Who are you and what did you do with Road Racing?
By Erik Bjelke
For those of you who weren’t there, the multi-regional race at Blackhawk Farms was a blast. Two drivers' schools and a Regional event, in a Friday through Sunday extravaganza. The two drivers' schools afforded all the rookies a chance to really cut their teeth, with almost all the drivers who participated in both schools being eligible to race on Sunday. Many spills and spins ensued during the weekend, and even though no one was seriously injured, a few of the cars' owners suffered from wallet shock. The drivers were, as usual, nice people, listening with rapt attention when the black flaggers called them in (I’ve never seen so many black flags fly.) A few were sent to the Stewards, but problems were easily resolved, from what I could see in my paddock folding chair.
Another thing that made this weekend stand out: The absolute absence of a lack of workers. When you’re used to manning paddock with just yourself, having seven workers is a rather overwhelming experience. This chief found himself chiefing from his chair most of the time, as I literally had more workers than I knew what to do with. Corner stations had upwards of twelve people apiece, a far cry from Brainerd’s three maybe? There was even unofficial (read, joking) speculation that the event would lose money because of the cash spent feeding everyone.
There were several very nifty cars running in the races and schools. One driver was taking the school in a race-prepared Porsche (I wish I had HIS problems) and one of the runners in Sunday’s regional was a vintage Lotus FF. A pack of Corvettes prowling
through the paddock on their way to Tech after the race made me positively drool with envy, and there was no shortage of nifty Showroom Stock vehicles. Many of the participants in the regional were, as I mentioned, students from the school, giving them an opportunity to not only learn twice, but to actually race, all in the same weekend. A better way to start racing I cannot imagine. (Well, I can, but you really don’t want to hear it. Honest.)
Did I mention the weather? No? Shoot. Well, it was GORGEOUS. Just warm enough during the day, a tad cool at night, with not a cloud in the sky. The only rain we may have gotten (yes, I said MAY) was at night, when no one really noticed it anyway. The sounds of the wildlife at night were quite relaxing (Mom disagrees, but that’s her problem) and the night air was refreshing. During the day, a brisk breeze made the shade actually a little cool, and the direct sun was about perfect. The only problem with the weather was its inevitable consequence, sunburn. As the song goes, WEAR SUNSCREEN! Nights were cool enough to spend in your sleeping bag, but no so cold you didn’t want to get out; days were warm enough to wear shorts, but not so warm you passed out. All in all, better weather for a race I could not imagine. (For real, this time.)
Everything was so different from the races at Brainerd that I could not help but be impressed. It reminded me of the good old days (when I was all of ten) when we had ten workers at each corner station, Paddock was still a specialty and not a one-man-band, and people actually came to the race to watch. If we in LOL could pull off this kind of event, that would be really cool.
For those of you who missed this spectacular event, shame on you.
The Tonneau is the official publication of the Land O’ Lakes Region of the Sports Car Club of America. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the Land O’ Lakes Region, its members, officials, or board of directors. Letters to the editor are always welcome. The Tonneau staff reserves the right to edit letters for length.
Editorial staff
Editor 'N Chief
Lois Bjelke
251 16th Avenue NW
New Brighton, MN 55112
Home: (651) 633-7096
Email: testarossa@visi.com
Fax: (651) 635-9473 8am-5pm
Assoc. Editor & Publisher
Lynn Anderson
5312 Shoreview Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55417
Home: (612) 724-9302
Email: Kellison-FV@juno.comTonneau On-Line Publisher
Tom Fisk
1340 4th Avenue SE
Rochester, MN 55904
Home: (507) 254-7069
Email: tomfisk@home.com
Contributing Editors:
Eric Bjelke
Dick Dickinson
Tony (FUBAR) Foster
Jeff Ingebrigtson
Harvey West
Greg YoungdahlAdvertising Manager:
Doug Dill
Home: (612) 925-1731
Email: dougd@edisonline.comFor commercial advertising rates, please call Doug Dill.
Classified ads for LOL members are free. Non-members pay $5 for each month. Classified ads run for one month. If you want to place an AD-LIB or if you want your ad renewed, please call Lois Bjelke, (651)633-7096 or Email: testarossa@visi.com
Tonneau On-Line June 2001
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Copyright 2001, Land O'Lakes Region Last revised: March 13, 2003
