Advanced Autosports New Move

Racing Season NEWS . . .

April 2008

Don’t worry – this is not an April Fools Joke . . .

The snow is almost melted up here in Wisconsin. It’s almost time to go racing Vroom~Vroom. For our local friends, this coming Saturday is “Tire Wall Day” at Blackhawk Farms Raceway. Everyone is invited to come out and help restack tire walls and re-bag tires. Food and beverages will be provided by the new track owner. Time and weather permitting, track touring will be allowed at the end of the day.

On Saturday, April 12^th, Advanced Autosports will host our 3^rd Annual Tech Day for Midwestern Council. Bring your car and have your annual tech inspection done in a relaxed atmosphere. Food, drinks and plenty of bench racing are in-store.

On April 19^th, we finally get to “Turn Money into Noise”. Blackhawk Farms will be our home for 5 out of 6 weekends up to Memorial Day. Driver schools are scheduled for both Midwestern Council and SCCA, (2) SCCA National Events and ending with a 3-Day Midwestern Council Event.

This issues “Tech Tip” is about torque wrenches. The place that we use a torque wrench the most would be on lug nuts. Miata lug nuts should be torqued to 65-70 ft/lbs. Many of us will use a socket extension and adapters with torque wrenches. This is a bad practice, as every joint will decrease the torque applied to the nuts.

Many people will pull quickly on a torque wrench, creating a jerk or snap effect. This will also result in inaccuracies. Pull steady ~ NOT jerky. If you use a power tool to install the lug nuts prior to hand torqueing, pay attention to if you actually tighten with the nut with the torque wrench. Power tools often over torque the nuts. Over torqueing the nuts will increase wear on the nuts and studs.

May 2008

Up here in the North Country, we finally started racing.

Our first event was the Midwestern Council Drivers School and race at Blackhawk Farms Raceway. Congratulations to our new Competition License Holders; Greg Scrine and Roger Pogo.

Tom Roberts debuted his 475hp ASA Stock Car Conversion. After running as high as 2^nd overall, Tom finished 3^rd in GT1. Tom got down to competitive lap times by the morning qualifying session. Seeing the big grin on Toms face was worth all the effort the Advanced Autosports team put into preparing the car. And that grin may not have warn off yet!!

The very next weekend was the SCCA Double Drivers School and Regional Race at Blackhawk Farms.

Lon Blaser and Jon Iwata earned their SCCA Competition Licenses on Friday and Saturday in Sundays race, Ray Kollock earned his first ever pole position in a strong SM field. Ray Kollock led the field to the green.

Today tech tip isn’t about tires or torque wrenches. It’s about fun, something many drivers forget about. As drivers, we spend 10, 12 or more hours at the race track to get 1 hour behind the wheel. The remaining hours need to be enjoyable too.

The camaraderie of the Advanced Autosports Team is what makes a day at the track unforgettable. Whether it’s experienced drivers helping the rookies find speed or watching the future racers playing in the grass, everybody has fun.

Ray Kollock gets a lot of good natured kidding over his pink and black argyle color scheme. To honor Ray all the Advanced Autosports drivers at the Midwestern Council Race ran with pink stripes on the nose of their cars.

June Newsletter 2008

I know I am late getting another Newsletter together.

Today I want to discuss safety and the bad side of racing. Last week at Road America we had a very hard crash between two Spec Miata’s. The first car spun in Canada Corner (Turn 12) came back across the track and was T-Boned in the passenger door by a second Miata.

Fortunately both driver’s walked away. They will be very sore for a week, but otherwise unhurt. Both driver’s had HANS Devices on. I wouldn’t want to imagine what the outcome could have been, had the 2^nd driver not been wearing some type of head restrain. “Buy one – Wear one”! If not for yourself, for your wife and kids.

The second issue is how did the safety equipment built into the cars survive? The impact was estimated at 70-75 mph. The force was strong enough on the second car to push the motor into the firewall, pushing the trans and driveshaft back hard enough to break the diff housing!! The first car got hit square in the passenger door so hard that it bent the NASCAR bars back into the car.

Fortunately this car had a dash bar. A piece of tubing running from the left side to the right side of the roll cage. Without this bar, the car would have collapsed into the drivers compartment. Had this happened, more serious injuries could have occurred.

Take a look at the attached pictures and think about if your cage would have held up as well as this cage did.

Note: The bent NASCAR bars on the passenger side.

The bent “LEFT” hand cage side from the force applied by the dash bar.

Look how far the rocker panel is pushed in when using a board from tire to tire.

Yes, this is an Advanced Autosports cage. In fact it is one of my very early cages built back in 2002. No welds where broken.

And Yes – we are building a new car to replace both damaged cars.

New from Advanced Autosports is an aftermarket Rear Filler Panel. The plastic panel that goes between the tail lights on a 90-97 Miata. I have used several of these and found them to fit just like the more expensive factory piece. Regular Retail Price will be $199.95 we have an introductory price of $179.95 good through July 31, 2008. Available in gloss black only.

Remember we do this for fun! “Play Safe”!

July Newsletter 2008
After a less than spectacular trip to Road America for the June Sprints, the Advanced Autosports team returned to the friendly confines of Blackhawk Farms. We also returned to the podium. Mike Backus regained his winning ways in both the Spec Miata and ITA races. Ray Kollock keeps getting closer to the top step of the podium with a 2nd place finish in Spec Miata and a 3rd in ITA. Completing the podium sweep in Spec Miata was Chad Hallonquist, with his best finish of the season in 3rd place. The Advanced Autosports team had 6 top 10 finishers with Tom Roberts in 4th and Dan Ibrahim in 9th. I even got into a race car for the first time in 2008 and managed to finish 7th.
Ray Kollock continued his impressive run of finishing every Midwestern Council race since April of 2007. That's 12 straight weekends with no DNF's, And, to make it even more impressive, he runs in 2 classes every weekend! That's 24 straight races!!
It takes stamina on both the driver and crew to complete a streak like that. The credit has to go to the Advanced Autosports crew. The guys in the shop who actually work on the cars every day, Mike and Brian keep the cars running strong. But what do they do that keeps these cars reliable? It's all in the details. We keep a repair list for every car in the shop. Nothing fancy, it shows the date and what we did. This allows us to keep track of the 20+ cars in the shop. We date all of our oil filters so we can quickly tell when the last oil change was done. Only racing oil is used, no Mobil 1 in these cars. We also date the front wheel bearing caps with the date of bearing services. We keep a book with the setup notes from every alignment we do. All this paperwork takes time when you multiply it over 20 cars and 20 races. But, it allows us to see trends in failures. Last year we had a rash of front wheel bearing failures following a rain race. We now repack the bearing after racing in the rain.

Speaking of racing in the rain, I have just finished a new book called "The Art of Racing in the Rain" by Spec Miata racer Garth Stein. It is an excellent book for racers and non racers alike. The racing is the background for a compelling story.

Available at most book sellers or at

www.theartofracingintherain.com

August Newsletter 2008
We may not be in Kansas, but Toto, it sure is nice to be home. The Advanced Autosports team returned to our home track of Blackhawk Farms. And we did it with a bang! No fewer than 9 cars where under the big tent for the drivers school and race weekend. With cars entered in 3 different race groups we kept the crew awake. In the Improved Touring race, Mike Backus #94 drove his Miata to a second place finish, bettering all the true ITA Hondas.
After a change in tire brands to Hoosier and then B.F. Goodrich, Mike Dimand returned to the Goodyear tires. And, he returned to the GT1 winners circle! "I got my car back" was all Mike could say after winning the race.
The Spec Miata race ended with a sweep of the podium by Mike Backus, Chad Hallonquist and Ray Kollock. In the 3 races, the Advanced Autosports Team had 2 wins, 3 seconds and a third. Congratulations to Jack Murphy #17, who survived a broken diff, on earning his Competition License on Saturday, and completing his first 2 races on Sunday.

Dimand showed that sometimes you need to take a step back, to go faster. A handling problem late last summer drove (pun intended) Mike to trying the Hoosier and BFG tires. They seamed to help, but not completely. The shocks where rebuilt along with the engine over the winter. Good power, but still not handling right. We then put a basic setup in the car, nothing radical. Just something we knew would work. BIG improvement, but now that new found horsepower would not hookup, coming out of the corners. And the tires where blistering. Out of the trailer come the year and half old Goodyear's. And they worked.

Many people go to test days, but do they really test anything? Part of testing is finding out what does not work. It's also about learning what different problems feel like. An excessively low tire pressure will cause a push, but so will excessively high pressure. Part of testing is trying to screw up the car, and learning from it. But always be able to go back to where you started. Take notes, and don't be afraid to try something new.

Advanced Autosports has been testing some new brake pads from Hawk. Their new DTC60 line is available for Spec Miatas.

Dynamic Torque Control has high torque with less initial bite than other compounds. Superior release and torque control characteristics and excellent rotor wear. Available for fronts only.

September Newsletter 2008
A while back I mentioned the novel “The Art of Racing in the Rain”. This past weekend the book was a hot topic in the Advanced Autosports paddock at Road America. As remnants of Hurricane Ike dumped 10 inches of rain on Southern Wisconsin, we only had about 3 inches at the track. Our plan to test the new SCCA spec tire, the Toyo R888, had to be adjusted with the consistent rains. Two drivers tried the R888 at full tread. Ray Kollock and Roger Pogorzelski thought the tires where very predictable in the wet. The only fully dry session was the Sunday SM Race. All of our drivers went out on the current RA1 tires. Ray qualified on the pole once and was on the front row twice. He went on to finish 6^th in 3 of the 4 races. Great consistency from our “Iron Man” Racer. What do I expect from the R888 next year? The small amount of info I have indicates similar set-ups as the current RA1. Consistent lap times with the RA1. what will actually happen is still a little unknown. As I learn more I will share it here, with all of you. One recommendation for extra maintenance, following a rain race, is to repack the front wheel bearings. We have seen unusually high front wheel bearing failure the weekend following a rain race. At Advanced Autosports we use Schaeffer Molly Grease. We also have used Redline CV2 and Mobil 1 Synthetic Greases with good results. If any of you get a chance to test the new R888, send me your feelings and I will share the info with everyone. Drop an email to dave@advanced-autosports.com. Up here in the northland, our season is winding down. Most of our tracks shut down on November 1^st. Advanced Autosports will once again be offering free winter storage of Spec Miata Racers. All we ask is that you allow us to do your winter maintenance. Whether you need a new Stewart Engine, trans rebuild or just a good “go over”, Advanced Autosports can get you ready for 2009 with out the hassles of working on the cold garage floor. And, for those of you who just don’t want to wait until Spring to race again; Advanced Autosports is planning two trips South. The first is to Sebring International for the Florida Regions annual “Turkey Trot” Double Regional on Thanksgiving weekend. Get four races over 2 days at one of the most famous race tracks in the world. Our second trip will be for the back to back National Races at Sebring and Moroso in January. Moroso has been completely rebuilt. Although the track layout remains very similar, everything is new. The track has been relocated so that you no longer have to use the drag strip as part of the road course. In talking to one local driver who has done a few laps (in a pick-up truck) the new pavement is smooth and fast. For more information on our Florida trips, CLICK HERE
October Newsletter 2008
Two words seem to keep coming up lately. The first is patience. Between the politicians, the accountants, the CEOs (that's Chief Embezzlement Officer), the CFOs (Chief Fraud Officer) and the news anchors, I've heard this word way too much lately. The reason I bring up the word is turn 9 on Autobahn Country Clubs South track. They call the turn "Patience" Last week I had the privilege of driving with a semi private car club called Laps Incorporated (www.lapsincorporated.com). " Laps" offers track time to drivers of all experience levels, at the Autobahn Country Club. You do not need to be a member of the country club to participate in a Laps day. Great fun, instruction and even lunch are provided. Since I had never driven the South track, I got to experience "Patience" for the first time. Patience is a slow second gear right hand 90* corner that sucks you into going too fast. The track is wide and inviting as you enter, but then turn 10 comes up real quick. This turn is a 110* left that leads onto the fastest part of the track. Way back when, we learned that the corner leading onto the fastest straight is the most important turn on the track. And exit speed is more important than entry speed. Patience invites you to go fast, and then she slams the door in your face. You can not enter the turn 10 properly; you can not get on the gas as early as you need to. And everybody will pass you down the straight away. Not because they have more motor, but because they understand Patience. I have helped many drivers go fast by teaching them about patience. If you find your car pushing through the corner, then getting passed on the next straight, have some patience. Brake a little early, slow your entry speed and try to get on the gas earlier. You may find that a little patience has given you more horsepower. The second word that keeps coming up is teamwork. At Advanced Autosports we pride ourselves on the reliability of the cars we prepare. The team gets the cars done on time, as promised. Our drivers work as a team to bring the new driver up to speed. Or in my case at Autobahn, the old guy at a new track, up to speed. Teamwork is something the Chicago Cubs seemed to have forgotten about, at least in October.
Our teammates include Shawn Young at Laps. He has brought more people into Spec Miata than anybody I know. If you are looking for more track time, contact Shawn@lapsincorporated.com for more info.
Robin at Designs by Robin does all the website work and this newsletter for Advanced Autosports. She can do driver and team websites as well. Contact her at 815-298-2222 or robin-racing@hotmail.com. Purchase any website Design from Robin and receive an Advanced Autosports Gift Card. Robin is currently running a winter special on website designs please call her for full details. Advanced Autosports has entered into an agreement with Stewart Race engines to be the official distributor for the Central USA. We will soon be stocking race ready engines and cylinder heads for all year Spec Miatas. Stewart Race Engines have become commonplace at the front of the field at NASA and SCCA races. Give me a call for special pricing. When politics or the economy is not on TV, all I see is Christmas advertising. I know, its TOOOOO early to start thinking of Christmas and snow. Even up here, we have 2 races left. But, it's never too early to think about what the Driver (or his Miata) wants for Christmas. Make it easy and ask for Advanced Autosports gift cards. Available in any denomination, and they never expire. See www.advanced-autosports.com or call 608-313-1230 to order. Sorry for the above paragraph, I could not come up with a better way to slide in the fact that we now have Gift Cards. Forgive me?? Remember, Racing is Supposed to be Fun!
November Newsletter 2008

We have all used the phrase "Zero to Hero" to refer to someone who finishes last one weekend and wins the following weekend. In this case he went from 6 to 9.

I mention Ray Kollock quite often in the newsletter. That is because Ray loves to race his Spec Miata. Ray runs every Midwestern Council race, almost all the Central Division Regional races, some Nationals and even the occasional NASA race. Ray not only races his car in Spec Miata, but he double enters and runs in ITA or SMT. Over the course of the last 2 race seasons, Ray has run over 50 races in rain or shine. He runs every practice session and most test days. At the last SCCA Regional race at Blackhawk Ray had his first DNF in 2 years.

A small tap from behind sent Ray into the grass and eventually he rolled the car onto its roof. Thus turning the #6 into #9. Ray was unhurt and the car really wasn't that bad.

The Advanced Autosports crew went to work and by Wednesday the car was ready to race at the final race of the season, a 50 Lap Enduro known as "That Loooong Race". That Loooong Race has a 38 year history of closing out the Midwestern Council race season. Ray was 2nd in the points and hoping for a good finish. After 100 miles at Blackhawk Farms, Ray erased the memories of the #9 car by winning his first Spec Miata race. Thus going from zero to hero!

Ray gets a lot of comments about his pink argyle stripe running down the center of his black Spec Miata. After the roll over, there was not enough time to get the new panels repainted. So, Ray competed as a newly renamed Racer "Ray-nbow". Complete with blue roof, red door and silver rear bumper. I'm afraid of what he may want for next year!!

Ray's engine is from Stewart Engines. Even after sitting upside down, it still was capable of winning the race a week later. You too can have a race winning Stewart Engine in your Spec Miata. Advanced Autosports announced in our last newsletter that an agreement had been made with Stewart Engines to be the official distributor for the central USA. As part of that agreement we are able to save you $500 on a complete rebuild of your Spec Miata race engine. This pro built engine will include new valves, valve springs, lifters (HLA's), pistons, rings, bearings, water pump, oil pump, timing components gaskets and seals. All machine work will be done to strict race quality standards and will be legal for SCCA, NASA or Midwestern Council competition. This program is only offered through Advanced Autosports and only until December 1, 2008.

Advanced Autosports has some cool little projects in the works. We should have announcements on 2 new items for your Spec Miata in the next newsletter. Until then, Remember Racing is supposed to be fun!

Remember we do this for fun! "Play Safe"!