<VV> Old School

[levair at aol.com]

                         Old/New School/ Birthday, Mother’s Day

        Just one week after I drove my son Michael’s newly built Corvair 
race car (replica of my 1970s racer) at the Walter Mitty Vintage race 
at road Atlanta we were at Nelson Ledges, OH raceway for an SCCA  
double driver’s school.
      At the Mitty the cars were the same cars that I raced with in the 
70s; MGs, Truimphs, Datsuns, Porsches, Jaguars, Healeys, etc. At Nelson 
were: Nisans, Hondas, Mazdas, Neons, Fiats, etc. We were the oldest car 
by generations. There was one mid 70s Plymouth Duster Circle track kit 
car that came close.
     Although Michael had driven many track events, he had never passed 
a car in a corner. You could almost see the Butterflies around him.  I 
knew what to expect, but you have to experience it to believe it. 
Nelson Ledges still seems almost as rural and rustic as it did in the 
70s  in a FV for me.  Something that I noticed immediately was the grey 
and white heads of many of the drivers and instructors; many were near 
my advanced age and were obviously experiencing their own “ bucket 
list”. The young entrants were there also, as expected
      In a double school weekend you get in 6 ½ hours of track time; 
probably the equivalent of an entire season of racing in one weekend.
     We took my spare EP engine with us and it worked as a good luck 
charm—not needed. In Michael’s first session, the ten year old engine, 
that we swapped in after the new one broke at the 2nd Mitty session 
‘was running just as poorly as it did for me at the last two Mitty 
sessions---boggy and no top end.
        David Clemens and I discussed this on end and agreed that it was 
a distributor problem; compression and fuel were perfect.  I saw the 
timing being set at the Mitty, and assumed that it was fine, but 
checked it again any way. It was timed on the wrong one of the many 
pulley timing marks. The problem was solved simply and the racing was 
on. At Nelson, you had to have a crew; the driver went to a debriefing 
after each session and got back just in time for the next one. Thanks 
again David.
      A big problem at Nelson was the grass (mud) paddock and the 
Indiana rain that we brought with us. All of the track sessions were 
dry though.
     By the middle of the first day Michael was in the top three of the 
closed wheel drivers by about a sec. behind a very well driven Honda. 
Michael brought 35 gallons of race fuel and it was gone by mid day; In 
all he spent $464 on race fuel.  We did have one rear tire blow out and 
had to replace the 13 In. rears with our “cleanest dirty shirt” 16in. 
left over autocross tires.
      The YSR160 Corvair was by far the best looking/interesting car 
there, by the spectators comments, and the most talked about. Stinger 
talk was rampant. Many people constantly stopped by to talk Corvairs 
with us and we even saw 4 Donna Mae Mimms photo albums. In the 
spectator stands (you couldn’t miss us by our Stinger shirts) many 
persons remembered racing with us many years ago at Indy Solos.
      The Saturday race was restarted twice and then run with an 
inverted start. Even restarting from the back, Michael was able to make 
it back to 6th spot in 10 laps.
      Sunday, the drivers had to take turns working on the corner 
stations, which was a very good idea.
      IN the last qualifying session session Michael was again in 3rd of 
  the closed wheel 35 cars at more that a more than a sec faster then he 
had run before.
    Stupidly, they did the inverted start thing again; once isn’t 
enough---what was qualifying for???  This meant that you had to take 
dangerous chances to pass the slower bunched up cars. This would only 
happen in a real race if you were lapping the field—quite unlikely.  
About ½ way though the race there were at least four cars bunched up at 
the last turn before the straight. Michael was following them and one 
spun in the middle of the bunch. Michael had to avoid by going off 
track in the wet, grass and mud and ended up in the tire wall. Not a 
lot of damage was done; some cosmetic, but an inglorious end.
     Michael’s instructor couldn’t believe that he hadn’t done this 
before and was very impressed; proud papa talk.
     Saturday was Michael’s birthday and his mother spent Mother’s Day 
at the track with him.
       Warren