25 Hours of Thunderhill - 2008 (now with tons of pics)

[Damn True]

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/biggs-1.png

Once again I am crewing for BiggsB racing in this years freeze-your-can-o-rama known as the 25 Hours of Thunderhill. The longest and toughest amateur sports car race in the world. The race is held at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, CA. (150mi NE of San Francisco).

Last year we won our class and this year, like last year, our goal is simply to finish with the car, drivers and crew intact. The car is 100% rebuilt from last year. Everything new. Everything top of the line. If we keep our nose clean on the track, don't lean on the car too hard, and keep our wits about us in the pits we feel we stand a good chance of a repeat.

I'll try to post updates from the track as the race progresses. Not yet sure if we'll have net-access from the paddock. Wi-Fi remains a strong "maybe" from the track and I don't have an air-card. If need be I might make brief entries from my blackberry.

In the event I am unable to make updates there should be semi-live info here:
http://www.shedracing.com/2008_25hours.html

There might be another site up with live updates and perhaps in-car video (technology permitting) as well. I was watching the video feed from our trailer today. The image quality is by no means at ESPN level, but it's pretty damn bitchin to watch your race car ripping off laps in real time. I'll let you know if it happens. There is a team of geeks working on it right now......seriously!



Thurs - 12/4 - 9:30PM.

Unloaded the car and began setting up our pit space. The car looks like a million bucks. Especially since it still has no graphics on it. Just a nice clean (hope to keep it that way) Miata in Blue/Silver. I'll get some photos up hopefully tomorrow.

Sent the car out for some break-in time on the new engine. Keeping the revs low and watching the data closely. No problems thus far. Three out of four drivers got practice time today. We are making some small adjustments to the suspension in the interest of making the car stable and predictable for all. More speed to be had for sure, but we are more interested in finishing than setting the world on fire with a hot lap time.

Already some trouble in the paddock. The Special Operations Warrior Foundation Scion apparently rolled. No idea as to the status of the car in terms of making the race and I don't think anyone was seriously hurt. But the damage from the B-pillar back looked pretty bad. The team was working furiously on it the last time I saw them. I hope they make it back in as they are a charity fund raising effort for children of Special Ops Soldiers who were KIA.

http://www.nasa25hour.com/2008/11/nasa-25-hour-drivers-team-up-to-race-for-charity.html#more

If you are a Ford guy, Thunderhill is the place to be this weekend as the joint is absolutely lousy with FR500's and other Mustangs.

http://www.nasa25hour.com/2008/12/ponies-running-wild-as-mustang-challenge-racers-make-assault-on-thunderhill.html#more

Other than Miata's there seems to be more Mustangs in the pits than any other Marque, followed by Bimmers.

There are some seriously bitchin cars getting ready for this race. I'll try to get some pics for you.

The Riley DP car.......stupid-stupid fast.

[Orngcrush69]

have a great time True...maybe I need to enter the Fiero next year.

[Damn True]

Friday - 10:40pm

An excellent and very productive day. We ran the car only as much as we needed to. Made a few tweaks here and there, but nothing serious. As expected our drivers are reasonably quick, consistent and taking easy on the car. Foggy this morning. Really nice during the day - long sleeve t-shirt. Cold once the sun went down. Fog is rolling in now, but not as thick as last night...knock on wood.

Here is our little hot-rod. Not yet stickered up, getting ready to go on the scales for one last check.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/dscn5602-1.jpg

The 944 "Por-vette". A wide-body 944 with a 'Vette engine and transaxle in it. Pretty quick. Hope to see it run more reliably than last year.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/dscn5618-1.jpg

On-track.....the electrical-tape numbers are temporary I assure you.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/dscn5635-1.jpg

The E-85 powered Norma. Crazy quick. They had the fastest lap times last year but got nicked up and just missed the win to the Crawford DP

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/dscn5663-1.jpg

The Factory-Five GTM. New paint since last year. The car was brand new then and had some serious growing pains. They've been racing the heck out of this year and apparently it's been pretty reliable. Good luck to them. Cool car!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/dscn5677-1.jpg

The Riley DP.....say no more.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/dscn5681-1.jpg

The odd-duck award goes to the "Fun-Cup" car. It's a tube chassis, mid-engine car with the driver sitting smack in the middle, a VW Golf engine sitting right behind the driver and a fiberglass Beetle body. Kinda neat....but in a riding a scooter sort of way.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/dscn5688-1.jpg

Great looking Tiger-Racing bimmer....there are probably 10 other 3-series cars out there....two of them sound like they are running LS motors.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/dscn5661-1.jpg

Can't swing a dead cat without hitting an FR500

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/dscn5651-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/dscn5632-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/dscn5626-1.jpg


Nothing much to say for now. We are going to get to the track early tomorrow, nut/bolt the car, schelp a bunch of stuff from our garage to the hot-pit and go racing. Green flag drops at 11am.

[chaz75]

so how did it go, curiosity is killin me. chaz

[Damn True]

The next few posts are lifted from other sites. My blackberry was the only access I had from the track and I wasn't able to get to every site every time so they are brief and photoless. Pics will come later.











Small update, track internet has been flaky.

http://www.shedracing.com/2008_25hours.html

Photos here:
http://www.shedracing.net/2508testday/index.html

[Damn True]

Well, the wi-fi is a no-go so I'm blackberry bound. This'll be short.

5:00pm - g Green flag dropped at 11am. Caddell took us frp p5 to p2 in about an hour. Divaspeed had a minor mechanical that put us in p1. Shuffled up/down from 1-3 with pit stops. We are currently p3. Miatacage.com is P1.

Getting cold as the sun goes down. The track is lighting up.

I think nasa has t/s somewhere on their website for the 25 www.25hour.com/timing. I think.

More later

[Damn True]

5:30pm - Race currently red flagged due to fog. Probably won't get going until morning is my guess.

NASA just came over the radio to say not before 9PM, but I think he is smoking something.

Tom took over the car in the lead and spun hard in 8, put it sideways into a berm and flattened a tire and bent a rim, maybe damaged the hub.

Current overall leader is the Cytosport Daytona Prototype,

Currently in 7th place in E2, 8 laps down. E2 Leader is the Miatacage.com miata.

One of Marcus's Miller/EGR cars blew a motor, the others are 3rd and 6th in class.

The Scion made the race. More on that later.

The Team web site should be updated soon, www.livefromthe25.com

[Damn True]

5:30am - Boogity - boogity bitches! Fog lifted and we went green 30min ago. We got lucky and lost little time due to the above. Currently p5 with I think seven laps to make up on Miatacage. They are good.



In other news:
Miller Motorsports has a new looking 2008 FR500S on display with a sign:

"For Sale, take it home Sunday". Ya think my wife will mind if I spend $75k this weekend?

[Damn True]

11am - Lot's of fast cars are broken. Daytona prototype, the two 5-series powered M3's, the Norma, both Porsche's all broke.

[Damn True]

Noon- Top 5 cars in our class all within 4 laps. It's on!

[Damn True]

12:30pm Mitacage.com breaks. We move to P3. Miller/EGR moves to P1 and loans Miatacage parts. Nice.

We are on the same lap as P2 Autoville racing and P3 RJR racing.

[Damn True]

1PM - RJR behind the pit wall for tires and brake pads. We move to P3.

[Damn True]

2PM - We pass Autoville when they have an extended pit stop (fuel/tires). Now in P2 3 laps behind Miller/EGR. They are bleeding oil. 2qts every 2hrs.

[Damn True]

2:15pm - Miller/EGR in for fuel and two more quarts of oil. They enter the track just ahead of us two laps ahead.


Andrew passes them on track. We are one lap down wondering if their engine will hold.

[Damn True]

2:45 - Miller has backed off. If their engine does not pop we cannot catch them on track in 15min. We are a second or two faster a lap. Not enough time. We finish second if their engine holds.

[Damn True]

3pm - It held.

We finish the 25hrs of Thunderhill in second place. Last year we beat the Miller team by 2 laps. This year they beat us by 1 lap. They are bloody good and totally deserved the win.

More later.

[Damn True]

Some really great photos from the Overall Winner Team MER

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=46600&l=46e65&id=512112489

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

[Damn True]

The Scion flip - scary stuff:

3H48cXV35gw

I still can't believe they fixed this car.

The guys in the Scion represent to soul of racing. As previously mentioned they rolled their car in practice. Jacked it up bad. Not a single straight panel and the Scion TC Coupe looked like a fastback. Somewhere in Northern California there is a purple Scion missing a RF fender, Right door and back hatch. They pounded out the roof and somehow got the straight door and hatch to fit in a bent car. Someone told me they cut the b-pillars out, pounded them straight and welded them back in. But I didn't see that so I'm not sure. Heck, they even had time to spray-bomb the new panels white to match and made the race.

But.....their trouble was not over. When they rolled the car they did something to the drivetrain as well. As the fog was rolling in, their transmission was going south. During the red flag someone on their team found a transmission on Craigslist in Sacramento (I ***** you not!) and drove to go pick it up, they installed it and made the race again. It doesn't matter where they finished. They win.

[chaz75]

nice, glad to see you did so well. chaz

[HarleyR]

Do you know of the "Holden Banshee"

[Damn True]

There was a stock car looking thing there with a "Holden" decal in the windshield. They had problems......a lot of problems.

[HarleyR]

There was a stock car looking thing there with a "Holden" decal in the windshield. They had problems......a lot of problems.
Thats a friend of mines car.... Thats about par for them.... they either run good crappy.... No middle ground...

[Damn True]

Not a good platform for endurance racing. There aren't many.

[HarleyR]

Well... There arent many platforms good for endurance racing if they arent prepped right... or wreck....

[Damn True]

Below note posted on behalf of team #55, in class E2, owner Bluegrass



Well....that was a good one this year wasn’t it? Didn’t quite get our 25hrs worth but I guess the 18.5hrs of Thunderhill doesn’t have the right ring. Nonetheless, we have to congratulate all of our fellow E2 competitors for a well raced event with an extra “cheers” to team EGR. Glad that tranny seal we loaned you succeeded in keeping your tranny from leaking gear oil throughout the event!!

Have to say thank you to our team that maintained their professionalism and strategic thinking throughout the event. We responded quickly and concisely to change and faced obstacles with solutions, not negative attitudes. We have to also thank our crew chief extrodinare, John Bellesfield, who flew out to chief a 600hp AWD monster and ended up with a 100hp RWD, mouse. For another year, our motto of “No Problem” was carried with strength and abundance and heard very often.

We have to thank the following sponsors and people:

BFG tires, for providing us with excellent support, engineer evaluations and a tire that allowed us to run longer and faster than the competition.

Enkei Racing Wheels, for providing us with the wheels that saved the race for us many times. A great balance of strength and lightness, that bend and don’t brake thus minimizing damage to the car. Contact www.enkei.com (http://www.enkei.com/)for more information. Contact www.rallysportdirect.com (http://www.rallysportdirect.com/)to place orders.

RallySport Direct, for providing endless support for obtaining parts and technical guidance. If you need performance parts for a street or race car, contact them at www.rallysportdirect.com (http://www.rallysportdirect.com/).

Kartboy, for providing guidance and support throughout a very difficult year. If you have a subaru you better be running their parts. Contact www.kartboy.com (http://www.kartboy.com/)

Turn in Concepts, for sourcing those hard to find motorsports parts. Again if you have a subaru or a mazda you better have the TIC packages installed. Thanks again, contact them at www.turninconcepts.com (http://www.turninconcepts.com/)

Hartzel Automotive. Thanks for working with us to provide a motor and transmission that worked flawlessly, never leaked one drop of oil, never had a problem what-so ever. Thanks again, this is the key to endurance racing. Contact www.hartzelautomotive.com (http://www.hartzelautomotive.com/) if you are looking for that edge.

Hey Barry, hope to have you in the car with us next year!!

Have to thank our great line up of drivers, Andrew, Bob, Charles, Marc, Kim, and Tom. Great job at taking us from P8 to P2 just seconds behind P1.

Hey Todd, hope to have you back next year!!!!

A note on protests, sportsmanship and business:

Racing is business and business is politics. For a select few, racing truly is just for fun, where winning and the costs incurred simply don’t matter. For the rest of us, things are different. As I am sure John will contest to, this is his livelihood, this is business, winning E2 is great for business and I hope it is going to boom for him next year. Where ever there are financial ties and rewards on investments there are politics. If its, “who knows who” or who can make a play first or who can counter best, politics are always there.

This years and last years 25hrs was no different for us, much like the american propensity to sue anyone for any or no reason, any team can file protests, complain, film other teams pit stops, snoop through their pit, ask probing questions and whatever other tactics they can come up with, for any or no reason. Depending on the attributes and strategies of the team, these activities could be employed ramp-idly or not at all. Whatever the case may be, its politics, its business, its expected.

Its our job as a successful race team and business, to know the rules, employ keen negotiation skills, and not succumb to annoyances and political pressures that don’t contribute positively to our business success.

We might have had opposite views on the protests that we overcame, but we have to be cognizant, that protesting is a vital and integral part of racing. We also have to keep in mind, everyone rarely has all the same information, so as much as we might think they were trivial, someone with less information or with a different interpretation of the rules could find it very relevant and we absolutely support and respect those actions.

There are rules everywhere, if its traffic, tax, family, business, we live by, within, and around rules everyday all day. We all know how to use them to our advantage if we can, and how to negotiate them if they impact us. The downside is, no rule can be specific and applicable to all situations, so there is always room for interpretation. The upside is interpretation leads to innovation and innovation leads to creativity and successful business strategies (depending on your definition of success, this could be financial reward, could be acknowledgment from peers, could be a thank you.....and on and on)

Again we would like to thank everyone it was a great and rewarding experience. We are constantly learning and improving, so we’ll see what we come up with next year.....

So we hope to see you all next year or before, we’ll have our ES entry there fighting for the overall and I am sure our little E2 miata will find its way back to the track.

But come on it had to be cool seeing the miata fly up on airjacks....


Attached Pics of airjacks in use:
Got Air 1 (http://www.thunderhill25hour.com/ngu/image/25hour_got_air1.jpg)
Got Air 2 (http://www.thunderhill25hour.com/ngu/image/25hour_got_air2.jpg)

I would like to ask for some one to post the video you took of the pit stops (do it anonymously if you don’t want to take the credit) or send it to me.
I want to check it out?


~ Bluegrass Biggs

[TonyL]

what happened to that post? There's all kinds of coding errors.

[Damn True]

A ton of photos. All are owned by BiggsB Enterprises and Destry Saul. They are free for private use with Credit: Destry Saul/BiggsB Enterprises.......and please notify us.

For Hi-Res versions, email destrys<at>gmail.com


Yours truly doing a last minute nut/bolt check and putting the “race” shocks & springs on.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves11-1.jpg

The pre-race grid

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves12-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves13-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves14-1.jpg

The Scion. I still cannot believe these guys made the race. I wish we had a photo of the car post rollover. These guys rock.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves15-1.jpg

Boogity-Boogity, green-green-green!

A bunch of green flag photos from Saturday (note the sun) in no particular order.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves17-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves18-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves21-1.jpg

[Damn True]

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves23-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves25-1.jpg

The very quick and all-chick “Diva-Speed” car. They ran into a bunch of mechanical problems on Sunday.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves26-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves27-1.jpg

The Factory-five GTM

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves30-1.jpg

“IgotitIgotitIgotit”

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves31-1.jpg

The guy in the crop duster had the best seats in the joint. Though he was probably concentrating more on not running into the t-5 flag stand than on the race.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves32-1.jpg

Ready for nightfall

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves36-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves38-1.jpg

Lapping the DP….just kidding

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves39-1.jpg

One of the many FR500’s

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves40-1.jpg

As soon as the sun dropped low in the sky the temp dropped and the fog began to materialize.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves41-1.jpg

[Damn True]

Got camber? Yikes.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves42-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves4-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves44-1.jpg

The Pfadt Corvette behind us there. Really quick and just beautiful looking and sounding. But….like a lot of fast cars....they broke.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves45-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves46-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves47-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves6-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves48-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves9-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves5-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves49-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves50-1.jpg

[Damn True]

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves51-1.jpg


Then the fog dropped like a wet blanket. The yellow came out for a couple laps and we got our butts behind the wall to fix the car just before they red-flagged the race and stopped everyone on the front straight for the next 12hrs.


The track was an eerie and quiet place.



https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves52-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves53-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves54-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves55-1.jpg

Then at 5am the PA system began blaring. 30min till the race would begin and in seconds the place was a beehive of activity. A couple of recon laps and back to green but in some really dicey vis.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves56-1.jpg

Kim Wilcox had the first stint in the morning and took us from 8th to 4th in the first hour.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves58-1.jpg

Chasing the very fast Miatacage.com car in P1

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves60-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves61-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves63-1.jpg

The fog never completely lifted on Sunday.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves64-1.jpg

[Damn True]

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves69-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves68-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves67-1.jpg

Tough to tell in this pic, but I think this is the MX-5 that grabbed the overall win.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves69-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves70-1.jpg

A mid day Sunday pit-stop

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves72-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/Fuel4-1.jpg

We did get a breeze after noon that at least cleared things up a bit at ground level for the sprint to the finish. The overcast never burned off though and it remained quite cold.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves75-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves76-1.jpg

Divaspeed never gave up, but with all the problems they had they were off the back.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves78-1.jpg

The odd-duck still running.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves79-1.jpg

And with just 2hrs to go and still in P4 we decided to go for broke. Brought the car behind the wall for four fresh tires and to put Andrew Cadell back in the car with orders to wring the snot out of the car, pass everything possible and if the engine popped so be it. The pit stop was absolutely lightening fast.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves74-1.jpg

[Damn True]

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/Fuel20-1.jpg


The car held together as he ran 2:06’s like a metronome

The traditional crew’s out to the wall for the checker moment

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves81-1.jpg

and he brought us from P4 to P2 trailing only the Miller/Evil Genius car. Great job Andrew!

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves82-1.jpg

Post race tech inspector giving us the final okey-dokey.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2008/12/25hourfaves84-1.jpg

Till next year…….

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif