One Lap of America By the Numbers

One of the best numbers is that we had our biggest year ever in fundraising for the Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition and raised $3085. I would like to thank all who donated to the cause and made this possible. Another number of interest is 4307 miles that we put on for this adventure including the 1200 miles to and from the start/finish at South Bend Indiana. I frequently have people say how many weeks does this take? We do this all in about 9 days from leaving home to returning home. Some other interesting numbers, we had 2 people on our team, Joe Vasta and I.   The transit mileage on the schedule listed 2827 miles for the 2016 One Lap of America. We competed in 17 different events over 8 days plus a control stop at Lake Erie Harley Davidson in Cleveland.  We  visited 6 different road race tracks.
The competition consisted of 2 skid pad events, 2 drag strip competitions and 12 time trials on road courses.  On each time trial you get 1 lap around the course to reconnaissance the track, you then stop on the track at the start/finish line and are flagged to a start about 15 seconds apart to complete 3 timed laps. The total time of the 3 laps is what counts so if you have a problem like an off road excursion or a spin, you need to get moving as quickly as possible.

Last year gas prices were a little lower and this year, in general, lower still. We spent just over $740 on fuel.  The average price we paid for Hi Test was $2.85 , and the highest was on the Indiana Toll road at $3.79.9 beating their last years high of $3.349, they really take advantage of their captive audience. Speaking of fuel we averaged 17.5 miles per gallon which isn't too bad considering we are pulling a trailer and our mileage on the track is about about 6 mpg.  Tolls were a little higher this year and we spent $178.38 about 2 1/2 times the amount spent last year.

The competition seemed a little tougher this year. Other years we set our sights on a top 20 finish, but after seeing the lineup of vehicles in South Bend, I told Joe we would be lucky to get a top 30 out of the 69 entries. We ended up in 27th place overall and consider that a success. Thanks again to all who followed us and a special thanks to those who donated to our charity, the Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition. 

Awesome Run on Dry Skid Pad

Joe Vasta and I in our Pa. Breast Cancer shirts.

We got back to South Bend to the Tire Rack test track and skid pad facility on Saturday May 7th where our competition for the week started. I usually do fairly well on the skid pad so I had high hopes of gaining a couple positions on the dry skid pad, our final competition. When I finished my run I was first in class and first overall. That leads to a big smile. With the fastest 30 cars yet to run I had no illusions that I could hold onto the first overall for long, but I did end up fourteenth and first in class by .003 of a "G" scoring a 1.017 to the second in class who had a 1.014  When it was all over we had gained 4 positions overall for the week and ended up in 27th place, not a bad finish for the week.

Our last road course event was the Autobahn Country Club Raceway neat Joliet, Il. They have a South course which we ran in the morning and a North course which is a little longer that we ran in the afternoon. I was pretty pleased with the runs considering I was still running on seven cylinders.  I finished both right at mid pack, which was great.

"Garage Mahals", sorry the poor quality, overcast day & great distance

One neat feature of this beautiful track are the "Garage Mahals" that line the track. There are 18 of these around the North course and 11 around the South Course. Many of these looked like the housed multiple tenants., some as many a 3 or 4. A typical arrangement is high ceilings with the cars kept on the ground and then build a loft with some living space towards the rear. Usually the living space includes a wet bar or maybe even a full kitchen, sofa and chairs, big screen TV's etc, etc. This is a neat deal if you can afford it;^)

Just a reminder, we are home and I'm still catching up on my posts and even though it sounds like I'm still at the tracks I'm giving you a summary of what we did at those tracks. With rushing off to the next event which was at Great Lakes Dragway we didn't have much time to work on the diagnosis of the miss so we decided to just continue on. Funny thing was even with seven cylinders, we were able to advance to the fourth

round in the bracket drags and finished fourth overall and first in class.We finished 28th in the pure ET run, not quite as good but real respectable for my car considering the competition and my limping car. After the drags it's back through Chicago to Joliet, Illinois and Autobahn Country Club Raceway.

Road America awesome track

We are home now but still trying to catch up on my blog. On Thursday we were at Road America, at over 4 miles it is one of the longest and fastest road course tracks in the country With the long straight-a-ways and big braking zones it is also really tough on the brakes. Had reasonable finishes on both road course runs and on the Autocross, but when we left Road America we had an engine miss in one cylinder. which feels very much like a bent valve, probably from over aggressive down shifts while trying to save the brakes from going away. Oh well, we will continue on with seven cylinders and do the best we can. Our next stop is about 100 miles down the road at Great Lakes Dragway. BTW we are still collecting money for our charity, the Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition and with a few more dollars we will have out best fundraising year ever. To donate and get your sticker on the roof of the car, go online to pbcc.me then click on donate. When asked for what event be sure to fill in One Lap of America. Thank you.

Summit Point to National Corvette Museum track

I apologize to all of you who were trying to follow along on this blog. The fat fingers and small keyboards make it difficult to compose much in the right seat of a car with a stiff suspension and on rough and bouncy roads. I did try to post a couple times and after I hit post they disappeared. One showed up a few days later so maybe the others will eventually show up. Anyhow, we had a couple of good runs at Summit Point then headed off to the new NCM (Corvette Museum course) in Bowling Green, Kentucky. On my first run I had a big spin. No damage and I'm OK, but it hurt my time and made me a little conservative for my next run. After NCM we headed off to Road America in Elkart Lake, Wisconsin only 553 miles away. Road America is the fastest road course in the country and really uses up the brakes with its long fast straight-a-ways. 

Catching up after lack of sleep

The rain kept chasing us this week and we had damp but drying conditions at ncm (Corvette Museum racetrack) in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I did not have a good result with a big spin in the morning event and a 37 place, then I guess I got a little more conserative with my driving and only got a 39 place finish in the afternoon.  After all that we started a 553 mile run to Elkart Lake, Wisconsin but not leaving till about 2 pm, another very late night.

We really had a full day at Road America, one of the fastest and longest road courses in the country. We had two high speed track events, an Autocross, then off to Great Lakes Dragway about 100 miles to the south. As we were leaving Road America, we suspected we have a bent valve in the engine, however we decided to go and compete in the drags anyhow, good choice, I finished 28th overall in the fastest ET run and 4th place in the Bracket Drags. I have now climbed back to 28th place overall and 4th place in class and we are within striking distance of a few more positions, but with a wounded engine, who knows?

The Sun Came Out at Summit Point

I was looking forward to getting to Summit Point but then the weather report changed to rain. Fortunately the weatherman is not always right. The track was drying but had some wet/damp areas that challenged the grip for the first event in the morning, but I was pretty pleased to finish 25th. Our afternoon was full dry and I had my best finish of the week with a 20th place. In three days I have moved up from 47th place in the overall standings to 27th place, and tied for 3rd in my class. The next big challenge of the day was the 653 miles over to Bowling Green, Kentucky for our next event at the National Corvette Museum's new race track.

Whiskey Hill at Palmer Mass.

Spent Monday at the new track near Palmer Mass on the Whiskey Hill course. It is an amazing track, unfortunately it was a bit wet but drying in the morning, then full wet for the second event in the afternoon. It looks like it could be a lot more fun when fully dry. It is on the top of a mountain and has 190 feet of elevation change. It looks like someone took a quarry and made a race track out of it. The track just keeps going up and up then finally starts its run back down and those rock and concrete wall are pretty close. Check out the pictures, but they don't do justice to the awesome elevation change. I had a very respectable 26th place in the drying conditions and 41st in the rain. Well better luck tomorrow in Summit Point, West Virginia after a 553 mile drive.

rive;^)

Sunday at Pitt Race

 

Sorry I'm a little behind on my postings but the transits kind of tire you out.

Pitt Race was the start of our road courses for the week. We got off to a slow start with a wet course for the first run. Last year they extended the course with an additional section called the South Course. We ran the combined North and South Full Course. I was kind of mid pack with a 39th place in the morning and 32nd in the afternoon runs. Tonight we will arrive in Palmer Mass. after a 500 mile plus drive. Hoping to do a little better as the week wears on.

Looks like a rainy week!

Here the car sitting in the rain in the parking lot at Tire Rack in South Bend, Indiana.  Hope it looks this good at the end of the week.  All the stickers on and Tech completed. We ran the wet skid pad Saturday and my result was not as good as I wanted, but it is only the first event of 19 for the week so we will keep trying.  Off to Cleveland then Pittsburgh before we sleep Saturday night, only 527 miles, then we run Pitt Race on Sunday.  This years group looks extremely competitive.

Still Room for Donation Stickers

If your name is not on the roof of my car, there is still room.  Donate to Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition at PBCC.ME, be sure to note One Lap of America. Thank You. 

PBCC Grassroots Partner Spotlight:  

             One Lap of America

Posted By PA Breast Cancer Coalition on April 14th, 2016 at 12:15 pm 

Two men and one Corvette are making a huge difference. Mount Joy business owner Jim Roberts, of Jim Roberts West Main Auto, and Joe Vasta are looking to rally the local community in his “One Lap of America” adventure. During the first week of May, this national endurance race challenges the preparation and staying power of both man and machine while raising money for charity.
Stickers will decorate the roof and body of the Corvette and can be purchased for a minimum donation of $10, benefiting the PA Breast Cancer Coalition (PBCC). The donor name will be listed, or stickers can be purchased in honor or memory of a loved one. To make a donation, visit pbcc.me/donate and fill in “One Lap of America” when prompted for the Title of Event.

It won't be long now

Time is getting short and it won't be long till we are on the road for another great adventure. We are proud to announce a new sponsor that is JMJ IT Solutions LLC, based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is serving the technological needs of customers throughout southeastern Pennsylvania.  Specializing in technical services and networking communications. JMJ IT Solutions LLC offers a wide variety of services and solutions for businesses of varying sizes.           

The car is almost ready, just a few graphic changes to do.  All those stickers you see on the roof of the car represent donations to the Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition. Our accumulated total over the years is almost $15,000 raised for a great cause. Nearly everyone has been touched in some way by this terrible disease, either personally or with a family member or friend. This year we are a bit behind in our fundraising and can sure use your help. A small plus, if you donate you get your name on the car and can ride along vicariously. See Joe or me or just visit pbcc.me online and you can donate using your credit card. Please note One Lap of America when asked for which event. The Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition represents, supports and serves breast cancer survivors and their families personally and with research grants. They are a statewide non-profit that creates the hope of a brighter future for women with breast cancer today. Be sure to follow along on my blog at onlapadventure.blogspot.com or on my Facebook page at Jim's One Lap Adventure.

Thank You to Sponsors!!

Special thanks to Gary Shenk for creating this 2015 Thank You picture

I would like to say a special THANK YOU to my sponsors who help make my participation in this race possible.  Our major sponsor is Engle Printing and Publishing Co. Inc. They are joined by Auto-Locator, Top of the Line Roofing, Whitmoyer Auto Group, Krunch Kritters Spray and Body Shop, Jim's Scrap Tire Service, Lancaster County Corvette Club, SSC Tint and Graphics, and new this year Two Cousin's Pizza and Italian Restaurant in Mount Joy.  For anyone interested I still have one spot available.


This year my Transit Driver will be a fellow Corvette enthusiast, Joe Vasta.  Joe is a member of the Bel Air Corvette Club in Maryland and serves as the East Region Executive of the National Council of Corvette Clubs. Joe and I will share the highway transit driving and I will do all the competitive driving when we compete at each of the tracks. This year we will race on 6 different tracks, do 2 skid pad competitions, one Autocross and 2 drag events.

With an event this awesome I wanted to leverage it for some community good and decided several years ago to raise money for the Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition.  Our accumulated total to date is over $14,000 raised for a great cause. This year we are way behind in our fundraising and can use all the help we can get. For those interested in donating and getting your name on a sticker on the car and ride along vicariously;^) please  stop in at West Main Auto in Mount Joy or see Joe or me, (make all checks payable to PBCC or Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition). If it is more convenient just go to pbcc.me online and you can donate using your credit card.  Be sure to note One Lap of America when asked for which event. The Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition represents, supports and serves breast cancer survivors and their families through educational programming, legislative advocacy and breast cancer research grants. The PBCC is a statewide non-profit organization that creates the hope of a brighter tomorrow by providing action and information for women with breast cancer today.   Thank You    Jim Roberts

One Lap of America 2016

I am starting to get ready for this years One Lap of America in which we will compete in early May. Every year we head off to an area of the country, this year we will be traveling in the North and East part of the country, as noted on the map. Starting in South Bend, Indiana then working our way to Pittsburgh International Race Complex, then to the new Palmer race track in Massachusetts then down to Summit Point, WV. After Summit Point we head down to the new Corvette Museum track in Bowling Green, Kentucky then to Road America in Elkart Lake Wisconsin. Thursday night it's off to the drags in Union Grove Wisconsin for a couple of drag events at Great Lakes Dragaway. Friday will be Autobahn in Joilet Illinois and back to South Bend. At this point I am still looking for a Transit Driver to accompany me on the trip, if you are interested message me and I can give you more details. I do have those who said they are interested but no one has committed yet.

This will be my 8th One Lap of America and we have raised over twelve thousand dollars for the Breast Cancer Coalition over the last few years. Make a donation and you can ride along “vicariously” (with your name on the car) on the trip and help a great cause at the same time. The Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition, 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 non-profit organization that creates the hope of a brighter tomorrow by providing action and information to women with breast cancer today.

To make a donation and get a sticker on the car, stop in at the store or send to Jim Roberts, % West Main Auto, 14 W. Main St. Mount Joy, Pa. 17552 along with who to name on the sticker. Please make all checks payable to Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition or PBCC for short. You can also visit http://www.pbcc.me/donate  and donate by using your credit card. Just click on Donate and follow the instructions. Be sure to fill in One Lap of America when asked for title of event.

I am also looking for a few volunteers who are sympathetic to the breast cancer cause and would like to be a "Captain" to help collect funds from friends, neighbors, co-workers etc. I can provide you with a kit including donation sheets and other helpful items. Please email me at jimbobcorv@comcast.net or my cell is 717-572-0110.

To help follow the adventure, I still maintain a blog at www.onelapadventure.blogspot.com (where you can find older stories) as well as this Facebook page, Jim's One Lap Adventure. If you “Like” the Facebook page you will see my updates on your Facebook page automatically. Stay tuned for more details on One Lap.