Milwaukee Midget

[Captthundarr]

Ya should have heard it on the second pass, sounded like nothing else out there, good job Chris.

[Cajun Kid]

Chris, your car looked and sounded great.  I am sorry we did not get time to chat.

With the 1 mile long staging lane and me not getting a run in on Saturday.. My Sunday was hectic to say the least.

Charles

[Captthundarr]

Here's some pics of the technique needed to put a 6'+ driver in a midget. Mkes my back hurt just watching him do it.

[Geo]

Great going Chris!  For those who do not know 91.913 mph is very fast in a Midget. Looking forward to reports of faster runs. 

[4-barrel Mike]

If this was posted earlier in the thread, apologies. 

Anyway, was curious about the record for I/GT and:

Unblown Grand Touring Sports - /GT
I  Highlander  R. Thomas  08/92  121.779



http://bringatrailer.com/2009/07/17/from-italy-to-the-salt-1963-abarth-1000/

The link references an eBay sale.  It also says "7/29/2009 Update: This Abarth did not meet reserve at $80,100 with 11 bidders."

Mike

[Milwaukee Midget]

JUST got home - Chicago traffic - rush hour - pulling a trailer - Kate poured me a glass of Cab, and I'm relishing it.

A huge thanks to all who have posted, and to all who stopped by.  Wisconsin was well represented - Mark, Pat, the door is always open.

I'll get the pics and the story up on Tuesday, but I want to share one quick note before I go to bed.

Sunday morning, we got in early, and it was farkling cold out there.  But as we pulled in, I saw Charles' Dually parked in front of the rig - I promised I'd stop by.

He had just fired up the Stude and was clearly busy - up on the jackstands, and obviously way too loud to chat.  Two of his crew members came over, leaned down on either side of the Stude and were warming their hands by the exhaust.

Yes - that's how cold it was on Sunday morning.

My first thought was Bob Cratchet, warming his hands by the candle in "A Christmas Carol", but that would be putting Charles in the role of Scrooge, and I just don't see that.

And Mike, thanks for posting the Abarth pic - I'm printing a copy and sticking it up on my dart board. 

[Freud]

I'm glad you are home, Midget.

But it also felt good to participate, didn't it?

FREUD

[Tman]

Congrats! been fun following your escapades!

[Moxnix]

Our friend Chris must have tired of my discount blues CDs from Costco as background filler for the webcasts.  He graciously gave us a CD from one of the bands he plays with back in Milwaukee.  I listened to it on the freeway heading to Nashville.  Lotta' good listening, we'll be sure to have this in the mix for next season.  You can see what he's up to and sample the group Honky Tonk-itis on their website.  http://honkytonkitis.net/   And, we'll keep picking Chris' brain for info on how to modify and upgrade the audio.

Shameless plug?  You bet, but LSR and honkytonking must overlap in some cosmic method.  I hide in my office or out in the garage, myself, but they show me how to bring back the glory days of life spent plugging the jukebox while hiding from your old lady in a smoky old joint down the block.

[Milwaukee Midget]

Postmortem – Maxton.

Running out of gas AS YOU PULL UP to the fuel trailer to get “event gas” is a good thing – provided the team in front of you hasn’t just drained the last barrel – while you sit there and watch. 

Revving ones engine in the rain only aggravates the ECTA official who has to walk over and remind you that you’re interrupting the drivers meeting – which you’re supposed to be attending.   

Using an 8,000 rpm tach on an engine that wants to run at 9,500 is kind of useless. 

Piloting a 1600 lb car with an 80 inch wheelbase on a rough concrete surface without taking the time to properly align the front end is just silly – and eye-opening. 

Attempting to datalog with a laptop on the floor won’t work if you don’t plug the computer in. 
 
Furthermore, once you’re strapped in and in line, with a helmet, head sock, bifocals and a visor down, punching the “Record” button on a laptop is tough. 

Sometimes, using an ice scraper as a prop rod for the trunk of a race car is a good idea – especially when you arrive to find frost on your windows.  The “accidental preparedness” clause applies here. 

Leaving one's helmet in sub-freezing conditions leads to undue condensation on the inside of the visor while racing.  Avoiding exhalation works for a very short time, but eventually only complicates the matter. 

[Dr Goggles]

Postmortem – Maxton.
Revving ones engine in the rain only aggravates the ECTA official who has to walk over and remind you that you’re interrupting the drivers meeting – which you’re supposed to be attending.   

There are very, very few V8's that will get under people's skin( there was ONE in a certain modified T at Bonneville) however, rotaries, old Brit bikes and rough running fours and their owners will attract attention waaaay out of proportion to their number of plugs........

Using an 8,000 rpm tach on an engine that wants to run at 9,500 is kind of useless. 

Didn't you say it was resonating a "D"?... just mount a tuner on the dash, and tune down.

Piloting a 1600 lb car with an 80 inch wheelbase on a rough concrete surface without taking the time to properly align the front end is just silly – and eye-opening. 

Yer right, when I get the wheel alignment right I generally drive with my eyes closed, man it's so boring I can barely keep 'em open......But back to the topic, with my recent efforts I would , personally, leave the wheel alignment alone because attending to it seemed to be no guarantee that it would improve.......YMMV

Attempting to datalog with a laptop on the floor won’t work if you don’t plug the computer in. 

Furthermore, once you’re strapped in and in line, with a helmet, head sock, bifocals and a visor down, punching the “Record” button on a laptop is tough. 

Those gloves are there purely to remind you what it would be like trying to do anything if your hands were burnt to the third degree, no more undoing anything, no nose picking ( or other personal needs)and certainly no typing.

Sometimes, using an ice scraper as a prop rod for the trunk of a race car is a good idea – especially when you arrive to find frost on your windows.  The “accidental preparedness” clause applies here. 

Leaving one's helmet in sub-freezing conditions leads to undue condensation on the inside of the visor while racing.  Avoiding exhalation works for a very short time, but eventually only complicates the matter. 

Start collecting silicon dessicator bags and chuck one in your helmet between events, and, obviously leave it somewhere warm. You're lucky you don't share it with some foetid halitosite

I think, we all think you did OK.

[4-barrel Mike]

I hereby nominate Mr. Midget for the 2011 landracing.com award for best creative use of emoticons!   

Well done, Chris.  Onward, upward, ever!

Mike

(No reference to Sisyphus intended  )

[55chevr]

Sooooo Chris --- that was you revving the engine during the drivers meeting ... Did you enjoy the wrath of Turk?

[Milwaukee Midget]

Shit - that was Keith? 

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Not Keith in person -- he stayed at the drivers meeting and told stories about what he's had to do to fellows that rev their engines during the drivers meeting.  One of K's minions was the guy that visited you.