[Lucky]

I'm dying for an update from Jason, Tony, Doug or any of the other Dorki's that made the trip to Rennsport. Wake up guys! Pull over at an Internet Cafe!! Post something.

For those like me that can't stand the wait or really wished they could have been there, Wayne has posted his RRII pics on Pelican. He took a couple of shots of Jason's tub, but no sign of Tony's 951.

[APKhaos]

Posted this on Rennlist last night:

Great race, impressive event, and an unbelievable turnout of prototype and stock-derived Porsche race cars.

The drivers meeting...8AM Friday: Brian Redman is running the meeting. Hurley Hayward is sitting right in front of me. Vic Elford, Jackie Icx, and more are in the paddock. What an experience!

The track was a real trip. The first few runs on the banking were exciting. Its VERY choppy - the car is jounced left and right non-stop. Just as you exit turn 4 off the high bank and head towards start/finish, at 160+, the 'tunnel jump' [the access tunnel runs under the track at this point] throws the car left - towards the wall. The track requires a major gut check of the highest order.

This was a 'lifetime' experience. More Porsche porn than I thought existed on the planet, legendary drivers, seeing [and hearing] the prototypes racing in anger, plus getting to race on the Daytona track. Better than I ever imagined it would be.

Great racing, even with 100+ in our group ranging from 3.8 RSRs and Cup cars to GT3S cars to normally aspirated 944s. Qualifying lap times ranged from a 2:08 to a 2:45!

Met up with a bunch of Rennlisters, although there were many more there than I was able to hook up with.

More later - after I recover from racing at 4:30, packing and leaving by 6:00, and an 800 mile tow home.

After a night's sleep, here are a few Dorki points:

The first of thousands of pics are posted all over the boards - rennlist has a stack of them.

My car went down and back on the 944Cup transporter, so I drove with Jason, which worked out well. We did great time by sharing the driving, even with an early mechanical failure that I 'll let Jason tell you about

Doug and Suzanne were amazing - Doug was at the track at 7AM every morning, and took hundreds of pics and lots of video. It was great to have Doug turn up at the grid, and to see him takign pics and video everywhere! Really looking forward to seeing them all.

The event was more than I ever imagined it would be. More Porsche porn that I thought existed on the planet. The legendary cars and the legendary drivers were everywhere. Add to that the opportunity to see and HEAR the prototypes running in anger - the cars are close to irreplaceable, but the drivers were pushing them hard! Add to that the fact that we were racing on the legendary Daytona track, and it all adds up to a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

[Parenn911]

The track was a real trip. The first few runs on the banking were exciting. Its VERY choppy - the car is jounced left and right non-stop. Just as you exit turn 4 off the high bank and head towards start/finish, at 160+, the 'tunnel jump' [the access tunnel runs under the track at this point] throws the car left - towards the wall.
This was a 'lifetime' experience. More Porsche porn than I thought existed on the planet, legendary drivers, seeing [and hearing] the prototypes racing in anger, plus getting to race on the Daytona track. Better than I ever imagined it would be.

Sure, rub it in why don't you!
Great write up Tony, makes me jealous just reading about it.
Looks like the Rennsport experience crushed Hershey hands down!

[Lawson]

Great weather and an unbelievable collection of cars and famous racers!

Probably never be another occasion when I can be on track with 60 other cup cars at one time. Quite a thrill.

I parked across from Tony and the other 944 guys and ran into Doug early one morning at the gas pumps with his camera in hand.

Lawson

[Jase007]

Well, where to begin...

MANY thanks to Doug and Suzanne (sp) for their great support throughout the event. I got smart and gave Doug a key to the trailer on Sat. morning b/c he was getting there before the rooster crowed

"trailer incident"

Tony and I head out about 1:30 Wednesday afternoon. Everything is going swimmingly in the middle lane about 65 mph as we are approaching Stafford exit on 95 south. I feel a lurch and check my mirrors and Holy S@#$!!! my right rear trailer wheel (double axle) is trying to pass on the inside lane WITHOUT A PASSING SIGNAL!

I pop the flashers on, see the wheel go left behind the trailer in a classic feint right take 'em on the high side. Good, I figure hit the brakes let the wheel hit the back of the trailer and stop ... good plan, poor execution ... wheel comes up on the left in a well excuted draft and pop-out for the pass maneuver.

1st lucky charm: cop was behind us and had his bubble lights going as all of this is playing out. (traffic slowed with him)

2nd lucky charm: wheel gently stops and leans up against the crash fence on the for left of 95 equal to where we stop on the right shoulder.

3rd lucky charm: cops gets wheel, puts on hood of cruiser and stops 95 south (three lanes!) to bring it to us.

Some gorilla in my trailer's previous life had overtorqued the lug nuts and the stress sheared ALL FIVE of the wheel studs. We get off the exit, find a service station of no help (wish I could remember the name). Disconnect the trailer, remove the hub, head to Potomac Creek RV couple miles down the road.

4th lucky charm:

UNBELIEVABLY, they have the exact studs for dexter axles / hubs which were ordered b/c the factory overtorqued several wheels on hubs that were delivered to them. Same problem I had except they R&R'd before losing their trailer wheels.

Get it fixed ($7 for parts and $20 by Mr. Kelly to the tech - beat me to it!) and we are reassembled and on the road south in a grand total of 95 minutes from the start of the incident. Engine drops, axle / hub repairs, we dorkis can get it done!

Daytona

Luckily, friends (Peter Calahan & Co. of Red Dog Racing) saved me a spot to pit:



right in the blue truck paddock next to TRG, ECurie racing, Auto Associates, Dawe Motorsports, and the fastest 356 to ever race (2:18.5 @ Daytona) Denehan Motorsports. Keith Denehan (an HSR friend) was invaluable with his information and guidance on how to get a 356 around Daytona.

Here is a pic of Peter's original SCCA B production Carerra / RSR that he raced and won with back in the '70s (now impeccably restored):



Yes, this is the same one in the recent article in Excellence.

Practice, qualifying and the race were all fantastic. You should have seen our faces (Tony and me) as we described "falling" into the banking to each other after our first session on Friday

I was in race group 1 with 550s, RSKs, Spyders, ALL early 911s under 2.5 liters (up to '73) and a ton of speedsters, convertable Ds, coupes and roadsters (Mr. Riley - you would have loved it!). My race was good but ... not great. I was limited by my revs on the banking (needed 205/60/15 versus the 195/60/15s I had and a 4F fourth gear, not the 4A or 4? I have). Still, I got up to 7,400 rpm and sat there dodging bullets coming up from behind.

The car ran great and my only minor mechanical issue was discovered just prior to the race. The rear axle seals (r and L) were starting to leak b/c of the high G side loads placed on them on the bank and transitions into / out of the infield. Brake cleaned them off, checked cotter pin in castelated nut (OK) and knew they'd be good for a 6-8 lap shootout. (they were).

early 2.0L spin

4th lap of my race ... right in the middle of dicing it up with a pack of the above mentioned cars ... the leaders come by on the high side of the bank. So ... I'm coming to the tri-oval point on the front straight max rpm, max speed and one of "those" leaders loses it and spins at 150+ ...? The dust / dirt cloud blows up and covers the track right as we approach our braking / turn-in point . Anybody here remember Days of Thunder when Cole Trickle has to drive through the smoke cloud?

The four in my pack move as one to the high side (least amount of dust-screen), try to slow down ... maybe, maybe not ... and get past the screen to see we are WAAAY late for the braking zone. Fortunately, we all gather it up and get our collective S#@T together without accordianing (sp) one another to make the turn 1, 1a complex to the infield. Probably one of the harriest moments on a track ever 4 me.

Phew!, more to come later when my mind stops repressing the "reach down and see if you still have 'em" moments of the weekend.

Cheers,

Jason (aka Jase)

[Trak Ratt]

I checked out the eye candy here & other sites & surprise surprise went right to the 356 section, then early 911, then... what ever. Was planning on going w/931, but that like a lot of life is a whole nother story.

Jase007, I still got the sticker PM me w/address.

[Lucky]

Jason, you're really good with words -- I was able to picture both of your pull-the-balls-back-up-inside-where-they-are-safe incidents (I95 & T1) perfectly.

Great stories, Jason & Tony!! Keep 'em (and the pics) coming!

[APKhaos]

When I saw that all five studs had sheared at the hub, it looked like a nightmare. We could have walked home, we had almost 800 miles to go, and we had a major problem.

Jason somewhat understated our sheer dumb luck.

First example: The wheel parted company with the trailer on a particularly nasty stretch of I95 near Stafford. Traffic was full tilt with 18 wheelers running 75MPH. We would have been waiting for hours to retrieve the wheel from the other side of the road........but there just happened to be a cop behind us to stop traffic AND deliver the wayward wheel!

Second example: The next exit just happened to be Stafford - home a fellow PCA instructor Gary Tardiff, and within two miles of Potomac Creek RV, who just happen to have the correct studs sitting on the bench! The tech and the staff there could not have been more helpful.

Just imagine if this had have happened at 11PM in the dark stretches of South Carolina! Dorkis are both lucky AND good.

[BW911]

Yeah, well, we had a good time at Hershey.

Just kidding. Absolutely awesome stories. Sounds like the Porsche trackhead's dream. Tony, if I'd been in that driver's meeting, I'd be tempted to humiliate myself by asking those guys to sign my helmet or something.

Jase, you and Tony must be livin' right. By all rights your weekend could have been done right there on 95.

-- Bill w.

[Parenn911]

Yeah, well, we had a good time at Hershey.