High Plains, July 4-5th

kruck

kruck

Well-known member
Looking forward to driving this track for the first time, as it looks like a lot of fun. Not looking forward to the 14 hour tow. :shock:

Only 31 total entries so far, but at least FP is leading all classes with 5 entries! I'll be the non-"Mazda Miata - Mazdaspeed/Hoosier/JPM". :lol:

EP
71 - Reynolds, Matt - 1999 Mazda Miata - Reynolds Bros. Racing/JPM/Vintage Connection - Fair Oaks , Tx
53 - Ruse, Guy - 1987 Mazda RX-7 - BIG CHOICE Brewing - Boulder, CO

FP
08 - Hingston, Bill - 1990 Mazda Miata - Little Bill Racing/JPM/Mazdaspeed/V8 Roadsters - Aurora, CO
88 - Jensen, Paul - 1991 Mazda Miata - Hoosier/Mazdaspeed/DIY AutoTune - Colorado Springs, CO
7 - Prill, Eric - 1990 Mazda Miata - MaxtonsFight.org/JPM/Hoosier - Topeka, KS
73 - Ruck, Kevin - 1990 Acura Integra - Hoosier/Honda Performance Development - Atascosa, TX
86 - Wagner, Randy - 1990 Mazda Miata - Mazdaspeed, Hoosier - Tulsa, OK
 
As this event gets closer, the forecast gets hotter:
Friday - Partly Cloudy, 85/61, 20%
Saturday - Mostly Sunny, 93/64, 20%
Sunday - Mostly Sunny, 95/63, 20%

Luckily we'll have an RV hook-up and a CoolSuit! :lol: Should be on the road by about 4pm tomorrow, off on our 14 hours & 900+ mile drive.

Prior to this season, 630 miles is the longest I've ever driven to an event. Yes, I was spoiled living in central Ohio. This season, we'll make a 900+ mile haul four times. Totally not use to this. :lol:
 
Kevin,

And ... HPR is at 5000 ft altitude. Not much air to cool, air/fuel mixture compensation, won't sweat much, aero = ? Close to sun so watch out for sun burns. Hydrate.
I'll be under a roof in the carports.
Hope to see ya there. I'll have beer.

Guy
 
Something we've struggled with at HPR especially (I think because it's been soo hot in July there) is cooling the car. Everything runs a little warmer. You'll still sweat because it's hot, but as Guy alludes to --- it's not because of humidity. Since you're not sweating because it's humid, you don't realize how hot it is and you can become dehydrated very easily. Drink lots of water. Only time I ever suffered from the heat illness was at 2nd Creek (RIP) driving Tony Rivera's RX7. Probably was dehydrated before I got in the car and didn't realize (probably had too many beers the night before, but that's beside the point!)

Busy time of the year. I know the 4th is keeping a lot of people away, but I'm really looking forward to a nice FP field this weekend.

Game on.
 
All the reasons stated above are why I'm staying home this weekend.

Yes, I went 1000 miles to TWS and about 650 to Kansas and I'm not going the 100 miles to HPR.

All our races are on the holiday weekends, Memorial, July 4th and Labor day.

I'm spending it with family, at home, like everyone else.

Last year was great with both Colorado Majors in May.
 
I know it is early, but the Pueblo Majors in 4 weeks only has 9 cars total so far......I HOPE that gets much better
 
Jamie Blust":81f00xw3 said:
I know it is early, but the Pueblo Majors in 4 weeks only has 9 cars total so far......I HOPE that gets much better
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Youre the second person in as many days to express concern about the Pueblo numbers. And also the second person who's name isn't on that list either! I plan to go, but won't enter until after this weekend. I'm not suggesting that you're waiting around to see who enters, but if we all did that, then nobody would ever enter! :D
 
Hijack alert......

Mazda Jon":3aj6sw6x said:
All our races are on the holiday weekends, Memorial, July 4th and Labor day.U
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When I joined the club in the late 90's, WMR had three races and two of them were double regionals on Memorial Day and Labor Day. These events were standard two day double regionals. Those races had been on those dates for decades. They were very well attended and it was a family atmosphere. But slowly the driver corps demographic changed and more folks didn't want to race on holiday weekends. The car counts went down and we had to pull the plug on both weekends a few years ago. We now run a single, double regional on a 'normal', non holiday weekend.

Jon's comments are telling. He isn't alone. If there was an easy answer we would have found it.

Back to the thread......

Dayle
 
Thanks for the advice! It's been humid as hell here in San Antonio for the past two months, so I'm happy to just get a slight reprieve from that! :lol:

Has anyone seen any info about or know when exactly we'll be allowed to enter the track? I haven't found that anywhere.
 
Dayle Frame":1llio26b said:
Hijack alert......

Mazda Jon":1llio26b said:
All our races are on the holiday weekends, Memorial, July 4th and Labor day.U
Click to expand...

When I joined the club in the late 90's, WMR had three races and two of them were double regionals on Memorial Day and Labor Day. These events were standard two day double regionals. Those races had been on those dates for decades. They were very well attended and it was a family atmosphere. But slowly the driver corps demographic changed and more folks didn't want to race on holiday weekends. The car counts went down and we had to pull the plug on both weekends a few years ago. We now run a single, double regional on a 'normal', non holiday weekend.

Jon's comments are telling. He isn't alone. If there was an easy answer we would have found it.

Back to the thread......

Dayle
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Continuing the hijack. We surveyed the Mid-States drivers a couple years back and asked the holiday question. July 4 was the least desirable holiday to race on. I agree with Dayle, it used to be a big weekend but priorities have changed. As Kent Prather told me a couple days ago -- "we're all getting old, it's hot and on July 4, I just want to relax and drink beer". This is not a universal statement, but its one contributing factor. Families are another. Other activities yet another. And yes, it's hot (at least it is here). Solo used to hold its biggest National Tour of the year on July 4, but its customers asked for it to move off of it and now the National Solo program (which has an event damn near every weekend) stays off July 4.

Last year, this event was in May and had over 100 entries (which was good for High Plains. This year, back to July and its really dropped. I don't doubt that there are a number of factors (there always are), but I the holiday is a big one.
 
But wasn't the Hallet 4th of July National always the biggest event in MidDiv until they quite having it?

The problem in MidDiv before was not just to many races, but also every race group with a track insisting they got one. This prevented popular venues from having a second National. The Majors series fixed only the too many races part.

While competition is more concentrated at fewer events in the Majors series, the desire to make sure even the most remote racers have a local opportunity (good thing), and the desire for as many race groups to have an opportunity (good thing), makes the vacation time and money spent on travel the biggest challenge to racing (bad thing).

My observation is that the challenges are pretty much still the same. I respect that this is a hard challenge and that I don't have a silver bullet to offer. Thank you to everyone that participated in Lisa and Eric's meeting at Kansas Speedway.
 
Curtis brings up some bad memories of 100+ at Hallett on the 4th weekends. Down right miserable but well attended.

Kevin, don't get your hopes up too much. Even though HPR is my home track, it's my least favorite layout I have ever raced on. It has two sections that look the same that you could loose where you are on track and two really stupid low speed corners. no real pucker factor corners. Sorry, just my opinion.

If you get too hot, I am throwing an all day party at the house on Saturday. I am at 8600 feet so not likely to be very hot. :D Activities include from the house:
Mountain Biking, Hiking, Climbing and rappelling. And, BBQ from Smokin' Dave's out of Lyons/Estes Park.

Have fun at HPR and stay cool.
 
FP8":k73dort7 said:
Curtis brings up some bad memories of 100+ at Hallett on the 4th weekends. Down right miserable but well attended.
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Welcome to May through Sept in TX!!
(you'll note the more recent SWDIV schedules basically run from october to may, then take the summer off.. with the exception of the ballz-hot August regional.)
 
kruck":17cw6gqh said:
Thanks for the advice! It's been humid as hell here in San Antonio for the past two months, so I'm happy to just get a slight reprieve from that! :lol:

Has anyone seen any info about or know when exactly we'll be allowed to enter the track? I haven't found that anywhere.
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Kevin, gates open at High Plains at 4:00 pm Thursday. I read this on their website and this is how it's been the last couple of years. I think they also have open track testing from five until dark Thursday evening.
 
Thanks for the info, Chris, but don't really need it now. Made it almost to Lubbock last night before a hole manifested itself in the exhaust between the turbo and the muffler can. Of course this is right where the inverter is and most the main electronics for the house. Enough super hot exhaust gases got into that area that it has appeared to have completely taken out my inverter. The backside of that basement door now how has a nice wave to it from how hot it got in there. After a couple hours sleep, started at 5am to backtrack 100 miles to the nearest Freightliner service center, at a snails pace. Currently 10.5 hours still from the track, and 4.5 hours from home. Good news is the part can be had, because I can't go anywhere without it. Bad news is it can't be had until about 11am tomorrow. Then it has to be correct, and put in accurately and efficiently, neither of which I'm real confident of judging by the three hours I spent at this place already this morning. But even if all that goes well, and the rest of the drive is without issue, I'm still not getting there until maybe midnight tomorrow night. I've also never seen this place, so without the test day, that'll make getting up to speed real difficult.

Seriously considering heading back home after the RV is fixed, and licking my wounds with copious amounts of fireworks and booze. If I did, means I'd probably be out for Pueblo too.
 
kruck":2ciroucp said:
Seriously considering heading back home after the RV is fixed, and licking my wounds with copious amounts of fireworks and booze. If I did, means I'd probably be out for Pueblo too.
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Sorry to hear about the troubles. At least you were able to get to civilization so you can get it worked on..
If you decide not to make the tow but are still willing to detour a few hours East, MSRHouston is doing a charity race on Saturday.. cheap racing fun with friends, and there will be fireworks and booze afterwards! It's certainly not a Majors race, but is still a chance to blow off some steam, both on and off track.
 
Kevin, the tracks not difficult. You'll be up to speed after a few laps.

While you sit and wait for the repairs YouTube the track. Plenty of incar.
 
KEVIN,

I really like HPR. Elevation changes and both fast and slow techanical corners. Great asphalt. ALL new tracks are a challenge. I've raced back east and out west but have lived out here in high country for years.
I had to completely do a tow truck transmission change on-the-road to track and even a trailer rebuild in the past. Have rebuilt race motors from scratch at tracks. Made me a better man. Family think's I walk on water or am crazy.
It'll be hot, but that's the existing climate changes. That's why I have extra coolers and coolshirt and AC in trailer. Come on out here and be part of the experience, I'll even tell you of the times I had at AARC in Atlanta and IT Festival in Topeka years ago.

Guy
 
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