Racing has returned to Ohio. As I sit here and write this it feels like Winter outside, but the grass is green and the buds are on the trees. Kryderacing has already been to Nelson Ledges Road Course twice this month and we plan on doing some testing there next weekend. We also have activities planned for Mid-Ohio, Road America, and Michigan Speedway during the course of the next month. The trips to Florida during the Winter were great but it’s always nice to attend tracks closer to home. But, our most exciting news doesn’t even concern a racetrack.

 

www.kryderacing.com

That’s right. Kryderacing is on the WEB. We have targeted the end of April to be up and running. As I write this we are slightly ahead of schedule. The site may be a little "crude" for a while, but we felt is was important to have it available ASAP. We will be updating and changing things as time passes and would appreciate any inputs from outside users, i.e.. you. The site will include a homepage with connections to areas covering Kryderacing News and Newsletter, the Kryderacing Championship Series at Nelson Ledges, Kryderacing History, Kryderacing Services & Products, and a "Garage Sale" area for not only ourselves but our clients.

 

SEBRING AMLS

After a dozen years of competition in the 12 Hours of Sebring, Kryderacing did not compete in the 1999 edition. The Sebring race had always been one of Reed’s favorites. The atmosphere alone made the trip worthwhile. The history of the event could be felt by all who participated. It was unlike any other race in the country. Kryderacing never finished higher than third at Sebring, but it is one of our most prized accomplishments.

Reed and Sandi did attend the race. The weather was fantastic and the race itself will be recorded as one of the best ever. The new Prototype cars from BMW and Audi were significantly more advanced than the previous designs from Ferrari and R&S. With Lola and a couple of other manufacturers also competing there was no shortage of variety. Following the first round of pit stops it was apparent the BMW’s were not only the fastest, but the most economical when it came to fuel usage. It appeared they would need only two stops for every three for the competition. It was only a short time later when they had the entire field lapped. Barring driver mistakes or mechanical failures, the BMW’s were going to post one of the largest margins of victory in the history of the event. But 12 hours is a long time and strange things tend to happen. In the end, the lone remaining BMW beat a R&S by the smallest margin of victory ever recorded at Sebring.

 

We visited with many old friends and were impressed by the extremely positive feelings most of them expressed for Professional Sports Car Racing. These people believe in a bright future for the organization. This was a major mood swing from last year when everyone was mainly concerned with survival. There are still a few people who like to put things in a "PSCR vs. USRRC" context, but most people were more concerned with talking about positive happenings then bad mouthing someone else. It was a good atmosphere.

 

While at Sebring we hung out with one of our frequent co-drivers, Frank DelVecchio. Frank was driving in the Motorola Cup with Ed Magner. Their Oldsmobile Achieva finished second in the Compact class. Frank and Ed won last year a couple of times and it looks like they will be very competitive again in 1999.

 

99th and 100th

Kryderacing will be returning to Mid-Ohio in a professional race this year. We have been there a lot over the past several years doing SCCA Regionals and Nationals with various rental vehicles. We have also attended the runoffs both for clients and for our own enjoyment. For many years we were there monthly helping at TrackTime Performance Driving Schools. But is was 1993 when Reed last raced on the scenic track. 1993 was also the last year IMSA ran at Mid-Ohio. USRRC returned last year, but by the time the date was announced we had a prior commitment. We will definitely be there this year on the first weekend in June for the two-hour USRRC race. Steve Ahlgrim will be co-driving.

 

We did discover something interesting while putting together some material for the Mid-Ohio program. Depending on whether Reed drives at Lime Rock, Mid-Ohio will be Reed’s 99th or 100th professional race. The Lime Rock event on Memorial weekend is a possibility and it would make Mid-Ohio #100. We haven’t decided yet how we are going to celebrate, but it promises to be a memorable weekend.

 

NELSON LEDGES CAR CLUB DAYZ

Nelson Ledges opened up its 1999 season with three days of practice. These Car Club Dayz are great because they allow a wide variety of cars and talent to get some track time at a minimum of cost. There are a few special "rules of the road" and split sessions designed to improve safety. Newcomers receive some instruction and helpful advice. Experienced drivers have found this a very good way to test their cars or hone their driving skills. Reed and Sandi attended partially to ready the Kryderacing store for the new season and to determine whether we should have the store and/or fuel pumps open for these events. While there Reed also prepared the Infiniti Pace Cars and checked out the new Goodyear Eagle F1 tires on the Q45 pace car. "They felt super." He also had a opportunity to drive a couple of cars belonging to other participants. Bill Moore’s Datsun Z brought back some long forgotten memories. While Reed has driven many Datsun/Nissan products during his driving career, it has probably been 20 years since he drove one that had the original style suspension design. What was amazing was how quickly the memories of correct cornering lines for these cars returned. He also had the opportunity to coach a couple of newcomers and later took one gentlemen for a ride/track inspection. Seems he had a vintage car he wanted to drive at the Nelson Ledges, but had been hesitant because of the reports of a very rough surface. Having experienced it for himself he has plans of bringing his MG out in the very near future. These Car Club Dayz occur throughout the year and we plan on attending several more. Log on to www.fastone.com to get an up-to-date schedule of all Nelson Ledges activity.

 

SCCA DRIVER’S SCHOOL

The first SCCA event of the year at Nelson was the Quad Region’s Drivers School. Holding an event the second weekend in April led to worries about the weather. It was cold and wet, but not for the entire weekend. Most sessions were run on dry pavement. The schools at Nelson have always featured some of the best instruction anywhere and this one was no exception.

 

Jerrod Martin, an employee of Kryderacing was attending his first school and was doing very good until his engine developed some extra ventilation. We had the Kryderacing prepped Nissan 240SX at the track for its annual tech inspection for Showroom Stock B racing. Jerrod was able to adapt to another car and completed his school, finishing first in class and fourth overall in his race. The Nissan is a competitive car and is already reserved for five additional events in 1999.

 

KRYDERACING REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES

After 16 years of putting on this series you might think we are getting tired of doing it. You would be wrong. The recent improvements at Nelson Ledges created a big increase in series activity last year and we expect 1999 to set several records. Information and the schedule will be part of the www.kryderacing.com website. We also plan on posting current points standings shortly after each race weekend. The new T-shirts will be available prior to the first of our nine events (May 15th).

 

SHOP ACTIVITIES

We are really excited about several client projects we have been working on during the past winter. This has been the busiest off-season we have ever experienced and most of these cars will be hitting the race tracks within the next month or two.

• A Formula Vee visited for some frame repair and stiffening. Kryderacing crewman Donny Huberty handled most of the work and then helped install the engine. It was funny having this car at the shop since it is so much smaller than most of the vehicles normally found there. It was easy to constantly move it around as space needs changed.

• Russ Wilson’s ZR-1 Corvette is getting a front brake rebuild and some other checks. Russ has been very busy over the past year and 1999 looks like more of the same. He will miss the 1 Lap of America again and most of the TrackTime schools, but not all of them.

• Sam and Ginger Haldiman dropped off their ZR-1 for some suspension work. Nothing major was changed, but after hundreds of hours of "mostly on-track" driving by the two of them it was time for a thorough inspection and replacement of bushing, bearings, etc.

• The Lavallee Corvette is currently waiting for pickup. It has new Simpson Safety Equipment harness systems, a camera mount, "Hot Lap" timer, K&N air filter, and several other additions. We are also working with Ron on some data acquisition ideas.

• A more extensive Corvette modification is going on with John Benders ZR-1. Coil-over conversion, cooling system swap, and brake upgrades are all in progress. This car should be awesome when it leaves the shop in about two weeks.

• Not all of our project cars are Corvettes. One of the biggest rebuilds during the winter months was the conversion of a Nissan NX2000 from Showroom Stock to Improved Touring. Everything but the drivetrain has been completed. The body has just finished a visit to the body shop for some new paint. Plans are for a track test this Friday and then we will install the upgraded drivetrain. Everyone is excited since we don’t really know how much improvement we have made. Bill Pintaric and his car were winners in Showroom Stock B, but the car seems misplaced in the ITS class. It probably would do better in ITA. But we all like challenges.

• There have been others stopping by the shop over the Winter. We have a Laser (suspension revisions) and Camaro (various items) due in as soon as we have room.

Other Kryderacing assisted cars are also are getting ready for the season:

• Gary Martz’s E-Production Mazda RX-7 should be repaired very soon and headed back to National Competition. Gary was one of the fastest cars at last Fall’s SCCA run-offs but never got a chance to show it when he was caught up in someone else’s accident on the first lap.

• Bill Moore’s Datsun Z has received lots of attention during the Winter. Bill has improved many areas of the car. After Reed drove it at Nelson he had only one minor handling criticism. He also suggested Bill revise his harness geometry to prevent potential damage to Bill’s back. Bill is now installing a Coleman seat with better positioned holes for the harness straps. Bill should be a front-runner in the ITS class this year.

• Dave Deen’s Mazda RX-7 is for sale, but it isn’t sitting idle. Hunter Mulford will be taking the car to Pocono for his second SCCA Driver’s School. Expect to see Dave back in his car or something else during the year. Meanwhile he is receiving training in something larger. Dave is a pilot for U.S. Airways and will soon be ok’d to fly the larger versions of 737’s.

• Dave Martin’s awesome Mustang was rumored to be coming to the ITE class at SCCA events this year but latest word has Dave planning on various TrackTime events. We plan on doing more handling work with Dave’s car at these events.

• Matt Miller should have his ITE racer ready for the first Regional at Nelson Ledges.

• Jerrod Martin is getting his car back together and hopes to make the Driver School at Pocono in May.