2012 year in review!

2012 started with a 1000 mile roundtrip to Buschur Racing in Ohio in lots of snow and ice.  Out of that trip we yeilded up updated setup, tune and a new primary sponsor.  Shortly thereafter we headed on a near 1400 mile round-trip for my first ever trip to Road Atlanta with help from my Dad as a co-pilot.  Then the car was further gutted and turned over to Izzy's in STL for a proper 6pt cage.  After some teething issues which forced me to rent a car to complete COMP school in April I had my w2w license! 

The next few events were spent feeling out the dynamics of the #929Evo over the course of a 25-35min sprint race; in a single word:  HEAT!  Several upgrades over the rest of the year were made to handle the heat both inside and outside of the car. 

2012 yielded my first podiums & trophies from both Sprint races and Endurance Racing.  The latter courtesy of a GP Racing Products rented E3 Miata where I turned nearly 70 laps at Putnam.  We also set our first PTA track record. 

Some major changes on the personal side of life kicked off in April and really changed the scope of the year.  These somewhat played into my decision to officially put up the #929Evo for sale.  With the fall approaching and some aggressive pricing I was able to find a new home for the car in early September.  After that I wrapped up the year with 1 additional rental in a Chumpcar.

2012 yielded a total of 13 days on track.  10 days in the #929Evo and 3 days in rentals.  In all I competed in 6 different classes (TTA, TTS, ST2, PTA, E0, Chumpcar) in 3 different cars.

929 Evo's Custom Jack Rails!

During the cage build, Izzy seen the beat up pinch weld area from all the times I've used a jack on the car.  He suggested a custom jack rail and I really like the idea.

Here are a few pics of the finished product currently in use.  We ran them about 3-4 feet behind the front tire on each side.  Each time I jack up the car I get a smile on my face because of these. 

They're easy find and support the jack w/o worries.  Best of all, I never have to bend down to double-check the position of the jack or worry about the base/handle scratching the side of the car since it sits so low. 

If you ever have the opportunity, I recommend something like this!

Electrical Issues - Fixed @ Boostin Performance!

After spending more time after Gateway with my brand new voltage meter - in the cover of my dry garage and not in the rain - I had found that the alternator was in fact still putting out a charge.  So I'm very happy we didn't try to hash & hack in a new alternator overnight at the track at Gateway.  With some more searching and following lines, I unwrapped the protective coating around the main fuse assembly just off of the battery that my cagebuilder updated during the cage build process.  Low and behold I found an obvious issue with the fuse!  I was both frustrated and optimistic at the same time, as the car ran perfectly as always at Road Atlanta earlier in March prior to the cage build at Izzy's.

I shared these findings about the fuse with some friends and we all agreed this could be the only issue, or just 1 of the issues.  Either way it needed changed out as well as a belt in the car that was showing some wear.  So I scheduled some time Friday April 20th prior to my Autobahn event at Boostin Performance in Addison, IL which is about 1hr N or the Autobahn track.  It was going to be a busy day, but Devin & Kristin did their best to accomodate me with a late pickup that I would need after running the Enduro from 3-7:30pm.

I dropped the car off at Boostin Performance around 1pm and further explained my issues and what I had determined to this point with the instructions to 'fix what was needed'.  lol.  I was then off to Autobahn for the Enduro where I'd be splitting a 3hr event in a Porsche 944.  Even before the Enduro started at 4:30pm I had an email from Boostin Performance that my car was fixed and it was indeed just the fuse.  I exchanged my thoughts on verifying the battery load for 10+ minutes etc and everything had already been tested so it was ready for pickup!  On top of that they were able to fix my sliced wire on my Oil Temp gauge under the car!

So after our Enduro 944 suffered an early retirement from the race on Friday evening, I headed back to Boostin Performance to pick up the Evo and bring it back to the track.  Around 8pm I had the Evo back at the track and unloaded.  Then some food, and the hotel for the night... 

Izzy's Custom Cages - Update #5

More updates from Scott at Izzy's on the cage progress.  It's nearly complete at this point, so time for some catch-up pics and details!  The doorbars were pretty much the last part of the design.  These were a bit custom (as most are) especially on the driver's side as I chose to retain my factory power windows and locks as I have an open trailer.  I also opted for an additional 'A' pillar bar up front, common in rally cages for extra protection.

Izzy's Custom Cages - Update #4

More updates from Scott at Izzy's on the cage progress.  Here's the rear of the cage with the attachments into the trunk.  I'm really excited to see how much this stiffens up the car and how it'll drive and rotate differently.  And I'll find out quickly!  Our timeline is tight as I've got an event scheduled for Saturday April 14th!

Izzy's Custom Cages - Update #2

More updates from Scott at Izzy's on the cage progress.

Izzy's Custom Cages - Update #1

Scott from Izzy's Custom Cages has been nice enough to keep me posted as he makes progress on the cage for the #929 Evo.  Although I did remove a large portion of the interior - down to just a single mounted seat and an unbolted dash, Scott had more to do.  Here's some pics of the initial gutting and prepwork from Izzy's.

 

Cagework Time - Izzy's Custom Cages in STL

It's official, we're going w2w racing!  I've further gutted the car during the winter, and finished up most of that after the Road Atlanta trip.  All of this is prepwork before the new weld-in cage goes into the car.  I've attached some pics to show what's left in the car, and it's not much!  The pics are of 1) The roofliner 2) the driver's door and 3) view from the passenger side.

3 big weight items were removed after Road Atlanta including the passenger seat, harnesses & bracket, the spare tire and the Autopower 4pt rollbar.  All together they total about 135 lbs.  Add to that more plastic panels removed, both front door 'skins' and other various extra and the total was probably around 150 lbs.
That total is in addition to the earlier weight removed from the car including 20lbs from the A/C, about 15 lbs from the speakers and misc sound deadening and probably another 10lbs in extraneous dash parts including bolts and plastic pieces. 

So with the car nearly empty, the dash unbolted once again but sitting in place, I loaded up the car and took it to my cage builder of choice; Scott from Izzy's Custom Cages in St Louis.  I'll pass along the details and pics as I get them...