Pocono Double National Aug.15-17

[hi7276]

Good weather all weekend.
Friday Qualify:
John Heinricy 1.44.702
James Brewer 1.45.585 (new Chevy 302 from Kahn Racing Engines)
Jerry Post 1.45.712
Michael Lavigne 1.46.969 (retired with engine problem)
Jeff Werth 1.47.885
Kelly Lubash 1.47.917
John Kohler 1.48.028 (only Mustang after Lavigne retired)
Evan Kesselman 1.48.641 (converted T2 Firebird)
Matt Naegle 1.52.729 (brake problems)

Saturday race: Heinricy led first (4) laps, Post caught Heinricy in the chicane and made the pass on lap 5. Post had the edge in the high bank with the Trapani suspension, Heinricy would close in the infield. Nose to tail for the last 11 laps, with Post the winner over Heinricy, James Brewer took 3rd.

Sunday Qualify:
Post 1.43.910
Heinricy 1.44.444
James Brewer 1.45.585 (from Friday qualifier)
Jeff Werth 1.45.839
Kelly Lubash 1.46.693
Evan Kesselman 1.47.238
Joh Kohler 1.48.028
Matt Naegle 1.49.300

Sunday race:

Post led all 16 laps in a hotly contested nose to tail race with Heinricy. A lot of attrition in the field with Evan Kesselman surviving for 3rd.

[wre46]

Beautiful weather to learn the track. We used the Saturday race to test the car and got into a spirited battle with Evan Kesselman. Our team spent the better part of Saturday afternoon /night changing the entire suspension due to lessons learned during Race 1. Sunday 8am second qualifying went well. I gridded behind 16 GT-1, 2, 3 and 3 AS cars . We all took to a green flag course and I decided to drive to the front while everyone was warming and scuffing tires. This gave me a nice clean track and 3 good laps to prove our new setup was 2 seconds a lap faster then Saturdays (1.47.885 to a 1.45.839) Still learning the track, I decided I’d save the tires for the race. The race start was wonderful as I went from 4th to 1st by the first turn with Jerry passing me into turn 2 with John Heinircy all over my rear bumper. I was really surprised how close and cleanly he raced me and was impressed on his skills driving in the infield. He quickly passed me and I re-passed by drafting in the banking. This went on for 3 laps and while trying to stick a fender under Jerry in Devils Elbow, the car shut off and slowly drifted off the track. Luckily, John missed the back of the car and hounded Jerry for the rest of the race. John was lightening fast on the infield and Jerry was a rocketship on the banking. It was discouraging to brake and not be involved in the battle, but was fun to watch. Our failure…..a $17 shorted Master Kill switch. I would have loved to be the meat in that Gen 4 sandwich!

[PbFoot]

Was Jerry Post using a 305 or 350 ci engine?

ohhh good question...

[wre46]

Originally Posted by PbFoot

Was Jerry Post using a 305 or 350 ci engine?

We need to ask him. I had a 305 and could stay with him.

Originally Posted by wre46

We need to ask him. I had a 305 and could stay with him.

He has a 305. He was leaving Heinricy for dead in the straightaway, and then John would catch him in the infield.

Good racing with you Jeff. However, I had a couple of runs on you on day one coming out of the chicane and could not close you at all in the straightaway with my FI 350 CI.
I have run Pocono many times and am pretty fast there. I had new Hoosier A's, weight (mucho!) put in the best places possible, wide track, every suspension upgrade there is, 4 piston brakes, cat delete, custom shocks, ride height lowered, and much much more and could not hang with anyone who had a decent motor and even so so tires.

Bottom line is this weight is a death sentence and there is no way to overcome it. This was the only track where I stood any chance at all of finishing well and I could barely eek out a decent T2 time.

My god if Lubash had anything even close to a decent tire on I never would have gotten around him either.

This car needs a 200 pound weight loss. Period.

I am not coming to the runoffs, I'm afraid the fuel cell issue has effectively killed that trip for me. I just can't afford the development costs and now this fuel cell.

Well the car is good for one thing, I could most likely punt just about anything on the track........

[jimwheeler]

You don't have to have a fuel cell at the runoffs. You can run with the T2 tank

Originally Posted by EvanK

This was the only track where I stood any chance at all .....

I would surmise that this track would be the worst for you, actually, with no start and stop and such a long pull that is HP not torque dependent. Running the long course?

Kyle

With the two tight left handers and one tight right hander in the infield, you would think that I would have an advantage with the supposed monster torque. Not so at this weight. Then I thought - maybe it's the weight not allowing me to get on the power right away, but alas, coming out of the chicane in 2nd gear, and then 3rd, and then 4th, and then having to go to 5th - cuz I have to....
We figured the car would do well from the bus stop on, but I was on Jeff Werth's butt up to the shift to 3rd. And then he ever so slowly walked on me.
Yes Kyle, this is the bottom of third gear we are talkin about in an LS-1 here which has prob picked up a few horsies from having no cats and I still could not close him.

Historically, The times at this course are always close. It's just not that difficult - except on your tranny. It's always been a horsepower course and I assumed that everyones reason for stacking so much weight on our car is due to the fear of the LS-1's power capabilities. Well this would have been the track to prove or disprove that. No one at the race can say that I was not on the throttle full blast and Jeff will tell you as we were banging fenders in the infield that I gave it my all. I never had anything less than a hoosier A on it's 2nd cyle either!

I have Dave Shotz on another forum telling me that I will never beat his times in his T2 car at any track regardless of what we do to the suspension as long as we are 3680. And he's right!!!!!
I am also hearing that my efforts are being discounted by AC members as I'm the only one out there and basically a nobody. Running 2nd,4th, 5th in T1 fields of 12-15 hardly makes me a nobody. And that if I stick a pro in the car, they will say he is sandbagging if he does not go fast. Granted this stuff is all rumour, but I have yet to hear any support from anyone but Wheeler on this.

Some of you guys are making more power than I am and you are doing it at 400 lbs less than I am. That's a fact.
I'm not asking for 400 lbs, but give me something.

I have bought a trailer this year, a truck, an 18k T2 racecar and then spent 15k developing it and now I'm gonna have to spend another 3k for a fuel cell which we don't need. And you want me to come to the runoffs and spend 8k there so everyone can see how slow the car is???

I have not formally asked for a single thing yet, but I am getting nervous as I have been racing the car since January and have raced in two divisions finishing 8 races and I have to start thinking about next year as January will come quick and I can't keep up the funding in this extended season.
Right now, I have no interest in running HPT, but I might be willing to come for the GM test days. That way some AC guys can see or even drive the car if necessary.

And if anyone has any questions about the level of the build please feel free to contact me offline.

Originally Posted by KW78

I would surmise that this track would be the worst for you, actually, with no start and stop and such a long pull that is HP not torque dependent. Running the long course?

Kyle

Kyle, SCCA runs Pocono backwards from NASCAR with an infield and a chicane