ECTA LSR at Wilmington, Ohio
Well the weekend is finally over. Let me take inventory:
1. I'm still alive. (The family was a little concerned when they found out what LSR stood for. Mom tripled my life insurance.
)
2. I drove Elwood home from the event. That means it's not in a pile of rubble at the end of the Runway.
I did break it on my third and final run - more on that later.
3. Team Elwood is now an official record holder for the Ohio Mile. My second run went into the record book for class D/BGMS at 133.70853MPH.
There were a few of us decided to go full open to the 3/4 mile marker and back down to within our tech speed limit, so I recorded my GPS and OBD data on my CarPC - my top speed was 158MPH. If I hadn't broke on the third pass, 160 would have surely been surpassed.
4. My Crew Chief hates me.
My little brother crewed the car for the weekend. He was screaming at me on the radio during the third pass to get me to back off the throttle, but I ignored him and spun the tires in first, second and third gears. By the time it was to shift into fourth, the MIL was blinking, TC came on, and the car shut down (limp mode) at over 125 and only 1/4 mile.
After checking the injectors, 1/3/5/7 all not firing; we changed the cam sensors - no change; my little brother went out on a limb (he's been turning wrenches on dragsters for 30 years) and checked the fusebox - a 10 Amp fuse was blow. Replaced fuse, fired the engine, cleared the code, Viola fixed!
5. Of course, I now need new tires.
6. Made a bunch of new friends. A special friend took my photo near the starting line and as always I gave him my business card and asked him to send a copy to my email (this usually only works 10% of the time, but I always ask since I travel alone to so many events). He said sure and went away and I thought nothing more about it. Just before my next pass, a pickup cut me off in line and this same guy jumps out and hands me a framed and mounted 8x10 copy of the following picture. I almost cried. I tried to pay him for it and all he asked was I mention his name and website (I hope its OK with Rob).
Don Hayes is his name and he called it "cartoonized" photography. A better version of my pic can be found here on
Don Hayes - Stickbird Studio Don Hayes - Stickbird Studio | NEW UPLOADS | Photo 1