On. Track.

Two races today at LRP.

The rain held off and we dealt high humidity but a glare free driving experience under a gray sweep of a sky.

I qualified at 1:12 and change.

Both races today had me consistently running in the mid 1:10s. I was super happy about that. Especially as the tires are starting to settle in and provide consistent feedback. ACB10 AVONs for those who care about such things.

Was awesome to have Nickie and little G in attendance. In the attached image you can see the glamourous race set-up we have. Lunch on on open trailer. Across from us was an RV that would have made any rock star jealous.

The powder blue car is me.

A further treat was trudging up and back in the MK2. It caused quite a bit of buzz in the paddock as it contained all my tools, an instant tent, race gear, camera, etc, etc. Not the usual minty MK2 wiped with microfiber. This car works. Gratuitous covered bridge shot not withstanding.

Work. Rewarded.

Twenty years on my first visit to the Lime Rock Historics and I am able to make a dream come true.

I thought at the time, in the early 90s, that to be able to race a vintage car in such an incredible place, surrounded by enthusiasts would be the best it could get. At least when it came to cars.

I could not afford to do it for a long time. Heck, wrote a novel centered around Lime Rock. It was the only way I could make it real.

And tomorrow, it is real. I loaded the car in today and with the help from the guy at Vintage Racing Services I was able to get the fluids changed, new tires and pass tech. This after a rush to get it painted in time. And, just the other day when I was loading it on the trailer, the clutch master went. Nothing more favors and a few hours could not fix.

This is like most big goals you set for yourself, a bit anti-climatic. There were no fireworks or signs for me when I registered. It is just another old car race. But to me it does feel special. Like 20 years of late nights and lost weekends. Time away from friends. Are finally paying off. Life has lots of small rewards we work for. But precious few big ones. Those goals that when we set seem impossible to achieve. Our Moby Dick's and moon shots. This is one of those. Anti-climatic. But also, I know how hard I worked to get here - so I am set to savor it. Most likely from the back of the pack.

MK2'd for Murder

I am a rather large fan of all the Morse, Lewis, Marple any British murder mystery show really. So it was a nice surprise to see a MK Jag featured outside of them being driven by Morse or the new Endeavour show which has a MK1.

This episode of Lewis saw an unsavory death of a naughty man via being rammed by his own MK2. Hah!

Jumped up and snapped a few pics of the screen.

Tiny Cars. And Man Manicure.

Smooth fingers. That is what you get when you sand. You not only take the rough out of the paint, you take the rough off your own hands. I guess it helps make you more sensitive to the condition of the paint as well. It is a blue-collar, elbow grease manicure. 

Spent a few hours at Automotive Restorations sanding down the body. At least the front 2/3. The back is shaping up nice.

Gotta love the work list the talented guys left for me. To ensure I did not mess it up.

And all the while sanding this car, looming over the shoulder was a rather large 60s Lincoln. thank goodness I don't race something with that much sheet metal. My tiny car does me fine.