[SuperCricket]

After 9 months of preparation my navigator and I were finally ready to drive to West Texas this week for BBORR 2006. It was to be my first open road race and I was really excited. Two good friends wanted to come along to help, so we turned my 1977 Grumman Stepvan into a makeshift RV for the week. We put a mini-fridge, television, Xbox, home sound system, etc. into the van, along with every tool from my shop and tons of spares for the racecar and van itself.

http://teejaded.com/v-web/gallery/BBORR2006/STA70001

We all loaded up Wednesday and drove to the truckstop for fuel. We drove the rig up onto the scales and paid the $8.50 to find out how much everything in that picture above weighed. 13,200 pounds with the 4 of us in the van, HOLY CRAP.

As soon as we got onto the highway a cold front came through, and we fought storms through the night. I soon found out the top speed for the rig was around 65 mph and we were averaging 8 miles per gallon in the semi-flat land around Fort Worth and West of it. After our first fueling I noticed the oil pressure dropping, and pulled off the road for a checkup. The oil wasn't touching the dipstick, and it took 3 quarts to get it back to normal. We had only gone 90 of the 500 miles...

The sun was rising and we were way behind due to pit stops and the horrible storms. We had to pull off the road for over an hour for hail and bad rain earlier in the night. We finally made it onto highway 285, the road BBORR is held on. The van wasn't liking 3000 ft altitude and the huge hills, and I under estimated our gas needs. We ran out of fuel 6.6 miles from Sanderson and had 30 minutes to make it for our rookie school. We tried to flag down racers and random people for 30 minutes to no avail. We stood on the side of the road with a big red fuel jug next to us, and wathed handfulls of Vette drivers and other racers just wave as they went past.

I unloaded the racecar, I knew it only had a gallon it in to get it onto the trailer, but it was enough for me to light-foot it into Sanderson. We filled up the fuel jug and booked ass back to the van. Allthough the racecar isn't insured, there was no other option. We arrived at the courhouse and saw the rookies coming out, the class had just ended 5 minutes prior...

We went to the registration desk, and the lady Kenda that runs the race said even though we missed the school she had two guys who could get us caught up on what we needed to know. So it was off to tech the car in.

I drove the car off the trailer and into the tech line. The tech guy was just about done going through the car, everything was perfect until he said, "you don't have any windows?" Oh Lord I thought. "No I don't have windows, the rules say nothing about it, is this a problem?"

The tech guy called the race director who said he was afraid the back window on the Camaro might blow out due to air pressure since I had no windows. I proposed a number of options, including removal of the entire hatch, using tow straps to hold the back window in, and even smashing the entire glass out right in the parking lot. The tech guy said removing the hatch should work, and I was fine with that; he walked off for a minute.

He came back saying the race director said even if we remove the glass, we would now need window nets. I asked why the Shelby Cobra replica with no roof or windows was allowed to run, or the handfull of other convertibles, and he had no response. He called the race director again and said "without window nets, you can't run, no exceptions." I asked why there was no mention of this in the rulebook and the tech guy said "it's just assumed all of these cars have windows, most are street cars." Oh my God. After 2 hours of bickering with the director we had run out of time, loaded up the racecar, and headed out of Sanderson.

We started back through the hills on 285, and found our miles per gallon to be 4.4 for those 60 miles. It took a little over $500 in fuel to get us from Fort Worth and back, and 28 quarts of oil. Yes I said 28.

We saw some dragstrip in Odessa at around 6pm Friday, and decided we needed to do something with the racecar. The owner greeted us at the gate, we told him our story, and he invited us in. We had fun taking turns trying to launch the racecar on 315 Kumho Victoracers (which don't hook worth a flip at the track), and enjoyed the laid back atmosphere.

It's really odd I felt more at home in the middle of the desert with a bunch of redneck drag racers than in Big Bend. We sat on the roof of the step van and drank the last of our beer, and headed back to Fort Worth.

So I spent a couple thousand dollars and dipped into my savings to run an 1/8th mile dragstrip in West Texas. I just wish the BBORR guys would elaborate their short rulebook a litte more to include things like this.

So uh watch those back windows folks. And if you are going above 120 mph make sure you don't roll your windows down...

This post has been edited by SuperCricket: Apr 23 2006, 01:47 AM

[98_1LE]

Mike Borders, very generous offer.

[NataSS Inc]

Hey Mike nice of you to drop by.

I know mike personally and he is a hell of a stand up guy. Supercricket, tell your wife........um, well, just load the car up and go. You wont see an offer come by like this again. Mike made a similar offer to me a while ago. I would have been a fool to pass it up. He still owes me an entry and I do plan on using it unless the soon to be ex wifes attorneys force me to sell the race car.

Mike is a die hard ORR guy. When he says he loves the sport, thats an understatement. He busts his ass for this sport and trying to reach the masses with it. Not only that but he has one freaking fast machine. Check out the main page of www.openroadracing.com and click on the "racing to the speed trap" movie. Thats incar of his cup car at over 200mph.

Once again cricket, I implore you to try and make it to an MKM event, especially with the offer on the table from Mike.

[slow67]

Hey Mike nice of you to drop by.

I know mike personally and he is a hell of a stand up guy. Supercricket, tell your wife........um, well, just load the car up and go. You wont see an offer come by like this again. Mike made a similar offer to me a while ago. I would have been a fool to pass it up. He still owes me an entry and I do plan on using it unless the soon to be ex wifes attorneys force me to sell the race car.

Mike is a die hard ORR guy. When he says he loves the sport, thats an understatement. He busts his ass for this sport and trying to reach the masses with it. Not only that but he has one freaking fast machine. Check out the main page of www.openroadracing.com and click on the "racing to the speed trap" movie. Thats incar of his cup car at over 200mph.

Once again cricket, I implore you to try and make it to an MKM event, especially with the offer on the table from Mike.

Im not sure who posted about not being able to go, but that wasn't supercricket (hes not married). I am crick's navigator, and made the journey with him, but I think we will try and attend the bonneville 100. Our only problem at the moment, is that it would cost over $1000 each direction in fuel alone if we take the van.

[mitchntx]

I think we will try and attend the bonneville 100. Our only problem at the moment, is that it would cost over $1000 each direction in fuel alone if we take the van.

Think of it this way ...

$900 a month for 72 months for a new Duramax plus fuel or $2000 for fuel once a year?

Grow your hair really long, paint a peace sign on the side and pretend it's the 60s ....

[Cal]

unless the soon to be ex wifes attorneys force me to sell the race car.

Damn Boyce, too much of that going around lately. My wife just moved out on me. I'm sure divorce is just around the corner.

[AndyJ]

unless the soon to be ex wifes attorneys force me to sell the race car.

Damn Boyce, too much of that going around lately. My wife just moved out on me. I'm sure divorce is just around the corner.

Aw hell,

Let 'em go. The bitch free zone that comes after is nirvana.

[NataSS Inc]

Not trying to get off topic here

Nirvana......I think not. Especially when she is going after everything I have and there are 2 very small children involved. In the past 2 months she has rung up 15K in credit card debt and is trying to stick me with the bill. She is also trying to force me into selling the race car. This all came out of nowhere. NO ONE saw it coming. I could go on forever about the crazy shit thats been going on and how the brand new home I just had built, I am being forced to sell and a bunch of other fun stuff but I wont.

This is why I havent been around much lately.

[Cal]

Not trying to get off topic here

Nirvana......I think not. Especially when she is going after everything I have and there are 2 very small children involved. In the past 2 months she has rung up 15K in credit card debt and is trying to stick me with the bill. She is also trying to force me into selling the race car. This all came out of nowhere. NO ONE saw it coming. I could go on forever about the crazy shit thats been going on and how the brand new home I just had built, I am being forced to sell and a bunch of other fun stuff but I wont.

This is why I havent been around much lately.

[thread high-jack on]

I feel your pain, man. Mine isn't quite that bad, but came out of nowhere as well. If someone just wants to get out of a marriage for some random reason, fine, but why the hell do they have to take your stuff with them, and why do our laws support this?

Quote of the day: "To get a woman, you just take a man and remove all logic and accountability." (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/nutkick.gif)

[/thread high-jack off]

This post has been edited by Cal: Apr 26 2006, 08:11 PM

[nape]

Not trying to get off topic here

Nirvana......I think not. Especially when she is going after everything I have and there are 2 very small children involved. In the past 2 months she has rung up 15K in credit card debt and is trying to stick me with the bill. She is also trying to force me into selling the race car. This all came out of nowhere. NO ONE saw it coming. I could go on forever about the crazy shit thats been going on and how the brand new home I just had built, I am being forced to sell and a bunch of other fun stuff but I wont.

This is why I havent been around much lately.

Sorry to hear that. Any chance it was a post-pardom [sp?] mindset change? A guy I work with is going through the big D right now and she went nuts after she had their son.

Anyway, sell the car to "someone you don't know" for $1 so she gets off your back, then tell her you'll be glad to split the money with her (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/rotf.gif)

[trackbird]

This may be a new frrax record for going O/T..... (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

That really sucks for both of you guys. It seems that anything that ends, ends badly. I hope you both get it worked out (at least better than it seems to be going so far).

[Cal]

Thanks Kevin. I guess I shouldn't complain, could be a lot worse. All my wife is taking is half of my home equity and half of my heart. We didn't share any children. We have our own cars. She isn't even mad at me; says I'm a great husband - for somebody else maybe, just not her. Big problems is I don't share her faith.

[bsim]

Mebbe change the title to Big Bend Over?

[NataSS Inc]

Not trying to get off topic here

Nirvana......I think not. Especially when she is going after everything I have and there are 2 very small children involved. In the past 2 months she has rung up 15K in credit card debt and is trying to stick me with the bill. She is also trying to force me into selling the race car. This all came out of nowhere. NO ONE saw it coming. I could go on forever about the crazy shit thats been going on and how the brand new home I just had built, I am being forced to sell and a bunch of other fun stuff but I wont.

This is why I havent been around much lately.

Sorry to hear that. Any chance it was a post-pardom [sp?] mindset change? A guy I work with is going through the big D right now and she went nuts after she had their son.

Anyway, sell the car to "someone you don't know" for $1 so she gets off your back, then tell her you'll be glad to split the money with her (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/rotf.gif)

Well, she is finding out today that she has to have an IME (Independant medical evaluation). She took herself off of her meds that she was on for 4 1/2 years due to post partum from the first child. Thats when all this shit happened. Once she got off her meds she started doing some really off the wall shit. Stuff that she would have never normally said or done. She went from "I love being a mom and raising kids" to "I no longer want to be a home maker, I want to further my career in the fitness industry". Some of the stuff she has done has REALLY left me scratching my head. And of course she thinks she is fine. But after a 6 page declaration to a head shrinker, he says "WOAH! She needs to get checked out". He used alot of REALLY expensive college words in his report to the court. She gets notified of that today. So it will pretty much be armeggedon in the house (oh yeah, we still live in the same house an share the same bed........talk about a pressure cooker).

[trackbird]

Boyce.... Lock up the firearms and hide the ammunition. Just trust me on this one brother. Be careful.

[NataSS Inc]

Boyce.... Lock up the firearms and hide the ammunition. Just trust me on this one brother. Be careful.

LOL, my attorney said I should find a friend that has a bullet proof vest once she finds out about the IME.

[Cal]

Mebbe change the title to Big Bend Over?

I just settled with my wife today for a mere $31,000 (her half of the home equity.) I do feel somewhat "bent over" but hey, it could have been worse. Now to find a nice gear head woman to replace her with!