Archive 2009
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Guy Cosmo interview with Craig Stanton and Andy Lally
Guy Cosmo talked with Craig Stanton and Andy Lally about their recent adventure, The Big Bear 24 Hour Mountain Bike Race. The TRG drivers tell the similarities and differences of racing a 24 bike race vs. a 24 Hour sports car race.
Bridgeport Speedway New Jersey
Written by Bruce Stewart
At Bridgeport Speedway in South Jersey dirt racing is not only alive and well, it’s flat out exciting. The James Family are doing an excellent job with track management and promotion. The family do a great job in all aspects to make it a good show every time out. If you want to have a good time with the family, support your local short tracks.
Here are the standings as of now:
Modifieds : 27 car of Chad James is only 6, yes 6 pts. Over the fourth place car.
358 Sportsman Series finds the 99H driven by Jesse Hill in front.
The GM Sportsman has the 0 car of Neal Williams showing the way.
The “Chicks Rule” 77 car driven by Brittany Whitesall has stretched her lead in the GM Rookie class over the 8 driven by Billy Martino by 10 pts. I’m sure Billy wants to change that one.
So come on out have a blast with the entire family and cheer on your favorite, eat a few “Dogs” or burgers, get some clay in your beer, THAT’S RACIN’ folks!
Historic Racing at The Glen
Written by Brett Barnes
The hills above Watkins Glen, NY roared with the sounds of horsepower this last weekend once again. The famed road course played host to the HSR Watkins Glen Historic Races. HSR runs cars from 9 classes and numerous categories at each event. The classic machines range from thirties vintage roadsters to newly retired unlimited sports-cars.
Actually if you have a race car, and can't find a place to run it, HSR will probably find a class for you. George Robinson purchased a new Judd powered Riley & Scott prototype in 2001 to race in the Grand-Am Rolex Series. Shortly thereafter Grand-Am dropped the category, leaving Robinson a fresh and fast race car with no place to run it. Now the 74 Robinson Ranch Riley & Scott Judd is a staple on the HSR tour in the World Sports Car category.
A trip through the pits will convey that this is an amateur event. Absent are the rows of million dollar transporters found at pro racing events. Of course you will see a couple of those big rigs here but most of the teams bring their cars on site in single car or open race trailers. There is no need for backup cars when you may be driving a one of a kind car. Victory lane speeches often include lines like "I could have gone faster if I had newer tires" or "thanks to my fellow drivers for loaning me the parts I needed to run today". Drivers often bring their families and friends with them as pit crews and fans will even notice the occasional tent setup next to a car trailer. This weekend there was a car that needed extensive repairs after a racing incident crippled the machine. The driver's main competitor and crew worked on the car with him until 9 PM to make sure he could run the next morning.
If you love sports-cars you owe it to yourself to get to an HSR event. The crowds aren't as big as the large vintage festivals like the Monterey or Watkins Glen fall events, but this can be an advantage to the fans. Smaller crowds make it easier to get close to the cars, or find a great camping spot. Hey you may get the bug and start looking for a historic car to race. But remember to keep it a secret, because when the word gets out what great fun these HSR events are, it won't stay that way long.
HSR
Historic Sports-Car Racing
New TRG Speed World Challenge Car
Here is a sneak peak at the new TRG Mercedes SLR World Challenge GT car.
Photo courtesy VIR
Photo courtesy VIR
Photo Rob Montgomery
Photo Rob Montgomery
Family Racing Alive and Well
Written by Brett Barnes
Racing World Magazine visits the Mid-State Microd Club in Groton, NY.
In the Northeast there is more to small form factor racing than just the standard Sprint Karts. In Upstate New York survives an older version of the Kart racing world. These machines are a little old fashioned and have a full roll cage, use a 5 horsepower Briggs motor and are called a Microd. Microds look like a small car instead of a Sprint Kart. There is also an open wheel class similar to a Kart, but with more protection for the driver.
Drivers start as young as five years old and can continue into high school. As the drivers get older and more experienced they set up their machines to go faster and faster. Like any other form of racing, a combination of speed, perseverance, and control are necessary at all levels to be competitive.
It is a family atmosphere at the race track as the the pit crews are usually parents and siblings of the driver. One of which is required to be the "handler" during all track runs and stands in the infield to assist the driver in the event of equipment failure or the occasional spin. "I don't have any children or grandchildren in the program anymore" noted Club President Dave Dann as he prepared to MC the evening's events. "I am here because I really like to help the kids and families succeed and would much rather see them here then out on the streets getting in trouble."
The youth drivers not only learn how to drive the cars, but also learn to build and maintain their machines. The club prides itself in building not only future race car drivers, but well rounded family oriented individuals with a high level of sportsmanship.
The New York State Microd Association has four clubs. Clubs are based in Syracuse, Sodus, Southern Tier, and Mid-State. You can find out more about the NYSMA at http://www.nysma.org
Low Budget Racing High Excitement
Written by Brett K. Barnes
I am a road racing fan. Most people that know me would call me an addict. I find any way I can to get to any track within reasonable driving distance with my camper in tow. I usually drag my father along with me as my sidekick. After all he's the reason that I'm addicted to cars and motor sports to begin with. I grew up and currently live in Cortland, New York a quaint little city of under 20,000 people in Upstate New York. We travel to Mosport, Watkins Glen, Lime Rock, and this year VIR, and New Jersey Motorsports Park. You know, the big boys of road racing in the Northeast? My love of road racing and hauling the camper to get there is without question.
This week I did something radically different. I didn't hook up the camper, I didn't even put gas in the car. I loaded my gear in the van and drove about 5 miles from home to a track I hadn't been to since I was a child. I'm going to Skyline Raceway, the local dirt track.
I grew up hearing stories of my father and his friends splitting all their money for gas and dividing that between the tow car and the race car. Second hand images of the hard fighting and fast times at the local race tracks long before I was born. I just have to check this out for myself to see what all the hype is about.
"What am I doing?" I thought to myself on the way there. I've never really gotten into the racing and somehow as a young man looked down on it. Will I enjoy myself, or am I going just to write a story about it?
I arrived at Skyline Raceway not sure if they were going to be racing because of the weather. The sky was very gloomy, the winds were hideous, and there was a severe thunderstorm watch. To my surprise, there was a sea of cars in the paddock when I arrived. I grabbed my pass and walked into the pits cameras and notepad in hand. There had to be over 50 teams there, all busy getting their cars ready to run their qualifying heats. Machines of all colors and shapes lie before my eyes. This was not what I expected to see.
At Skyline a regular Saturday night consists of 6 classes of racing. The first cars that really catch your eye when you enter the paddock area are the IMCA Modifieds. These cars are a sight to see with their bright paint schemes and race car stance. They are unlimited displacement dirt racing monsters. Purpose built race cars with aggressive body work on a custom built chassis. These cars are the top tier of the show here.
Once you get past the bright paint jobs, and chrome of the IMCA Mods you see the other classes that run. The Sportsman, Pure Stock, 4 Cylinder Super Stocks, and the Junkyard pups and dogs. These classes range from pure race cars to old junkers converted into a dirt racing machines. They have something for just about every racing budget here. I had my look around the pit area, now it was time to find a place to watch them run.
To my amazement watching these cars run around this little oval dirt track gave me the chills. The power and control of the drivers was amazing. Even the little Junkyard pups put on a first class show of hard driving. Watching the front wheel drive 4 bangers navigate the track was not what I expected to see but in their own way very satisfying.
I watched all the different classes run their qualifying heats. Pups, Dogs, Pure Stocks, then came the Sportsman. Wait a minute, these guys are amazing. Horsepower to spare, wheel to wheel fighting, and dirt flying everywhere. The Sportsman cars put a smile on my face that is reserved for the Historics at The Glen. This is real racing. Dig deep inside, grab all you can, and go for it racing.
As a spectator you feel like you are part of the action here. The sights, the sounds, the smell, and even a little bit of the track in your face for good measure. I can see the addictive quality to this, and now understand the smile on my father's face whenever he talks about those days racing the dirt tracks.
The Saturday night show, as it's called around here, is every bit as entertaining and exciting as many of the it's big brothers in Motor Sport. Drivers and cars from all backgrounds and budgets. From cars that you wouldn't be caught dead in on the road to specialized high tech dirt machines that would be the envy of any motor head if they took the time to look. Little did I know what I was going to experience just minutes from home. Tonight was my initiation into the world of grass roots dirt racing, and yes I will be back for more.
