Buttonwillow May 30th & 31st

[bolus]

haha cool story.  We should have him and Jay race.  Did you invite him to atomfest?

[dp35]

That's an awesome story Pete!  Now I'm even MORE jealous that I wasn't there.  Celebrities two years in a row at BW, only this time in an Atom. 

How was his driving?

[CalScot]

[quote="dp35"]
That's an awesome story Pete!  Now I'm even MORE jealous that I wasn't there.  Celebrities two years in a row at BW, only this time in an Atom. 

How was his driving?
[/quote]
He was no slouch. I saw him about half way round the other side of the track. Took me about 8 laps to catch him but the session ended just before I could overtake him. His rear tires were completely bald at that point. He was squirming all over the place but never lost it and kept really good pace on corners despite the bald tires. That new 300 is really fast. On the straights it was very impressive. Considering he just took delivery last week and it was his first weekend on bald tires in a new car, I would say he's a damn good driver. They never had it set up right for BW. Talking with the crew, they were experimenting with all sorts of stuff. http://www.r3motorsport.com/index.html They were a really nice bunch and came across as knowing what they were doing as far as setting up cars. They admitted they had just got the Atom and were just trying to figure out what works for it. They had no spare tires for it. The rear bearings were already weeping grease on it, as were the fronts. They were beating it as hard as they could. They poured over my Atom's mods and watched me on track. They had already figured out it was going to get Dunlop Radical slicks or Hoosier A6's. They were thinking of heavier spring rates, lowering the ride height with custom uprights and getting the brakes improved.

It will be interesting to see what a dedicated guy with unlimited funds and a whole team for support comes up with for tracking an Atom.

[positron]

Had a good couple of laps toward the end of the session before Peter caught up with us. Hope to cross again someday.. braving the heat was worth it..

The last session the three of us got about a lap all together and I saw the pro photographer shooting, need to find his site and see if we made it.

*cough* somehow the vid of Peter passing me in the straight didn't come out...

My vid here

[Caroline]

It was a fun weekend for sure! Much more fun to have a crew to party with after the days activities. I had trouble prising Athomatics out of my car, I think he would have slept in it if I'd let him!  Alex VH seemed a wee bit jealous of my car, I think he just transferred his option specs straight from Brammo and didn't really update them so his was a bit weirdly optioned. I'm sure he will be fixing that!

My atom did great, happy to have popped it's cherry on the track  It capable of way more than I can do at the moment but you have to start somewhere. I was relieved to get it back safe and sound, despite the best efforts of the Fast and the Furious contingent.

[dp35]

AG - I assume you drove your car down from SF?  How was that?

[Caroline]

[quote="dp35"]
AG - I assume you drove your car down from SF?  How was that?
[/quote]

Tiring! I was totally knackered by the time I'd first been baked alive in the oven of I-5 then frozen to death in the Bay Area fog!

I'll get used to it, it's a totally bourgeois problem! 

[DarthChicken]

You get used to driving it on the road.. after a while, you start saying things like "only 8 hour drive?  Oh well hell, I'll go!"

[dp35]

[quote="DarthChicken"]
You get used to driving it on the road.. after a while, you start saying things like "only 8 hour drive?  Oh well hell, I'll go!"[/quote]

So you're coming to Thunderhill then?  Sweet! 

[Caroline]

It's tempting but I have 100 other things going on that weekend already!

I'm just starting my track adventures and I'm really looking for a good track school that offers some decent tuition.  I wasn't all that impressed with the level of instruction at BW this weekend, I felt they just threw a lot of the beginners out there to have at it and there were a few too many damaged cars and a bit too much over testosteroned idiotic behaviour.

Maybe I'm just overly sensitive because my car is so new and I don't want some spotty yoof taking me out!

[DarthChicken]

[quote="dp35"]
[quote="DarthChicken"]
You get used to driving it on the road.. after a while, you start saying things like "only 8 hour drive?  Oh well hell, I'll go!"[/quote]

So you're coming to Thunderhill then?  Sweet! 
[/quote]

I haven't cleared it with the wife (and won't even ask until after the baby is born), and I'll have to see how finances are.  Also the fact that I have NO vacation time avaialbe for this must be taken into consideration.  Just means I leave work at 3pm, get to BW at 11pm, track on Saturday, and drive home Sunday.  Which weekend is this anyway?

[silver]

[quote="DarthChicken"]
[quote="dp35"]
[quote="DarthChicken"]
You get used to driving it on the road.. after a while, you start saying things like "only 8 hour drive?  Oh well hell, I'll go!"[/quote]

So you're coming to Thunderhill then?  Sweet! 
[/quote]

I haven't cleared it with the wife (and won't even ask until after the baby is born), and I'll have to see how finances are.  Also the fact that I have NO vacation time avaialbe for this must be taken into consideration.  Just means I leave work at 3pm, get to BW at 11pm, track on Saturday, and drive home Sunday.  Which weekend is this anyway?
[/quote]

umm it says may 30th and 31st in the title.........Pm'd you something.

[DarthChicken]

No, the August date he's aiming to get all of us together on.  I know they just had a track day.