Hotchkis
05-06-2013, 10:44 AM
Seven days and 3,380 miles - to cover that much distance while behind the wheel of a car is a challenge in and of itself. But throw in multiple racing events per day on tracks that you have never driven before and you get an event that pushes driver and machine to their absolute limits mentally, physically, and mechanically. This is Brock Yates' One Lap of America - a spiritual successor to the original Cannoball Runs that saw competitors making a mad dash from New York City to Redondo Beach, CA in as little as 32 hours 51 minutes. Carl Casanova and his co-driver Jon Mahn are attempting to complete this endeavor in Carl's Hotchkis-equipped '68 Camaro, competing in the Vintage American class. Carl is sending us daily updates from the road to share with everyone what it's like to compete in this emotional roller coaster of an event. Stay tuned to this thread as we post these updates throughout the week.
A special thanks goes out to Carl's sponsors who helped make his journey possible:
Vintage Wheel Works (http://www.vintagewheelworks.com)
L.A. Prep Transport (http://bit.ly/13QPaAf)
First let's start with a little background on Carl and his motivation to finish this year's race:
N8QuEZP4Ras
Here is Carl dropping off the Honor Flight Camaro at L.A. Prep (http://bit.ly/13QPaAf) for transport out to Indiana.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/f511fdcb24da402c9c073d3e13c68a08-1.jpg
Image Courtesy of: LA Prep Transport (https://www.facebook.com/LAPrepTransport)
What follows are the unedited emails, Facebook posts, text messages, and transcribed voicemails from Carl:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/61965c57264e408aad88b7b1d437ff37-1.jpg
The car is on the way to Illinois but preparations continue on the human side as Jon and I try and absorb as much track information as possible. On the superstitious side of things, I'm taking along Dad's lucky rabbits foot that he carried while overseas in WWII, and his 3rd Infantry Division patch. Hopefully the rabbits foot still has some luck waiting to get out.
Upon landing in Chicago on Thursday there was a message waiting for me from my wife Kris. Seems the Camarillo fires were close enough to our home that the county started evacuations. Wonderful. Last year my father passes away on Day 3, and this year the house might burn down. Fortunately Kris is really good at handling stressful situations and took care of everything like a champ. Larry Callahan from Pro-Touring.com lives close to us. Knowing I was out of town he called and asked if she needed help. Seven other friends did the same thing. Without great friends and family doing the OLoA would be one heck of a lot more stressful.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/b21e66ec07994d81b9e947930fddaa30-1.jpg
While most people that travel might spend an evening at a show, seeing the sights, etc. the One Lap mandates something different. We've spent the last two hours studying the route maps and track guide that Brock Yates Jr.
handed out earlier today. We're glad we did as there are several major changes to some of the tracks that we had not planned on, so some adjustments must be made. Here's my co driver Jon, spending what's left of what could be called relaxation, studying the guide on the bed at the luxurious Super 8 hotel.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/cd9878f53abe4621a495edcd2844bfe2-1.jpg
Skidpad - Team HFC was in first place Vintage American wet skid pad until the OLC knocked us down by 0.001g. Yes, one thousandth of a "g". Our 0.75g was pretty good until the Original One Lap Camaro turned a 0.795 wet g.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/4d65b4180bf24b6381e22c285aa07b1c-1.jpg
We're on our way to Grissom AFB for an SCCA organized autocross. We're starting to call ourselves, just between us, the Clown Car. Nobody can believe we can fit as much stuff as we have in the Camaro. My wife wondered why I spent four weeks packing, repacking, working out of the car, etc.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/889f7a92a12140968ca3633638346ebd-1.jpghttps://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/8d591b4736334f308119942f5bcbb133-1.jpg
One of the real tests of an event like OLoA is what to do when something goes wrong. Note I avoided using "if" something goes wrong. If we can find an Autozone we have enough other "special" parts in our inventory to repair just about anything.
This is Jon's first time this far east so it's a double bonus for him. The Midwest this time of year is green and many flowers in bloom. The weathewr so far is cooperating but there's a 75% chance of rain tomorrow at Talladega. Keeping things dry, including ourselves, will not be fun.
So far everything is going according to plan. Plan your work, then work your plan.
(Images courtesy of TireRack.com (https://www.facebook.com/tirerack))
May 4, Grissom AFB to Talladega - Jon and I are deep into our first long transit stage, 602 miles, after finishing second in the Vintage American event at Grissom AFB. We're pleased so far with the car and the planning, but sometimes.... More on that in a few.
The HFC took 3rd in the Vintage American class wet skidpad event this morning. The Original One Lap Camaro driven by Mike Hickman and Damon Josz (23-time OLoA participants and seven time Vintage champions) took first overall with a 0.795g which placed them 8th overall, a fantastic result given the caliber of the cars. James Shipka and Mary Pozzi placed second, beating us by 0.003g. Yep, three thousandth's of a g. Wow.
The weather is a huge factor in an event like this. Rain or shine we take to track for our time trials. Today's events weather was perfect, but now heading into Talladega it is raining and cold.
One can do as much planning as possible before the event, but we still got a bit lost. Due to traffic signal changes we got separated from the group, and though we thought we followed the route map correctly, we missed our turn. It set us back 15 minutes but we're making good time and it helps that it's staying light out later.
Indiana must have an ordinance that taxes freeway billboard advertisements for anything besides fireworks and stripclubs. We counted 8/10 on one short stretch of highway. Unreal.
We just finished gassing up and getting a lovely dinner of beef jerkey and fresh bananas. James needed gas and this was the best they had to offer.
Welcome to the One Lap diet program. The HFC is knocking down 22mpg with close to 850lbs of humans and gear aboard.
We're 1/2-way done with Day 2 and unforunately your's truly had an off-track experience on T2 at Talladega Gran Prix. No damage done, but there will be mud on the bottom of the car for quite a while. We're hoping that my second run is better and that we made a few points back.
We're in-transit to Alabama Dragway for an ET and Bracket race. Rain is starting to fall so we may not be running.
It's a long week so we'll keep our heads up and try to pick our way back.
I'm working on photos but the electronics are not cooperating.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/d6c29609c2254e49bbaafc64e93cadd3-1.jpg
We just crossed the boarder into Mississippi and so far the Three Amigos and their steeds have been trouble free. In three hours and we'll be relaxing, a full four hours ahead of schedule.
It's 3:55pm local time just outside of Springville, AL and we are heading South on I20. Today we were dealt a double setback, one being of our own making, the other Mother Natures.
Last nights transit stage was a long one, about 610 miles, and that's after having done a 90 mile stage earlier in the day. Along the way James Shipka in OLC had to pull off due to a low voltage condition, but after a full check and a bit of diagnosis we think the car is fine. There may be a hiccup in the way his ISIS system controls the heater fan. No problem, power on.
A little while later we lost Jimi Day. At the previous fuel stop Jimi used three more gallons of fuel than the HFC, which is unusual since on earlier fill-ups we used almost the same amount of fuel. Now the car had no fuel pressure and the engine died. By the time James and I had turned around and found Jimi, he had "fixed" the engine bay fuel leak. It seems the AN6 to GM 3/8" adapter had come off of its plastic retaining clip. When this happened, the fuel pressure fell to zero and the engine lost power. Fortunately, Jimi's ECM shut down the fuel pump enable circuit. With this condition the amount of fuel pumped from the open line was minimized. Jimi was very, very lucky that there was not a serious underhood fire. The open fuel line was just over the valve covers and the headers were wrapped, hence able to soak up fuel. It's safety details like these that can mean the difference between loving your car and seeing it burn.
Jimi drove the car about a mile to the nearest gas station where we pulled a space AN6 fitting out of our spare parts kit. It is the newer Russell part that has a U-nut to hold the body of the fitting in place vs. the plastic clip. Since Jon and I had been preparing for such occurrences we knew exactly where the tools and parts were. 10 minutes later we were all on the road again.
The Super8 hotel in Munford, AL was booked full for the NASCAR race at Talladega. Fortunately we had made reservations many months ago, but $200/night is steep. It's better than having to drive an hour or more in the morning to try and find the track. It was much nicer than the old-sock smelling (WOW, some car almost ran us off the road!!!) South Bend Super8, and has giant NASCAR photos over the beds. It's NASCAR country......
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/d69fe7fb9c6d4a8790f3ed11d3fc9297-1.jpg
The weather forecast for Talladega when we looked last night was 80% chance of rain. We're prepared for that, but the rain held off and the HFC set out to run the qualifying round. At One Lap there is one recon lap, then three hot laps. I drove recon and first lap well, but came in a bit hot and early on T2 and the back end of the car started to come around. It was close, but in the end grass does not have as much traction, and the HFC did a very nice pirouette through the muddy swap. It also meant the car got stuck in the wet grass and mud, so I had the extra fun honor of having the red flag waved due to my running out of talent. Fortunately the newly installed tow strap worked just fine. Maybe it jinxed us too.
After the tow out of the bog the car got a good hosing to remove said terra firma, but no doubt it will be falling out of nooks and crannies from under the car for a while.
Brock Yates, The Man for OLoA, let me run the second session with a similar run group with Jimi Day and Damon Josz. I fared better but was hesitant at times. After this morning, discretion is the better part of valor.
All of us packed up and headed to Alabama Dragway to do an ET and Bracket eliminator round. Yesterday I was a bit hesitant to drag race. Like many other cars the HFC is not set up for it, but after this morning and the loss of points, I had hoped that we might gain some back with a good showing. Alas, Mother Nature spoiled our plans and it rained, so no drag racing this year.
We're having a great time just seeing the sights. It's such a beautiful part of the country to see, and doing it with friends and great cars makes it that much better. Yes, we want to do well, but we also want to enjoy the moment.
Our transit tonight is pretty easy, 408 miles, and with just over five hours to go we'll get a good nights sleep. Well, Jon might as I have dreams of what I should have in T2.
Stay tuned for tomorrows adventures at New Orleans Motorsports Park, and our longest single transit stage to Daytona Beach, FL, 649 miles.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/7afee7ed2dae4f758e00f558f6e953ef-1.jpg
Monday morning May 6 in Westwago, LA. After a, thankfully, uneventful transit stage last night we're headed to New Orleans Motorsports Park. The LS3 powered 1986 944 Porsche is competing in the Vintage Foreign class.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/adfd7deee10d457e8aa72b23858f1d64-1.jpg
Today the Haynie family came out to watch the OLoA events at NOLA. They were definitely the best dressed folks there sporting their new Vintage American t-shirts. It was great to have Bill, Kathy, and Caleb come out and put names to faces. We were able to give them parade lap rides during the lunch break too. Thank you so much for coming out and cheering us on, and thanks to Kyle Tucker for playing photographer.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/1529401fa0464016896baace178a5837-1.jpg
NOLA! What an awesome place. It's not even two years old but it's a fantastic place to have a track day. It's a good thing I don't live closer or I'd visit far to often.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/7af31e01e6f24f6caeb626b87d8ad479-1.jpg
Images Courtesy of NOLA Motorsports (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nolamotorsports/sets/72157633435046068/)
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/b643944700344807b54b8d29b29be027-1.jpg
Day three of competiton events are over and we're on the 650 mile transit leg to Daytona Beach. The HFC is fourth in class and running well. It was great to have the Haynie's family come out to see us today. Having others that we have never met extend their friendship and offers of assistance reminds us of just how great a world we live in.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/a3770aed991c4de2915f1a0b48cda55e-1.jpg
East Bound and Down on I10. Who wants to bet if Mary Pozzi is faster than a Redneck? It's going to be a battle of the racing trailers with Kyle and Mary hammering it out.....
A special thanks goes out to Carl's sponsors who helped make his journey possible:
Vintage Wheel Works (http://www.vintagewheelworks.com)
L.A. Prep Transport (http://bit.ly/13QPaAf)
First let's start with a little background on Carl and his motivation to finish this year's race:
N8QuEZP4Ras
Here is Carl dropping off the Honor Flight Camaro at L.A. Prep (http://bit.ly/13QPaAf) for transport out to Indiana.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/f511fdcb24da402c9c073d3e13c68a08-1.jpg
Image Courtesy of: LA Prep Transport (https://www.facebook.com/LAPrepTransport)
What follows are the unedited emails, Facebook posts, text messages, and transcribed voicemails from Carl:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/61965c57264e408aad88b7b1d437ff37-1.jpg
The car is on the way to Illinois but preparations continue on the human side as Jon and I try and absorb as much track information as possible. On the superstitious side of things, I'm taking along Dad's lucky rabbits foot that he carried while overseas in WWII, and his 3rd Infantry Division patch. Hopefully the rabbits foot still has some luck waiting to get out.
Upon landing in Chicago on Thursday there was a message waiting for me from my wife Kris. Seems the Camarillo fires were close enough to our home that the county started evacuations. Wonderful. Last year my father passes away on Day 3, and this year the house might burn down. Fortunately Kris is really good at handling stressful situations and took care of everything like a champ. Larry Callahan from Pro-Touring.com lives close to us. Knowing I was out of town he called and asked if she needed help. Seven other friends did the same thing. Without great friends and family doing the OLoA would be one heck of a lot more stressful.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/b21e66ec07994d81b9e947930fddaa30-1.jpg
While most people that travel might spend an evening at a show, seeing the sights, etc. the One Lap mandates something different. We've spent the last two hours studying the route maps and track guide that Brock Yates Jr.
handed out earlier today. We're glad we did as there are several major changes to some of the tracks that we had not planned on, so some adjustments must be made. Here's my co driver Jon, spending what's left of what could be called relaxation, studying the guide on the bed at the luxurious Super 8 hotel.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/cd9878f53abe4621a495edcd2844bfe2-1.jpg
Skidpad - Team HFC was in first place Vintage American wet skid pad until the OLC knocked us down by 0.001g. Yes, one thousandth of a "g". Our 0.75g was pretty good until the Original One Lap Camaro turned a 0.795 wet g.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/4d65b4180bf24b6381e22c285aa07b1c-1.jpg
We're on our way to Grissom AFB for an SCCA organized autocross. We're starting to call ourselves, just between us, the Clown Car. Nobody can believe we can fit as much stuff as we have in the Camaro. My wife wondered why I spent four weeks packing, repacking, working out of the car, etc.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/889f7a92a12140968ca3633638346ebd-1.jpghttps://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/8d591b4736334f308119942f5bcbb133-1.jpg
One of the real tests of an event like OLoA is what to do when something goes wrong. Note I avoided using "if" something goes wrong. If we can find an Autozone we have enough other "special" parts in our inventory to repair just about anything.
This is Jon's first time this far east so it's a double bonus for him. The Midwest this time of year is green and many flowers in bloom. The weathewr so far is cooperating but there's a 75% chance of rain tomorrow at Talladega. Keeping things dry, including ourselves, will not be fun.
So far everything is going according to plan. Plan your work, then work your plan.
(Images courtesy of TireRack.com (https://www.facebook.com/tirerack))
May 4, Grissom AFB to Talladega - Jon and I are deep into our first long transit stage, 602 miles, after finishing second in the Vintage American event at Grissom AFB. We're pleased so far with the car and the planning, but sometimes.... More on that in a few.
The HFC took 3rd in the Vintage American class wet skidpad event this morning. The Original One Lap Camaro driven by Mike Hickman and Damon Josz (23-time OLoA participants and seven time Vintage champions) took first overall with a 0.795g which placed them 8th overall, a fantastic result given the caliber of the cars. James Shipka and Mary Pozzi placed second, beating us by 0.003g. Yep, three thousandth's of a g. Wow.
The weather is a huge factor in an event like this. Rain or shine we take to track for our time trials. Today's events weather was perfect, but now heading into Talladega it is raining and cold.
One can do as much planning as possible before the event, but we still got a bit lost. Due to traffic signal changes we got separated from the group, and though we thought we followed the route map correctly, we missed our turn. It set us back 15 minutes but we're making good time and it helps that it's staying light out later.
Indiana must have an ordinance that taxes freeway billboard advertisements for anything besides fireworks and stripclubs. We counted 8/10 on one short stretch of highway. Unreal.
We just finished gassing up and getting a lovely dinner of beef jerkey and fresh bananas. James needed gas and this was the best they had to offer.
Welcome to the One Lap diet program. The HFC is knocking down 22mpg with close to 850lbs of humans and gear aboard.
We're 1/2-way done with Day 2 and unforunately your's truly had an off-track experience on T2 at Talladega Gran Prix. No damage done, but there will be mud on the bottom of the car for quite a while. We're hoping that my second run is better and that we made a few points back.
We're in-transit to Alabama Dragway for an ET and Bracket race. Rain is starting to fall so we may not be running.
It's a long week so we'll keep our heads up and try to pick our way back.
I'm working on photos but the electronics are not cooperating.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/d6c29609c2254e49bbaafc64e93cadd3-1.jpg
We just crossed the boarder into Mississippi and so far the Three Amigos and their steeds have been trouble free. In three hours and we'll be relaxing, a full four hours ahead of schedule.
It's 3:55pm local time just outside of Springville, AL and we are heading South on I20. Today we were dealt a double setback, one being of our own making, the other Mother Natures.
Last nights transit stage was a long one, about 610 miles, and that's after having done a 90 mile stage earlier in the day. Along the way James Shipka in OLC had to pull off due to a low voltage condition, but after a full check and a bit of diagnosis we think the car is fine. There may be a hiccup in the way his ISIS system controls the heater fan. No problem, power on.
A little while later we lost Jimi Day. At the previous fuel stop Jimi used three more gallons of fuel than the HFC, which is unusual since on earlier fill-ups we used almost the same amount of fuel. Now the car had no fuel pressure and the engine died. By the time James and I had turned around and found Jimi, he had "fixed" the engine bay fuel leak. It seems the AN6 to GM 3/8" adapter had come off of its plastic retaining clip. When this happened, the fuel pressure fell to zero and the engine lost power. Fortunately, Jimi's ECM shut down the fuel pump enable circuit. With this condition the amount of fuel pumped from the open line was minimized. Jimi was very, very lucky that there was not a serious underhood fire. The open fuel line was just over the valve covers and the headers were wrapped, hence able to soak up fuel. It's safety details like these that can mean the difference between loving your car and seeing it burn.
Jimi drove the car about a mile to the nearest gas station where we pulled a space AN6 fitting out of our spare parts kit. It is the newer Russell part that has a U-nut to hold the body of the fitting in place vs. the plastic clip. Since Jon and I had been preparing for such occurrences we knew exactly where the tools and parts were. 10 minutes later we were all on the road again.
The Super8 hotel in Munford, AL was booked full for the NASCAR race at Talladega. Fortunately we had made reservations many months ago, but $200/night is steep. It's better than having to drive an hour or more in the morning to try and find the track. It was much nicer than the old-sock smelling (WOW, some car almost ran us off the road!!!) South Bend Super8, and has giant NASCAR photos over the beds. It's NASCAR country......
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/d69fe7fb9c6d4a8790f3ed11d3fc9297-1.jpg
The weather forecast for Talladega when we looked last night was 80% chance of rain. We're prepared for that, but the rain held off and the HFC set out to run the qualifying round. At One Lap there is one recon lap, then three hot laps. I drove recon and first lap well, but came in a bit hot and early on T2 and the back end of the car started to come around. It was close, but in the end grass does not have as much traction, and the HFC did a very nice pirouette through the muddy swap. It also meant the car got stuck in the wet grass and mud, so I had the extra fun honor of having the red flag waved due to my running out of talent. Fortunately the newly installed tow strap worked just fine. Maybe it jinxed us too.
After the tow out of the bog the car got a good hosing to remove said terra firma, but no doubt it will be falling out of nooks and crannies from under the car for a while.
Brock Yates, The Man for OLoA, let me run the second session with a similar run group with Jimi Day and Damon Josz. I fared better but was hesitant at times. After this morning, discretion is the better part of valor.
All of us packed up and headed to Alabama Dragway to do an ET and Bracket eliminator round. Yesterday I was a bit hesitant to drag race. Like many other cars the HFC is not set up for it, but after this morning and the loss of points, I had hoped that we might gain some back with a good showing. Alas, Mother Nature spoiled our plans and it rained, so no drag racing this year.
We're having a great time just seeing the sights. It's such a beautiful part of the country to see, and doing it with friends and great cars makes it that much better. Yes, we want to do well, but we also want to enjoy the moment.
Our transit tonight is pretty easy, 408 miles, and with just over five hours to go we'll get a good nights sleep. Well, Jon might as I have dreams of what I should have in T2.
Stay tuned for tomorrows adventures at New Orleans Motorsports Park, and our longest single transit stage to Daytona Beach, FL, 649 miles.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/7afee7ed2dae4f758e00f558f6e953ef-1.jpg
Monday morning May 6 in Westwago, LA. After a, thankfully, uneventful transit stage last night we're headed to New Orleans Motorsports Park. The LS3 powered 1986 944 Porsche is competing in the Vintage Foreign class.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/adfd7deee10d457e8aa72b23858f1d64-1.jpg
Today the Haynie family came out to watch the OLoA events at NOLA. They were definitely the best dressed folks there sporting their new Vintage American t-shirts. It was great to have Bill, Kathy, and Caleb come out and put names to faces. We were able to give them parade lap rides during the lunch break too. Thank you so much for coming out and cheering us on, and thanks to Kyle Tucker for playing photographer.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/1529401fa0464016896baace178a5837-1.jpg
NOLA! What an awesome place. It's not even two years old but it's a fantastic place to have a track day. It's a good thing I don't live closer or I'd visit far to often.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/7af31e01e6f24f6caeb626b87d8ad479-1.jpg
Images Courtesy of NOLA Motorsports (http://www.flickr.com/photos/nolamotorsports/sets/72157633435046068/)
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/b643944700344807b54b8d29b29be027-1.jpg
Day three of competiton events are over and we're on the 650 mile transit leg to Daytona Beach. The HFC is fourth in class and running well. It was great to have the Haynie's family come out to see us today. Having others that we have never met extend their friendship and offers of assistance reminds us of just how great a world we live in.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/05/a3770aed991c4de2915f1a0b48cda55e-1.jpg
East Bound and Down on I10. Who wants to bet if Mary Pozzi is faster than a Redneck? It's going to be a battle of the racing trailers with Kyle and Mary hammering it out.....