NASA MA at VIR in March

It is 8am and the final hour at home. I sit at my computer station trying to pass the time until I leave. Finally....10 am comes and I can wait not longer. Passing the time sitting at the gate of VIR seemed much more inviting. As I depart and begin my drive to VIR, I am all smiles of anticipation and lingering thoughts of what the level 2 instructors clinic will be like and the large chance of rain for much of the weekend. I have the GPS on and the left turn towards Milton, NC plugged in. Cruise control is on and knowing that I have more then enough time I keep the trip within the legal limit. The scenery is as usual. Houses, cows, stores and the same curious space ship. Then I see it. The first sign of VIR. I know its not far now even though one of these days I am going to find the way in that I use to come out. I think it saves me about 10 minutes of travel time.

I pull up to the gate of VIR. Probably the one of the few chances I have to be first at anything, so it is a bitter sweet victory in my mind and I laugh about it. I have much to learn and time on my hands as far as that goes. But its been a fun journey so far. No sooner then I pull up and park, I hear sounds of a car heading my way. A Formula Mazda passes right in front of me and sparks my attention. I can hear similar sounds inside the track as what I think could be more of them.

The time comes...entry into the track is granted with the advice to please stay clear of the team that is testing. The drive down the road and headed to our teams predetermined location to set up proves to be a very wise choice as our normal spot was occupied by the team that was there. I get parked in the spot and start placing out markers to stake out needed ground for incoming participants. I start setting up the 10x20 tent for 2 cars and the extra pop up and get them into place. Next comes off the car and a switch from trailer tires to race tires. All I have are the full tread 888's to work with so I don’t have to worry about which set of tires I need to put on. As the members of the clan begin to trickle in...more and more tents go up and gear gets settled in to create our grand paddock of grassroots drivers looking to make our way to something that we spend our many weekends preparing for. We all run through tech to prepare for the upcoming day and settle into our quarters and listen to peaceful sounds of other drivers coming in for the Fridays events and getting set up.

Friday morning starts to waking up with the track dogs and making coffee, checking email and various other things like Facebook and NOAA. Looks like the track dogs are going to curl up with each other and continue sweet slumber as NOAA predicts a slight break in the weather as the day goes on, but then settles back into the rain as the day goes on. At this time all the drivers were on site. Most of the crew where here and things were starting the get under way for the day. I myself prepared for a day long Instructor 2 clinic and most of the rest of the team prepared for open practice runs. What was fun about this whole thing is that all of us would be running in the same group on the track, even though we would be doing different things. It was a good chance for all of us to have fun with each other.

The classroom sessions with Dan proved much more involved this time. In the first clinic, the focus seemed to be on our basic preparation to become instructors and what we represented. In clinic 2, it seemed to focus more on what we need to do with the students as instructors in a larger scale. It was a lot of information packed into one day and we still had 4 sessions on track. One of the sessions was role play. So I paired up with Anthony again and this time instead of his 510, we took my miata. We had a lot of fun acting out our parts and driving like them. I drove first and then Anthony second. I had to give him a quick bit of advice about the car and the difference between our cars. Anthony commented how light the controls were and how much more responsive the braking was. When the day was done, we were all tired and ready for a big weekend. Relaxing in the RV we watched to videos of the day. My favorite session ever on track playing cat and mouse with Folis brought back the days we all ran karts together.

Saturday arrives and starts off with a light on and off sprinkle but finally quits. Morning coffee and a quick email check before heading off to the showers. After some breakfast and some morning preparations we head off to the all hands meeting and then to the instructor meeting. We all eagerly looked to see what we had for students. Folis had an S2000, Doug had a miata which turned into a wagon which was driven by Steve Wu from OG Racing and a group 3 check ride in a Honda and I had a Cobalt SS and a Supra TT. All of our students were great. My Supra TT must have decided not to drive in the rain and never showed up. On my warm up for TT I went out and made a few laps and was doing fine until I hit a patch of mud on the track after 14 and spun on the track. All 4 wheels stayed on the track and I turned around and kept going. At Oak Tree I was black flagged and came in. Jon quickly came over and explained what I did wrong. Off track or a “significant loss of control” and I should come in as my session was over and counted as a DQ. Lesson learned. My second session proved to be better and I took my time, kept my eyes alert and made my laps without any problems. Even though I proved to the world that I really was as slow as I said…it was enough to get 3rd place. I can thank the rain for that. Because that’s the only way I could have kept my time since Sean ran in the pouring rain. The day winds down and I make my way to the awards party to find out many of my friends did very well in their races. While I was waiting for things to start I was talking to my student and his friends and recounting the days activities. We all talked about the fun we had on the track and were having so much fun that we never even noticed the awards had started. Sean came and grabbed me and said “Do you want your trophy”? I was in a bit of shock at that point. I make my way up to the front and Chris says “And here is Stringer, finally made his way up here”. Between the shock of actually getting a trophy and Chris actually calling me Stringer…I forget most of the rest of what happened. The moment I had hoped to one day get to was here and done in a split second in my mind. I don’t even remember what the trophy girl looked like. The one thing that did come to mind though, one Kart Enduro win, two Kart Enduro Seconds, First place in an AutoX and a third place in Time Trials all have one thing in common. My mom was not there to see me get my trophy. I am going to have to figure out how to fix this.

Sunday arrives much like it always does. Coffee, checking email and a trip to the shower. As I am installing the camera back into the miata I here my favorite song on the load speaker. I know it is going to be a good day. We all noticed this massive ball of fire in the sky, the sun, such a welcome site. All hands meeting and then the instructor meeting. Back to business. I go out with my student and have a good warm up session. Build up to it, take your time, feel things out. My student did well and demonstrated great skill and awareness. I made my laps in my first warm up and did the same. After that I made my second run and did my best time for the weekend, 2:37.9, still slow for most people but I was happy with it. After a break I took my student out with me to kind of show him a couple of things I was talking about on Oak Tree. After that I turned him loose and told him I would be watching from the balcony at turn 3. I watched and was proud. I watched him keep up with a stock car the whole session. After he came off track, I walked over and thanked him for letting me work with him this weekend and how impressed I was with him and his car. It was a good weekend for sure.

Prep for VIR in March with NASA - MA - The Team Is Ready

March at Virginia International Raceway leaves many questions open to how the weather will be. Last year was cold and rainy and tested the entire team to the extreme. Ask Folis about what its like to drive an open cockpit car in cold and damp conditions...ask Evelyn and Debbie what its like to shiver while perched on the veranda of the garage suite's recording times. This is an example of what lengths the team of Tannerdog Motorsports/Folis Jones Racing members have endured in past years with NASA-MA at VIR. It is not all peaches and cream and sunny days. Some times you just have to work your way through a weekend and make the best of what you have. The one thing we have to rely on is enclosed trailers with heaters to thaw out the cold bones and give us a place to relax and re-group. But we are hoping for fair temps and sunny days to welcome the festivities of yet another great NASA-MA event.

Some of the buzz around the net is a T-Ball challenge from the CMC drivers to any group that is willing to man up to the challenge. Though I would love to see the vast group of NASA Instructors counter the offer to the CMC drivers...I for one would probably pass out from lack of oxygen trying to run the bases. Be certain this will be the event to watch as the CMC drivers have challenged the NASA Officials to the first game. But keep your ears open for all the paddock events going on throughout the weekend which have included Remote Controlled Boat Fishing Tournaments and Poker Matches to raise funds for Charity. There was even a Golf Tournament last year that the son of Chief of Registration Sean won by default. But we cant forget the Kart Enduro Races that are held on Friday and Saturday nights at the Kart track inside VIR at the Kart track. You think you can drive? Get yourself into on of these Karts and try your luck against the field. Take it from someone that did nearly everyone last year. It is a test of endurance and skill and I will say one of my greatest memories is 45 minutes of nose to tail intense laps with a vette driver.

Well word around the shop shows all of the team ready and waiting to return to VIR. Two of us braved the freezing temps in February and fed our need to be on the track. Ask Doug and I what it was like trying to thaw off the massive frost layer off the cars Saturday morning. It was brutal and took over 30 minutes of warming up the cars to thaw them out. But it was worth every single minute to drive laps around VIR.

Keep an eye out for the 55 Miata, 56 Civic, 57 Lotus 7 and our gang of drivers to brave the March event. Be sure to stop by and say hi to our Track Mom's, Evelyn and Debbie and our Crew Chief Jason. All of us welcome anyone into our compound and freely share our space to hang out and have fun. Thats what its all about....Having Fun!!!

Team FJR Has Two Drivers In The Hunt For The 2009 UTCC At VIR

2009 Hankook Ultimate Track Car Challenge

July 24 – Virginia International Raceway – Alton, VA

Black T-shirts, mac and cheese, cage fights: Sometimes we like things for their sheer simplicity. When it comes to the automotive world, it can be nice to throw out the cones and complicated classes to answer one clear-cut question: Which car is the fastest?

The third annual Hankook Ultimate Track Car Challenge Presented by Grassroots Motorsports is here to provide the answer. This event will pit a wild assortment of track-ready beasts against the clock to determine which is the quickest of all. The action will take place at Virginia International Raceway’s Full Course July 24, 2009.

As always, we’re opening preregistration for the event at CarDomain.com to anyone who thinks they’ve got a great track car: That includes everything from casual weekend toys to full-tilt race cars. Obviously we’re looking for fast cars, but we also love variety. Part of the fun is seeing how a comparatively tame car fares against the meanest of the mean in the same conditions.

The editors of GRM will draw from this pool of preregistrants to fill the invitation-only spots at the event. As always, readers will be able to vote potential competitors up or down within the UTCC category at CarDomain.com; the GRM editors do pay attention to these popularity ratings when picking cars for the event.

The Nitty Gritty of Signing Up

If you’d like to be considered for the 2009 Hankook Ultimate Track Car Challenge, sign up your ride at CarDomain.com. Then, when editing your car’s Ride page, click on the “Hit Counter & Ratings” category at the left and check the box for “2009 GRM UTCC.” Save your choice and the site will plug you in to the 2009 GRM UTCC category.

You can view the other competitors by clicking the UTCC link from the Top Rides page. It can take a couple of hours for the list to update, so don’t panic if your car doesn’t show up instantly.

Give us a vote for the 2009 UTCC

Ronald "Stringer" Roderick

Doug Arcidino

First Event Of The Year For Team FJR and NASA MA at VIR

Welcome to Virginia International Raceway!! The official NASA time is Bing Bong....3:15 and the gates have opened for all the drivers and crew to go through the gates and into the vast paddock area. We were fortunate to be first in line this time and as we drove down the long road and reached the paddock area which would soon be filled with participants for the weekend, all to be seen was a sea of light green trash cans spaced out over the vast paddock area. A sight the few get to see. It was almost an unreal sight that would soon be flowing with activity and cars going in every direction.

It was cool and windy as I staked out my claim on our teams favorite spot in the paddock. Making sure I set up markers to save space for my team mate that was coming later that evening. I look around and see much of the same thing. I look to my right and see the CMC guys marking off ground for all the racers in that series. I look up the hill and see the corvette guys staking there territory. I look to my left and see yellow tape being run to section off an area for the staff and there race cars. Everyone is busy doing something, but yet everyone takes time to talk if someone walks up and wants to chat.

It was cool and windy as I staked out my claim on our teams favorite spot in the paddock. Making sure I set up markers to save space for my team mate that was coming later that evening. I look around and see much of the same thing. I look to my right and see the CMC guys marking off ground for all the racers in that series. I look up the hill and see the corvette guys staking there territory. I look to my left and see yellow tape being run to section off an area for the staff and there race cars. Everyone is busy doing something, but yet everyone takes time to talk if someone walks up and wants to chat.

After a couple of hours people start making there way over to the tech shed looking for a little relief from the wind and cold and to listen for hints of when tech is going to open. Then we look out and someone makes the move to start the line. It was almost a que for everyone to clear out and get their things and get in line. A stock car, a miata, a Porsche, another Porsche, a Subi, a BMW and so on down the line which developed quickly. One by one each car rolled through tech. A team of officials checking over the cars and making sure they are safe for HPDE and checking log books for the racers cars. Battery secure, hoses look good, seats and belts are secure, helmet meets required specs and so on. One by one everyone makes there way back to there spot and secure everything and finish up with last last minute preps for the next day.

Friday Morning 7am and a hot cup of coffee in a warm trailer with a laptop open checking the weather and seeing how cold it is outside, I can hear the familiar sounds of race cars making there way to and from tech. Test, test. "Welcome to Virginia International Raceway and the first event of the season and NASA MA 10th year!!! Tech is open and there will be an all hands meeting at...7:45. The official NASA time is Bing Bong....7:03." After the all hands meeting everyone is checking thier schedule to see where they need to be. For Doug and I, first was class time for the Instructor Clinic. Dan went over the first part of the full days worth of events. Then we headed off for some open track time to shake off the dust of the off season. After that we went back to class and learned some more things. Then the group split up. Doug and I were in the group for open practice on track again. The other half went on the hill for an exercise. After that everyone back in class again. Then we get our assignment to pair up for role play on the track. Each person is given a slip of paper with a character role to play and the session is split into two times for a switch. I was the first instructor and my partner was the student acting out his role. We were in his 510 and it was fun. Then we switched. Since I drive a car with small seats he let me drive the 510. Cool car for one and I kept it nice and slow and acted out my role. One of the hardest things I found was purposely driving off line in different places and thinking of things that new students would do. But it was fun to see how fast I was caught and taught the right thing by my partner. After that was over we went back to class for our next assignment. Drive your car blindfolded on a course laid out with your partner talking your through it. That was possibly the hardest and freakishly intimidating thing I have every done. But all went well and I think we all gained a sense of trust in each other that our common goal is to keep everyone safe. Once that was all done we headed back to class for the final time of the day and finished up the clinic and headed upstairs for a briefing on teching a students car. A step by step quick inspection plan was taught to all of us and we all watched and listened with great interest. Then it was over. A full day of a clinic and a sea of 35 new Instructors headed off for the evening to get ready for a weekend of events.

After a long day Doug and I return back to the warm trailer to celebrate with our crew chief Jason. As we sit around and shoot the bull and talk about the days events the grill gets fired up for a celebration steak and potato dinner. We had the beef, we had the potato's, we had the grill. But that's all we had. No plates, forks, knives or butter. It was a mission for the crew chief! Go out and bring back the things we lack.

Potato's hit the grill to start the cooking and after some time goes by Jason returns with a bag of forks, knives and butter. We ask, how did you get them. After a grand tale of sweet talking a local waitress and getting the needed provisions we found ourselves again missing something. Plates. What do we do now? Tin foil and drink boxes were forged into plates and the feast was on! Ah the taste of a hot side of cow and a steaming potato. Who could ask for anything more than this.

Saturday morning 7am, hot coffee and the laptop checking on the weather. 22 degrees and a wind chill of 17. Brrr. No problem right? As we sit in the warms of the trailer and listen to the sounds of people coming in and getting set up for the weekend we hear our favorite crackle on the intercom and then....Test, test. "Welcome to Virginia International Raceway and the first event of the season and NASA MA 10th year!!! Tech is open and there will be an all hands meeting at...7:30. The official NASA time is Bing Bong....7:05." We pop our heads outside of the trailer and find all the cars covered in a heavy frost. First things first. time to get the cars started and thawed out. After the all hands meeting and the Instructor meeting we make our way back to the cars to finish warming them up for the first session. Cold track, cold tires, cold brains. First session is going to be one to take it easy and feel things out. After the first session of the day is done it becomes a non stop weekend of activity until the last session comes off track Sunday evening. Students heading to class, race groups griding up, Instructors walking the grid and getting in their students cars. Crew, family and friends finding places to watch and generally every driver walking around meeting new people and seeing old friends makes for and endless sea of activity that never stops. It makes for a perfect weekend for any person that loves the track. And it seems as though the weekend ends just that quick. All the planning and preparation everyone does to come out and have fun goes by in a blur of fast and perfect efficiency perfectly executed by the incredible NASA MA Staff.