The Competition Begins

Friday morning began sticker day, putting all the national sponsor decals on the cars and going through tech to have the car and equipment checked and have your tires stenciled so they could see at a glance that you had the correct One Lap tires on the car.  This is also the day that I got to meet my new transit driver Steve Barrett.  Steve is from the Cinncinati area and we have spoken on the phone but just met on Friday.  I am posting a couple of pictures showing me finishing stickers on the car and a picture of Steve.

On Saturday morning the competition began.  I was able to post a g force reading of .819 on the skid pad.  Last year I got 6th place with a .804 but the .819 was only good for 16th place this year.  Last year's .804 would have only placed 25th in this years event.  I guess the competition keeps getting tougher each year.  Some evidence of this is there are now 8 Nissan GTR's in the SSGT1 Big Bore class this year as well a great mix of awesome vehicles throughout the classes.

After the wet skid pad we went to South Bend Motor Speedway's paved 1/4 mile oval.  I have never run an oval before and the cereal bowl look and the wall can be intimidating.  I was able to come out of there with a 20th place and am now in 14th place overall.

Next we ran off 106 more miles to Joliet, Il. to Autobahn Country Club Raceway and run on the 2.1 mile South Course and the finishing order of this event would set the starting order for the rest of the week.  I didn't do as well as I had hoped and posted a 28th place finish.  I was hoping for a little better but that still puts me in the front half of the 75 cars to run in each event and will let us get going to the next event a little earlier.  Most days we will put on 450 to 620 miles going to the next racetrack after we do two events a that days track.  When we finished at Autobahn we then headed to Council Bluffs, Iowa 452 miles away to be ready to start Sunday at the Mid America Motorplex.  This was on heck of a day and we didn't get in our motel room until 1:30 am.  Tomorrow it is two events at Mid America then 460 miles to Hallet Oklahoma.

Stay tuned for more posts as I have the time to do them.

It won't be long now.  In a few days it all begins.  All the preparation is complete and I will soon be headed to South Bend for registration and a kick-off luncheon then it will be lots of competition.  The first day we will have three events.  The first event is a wet skid pad competition, then a short distance to an asphalt oval and finally off to Joliet, Il. to The Autobahn Country Club for a road race course Time Trial which will set the running order for the rest of the week.  The first day will be busy, but once we finish the three events it's off to western Iowa for two events at Mid America Motorplex the next morning.  Keep checking on this blog and I will try to post each day and let you know how we did or some of the interesting stories of the day.

BTW we are still collecting donations for the Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition.  Send in a donation of $10 or more and we will put your name on the car and you can ride along.  Check the last post for info and address to send donations.  We are closing in on our goal but still need your help.  Why not put every family member's name on the car to show their support in the fight against breast cancer?  Thank You all for your generous donations.

Hood Sponsor announced

JimBob Racing announces that we have signed a new Hood Sponsor for 2012. The Hood Sponsor is Engle Printing Company of Mount Joy, Pa. The Engle printing Company is celebrating 58 years in business this year and is a very respected and involved member of the local community. I would also like to mention our other sponsors without which I couldn't put this effort together. The Mount Joy Diner, Auto-Locator, Faulkner Chevy, Jim's Tire Service, Top of The Line Roofing, Krunch Kritters, PA. Breast Cancer Coalition, Jim Roberts' West Main Auto, Mick's All American Pub, SSC Tint & Graphics and the Lancaster County Corvette Club. We would like to thank all of our sponsors for their support.

Just an update on our fund raising for the Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition. As you can see from the attached picture we are filling up the roof and will soon have to start on the back window. We started out with a bang and announced a goal of raising 50% more than last year. While we are ahead of last years pace we still have a lot of work to go to realize that goal. Don't forget if we get your donation before we leave in early May we will put your name on one of our Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition stickers and place it on the car and you can "ride along" on this amazing adventure. We will also put someones name who you would like to honor who has delt with breast cancer or another cancer. You can also name someone in memorial. We have also had familes who for $10 each have put all the members of the family on to show their support for the fight against Breast Cancer. Steve Barrett, my Transit Driver is from the Ohio area and he is active in getting donations from his friends as well. If you would like to donate please send your donation to Jim Roberts 14 W. Main St. Mount Joy, Pa. 17552. Please make any checks payable to Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition.

It won't be long now and I'm working on the final details on making sure I have the right parts, stuff, etc. to take along. Space is certainly a consideration so we have to pack ligh, though not a light as some. Last year an Ultima GTR exotic sports car had so little space for luggage they had to put their clothing and stuff in baggies and fit it into any crevice in the cabin they could find. Be sure to keep checking the blog and I will try to make updates each evening to share some of the results and stories of the day. Feel free to share the blog address with anyone who might be interested in this type of thing.

Just put all new brakes and rotors on the Vette and doing the final check over. Received my tires and mounted and balanced and installed them. It is now less than a month away and I'm getting anxious. It is a relief to have Steve Barrett in the transit driver position. Steve is really excited and is helping to spread the word and is also collecting donations for our charity. Now I need to get the vinyl graphics on the car finished for the sponsors.

I have started to put the names on the car for the people who have donated to Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition. Just a reminder anyone who donates $10 or more to our charity we will put your name, or a name in honor of or in memory of, on the car. With your name on the car you can "ride along" on the trip and help the Breast Cancer Coalition help women and help fund research for a cure at the same time. I don't want to miss anyone who has given in past years, so if you want to give again this year and I have not contacted you, please see me, give me a call or send me a check to, Jim Roberts 14 W. Main St. Mount Joy, Pa. 17552, but make check out to Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition.

At this point there are 76 vehicles registered for One Lap and SSGT1 Big Bore which is our group, has 21 cars. We have several Corvettes including a ZR1, a few Vipers and Nissan GTRs, a couple of Porsche and BMWs, a Ferrari and a Jaguar XKR coupe. BTW SSGT1 is usually the largest and most competitive class in the field.

Just as a reminder I have included the official map so you can follow along and know where we are each day. My plan, as in the past, is to blog each night to report on the events and/or success of the day. Don't get too excited if I don't post each night, sometime the days are just too long and something has to give.

Great news, I now have a Transit Driver. His name is Steve Barrett, he is a longtime Corvette enthusiast and lives in Fairfield Ohio. When Rick couldn't do it this year, I went through my list of people who said they wanted to go and scheduling conflicts etc. just kept getting in the way. JD White, a fellow Corvette guy that we hung out with last year during One Lap came to the rescue and pointed Steve in my direction. I think Steve is going to work out well, when I said the car had a heavier cam and clutch, his response was "That sounds like fun".

Went down to Summit Point for a Friday at The Track to instruct and also give the Corvette a shakedown before starting final preparation for the One Lap which is only about a month away. Everything ran fine and I was able to put some nice hot laps on, running on street tires as we will with the One Lap effort.

Most days we will finish at that days track by 3pm and then put on 500-600 miles to the next track. This really is an endurance event for man and machine.

BTW we are still collecting money for the Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition and will put a sticker on the car with your name on it for anyone who donates $10 or more. We can also put stickers on the car in Honor of or in Memorial to. Please send any donations with checks made out to Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition to Jim Roberts 14 W. Main St. Mount Joy, Pa. 17552. Last year we raised a couple thousand dollars and our goal is to improve that by 50%.

Ride along on One Lap with your name on a STICKER

Pictured is Jim presenting Heather Hibshman, Executive Director of the Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition with our official picture of last year effort. Our team was recognized as a Grassroots supporter by the Coalition for our fund raising efforts where we raised over $2000 dollars for 2011. This year Rick is scheduled for a back operation and will not be able to go along but will continue to help raise funds for the Pa.Breast Cancer Coalition and will be puting stickers on his Corvette as well. I encourage you to not delay in making your donation for $10 or more and we will put a"Pink Ribbon" sticker on the car with your name or a loved one's name and you can "ride along" on our One Lap of America and help a great cause at the same time. At this point we are ahead of last years fundraising and are hoping for great things.

Just a quick update on our preparation, we have been going over everything on the car and even did a shakedown run to the Rolex 24 hour race in Daytona and it worked flawlessly and even got reasonable gas mileage. Gas mileage has decreased as the engine power has increased, so we are hoping the predicted major increase in fuel prices doesn't happen before our event in early May.

The entry list is growing and is now up to about 70 vehicles with an amazing mix of vehicles and classes. From Hondas Mini's and VW's to Corvettes Porsches, Vipers, Ferraris, Jaguars and BMW's and every thing in between.Many of the race tracks we will go to will be new to most of the participants. The format gives us one lap to learn the course and then three laps of Time Trial. The Time Trial is much like a qualifying lap in Nascar in that you are not going wheel to wheel with other cars but racing against the clock as are the other cars.

Please make any checks out to Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition and send to Jim Roberts 14 W. Main St. Mount Joy, Pa. 17552

Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition is 2012 Charity for Jimbob Racing

Jim Roberts of Jimbob Racing announces that The Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition will be our charity again this year for our One Lap of America effort. We will again be accepting donations and will be placing a sticker on the car for each donation of $10 or more. Many people have donated and have their own name put on to show their support for the Coalition. Others have put the name of a friend or a loved one who has dealt with this terrible disease. Space is filling up, so don't wait too long if you would like to make a donation. Checks should be made out to the Pa. Breast Cancer Coalition, and sent to Jim Roberts at 14 W. Main St. Mount Joy, Pa. 17552. Please mark One Lap in the memo section of the check so we can keep track of the donations. If you see me or Rick cash is also acceptable, just let us know whose name to put on your sticker. Feel free to make donations to put several stickers on the car. With the stickers you can "ride along" on this amazing adventure and donate to a good cause at the same time.

Their Mission:
The PA Breast Cancer Coalition (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 that creates the hope of a brighter tomorrow by providing action and information to women with breast cancer today.

Please join us in raising funds for a very worthy cause.