racelucky

GHIT 0393:  Race Review - Lucky Dog Race at CMP with Read Tull and Ben Dawson

We start the episode with Read Tull who races in the southeast and had Ben as his first HPDE instructor.  Read entered his E36 into the last Lucky Dog event in the southeast for the 2022 season and we share some common pain.  The weekend was a mixed bag of several highs and lows, but as always, Lucky Dog ran a great event, and everyone had a great weekend.  Ben showed up late to this episode and therefore we learn a lot of behind the scenes stories as well as  one of Ben’s podium traditions and hope to one day make a podium with Ben and be on guard.  The stories we get are priceless, lol.  We then move into how the race weekend transpired and how the team conquered or was conquered.  Domination?  Listen and learn.

For any suggestions to help solve the power steering issues, please email us at GarageHeroesInTraining@gmail.com or message us on Instagram etc.  Sticker bribes are as always in effect, lol.

A link to the episode is: https://tinyurl.com/ReadTullatLuckyDog

If you would like to help grow our sport and this podcast:

You can subscribe to our podcast on the podcast provider of your choice, including the Apple podcast app, Google music, Amazon, and YouTube etc.

Also, if you could give our podcast a (5-star?) rating, that we would appreciate that very much.  Even better, a podcast review, would help us to grow the passion and sport of high performance driving and we would appreciate it.

We hope you enjoy this episode!

PS  If you are looking to stream or save your integrated telemetry/racing data with you video, Candelaria Racing Products Sentinel System may be the perfect solution for you.  We are amid installing the system in two of our cars.  If this sounds like something that may help you and your team, please use our discount code "GHIT" for a 10% discount code to all our listeners during the checkout process at https://candelaria-racing.com/

PS2  Please do not forget that if you are looking to add an Apex Pro to your driving telemetry system, do not forget to use our discount code for all Apex Pro systems you will receive a free Windshield Suction Cup Mount for the system, a savings of $40.  Just enter the code “ghitlikesapex!” when you order from https://apextrackcoach.com/

Best regards,

Vicki, Jennifer, Ben, Alan, and Bill

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training Podcast and Garage Heroes In Training racing team drivers

GHIT 0276:  Mike Kramer Honda Challenge Racing Driver

Mike Kramer has been racing in Honda Challenge and is the two time H2 champion with NASA Southeast.  In addition, he also races in endurance racing with the 24 Hours of Lemons and Lucky Dog.  We have several goals for this episode and one of them is not so subtly aimed at convincing Vicki the our 1993 Honda Civic being a front wheel drive car is not so bad and how much fun we will have in 2022 using it as our primary endurance racing car.  Mike is a great example of how to start out and grow into an accomplished racing driver by simply making the choice to jump into the high performance driving pool and see what types interest you.  It sounds like we will be at several common racing events in 2022 and we can't wait to catch up with him again.

A link to the episode is: https://tinyurl.com/MikeKramer

If you would like to help grow our sport and this podcast:

You can subscribe to our podcast on the podcast provider of your choice, including the Apple podcast app, Google music, Amazon, and YouTube etc. Also, if you could give our podcast a (5-star?) rating or even better, a podcast review, we would greatly appreciate it and it would help us to grow the passion and sport of high performance driving.

For instance, leaving an Apple Podcast rating is very easy.  If you go to your podcast library, under shows and click on the podcast you can leave a (5?) star rating and enter your review. 

We hope you enjoy this episode!

PS  Please don’t forget that if you are looking to add an Apex Pro to your driving telemetry system, don’t forget to use our discount code for all Apex Pro systems you will receive a free Windshield Suction Cup Mount for the system, a savings of $40.  Just enter the code “ghitlikesapex!” when you order.  They are a great system and truly invaluable in safely increasing your speed on track and/or autocross etc.  The recently released second generation systems and app increases the capability of the system greatly.

Best regards,

Vicki, Jennifer, Alan, and Bill

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training Podcast and Garage Heroes In Training racing team drivers

 

Highlights from this episode include:

1)  Despite having won two NASA SE championships, some of the difficulties Mike has encountered at the recent national championship event, including his overcoming some of the bad experiences at Daytona.

2)  How to get started in high performance driving and what to expect and how to improve most quickly.  We especially break down some of the common misconceptions that may be preventing you from starting.

3)  What we have and should do to our 1993 Honda Civic DX race car that we are rebuilding this winter.  The discussion goes into several options for racing the car in endurance racing and sprint racing, along with possibly using it in HPDE events as well.

4)  How to choose a racing series and what to look for in your area.

5)  Advantages and Disadvantages of a front wheel drive and a rear wheel drive, as well as a few of the primary differences between the two types of cars.

6)  Some of the differences between regional events and national events.  

To follow Mike and his racing exploits, please go to:  

Instagram:  @argylecivic 

Phil Wurz, fellow racing driver and the short straw drawing team member at BimmerWorld was kind enough to join us for a discussion on his racing history and add to our Usual Suspects discussion related to racing BMW, especially E36's and E46's, including a good amount about Spec E46.   Phil has been with BimmerWorld since 2007 and conducted this interview from in front of his E30 race car, one of the best backgrounds we have had during our podcast.  BimmerWorld supplies a very wide variety of parts and also prepares cars for racing in two national GT4 series.  During this episode we learn a bit about Phil and his driving history as well as his thoughts on racing BMW's across may types of racing and what can be done to improve performance, handling, and reliability.

 

To follow along with Phil and the team at BimmerWorld, please like their Facebook page or email them from the website where everyone's company email is available.

 

On Dominating with Dawson, Ben discusses all of the wide variety of types of racing apexes, and how best to think about approaching a turn and what considerations can affect the desired approach for each turn.

 

We hope you enjoy the episode!

 

Best regards,

 

Bill, Vicki, Jennifer, and Alan

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training podcast

and team members in the GHiT

Immature Endurance Racing Team

 

Highlights from the episode include:

1)  His philosophy on replacing and upgrading as you grow and learn with your car

2)  Vicki shockingly brings up the E36 rear wheel bearing removal and then won't let anyone ask any questions for a bit.  Well, really, much more than a bit.

3)  Alan "compliments" Bill on his skills with using the press on the rear bearing and finally admits his running away from the operation once the slide hammer came into the picture.

4)  Bill impersonates the sound of the control arm breaking in the press.

5)  Alan calls Bill an Axle, by mistake/mispronunciation.

6)  Alan admits to adding a bit more wear and tear, since he is the mechanic.

7)  Alan gets very excited over Phil's tow vehicle and that leads into the area of an upcoming flat nose school bus "ramp truck", potentially with a rear airbag suspension.

8)  Our first podcast that is interrupted with the sounds of freedom.  Mental likely scheduled it to mess with us.

9)  We then walk through where the current sweet spot is for BMW's in terms of value, performance, and parts availability.  We even compare the E36 vs the E46 which seem to be swarming the endurance racing fields.  Yes, we are guilty.

10)  Stunningly, and fir the first time, Alan hears that it's not necessary to drive at 10 tenths all the time.  We shall see if it helps.

11)  Vicki learns what a money shift is without costing us an engine.  And Alan breaks out the FNG acronym in honor of the Three Pedal Mafia trip to Laguna Seca.

12)  A good review of the growing Spec E46 series and other uses for these cars, as well as some of the advantages of spec classes, especially for people relatively new to racing and setting up of a race car.

13)  Vicki requests a spare Spec E46 car for the team.  Bill is currently searching on Autotempest.

14)  Bill was bored and added some new questions to the Fast and The Furious questions

15)  We are still looking for a good LSD solution for our M240i and Bill Begs for a spare E36 rear control arm, for a friend of course.

16)  In the after credits B roll, Phil mentions a tool to remove the rear wheel bearing from an E36.  Where was that when we needed it.  Well, actually, we still need it.  And Bill begs for some spare E36 rear control arms.  For a friend.

 

We hope to see Phil at the Charlotte Roval with Lucky Dog on the weekend of August 14-16.

Cathy McCause Fuss of the Lucky Dog racing series returns for the 8th or 9th time.  Unfortunately, only one episode has ever been published due to connection errors and other computer issues.  Why she puts up with us, we don't know, perhaps it's because she is one of the best people we have met since we started racing.   During this episode, we go over a lot of the Cathy's history and her perspective of racing from the Series perspective.  We also get into her thoughts of how racing and endurance racing are progressing and helping to grow our sport.

 

On this episode's Dominating with Dawson, Ben goes over what is an "Arrive and Drive" and the details of racing in that situation.  We go over a lot of the options, concerns, and advantages of being an arrive and drive driver, as well as being the team renting to the arrive and driver.

 

We hope you enjoy the episode!

 

Best regards,

 

Bill, Vicki, Jennifer, and Alan

Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training podcast and team members in the GHiT Immature Endurance Racing Team

 

Highlights from the episode include:

1)  Bill felt like he was going down the hill into turn 12 at Road Atlanta when Cathy's connection went robot a few seconds in.

2)  What the impact of the COVID 19 has been so far and speculative hopes and expectations for the rest of the season.

3)  the Lucky Dog i-Racing league and it sponsored, you can even win race entries, and other racing supplies from the Lucky Dog sponsors

4)  We develop the exchange rate between Clairol hair color and Hankook RS4's.

5)  We go into the process of working with the tracks, rescheduling, and the potential impact of the current COVID 19 related impact and issues on the tracks and the series, and the drivers, as well as some of the amazing steps Cathy and Lucky Dog have done to help the overall racing population, including paying 2021 track rental fees.

6)  Bill shamelessly plugs the upcoming Lucky Dog race at Charlotte in mid-August.

7)  Cathy threatens us with bringing the 196 car out to the race for us.  We much rather like her alternative bonfire idea.

8)  How several members of the Lucky Dog racing community, and the overall low cost endurance racing community, have helped in dealing with the COVID 19 pandemic.

9)  We brainstorm a bit, well really a mild drizzle, on what options we can come up with to help save the 2020 racing season

10)  Bill apologizes for his black flag digression earlier this year at the Lucky Dog race at Laguna Seca in January

11)  Cathy even was kind enough to go through our "Usual Suspects" but this time from a race series perspective and how her series has progressed through Miatas, into BMWs, and recently into Hondas and several Fords.

12)  Self ejecting starters as a way to save weight

13)  Speed creep and its concern as we progress to including more modern cars where horsepower increases seem easier and easier, especially with all the recent time people may have had with the stay at home orders.

14)  Cathy's strategy for classing cars in Lucky Dog and addressing the variability in car and even individual driver capability.

15)  As expected, we eventually reviewed or last race at Laguna Seca and our other Lucky Dog race in Portland.

16)  Brakes and brake pads were a big discussion point.  One way to get to a faster lap is to be able to slow down even faster.  Hopefully, we have an upcoming guest from Hawk on the show.

17)  Hilarity ensued when we started talking about the spares being brought to the track.

18)  Rally Dogs?  And yes, we had an East coast rally dog volunteer.

19)  Also, a rookie time attack challenge option came into being.

20)  How Lucky Dog is working to partner with the local Club racing, especially for the HPDE and learning aspects, hopefully raising the tide for all.

21)  How our team has been invaded by two of the drivers we know from Lucky Dog

22)  Opportunities for arrive and drives at the Charlotte race abound with teams and drivers looking to come east for the race.

23)  How the Lucky Dog racing series came to be.

24)  Cathy fears answering what car she would love to start with as a race car.

25)  How Lucky Dog's i-Racing league is helping racers scratch their itch.

26)  She is still looking for the known unknown E46 Greg has hidden.  Somewhere.

27)  There seems to be a potential for an east coast west coast race car exchange program.  Greg, Call us!

We are very happy to welcome the Hydrocephalus Racing Team to our podcast this week.  They are a great team of friends and family that we first initially met at their first ever Lemons race in Thompson CT.  Unfortunately, Vicki and Bill apparently recorded in the Tube of Mockery we borrowed from Mental, so it sounds like we are huddled up in a cave somewhere. 

 If you are interested in supporting research in the area of Hydrocephalus, please go to their website to learn more about it and what we can do to support their efforts at:  http://hydrocephalusracingteam.com/ for all kinds of information and links. 

• When and how to use the term “Scrutineer”
• How (and Why) to race a prepped minivan in Lemons
• The art of “subtle” racing in a minivan
• How not to prep for your first time racing
• We begin to hatch a plan to get their team CFO onto the track
• Vicki can’t keep a secret to save her life (about the GHiT posters)
• How to learn about cars when growing up and working in a local junkyard
• Our Race Truck Progress – Its ready for Pitt Race
• Math and racing sometimes don’t apply to radiator leaks
• Two or three potential lemons car stashes in the upper Midwest and Alaska, one with hang time experience
• Effectiveness of our roll cages and safety equipment in an accident
• Fog is not your friend on the track, especially on your windshield
• Gentlemen driver documentary on Netflix right now
• and eventually listen to them ponder why they can't hear through their microphone, hint, it’s not a speaker, lol.  

We hope you enjoy the episode and please subscribe to our podcast using your podcast network provider of choice, iTunes, Stitcher, Google Music, etc.