Paul’s pretty swamped at work this week, so I’m taking over recapping duties. It makes me feel like I’m finally putting that Creative Writing degree to good use! Anyway, the appropriately-named Sizzler did not disappoint, and was chock-full of surprises, on and off the course.
Six weeks after the last CBE event, Paul and I were anxious to get into town and see everyone again. Paul took a red-eye back from Portland, OR, where he’d been attending some sort of computer-geek conference all week, and we made it up to LaVale in the early evening. Our usual hotel had inexplicably raised its rates for the weekend, so on the advice of the Morans, we booked a room at the colorful and kitschy Slumberland Inn. We had no idea what we were in for… But you all know the tale of “LareBear and the Cub” by now, so we’ll move on.
Saturday morning dawned hot and steamy, and it was easy to believe we’d hit the predicted triple-digit temperatures. The Team Zip-Tie crew gathered in the paddock, with a couple of notable exceptions. Patrick made it up from North Carolina for what would have been his first event of the year, but his 2010 debut was derailed by an incident with a spare tire. So unfortunately, both Geraghtys were forced to scratch in order to repair the E30 in time for Patrick’s return trip home.
CACC’s resident scribe Ben was also missing this weekend, so sadly, we can’t rely on his course descriptions. Saturday’s course wasn’t heavy on the technical elements, aside from an evilly tight S-turn at the start of the course. But the talk of the course walk was the decreased number of cones lining our way. This exciting development allowed drivers more options in choosing a line.
The weekend saw Mustang Boy whoring around (don’t tell his new girlfriend!) in other people’s cars. First up was Larry Casey’s Cobra. Halfway through his first run in the first heat, mechanical problems forced Mustang Boy and Larry to run off to Doug’s garage, where they were luckily able to get the car back together in time for Larry’s scheduled appearance in the third heat. Feeling charitable after his XP class win, Larry gave Mustang Boy another crack at the car in the fourth heat, where young Joseph did his best to give Larry a heart attack, doing a bit of off-roading, landing right in front of the car’s owner. Also in on the car-swapping this weekend was Rich, who on Saturday borrowed Steve Hotchkiss’s STS Miata, and wound up 31st in PAX.
Rob continued his reign of terror, finishing Saturday 8th in PAX, and by the end of the weekend would take over the top spot in the race for the Team Zip-Tie Cup. Mustang Boy and Paul rounded out the top 20 with finishes at 14 and 20, respectively. Thomas and I were unable to close the gap between us and Paul in FSP, and my penchant for cone-smashing prevented me from catching Thomas.
After the picnic (where the smartest among us took refuge in Doc’s air-conditioned garage), Paul and I retreated to Henny’s, where we did our best to sabotage Rob with alcohol poisoning. Larry and Paul took over drink-ordering duties for Rob, and even our waitress Autumn got in on the act, ordering him an “Irish Trash Can.” We were also joined by Andy Thomas, there to ruin everyone’s FSP chances. After a late-night Denny’s run, Paul and I retired to the Slumberland, with our new roommate Andy in tow. And yes, the evening was little person free.
Sunday started off just as hot, but with the added bonus of the threat of storms. The CBE powers that be wisely condensed the day into three heats, in order to speed things along before the rain came. Despite our best efforts, Rob showed up—though he must have still been drunk, because he let Mustang Boy have the keys to the RX8. Rich was back in his own car, but returned the favor and offered Steve Hotchkiss a co-drive. Doug was a two-day (albeit uncontested) class winner in DSP, and even with a hangover, Rob managed to edge out Mustang Boy for the C-Stock win. Andy and Paul battled it out for FSP dominance, while Thomas and I fought for FSP mediocrity. When the dust had settled, Andy took the class win by a mere 0.2, and Thomas edged me out by 0.3. Bad day for the Przy-Whiney ti.
As it turned out, we finished the day in the nick of time, with dark skies gathering during the last couple runs of the day, and Paul and I changed tires and got the hell out of dodge just as the first drops were falling. Despite the insane heat, it was a great weekend, and thankfully, this time we only have to wait three weeks until the next autocross!
P.S. On another exciting note, Team Zip-Tie will be representing this year at SCCA Nationals! Rob and Andy will be taking a road trip out to Lincoln this September and co-driving the RX8 in C-Stock. Our newest pledges will be testing their skills against the best drivers in the country!
Well, well, well… guess who gets to do the writeups for the rest of the year… I dub the, “Lady Ben”… or is that “Lady Boner”?
Great writeup Kate!
Props to the Scribbette! Great right up!
I got to say the ride in the Hotchkiss Miata was a lot of fun. The car is very tight just a bit shy on horsepower. It would get into the power band just as you had to make the 2nd left hander. Of course Hotchkiss beat me both days by a half second each, so no excuses other than I ain’t as good as I once was.
Nice write up Kate… I miss that guy with the mini who talks like the GEICO Gekko…