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View Full Version : Review: TCRA at Big Willow 5/28/06



Richard EVO
05-28-2006, 08:05 PM
I can sum it up in two words: IT SUCKED!!!

TCRA (Touring Car Racing Assn.) had the big track at Willow Springs this weekend. There were 3 race groups (or was it 4), one time trial group and one open track group. I ran in open track. By 3:30 in the afternoon, I had gotten less than one hour of track time the whole day. Two 20-minute sessions in the morning, then an abbreviated 15 minute session after a 2 1/2 hour break. Finally the last session was 25 minutes, so a total of 1 hour 20 minutes seat time for the whole day.

The time trial group was basically another open track group, but with transponders. They got screwed even worse. Their last run session got cancelled because some of the bozo racers took too long to grid up and get ready. So the time trial group got 3 20-minute sessions all day, just one hour, that's all.

TCRA is much more focused on their race groups. The open track drivers are just there to help pay the freight. The organizers had a superior attitude that just stunk. The event was every poorly organized, with lots of down time with no one on track for seemingly no reason.

The race drivers were just awful. Most of them drove old Japanese cars, stripped out for racing, but not very well built. Their driving skills were poor. I don't think any of them were acquainted with the word "APEX." I was 2 seconds faster than the winner of a race group (I don't know which one, the only one I watched the awards for) on Sunday, even though I was 2 seconds slower today than my best time at Big Willow.

I will never, ever, attend a TCRA event again. Consider yourself warned. :tickedoff:

earlyapex
05-28-2006, 08:37 PM
wow, how much did it cost you?

WavMixer
05-28-2006, 08:43 PM
Thanks for the heads up Richard O0

budzik
05-28-2006, 10:17 PM
Funny story, over a year ago a friend of mine was in the Mini vs. Sti challenge. TCRA requires you to wear gloves, so they wouldn't let him on the track until he hasd some. He didn't have any gloves. He's an instructor with NASA in AZ, never wore gloves in an open track event. So he puts on some latex gloves, TCRA then let him on the track.

Richard EVO
05-29-2006, 12:16 PM
It cost $130 but was not worth enen that cheap price. There were 2 EVOs in the time trial class who put up with the poor treatment more than I did. I complained!

One of the idiot organizers was lining up a race group very tightly together on the grid and he kept motioning a new black 350Z to keep moving forward until the poor guy sraped a wall with his bumper an got green paint on it. Unbelievable stupidity by the arrogant organizer.

Chris in SD
05-29-2006, 12:22 PM
* So he puts on some latex gloves, TCRA then let him on the track.


That is friggin classic... WOW

speedform
05-29-2006, 03:17 PM
Good to know Richard. Thanks for the warning. I'd've suggested coming over to the Speedtrialusa event next door at Streets but we all know how you feel about that organization. It was a great event all weekend with very few on track incidence's.
After two weeks in the body shop and a few new well placed aftermarket additions to the Evo, she just ripped! The only 2 cars I wasn't able to catch in advanced group were a very well driven 911 turbo (driven by Mr. Dino Cresentini of Speed World Challenge fame) and my friend Jeff with his new 'used' Z06 running on Hoosiers. We had a blast. The biggest problem I had (other than a flaming brake caliper) were the tires overheating. I just don't think 255 series Ra1's on the stockers are going to cut it anymore. Did someone say Hoosiers?!
Sorry for highjacking the thread Richard. I just started writing and couldn't stop! cheers,

Richard EVO
05-29-2006, 03:44 PM
That's ok, I don't mind you hijacking my thread I do it all the time. What's the internet for anyway?

I'm glad to hear a Speed trials event went off without problems. I am still wary of them though, and I'm not the only one here who is. One safe event is good, but doesn't make me trust STU. I went over there Sat. Morning and it looked pretty crowded too.

ChrisF
05-30-2006, 12:49 PM
Richard, sorry to hear you had such a negative experience. I had quite a different experience on Saturday. They had 5 x 25 min sessions and I also snuck into the first lead/follow school group to get an idea of the track lines. The event ran fairly close to on time the whole day and the people that I talked to were friendly and helpful. It did seem they were more focused on the race groups, but nothing like you described. Overall, I felt I got my moneys worth but if I had been with you on Sunday and it had run the way you described, I'd have been pissed too.

Just out of curiousity what kind of times were you doing?

Richard EVO
05-30-2006, 12:52 PM
My personal best at Big Willow is 1:37.3 with White Bunny Turbo.

I was running a stock turbo Sunday, and the best I could do was 1:39.6. :buck2:

ChrisF
05-30-2006, 01:16 PM
I guess I didn't do too horribly then.* 1:41.1 on stock suspension and RA1's.* That track definitely made me want to be "fully" Muellerized though.

Edited to add +1 second

GokuSSJ4
05-30-2006, 05:37 PM
My personal best at Big Willow is 1:37.3 with White Bunny Turbo.

I was running a stock turbo Sunday, and the best I could do was 1:39.6. :buck2:

maybe you improved ? :?
I dont think the WR made that much of a difference, other wise i have the dyno sheets to prove it.. LOL but glad that you are improving old man...

Miss Evo8
05-30-2006, 08:00 PM
My personal best at Big Willow is 1:37.3 with White Bunny Turbo.

I was running a stock turbo Sunday, and the best I could do was 1:39.6. :buck2:

maybe you improved ? :?
I dont think the WR made that much of a difference, other wise i have the dyno sheets to prove it.. LOL but glad that you are improving old man...*


at least he goes to the track! :roll:

GokuSSJ4
05-30-2006, 11:11 PM
My personal best at Big Willow is 1:37.3 with White Bunny Turbo.

I was running a stock turbo Sunday, and the best I could do was 1:39.6. :buck2:

maybe you improved ? :?
I dont think the WR made that much of a difference, other wise i have the dyno sheets to prove it.. LOL but glad that you are improving old man...


at least he goes to the track! :roll:

an thats the reason why i give him props, since he might improve in his driving skills

Richard EVO
05-31-2006, 01:23 AM
My personal best at Big Willow is 1:37.3 with White Bunny Turbo.

I was running a stock turbo Sunday, and the best I could do was 1:39.6. :buck2:

maybe you improved ? :?
I dont think the WR made that much of a difference, other wise i have the dyno sheets to prove it.. LOL but glad that you are improving old man...


at least he goes to the track! :roll:

an thats the reason why i give him props, since he might improve in his driving skills


goku -

So what's you're best laptime at Big Willow? (As if I don't know the answer that you are one big pussy willow . . .)

Senshi
05-31-2006, 01:39 AM
My personal best at Big Willow is 1:37.3 with White Bunny Turbo.

I was running a stock turbo Sunday, and the best I could do was 1:39.6. :buck2:

maybe you improved ? :?
I dont think the WR made that much of a difference, other wise i have the dyno sheets to prove it.. LOL but glad that you are improving old man...

yawn thats why dyno sheets arnt everything...............

Miss Evo8
05-31-2006, 08:27 AM
Goku lives for dyno sheets! his walls in his room are covered with them! :D


its actually good that he knows them because I can always ask him a quick question about my car and he remembers...cuz I sure dont :laugh:

nj1266
06-01-2006, 10:37 PM
I can sum it up in two words: IT SUCKED!!!

TCRA (Touring Car Racing Assn.) had the big track at Willow Springs this weekend. There were 3 race groups (or was it 4), one time trial group and one open track group. I ran in open track. By 3:30 in the afternoon, I had gotten less than one hour of track time the whole day. Two 20-minute sessions in the morning, then an abbreviated 15 minute session after a 2 1/2 hour break. Finally the last session was 25 minutes, so a total of 1 hour 20 minutes seat time for the whole day.

The time trial group was basically another open track group, but with transponders. They got screwed even worse. Their last run session got cancelled because some of the bozo racers took too long to grid up and get ready. So the time trial group got 3 20-minute sessions all day, just one hour, that's all.

TCRA is much more focused on their race groups. The open track drivers are just there to help pay the freight. The organizers had a superior attitude that just stunk. The event was every poorly organized, with lots of down time with no one on track for seemingly no reason.

The race drivers were just awful. Most of them drove old Japanese cars, stripped out for racing, but not very well built. Their driving skills were poor. I don't think any of them were acquainted with the word "APEX." I was 2 seconds faster than the winner of a race group (I don't know which one, the only one I watched the awards for) on Sunday, even though I was 2 seconds slower today than my best time at Big Willow.

I will never, ever, attend a TCRA event again. Consider yourself warned. :tickedoff:

This is NOT typical of TCRA. I have raced with TCRA for one and a half seasons and they have been very good to me. I had absolutely ZERO problems with them. Not even one instance of contact. And I have had great memorable races. Last year I won the Touring title and I have moved on to SCCA. No point in staying with TCRA once you one the title. TCRA is even older than NASA. Unfortunately, when NASA came about a lot of TCRA guys left to NASA.

You are right their racing groups are FAR FAR better than their hotlapping groups. The organizers are FAR from being arrogant. You are DEAD wrong on that one. You want arrogant assholes, then try racing with NASA for three years like I had. NASA officials redefine the term arrogant. They are cliquish to the extreme and if you do not befriend them and take their BS you become their target. YUCK.

I am sorry to say but your times at BigWillow are slow. You should be pulling far better than that. If I can pull 1:36.25 in my crappy POS Sentra, then you should be able to do that in the Evo. You have had enough seat time by now to be able to pull sub 1:35 times at Big Willow.

I think TCRA was having an off day when you were their. I have had a longer experience and I can tell you they give you tons of track time since their events are lightly attended.

yooyooyoo
06-02-2006, 01:23 AM
Hey Richard,

how many hpde's do you do in a year? I enjoy reading the write ups but every third one or so I think to myself... is this guy retired? A lot of them are during the work week so...

I just wish I could miss work that frequently. Incidentally I'm doing big willow for the first time in my evo with SV July 2nd.

I'm pumped. Really pumped. Really really really pumped.

yooyooyoo
06-02-2006, 01:25 AM
really really really really really... well you get the idea...

Richard EVO
06-02-2006, 02:26 PM
[I am sorry to say but your times at BigWillow are slow. You should be pulling far better than that. If I can pull 1:36.25 in my crappy POS Sentra, then you should be able to do that in the Evo. You have had enough seat time by now to be able to pull sub 1:35 times at Big Willow.



naji -

You race, and have been doing so for many years.* I just run track days for the past 2 1/2 years.* You have a roll cage, fire exintinguisher, etc.* My safety equipment consists of a 4-point harness and an open face helmet.* You run one second faster than me at Big Willow, and that makes me slow?

While I continue to work on my lap times and believe I can be faster in turns 1, 3 and 9 and will probably need some good instruction and more practice to get there, your comments are not constructive.

ChrisF
06-02-2006, 02:47 PM
I think Naji's ego is still bruised because he lost to Shiv at the karting track :D *j/k Naji. *

I can't speak for Richard, but I know for me that times serve as a yardstick for improvement. *I knew at the end of my first Big Willow day I had a HUGE amount of improvement to make - from lines, to timing to cajones. *That's part of the fun for me; *learning the track and getting faster.

Richard EVO
06-02-2006, 03:15 PM
As far as I am concerned, timing your laps is the ONLY way to know you are improving. You can't tell by the fact that you are passing other drivers or they are passing you, because you don't know how good those drivers are.

The time before the TCRA event, when I was at Big Willow with Open Track Racing in early April, I cut 3 seconds of my best time to date, with some instructional help from Kailo and Jack. It was very satisfying to make that kind of improvement. O0

nj1266
06-05-2006, 12:36 AM
[I am sorry to say but your times at BigWillow are slow. You should be pulling far better than that. If I can pull 1:36.25 in my crappy POS Sentra, then you should be able to do that in the Evo. You have had enough seat time by now to be able to pull sub 1:35 times at Big Willow.


naji -

You race, and have been doing so for many years. I just run track days for the past 2 1/2 years. You have a roll cage, fire exintinguisher, etc. My safety equipment consists of a 4-point harness and an open face helmet. You run one second faster than me at Big Willow, and that makes me slow?

While I continue to work on my lap times and believe I can be faster in turns 1, 3 and 9 and will probably need some good instruction and more practice to get there, your comments are not constructive.


I did not mean my comment to be malicious in anyway. I drove your car and from the limited time I had I was very impressed by it. I still believe that you have enough seat time to pull better laps. The car has enough power and a great suspension set up to pull sub 1:35.xx at Big Willow. BTW, keep the stock turbo. It is enough for hotlapping.

If it is your personal safety that you are concerned about, then cage the car and get a full face helmet. Are you skittish because of the accident that you had on the track with the 350Z?