On the FastVairs Yahoo group, Seth Emerson provided a summary of the convention autocross which we present here:
Dave Clemens did, indeed, take the FTD. There were three other cars in his class, Norm Latullippe was a second+ back, driving Bob Peplow's car, Bob was third, John Egerton fourth. Dave really wowed the field, a very impressive win.
The fastest V8 car, in Street Mod-2, was Dave Button, in a nice street Crown car. Kevin Wilson’s Corvair powered Street Mod-3 car bracketed the V8 car, with Michael Leveque a tenth of a second ahead, and Kevin slightly behind.
Michael's third run of the day included the most impressive "slide" of the day, in turns three & four on the oval. It never did come completely around, but it didn't back into the outside wall either! All four tires were smoking, though! The video is already on YouTube! That is Michael at the wheel, not Kevin. Kevin was shooting the video, heart rate climbing!
In the Stock classes, Mark Aksamit, from Arizona, was the class of the field. He has past racing experience and knows which car to borrow! He was two seconds ahead of any other stock class car, running in SS-3 and in a 110 PG car! None of the 140 4-speeds came close! Larry Tustison took SS-1, Roger Ringerstetter had to beat two Seversons to take SS-2. Philip Levering took SS-4 in his convertible, Phil Raker won SS-5 in his Greenbrier.
Improved Stock was all over the map. IS-3, usually the largest class at the convention, didn't disappoint with eleven entries. Mark Edmonds won the class with a 39 second run with his 140, but Brett Aston with his 110 turned a 38 second run in IS-2! Just behind him was his brother Bryce in the same car. Notably in the IS3 class, Ryan MacLeod beat his father Stewart, a changing of the guard! Allison Stewart took the ladies class IS-3L. Larry Claypool thrashed the family Truckster (Greenbrier) to an IS-4 title. Barb Mee has the IS-4L title.
The fastest Improved Stock car belongs to Terry Stafford and it is an early model! Terry's ‘64 Turbo is a longtime Lime Rock competitor, and is tightly tied down. He lent it to me to drive, however, and I took a couple of seconds off his time in IS-5. Terry's early model was easy to drive, a good thing since I hadn't competed in an early model since 1982! His turbo motor was really dialed in and was fun and rewarding to drive!
For reference, however, removable steering wheels should always be checked for full installation tightness before getting out on course. Please just take my word for it!! And don't ask!
Except for the humidity and a "warmish" outside temps, weather was not a factor at the convention. And the weather gods actually smiled deeply on the Autocross competitors. The Autocross day was absolutely perfect. Sunny, warm and rain free! The Stafford Speedway was a challenge for both power and handling, and you could envision yourself driving the oval track in a fast car with the safety needed for the Corvair Convention competitor, some of whom are novices at this racing thing.
Next year, at Western Michigan/Kalamazoo, look for even more racing as the Convention moves to a hotbed of racing. If you didn't make it to Sturbridge, you should have!
Thanks, Seth, and whose car are you planning to borrow in Michigan?
