Wendel Charged with Murder!
James Wendel of Roseburg was charged with murdering the competition in both the Trans-Am and Sports Car races held at STR on Monday, November 10, 2015. The weapon of choice was a custom brass and wire chassis built by the perpetrator. The bodies (Ferrari 458 and well-worn Firebird Trans-Am) are also shown below.
Mona Lisa in Plastic
Most all in our group spend countless hours painting and detailing their rides. In particular, Ron and Terry create works of art in plastic. Shown below are images of featured cars. I have also included an image of Nicks rare Ferrari 308
Track Conditions Excellent
I arrived at STR a bit early for some much needed practice and to assess the results of tuning my black Firebird Trans-Am and my Ferrari Modena Spyder. Both cars ran quite well and in fact better than I expected. I observed that the track conditions at STR were excellent for both Sports Cars and Trans-Am machines. I also observed that in practice, several rides, other than my own approached track records. I was in for some very stiff competition.
Race Highlights
In the Trans-Am race, James and Jack, both driving Firebirds, battled it out for the top step of the podium. Both drivers turned in very consistent performances with cars that were equally matched. In the end, James well-worn red Firebird Trans-Am finished first with 92.5 laps. This lap count tied the record also set by James back in January of 2015. Jacks yellow Firebird Trans-Am was second about a half lap down. Bobs Posey Challenger was a distant third.
Four drivers including James (copper Ferrari 458), Rich (red Ferrari Modena Spyder), Bob (Copper Jaguar XJ220) and Mark (yellow Modena Spyder) were in contention for a podium finish. James was the only driver to break magic the five second barrier; however others turned laps in the very low 5.0 second range. In the end, James finished on top with 91.7 laps with Rich about a half lap down. Bob was third about a lap behind Rich.
Firebirds on Fire
James and Jack, both driving Firebirds, were clearly the dominant forces in the Trans-Am race. Both registered very consistent performances (James at 96.53% and Jack 96.12%). Both cars were very quick (James 5.009 and Jack 5.026). James registered fast lap times on the blue and yellow lanes while Jack registered fast lap times on the red and white lanes. Looking at the lap counts by lane, it appears that the margin of victory was achieved on the blue lane where James ran 23 laps while Jack ran only 22.
Richs black Firebird (fast lap 5.117 seconds) and Bobs green Challenger (fast lap 5.103) were quite evenly matched and ran neck and neck during several heats. Unfortunately, Rich made several unforced errors relegating him to fourth place. Perhaps some brand new tires were the culprit; perhaps it was simply pushing the car beyond its limits. No matter, Bob finished third. Below are images of the grid and details of the finishing order.
One, Two for Ferrari
The Sports Car field was quite diverse and included two Ferrari Modena Spyders (Rich red, Mark yellow), two Ferrari Modena Coupes (Terry maroon, Ron orange), a Ferrari 458 (James), a Ferrari F40 (Jack), a Ferrari 308 (Nick) and a lone Jaguar XJ220 (Bob). Any of the four top tier cars could have won the race. James 458 turned in the only sub five second lap with time of 4.989 seconds. Rich, Bob and Mark were all in the low 5.0 second range.
The copper 458 piloted by James is always a threat and holds the fast lap record of 4.889 seconds. The car seems to handle quite well and is fast down the straights. James drove a consistent race (95.31%) and won, finishing with 91.7 laps. Rich turned in a personal best performance in terms of fast lap (5.038 seconds) and total laps (91.1) challenging James for the top step of the podium. In the end Rich finished about a half lap down from James. Bob and Mark battled it out for the bottom step of the podium but a few unforced errors relegated Mark to fourth place.
A few comments on ride selection are in order before proceeding. Bob selected his copper Jaguar XJ220. Although the body is quite durable, it is not the best choice because it is heavy as well. Bobs Testarossa would have been a better and faster choice. In addition, Bob has not run his blazing fast blue Ferrari Modena Spyder at STR in years. The car is equipped with a S16D (allowed in the class) and is a winning ride for sure. Jacks stable of sports cars includes at least 4 or more rides. In fact, his silver Ferrari won the OSCAR sports cars race early this year. Jack selected a good looking Ferrari F40, obviously not his top ride. The car was equipped with a dog of a Deathstar relegating him to a fifth place finish. Ron ran his orange Modena coupe for first time at STR. He ran a second string chassis and simply selected an old Deathstar from a pile of used motors. The best the car could do was a 5.562 lap (way off the pace). His other sports cars a more competitive. Perhaps, with a stronger motor the new coupe will break into the top tier.
Below are images of the grid and details of the finishing order
