One Lap of America By the Numbers

Again this year one of the great numbers is that we raised $3681 this year for the Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition. This was our best year ever in fundraising. Over the years we are very proud to have now raised over $19,000 dollars for the cause. This year there were 68 entries in One Lap of America, nine cars were out as of the last event, the Dry Skid Pad competition. There were a few that dropped out with mechanical problems but got them resolved and rejoined the group.  The listed mileage of the event was 3459 but including the track miles, the miles to and from South Bend (the start and finish) and maybe a wrong turn or two, we logged 4919 miles. Our best calculation is 4719 on the road and about 200 on the tracks.

We spent $819 on gas, $882 on hotels and $132 on tolls.  The highest price for high test gas was $5.50 a gallon at the track pumps at Sebring, and $3.349 in Ocala, Florida.  We had two nights with transits over 700 miles.  The overall mpg (miles per gallon) was 17.6, and we figured about 19.0 on the road and about 6.3 on the track. After my first run on Sebring my gas gauge seemed wrong so I filled up and calculated 4.6 miles per gallon on that track. On Sebring you are wide open throttle quite a bit. The man at the track gas pump said it is pretty common to use about a gallon per 3.7 mile lap.

One miscellaneous expense was $103 for a new trailer tire/wheel and a trailer taillight which the flailing tire took out along with the trailer license plate.  BTW we put on 4331 miles on with no license plate on our trailer;^) It is probably still somewhere along the Indiana turnpike maybe 15 miles east of South Bend.

We made it Home!

We made it home before Mother's Day.  Got in just before 11 pm on Saturday night after a 600 mile run from South Bend, Indiana. Made good time on trip home and had good weather and no traffic problems at all.

For those who are not on Facebook you missed my post about our trailer tire failure on the trip out to South Bend.  I swerved to miss a major pot hole on the Indiana Turnpike and apparently didn't miss it with the one trailer wheel.  I blew out a tire and didn't know it and we continued down the road a few miles. The Corvette is loud and the windows were up and the trailer was tracking just fine so the first I knew about the tire was when an Indiana State Trooper pulled me over since I was rolling along with no tire on the wheel.  Not only did it not have a tire but the flailing tire also took out the taillight and the license plate. After saying goodbye to the Trooper and changing the spare, a trip to the local Tractor Supply and we bought a new spare and a replacement light, but had to do the next 4300 miles with no license plate, but made it home with no major issues.

Dry Skid Pad Competition, Last Event of the Week

Dry Skid pad is behind us

For all the cars that made it back we now have the Dry Skid Pad Competition at the Tire Rack facility in South Bend, Indiana. This is done on a 200 foot diameter circle and they calculate the G forces based on the size of the circle and the speed/time to complete the circle. This has always been one of my best events and I did well again this year, but even doing well only got me a 21st place finish.  I was the third fastest Corvette on Dry Skid pad and the oldest of those three. The competition keeps getting tougher with many awesome cars participating and lots of all wheel drive cars in the mix.

Last road course of the week.

GingerMan Raceway is a fun 2.14 mile 11 turn track that has lots of run off room. It is located outside of South Haven Michigan near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. A lot of drivers had some trouble with corner 6, Deep Demon, and turn 10.  I was one that had trouble in turn 10 with a spin into the wet grass.  I was able to work my way back on the track before the car behind me caught up but it cost me several seconds and a not so good finish.  My afternoon run was much better.  It was certainly better than one car that went a looong way off and ended up in the swamp.

Dominion Raceway near Spotsylvania Virginia

Dominion Raceway near Spotsylvania, Virginia is a new track that opened last year.  I was very impressed by what it is now and what it will be when it is finished. Not only is it the 2.0 mile road course but  in the infield is a 4/10 mile paved oval.  In addition there is a large building that includes a bar and food service facility but also what sounded like a rockin night club.  It looks like there is space for additional support businesses such as a hotel on site.

The track is interesting with concrete walls close through turn three that certainly get your attention. After turn three it is more open and has the uphill esses and a left hand turn under the bridge onto the front straight. I had reasonable mid pack finishes on a track I have never been on before and wonder what I could have done had I had a full track day under my belt instead of just one lap of reconnaissance before competing. This was our only track of the week where we ran in the rain.  An event on the paved oval was planned but was cancelled due to the rain.

Our transit today to GingerMan on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan will be a long one at over 700 miles, which means another late night, but at least tomorrows transit will be the shortest back to South  Bend and the Tire Rack.

If it's Wednesday it must be Carolina Motorsports Park

If it's Wednesday it must be Carolina Motorsports Park.  This week is a very grueling week, what with some transits over 700 miles and getting in late at night, or early morning.  Sometimes you need to look at the route book to see what day it is, as you do lose track of days.  CMP is a 2.279 .mile track with 14 turns and not much elevation change.  But it does have the "Kink" with a nice bump at the apex that catches some drivers out and can end in a entertaining but frightening spin.
 Had two more middle of the pack runs with a 30th place in the morning and a 32th place in the afternoon.  After 4 racetrack we are holding on to 29th place, barely within our goal for the week of a top 30 finish for the week. Today's transit up to Dominion Raceway will be one of our easiest of the week of only just over 400 miles.  Maybe we can get some extra sleep tonight;^)

Big Fast and Bumpy Sebring

Had a pretty good day at the 3.7 mile Sebring course.  This is the same track that they run the 12 Hours of Sebring.  It is very rough since it is run on a track much of which is 1940's concrete runways.  Our notes tell us that they only run a 12 hour race since the cars wouldn't hold up to the pounding of 24 hours.  Finished 27th in the morning event and 26th in the afternoon event.  That's not bad since I am probably about a 35th place car out of a field of 68.
When we leave we have a control stop at the Grassroots magazine in Daytona and then off to Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, South Carolina.  With over 700 mile to go today we will be getting in late.

Challenging Day at Road Atlanta

I really didn't do enough home work for Road Atlanta. I watched a lot of You tube videos on Road Atlanta but nothing prepares you for the blind crests and blind apexes.  In Brock Jr. write up he says "This can be a daunting track" "Turn 12 is still one of the toughest corners in racing".  Turn 12 comes under the bridge  and you don't see the track for a while only sky. My run in the first event was lousy.  I was way too conservative, which also was way too slow.  At lunch time I got my laptop

out and watched the YouTube videos of the track many times.  Now that I had driven the track and seeing the corners, apexes, entries and exits they were much more helpful than watching the videos at home.  With a lot more confidence where to place the car I went out and had a great run in the afternoon finishing 20 positions higher than the morning run.

Good, not Great Day at Memphis

We got to Memphis late Saturday night after a long day that started at Tire Rack is South Bend, Indiana for Wet Skid Pad competition then an Autocross at Grissom Air Reserve Base then the 500 mile run into Memphis.  At Memphis Motorsports Park we ran our first road course of the week which sets the grid order for runs for the rest of the week. After passing a car on the big straight I went into turn one a little hot and bobbled, almost saved it and did a little excursion into the grass. I made a quick recovery and got going, except it probably cost me a few seconds and a few positions in the finishing order. When results were posted I had finished 36th out of 68 which is about where I expected. I improved a couple positions in the afternoon event and then we competed in two drag strip events. The first was a pure ET (elapsed time) where I finished 21st. and the second event was bracket drags elimination. I stayed in through the second round and tied for sixth place.

     While braking for the drags I felt a thumping and suspected a cracked rotor which I have felt before. Fortunately I brought spares and we jacked up the car and changed it out and we were on our way to Atlanta, Georgia only 450 miles away, one of our shortest transits of the week.

The Week Begins

We got this all started Saturday morning with a Wet Skid Pad competition then headed off to Grissom Air Force Base for an Autocross on the runways. Then off some 500 miles to Memphis Tennessee before we sleep.  Lots of fast food this week.  After Memphis then on to Road Atlanta.

Resident will race to Support PBCC

Here is a story from our local Merchandiser newspaper

From Saturday, May 6th to Saturday May 13th, Jim Roberts of Mount Joy will travel from Pennsylvania to Indiana, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Virginia and Michigan and back in support of the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition (PBCC),

Jim Roberts (right) and Gary Musser,  JimBob Racing

Roberts and his Transit driver, Lititz resident Gary Musser, plan to cover 5,000 miles, stopping to compete against 70 other drivers at racetracks across the country.  Roberts has driven "One Lap of America" for the past nine years, raising more than $16,000 for the PBCC's programs and services.

Stickers that will decorate the roof and body of Roberts' Corvette can be purchased for a donation, which will benefit the PBCC.  The donor name will be listed, or donors can purchase a sticker in honor or memory of a loved one.  To make a donation, readers may visit pbcc.me/donate and fill in "One Lap of America" when prompted for the "Title of Event".  Readers may also donate by stopping in at Jim Roberts West Main Auto, 14 W. Main St., Mount Joy.

For more information, readers may follow Roberts' One Lap of America blog at http://onelapadventure.blogspot.com or on Facebook at Jim's One Lap Adventure.

The PBCC represents, supports, and serves breast cancer survivors and their families in Pennsylvania through educational
programming, legislative advocacy, and breast cancer research grants.  The PBCC is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure.  For more information, readers may call 800-377-8828 or visit http://www.PABreastCancer.org.