It’s that magical time of year again, when the youth of America don hats and funny gowns and walk across stages and such. I had the chance to spend the morning taking some graduation pictures this past weekend. It was a really fun session, and as a bonus the pictures came out great.
Check out the full set over on the Shutterspeed Photo Site.
Congratulations (or, as my cousin’s son told me when I did, ‘congraduations’) Jenn!
Spent last Saturday checking out my first day of NASA racing at Motorsport Ranch in Cresson, Texas. Thoroughly enjoyed the near perfect (if windy) weather, along with some tight action from the Camaro Mustang Challenge (CMC), American Iron, and Spec Miata racers.
NASA events also feature Time Trial classes for cars built to specific rules to run against the clock, along with HPDE (high performance driving education) classes. Needless to say, except a break for lunch there is always something going on track.
I used the Sigma 10-20 around the paddock, and Canon 70-300 IS for the on-track shots. On to the galleries:
Thoroughly enjoyed the day, I’ll definitely be back.
It’s all about the process, right?
That’s what I keep telling myself each time I realize it’s been a month (or months) since I touched the GS550 project. It’s not like I forget it’s there. I mean, it takes up substantial space in my already small garage, and I walk by it every day. It’s just that some days it looks completely overwhelming (horribly pessimistic), while others it seems like I could order a few parts and be riding next week (heinously optimistic).
With the help of several parts that ended up under the Christmas tree and a new calendar year, actually getting it finished has seemed like a more attainable goal the past few months. My last few free weekends have been spent tackling the wiring, which is inching closer to being tidied up and tucked away.
With things pared down and everything that’s staying on board connected (I hoped), I decided it would be wise to crank it up before I set about looming up and tucking away the remaining wiring. The video above is the result I arrived at after 45 minutes or so of tomfoolery. Good feeling for me, not so much for my neighbors, most likely.
All-in-all, I feel better about this thing than I have in a while. It might, someday, maybe, go down the road again.
Maybe.
A photo tour of the forward progress made in Lucky 2013
click to view the full set
Well, it’s been nearly 2 months since our whirlwind trip to Austin, and I’m still blown away by how amazing the entire experience was. It’s safe to say that Formula 1 has finally found a true home in this country; one that is better suited all around to host it than any were previously.
As unlikely a match as it seemed in theory, Austin was held up on the world stage and performed magnificently.
click to view the full set
With echoes of Texas Motor Speedway’s disastrous opening weekend that saw people still waiting the next day to get out of the parking lots looming in my head, I was fearful of the logistics involved going in. Simply put, the shuttle system was well thought out, well executed, and made getting to and from the track an absolute breeze.
click to view the full set
Texas Hospitality was also on full display from the moment fans approached the shuttle buses in town, and the gates at the track. Throughout the weekend, I noticed visitors from outside the state commenting on how nice the volunteers and employees were. There was also an amazing number of them patrolling the grounds in red shirts, with maps and guides in tow, ensuring that all needs were met.
The rush of people on Saturday and Sunday did lead to long lines for food and souvenirs, but in the end this was a slight blemish on a stellar event and facility, and everything was capped off Sunday with an outstanding race.
click to view the full set
Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel duked it out from the moment the lights went out, with Hamilton eventually making use of dramatically faster speed through the DRS Zone to better the German in the penultimate race of his McLaren career. Passing was rampant throughout the field for most of the day, leading the packed crowd on the Turn 19 berm to cheer at regular intervals throughout the 56 lap contest.
A personal highlight was seeing Kimi Raikonnen quickly close the gap between his Renault and Nico Hulkenburg’s Force India as they flashed by us entering Turn 19. I pointed out the charge to my dad, then up to Turn 1 a few seconds later as Kimi looped out, then under entering the sharp apex at the top of the hill, executing a hair-raising pass as the two flowed into the esses.
All in all, I don’t think I could have wished for a better way to right the wrong of 2005. Bravo, Austin, and thanks to Tavo Hellmund and all the rest who have made this a reality. It certainly won’t be the last F1 race I attend.
Finally, what would an F1 post be without a little noise? Here’s a compilation of the videos I grabbed throughout the weekend.
Formula 1 and the United States have had a tumultuous relationship. I was one of around 100,000 people that got caught in the middle in 2005, when safety concerns led to one of the most memorable races of the modern era – as the race went on with only 6 cars on the historic track. But this story starts before all that, around 2001, when my father and I first started watching these amazing cars, and got hooked on the circus that is Formula 1.
Curiosity
Having essentially been born at a drag strip and living in Texas, NHRA drag racing and NASCAR made up the bulk of my racing consciousness. Sure there was an occasional Indy or Cart race on the screen, but John Force, Kenny Bernstein, and Dale Earnhardt occupied our minds and my walls throughout the 80’s and 90’s.
Around 2001, our interest in NASCAR began to wane as the cars grew into amorphous blobs and the drivers into sponsor-quoting robots. Sheer curiosity led us into checking out Formula 1 racing on Speedvision, and over the weekends a passion for the sport developed as we came to realize the complexity of the cars, the relationships between rival teams and drivers, and the stunning ability it took to create and pilot such magnificent machines.
Of course, this was during the reign of the great red force known as Schumacher, so I quickly favored the black and silver McLarens with their lightning quick pace, maddening fragility, and stone-faced Finn Kimi Raikonnen (who remains my favorite on the grid).
Indianapolis
Fast forward to 2005. In the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of college, the time seemed right to gather a few friends and road trip to Indy to see, and hear, the spectacle in person. We piled into the car in the wee hours of the morning and drove straight through to Indiana, arriving on Saturday before the race on Sunday. Our Sunday-only tickets ran $95 (a steal in terms of F1 races I’m told), and granted us seats in the historic covered grandstands in Indy’s turn 1, and the infamous F1 turn 13.
We arrived early and were treated to a brief Porsche Cup race that whet our appetite for the aural assault that was to come. Soon, 20,000 RPM V10s roared through the cavernous front straight between the pit building and bleachers, an ear-splitting scream while only at idle. One by one the drivers left from the pit lane on reconnaissance laps and released the full fury of the 3.0 liter beasts. Our videos from the day are littered with maniacal laughter as Schumacher, Montoya, Trulli, Alonso and the rest flowed by on their way to the grid.
The atmosphere was calm but anxious as our section waited breathlessly for the clock to tick down and the final preparations to end. From our perspective (just past the pit entrance) it was nearly impossible to see what was taking place on the grid. Soon the teams cleared away and the cars began the formation lap. Cheers rang out and air horns blew, and before we knew it the cars were rounding the last corner from the infield just up the track from us. Then it happened.
Wait – where are they going?
It’s kind of funny in retrospect. This was a mere 5 years ago, yet none of us had any idea what was happening as all but 6 cars pulled into the garages and closed the doors. There was no Facebook. No Twitter. My phone could only call or send a text, so I called my dad (during the long breaks between each car) and learned about the Michelin runners’ protest.
The atmosphere at the track, which had been a bit subdued from the start, now turned extremely sour. People around us booed as the cars drove by, and began to file out in disgust. Who was responsible for this? Couldn’t the track have been changed? Surely something could have been done to prevent such an absolute debacle?
We spent the remainder of the race roaming the front straight, spending several laps standing at the fence as Michael and Reubens paraded by, taking note that the Ferraris could be identified purely on the much sharper, clearer note of their exhaust compared to the Jordan and Minardi entries.
We made our way to the section opposite the podium for the post-race charade of trophy presentation, and booed like mad when Tiago Monteiro sprayed the champagne in celebration of a hollow third in a miserable car. Then we left, wondering just exactly what was going through the minds of the organizers when they decided to let something like this happen.
Integrity is key
In the end, the steps taken by both the teams and the FIA are a perfect portrayal of what makes this a sport I dearly love. Changing the track based on problems that one tire manufacturer had would have completely undermined the integrity of the series, as, in the end, Bridgestone came prepared to compete while their rival did not.
In the years since, I’ve come to appreciate this day for several reasons. First, it’s not every college road trip you see an event with ramifications spanning the globe that will likely never happen again – even if it did make for a crappy day at the racetrack.
The other realization has come while watching other series. The commitment to the integrity of the sport shown that day is something not seen elsewhere. NASCAR and NHRA have trampled over their respective histories in recent years with complicated points resets and bizarre rules packages to manufacture drama. While F1 certainly has made changes to better the show, it remains a true world championship where the best in the world can show their strengths through innovation and perseverance.
A chance to start over
In 2010, the announcement came out that a new, purpose-built track for F1 was coming to America. The news was only sweetened by the fact it was coming to Austin, mere hours down the interstate from home. Circuit of the Americas represents a completely new level of commitment to the sport in this country, and for many of us who were there in 2005, a chance to start anew.
In an hour or so my trip back to the F1 world begins. I fully expect the logistics around the track to be a nightmare, the nightlife on 6th Street to be electric, and the racing to be fantastic. Let’s try this again, F1, and let the past be just that.
Check back next week (after I recover) for part 2..
7 second 1/8th mile farm truck: good for making even the most mundane Tuesday more exciting.
The farm truck, in its natural habitat – drinking gas and eating money. Happy Friday!
So it’s been a while since I did an update on the cafe bike. Progress has been sporadic lately while we fight with getting air conditioning blowing cold in the shop truck, but it’s progress nonetheless.
First on the list after getting the forks back together with fresh seals and oil was getting them back on the frame. Stuck with the original ball bearings, nice and clean with fresh grease for a silky smooth feel.
Next up is the dive into the unknown: bodywork and paint for the gas tank. We’ve completed two ground up car and truck rebuilds, but bodywork has always been left in the capable hands of others.
The process began with aircraft remover to cut through multiple layers of poorly applied spray paint (including those I put on during the rat bike phase).
Once it was cleaned and metal prepped, the bottom side, which had a bit of rust, got a fat coat of POR-15 brushed on. Cue masking and mounting, and the real fun begins.
Filler applied, ready for sanding
Post sanding, 3 wet coats of DuPont epoxy primer laid down.
Annnnd that’s where we stand now. The tank will get some spot glaze in the pinholes, block/prime/block/repeat, then a few coats of cobalt blue and clear.
Scouted out a few pieces on Dime City’s site last week, including clip-ons and headlight mounts, too. Onward we go..
Now that we are rocking 4 matching wheels, I finally got a chance to shoot the truck back home this past weekend. The light wasn’t the best either time, but pleased overall with the results.
These were shot by two of the more recognizable landmarks in east Sherman, Texas; the old Anderson Grain elevators which dominate the city’s skyline along with Wilson N. Jones hospital, and what remains of a billboard for the long-gone Chase Chevrolet.
Anderson Grain
Chase Chevrolet billboard
Click over to flickr with this link or the one on the side for the rest of the set.
Halfway to having non-leaky forks! Now there’s just that issue of the lost retainer clip for the other half..
