Basura Blanco Racing - an evolving fleet

In reply to Lof8 :

Ugh, I love that truck! It just looks so good tearing up the dirt! Need to sell of some stuff to make room for a ranger build of my own...

Im planning to take the Neon out of hibernation this weekend down to a new (to me) track in Punta Gorda.  Their rules allow low offset “racing” wheels, so of course I have to bolt some on for every advantage I can get  I previously only had a pair and they require all wheels to be the same offset, so 2 more are being received tomorrow.  I’m excited to rip this little thing again!

417 Southern Speedway was a blast!  It’s a fast, wide track with a great surface and the ‘ol Neon stuck like glue with the low offset wheels!  

I started last of 5 cars in the 8 lap heat race. I passed a couple of cars into turn 1 and on lap 2 the leaders spun each other and I walked around for a relatively easy heat race win. I was feeling great!  The car’s gearing is perfect for the track and it was handling very predictably.  A white VW “new beetle” was the closest competitor in the heat and he was pretty quick - first time I’ve seen that model at the circle track.  

They must do some type of inversion to determine the start order of the feature because the board put me in 5th out of 10 for the lineup. Again, I’m able to pick off 2 cars right at the green flag and into turn 1. In front of me are the white beetle and a black Integra.  It took about 4 laps and several late-apex attempts to finally get underneath and passed the beetle.  

Then we get a yellow flag for a spin near the back of the pack. I’m lined up outside of the Black Integra.   He jumps the green pretty early and I’m forced to fall back behind him.  For a couple of laps, he and I are pulling away from the field and I’m able to work a few late turn-in, late apex, corners where I carry big momentum to the inside of the track at corner exit. Finally I’m able to gain the inside lane on a corner entry and take the lead!

im feeling really confident at this point and hoping to just run about 15 more clean laps to take the win. However, the winner of the other heat race (by a mile) finds his way through the field and up to my rear bumper. The driver is a 15 year old kid and he’s got a very fast Cavalier. 

I’m driving 75% with my eyes in my mirrors to make my car wide and position myself not to give him a clear window passed. He bumped me a few times, but it was generally very clean racing (imo). With about 3 laps to go, he got squirrelly, lost some time and I was able to just walk it home from there. My first (ministock) feature win!!  Woohoo!!

we pull into the winners circle area for photos, the kid comes over to shake my hand and says “you have to give me a lane, man.”  Later, in the tech line, the kids dad comes over and again I hear “you have to give us a lane or next time we’re gonna hit ya.”  

WTF is this “give you a lane” garbage?!?  If I “give you a lane” you’re gonna walk right passed me in your faster car and I lose the race.  The track is about 5 “lanes” wide. Pick one that I’m not in. Now, like I said, I was driving in my mirrors and positioning my car in a defensive manner so as not to give him a clear line to pass me, but at no time did I cut him off, swerve, push him into the wall or do anything dirty. The only contact we even made were the few times he pushed my rear bumper.  

I do applaud the kid for not getting frustrated and just punting me. But there’s no way in berkeley I’m going to “give you a lane” and let you walk right by. This is racing and I’m here to win!

Overall, a great, fun night!  Took home a trophy and $250 smackers!

...and a bunch of family and friends were there to watch.  Including my lil nephew, Isaac. He loved the car!

Yeah sorry but that's not how racing works. You just don't give a lane to someone. You have to work your ass off to win. If his dad is teaching him that, the kid is going to be in a world of hurt because he doesn't get to win all the time. 

Found more pics  the bearded guy is a racer buddy who was in the stands.  I have no idea who the kids are - lol!  All my peeps were over on the back stretch watching from the pit area  

Awesome job, congrats on the win!

Congrats.

I don't know racing and I did not see yours, but I do remember a Randy Pobst video about passing where he said the lead car is allowed one move left or right.  3min 10 second point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrTcMikumVc

"Basura Blanco", bwahahaha.  Nice work. 

spin_out said:

 

Congrats.

I don't know racing and I did not see yours, but I do remember a Randy Pobst video about passing where he said the lead car is allowed one move left or right.  3min 10 second point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrTcMikumVc

 

This is an excellent video!  I need to show it to the angry party. They posted in-car footage of the race from his car and I saw literally nothing dirty about my driving, just good, calculated positioning of my car to make a pass more difficult. Maybe they think I’m not supposed to deviate from my racing line in any way?  Several other responders agreed that there was nothing to complain about in the video. Unfortunately, it’s a private video on Facebook and I haven’t been able to snag it. 

The father seemed to think he was insulting me by saying I was “mirror driving”. He’s absolutely right and I’m not offended. I’m using every tool I have to keep his kid in 2nd.  I suppose he runs with no mirrors??

i think that video might help teach the kid how to make pass, too, rather than expecting other drivers to “give him a lane” to just drive by.  I’d post it on my fb page but I have a feeling they might take it as a personal attack - circle track racing has very strange politics about it - it’s certainly not the same comradery I’ve experienced in other forms of racing. 

I was able to bootleg a copy of the video.  Video starts at the race restart about 10 laps in.  Obviously I’m the blue neon.  Let me hear your input - clean racing or not?

In reply to Lof8 :

Great race! I think the dad has the lead car (you) confused with lapped traffic...

I don't know, I think you've been watching Max Verstappen a bit too much /s

Looks like clean driving to me on your part, if he'd been a bit smoother he may have made it work around the outside which you left wide open for him. Congrats on the win.

Adam

I’m probably getting ahead of myself by messing with seats right now, but sometimes, when the right deal presents itself, you have to jump.  I ordered some brackets from euro Ebay that actually center the seats on the steering wheel in the e36, unlike standard, generic shaped mount brackets. Now I’ve got some more floor space in the garage. 

Floor space is valuable! Good deal, plus a little time to install, definitely worth it. 

I didnt see anything wrong in the video. The kid maybe could've passed if he was a better driver, but you didn't block him.

Justjim75 said:

I didnt see anything wrong in the video. The kid maybe could've passed if he was a better driver, but you didn't block him.

Thats my takeaway from it as well.  He really didn't make much effort to execute a pass at all.  Maybe his expectation really was for me to move over, "give him a lane" and let him drive by.  Kids these days :)

Great race! That looks like fun. 

Looks like clean racing to me too. Nice driving - looks like he almost had you twice but each time met other traffic on the track.

Lapped traffic = moving chicane

Ed Higginbotham said:

Great race! That looks like fun. 

It’s pretty indescribable the amount of adrenaline flowing. The races are pretty much an all out sprint and you have to be 120% aggressive at all times to be successful. None of the other forms of racing I do compare to the level of excitement and adrenaline. This is probably why the little circle tracks are notorious for the heated drama and even fights in the pits sometimes.   I've seen a driver's wife climb the flag tower and try to fight the flag man!!  Sometimes I prefer a “relaxing” rallyx or endurance race. Ha!

Gettin pretty close to pulling this old lump out!  I feel like a whole bunch of crap is going in the trash. This thing should be pretty light when it’s back on the road.   I’m really hoping that this car will be everything that my previous e36 was not.  The 99 M3 was just too subdued and even felt a bit heavy and numb on the Autox course.  It was too nice with its perfect paint and leather interior.  This car is going to be many hundreds of pounds lighter, have more torque and Hp and has peeling clear coat and plenty of dings.  I think it’s going to be the perfect blend of rawness, lightness, power and IDGAF!!

This thread delivers the goods. Always.

Nice progress.  Never underestimate the serenity a sense of IDGAF can bring.  :-)

spin_out said:

Nice progress.  Never underestimate the serenity a sense of IDGAF can bring.  :-)

Thanks!  These are wise words!  

And I found this to be amusing:

Just watched the video - nice drive.  He was waiting for you to slip, and you never did.  He had a couple of runs foiled by lapped cars.  If he would have trusted the high side and planned a big momentum saving arc, maybe just maybe...

I watched thinking about the "give me a lane" comment.  He was diving to the inside and you were late apexing.  I wonder if you coming to the apex later made him think you were "cutting him off" and driving all over the track?