National Tour Report

[budweeks]

Hey out there to the folks that went to the Blythville tour event. I've heard about Opie's engine....anyone like to give us the low-down on the rest of the event and how they or anyone else did? Or maybe even a different version of Opie's travails. Any successes or improvements? Entertaining stories? Boring travelog?

Bud

[Bullitt2954]

What the Flack happened to Opie's engine? Oopsied?

[stanbell]

well, as always, any day racing is automatically a good day. and it was a good thing that's true, for some, last weekend.

i had a great weekend, despite cone trouble on saturday that kept me out of the trophies. i drove faster than usual and then had a great day on sunday. i finished 4th of 9, but good raw times made me happy.

we had an excellent, very fast course designed by doug gill. fmod guys claimed rev limiter in 4th at ~84mph. i don't think i got over 70, myself.

opie's engine did die an unknown death. after opie and i practically twisted mark's arm to drive the fun runs, he was at the wheel for the ope-mobile's early demise.

then mark insisted opie drive the firebird for sunday, as opie went into sunday am in first in the class. three-to-a-car meant mark drove in a different heat and all his sunday runs were dsq'd. Mark had cone troubles on saturday, too, and Dani was leading mark going into sunday.

opie didn't get along that well with the pontiac, tho, so left the class to ansel henry, who only entered ESP because he would have been alone in his usual f-stock. he did drive well, tho, not to take anything away from him. Ansel's win earned him 2 hoosiers, since his entry made the class of 5.

the fun runs were a national tour first, and probably last, too. don't think howard duncan was pleased with the later start resetting and walking for sunday.

stan's perspective, all in all an eventful weekend. i had a great time. wish you all were there.

[budweeks]

Stan,

Thanks for the report, and I'm glad you had a good time and good runs. I don't think Opie has taken his motor apart yet so no info on what went wrong. My heart grieves a little for any good motor that has an untimely demise, not to mention sorry for Opie.

Wow, 70 per? Were you in 2nd or 3rd? Maybe I can make it next year.

Bud

[stanbell]

top of 2nd. turned up the limiter a bit to avoid shifting. lots of folks went to third in various cars.

[markyf]

I'm glad someone had fun that weekend. It was a total disaster. Before the event I tried to make some wild adjustments to the tired Firebird to try to keep up with the crowd and it backfired (not literally, that was later with a different car). My 1st run I did a spin after about the 3rd gate. I adjusted the shocks back and changed my tire pressures back to reality and the 2nd run was pretty good but I hit one cone that I felt. My 3rd run I almost immediately hit a couple cones when I was going too fast in one section. Come to find out I hit 5 cones in each run so I was over 10 seconds back and in last place handily. My best run was with the spinout.
My tires were about shot so I didn't want to take any fun runs. Opie offered to let me drive his car so I took him up on it, 3 runs for $10. What a fun ride! At least for the 1st 2 runs. Somehow I must have had a premonition because I told Opie that 2 runs was enough and I didn't want to hurt his car.
He said "No, go ahead a take the 3rd run and I'll ride with you." I short-shifted to 2nd like normal and we took off. I hit the rev limiter in 2nd gear in a fast section and I thought everything was OK and normal. As we were going around the sweeper, the whole car started shaking like a belly dancer and lost power. I coasted off the course and that was all she wrote.
Opie had 1st place practically in the bag and $600 worth of tires. He tried to run my car but it's a pig and he couldn't match his runs in his car. He dropped down to 3rd on Sunday and out of contention. He's not blaming me but I feel real bad about it. Fortunately for him on Saturday evening, I lost my voice due to a cold and I couldn't whine too much.
To make matters worse, Opie's engine guy told him if his engine cranks over that he should go ahead and see if it starts and runs. That's when the the big bang happened and the rod is now sticking out of the oil pan and coolant is running out the side of the block.