Third Place Finish in TTE with NASA at VIR

A weekend that predicted rain on Saturday...what...rain....again...say its not so....OK...its not so. We did get rain in the wee hours of Saturday morning. Well so I was told anyway since I slept through it in the trailer. It was enough to soak everything as well as enough to keep the famous VIR dust in the paddock from covering everything during the weekend. Saturday turned out to be a great day with cloudy sky's and a few scattered sprinkles that only lasted a couple of minutes. Not enough to wet the track down at all. I lucked out with two great students for the weekend...again. But I will say they were nothing alike. One was timid and one was aggressive. Made my job more of a challenge. Keri my timid student has only a couple of track days under her belt did quite well. She listened very well to simple intruction and learned fast. Most of the weekend we worked on getting off the brakes and carrying momentum through the turns of the track. She was doing very well with being smooth on all her inputs. We did get into T1 hot one time and spun. That was her first spin ever. I hope she keeps the after the spin in mind for the future. Stop...wait...proceed when told by the flag station. Thats a good learning point for HPDE.

Rob, another fellow miata driver and from what I heard a very good AX'er also did very well. I must admit hit 99 miata with a suspension package did very well. My biggest challenge was taking an AX'er and dialing him back to run a road course. This was Rob's first HPDE as well as the first time at VIR. Obviously from the start I knew he could handle his miata...so I let him push some limits right from the get go. After his first session on track he was really doing well and running smooth laps. I decided to have a little pep talk with him about the changes 150 lbs less would make, the importance of being courteous on the track and keeping it under control. Well....he did very well on his first test, a red flag drill. He did just what he was supposed to do. Though after that he got into a turn a little too hard and had a weet and great with the tire wall. Even though it was very minor on the damage side it was enough to end his weekend one session short due to the grass wedged between his rims and tires. Even though the repairs were smooth and easy...I feel bad about it and wonder if I turned him loose too soon.

As for my weekend...gee how can I sum it up other then awesome. I ran Time Trials Saturday and took third in class. Though the funny part of this for me is that I thought I was fourth by not looking at the times close enough so I missed the awards party because I was ready for some awesome chili and cornbread. But I am going to tell you....Ralph's chili and cornbread was worth missing trophy girls and pictures with them. Though the spontaneous combustion from it made the trailer an interesting challenge for all...LOL. We have one more weekend at the track in TT this year. I hope to do well...if not...its been a fun season for sure and has given me some really interesting stories to share with others. Have to give special thanks to Mom, Bev and Ralph for making an awesome weekend for me and the gang. These three people make our weekend feeding frenzies so easy and tasty. We could not eat so good without you guys!

Results can be found here

Octoberfast Best TT Run at VIR from Ronald Roderick on Vimeo.

Here is a picture...please check out the photo section for more pictures soon along with video in the video section.

Cloudy and rainy is not what you want to see on a trip to the NASA AX at VMP. Rain stopped early and the sun came out. As we all gathered for the drivers meeting Jon started out by saying “Thank you all for coming and would you please look up. I ordered sunshine for you and we delivered.” I think everyone started clapping and cheering. Things were really looking up now. The course was drying out pretty good as my co-driver started his runs in the Miata. This was his first time driving my car, much less a rear wheel drive car. Being an experienced AX’er, Jake took control of the course and the Miata and put in some fast times. 67.054 was his best time of the day. Just a half of a second out of first place. When he was done he told me he could not believe how well a basically stock suspension car handled so well. But he did give me some valuable advice about the handling overall so I had something to go on.

Now comes my turn behind the wheel. First run I took it nice and easy to familiarize myself with the track layout. Second run through the seventh run I kept giving up time by trying to run harder and harder. Familiar words rang out from the wife of the open wheel car. ”…sometimes slower is faster.” I climbed in for one last run, I told myself it was time to keep it dialed back and just drive it…don’t push it. Last run turned into a 67.470….my best run of the day and good enough for a fourth place finish in class. I learned a few things this weekend. Track tires dont always make good Autocross tires and the 888's made Jake and I work for top finishes as they just would not grip at all. Go into a turn with speed and the front would push...try to get in the gas and the rears would spin. One thing I will say though is that the 888's faired well with the amount of abuse we put on them.

All this does lead me to some thought. We both ran at 32 psi...the 888's on track like 41 psi. I am wondering if dropping down to maybe 28 psi might give us a little more grip if we do the last NASA AX at VMP in November...but of course that thought comes on some very used tires.

Here are a few pictures...please check out the photo section for more pictures soon!

You gotta keep the water flow going. Thats important!!!

AUTO X at VMP with NASA

We are gearing up for our first Auto X of the year with NASA at VMP. We have not run a Auto X since last year at Langley Speedway where we won the class with a mere fraction of a second. I really miss that place since it was only a few minutes from our base of operations. Our plan is to take the first couple of runs easy to get the hang of it again and then try to run all out. Why do I have a feeling there will be at least one spin at the event? We want to win the event...but we have some top notch competition in our class. So....its anyones to take. Below is a picture from my first ever Auto X last year at VMP. I had so much fun!

August Summer Summit With NASA

How many ways can I describe what took place when the gates were opened at Summit Point Raceway to go in? Flash flood? Monsoon? Torrential down pour? I think I will go with monsoon. Though it did not last all that long, it flooded half the paddock and actual rapids it looked like formed in the middle of the paddock. When the rain stopped, we had a beautiful light brown lake that was lightly stocked with a few vehicles and lots of wet people. Hey….flash flood, errr flashback to Hyperfest and the end of the Daisy Duke contest. I think that’s enough creative writing for now to get the picture. The picture below is from Sunday. I never did get any pictures of the monsoon.

Friday night turned out nice once all of our paddock was set up. Good friends, burgers and dogs on the grill, coolers stocked with cold adult soda’s and lots of cutting up and laughter. Saturday started out unlike any event for me yet. Fog delay. This was a first for me. It was so thick you could not see the start tower from the false grid. After about 30 minutes it broke up enough to turn us loose on the track. Cold tires, damp track, damp and cool air…yep you guessed it, lots of slipping and sliding Instructors and Time Trial drivers. The day improved weather wise for the first half of the day, but then at noon started to rain again. I went out and made some wet laps to get the experience and see the condition of the track to make sure I was prepared to keep my student on the track and having fun. Thankfully it was just an ordinary light rain that finally stopped at 6 pm in time for all the paddock festivities and games. Home made pulled pork BBQ and all kinds of fixins hit the spot after a long day at the track thanks to Bev and mom. Such fine food for the gang could not have been possible without them. After dinner Jake and I ventured over to the Over The Hill Gangs paddock and had a rematch game of Cornhole from VIR. This time it when a lot better for us young guys. A victory of 25-8 I believe set the stage for a face off at VIR in October since each of us has won one game. This is a picture of my Student Todd's car. I would have to say this was one nice looking Mazda.

Sunday turned out to be a nice sunny and warm day. The track was green, but dry and made for some real fun driving. One of the things I learned was that I am going to have to get used to this new engine. It has a little bit more power then the old engine. With that and working on some of my problem turns, I am now having problems with the next turn as I get better with the ones I am working on. I guess you can say that’s a good thing. All in all the weekend was a great success. I was able to drop times in testing and see areas for improvement. Be sure to check out the video in the video section. It is a fun run to watch.

Summit Point August 2009 from Ronald Roderick on Vimeo.

This is an awesome picture of the rainbow after the monsoon with Jeff's car at the end of the rainbow thanks to Jon at Get Fast Photography.

Ultimate Track Car Challenge Weekend and NASA Recap

This was a weekend to remember for sure. After three weeks of rebuild on the Miata and fixing everything that needed fixing, we have a running car again just a few days before the big event. We left Thursday morning and set up camp. It was a normal July day at VIR...hot! But we were prepared. Lots of water and lots of portable shade and of course every ones favorite...amazing food.

So many fantastic and diverse cars started showing up for the UTCC Event. From a DP car to my Miata...there was something there for everyone.

Murt and Dirty not only got me back together for the event, they were also an amazing pit crew. They did all the work and I only had to concentrate on driving. Over the course of the UTCC event we made a few adjustments and I drove as hard as I could. I ended up 51st out of 56. Considering the amazing machines I was up against...I think I did well. I didnt come in last, so I am happy. Video can be found in the video section on this website.

Results for the UTCC can be found here

The rest of the weekend was a blast. Lots of old friends as well as new ones too. It was so much fun seeing all my South East friends again. Keri, a new DE drive paddocked with us. She was paired up with a real good instructor and had a blast.

I had the honor of taking Tom Heath from GrassRoots Motorsports Magazine in Mike Morris's CMC Mustang for a Hyperdrive. Tom did real good. GRM might have a racer on there hands.

This is a picture of Tom and I on the track between T3 and T4 I believe.

I learned a lot this weekend. This weekend was a blast loaded with lots of fun and great people, friends and family. Not to mention having two great students. By far the most interesting student was Earle. Wow...instructing a student in a NASCAR Sprint Cup car was a blast.

This is a picture of the car and driver.

Ultimate Track Car Challenge Getting Close And Things In The Works

This is the big event of the year. 48 states, thousands of racers to pick from....but only 100 drivers get the invitation. A chance to compete in one of four classes to find out where a driver and his/her car ranks.

...and we are one of them.






Tales of angry snails and evil vaccum cleaners have been buzzed around the internets. But TDMS has chosen to keep things in perspective as far as keeping the car close to a Showroom Spec Miata for the future. Though we will say we have ventured into gray areas and have done a few things that are not Spec compliant until such time comes. But we have plenty of time to reverse those things when the time comes.

The TDMS crew has been working with some great friends to get the miata in one piece again. A couple years of problem free events has caught up with us. The oil pump went out and sped up the failure of what was already an engine on the way out. Ronald "Stringer" Roderick was quoted at Summit Point while getting out of the car..."...hey, the engine has been trouble free for three years. I knew this was coming because I could feel the loss of power over the last few events. But she held together long enough to beat my personal best time by 2 1/2 seconds. That was awesome! I have to thank Michael D. for some pointers on reviewing my video with me to help me out."

Now into several weeks of tear down and rebuild...things are coming together. The block and head are at the machine shop and they have been advised on class spec rules to stay within when machining the parts. Murt has spent a lot of time going over the engine rules to keep the engine Spec legal for future use in the series.
Ronald states..."these guys are awesome. I cant wait to give this new engine a try. Basically the only thing left on it that is from the old engine is the oil pan and the valve cover. I am just amazed at how much stuff there is to know about an engine."
On top of everything...TDMS will be visited trackside this event by sponsors and long time online racing friends for a fun and festive weekend. Three years running sponsor Glaze Communications of the TDMS miata will be there as well as Tony Resha from Tailgaiting Internet Talk Show and also the owner of Tailgating Trackside.
See everyone at the track!

June at Summit Point, my first ever Hyperfest. I heard stories of ignoring the fact that the stands are full and the fence line is loaded with people watching. Concentrate on what your doing is what they told me. To be honest...I only got one session as a driver. Well, most of one anyway. But that’s another story down the tale of the Hyperfest weekend.
It all started out normal as my family and crew arrived at the track. A little behind schedule but it worked out perfect. It was the first time I had ever seen a line of trailers on the road to enter into Summit Point. Cell phone rings and mom is asking where I am. I'm at the gate I say...just then spotting her coming in on the other side. She says I don’t see you...I say I coming up to the gate. This is our first event as a one car show. Kim of King Ratt is holding a spot for us to paddock with them up near the grid. The feeling of such honor was incredible. We pulled in and took up as little room as possible and started to set up. After all was set up, Alex came over and inspected the work done on the miata. Although we are dwelling outside the realm of Spec Miata, he offered great words to us on the changes made. He seemed quite interested in the craftsmanship of everything and the layout of the design. But after all the informal introduction were made...and the fun and festivities of paddock life were over...it became a mission. A mission on my part. I would not let a parting of ways on my part end great friendships with a team I have spent so much time with. I made my way to Team FJR and walked in and shook hands with all that were willing and even grabbed a hug out of Evelyn. I knew I was no longer welcome with them...but I also know things happen for a reason. Changes are made to better everyone. Some not so nice...but that’s how they end up. It definitely was a topic of the weekend among many. But I look at it this way; I traded a good thing with tension for a good thing with fun. To me the smart choice was made. I am the one that has to live with it.


Back to reality. Hyperfest weekend. Saturday starts off with rain. An unknown student on a wet track is always a challenge. They want to go fast and I want to keep us in one piece. So the speech comes out...lets take it easy and build into it. So much can be learned on a wet track...good and bad. We actually were able to get in one wet session, one semi wet session and a good dry session on a green track. Both student did well in the rain and kept it dialed back for the most part. Once we hit dry track I worked with them on a few things and found myself loving the ride along. I almost hated the fact that I needed to give them my pep talk about being solo and how the car is going to feel different to let them go. But watching them go around the track and downloading the information they experienced and working with that is so fun.
I on the other hand waited till the track dried up to make my first run. With the new intake system I did not want to take the chance of sucking in some water on the first test. The first test proved to be the only test of the weekend. I gained about 7 mph in the straight and the Miata handled very well. The Miata seemed fairly balanced with the loss of the extra weight. Twenty Five minutes of fun until the engine called it quits. We discovered the engine was running very lean and first thoughts of the oil pump giving out or at least enough to starve the engine of oil. But hey the engine has been in the car for 3 years of track time, so it was not unexpected. The good side is that everything stayed in one piece and I was able to get back to the paddock under my own power without dropping any fluids on the track. One of my students offered me his Civic SI to take out to get some track time. Such a great offer…but I had to turn it down. I don’t like taking the risk of something going wrong and hurting someone else’s car.
The rest of the evening was spent watching the drifters, eating fried chicken and terrorizing the rest of the paddock on the mini RV complete with a down pour that lasted long enough for all of us to get soaking wet.
Sunday turned out to be decent weather and dry. My students had a lot of fun and started really getting a good feel of the track and testing new limits little by little so I turned them loose for there last two sessions. Before each of there session I was on grid to give them my pep talk. Stay focused and take each thing little by little. Keep it on the track. Be aware of what’s going on around you. These are the turns that are going to feel a little different without the 155 lbs on the other side. I kept my eye on them and each of them talked to me after each session about the differences they felt and what they were working on. Being an instructor is an incredible thing. Each weekend out you make two new friends. All of my students I see at the track come over and say hi and tell me how things are going that weekend and still ask questions. I think that is awesome. It just cant possibly get any better then that.