Triangle Chapter Report – November 2011

RALEIGH, NC (NCR-SCCA) – The Triangle Chapter met the first Wednesday of the month, November 2nd, and we had a really great time. Mark Senior brought his computer (complete with HDMI port) and treated us to excellent in-car video from the Goblins Go and the 24-hour Chump Car race he participated in.  What a hoot!

The business portion of the meeting took a back seat to all the racing updates people had to share since we’d had both the Goblins Go and the 13-hour Charge of the Headlight Brigade since our last meeting.  Mark Senior was applauded for finally winning the corner cook-off at the 13-hour and taking the trophy away from RE Rex Deffenbaugh.  Blair “Pepe” Stitt was one of the judges and said it was close but perhaps Mark’s presentation, including cloth napkins, helped.  Cloth napkins at the corner station!  Next thing you know they’ll expect us to wash our hands before we eat or even put down a flag between bites!

Our “celebrity” attendee, pro-driver and long-time member Tom Long was on hand to tell us that he had been present behind the scenes at the 13-hour, handling strategy and logistics for the Freedom Motorsports team.  It must have worked because they had 4 Miatas entered and one of them ended up first in class.  We kidded Tom about the fact that one of the cars lost a wheel on the pace lap and the field had to stay behind the pace car for an extra two laps while it got pulled in.  Tom smiled but told us that since they had prepped all fours cars the night before and left them out all night, lined up under a tarp, that it was just possible some other competitor had loosened those lug nuts on purpose while they slept.  Rumors of sabotage!  We were shocked!

Other results came flooding in as the meeting progressed.  Member-at-Large, Neal “Vern” Harrison, reported he had sown up first place in SEDIV in ITA for 2011 and started off 2012 points with a first place win at the Goblins Go.  Pepe recounted his exploits in the new IT-7R (“We’re Gonna Need Bigger Brakes”) at the Go.  The new car sported number 71 in honor of the late Bob Garmon (for whom the race was a memorial), and it finished reasonably well in both the SARRC and ECR, with no oil leaks (Yay!). I wonder who will build the next one to give Pepe some competition.

Chuck Hines reported that he had finished 3rd in ITS in the division for 2011, after an epic battle with first place winner Jeff Young in his TR8. They had another battle to start off 2012 at the Go.  Jeff was not present, so I couldn’t ask him about oil leaks in the Triumph (Grin).  Chuck may be hedging his 2012 bets because in the ECR of Saturday at the Go he raced a newly-prepared Mazda Miata in ITS.  I didn’t know you could make a Miata go fast enough to be in ITS!  Good luck, Chuck!

There were lots of other reports in addition to these detailed ones, so our bench racing lasted long after the food was gone.  But, we still have more to see.  On his way out, Tom Long presented the Chapter with a DVD of some in-car footage of him in the Freedom Motorsports Miata  #25 at Mid-Ohio, from the Grand-Am race there on September 25th.  We’ll save that for next time.  Why not come join us for the next meeting on Wednesday, December 7th.  At the very least, you can guffaw as I (or some other unsuspecting fool) gets railroaded into being Triangle Chapter Coordinator for 2012.

I’ll see you there … or at the races!

James Shanks
Triangle Chapter Coordinator

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