April 2014

Kicking off 2014 with the annual

Fort Wayne SCCA Solo Driving School at IPFW!

And Event #1 April 26th and 27th

YOU CAN COMPETE IN YOUR CAR!

Spring is here, and racing season has begun. On April 6th, about 20 of our fellow racers meet at Hoosier Performance Engineering for the annual Barney the bus clean up day.

Barney emptied/ unloaded, check.

Generator fixed, check.

Battery issues addressed, check.

Bareny swept out, check.

Registration files sorted and ready to go, check.

Computer registration program installed and ready to go, check.

Loaner Helmets inspected, check.

Coolers cleaned, check.

Bins reorganized, check.

Cones were sorted, some were retired to Staging area and a few were too far gone (R.I.P). Check

Barney reloaded and organized, check.

Special thanks to everyone that came and helped, it made the job easier, “Many hands make for light work”.

Ready for an Awesome 2014 Season, check.

THE 2014 CLEAN UP

Submitted by: Rhonda Fehring/Hoosier Performance Engineering

2013 Solo Champions

B Stock: Mark Searles

2nd: Meritt Webb

C Stock: Jeff Dobbins

D Stock: Jason Hackbush

F Stock: Bradford Green

2nd: Anthony Angelozzi

3rd: Joel Fehring

B Street Prepared: Eric Daniels

Road Tire FWD: Matt Osborn

2nd: Chris Krumnow

Street Mod Street Tire: Austin Hanks

2nd: John Fehring

3rd: Christopher Smith

4th: Mark McKinnon

5th: Michael Kramer

6th: James Fehring

Street Mod Street Tire Ladies: Rhonda Fehring

2nd: Rachael Fehring

Street Touring Sports: Hunter Searles

Street Touring Xtreme: Corey Henkle

2nd: John Yoder

3rd: Ryan Procise

4th: Ivan R. Almodovar

5th: James Bishop

2014 Fort Wayne SCCA Year End Banquet Awards

Pro Class: Allan Scott

2nd: Bart Monnin

3rd: Steve Meritz

4th: Scott Lewis

5th: Tyler Pedersen

6th: Jensen Peppler

7th: Brian Britten

8th: Melissa Britten

National Solo Driver of the Year: Allan Scott

Reg. Lady Solo Driver of the Year: Rhonda Fehring

Reg. Male Solo Driver of the Year: Bart Mannin

Solo Rookie of the Year: Matt Osborn

Solo Cup: John and Rhonda Fehring

Road Racing Awards

National Driver of the Year: Tom Lamb

Regional Driver of the Year: Steve Kammeyer

Special Awards

Competition Chairman's Award: Marilyn Russell

Jack McBride Sportsmanship Award: Chris Krumnow

James F. Lang Memorial Trophy: Scott Lewis

Jim Chausse Memorial Award: Retired

Back in November 2009, I attended the new car show in Orlando. They had the Corvette Concept car on display. I took one look at it and said, “If they build that, I will buy it!” Obviously, that was not going to happen. So, back to the real world and the thought of owning another Corvette quickly faded.

However, in 2013 there was a lot of chatter about the new C7 Corvette and a lot of sketches and camouflaged pictures that looked interesting, but nothing that really pulled my chain. In January of 2013, I discovered that they were going to unveil the 2014 Stingray at the Detroit Auto Show and it would be live streamed, so I stayed up and watched the roll-out. Wow! It was, in deed, a stunning new design and with all of the features cited, I just knew I had to have it. It was a more moderate styling version of the Concept car I had seen in 2009, but it was close enough to cause me to put rational thoughts aside and let emotion take over!

I went down to the local Chevrolet dealership the next morning to see if they would be selling them at MSRP or would they be tacking on a huge “market adjustment” to it. They said they would sell at MSRP, so I told the salesman that I would go home and talk to Jeanette before committing to buying one. He gave me the “OK, this guy will not be back” look and I raced home to discuss the matter with Jeanette.Jeanette was not too excited about this idea. I suggested that since she was on a waiting list for a liver and kidney, it would seem reasonable that I could also be on a waiting list for a Corvette and we would both have something to look forward to!

I even suggested that after she got her new parts and recovered, we could take a Route 66 trip in our new Corvette! She was not completely convinced that any of this made sense, but indicated that she would not divorce me if I went forward with my plan!

I hurried down to the Chevy dealership to place my order! When the salesman saw me come in, it was apparent he had not expected to see me back. I gave him my deposit and he informed me that I was number 3 on the waiting list.

Member Submission Chuck Sample“My Stingray Buying Experience” - Part 1

I began searching the web for all kinds of information regarding the new Stingray. One of the best sources seemed to be the Corvette forum. This is where I learned that only a select group of dealers would even be given the opportunity to sell the new C7 over the initial 6-9 months of production. The dealers that would get them would have to have sold a minimum of 4 Corvettes in 2012 and have to commit to send at least one mechanic and salesman to the Spring Mountain Training center for training.

If they were a low volume dealer, the number of cars they would get would be small……maybe only one! Since this dealer was relatively small, I went back and asked them how many Corvettes they sold per year and they said “around 20”. This worried me as they might not even get enough Corvettes to get to my number 3 spot in line! I then started checking out the very large Corvette dealers like Kerbeck, Criswell, etc. They all indicated they would get hundreds in their initial allotment, so I considered placing a deposit with one of those dealers just to be sure I got one.

I went back to the local dealer and he assured me that he would get enough Corvettes. He said they had guaranteed him at least 8 coupes and 4 convertibles. He also indicated that one of the guys ahead of me wanted the Competition seats which were not going to be available initially, so he moved me up to number 2!

Now, came the long wait! We did not know how much the Corvette would cost……just the assurance that Chevrolet had said “if you could afford the C6, you could afford the C7”! No idea what the options would be……..is this insane or what?

This was a daily search on the web to see if any new information was available. Then in late February, I learned that Chevrolet would have a new Stingray at the Amelia Island Concours de Elegance just north of Jacksonville, FL in early March. They were also displaying the original Stingray racecar and having a Seminar about the history of the Stingray with Peter Brock and Ed Welburn, VP of Global Design for GM.

I signed up for the seminar and got to attend an overflow crowd in the huge ballroom where they unveiled a new 2014 Z51 Stingray. It was descended upon by hundreds of people making it very difficult to take in its beauty. However, they indicated it would be on display the next day on the golf course.

I got up at the crack of dawn and started scoping out the golf course fairway where it was scheduled to be on display. Around 8 AM, I saw them setting up some barricades and shortly the Cyber grey Stingray appeared and with only 5or 6 other anxious souls, we were able to get a good look at this wonderful machine! There was no doubt that the purchase of this vehicle had been validated!

To be continued next month....

Fort Wayne Region will put on a TireRack Street Survival on Sunday, September 14.

I will need workers of every sort for that day. Cone shaggers, Instructors, and Students. If you have kids or grand kids who will be driving this summer, enroll them in the school. $75.00 for a day of practice that might someday save their life.

If you want to instruct but don’t know how, I will teach you and you will love it.

Call me for details, 260 357 4105 or e mail at lwdent@wildblue.net.

Larry Dent

Find more information about the Street Survival program, go to: http://streetsurvival.org/

I first went to road racing drivers school around 1968 so I could road race in the area tracks. I joined Indy SCCA at that time just to go to the required school and join their large road racing group. My then brother in law was considering going in my sister’s Triumph Spitfire and talked me into going with him. I installed a roll bar in my Paxton supercharged, Corvair powered Avenger GT 40 replica, acquired all of the safety gear and signed up---he never showed. The school at IRPwas mostly about safety; as it should have been. For instance “ avoid head on accidents; event if you have to turn the car over!”. Instructors taught us racing lines, and passing techniques. One instructor reminded us that not every one is adaptable to the speed and G forces involved and to just quietly step aside if this is the case; several people did step out during the weekend. I practiced without the supercharger hooked up and put the belt back on for the 5 lap graduation race. The instructors were pleased with my improvement and I passed. At the next school at Mid Ohio, I had morphed the Avenger into a Chaparall 2 clone with a mid engine V8. I fried the clutch and had to go to another school at Nelson Ledges. My friend Lee Miller loaned me his newly built Formula Vee for the school. The Vee had development problems and I to start last in the race. I learned how to draft (of necessity in a spec car race) in that race and finished 8th of 28. Thanks Lee! Later I won 4 regional races against former CAN/AM cars in the ASR Avenger and sold the car. From then until 1979, I raced, first unsuccessfully, then successfully in my Yenko Stinger Corvair. For a going full circle effect I taught a road racing driver’s school in 1979. Two interesting events come to mind. First was a somewhat experienced MGB Driver who wanted to complete his licensing in one school. I asked the chief steward if that was possible and he said “OK is he wins the five lap race at the end”. The MGB driver asked “how is that possible”; and I suggested that he pass the fast Corvettes at the end of the back straight, inside, and under very heavy braking. “They won’t bother you after that—they ARE first time students!” It worked. The other was a lady who was a student in her boyfriend’s Race Prepared Opel GT. She was way too cautious and slow and the chief steward tells me she will fail of she doesn’t turn at least one under 2:00 lap. At lunch time I took her as a passenger in my ’66 street Corvair convertible. Using up all of the track and a lot of the grass, I got under 2:00. Now, she was astounded and ready and finally did turn ONE under 2:00 lap in her next session. Since it was recession time and no racing budget, I decided to take autocrossing more seriously in my Corvairs. I entered the Mckamey Solo Driving school and as expected got beat several times at first by instructors in my own car until the end when I was finally getting smarter. The course was in 5 timed sections and I was faster in each section but not overall, until I learned the Multiple National Champion, Jim McKamey “look ahead” rule and used each section as a set up for the next. That school later became the Evolution School. In that time period, I was at an CSCC Columbus region event where a school was scheduled, but the instructor didn’t show up. I had my McKamey notes and helped teach a school for the first time. With help from several members, I held a class in an outdoors schoolroom. We had 3 timed sections; pin turns, gates, and slaloms, with instructors and then “ride alongs”. I remember that at one of the later classes, that I looked up to see Regional Champions taking notes---scary! At some later time, this was taken over by capable local members. I also helped at Indy region autocross schools.

Member Submission Warren LeVeque“School Daze”

I always wanted to be a teacher. When I was in Engineering College at GMI, I discovered that teachers would make a lot less than I , so I forgot about it for a while. If you want to Road Race, you must go to school for your own protection and education. If you autocross you should go to school if you want to shortcut your self education of going faster; besides the people who are teaching you are the drivers who are already faster than you.

The next school that I helped in was at Fort Wayne Division. Marlene Obenhour, the “School Marm”, rented a large building with room for at least three class sessions at the same time. Marlene was a wonderful organizer, but left the teaching to others. Some one taught a beginners class about what to do the first time out. I taught an intermediate class beginning with; “Those who can’t---Teach!”, then concentrated on cornering techniques, basic car set up, and McKamey principles. I also emphasized redrawing the course with only the main pylons, and not getting distracted in the course walk by being behind attractive women. There was a high tech class about suspension design, which I sat in on and helped with occasionally. In the ride along school part, I was explaining to a Corvette driver about slowing if necessary in one section for set up for a faster section , He won’t believe it and refused to try such a silly idea. I then challenged him by stating I will beat you in my street Corvair and tell you work buddies about it if you don’t try. He couldn’t bear to be beaten by Corvair, gave it a try and it worked. At another school I took a lady Porsche driver for a fast, sliding, ride in my CSP Fiero. Afterward, she quit saying “ if that’s what it takes, I quit” and she did. At a Corvair convention autocross, I was instructing during a walk along telling them that the only slow run is the walk along. During the first three runs go too fast every where and make all of the mistakes, then back off 5% on the last run and make it neat and clean. I call this the Multi Champ Steve Tamandli “unofficial” rule because he used it to freak out his competitors by making really fast DNF runs until the last one. Of course I ruined the first three runs , not necessarily on purpose, so the pressure was on to not back off any, but I did and won overall---whew!!! Around 2001 when I turned 60( seems young now), I was invited to co-drive in an endurance race at Blackhawk Farms. I had to take a written test with no preparation, drive with an instructor in my car, and then do well in the licensing race. I was the last one to get an instructor; they drew straws to see who had to ride in the old car with the old guy. Of course I heard about it and reacted accordingly. He was going to tap on the dash when it was time to brake—he about beat the dash to death. My adrenaline, and my anger allowed me to win the test race, passing Corvettes. Sometimes I get to take my own advice! I’ve entered some Vintage races in the 2009 to 2012 era by talking personally to the chief steward about my racing and teaching experience to get a license renewal; it works sometimes. I take part as a guest in most current, less formal schools---you’re never too old to learn!

P.S. I got to give my 5 Grandkids, five years of Piano lessons---I’m counting that as teaching. Still in a Daze, Warren

Meadowdale was a beautiful course in its day. It was several miles long, had a very long straight with a downhill right hand turn at the end. From there it wound around a small valley with left and right hand curves until you came back to the “MONZA” wall. This was a parabolic wall that was so steep at the top that if you had to stop on the course for some reason high up on the wall, your car would actually slide down the wall to the less steep part. Saw that happen once when I raced the Elite there in 1965 when a car caught fire on the pace lap. Several cars just slid down the wall when the pace car stopped. But I digress.

The wall was rough and finally was dozed down and a short course was created, mainly because the track owner did not have enough money to maintain and repair the course properly.

So it was about 1968 or so that I went up to Meadowdale to Chief Steward a Regional Race being put on by Fort Wayne Region. Things went exceptionally well on Saturday. Sunday dawned bright and sunny and another great day of racing got under way. Lunch was dandy and a light breeze kept everyone pretty cool, but you still needed to drink a lot of water.

So it was that I had to make a trip to the porta pottie on top of the hill overlooking the start/finish line. Foster Sturdavant was my assistant and working his first race as an operating steward. When I headed up the hill I admonished Foster to take over and ‘don’t screw things up”, said with a smile.

Just as I came out the door I noticed a giant bulldozer coming toward the guardrail. Somehow I know in an instant what was about to happen, and it did. The driver drove over the chain link fence like a matchstick, preceded over the steel guardrail without so much as a bump or bounce, drove out onto the track in the middle of the G Production race. He stopped in the middle of the track, Sprites and Spitfires ducking under the blade and continuing to race. Never let it be said that a production driver is NOT brave.

The dozer was on track just before start/finish so the red flag was only seen AFTER passing the blade. Finally we got the race stopped, but the problem was still there. It seems our dozer operator had not been paid for some weeks, and after a good load of liquid courage, decided to come out to the track and take back his asphalt. He was high up on this monster machine and would not come down. He had planned to lower the blade and drive down the track but luckily changed his mind.

We finally got him down and hauled off to jail (I stayed over Monday to press charges), but now we had to find someone that could run that thing and get it off the track and not do any more damage than what had been done by the steel tracks on this huge dozer.

We finally got the dozer back in its rightful place and were able to get the days racing done, but it’s a weekend I will never forget. I always read my supp’s for any race I am going to work to make sure there is NO “bulldozer” class.

From the Dumpster, I’m Larry Dent

Dumpster Diving with Larry Dent

Saw a map recently of the old Meadowdale track close to Chicago and it brought memories of one of the more frightening things that has happened to me in my years of Stewarding. It involved the Fort Wayne Region, but was so long ago that many of our younger members have likely never heard the story.

MORE PHOTOS!MORE PHOTOS!