Vid clip- 510 vs. BMW 2002 at Sears Point '92

[Tedman]

Here's a fun vid clip I recorded during a NASA track day session at Sears Point (now known as Sonoma Raceway) in December 1992. Many are probably familiar with NASA, the national sports car racing sanctioning body.  NASA had its genesis in the California Capri Club. I think this was one of the very first few NASA sanctioned events, along with a Laguna Seca event held earlier that year. At any rate, one of the weekend highlights for me was this little dice with a BMW 2002tii. Technically we weren't supposed to "race" because this was a "driver's school", but well you know how that goes sometimes. Normally I prefer the ambient sounds of the engine revving and tires screeching during in-car track footage, but my camera had no sound recording capability at the time, so I dubbed the music. In this case I think it might actually add dramatic effect. Link to the vid:

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WygQe59AzFVEXwKzDoG325yDzSpCq0p9/view?usp=sharing

 

In my mind it was a pretty fair fight. We were both carrying passengers. That's actually my brother's long hair you see in the vid. At the very end of the clip, after we passed the BMW, you can see him turn towards me and exclaim "Bitchen!".

 

I was driving my street/autocross 510 with a mildly cammed L20B with dual Z SUs, dogleg 5 speed, and 13x7 Libres with 185/60 Yokohama A008RS tires. Here's my car doing a lame impression of an actual race car adorned with magnetic numbers and stickers.

 

There were quite a few other 510s at that event. Here's a few pics I snapped using a disposable film camera.

 

Dennis and Peggy Hale's "Datserati".

 

My group's assigned instructor for the weekend was Melissa D'Orso and this was her ITC 510. She was super cool and obviously knew the fast way around Sears Point.

 

Sorry for all the red 510s!  A few more non-red 510s in the paddock.

 

 

View of pit road and cars on track exiting turn 11.

 

There was also some carnage. My buddy in his white Rabbit got t-boned in the esses by an RX-7.  

 

The RX-7 got the worst of it.

 

It had rained heavily the day before the event and there were a lot of puddles and mud at the edge of the track. I had flat towed my 510 behind my Ford Ranger from LA and it was cold and rainy all the way to the Bay Area. Not a fun tow, but the weekend track days were blessed with clear blue skies, if brisk temperatures (December in Norcal). Here's another in-car vid I made from that weekend. I dubbed a Tom Petty tune that seemed to fit well (again, no mic in the car). Seems NASCAR has been using the same tune lately, but I made this in the early '90s!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18jGuDgSNFrPqPCuuXrNjn9cr58nmVHiy/view?usp=sharing

Edited November 10, 2019 by Tedman

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Is that Melissa's hair flying in the passenger seat? She and I were good friends.

 

The blue 510 looks like one of Larry Oka's cars.

 

The grey Celica parked next to pit entrance was Laura from AIM tires. I wonder where she is now.

 

You got passed by a Corvette? Well, considering it was a ZR1 Vette, I give you a pass...

 

We had a shop at SPIR for a long time. Or back door is under the Goodyear sign on the back wall. I spent a lot of good portion of my teens and 20's there.

 

Cool video. Thanks for sharing.

[Icehouse]

Rad videos and story!  I love seeing that kinda stuff.  I got into 510's in the late 90's (when I was getting old enough to drive) it's funny to think back on that time.  All my friends.... "why do you want such an old car!"  All these years later and to them it's now normal for me to drive a 510 haha And now they are 50 years old.  Cool to see so many nice ones at the track.  

 

I bet that Vett was on slicks.  I know those kinda track guys.  Hard to beat and unlimited budget thats for sure.  

[Tedman]

A stock C4 Vette with decent tires and a good driver would have had no problem running faster laps than my 95 rwhp L20B street/AX 510.  No shame letting it by as far as I was concerned. I just wanted to pass that 2002!  Flying hair was actually my brother's.  Melissa was driving her ITC 510.  

[Tedman]

Another vid, this time at Buttonwillow in 2010. By this time I had an Autech SR20DE/6-speed in my 510. This was a track day set up by some motorheads from work. My 510 was the only "vintage" and 4-cylinder car there.

 

 

I was lazy and just drove on my Falken Azenis street tires rather than lug my R-comp tires/wheels to the track. This was the first time I had ever driven on street tires at the track. It was actually pretty damn fun managing the relative lack of grip!  Anyway, here's the clip. I got smoked at the end by a full race ALMS  GT 911 driven by pro Brian Sellers. I'm Ok with that. 😀

 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1HGboKYipYyC2sF0Se7gZndAA_a5RJAZr

 

The Falken team were there testing that day.  Pretty cool car. 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2019 by Tedman

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

I have always loved how true race cars have their interiors and engine bays painted in colors not even associated with the exterior. I do this on my builds as a nod to racing, but usually use a shade of tool grey.

 

We used to be able to hold off the Vettes in our ITC cars. If we didn't block them in the straights, they would ruin everything once we got to the twistys.