Basura Blanco Racing - an evolving fleet

track time in an automatic corolla >> not track time

12 lbs difference per corner 15"s vs 13"s. I have a feeling this will be a significant difference.  

In reply to Lof8 - Andy :

I've been looking for wheels for the Mini. I thought I found a good deal on some Bassetts... turns out they weigh like 22 lbs. Holy crap. 

In reply to AxeHealey :

yeah, they're cheap, but unfortunately weigh a ton!

OK, so BMW bottle caps on Corollas. As much of a revelation as seeing 3rd Gen Camaros with BMW wheels bolted right on.

The annual backyard dirt track/birthday party go kart race was last weekend. I regeared the kart and it was much happier.  Next upgrade needs to be a real wheel/tire setup. I was pretty quick all day and made the A-main but the clutch was acting up all day and finally gave up/fused itself halfway through the final event.  I didn't finish but really had no shot at the win anyway.  Fun day!

A couple of interesting things in the works:

The weekend of 3/11, Porsche club is hosting an autox at St Lucie Fairgrounds, and also the SCCA is hosting a night rallyx at the same fairgrounds.  Neat!  The Spyder needs some testing on the new 13" wheels and the YXZ always needs to do some rippin.  So, I'm going to borrow my buddy's long trailer and haul them both over there for a double header!

I'm also hearing some chatter that SCCA is going to include the UTV class in this year's rallyx Nationals in October.  So I'm strongly considering a haul to Topeka, KS to see how the YXZ and I can stack up against national competition.  I'm not totally set on it yet, but it is quite enticing.

borrowed the trailer from a Lemons teammate.  My base f150 company truck pulls it better than it does my enclosed trailer with the Crown Vic inside. 

In reply to Lof8 - Andy :

That setup looks like you're up for fun no matter what the conditions. How long is the deck on that trailer?

You should paint the wheels YXZ red!

I'm not sure how long the deck is, I'll try to get a measurement tomorrow.  
I don't really love the red wheels, looks a bit Ronald McDonald.  They might be black for the Challenge if I get motivated to take em off and paint them.  But they were the cheapest 13x8s around.  Probably because they're red!  Lol

hobiercr said:

In reply to Lof8 - Andy :

That setup looks like you're up for fun no matter what the conditions. How long is the deck on that trailer?

25' deck. Pretty fancy!

-the Spyder LOVES the smaller tires.  I was in the sweet spot of the rpms all day!

-a clean pre-filter does NOT mean your actual air filter is clean underneath. I had to call it early at the rallyx :(

-cool Vic pic the Firm posted today

A couple of shots from the Firm on Sunday. 

In reply to Lof8 - Andy :

I giggled way more then I should at "Vic pic"

My wife and I attended the "Freedom 500" hosted by Cleetus McFarland last weekend. The whole race and production was fantastic!  Got to meet a GRM friend, Scotty Con Queso. I'm pretty sure everyone in attendance had a great time. After the race, we met up with some friends at a local watering hole. 10 minutes later, a few of the pros from the race wandered in.  I bought em a round and we shot the E36 M3 a bit. 

In reply to Lof8 - Andy :

Is that Vaughn Gittin Jr?

AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to Lof8 - Andy :

Is that Vaughn Gittin Jr?

And Pastrana and Bucky Lasek.  I don't know the guy on the left.  

Lof8 - Andy said:

AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to Lof8 - Andy :

Is that Vaughn Gittin Jr?

And Pastrana and Bucky Lasek.  I don't know the guy on the left.  

VERY COOL! I'm not great with keeping track of the pros, but that is an awesome experience. 

In reply to Lof8 - Andy :

That's a pretty cool crew to have a drink with. 

This sums up our Freedom 500 experience:

About a year ago, I added this intake to the YXZ.  I had some hesitancy about it, as the filter is right near the rear wheel (where lots of dirt and dust is kicked up).  But the facebook group had lots of good reviews and the manufacturer had pictures of the intake after being run in a Baja 1000 race with the inside clean.   

It made nice power and seemed to work well.  I took the buggy to Durhamtown, GA for a weekend, and at the recent rallyx, a buddy commented that I was blowing some blue smoke, so I packed it up and went home.  I found that lots of the fine GA clay dust had made its way through the filter :( 

I cleaned everything up, changed the oil, and rigged up a completely new intake and filter system that is much cleaner and safer in my eyes. 

However, its still blowing blue smoke and is noticeably down on power.  I was hoping to never be here again, but I've got nobody to blame but myself.  Engine is coming out again.  Its pretty discouraging, and if I didn't love ripping this thing so much, I'd consider moving on.  Engines do not like ingesting dirt.

The Florida Gambler 500 was last weekend.  We had a great time!  It was a bit less populated this year than the last couple and a late Saturday afternoon downpour ruined anyones night who was planning to sleep in a tent.  

The YXZ engine is out and on its way to Wisconsin again for an analysis and rebuild. 

A few months back, Erin was looking at Cleetus' schedule of racing events and asked if I'd want to fly up to Bristol, TN for the "Danger Ranger 9000" on dirt.  I do enjoy the local Cleetus events, but I would not have chosen to fly to one on my own.  But, if my wife is making the suggestion, I'll agree to it every time!  It was berkeleying wild!  A total of 9 trucks rolled and several more crashed and retired in other ways.  Maybe theres a reason stock height pickup trucks aren't raced very many places!?  We did some road trip exploring, visited some local circle tracks - one re-purposed and one still running, checked out a couple of restaurants and bars in downtown Bristol and had a great time.  

Friday night there was some drag racing at the strip right next to the oval, and it was the strangest thing I've ever seen - the track has a slight uphill grade.  Why the hell would a drag strip do that?  Do they want to be known for being the slowest drag strip in the world?  wtf?  (Bristol Dragway "Thunder Valley")

Where's that velodrome located in your third picture (at least it has the markings of a velodrome)? It looks pretty big with very low banking, there's not that many in North America so it's always interesting to see them.