spring rate changes, we can know exactly where the sweet spot is, and adjust to it consistently.

A little long winded, so I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

This was the first mock up of the top mount, initially I though we would have to run the shock spring up, that's why the top mount is so wide. The final version is much narrower.

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w284/hankl_album/Shock%20Mod/110-1067_IMG.jpg?t=1297704947

Lower shock mount, the nut had to be welded to the inside of the inner mount, so there would be more than enough clearance between the CV boot and the shock mount.

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w284/hankl_album/Shock%20Mod/110-1065_IMG.jpg?t=1297707153

This is a better picture of the change in distance from the inboard rear mount, to the forward outer mount. It doesn't look like a lot, but it is significant when you run the ratio numbers.

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w284/hankl_album/Shock%20Mod/109-0969_IMG.jpg?t=1297709249

I need to make it very clear, that we are doing this because we needed to be able to tune the suspension, to a much more finite parameter, than what's needed on a street machine. In todays racing environment, 10th's of a second count, while this isn't the 24 Hours of Le Mans, we do go out to the track with the drive and desire to win against all comers, so we look for every advantage we can get, that simple.

Hank

Garry Bopp

02-14-2011, 01:42 PM

Hank,

Will this mod also help with the LCA breakage issues? It would seem since the shock is mounted in a different spot on the LCA, and with the lower spring rates, there should be less stress on it.

Garry

Hankl

02-14-2011, 01:58 PM

Garry,

This would help with a lesser load on the "H" arm for sure, but the spring rates that are being used for the Track Coupe are almost double vs. a street car. So I don't see an inherent fault in the "H" arm, just the way we are abusing it. Mark and I had a long conversation about this up at Infineon this weekend, along with input from Andy Salvaggio and Carl Critz. I think we will continue to evaluate the current change, and see what we can do to improve the durability of the race system, and feed what needs to be fed down into a street package.

Hank

Garry Bopp

02-14-2011, 07:40 PM

Hank,

Thanks for the pics, explanations, etc. You guys are really doing a lot of heavy duty tweaking of this package for race conditions. I'm guessing none of these mods would be required if Karen didn't drive so fast??!! LOL!

Garry

Geezer

02-15-2011, 02:46 PM

Karen, Andy, Hank, David, Mark, Jim, and....

Thanks so much for sending me into the winter garage on my back looking at the rear suspension geometry. Love you guys, but damn its cold out there. I've stripped the powder coat off the H-arms (Rust-Oleum Aircraft Remover from AutoZone, at least cleans up well enough to media blast). And, fired up Suspension Analyzer 2.0 Full Vehicle Version.........

Ken

peffem

02-15-2011, 03:12 PM

You guys must hold the record for the most times the body has been off and back on for mods. What is your average amount of time to remove body? It must not be much. Keep up the good work. I really like what you all have done with the Coupe. Good luck in 2011.

vnmsss

02-15-2011, 07:17 PM

Dave....Really honored you're following the efforts of all of these builders as "we" work together to build the best track Coupe possible....Your support and encouragement, along with everyone's help both from the forum and there at Factory Five Racing is greatly appreciated!

peffem......Thanks so much for the kind words.....BTW....All of the mods on the #28 have been done with the body installed....

Ken....We thought maybe you were getting bored over there, so thought we'd dream up something more to put in the hopper! ;.)

Karen

Mark Dougherty

02-16-2011, 09:37 AM

Ed
The photos you see of the mod are from Hanks car. He has done exactly the same mod done to karens car.

Geezer

02-16-2011, 09:40 AM

Ken....We thought maybe you were getting bored over there, so thought we'd dream up something more to put in the hopper! ;.)

You're right - needed a kick in the tail to get off the winter couch. Try as I might, I can't read the spring rate on the Eibachs in Hank's photo (even if I turn the monitor upside down :) - guess I could rotate the picture but "that wouldn't be the cowboy way" -- an obscure Rider's in the Sky reference for you who didn't have kids in the late 80s), nor can I read the sticker on the Koni body (is that a 3012??). Did you send your old 3012s to Koni to mod for longer extended length and be revalved, or did you spec and buy a new set? I can't seem to resist improvements that stretch out the day I might drive this thing, but hate to lose the value of the 3012s I already own.

Thanks for your (and team's) pioneering efforts. I love the pictures of the car cornering flat (kind of F1 like!). One of those departures from the originals that takes the car to a new level.

Ken

Hankl

02-16-2011, 05:34 PM

Ken,

That info is going to cost you BIG TIME!

As soon as I get every thing together, and we make sure there are no kinks in the system, it will be released for everyones use. Don't worry, one of the primary directives we had, was to make it the best possible, with off the shelf parts .

Stay Tuned.

Hank

You're right - needed a kick in the tail to get off the winter couch. Try as I might, I can't read the spring rate on the Eibachs in Hank's photo (even if I turn the monitor upside down :) - guess I could rotate the picture but "that wouldn't be the cowboy way" -- an obscure Rider's in the Sky reference for you who didn't have kids in the late 80s), nor can I read the sticker on the Koni body (is that a 3012??). Did you send your old 3012s to Koni to mod for longer extended length and be revalved, or did you spec and buy a new set? I can't seem to resist improvements that stretch out the day I might drive this thing, but hate to lose the value of the 3012s I already own.

Thanks for your (and team's) pioneering efforts. I love the pictures of the car cornering flat (kind of F1 like!). One of those departures from the originals that takes the car to a new level.

Ken

snakeboost

02-17-2011, 07:42 AM

Karen
How did the transmission work out for you?

Steve

vnmsss

02-17-2011, 09:10 AM

Steve,

Our Fortes TKO 600-R tranny is awesome, and as we moved toward the 25 hours last year, proved to be one of the biggest overall improvements we made on the car. There has been quite a discussion over the last few months regarding the "best" trans to use in our cars, and while the are a lot of variables that affect that answer (engine, diff/gear ratio, IRS, 3-link, etc,), having driven the TKO 500/3550 and now the 600-R, to me there's no comparison.....It's the 600-R all the way, and I simply don't know anyone who wants ultimate performance on their car that the would choose a .64 fifth gear....Unless you have mondo HP/TQ, people just "live" with it! Thanks!

Karen

Geezer

02-17-2011, 11:35 AM

Karen,
I look at your photos and I am speechless. You embody so much of the FFR spirit and we are so lucky to have you racing our cars and building this community. Dave Smith
FFR001

Tribute tune (from the obscure car nut tunes collection) If you are hearing impaired like me, a clearer version can be found on iTunes. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlOx_7rnxsk

Ken

Tim Potts

02-17-2011, 06:32 PM

What kind of fuel consumption is there during a 25hr race? Avg MPG?

David

02-21-2011, 02:01 PM

Karen, congrats! Pics look awesome.... Great to hear Hanks mods worked out great. I knew they would, an honestly, I think your control arm issues are a thing of the past now. Just too much stress from those crazy high spring rates needed for this level of racing.

It looks as though you might be able to use a tad more rear camber from the posted images. Where are you running it now?

Time for chassis mods up front? Let me know if you want any help on this. I think following the pattern on my thread should net you over 2X improvement.

David

vnmsss

04-11-2011, 09:21 AM

April 11, 2011 Update

We ran the Coupe at California Speedway in March in the same configuation as our February run at Infineon. We decided to leave the same set-up as CA Speedway is CCW (opposite of Infineon), and presents somewhat different/increased stresses due to the addition of the high banking dynamic. We also wanted to collect data from the reverse direction before moving on with further changes with the suspension. The car performed well, however we noted that it did not want to hook up and track out as well in turns of more than 70 degrees....It would turn in fine, but the throttle had to be feathered significantly while you waited for the front end to hook up, so the translation would be mid corner push...Once it hooked up, the car would accelerate and track out steady, smooth and fast....

Following the significant rear shock modifications, we had begun the process of lowering the spring rate on all four corners of the car, and with our first enduro slated for April 9th at Buttonwillow, the decision was made to soften the springs further (front and rear). We also reset the ride height, and made the decision to disconnect the rear swaybar completely.

As a frame of reference, the #28 Coupe weighs 2650 lbs. with no driver and 1/2 half tank of gas (16 gallons)....Yes, those roll bars (front, rear, door bars) and a volumous 32-gallon cell capacity add some significant weight. We also have one honkin big bumper in the rear which we fondly refer to as our Miata bumper (no offense to the Miata guys, but we've found that they do tend to bump draft now and again, and one look at the tail of the Coupe would tell anyone why that's just a bad idea for our car). The Coupe hit the track with 700 lb springs front, with 450 lb LR, and 400 lb. RR. Rear camber was set at -2, and the front at -2.25......Caster at +6 (running PS).

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%20Coupe%20Build/DSCF1394.jpg

Test and tune on Friday, April 8th went very well, with the Coupe easily turning 2:01 flats consistently, which would mean a good qualifying position for the enduro the following day. Saturday morning we took the car out for a TT session, and the best the car would turn was a 2:06.....The car seems to push a bit more, and suspension was checked, a wheel bearing tightened, and a reset of toe. Qualifying time: 2:04.x, which would place the Coupe 14th on grid. had we been able to get to the 2:01 from the previous day, we'd have been 10th on grid.

David Borden's most recent post in this thread proved prophetic.....Dave Brown and I would co-drive this event, with Dave in 14th position at the green flag. By the end of the first lap, the Coupe had moved up to 9th position overall. We were in 8th position by lap 2, and running a solid 7th place and turning 1:59.x laps at 40 minutes in when.........The left front UCA decided to let go......Fortunately, the car was still driveable, and Dave brought the Coupe in for repairs. UCA was changed in roughly 20 minutes, but of course, we were down some 10 laps at that point. Karen got in the car and drove for the next 1.5 hours, and managed to gain back 7 of those positions by the time the final stop and driver change was accomplished. Dave strapped in and gained back one more position for the team before the checker flag fell at 9:10 PM....Final race results.: 6th in class, 17th overall.

Buttonwillow 3-Hour Enduro Race results: http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=1832399

Team PDG was there, and hats off to team driver Mike Holland for a valiant effort in driving the GTM....The car looked great, and while they had their challenges, it was great to see it back on track after the 25....Awesome work guys!!!

Big kudos and thanks to Team Thunder Valley Racing crewmembers Roman Vaisman, Ryan Althoff, Bill Roberston and his lovely wife Brenda, Tracy Marshall, and our newest crewmember (and GTM owner) Tom Kendall, who made the long trip up from Fontana area to crew with us at the enduro. It was also great to see Factory Five's own celebrity owner/builder Mike Eastin (aka AC Mikee, star of Speed Channel's recent feature on Factory Five) who spent the weekend at the track with us!! Thanks Mike!!! We also owe a big thanks to Team Vogel Boys Racing ownesr/drivers Mike Vogel and his son Patrick Vogel who spent the evening in the pits with Team TVR. Fellow FFR owner/builder Doug Rossier was also on hand for the enduro, and it was great to have their support and encouragement this weekend!!! Thank you!!

We look forward to seeing all of our FFR friends at the upcoming AHA Show in Pomona on April 16th, and of course, we can't wait for Huntington Beach!!!! The Coupe will be there freshr off the track from its latest endurance racing adventures.....

Thanks again to everyone for your continued support and encouragement! The Coupe draws big attention at every track event, and it's a complete blast to drive! We consider ourselves lucky dawgs to be out here campaigning what we think is one of the coolest cars on the track! We know there are at least four other Coupes being developed by individual builders from around the country right now, and it will be one cool day when we have a nice group of Coupes running at a track event.....See you guys at AHA or HB, or if we're lucky, we'll see you in our mirror on track! ;.)))

Big thanks to Dave Smith and everyone at Factory Five Racing......THANK YOU! You guys rock!!

Lucky Winner.....This one's for you! Karen

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%20Coupe%20Build/Coupe.jpg

Russ Thompson

04-11-2011, 10:02 AM

Karen looking forward to seeing you at HB, I decided to fly down this year and see everyone!

vnmsss

04-11-2011, 10:51 AM

It will be great to see you Russ!! I've been meaning to call you, as we need a gas pedal for the orange Challenge car....We're planning to bring the car to HB, and it works better if it has an accelerator pedal...;.))) Have a bunch of meetings today, but will try to give you a call later in the afternoon....
Karen

vnmsss

04-11-2011, 05:36 PM

It was very cool to have three Factory Five race cars representing in the E1, E0 and ES classes in the enduro this weekend!

As mentioned earier, Team Prototype Development Group burned the midnight oil many a night leading up to the race. In the weeks and months that followed their great performance at the 25 Hours, which had been cut short by an unfortunate incident on track, the PDG crew rebuilt the GTM and had her track ready this weekend. Unless someone has truly experienced the massive effort it takes to rebuild a racecar following a devastating incident such as they suffered, it's hard to appreciate just how much strength (physical and emotional) it takes to bring a car back. It was great to see the PDG rig pull into the pits...Kudos and hats off to everyone....And Mike....You 'da man! It had to be 3 long hours!

Challenge Series drivers Tom Coon and Jeff Awender teamed up in Tom's spec racer to compete in the E1 class, and did a great job out there on track!!! Jeff and Tom had kicked around the idea of co-driving in an enduro earlier this year, and the plan was hatched last month at the Infineon race. They worked tirelessly over the last three weeks to get the car ready, including fabricating a lightbar for the night race. The car performed flawlessly, and they drove very well day and night. Team Thunder Valley Racing was glad to provide "valet" pit service for your outstanding effort.....Congratulations Tom and Jeff.....You now officially hold the title of endurance racers!!!

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%20Coupe%20Build/DSCF1422.jpg

Karen

David

04-11-2011, 06:02 PM

Karen,

What type of limited slip are you running in the car? Throttle induced push can be caused by a tight diff. When I went from a Ford trac loc to a Torsen T2 diff, the car transformed. I went from throttle on push, to having the car feel like it was pushed around corners. Im thinking the trac loc isnt optimal for our cars.

David

Garry Bopp

04-11-2011, 07:11 PM

Karen,

You are just having too much fun! The night-time pic of the coupe at speed is awesome.

I've done 2 cruise weekends with the coupe since tires/alignment, etc. It feels like a totally different car ... even more fun to drive than it already was. Here's a link to last weekend: http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?1496-Deep-South-Cobra-Club-Tour-de-Floride

Garry

vnmsss

04-12-2011, 12:40 AM

Garry....Been following all of the changes on your car, and I'm really glad to hear it's even more fun than ever....;.)

Here's a few more photos from this weekend....

Pre-grid
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%20Coupe%20Build/DSCF1415.jpg

Daughter (and FFR spec racer owner) Tracy Marshall with our grandson Evan at his first enduro...
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%20Coupe%20Build/DSCF1418.jpg

Team Thunder Valley Racing's Roman Vaisman (Lead Data Team) and Ryan Althoff (Lead Fuel Team)
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%20Coupe%20Build/DSCF1390.jpg

vnmsss

04-12-2011, 12:45 AM

Team Thunder Valley Racing: 3-Hours of Buttonwillow drivers & crew....
(L to R) Tom Coon, Jeff Awender (co-drivers #21 Challenge Series roadster), Patrick Vogel, Bill Robertson, Ryan Althoff, Mike Vogel, Dave Brown, Karen Salvaggio, Andy Salvaggio (and our own Doug Rossier (DougR) in the background)....Thanks guys!!!!
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%20Coupe%20Build/DSCF1428.jpg

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%20Coupe%20Build/DSCF1425.jpg

LuckyWinner

04-12-2011, 03:51 AM

Im hearing alot of talk about the new rear suspension system, blaw blaw blaw....Im pretty sure that dedicating the race to the Military and myself is the major reason for the changes. Sure the hours of hard work and people pulling together (cry me a river)and sure theres that driver that might have helped a little, but Im hear to say....it was me. Foward all congrat and thanks to my profile page also if anyone else out there wants to start winning more races, just pm me and for a small fee I will give you my full blessing.

vnmsss

04-12-2011, 09:10 AM

David.....We are running the stock T-Bird IRS, including the posi......It's not serendipitous that you mention it though, as the IRS was completely rebuilt just prior to this event. We noted at CA Speedway last month that the posi had become very weak (very easy to turn with one wheel on the ground), so we pulled everything out and rebuilt. It's definately tight (to spec) now.

Karen

LuckyWinner

04-12-2011, 02:33 PM

That last post of mine was just my idea of a joke. I had someone pm me and tell me that it might be taken the wrong way. So let me set things strait. 1-I know lots of people worked their butts off to make this a better race car putting in long hours and teamwork. Both these things I take very serious, being in the Military. 2-Im not putting down Karen in anyway and I think she can tell that the post was just a joke. 3-I dont think I have any magical powers that helped win this race or any future races. 4-due to number 3, it would be a waist for you to send me any money to win any future races. I hope this post sets the record strait, I was just being funny in my own way.

David

04-12-2011, 03:36 PM

Karen,

If you would like, let me know if you have some time to chat on the phone about the car its handling.

David

xlr8or

04-12-2011, 03:36 PM

Just need to use that sarcasm emotican. :rolleyes:

David Hodgkins

04-12-2011, 04:50 PM

Lucky I doubt ANYONE thought you were serious!

Karen, as usual, great report on the events.

Can't wait to see you and Andy this weekend!

:)

vnmsss

04-14-2011, 11:15 PM

It's all good Lucky.....;.) No offense taken......Nine years on the flightline in the Air Force and twenty-five years racing....I'm pretty much teflon now anyway..

David H.....See you this weekend....The car's all loaded...Can't wait!

David B.....Thanks so much.....Crazy week...Will call tommorow.

K

vnmsss

07-31-2011, 02:39 PM

Been a long time, and lots of developments here....Thanks for everyone's continued good wishes for Andy...Your thoughts and prayers are very much appreciated.

Team Thunder Valley Racing fielded the #28 Coupe at Auto Club Speedway this weekend, and we were very pleased to finish on the podium in TTS class. It has been more than two months since our last race, which was an enduro at Thunderhill (May) in which we podiumed on Saturday and lost a half shaft, sidelining the car on Sunday. Our focus in the weeks and months since have been fully shifted to Andy's health, so the car had been sitting untouched.

Last weekend however, with the help of some very good friends, we got back into the garage, with the hope of fielding the car at Auto Club Speeday (which is very near the facility where Andy is staying)....The idea was to bring Andy out to the track for a visit for the day. However, it became clear late in the week that he would not be feeling well enough for the trip. We decided, however, that since the event was nearby, and that we'd put so much effort into it, we'd go ahead and run the car on Saturday. John Card and Bill Roberston spent the day focusing their efforts in making the car competitive on track, and John's lovely wife Tracie, helped organize and manage the team's efforts for the day. All three of these fine individuals deserve big kudos and thanks for our solid on-track performance.

For those of us lucky enough to own a Coupe, or are in the process of building one, we know these care are truly awesome. It was certainly great to be back behind the wheel. The car was in the top ten (among 41 great performance-built cars) all day, and our podium finish (3rd place) is a great credit to our awesome team!!! I am very grateful for your continued support! Thanks so much everyone!!!

Karen

John snapped this photo in the garage yesterday.....
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%20Coupe%20Build/28CalSpeedway73011.jpg

Jeff Collins

07-31-2011, 03:28 PM

Good therapy for everyone I'm sure. Andy and all of the family continues to be in our thoughts and prayers.

Russ Thompson

07-31-2011, 09:12 PM

Karen, read todays update, sorry Andy couldn't be there but I'm glad your getting out there and doing some seat time. Doing what you love helps you cope with the bad **** life throws at you and I know that Andy would agree with me.

I spent yesterday at a memorial sevice for a friend from the Bay Area Cobra Club, the sweetest guy, the guy always there when ANYONE needed help. His name was Fitz and he was the kind of guy that makes this sport a family. You guys are part of this family and we all hope for a speedy recovery for Andy.

Garry Bopp

08-01-2011, 06:46 AM

Karen & Andy,

The Thunder Valley Race Team must be the largest racing team in the world! There are folks all over the country that either pitch in and help or send prayers and thoughts your way. Great to hear you got some seat time in the car ... and a podium finish is just icing on the cake. Great therapy for you and I know it will do Andy good as well.

Garry

Movieman

08-01-2011, 07:39 AM

I just watched a video of this lady behind the wheel and can she drive!
You watch her lines around the track and "reeling in" a Lister with over 800HP.
Yea, he pulls away on the straights but watch what she does.
Just very skilled driving!
She drives smooth and hits all the apex's.
Very impressive.
http://www.vimeo.com/16637610

Hankl

08-01-2011, 10:54 AM

Being totally sarcastic here, Tell us some thing we don't know, LOL!! Karen is a great driver, and a great person to have as a friend!

Hank :cool:

xylonmedia

08-01-2011, 02:26 PM

I think its awesome that at the end she jumps out of the coupe and right into the Challenge series car waiting on the grid!!! That is a true racecar driver.

Movieman

08-01-2011, 06:37 PM

Being totally sarcastic here, Tell us some thing we don't know, LOL!! Karen is a great driver, and a great person to have as a friend!

Hank :cool:
Not a problem at all.
Lets just say I'm a "little late to the party" and I agree with you 100%:D

CHOTIS BILL

08-02-2011, 11:52 AM

Hank,

I am new to this forum but not new to racing. I starting racing in 1963 and designed my first DSR, for SCCA racing, in the late '70's. I agree that moving the location and angle of the shock will improve tunability but I can't follow your explanation why using softer springs is better than heaver springs. I think you are saying softer springs are available in 50lb increments of change and heaver ones are available in
200lb increments of change. I purchase my springs from Pegasus and for the size listed for the coupe in the manual, 2.5x8, the sell them in increments of 25lbs up to 475lbs and 50lb increments from 500lb to 1000lbs. There again I don't know what spring rate you are running. The biggest advantage I can see from moving the spring and shock location and angle is the speed and displacement of the shock is increased and therefore much easier to control and tune.

At this time I have 2 DSR's that I am trying to sell and when I sell them I hope to start on a coupe of my own.

Bill Lomenick

Hankl

08-02-2011, 12:17 PM

CHOTIS BILL

08-03-2011, 11:59 AM

Ah, now I understand. Those kind of loads on the "H" arm in the original location would
not be good and the new location is a lot better. Is there any reason that modification
shouldn't be a change to the factory design? As for the change in spring rates if you make
a 50lb change from a 1000lb starting point you make a 5% change but if you make a 50lb
change starting at 500lb starting point you make a 10% change and the higher rate springs
should therefore make a less violent results. But with the original setup and heavy springs you would
get your bending and binding which could cause your wheel alignment to suddenly change. This could
definitely cause a violent results. But I guess it doesn't really mater as long as you have a
handle on the problem. Do you happen to know what wheel rates you are running front and rear?

Bill

Hankl

08-03-2011, 03:46 PM

Bill,

For the spring rates used on the street cars, it's not really necessary, but we have mentioned it to the FFR engineers, we'll see if down the road it will change. I'll have to check the race car to see what spring rates are being currently run, I'll get back to you.

Hank :cool:

vnmsss

08-04-2011, 02:14 AM

I'll have to check the race car to see what spring rates are being currently run, I'll get back to you.

Hank :cool:

750 Front/450 Rear

Karen

CHOTIS BILL

08-04-2011, 09:17 AM

Thanks Karen,

Is that the spring rates or the wheel rates. With different suspension geometry design the only way to compare them is to compare the wheel rates.
With the cars I race we compare "wheel rate/wheel weight" to compare different cars to each other.
This gives a good starting point for selecting springs and anti roll bars for different tracks.

Bill

vnmsss

08-04-2011, 09:47 PM

Hi Bill,

Those are spring rates........

Karen

CHOTIS BILL

08-05-2011, 08:58 AM

Thanks

Bill

johnmdanskin

08-05-2011, 02:25 PM

Hi, The first photo in post #7 of this thread shows a little bit of the side-bars. As far as I can tell, there is only one side-bar connecting the front hoop to the rear hoop. I thought you needed two to race.

I've got a bar like this one, but no 2nd bar because the angles were hard and I wanted to get out on the track this decade (track first, race 2nd). If one is enough, I'm done...

I do have an X protecting the driver (me), but the other bar is just from the front hoop to the back of the floor bar.

Thanks!
john

Hankl

08-05-2011, 02:44 PM

John,

Are you referring to the picture below?

http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w284/hankl_album/Shock%20Mod/110-1067_IMG.jpg?t=1297704947

Hank ;)

johnmdanskin

08-05-2011, 03:04 PM

John,

Are you referring to the picture below?

Hank ;)

That is the one.

Hankl

08-05-2011, 03:45 PM

New configuration on the way!!

Hank :cool:

johnmdanskin

08-05-2011, 04:03 PM

John,

Here's a better view of the rest of the side impact bar. I was going to use a spreaded "V" that intersected on top of the top 2x2 and attached to the front frame vertical, and the rear down tube I installed, but I think I'll go with a second 1 1/2" horizontal tube,
with vertical tubes that correspond to the lower 2x2's, ala Nascar bars. If you have any more questions, just let me know, and I'll post any pictures that you'll need.
...
Hank :cool:

I'd feel safe in that car, but I don't see how those square tubes comply with ssca regulations. See pages 107 and 108. Two tubes need to make it from front hoop to rear hoop, and they need to comply with the tubing requirements. They don't actually say that tubing has to be round, but they do talk about diameter which implies roundness to me.
http://cms.scca.com/documents/2011%20Tech/2011%20GCR-printed%20version.pdf

johnmdanskin

08-05-2011, 04:07 PM

Apparently posting a link means you have to wait for a moderator to approve. Those tubes look safe, but I don't see how they correspond to the scca rules which say you need two side tubes from the front hoop to the rear hoop AND they have to comply with the definition of tubing. It doesn't explicitly say tubing has to be round, but I think that is implied because tubing is described as having a diameter. Pages 107 and 108 of the scca general rules (or wait for the moderator to approve the post with the link in it).

Hankl

08-05-2011, 08:17 PM

John,

I asked the same question out here, and I was informed that I would be in compliance, as log as I either did the "X" configuration, or added a upper "Nascar Car Bar" with vertical supports. So we'll have to see what happens, as things can and often do change upon who's interpreting the rules.

Hank :cool:

Hankl

08-05-2011, 09:33 PM

John,

Your post lead me to call the NASA people I know, and now their best advise is to go with either a full "X", or the Nascar Bars, so as Karen says, the "never ending builder" will be at it again. Just ordered the 1 1/2" .120 wall DOM tubing for a new set up. Gives me more to do during this winter, LOL!!

Hank :cool:

David Hodgkins

08-05-2011, 10:33 PM

Apparently posting a link means you have to wait for a moderator to approve...

That is true, for the first 10 posts or so. It's an anti-spam filter, which has already caught quite a few posts that never saw the light of day. The downside is that new posters have to deal with moderated posts when they first join...

HTH,

:)

bobzdar

08-09-2011, 07:51 PM

Bill,

It's actually about the spring rate that's needed based upon shock location. With the original mount, we were using springs in the 800-1000 pound range, with the shocks moved to the outward position, we are using 450-550 pound springs for the same effect. It is a motion relationship that controls the outcome of shock mount location. We were having problems with the lower "H" arms dealing with spring rates that were twice their original loading, and had two failures. The higher spring rates placed more load farther back in the "H" arm, basically pressuring the "H" arm to bend closer to the middle, which increased stress on the piece. By moving the shock mount to the outer most point, we changed the "Bend" location away from the center, and placed it right at the knuckle mount, in effect, lessening the "Bend" in the "H" arm structure. And to the 50 Lbs spring comment, not that you don't have incremental spring rates throughout the spectrum, it's that small changes produce less violent results when tuning.

Hank :cool:

I don't think it was the actual spring rates causing the problem, I think you may have been dealing with the CA acting as a spring with the high rates. Any time you have something other than the spring acting as a spring, adjustments become unpredictable and often ineffective - the whole need for a super stiff chassis etc. What'll happen is you make what you think is a large change and little or no change happens, so you make another change and all of a sudden a huge change happens (the CA transitioning from an active part of the spring rate to inactive) which throws the handling way off and leaves you scratching your head. Either way, looks like you've fixed it. Anytime you can move the shock pickup closer to the wheel, it's usually a good thing as there are less vibrations propagating through the suspension pieces before it gets to the shock, so it's more actively controlling the wheel itself. I love seeing development like this and really shows how racing the cars advances them.

johnmdanskin

08-12-2011, 01:37 PM

I just watched a video of this lady behind the wheel and can she drive!
...snip...
http://www.vimeo.com/16637610

the part I like is Karen's left hand resting on her lap during the boring parts.

vnmsss

08-21-2011, 12:06 PM

Been a while since I've had any updates here......We ran the Coupe at Thunderhill last weekend in two enduros; a one-hour on Saturday and a two-hour enduro on Sunday. I drove solo for the one-hour, starting from grid position 24 (no qualifying, just gridded by class in random order as determined by NASA.....Lucky us started near the back).

The Coupe ran great, and we had a clean race, finishing 2nd in class (just 3 seconds behind P1, great battle/chase on the last lap), and 7th overall....It was great to be back behind the wheel......Dave Standridge (2007 FFR National Champion) co-drove with me for Sunday's race, and he did a fantastic job of working traffic and keeping the car safe while driving some fast laps....We finished 3rd in class, and the really good news is that our strong performance last weekend has moved Team Thunder Valley Racing into 1st place in EO Class for the Western Endurance Racing Championship (WERC). These are truly great cars, and we are totally stoked!

Special thanks to fellow forum member and Coupe owner/builder John Card who stepped in as crew chief for our team last weekend. John did an outstanding job in car preparation and was awesome on the radios with me throughout the race. Hats off and big thanks to John's wife Tracie who also made the trip up to Thunderhull for the weekend. My daughter Tracy and our two grandbabies came along too, and it was cool to have the babies there for all of the fun....We backed the truck up to the fence, and they safely watched the race one level up and just a few feet away from all the action...I also have to thank fellow FFR Challenge series drivers and friends John Marsey and Tim Konkol, who graciously stepped in to serve as the fuel team for both enduros....Great job!!! Talk about some good friends!!! Thanks!!!!

John had pulled the Raptor Racing sidepipes off the Coupe after our test session at Cal Speedway a few weeks ago, and had taken them to Doug Marino, owner, Raptor Racing for re-packing....Well, Doug went over the top with his service (again), and decided that our pipes were just not fantastic enough, so he sent them out for a bit of polishing.....Our car is now the king of bling!!! Check these out!!! (Great performance, and they meet the strict 95 dB sound requirement at Thunderhill. Awesome work! Thanks Doug!!! Karen

Raptor Racing, owner Doug Marino: (559) 706-2226

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%20Coupe%20Build/RaptorRacingCoupeExhaustpreinstall.jpg

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%20Coupe%20Build/RaptorRacingCoupeExhaust.jpg

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%20Coupe%20Build/RaptorRacingCoupeExhaustInstalled.jpg

riptide motorsport

08-21-2011, 12:56 PM

Those pipes are just gorgeous!

John Card

08-21-2011, 03:07 PM

Karen:
You forgot this one!
3614

68GT500MAN

08-21-2011, 07:17 PM

Those shinny pipes look great. A job well done by all. Karen, I plan to be at Button Willow in October.
Doug

vnmsss

08-21-2011, 08:54 PM

Thanks for posting the picture John....;.) It was a great weekend, and your help both in the pits, and in preparing the car in the weeks leading up to the race is very much appreciated.

Doug....It will be great to have you join us for the 3-hour enduro at Buttonwillow in October. Dave Standridge will be co-driving again, and it's shaping up to be a great competition. This will be the last enduro before the 25 Hours.

Karen

vnmsss

10-10-2011, 09:21 AM

Andy Salvaggio Memorial Endurance Race: Buttonwillow Raceway, October 8, 2011

Team Thunder Valley Racing returned to the track this weekend, following last month's heart-breaking loss of team owner Karen Salvaggio's husband, crew chief and best friend, Andy Salvaggio. In the days following the memorial services, discussions, meetings, and general conversations among the team, it was clear that the will to compete lived on within the team. With the Thunder Valley Race team currently holding 1st place in the EO class for the Western Endurance RAcing Championship (WERC), and just two races remaining in the season, the decision was made to run the Coupe and let the season unfold as it was meant to be.....Everyone on the team agreed that this is what Andy would want for the team.

The Coupe was prepared for the track under the skillful hands of Rick Anderson, with Karen Salvaggio pitching in as co-wrench in the weeks leading up to the event. On race day, Karen , Rick and the Thunder Valley Race team were joined by Tracy Marshall, John Card, Tracie Card, Ron Stebles, Charlene Stebles, TC McNett, Ryan Althoff, and Roman Vaisman, with fellow forum builder Doug Rossier and many fellow NASA crewmembers cheering for the team in the pits. Big thanks to all of our amazingly talented and kind crewmembers for their outstanding support!! We could not have done this without you!

Karen Salvaggio took the green flag and drove the first half of the race before turning the car over to Dave Standridge to bring the car home to the finish. The crew did an amazing job, and Karen was holding P2 in class when she came in for the driver change. Challenging conditions made driving into the darkness extremely difficult, and when the checkered fell, Team Thunder Valley Racing finsihed 4th in class. Overall results were not yet posted.

It was great to be back at the track, and we know Andy was watching over us throughout the race. Team Thunder Valley Racing now heads to the 25 Hours of Thunderhill, and the 6-hour finalle of the WERC securely holding first place in the season points, andwill be looking to bring home the championship for Andy, Factory Five Racing, and the entire Thunder Valley Racing Team!

Karen Driving....
Race Start:http://www.vimeo.com/30295437
Into the Darkness:http://www.vimeo.com/30311833

Enjoy! Thanks again to this amazing community for your love, encouragement and support!
You rock!

Karen

crash

10-10-2011, 11:01 AM

Way to go Karen and crew!

It was really great seeing you at the races this weekend.

You're absolutely right. This is what Andy would have wanted.

Here's to having a GREAT 25 this year!

:)

Russ Thompson

10-10-2011, 11:27 AM

Karen, great hearing about your recent track event, it's great seeing the team back out there thrashing the coupe, we have missed reading your great accounts.
I'm sure you had Andy in the passenger seat!

Hankl

10-10-2011, 03:11 PM

I think we're going to have a very formidable Team this year at the 25. A lot of the suspension and brake issue have been resolved, the engine is running great,
and the drivers, as always, are Top Shelf. The loss of Andy has been one I can't begin to totally put into perspective, but we are all going to do our best, as crew
members, to uphold his spirt of competition and dedication, to a common goal, of succeeding, where many fear to tread.

Hank :cool:

John Card

10-11-2011, 06:39 PM

Taken from the pit wall about an hour into the race:

5202

Great job Karen and Dave!

68GT500MAN

10-13-2011, 09:49 PM

Karen, glad to hear that things went well at Buttonwillow.

vnmsss

10-14-2011, 01:09 AM

Great pic John! Thanks for posting....It was beautiful driving out there on track into the sunset.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/Buttonwillow%20Memorial%20Enduro/IMG_1552.jpg

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/Buttonwillow%20Memorial%20Enduro/IMG_1553.jpg

Karen, Rick, Victor, and John
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/Buttonwillow%20Memorial%20Enduro/IMG_1562.jpg

Tracy Marshall, Victory Penner, Karen Salvaggio, Dave Standridge, Rick Anderson, John Card, Tracie Card, Charlene Stebles, Ron Stebles
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/Buttonwillow%20Memorial%20Enduro/IMG_1585.jpg

vnmsss

11-09-2011, 01:11 AM

Team Thunder Valley racing has been very busy preparing for our fifth appearance at the 25 Hours. This is the first season we've campaigned the Coupe in the full slate of races in the Western Endurance Racing Championship (WERC), and the racing this year sure took a toll on the car.

We're in the middle of a full rebuild on the rear end, suspension, and braking system, as virtually everything with a joint, bearing, or friction surface was completely done after the last event. Big thanks to Rick Anderson and Hank Lopez for all of the assistance with the rebuild. We also changed out the rack bushings for non-eccentrics, which will better stabilize the steering following the rack relocation which was accomplished some months ago.

We have a great crew of people that have been working double over time behind the scenes to not only prepare the car for the longest endurance race in North America, but in assembling all of the spares, preparing the menu of food, and pulling together all of the support equipment necessary to field a 25 person team for the four days that we will virtually live at the event.

2011 Team Thunder Valley Racing
Drivers: Karen Salvaggio, Rick Anderson, Nick Steel, Jeff Awender, Dave Rhia

25 Hour Crew: John Card, TC McNett, Bill Robertson, Hank Lopez, Tracy Marshall, Diane Anderson, BaLinda McNett, Tracie Card, Roman Vaisman, Ryan Althoff, Molly McCarthy, Rich Cobb, Dave McNett, Doug Deffebach, Victor Penner, Mitchell Pinnix, Joshua Bligh, Jeremy Bligh, David Hodgkins, Phillip Hodgkins, Frank Maslowski (and Julie!), Ron Stebles, Charlene Stebles, Jud Shutts and Jeremy White.

Team Thunder Valley Racing will be joined at the 25 Hours this year by our Factory Five Racing friends and 25 Hour competitors Team Boothman Racing. We'll also welcome Challenge Series drivers and endurance racers Tom Coon and Jeff Awender making their 6-Hour endurance racing debut. Team Prototype Development group will also be there, fielding the GTM in their fifth appearance at the 25 as well.

Garry Bopp

11-09-2011, 08:59 PM

Karen,

Wish I could be there but I will be doing another HPDE at Road Atlanta that weekend. What a great crew you have signed up! Wishing you all the best of racing luck ... and have FUN!

Garry

Russ Thompson

11-10-2011, 09:37 PM

Karen, I hope to be there with David Borden, need to get out of a previous commitment. :-)

vnmsss

11-11-2011, 12:30 AM

Russ.....It will be great to see you and David at the race again this year! I'll keep my fingers crossed that it works out! Garry......Thanks so much for the good wishes! I know you'll have a great time at RA!

David took so many amazing photos at the race last year, including these, which are among my favorite photos from the race......

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2010%20Team%20TVR%2025%20Hours%20of%20Thunderhill/CoupeonGrid1.jpg

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2010%20Team%20TVR%2025%20Hours%20of%20Thunderhill/Qualifying.jpg

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2010%20Team%20TVR%2025%20Hours%20of%20Thunderhill/1DirtyButt.jpg

John Tongish

11-11-2011, 01:21 AM

Karen,

I, like Garry Bopp, wish I could be there to see the 28 Coupe at the finish line but our first-born grandson's birthday is the 4th. I have petitioned his parents to change his birth-date so I can be at Thunderhill but I fear I am fighting an uphill battle with and under-powered engine.

But in spite of this impediment, Victoria and I (and Carson, the grandson) will be holding a positive thought for Team Thunder Valley. We are sure you all will make us proud!

Here is pic of Carson 5 years ago at age 5.
5971

vnmsss

11-19-2011, 12:44 PM

Thanks for the good wishes! Happy Birthday Carson!

vnmsss

11-25-2011, 01:11 AM

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! We spent the day making our final plans, and like another fast guy that stops by this time of year, checking our lists twice, to make sure we have enough tools, parts, awnings and electrical cords to be both naughty and nice...

We're down to T-Minus 8 days and counting until the start of the 25 Hours. Took the Coupe out for a test ride last weekend, and it performed very well. Jeff Awender has graciously agreed to rebuild our light bar, adding some high intensity lights for all of us drivers....Should be a welcome addition for all of us "seasoned" drivers.

We'll be heading up to Thunderhill on Thursday morning, to begin setting up our four-day encampment...We have a tremendous group of folks signed up to support the race team this year, and we are very grateful to have the assistance of so many great folks. A number of other folks have also contacted me, looking to help the race team and just experience the whole event....Everyone is welcome, so if you're reading this a few days from now, and wondering if you'd be welcome, just know the answer is, "Yes." Team Thunder Valley Racing will be in pitstall #5, and will be there all weekend.

Watching the weather closely, and so far, so good....Still nine days to go though, so we'll keep a close watch on it: http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/USCA1244:1:US

Karen

jerdwhite

11-25-2011, 02:17 PM

Hi Karen. Loved meeting you over the phone last night. Hope your Thanksgiving was as good as mine. I am looking forward to helping in any way I can this weekend. I will bring my specialty, pulled pork, and plan on being there Friday morning. If you end up testing Thursday I can show up then. Don't hesitate to let me know what else I can bring. Otherwise I will be doing a crash course on NASA and 25 hour of Thunderhill rules so I can be as useful as possible. Thanks again for the opportunity to contribute to your team this weekend. I will be the tall guy in the dark blue Dodge Powerwagon pickup.

Thanks, Jeremy White

Movieman

11-25-2011, 03:19 PM

I'd say best of luck but after watching vids of you driving you don't need it.
You've got something better: skill.

CheckerFFR

11-27-2011, 02:22 AM

2011 25 Hours of Thunderhill
December 1-4, 2011

Schedule

Wednesday:
Paddock access and setup from 5pm until 9pm. No entry after 9pm. (no race engines after 6pm, no
exceptions!) Gate closes at midnight.

Thursday:
Paddock access 7am. From 7am until midnight teams should be allowed access to all areas of the
paddock. It is the teams’ responsibility to setup properly, in a proper location, and obtain approval from
the event staff. Those teams that setup without approval may be ordered to move or make changes. We
will attempt to start teching cars Thursday morning, even though tech does not officially open until Friday
at noon. This means that we will tech your car early if you are ready.

Friday:
Testing will start at 9am and run until 4:30pm with a one hour lunch break. Lunch break – slow parade laps on shortened course to check
transponders. On Friday there will be an open practice/qualifying session at no charge from 4:45 until 5:45 for all teams.
Qualifying will be between 5:15 and 5:45. If you did not sign up and register to test on Friday morning,
you must sign up by 3:45 to run in the 4:45 to 5:45 session. (no exceptions)

Friday (cont):
12:00 PM – 9:00 PM NASA Tech opens and Registration opens.
(see Saturday)4:45 PM – 5:15 PM warm-up / practice (95 dBA @ 100’)
5:15 PM – 5:45 PM qualifying. (95dBA @ 100’) [No race engines after 6pm!]
6:30 PM – Drivers and Officials meeting at Race Central. Mandatory for at least the team owner or
authorized representative. Driver attendance recommended.
Registration closed at 8PM and will not reopen. Teams failing to pickup up the Registration Packs by
8PM will be excluded from the event.

Saturday:
9:00 – 9:30 AM Officials and Flaggers meeting at Race Central. (ANYONE may attend; driver’s
encouraged)
9:00 – 9:30 Pit Marshal meeting on the 1st floor of the main building.
9:30 – 10:30 AM Mandatory Pre-Grid. Any car not gridded by 10:30 AM will start in the rear.
10:40 – 10:50 AM All personnel to stand near their cars. No working on cars. Military announcements,
demonstrations, etc. will take place.
10:50 – 10:55 AM Drivers belt in and prepare. Resume warming engines.
10:55 AM Five-minute board.
11:00 AM Pace car takes the track.
5:00 PM Sound limit warnings end and black flagging begins.
5:00 PM Checkered Flag for 6-Hour drivers

Sunday:
12:00 noon Checkered flag.

tfalk

11-28-2011, 09:18 AM

Good luck this year gang! I really wanted to come out and surprise you but it's just
not going to happen. Drive it like you stole it!

Garry Bopp

11-28-2011, 09:42 AM

Karen,

Wishing you a great race with a great car! Wish I could be there but it will be Road Atlanta for me that weekend.

Garry

crossle45f33cf

11-28-2011, 10:20 AM

Godspeed, Karen and Thunder Valley Team.
I've been there with one of the 240Z teams and I know that you all have a daunting challenge in store.
I also know that your meticulous preparation will pay off and that you'll make us all proud.
Stay safe, stay warm, and have a great time!

vnmsss

11-29-2011, 02:31 AM

Ted.....The shipment arrived today!!! Replica Promotions jackets and hat designs, and the attention to detail on the stitching are simply amazing! Kudos and thanks for making us look good once again this year! I know you're heading in for some medical attention in the near future, and you'll be in our thoughts!

Garry, Trout and everyone...Thanks again for the good wishes! We have well over 30 people coming up to support our race effort, and I know there will be a whole lot more out there cheering on our team from afar. You guys are amazing!

Jeremy.....It was great meeting you over the phone as well. It's very cool that you'll be coming up to the event! Thanks! The weather looks good, and the car is ready to go....See you later this week!

Karen

Movieman

11-29-2011, 02:34 AM

Is this shown by any of the TV networks?

vnmsss

11-29-2011, 02:36 AM

NASA will be hosting a live radio broadcast of the 25 Hours this year (first time ever).....Check it out!

From NASA 25 Hours Website 11/28/2011:
It's been a long time coming, but Endurance Radio is proud to announce the very first live and exclusive coverage of NASA's 25 Hours of Thunderhill! One of the best kept secrets in motor racing will finally be brought live to the world on December 3-4, 2011 from Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows, CA. Join lead broadcaster Brendan Kaczmarek on Saturday morning December 3 at 10:45AM PST (1:45PM EST, 18:45GMT) for pre-race buildup as he sets the expected 80+ car grid and introduces you to a West Coast all-night classic. A full 25+ hours of coverage will bring you right through to the checkered flag on Sunday, December 4 at 12:00 Noon Pacific. Thanks to the organizers, you'll also get live timing and scoring for the ultimate enthusiast experience. Best of all, if you're already at the track, join us in the drivers' lounge or listen in on your smartphone from in the pits or around the track for the ultimate solution for following what is bound to be a classic event.

In addition to being on livestream and at http://www.enduranceradio.net, the broadcast will be embedded at nasa25hour.com in the week leading up to the broadcast. If you'll be at the circuit, feel free to stop by for an interview during the race - I'm going to need some company!

If you're a team or a company, please check out the EnduranceRadio website and view the sponsorship opportunities we still have available. This is a great opportunity to reach enthusiasts, teams, and drivers on a club-racing and semi-pro level. Personally, I'll be at the track from Friday morning onwards - please feel free to stop by on the first floor of the tower and introduce yourself!

firechicken

11-29-2011, 02:43 AM

I wish I could make it down there, sounds like a blast! I will definately try to tune in to the broadcast. Your car is amazing and you are so motivational to me. Kick some A out there!

vnmsss

11-29-2011, 02:47 AM

Is this shown by any of the TV networks?

Hi Dave......No TV networks (at least not yet. ;.) This will be the first year for live radio broadcast of the 25 Hours, and given that there are more than 85 teams registered, and that the event is drawing top teams from here in the US and now overseas, it's just a matter of time until someone figures out that this is the premier endurance racing event in grassroots motorsports today.....Really proud to say there are four Factory Five Racing entries in the field.

Karen

vnmsss

11-29-2011, 02:53 AM

Testing on Thursday

We finalized the last of the work on the car this evening, which included last minute cleaning of the headlights, installing driver's names, and a final tire/wheel count. We made the decision today to head out to the track on Wednesday, and do a final shakedown and test session on Thursday.

Karen

vnmsss

11-29-2011, 03:15 AM

Firechicken.....Wow! Thanks so much for the kind words! Would love to have you join us for a future event.....In the meantime, the Coupe is ready for a final shakedown and then the green flag for the 2011 25 Hours!

Karen

Movieman

11-29-2011, 04:36 AM

Hi Dave......No TV networks (at least not yet. ;.) This will be the first year for live radio broadcast of the 25 Hours, and given that there are more than 85 teams registered, and that the event is drawing top teams from here in the US and now overseas, it's just a matter of time until someone figures out that this is the premier endurance racing event in grassroots motorsports today.....Really proud to say there are four Factory Five Racing entries in the field.

Karen
Thanks for the info. Someday they will smarten up and broadcast this.
Surprised that someone like the Speed Channel doesn't do it.
Maybe we should get a petition going and send to them..:D

Decided that I might as well contact them and make the suggestion. Done.

NicksPapaw

11-29-2011, 08:16 AM

Karen,
Sitting here in the Southeast reading your posts. I can't wait for the drop of the flag, and I'm nowhere near your area. By keeping us regularly updated on race preperations, testing, etc, I (and I am sure that I am not alone on this) feel like I am part of your fantastic race team. I hope with all the support you are going to have that someone keeps us posted throughout the race. We are cheering for your team all over the USA! No pressure, just win. :) Have fun, be safe, drive fast. Your extended teammates are behind you all the way.

vnmsss

11-29-2011, 10:24 AM

Thanks so much Steve. ;.) We'll be posting regular updates from the pits, and plan to have the live webcam going again as well. Not sure if we'll have the in-car video up and running, but we'll do our best to keep folks updated.

Thanks to all of our extended Thunder Valley Racing Team!!!

Karen

NicksPapaw

11-29-2011, 10:32 AM

Will there be a link to the webcam? Not very tech savvy here. Be sure to point me in the right direction. :)

vnmsss

11-29-2011, 10:39 AM

We'll post a link once it's up and running. :)

Dave Smith

11-29-2011, 11:14 AM

Karen, I was hoping to be there, but again this year will not :(
I'll throw your links up on the FFR website and FB page as well. Good luck, All of us are rooting for you guys and praying for your safety!

acmikee

11-29-2011, 07:58 PM

karen i heard that the event was cancelled due to weather.... hi in 60's low in the upper 30's no rain, snow, hail, high winds, or fog.....what better conditions can you have for december.
see you friday morning. call if you need anything...........mike

Marty Prario

11-29-2011, 08:50 PM

Best of luck Karen and Team Thunder Valley Racing. Its going to be fun following the race live. I can't wait.

vnmsss

12-01-2011, 11:35 AM

Too funny Mikee!!! Hey, I have a surprise for you when you get here...;.)

Thanks for the good wishes Marty and all, and for posting the links Dave! Ed spent the last couple of days with us in Healdsburg, "re-packing" the trailer with all the parts Honey Badger delivered with the #85 last month. He says he's gonna wait for the guys this morning and watch them unload all of this stuff...;.)

We arrived at the track last eveing, and are set up in pitstalls 5 (Thunder Valley Racing, 6 (Kneeds Adjustment Racing), and 7 (Boothman Racing)....A number of of our team members will be arriving throughout the day, and we'll begin the process of setting up our encampment (hot pit, cold pit, and hospitality areas) later this morning.

It's very windy today, with 40+ mph winds outside already. The good news is that the winds are expected to settle later this evening, and then the forecast is for clear skies, 0% chance of rain for the entire weekend (Can you hear the jubilation from out west?)...We know the reason the weather will be good is because we have working windshield wipers and brand new set of Hoosier rains! (We also think Andy may be up there with a big tire iron guarding the faucet...;.)

We're heading out to warm up the car for our test day today. Will check in later....Thanks again to everyone for the good wishes!

Karen

Benji

12-01-2011, 11:45 AM

All the best Karen and crew! Stay safe!

xlr8or

12-01-2011, 02:09 PM

Ain't that the truth Karen. You add a feature or bring a spare part just in case and seems to keep you from needing it.

(We also think Andy may be up there with a big tire iron guarding the faucet...;.)

That just made me laugh diet coke into my sinuses.

I'll be rooting for your teams success and safety from Buttonwillow all weekend.

LuckyWinner

12-01-2011, 02:32 PM

You guys are living a dream to most of us. I love reading your posts and wish your team all the best. I hope to meet some of you guys some day.

firechicken

12-02-2011, 12:06 AM

You guys are living a dream to most of us. I love reading your posts and wish your team all the best. I hope to meet some of you guys some day.

Well said sir!

vnmsss

12-02-2011, 02:46 AM

Thanks guys....Agree that we have to pinch ourselves from time to time....We're really glad that a number of Forum folks are coming out to the track this year so they can live the dream as well.

The car ran very well this morning, but we began having some driver's side axle issues toward the end of the morning. The left rear axle popped out of the diff at least four times.....We tried replacing the clips and even playing with the boot. Everyone seems to think it's fine now, as we took it out for three more sessions, and it performed very well..

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%20FFR/SAM_2555.jpg

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%20FFR/SAM_2561.jpg

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%20FFR/SAM_2558.jpg

USAF F-15 fly-over tomorrow morning at 11:30 PM! Qualifying tomorrow evening.....

Karen

David Hodgkins

12-02-2011, 03:52 AM

Karen, Phil and I are in Sacramento tonight.

See you bright and early tomorrow!

:)

vnmsss

12-03-2011, 03:44 AM

The entire crew worked their tails off all day setting up the pits and doing all of the final preparations on the car. John Card installed the new Chase cam system, and the team decided we would replace the steering rack, since we had a bit more movement than we liked.

Dave Riha went out for practice at 4:45 PM, and quickly got up to speed, turning some solid laps in short order. Nick Steel then jumped in and was able to get only two slow laps, as one of the competitors was off track at the exit of one, so the session was black flagged. With less than 20 minutes remaining in the qulaifying session, Nick was called in and the decision was made to put Dave back in the car to qualify the car.

Dave went out at 5:25, and was on his first hot lap when he entered eight and dropped a wheel into the soft dirt in the high speed left hander. The car quickly snapped into an uncotrollable spin, digging very hard in to the dirt on the left side, and causing the car to rollover, coming to rest on its roof in a ditch. Dave was OK, but the qulaifying session was shut down, as it took the safety crew almost an hour to bring the car into the pits.

Damage assessment includes a broken rear lower control arm (along with the frame tabs, which were bent beyone repair as well), broken windshield, front end damage, left rear quarter damage, broken camera, broken door hinge, and a forty acre field of dirt in the car. Everyone pitched in to assess then damage and begin making repairs. We were fortunate in that we had thought ahead and had spares lined up for virualy everything, including having a spare windshield in the trailer. The car started right up, despite having laid upside down for almost 30 minutes, and time will tell if the engine is OK.

Everyone worked on the car until well after midnight, and the car has some bandaides, but we're planning to have it on grid in the morning. Hats off to the entire Thunder Valley Racing team for the yoeman's effort and tremendous teamwork displayed tonight. These are indeed amazing people, and we are very grateful for their support. Needless to say, this was not the way any of us wanted the day to go........

Karen

Movieman

12-03-2011, 07:27 AM

Many times good things don't start out that way.
We're all rooting for you and your team.

( This place needs more smileys, these don't fit what I want to convey)

NicksPapaw

12-03-2011, 07:47 AM

Hey, look at it this way, you have the car upside down in the dirt part behind you now. :) It's nothing but rubber on the road for the next 25 hours. Nothing but good karma for the race. Go Thunder Valley Racing!!!

crossle45f33cf

12-03-2011, 07:51 AM

Up unusually early for me, especially on a Saturday. Today's the annual Christmas party for the Arizona Cobra Club up in Scottsdale and its a two hour drive from my place so an early start is called for. Unfortunately I'll be driving the MR2 since my coupe is still in the creation stage. I also wanted to get the early report from Thunderhill.
I'm truly sorry that the start is so bleak. On the silver lining side of things, no one was hurt and the car is repairable. Those facts are a credit to your racing skills which extend far beyond the driving duties. Good job!
Keep a close eye on Dave. Roll overs are not the best exercises for head and neck health.
The prayers and positive thoughts will continue from this fan's corner of the universe...

Marty Prario

12-03-2011, 11:40 AM

Sorry to hear about the qualifying accident. Pressure is off now, bad luck is behind you, nothing left to do but go forward. I know you guys can do it.

Marty

Martin

12-03-2011, 01:52 PM

Anybody got an update on this race? I'm in the UK and can't get any of the links to work (radio, live updates etc.)

Wonder how all the teams are getting on!

Martin

Martin

12-03-2011, 02:34 PM

Got it working (came in through a different proxy).

After about 16 laps.

Team Prototype Development Group, 7th, best lap 1:55.159
Team Boothman, 14th, best lap 1:58.154
Team Thunder Valley Racing, 45th, best lap 2:07.135

I'm missing a team somewhere, but I'm not sure what the 4th team is called. Anyone?

The leading team is Team Mercer Motorsports, and they are clocking in the 1:45's.

Martin

David Hodgkins

12-03-2011, 04:06 PM

KneedAdjustment Racing is the 4th FFR entry. Rough suspension work was completed on the coupe late last night and Karen made the starting grid. As long as the car lasts one more hour Salvaggio racing will win the WERC championship. So far the race is going smoothly under cool but crystal clear skys!

More later..

:)

acmikee

12-03-2011, 04:54 PM

car 4 gtm 7 place time 158
car 28 coupe 38 place time 204
car 21 roadster 59 place time 207
car 85 roadster 9 place time 201

Jeff Collins

12-03-2011, 06:47 PM

thanks for the updates glad Dave and the car are OK

Hankl

12-03-2011, 08:56 PM

Since I couldn't be there, here's the current standings as of 6:07PM

Prototype Development, (GTM-R) 8th place, 193 laps completed

ThunderValley Racing (Coupe) 28th place, 179 laps completed

Team Boothman (Roadster) 65th place, 145 laps completed.

David Hodgkins

12-03-2011, 10:33 PM

I'm very happy to report that Karen's team, Salvaggio racing, WON their class in the 6 hour enduro, and are also the 2011 NASA WERC Champions! I was fortunate enough to be part of the pit crew for Karen's win and I am awed by the rest of the team with their class and talent.

Karen will chime in after the 25 hour portion is wrapped up to give the full scoop of the trials, tribulations and triumph in this year's race, but I just wanted to chime in withthe news of Karen's win and to give Kudos to her team. She's still out there and I'm working the late shift so if she can't chime in later tonight I'll update everyone tomorrow morning.

:)

David Hodgkins

12-03-2011, 10:46 PM

http://youtu.be/mjbNZA4yTgg

It is hard to believe that this coupe had just spent time on it's roof!

:)

NicksPapaw

12-04-2011, 06:15 AM

Great news to hear about the 6 hour win. Hope everything went well during the night. We will sit here waiting for the morning updates. :)

Movieman

12-04-2011, 06:37 AM

avgjoe

12-04-2011, 07:54 AM

Why was it on it's roof? Is everybody OK? What broke and did it get back into the race?

NicksPapaw

12-04-2011, 08:33 AM

Why was it on it's roof? Is everybody OK? What broke and did it get back into the race?

Avgjoe, Karen and team were testing the new roll bar system they put in. :) Sorry, had to post that. If you look back a couple of pages on this post, they went off track during qualifying. Luckily, no one was injured, and their incredible team fixed the car in time for the race. And, as far as I know, they are still racing at this moment. Just waiting for updates from the team.

Marty Prario

12-04-2011, 09:44 AM

I have been watching the live scoring feed for about 15 minutes and have not seen Team Thunder Valley Racing's lap counter move. It appears that they are not currently on the track. The lap counter is on lap 431 at 6:53am pst.

Congratulations on the Nasa Werc Championship, Great Job!! Another Championship added into that already amazing resume.

Marty Prario

12-04-2011, 10:14 AM

back on the track again, Go Team Thunder Valley Racing.

http://www.nasa25hour.com/live-timing-feed.html

acmikee

12-04-2011, 10:24 AM

bad news #85 team boothman is out due to a fire. driver ok.

avgjoe

12-04-2011, 11:17 AM

Oooppps, sorry should've RTFT. Thanks for the update. I thought that was current news. Can't get the Race Monitor feed to work on my pc; gives me "Security Error". Impossible to find up to date info. I guess I should be there.

Joe

NicksPapaw

12-04-2011, 03:22 PM

Ha Ha Joe, just messing with ya. Does anyone know how the thing finished? I have been out with the grandkids today and missed this afternoon.

Geezer

12-04-2011, 04:21 PM

If I read timing and scoring correctly Team Thunder Valley Racing finished 38th, and (6th????) in class. Looks like the GTM finished 4th overall. But I may be reading the results wrong. I think #28 was running near the end because they improved a couple of positions in the last hour or two. CONGRATS to ALL!

Russ Thompson

12-04-2011, 08:49 PM

Just got home from Thunder Hill, the three crews were again just fantastic. I don't know how they find all the energy.

The coupe and the GTM finished the race, Karen brought it home in fine fashion and the GTM did come in fourth overall and ran almost the entire race using just 4th gear. Richards team should be very proud as should all the crews.

The roadster was running fantastic until the gas tank suports fatique failed. The tank droped down and rolled under the car and was then dragged until it sparked and caught on fire, they had just put in 30 gallons! The car will rise again, since the tank was out of the car most of the damage was body and tire, frame looks ok.

I will let the folks more involved fill in the facts but wanted to say it's a joy to go out and suport these dedicated folks.

It's also a great way to see friends and offer moral suport so if you get a chance, go and be a part of the crowd, these folks love seeing us there!

WELL DONE EVERYONE!!!!

Jacob McCrea

12-04-2011, 09:10 PM

Well done indeed! Thanks to everyone for the updates - I've been cheering for everyone from afar! It sounds like a wild weekend at the racetrack by any standards, and I'm glad that there were no injuries given what transpired. Hopefully I can make it out next year to check this out and lend a hand.

DrAwender

12-04-2011, 10:05 PM

Here are some pictures from the 25. Enjoy.
J
http://www.awender.com/sale/pictures/1.jpg
http://www.awender.com/sale/pictures/2.jpg
http://www.awender.com/sale/pictures/3.jpg
http://www.awender.com/sale/pictures/4.jpg
http://www.awender.com/sale/pictures/5.jpg
http://www.awender.com/sale/pictures/6.jpg

DrAwender

12-04-2011, 10:07 PM

http://www.awender.com/sale/pictures/a.jpg
http://www.awender.com/sale/pictures/b.jpg
http://www.awender.com/sale/pictures/c.jpg
http://www.awender.com/sale/pictures/7.jpg
http://www.awender.com/sale/pictures/8.jpg
http://www.awender.com/sale/pictures/9.jpg
http://www.awender.com/sale/pictures/10.jpg

Garry Bopp

12-05-2011, 09:30 AM

Jeff,

Great pics ... thanks! Wish I could have been there. Looking forward to hearing Karen's narrative of the weekend.

Garry

Dave Smith

12-05-2011, 11:18 AM

Guys,

I followed the action all weekend and was on the edge of my seat the whole time. This year's event was probably the most dramatic. Karen's team overcame tremendous difficulty and words fall short. To win the 6 hour enduro race and finish the 25 hours after crashing and rolling the car in qualifying is remarkable. I hereby accuse Dave Riha of being a copycat as I pioneered the concept of crashing and winning.

Huge congratulations to Rich Migliori and his Team PDG who finished 4th overall in the GTM and the best Factory Five finish in the nine year history of the event. We're working on a full report right now.

65 Cobra Dude

12-05-2011, 11:33 AM

Great read and awesome job teams. Gonna have to put this on the calendar for next year. Congratulations to all involved.

Henry

Russ Thompson

12-05-2011, 12:27 PM

Dave, I know your already know this but all the ffr people at Thunder Hill represented ffr with an outstanding performance. The four crews all did a remarkable job with an outstanding effort, the factory should be very proud.

crash

12-05-2011, 12:58 PM

Congrats to Karen and all the FFR teams. We, the GTM Team, certainly had things go much better for us this year than last, but it looks like Karen and crew, and the Boothman team also, got a visit from our boogy men this year. :(

Karen's team fought back in exemplery fashion, and turned lemons into lemonade.

Boothman-Well, after seeing the car up close and personal while it was on fire and the fire crews were not there yet, it's just a good thing no one was injured. It looked REALLY bad. Glad to hear they will be returning.

Looks like the FFR family of endurance racers expanded this year, and, hopefully, next year will bring even more FFR cars out to this truly epic event.

"See you at the races!"

:)

Someday I Suppose

12-05-2011, 03:26 PM

Wow a lot of goings on at Thunder Hill, good to hear all the drivers are okay who had mishaps, and congrats to Karen and team on the 6 hour win, awesome for sure, especially after the roll.

David Hodgkins

12-05-2011, 04:02 PM

I've transferred 20+ photos and will post them tonight.

:)

68GT500MAN

12-05-2011, 07:53 PM

My four most memorable things of the weekend. #4 Watching as a mobile glass installer came to the track Friday night at about 10pm to install the new windshield in the coupe after the rubber side up incident. #3 Watching Karen take the green flag for the start of the 25 and dive until the points for the champinship were secure. #2 The ultimate doner story, Diane Anderson finding a mustang owner that was willing to let us remove the master cylinder from his car (we replaced it with the worn out one from the coupe) and put it into the coupe. #1 Watching as Karen drove under the checkerd flags knowing that we had endured the 25 Hours of Thunder Hill! Way to go team Thunder Hill Racing!
Doug

Cobradavid

12-05-2011, 08:19 PM

My nomination for Coupe December POM:

http://www.awender.com/sale/pictures/7.jpg

David

David Hodgkins

12-06-2011, 08:14 AM

I've uploaded a bunch of BIG pics to a new Thunderhill 2011 album:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/album.php?albumid=225

Some interesting pics there; I hope to resize them and add proper descriptions soon.

:)

vnmsss

12-06-2011, 11:59 AM

Words cannot describe the gratitude I hold for the amazing members of Team Thunder Valley Racing who supported the Coupe for this year's 25 Hours. This year was undoubtedly the most difficult for all of us, and I was surrounded by great acts of courage, dedication, and sheer determination for the 72 hours we lived at the track. Assaulting the 25 Hours is like climbing a mountain; recovering from a roll over was nothing short of climbing Mount Everest...Oh, and by the way, you can begin the journey in Death Valley.....These amazing people did it, and only the 30 people who were there for the rollercoaster ride this weekendwill ever truly know how it felt to have the Coupe cross the **********.

Words cannot equally describe how badly I feel for my good friend Ed Boothman. Ed, Andy and I spent months and months together over the last five years, preparing cars, enjoying each other's company, and talking about competing in the 25. My good friend is making the long, lonely (3000+ mile) ride home, alone with his thoughts, and taking what's left of his his car home to Florida in a burnt mess.....Our victory, and my ability to "celebrate" are tempered in his loss.

Kudos and congratulations to Team PDG for their amazing run this year. The crewmembers are among the finest individuals serving any team, and the drivers did an amazing job of driving with only 4th gear for 23 hours!

Thanks to all of our forum friends for your support and encouragement. I am blessed to be surrounded by the love and kindness of so many wonderful people! Andy was with us in spirit, and our family will never be able to fully express our appreciation for your support over all these the years.

Karen

John Card

12-06-2011, 07:18 PM

What an amazing weekend....

I could ramble on for an hour about everything that happened, but to summarize:

Karen and Rick did a great job of prepping the car for the race. It was getting tired from all of the racing leading up to this year's event, and they had everything in top shape.

Everyone tore into the car after it came back on the hook, and to our surprise, it was nowhere near as bad as most of us had imagined. The long waiting period between the time we learned that the reason for the red flag was us, and the time it arrived back in our pit, allowed the mind to conjure up some pretty gruesome images. Yeah, it was bruised up, but everything was fixable and no one hesitated to jump in and start setting things right. Failure was NOT an option.

The car went to the grid untested, other than a few laps around the paddock. Karen was sent into combat with fingers crossed. I was on the radio, timing laps and tracking her progress. She passed 7 cars the first lap, 4 or five more the next lap, a few more the next lap, etc. The whole time, silence on the radio. When Karen is happy with the car, things are quiet on the radio as she focuses on the job hand. At this point, we knew the car was near 100%.

As the drivers rotated out and clawed our way up the standings, all reports were encouraging. We had some brake issues that set us back a few times, but that is really something that has been an ongoing problem and had nothing to do with any of the crash damage or repair issues. Brakes were really the only thing that held this car back from running the whole race non-stop. And I know how to fix that and prevent it from being a future problem.

People were low on sleep and high on adrenaline, but all gave their best effort towards the common goal. I'd name names, but I know I'd accidentally leave somebody out. Everybody (and it was a big group) was a great help.

Karen always gives credit to the team, and we appreciate that. But the fact is the majority of us would not have been there, or would have been able to be a part of this great experience without all she does for us. She is literally the glue that binds us all together.

I know Andy was watching down enjoying the whole thing and smiling from ear to ear when she crossed the finish line!

xlr8or

12-06-2011, 07:47 PM

Karen congrats on the win and finishing such a grueling race in style. As John said you give much deserved credit to the support team and rightfully so but truth be told you motivate and inspire more people than you probably realize. It takes a great leader for the the group to succeed.

Movieman

12-06-2011, 07:56 PM

acmikee

12-06-2011, 09:13 PM

execellent job karen. now about the rollover you know the rules no pics then it didn't happen. the one time i didn't have my camera in the safety truck sorry...............

NickS

12-06-2011, 09:14 PM

Karen and all the crew - you guys were AMAZING!

I can't thank you all enough for the hard work that went into getting the Coupe accross the finish line on Sunday morning. I'm very proud to have had the opportunity to drive for such a wonderful and talented group of folks.

Despite everything we had to deal with, from the lows of Friday evening to the mad thrash early Sunday morning to find a master cylinder, everyone kept a positive attitude and kept pushing and pushing towards the finish. You guys were like a well oiled machine. The pit stops were near flawless.

The fueling was so fast that I knew I had to be on my game getting in the car and all belted in so I didn't hold us up on the way out!

It was incredible to watch the teamwork in action the whole time. On the surface it looked like pure chaos but after you stepped back for a bit you could see that everyone knew what they needed to do to keep the car on track.

My hat is off to you all. You are the best crew out there this past weeekend.

Thank you all!

-- Nick

Words cannot describe the gratitude I hold for the amazing members of Team Thunder Valley Racing who supported the Coupe for this year's 25 Hours. This year was undoubtedly the most difficult for all of us, and I was surrounded by great acts of courage, dedication, and sheer determination for the 72 hours we lived at the track. Assaulting the 25 Hours is like climbing a mountain; recovering from a roll over was nothing short of climbing Mount Everest...Oh, and by the way, you can begin the journey in Death Valley.....These amazing people did it, and only the 30 people who were there for the rollercoaster ride this weekendwill ever truly know how it felt to have the Coupe cross the **********.

Words cannot equally describe how badly I feel for my good friend Ed Boothman. Ed, Andy and I spent months and months together over the last five years, preparing cars, enjoying each other's company, and talking about competing in the 25. My good friend is making the long, lonely (3000+ mile) ride home, alone with his thoughts, and taking what's left of his his car home to Florida in a burnt mess.....Our victory, and my ability to "celebrate" are tempered in his loss.

Kudos and congratulations to Team PDG for their amazing run this year. The crewmembers are among the finest individuals serving any team, and the drivers did an amazing job of driving with only 4th gear for 23 hours!

Thanks to all of our forum friends for your support and encouragement. I am blessed to be surrounded by the love and kindness of so many wonderful people! Andy was with us in spirit, and our family will never be able to fully express our appreciation for your support over all these the years.

Karen

acmikee

12-06-2011, 09:19 PM

http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1070295_mercer-motorsports-porsche-gt3-overall-victor-in-25-hours-of-thunderhill

vnmsss

12-07-2011, 03:59 PM

As I was sitting in the dark of night with Tom Coon and David Hodgkins, patiently gluing my headlight lens back together from the nine pieces it had become, and while the glass company was installing the new windsheild, we were talking about if we were lucky enough to get any sleep, that we might wake up in the morning and think maybe we'd just had a really bad dream that someone had flipped the car......No such luck....So, here you go Mikee....
(PS....Big kudos to the safety crew for the care in which they recovered the car....You guys/gals made it possible for us to recover the car and win the championship!) Karen

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%2025%20Hour%20Thunderhill/flip.jpg

John Card

12-07-2011, 05:58 PM

Ouch!!! Now that's a photo....

(note the left rear wheel angle - the worst of the damage. )

Garry Bopp

12-07-2011, 06:41 PM

Wow, Karen!

It's hard to believe that your hard-working, dedicated crew could recover from this. Kudos to all involved ... Teamwork!

Garry

KodiakCoupe

12-07-2011, 07:06 PM

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%2025%20Hour%20Thunderhill/flip.jpg

She looks a whole lot better with her feet on the ground Karen! Course it's probably easier to work on the suspension like this. ;)

Anyway, just thought I'd chime in and extend my congrats to you and the entire team for a truly amazing - and memorable feat!

YOU GUYS ROCK!!!

John Card

12-07-2011, 07:10 PM

Movieman

12-07-2011, 08:00 PM

Hell, Karen's car looks better upside down than most do right side up!:D

EBarnes

12-07-2011, 09:41 PM

Excellent job guys! Always fun to see the coupe mixing it up!

Any in car video you could post on YouTube Karen (our did I miss it slomewhere?). I'd love to see your perspective for a few laps, and I'm sure I'm not the only one!

EBarnes

12-07-2011, 09:43 PM

vnmsss

12-08-2011, 12:56 AM

Thanks for the kind words guys.....My brand new Chase Cam system, that we had just mounted in the car on Friday, got hammered in the roll over (another cha-ching expense from flying monkeys). The rear camera, which was mounted on top of the car broke off and is toast. The front cam worked for the race, but the recorder and the connections are hammered, so the video is less than perfect. I'm working on at least a few clips, but we'll see what's salvagable....

In the meantime....The pictures keep coming in, so here's a few from Friday night's "fun":
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%2025%20Hour%20Thunderhill/SAM_2732.jpg

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%2025%20Hour%20Thunderhill/SAM_2705.jpg

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%2025%20Hour%20Thunderhill/SAM_2744.jpg

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%2025%20Hour%20Thunderhill/SAM_2696.jpg

vnmsss

12-08-2011, 01:00 AM

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%2025%20Hour%20Thunderhill/SAM_2702.jpg

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%2025%20Hour%20Thunderhill/SAM_2701.jpg

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%2025%20Hour%20Thunderhill/SAM_2695.jpg

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%2025%20Hour%20Thunderhill/SAM_2680.jpg

vnmsss

12-08-2011, 01:03 AM

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%2025%20Hour%20Thunderhill/SAM_2656.jpg

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%2025%20Hour%20Thunderhill/SAM_2671.jpg

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%2025%20Hour%20Thunderhill/SAM_2657.jpg

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011%2025%20Hour%20Thunderhill/SAM_2652.jpg

Mark Dougherty

12-08-2011, 03:20 PM

here are a few of team thunder Valleys thrash

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p210/66Fairlane/IMAG0793.jpg

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p210/66Fairlane/IMAG0792.jpg

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p210/66Fairlane/IMAG0791.jpg

Mark Dougherty

12-08-2011, 03:25 PM

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p210/66Fairlane/IMAG0786.jpg

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p210/66Fairlane/IMAG0790.jpg

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p210/66Fairlane/IMAG0788.jpg

http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p210/66Fairlane/IMAG0785.jpg

vnmsss

12-08-2011, 04:34 PM

Team Thunder Valley Racing
FFR #28 Type 65 Coupe
Race start (sorry, camera was damaged in roll over):
http://vimeo.com/33359841

K

Brian Z

12-09-2011, 09:09 AM

Awesome video! =)

firechicken

12-10-2011, 12:22 AM

once again, I am just amazed by you guys! The whole ffr community had a wild time from the sound of it, rollovers, fires and serious competition and never an ounce of quit. My hats off to everyone who was there.

Dave Smith

12-10-2011, 12:40 AM

Karen and the people there in this effort are my heroes.

John Card

12-10-2011, 03:26 PM

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r27/snkbtn/2011 25 Hour Thunderhill/SAM_2701.jpg

I think this was the worst of it. That mangled thing in the middle of the picture used to be the forward mount for the lower control arm on the drivers side. I had to cut and grind that out and get it flush with the base metal again, While Rick worked on making new tabs to replace the old ones, then TC and Dave welded it all in while trying to get it all to align straight again. In the end, we got it pretty close to where it was, and the adjustments and shimming in the heims took care of any minor difference.

vnmsss

12-11-2011, 09:05 PM

The 25 Hours…..A Year in the Making……..

Ed Boothman arrived in Healdsburg on Tuesday afternoon (11/30) , and spent the rest of that day, and all the next day loading the #85 car, and packing his trailer with all of the spares sent from Factory Five back in October. I had not seen Ed since last year's 25 Hours, and it was good to have an opportunity to catch up on things with our friend.

Rick's shop is an amazing place to prepare a car, and we had worked non-stop on the Coupe from the date of the last endurance race (October 8) until November 30, when we closed the door on the trailer and readied ourselves for the three hour trip to Thunderhill.

Having competed in the 2011 Western Endurance Racing Championship (WERC) series which began in April with a 3-hour enduro at Buttonwillow, the Coupe had been thoroughtly tested in the seven previous races that comprised the WERC season. This would be a year of highs and lows though, and it was only through sheer determination that the team had endured the last four months, and had continued competing in the face of great adversity. Rick and I knew that Andy would be watching over us though, and that he was smiling knowing that his hard work on the Coupe would live on.

By early October, it was clear that the car would need some serious prep work to get it ready for the 25 Hours. The car had been running well, with a strong motor, solid trans, and no serious issues all year. Our first diagnostic was a compression check, which we accomplished in early October. The engine had been running in the car since July 2010, having run several events in 2010 as a test and tune before running the 25 Hours last year. The same motor had run all season in the WERC, and we were now making final preparations for the 25 Hours again. The big question….Would this engine survive another 25 Hours?

As we set about the compression check and other diagnostics, the news was good. Every cylinder came in reading 175 or more, and the sparkplugs were textbook in condition. Needless to say, as we tested each cylinder, our hopes rose with every sparkplug that we pulled, that our DSS motor just might be able to run another 25 hour race. We drained the oil and carefully checked the drain plug for residual metal or any indication of metallurgical wear or degradation of the motor was occurring…..The oil was beautiful, with no sign of metal sheen or flaking.

Other preparations included a complete bleeding of the brake system, as well as installation of new Carbotech pads. We would stick with the enduro compound from Carbotech, as the stopping power is good, but the less aggressive nature of the pad assures much longer wear for the rotors. An in depth nut and bolt check, installation of a new radiator, along with replacing rotors and all key wear items in the IRS would take up the rest of the prep time before we were ready to load.

The IRS system has been a continual source of performance issues in our racing over the last three years. In our experience on track, the IRS system used in our cars was sufficient for the street, but after running the IRS under full race conditions, we had determined that it was not up to the demands and stresses of endurance racing. The latest issue we faced was in the driver side axle popping out of the differential, something that’s less than reassuring at triple digit speeds. We were in a quest to solve the issue though, which meant we would be replacing every piece in the IRS system prior to taking to the track at the 25.

Preparations included an extensive check of the differential, and the installation of all-new hubs, bearings, axles, clips, and boots on the Coupe. Gone was the T-Bird-based hubs which had run on the car from birth, being replaced with Mustang Cobra hubs which were sourced from Summit Racing. Spares for everything were prepared as well, and as we’ve discovered in racing an IRS-based Coupe, you'll be carrying around a whole lot of stuff to support the effort. Finally, after months of competition and preparations, on November 30th, we loaded the Coupe and closed the door on the trailer, knowing that we were ready.

Ed, Rick and I pulled out of the parking lot as the sun was setting over the beautiful Northern California Wine Country. It would be a three hour run to Thunderhill, which gave each of us plenty of time to run through a final checklist of preparations.

We had worked on an extensive parking plan for the three FFR teams that would be pitting together. FFR Challenge Series racer and enduro competitor Dr. Tom Coon would meet us at the track on Wednesday evening, however, he would have to return to St. Helena later that evening, as he had surgeries to perform over the next two days. When we arrived at the track, we soon discovered that our parking assignments were not as indicated on the paddock map, in that they had left out one tiny detail: We had a large building in the middle of our parking area….Oh, well….The best laid plans of mice and men…..Soon enough, we worked out a “new” plan for the big rigs, and as the temps began to fall and the winds picked up, we got the vehicles parked and settled in to our new digs in the area which would be our home for the next four days.

Thursday morning brought clear skies, albeit windy conditions, and a number of Thunder Valley Racing crewmembers arrived bright and early to support the team. In light of the recent IRS issues, it had been decided earlier in the week that we would test the car on Thursday, with the thought that if any issues with the IRS surfaced we’d have enough time to make the repairs and test more on Friday if needed. Rick and I would put the car though its paces, pulling into the pits after 3-4 laps for the crew to check the axles, hubs and bearings, looking for any indication of problems of developing issues.

Sure enough, in the first test session, after only three laps, I could feel a small vibration developing in the left rear axle. I dove into the pits, and a quick jack of the rear and inspection of the axle indicated that it had popped out of the differential. Immediate trip back paddock and up on the jacks for the Coupe. Co-driver Jeff Awender arrived, and with him came a very cool air-operated scissor jack, which we didn’t know at the time, would become the most well-used piece of equipment in the cold pit that weekend. The axle was inspected and re-set in the differential, and then it was back out on track for another 3-4 lap session.

All was well for 3 laps, and then as I “landed” over nine on the fourth lap, the axle began the same vibration…..Back in to the hot pit for inspection, back to the cold pit to take this thing apart and further investigate the source of the problem. It was determined that the C-clip was not fully engaging, and some “adjustments” to the C-clip allowed for a larger surface area to engage the detent in the spider gear. Re-install the axle, and Rick would get some seat time as we went out for test session three…..Rick drove for 20 minutes, and reported no vibration. He brought the Coupe in to the hot pit, where the crew checked the axle…Success! It was holding! Rick went out again and ran another 20 minutes, and the crew felt the issue had been resolved…..I was not as optimistic though, and decided to take the car out and put it through its paces….Sure enough, lap four, the vibration returned. A quick trip to the hot pit confirmed that the axle had popped out again.

A meeting of the minds resulted in us crafting a plan to replace the c-clip with a stouter version (square shouldered, thick), as well as re-position the boot, compressing it to a small degree, as it was believed that the boot might actually be serving as a lever in certain attitudes, and actually “pulling” the weak c-clip out of the housing. Our plan was executed, and it was back to the track for round five of the testing. Jeff Awender would drive this session, and the car performed flawlessly. A few final checks of the axle during the last sessions of the day confirmed that the axle issue had been resolved. We were ready to run!

Co-Crew Chief John Card is an expert engine tuner as well as a fellow Coupe builder, and his efforts with our race team over the last two years contributed to our Coupe enduring every challenge thrown at it, and Team Thunder Valley Racing arriving at the 25 Hours at the top of the leader board in the Series.
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vnmsss

12-11-2011, 10:34 PM

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vnmsss

12-11-2011, 10:40 PM

Phillip and Julie taking a break from the action.....
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vnmsss

12-11-2011, 11:10 PM

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vnmsss

12-12-2011, 12:32 AM

By the end of the day on Thursday, the vast majority of our crew had arrived at the track, and the preparations for our hot and cold pit areas were underway. Fierce, 30+ mph winds on Thursday and into Friday hammpered the efforts, but crew members managed to hoist the awnings, set up a hospitality area, and arrange the cold pit with all of the associated support equipment by mid-day on Friday.

There would be no test and tune for the Coupe on Friday, and the next time the wheels would turn on the car would be in the practice session prior to qualifying at 5:15 PM that afternoon. The afternoon was spent wiring in the new Chase Cam camera system, which would provide the team with the ability to record front and rear video footage, as well as log GPS performance data which could then be played back in sync for engine and on-track performance analysis. A large number of our crew had supported our team and worked together many times over the last five years of endurance racing events, and as more members of the team arrived, it was like old home week in the pits. Our hospitality crew, BaLinda, Julie, and Evelyn, assured that we had hot coffee, and lots of good eats to sustain the effort throughout the day.

4:45 PM arrived, and we were ready. Fellow FFR racer Dave Riha would take the Coupe out at 4:45 PM for a few warm-up laps, and then driver Nick Steel, who could not make Thursday's test session and had not previously driven the car, would jump in and finish the practice session. As a former engineer with Factory Five Racing, Dave Riha's had the opportunity to hone his skills to a high level in wide number of Factory Five cars. He's known as a capable driver, and the team knew he would come up to speed quickly in the Coupe. Within a few laps, Dave was turning laps in the low 2:00's. Nick would be next up in the car, but by the time the driver change was made and he was just getting up to speed in the car, traffic on track was beginning to become an issue. An increasing number of teams we heading out for warm-up in preparation for the 5:15 qualifying session. After only 3 laps in the car, and traffic becoming a bigger issue, the decision was made to bring Nick in and have Dave to get back in the car to run a couple of qualifying laps just in case something would happen to shorten the session, as ocurred last year, when the qualifying session was cut short due to an on track incident......Little did we know that we would be the incident that affected everyone in qualifying this year...

Dave headed out and we followed his progress on the live timing and scoring monitor for his first lap, and then, a few minutes later, the session was being red flagged for some reason, and when we checked the race monitor, it appeared that Dave had not competed a second lap. Calls to Dave on the radio went unanswered, and as car after car of the 83 cars on track streamed past our pit, each of us strained to find a glimpse of the blue Coupe. Word from Jeff Awender, who had been out on track qualifying the Tom Coon's #21 Challenge Series roadster was that a car had flipped out of turn seven and the session had been halted....It was dark out there, and he could tell a car was off track in a ditch..His instinct as he passed the scene was that it was a small car, perhpas a Miata, but he wasn't sure....He did think the car was blue....

As the flow of traffic slowed, our hearts sank further and further, and the sense of anxiousness among the team grew with every passing moment....Finally, after 30 long minutes, we received confirmation that it was indeed the Coupe that had rolled, and that it was lying on its roof in the dirt off track. Everyone's immediate thought was to Dave, and wanting to know that he was all right. Track officials confirmed that he was out of the car, walking around and in fact, had been on his cell phone while waiting for the ride back to the pits with the safety truck. Another 15 minutes passed, and still no car. As time ticked on, and in a moment of pure leadership, Co-Crew Chief TC McNett gathered the entire team together in the cold pit and updated everyone with the all too stinging facts: The Coupe had rolled, the driver was not hurt, and at this point, the damage was unknown. He called upon everyone to gather their muster and prepare for a long, long night. We would take stock of the damage as soon as the car arrived back in our pit, and those amongst us with the greatest mechanical skills should prepare to step forward. Everyone else would be supporting the effort in a "whatever it takes" way. Now was the time to dig deep and find the heart of our team.

Finally, after nearly an hour since we had last seen our car, the Coupe arrived in our pit. It was tremendously hard to look at what had been our beautiful Coupe, the car that Andy and I, and this entire team, had poured our hearts into over the last three years, now unceremonioulsy being hauled behind a safety truck, sitting with a broken windshield, dirt on the hood and roof, and battle scars from an on-track incident....The team sprung into action immediately, taking stock of the damage, and assessing every inch of the car to determine the extent of the needed repairs.....Within 30 minutes, a plan for the repairs was already forming....The Coupe was wounded, but it was fixable. We'd need some parts and it would take a whole lot of work, but this team would be doing whatever it took to see that the Coupe was on grid for the 25 the next morning....We had a little more than 13 hours to pull off a miracle.....Heroes were everwhere on Friday evening, and every member of our team earned my eternal gratitude for the effort in bringing that car back to life.....

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vnmsss

12-12-2011, 01:15 AM

Every single member of the crew poured their hearts into the repairs. Dave McNett worked tirelessly to rebuild the rear suspension. John Card and Rick Anderson, looked after the fabrication of the new suspension mounts, and everyone on the team assured the repairs were done in short order. We would need some additional parts, and BaLinda McNett and Victor Penner headed off for the long drive to the Bay Area for modified control arms provided by Hank Lopez....It was a four hour roundtrip, in someone else's vehicle, traveling to a place they had never visited getting parts from a person they had never met....That trip, and those parts appearing on scene enabled us to fix the car...This is truly an amazing community....Kudos to all!

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"We're back here visiting with Karen Salvaggio as her crew repairs the damage from a roll over in qualifying....So tell us Karen, how are you feeling about the car flipping?"
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vnmsss

12-12-2011, 02:05 AM

After verifying that Dave Riha had not been injured, my concerns immediately turned to the reason for the roll over. Our entire team was speculating as to what could have happened to cause the car to go off track and roll. Having experienced the axle issues in the days leading up the to race, there was also great concern that something had happened to the rear suspension and creating a less than controllable situation. As we waited for the car, it was agreed that the very first thing to check would be the axles and their secure mounting in the differential.

Before the car was even lowered from the safety truck, our crew had checked the axles and we were relieved to verify that the axles were solidy in place and were not the cause of the incident. Our concerns then turned to further determining the cause of the off track excursion. As the car was being disconnected from the truck, I, along with members of our team, looked for Dave Riha, who had ridden back to the pits' in the safety truck. The car was here, but Dave was nowhere to be found......Where was he? Why wasn't he over here letting the entire crew, including me, know what had happened to the car?.....Not sure what he was thinking, but I eventually caught up with him, and after checking to see if he was OK, I was able to determine that nothing in the car's handling or performance had been the cause of the off track excursion. A simple drop of the wheels at track exit on six, and then a failed attempt to correct, resulted in the car spinning off track backwards, with the left rear wheel digging into the soft dirt and causing the car to roll.

All of the hours of preparation, the months of competition, in that moment, all seemed for naught.....The hours and hours of time and effort we had invested in the car in the days, weeks and months leading up to the race....All of the effort it took to get the car there, to orchestrate the parts, the efforts of each crewmember to make the 6, 8, 10 or even 12 hour drive to be with us at the track.....Were all lost in a nano-second of human error.
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vnmsss

12-13-2011, 01:00 AM

The picture of the Coupe on its roof is pretty uncomfortable for all of us.......To be clear.....I believed in Dave Riha, and the fact that he was driving my car is my responsibility....I own that.

As a professional driver, and someone that has taken the wheel of countless numbers of cars over the years, both on and off the track, I also know that I hold a responsiblity when I get behind the wheel. Maybe it's my years of military service, or something imbued in me from my upbringing, but there's a personal responsibility one holds for their actions. As racers, we've spoken many times among ourselves at the track, that what we're doing out there is nothing short of playing with fire...Anyone who thinks racing is anything less than that, is simply kidding themselves....Do cars get wrecked? Oh ya. Do people get hurt? With any luck, no, but the reality is, it happens. Can bad things happen to good people...You bet...Each time we get in the car, it's an assigned risk....Period.

All told, the most disappointing aspect of the incident was the stark reality that we had crossed the line; The line between winners and losers.....In that moment, all of the preparation and the readiness we had mustered for our competition was meaningless...We had arrived at the 25 Hours holding first place in the season points, needing only to run the six hours to secure the championship....In an unbelieveable twist of fate, as we headed into battle, we had fallen on our own sword, and our competitors were driving by the spectacle and heading back to their pit to scratch us off the list...We had already beaten ourselves.......Or, so they thought....

The rest of the story is a tribute to the dedicated individuals on our team who would seize victory from the jaws of defeat.....The winners.

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NicksPapaw

12-13-2011, 06:51 AM

WOW Karen. Reading this writeup is just an emotional roller coaster. If a person doesn't understand racing, all they need to do is read the previous posts. Thanks for the update. Oh, by the way, the Factory Five family of owners and supporters ROCKS!

rocket

12-13-2011, 07:56 PM

After a week and a half, I still can’t describe what it was like riding the “25 Hr. roller coaster”. For me, it began with preparing the car for the Buttonwillow Enduro. I had only prepped my own car in the past and that was for sprint races. But, having driven with TVR the last three 25 Hr. races, I had a pretty good idea what was involved: LOTS OF WORK!!! After 2 months of cleaning, inspecting, replacing suspect parts, system checks, fluid changes, countless phone calls, trips to the machine shops, and a whole lot more, the Blue #28 was declared ready!
The group of men and women, who dedicated their time and energy to help with the 25 hr. effort, are nothing short of greatness. NOBODY stepped back from tackling an assignment. “Can’t” was not in the vocabulary for the entire weekend. Every time I strapped into the car to drive, I knew everyone had put their utmost effort to make the car safe and sound. Thank you all!!
Lastly, Karen, thank you for the friendship, respect, and trust that you have shared with me during this whole process. You are a deserving Champion!

Hankl

12-13-2011, 08:39 PM

What we're doing out there is nothing short of playing with fire...

More like sitting in a pool of gasoline with two lit sparklers!! :p

Hank :cool:

vnmsss

12-13-2011, 11:36 PM

Thanks Rick......I would not have been able to finish this season without your help, and the massive amounts of encouragement from Lady Diane (Uber "Team Manager")......Six years of fierce competition on track between us, and countless good times shared with our families and friends in the pits have left many good memories......It's come full circle my friend, and it was fitting that you and then I would drive the last two stints in the Coupe's racing history.....
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They say "Greatness" is forged in the crucible of life, and is only earned through years and years of hard work, dedication and practice, practice, practice.......The members of Team Thunder Valley Racing indeed earned greatness last weekend......Each one of these folks are talented in their own right, and bring a wealth of experience to any task....But if you were to talk to each one of them, I believe you'd find that they are ordinary people who accomplished extraordinary things because they were focused on a task, were valued in their work, and selflessly dedicated their efforts in a relentless pursuit of a superordinate goal...Accomplishing something bigger than "self"......

These people and this team were indeed "great" that weekend, and the feeling of accomplishment in witnessing your team's car cross the ********** after 25 hours of grueling competition, knowing you faced adversity and overcame every challenge, is the lure that brings people back to the 25 year after year......

The Awesome Members of 2011 Team Thunder Valley Racing
TC McNett, John Card, Bill Robertson, Hank Lopez, Tracy Marshall, Diane Anderson, BaLinda McNett, Tracie Card, Roman Vaisman, Ryan Althoff, Molly McCarthy, Dale Althoff, Dave McNett, Doug Deffebach, Victor Penner, Mitchell Pinnix, Joshua Bligh, Jeremy Bligh, David Hodgkins, Phillip Hodgkins, Julie Smith and her sister Evelyn, Ron Stebles, Jud Shutts and Jeremy White.
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Team Thunder Valley Racing Drivers
Rick Anderson, Dave Brown, Nick Steel, Jeff Awender, Dave Riha, and Karen Salvaggio
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Movieman

12-13-2011, 11:59 PM

Karen,
One thing I will promise you is that 20 years from now you will have forgotten what position you finished in but will remember the people of your team and how they
stood together on that weekend.
The older I get the more I realise is that it's the people you meet on this journey and the shared experiences that matter most.
The rest is all smoke and mirrors.

NicksPapaw

12-14-2011, 05:21 AM

Amen Movieman, Amen!

FFRSpec72

12-14-2011, 12:19 PM

What a great and wonderful accomplishment to have achieved !

shlbygt

12-14-2011, 02:37 PM

I’ve had the privilege to serve on Karen’s team at the 25 Hour for the past five years. In each of those years the team has experienced moments that could have or should have put the car out of the race. Lesser issues than what TVR experienced has put other teams out of the race every single year.
However, at no time during any one of the races did I feel we would not finish the race with the car running competitive laps at the end. No walking wounded laps for Thunder Valley Racing.
It just never occurred to me that we would not finish, the only question in my mind was which position we’d be running at the end.

So what if the roadster gets hit in the driver’s side wheel by an errant Mitsubishi and screws up the wheel and axle. No problem, Andy and the gang will install a new axle and away we go.
In the middle of the night when the transmission goes wonky (from the original collision damage) a new transmission is installed and a busted rear end bracket is rewelded. Back out on the track as good as before and off we go to the finish.

Or the year the Coupe became affectionately known as the Exxon Valdez because of internal engine issues caused by a third party that forced the team to fill up the oil (15 quarts in total) and top off the fuel at each pit stop.
Heck yeah, you can run a 351 Windsor for 25 hours that is detonating due to .030 pistons in an almost .040 bore and nonexistent valve guides. Thanks unnamed engine builder, you are the best.

This year the car goes turtle during qualifying breaking the windshield and the suspension. Where do you find a Factory Five Coupe windshield in Willows CA on a Friday night? No problem, Karen has been dragging a spare windshield to the event for the past three years and the team finds a guy to install it at 10pm at the track. The repairs are finished just before rollout to pit road for the start of the race and the car runs like a champ.

That folks, is organization, preparedness and great team work.

Thanks for all the fun times Miss Karen.
Mitchell

crash

12-14-2011, 03:21 PM

shlbygt-I found it ironic as I scrolled down reading your post which forum sponsor was being advertised at the bottom of the page. ;)

As I always say "Luck favors the prepared!"

vnmsss

12-22-2011, 01:39 AM

Santa Drives a Silver Fox Body..........

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Lots of great stories from this year's event...The team had been put to the test on Friday night, and all through the race, heroes were everywhere…....One of the best examples of the sheer will and endless determination that defined this team was found in the early hours of Sunday morning....

The Coupe was amazingly still turning competitive laps and holding its own within the group...With less than six hours to the finish however, the car had developed serious brake issues. The drivers had been pumping the pedal prior to every turn for hours, but they were now reporting the pedal was going all the way to the floor, and even after pumping the pedal well before each turn, the car was rapidly becoming undriveable. After already having bled through almost three quarts of fluid in hopes of bringing the brakes bask up to serviceability over the previous six hours, the team decided to bring the car in make some big changes to the brake system, including changing calipers, rotors, and installing fresh pads, in the hopes of giving it their best shot to make it to the finish.

The team brought the car to the cold pit, and in the analysis of the issue, it was discovered that the master cylinder was leaking beyond repair, and the team set about looking for a new one....Quite a task to accomplish at Thunderhill, at 4:30 in the morning!…..The crew set about changing the rotors, calipers and pads on hand, but we would need to locate a new master cylinder to complete the repairs. Team Manager Diane Anderson and Lead Fueler Molly McCarthy set out on a parts walk, heading down pit lane, asking any team and anyone they could find if they might have a Ford master cylinder in the parts bin….The two walked for a long time, up and down pit row, and when they we just about out of options and all looked for naught, they came upon a sign which was trimmed with Christmas lights and was accompanied by a lit up plastic Santa, who was looking up the hill toward the garages…The sign read, “25 Hours teams needing help… Garage 25 is open all night” Diane looked at Molly and said, “Santa will help us!”

The two ran up the hill, or should I say hiked as fast as they could, having been up for more than 20 hours, and having battled the aftermath of rolled racecars and just about every challenge a racer could face. As the two rounded the corner of the garages, Diane spotted someone working on their car in one of the other garages, and she asked the person if they might have a master cylinder….The car he was working on was not a match, but he pointed to a silver car sitting in the darkness across from the garage and asked them if the master cylinder on that car would work…..Diane and Molly went over and to their amazement, it was a Fox Body 5.0 Mustang….Not knowing for sure if it was a match, they took a quick photo on their phone, and off they ran back to pitstall #5 to see if luck was in their favor.

TC and the rest of the crew were working on the car when Diane ran up, panting and nearly out of breath from the long run in the cold night air…..”Will this work!!??” It took a quick second for TC and the team to confirm that the master cylinder was indeed a direct match to the one on the Coupe, and Diane was off again on the long run back to the garages…..The owner, a racer himself and truly kind person fired the car up, and the entire team was amazed to see a silver Fox body 5.0 arrive on scene with just the ticket to secure the Coupe’s ability to finish the race. Yes, Santa drives a silver Fox Body!

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rely

12-22-2011, 07:00 PM

That is one cool story. Nice to be able to believe in Santa still!

CheckerFFR

12-22-2011, 09:21 PM

My turn to weigh in on my experience at the 25. I'll try to keep it short and sweet. Let's set it up like a countdown. It'll be fun!

#8: Let's start with the wind. It was ridiculous! Everything that needed to be done and set up starting Thursday was put on hold until the winds died down so we might actually have awnings and tables left with stuff on them by the time the 25 started. The plus was NO RAIN though! The wind died down by Saturday morning and we were all very thankful.

#7: Team TVR had worked so hard with prep and while at the track to ensure the Coupe was ready for qualifying and for the race. The people and brain power that ran this operation was truly top notch!

#6: The heart-sinking moment that the #28 had not come in or been heard from after knowing that qualifying was black flagged and then red flagged due to a roll over was unreal. Then my worries turned into anger in the form a having a little bit of potty mouth while I watched the Coupe being towed in. It was truly a sad moment, but I never doubted our team and knew we would be back on the track to start the 25. I actually thought to myself, "Considering the car had the unpleasant experience of laying on it's roof, it really doesn't look THAT bad." I know Andy literally had a hand in taking great care that if there was no stopping the actual roll, he would do his best to have the car suffer as little damage possible. There really is no other explanation, especially considering most roll overs result in totaled cars and/or drivers being transported by ambulance or helicopter to the hospital, which had happened the previous day to the team from New Zealand.

#5: TC did a magnificent job of preparing the team before the car came in and was very nice about telling people if they didn't know what they were doing then stay out of the way. I loved how Tracie Card was right in the middle of all the action and when she wasn't handing over tools or running to find parts, she grabbed some cleaner and a rag and began giving the car a bath (btw: she stayed up the entire 25 hours and then some working logistics). The rest of us made sure there was hot food and delivered coffee to those working on the car. There was not one TVR team member that night sitting around doing nothing. As they say, "The show must go on," and we were working and planning everything as usual because the Coupe would be taking the green flag for the 25!

#4: I think I will skip the moment that the car was towed in and the driver that rolled the car was nowhere to be found. I will also skip the part that no explanation was given to our team about what had happened and why we would all be up past 1 a.m., 2 team members would have to make a 4 hour roundtrip to the bay area for parts to repair the damage done, and we would all have to wait to see if we would be enduring the entire 25 hours or what other resulting obstacles would come up. Personally, I don't know what's worse; having your bell rung by the roll over on course or having your bell rung by the words and questions coming out of the car owner's mouth after they have had to track you down after rolling their car? Having 30+ years of experience with the car owner, I choose not to be presented with those options. :) Aren't you glad I skipped this part???

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#3: Watching the other teams and hearing the applause as the #28 was pushed to our grid position, which was surprisingly not what I would consider near the back, was incredible. I expected to be pretty much the last car since we didn't get a qualifying lap in before the unexpected event. I did know we would be in front of the Stock Car though since an unpleasant parking violation was charged to their team and they were guaranteed a last place start. Anyway, I'm sure our fellow EO competitors had counted us out, but no no, they obviously don't know team TVR very well! Our entire team was out there to witness the car take it's starting position and there was not a frown to be found. The group picture was taken, along with many, many more photos. #28 did have some new bling to show off in the rear quarterpanel from the shiny rivets used to put her fiberglass back together, but she looked great and ready to unleash the beast.

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#2: I must share a small part of the conversation that was had in Ricky Bobby's trailer about who was going to drive the Coupe during the race. I loved it when mom (Karen) said, "I'm going to get in that car and drive and drive and drive until I just can't drive anymore. And then, I'm going to pit, get a drink, and drive and drive some more. I might just do the whole 25 myself. And if I get out (she points at Rick), you're getting in and you're going to drive until you can't drive anymore and then I'm getting back in and I'm going to drive until I can't drive anymore." Rick then zipped his jacket up over his head, stuck his thumb in his mouth, and curled up in the fetal position on the couch. Mom's sense of humor.....not intact..... it had been a long day! Any of you that were there to experience the initial thought that it was us rolled in a ditch, to the hours after the Coupe was towed in, will understand the adrenaline and hot blood flowing through the veins of the car owner could have really been enough for a person to realistically drive the whole 25. As the race began and our entire team stood in our pit box watching mom click off laps with no word of any further damage or concerns resulting from our experience the night before, we all began to breathe sighs of relief. We were now preparing for our first scheduled pit stop and focused on a penalty free race. Mom did end up handing her baby over to Rick after 3 hours and 44 minutes in the car. Way to go!

#1: You have all been reading about the rest of the race and I know the story hasn't concluded yet. I really am so fortunate to be a part of team TVR. The sheer determination and will team TVR has and the realistic thoughts that our car will start AND finish the 25 are incomparable to any other experience I have ever had. All of the positive energy and true teamwork that occurred during this weekend was truly magical. Being a part of the 25 is a once in a lifetime opportunity and TVR has run it 5 times. If you ever get the opportunity to join us, oh wait, this may have been our last 25........have no fear; I have heard this many times previous to this year, please come and experience this for yourselves. Having the internet, not too expensive; becoming a member of the forum to read about the Coupe at the 25, free; being a part of TVR overcome obstacles, win the 6 Hour, win a championship, and finish the 25 Hours of Thunderhill for the 5th year in a row, priceless!

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Keep checking in for the remaining chapters of the 2011 25 Hours of Thunderhill as told by VNMSSS and other members of team TVR.

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