Thunder at the Glen with NASA Northeast 9/28-9/30/18

Thunder at the Glen with NASA Northeast

9/28-9/30/18

Two weekends ago, I went to Watkins Glen International with the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) Northeast (NE) Region.  It was their fourth race weekend of the season and my third race weekend ever, so I tried as best I could to apply the lessons learned from my first two race weekends to improve my car setup and driving style.

My journey started at 5:00 AM when I left my apartment near Philly for my job in Central Jersey.  I had recently regreased the wheel bearings on my dolly for the first time ever and replaced the idler and tensioner pulley on my truck to try and remedy a noise that ended up being a water pump.  With no time left, I decided I'd keep an eye on my mechanical troubles and trudge forward.

After the work day was complete.  I conducted my four hour drive with my trusty steed and my speedy race car.  Once at the track, I met up with my friend Anthony and another fellow Honda Challenge driver, Mike Fries, and we all chatted for a while before I set up camp inside of my truck.

Normally I sleep inside a tent, but by recommendation of my friend Alex, I tried the truck.  And I have to say, sleeping inside a truck during the Fall at Watkins Glen is MUCH warmer than sleeping in a tent.  If you get cold?  You turn the heat on and let the truck run through the night.

The next morning, I got up, got in my car, put my NASA NE Volunteer shirt on, and I drove to the garage to help the NASA NE Volunteers with technical inspection.

With NASA NE, you have the option to volunteer and accumulate "credits" for track days.  If you've been volunteering for some time and you get the swing of things relatively quickly, you can even volunteer and drive at the same time.  You don't get credits in the latter case, but it's a great incentive to socialize and develop relationships with great people.

As a volunteer, you'll get to meet racers, learn driving skills, develop wrenching skills, and have a great time meeting new people.  In the pic below you'll see my buddy Alex helping me record data in his NASA NE Volunteer shirt with my good friend TJ who is an instructor with NASA.

Below, you'll see my buddy Ben adjusting scales after a Thunder Group car (a really fast Corvette) came through to check their weight.

The test day went well and the car was well balanced at this fast and relatively loose track.  Though I decided I would need to up my rear bar rate and increase my front spring rate in the long run.  I learned that my top speed was about 113 MPH on the back straight at Watkins Glen at the time.  Ken, the points leader in H4 wasn't there to shake his car down, but Damien was and he and I battled for a long time.  His car was down about 7 MPH on the back straight compared to me due ot his aerodynamics having more drag.  You'll see Damien's car below.

On Friday night, we enjoyed a track walk and a night out on the town.  Mike Fries of Honda Challenge H2 shared his expertise with us, discussing the corners and their constantly changing camber angles.  It served me and Damien greatly as we listened.  Kallie and Ken, our competitors were either off elsewhere or on their way to the track due to life catching up with them beforehand.

Saturday was the first race day.  It was a bright, sunny day, and our first practice and quali sessions resulted in providing the best conditions for me in the 139 car-- pumping out the fastest time of H4.  I blacked out my competitors' last names and times for their own privacy.

However, as usual, Ken pulled a rabbit out of his hat and managed to FLY by the competition.  With Spencer of Honda Challenge giving him LoBuk Motorsports Coaching, he really had some great knowledge backing him up.

I secured P2 by the skin of my teeth, getting lucky when an ST5 car wouldn't let my competition, Damien, by as I struggled with fuel starvation through corners and overheated tires.  Below you'll see a picture of myself and then Damien and Kallie on track (silver Civic and dark silver Integra, respectively).

After Race 1, Ken, Dame, and I went to WalMart to get some beer, some fire wood, and a pumpkin that we put on top of Kallie's car while she was asleep.  IT WAS HEAVY.  They made me grab it from the bottom of the cardboard bin!  You'll see a pic of Dame holding it.

The next morning we woke up and it was damp out.  The radar said that it would be dry for the whole day, but it ended up raining throug practice/quali...  I utilized the conditions to my advantage despite being scared and qualified first once more!

Given the results from the previous race and from previous race weekends, I was confident Ken would secure first, but what I thought would be a predictable race ended up being a tight race between me, Kallie, and Dame.

We all ended up finishing.  There were a lot of incidents and two major full-course cautions accompanying those incidents.  However, Ken, Damien, Kallie, and Myself were able to get through with no major issues.  Kallie did give me a little love tap (my first race contact), but I was able to catch it in T1 and win the race!

In a way, I was lucky that there were so many incidents.

My driver side, 35-dollar axle from RockAuto ended up failing after one practice session and 2 or 3 laps on track.  When I inspected it after the race, the heat damage was apparent...and very blue!

After the race, Anthony and I drove home together since we live so close and we got back safe.

It was a great weekend to be there and I am thankful for people like the Casellas who help organize events like this and to organizations like NASA that make it possible for amateur racers to have such a great time.  Papa Joe Casella is shown policing the event (and his dog Axle) in the pic below.

Lastly, thank you all for reading!  Until next time, keep following my Instagram account at @EJ2_TRACK_RAT and my Facebook Page.

Thanks all :)

#ChelseaTheCivic, Part 1: The Beginning of EJ2 Track Rat

Nowadays, it’s easy to watch people bask in the glory of their accomplishments without seeing the hardships they encountered along the way. Social media connects us to thousands of people so easily, and with a wider lens always comes less detail.

Figure 1: Ken and I Repairing my Civic at 2:00 AM After I Hit a Gigantic Pothole on the Way to the Glen for a Track day

In this fast-pace, modern culture, we praise people who can “stay out of the weeds”-- quickly assessing situations and solving problems efficiently. But sometimes, we gain a better perspective on not just racing, but life, when we dive in head first and learn the back story behind the success.

Figure 2: Getting Focused Before my First Ever Race

My story begins in 2016 after I graduated college with a humble 1993 Honda Civic. I named her, “Chelsea the Civic.”

Figure 3: My 1993 Honda Civic

I bought Chelsea because I wanted a second car so I could start taking track days more seriously. I wanted something that I could push to the limits, not worrying about the cost of damaging my daily driver, while improving my driving technique at the same time.

Figure 4: Autocrossing Chelsea the Civic with the Philly SCCA on Hoosier Slick Tires and Stock Suspension

The car possessed several little-known performance benefits to the general public.

From 1989 to 2001, Honda Civics were designed with optimal suspension geometries, similar to those seen in sports cars. With a double wishbone suspension up front and a rear trailing arm suspension in the rear, the 92-95 Honda Civic is a great track car platform to start with.

Figure 5: Front Double-Wishbone Suspension Typical of 1989-2001 Honda Civic

Figure 6: Rear Trailing Arm Assembly Typical of 1989-2001 Honda Civic

Additionally, the 92-95 Honda Civic, colloquially named the “EG” for its Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) counterpart and American Si hatchback, shared the same basic chassis design with the 94-01 Acura Integra, resulting in a vast level of aftermarket support and interchangeable parts.

For example, one can easily swap an Integra Type-R motor into a 92-95 Honda Civic-- a motor with >100 HP per liter and a redline of 8,400 RPM.

Figure 7: EG Civic with a Type-R Swap Belonging to 2016 NASA East Coast Honda Challenge H2 Champ, Spencer

Chelsea the Civic started out as a street car before I turned her into a Honda Challenge H4 race car, and the journey has been wild. I drove the car hundreds of miles to and from events for two years, doing over 50 track days during that time.

I only did basic maintenance and ran a relatively simple setup with the stock D15B7 engine, producing a whopping 102 BHP from the factory. And only recently, I made the jump into wheel-to-wheel racing-- swapping a new motor into the car and caging it.

Figure 8: Damien and I Entering Turn 1 at Lime Rock Park

This EJ2 Track Rat Blog Series will document the build progress of Chelsea the Civic over the years and my progression from autocrosser to track day enthusiast to race car driver. Similar to other posts on EJ2 Track rat, my goal will be to show readers how easy it is to develop as a driver and get on track. But also, I hope readers will learn that racing is not a much larger expenditure than track days-- if done right.

Thanks for checking in.

--Dillon

Rusty Bottom (The Magical '93), Part 1

Rusty Bottom (The Magical ‘93)

Part 1

When I was in college in 2013, I was sent to Wisconsin by a co-op employer to work at a chemical plant. I picked up my belongings and drove eleven hours in my RSX Type-S from my home outside of Northeast Philly to Janesville, Wisconsin.

Figure 1: My old RSX Type-S

At the time, I was really into car meets and car shows. I liked having a clean car and making it faster, but I didn’t know a lot about performance driving.

When I got to Wisconsin, I realized I had no friends and went to Facebook (FB), as millenials do, and typed “Wisconsin Honda” in the search bar. After a short time, I was connected with a friend named Mike out in Illinois who autocrossed a black EK hatch with the Sports Car Club of Rockford (SCCR).

Figure 2: Mike and Me in his Autocross Civic

Mike had a “unique” approach to motorsport. For him it wasn’t about having brand-name this or rare that, it was about driving the car as hard as possible, and that approach stuck with me.

Over the winter, I began speaking with an acquaintance from Home that I had met through the car scene in Philly, Alex K.

Figure 3: Alex K Washing his ‘93 Miata

Alex had seen my autocrossing through social media and with piqued interest, he wanted to do an event with me when I got home. So, I registered for a Philly SCCA event and we both went together.

Figure 4: Alex and I at Autocross

As we got more serious about driving, we got less serious about aesthetics-- and so we began to fall down the slippery slope. Like Mike in Illinois, our goals had shifted and we began to care less about car setup and more about actually driving our cars.

Figure 5: Alex Karate Chopping his Dented Fender

My friends and I began to call Alex’s car “The Magical ‘93” because it seemed like no matter what, the car was always competitive in local autocross events with minimal car prep. For example, the picture below documents when he beat the modded S2K sitting to his passenger side and got first in STR vs. well-prepared competition.

Figure 6: Alex at a Pocono Infield Autocross with the Northeast PA Region SCCA

We all soon realized that it wasn’t just the car that was magical. It was the combination of driver and car that was fast. Alex spent his time driving...he didn’t worry about upgrades or aesthetics. He worried about driving.

Figure 7: Alex Driving at Pocono

Eventually, when Alex graduated his technical institute and got a job working as a technician at a good company, he sold the car to my friends Sam and Franklin who are now engaged. Sam and Franklin are a pair of adrenaline junkies who ride mountain bikes and race TAG Karts when they’re not tracking the Miata they bought from Alex.

Figure 8: Sam and Franklin Working on Their New Miata

Sam and Franklin renamed the car, appropriately, as Rusty Bottom after they bought it from Alex-- since the car was in pretty rough shape from constant abuse, winter driving, and sitting outside. And they soon after began tracking it.

Figure 9: Franklin Rounding Turn 5 at the New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) Thunderbolt Course

This EJ2 Track Rat blog series will document the build progress of Rusty Bottom and the driver development of Sam and Franklin, and maybe even Alex. Stay tuned to see the car fully caged, augmented with full safety gear like seats and harnesses, and maybe even receive a paint job.

Figure 10: Franklin Chasing an S2K at Pocono

In memory of Alex’s Father, Chris.

Figure 11: Alex's Father and Our Friend: Chris

#TrashTeg, The Chronicles; Part 1-- A Free Car

In the Winter of 2017, our friend Ryan told all of the Junior Varsity Honda Challenge (JVHC) Squad about a free car he had found on the Chump Car Forum in Delaware.

Within a day at most, my buddy Alex drove down to Delaware from Philly to check the car out. He brought with him: a case of beer to show gratitude, a license plate, and his own self off the couch. Total cost? About $40 bucks.

And so The Chronicles of #TrashTeg began. Alex picked up an Integra for free, with the catch that he remove it from the seller’s property. Not only this, but Alex was told that the car had a bad head gasket! And would likely need serious work.

Figure 1: #TrashTeg

Either the same day, or the next, I went over to Alex’s and with the help of our friend Adam, we started the car and slowly troubleshooted an issue that started as overheating and climaxed in not-starting.

Figure 2: Video of Alex, Adam, and I putting water in the radiator

After some water and a new distributor cap, rotor, and plugs, we had the car running. My boy put the classic PA tag on and he ripped it up and down the block and it didn’t smoke. So we decided we would try and track it.

My Goal? To get Alex in a Honda just because. Alex’s Goal? IDK. Our Goal (I Think)? (I think) our goal was to make a freakin’ race car!

But for real though-- Alex and I both knew we wanted to race wheel to wheel. We both talked, and still talk, regularly, about endurance racing with AER or in Lemons, since our friends do it. We talked about having our own race team together. I was already building my Civic in his garage. So, I guess, impulsively and rationally it was a pretty good decision to pick the car up. What’s the worst it would do? Take up space?

Figure 3: Using #TrashTeg as a Vise to Break a Motor Mount Bolt for #ChelseaTheCivic

As is apparent in the figure above, the #TrashTeg proved to be very useful just in its presence, initially.

I told Alex I would help him get the Trash Teg on track if he would track it. He agreed. So in return for lending me his space, I would give or sell to him second-hand parts from my build and my own services at the least, in return.

Figure 4: Roll Bar, Harnesses, and Seats All Installed on a Budget

Stay tuned into the #TrashTeg: The Chronicles Series on EJ2 Track Rat. And you’ll find a story of building a cheap, capable track car, to use for driver development and (eventually in some way) racing-- including tips on how it benefited the driver and can be applied to the reader’s own driving style.

Figure 5: Trash Teg at Lime Rock

Thanks for reading.

--EJ2 Track Rat

Friends: Better Than Money

EJ2 Track Rat

Introduction

The other night, I was talking with my friend Kelley and he thanked me for giving him advice on how to get faster at the track and for my tips on how to get into a race car in the shortest amount of time possible.

Figure 1: My friend Kelley in his Civic Si

My reply was, don’t worry about it.

If it weren’t for some key individuals, I wouldn’t be racing right now. I would be watching my friends fight it out in the newly revived Honda Challenge H4 Group with the Northeast Region of the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) from the sidelines.

I would be at a stable point in the learning curve, perhaps advancing slightly in High Performance Driving Education (HPDE) and Time Trials (TT). However, I highly doubt I would be learning anywhere near as much as I am now, fighting it out with others in wheel to wheel racing. I wouldn’t be learning race craft. I wouldn’t be learning discipline. I wouldn’t be learning patience.

My Background

At the end of 2017 I was a relatively competent HPDE driver in NASA HPDE 4. I was recently granted permission to drive in TT by a good friend and instructor, DK and I had three years of track driving and about an additional three years of autocross under my belt. I felt comfortable where I was at, but wanted to compete on the track.

My plan was to put a B18B1 from a 94-01 Acura Integra into my Civic and do TT while my friends, Ken, Kallie, and Damien decided that they were all going to revive the Honda Challenge H4 Class in the Northeast. I was going to learn the optimal H4 setup with my B18B1, and improve my speed over time by doing TT as a volunteer-- saving money.

However my friend Zephyr called me personally, and explained to me the reasons I should go racing and his solutions to my perceived problems. And within three to four months, I had purchased an Integra for $1700 as a donor car for my new H4 motor which would be going into my beloved ‘93 Civic Track Car named “Chelsea the Civic,” and I had accomplished other things.

Figure 2: Side-by-Side Shot of my Track Car and my ‘98 Integra

I talked to my friend Alex, and he let me store and work on my Integra and my Civic in his garage in Northwest Philly for about three months since I didn’t have a place to build my race car.

I drove 160 miles per day at times, driving from my job in Central Jersey straight to his place, I swapped the 1998 Acura Integra B18B1 into my 1993 Civic DX after doing a partial teardown and rebuild,

Figure 3: B18B1 Engine Removal in Progress

Figure 4: Refreshing the Head Gasket on the B18B1

I purchased a 1999 Chevy Tahoe as a tow vehicle for $1300, installing new tires, a battery, and doing a basic tuneup, and towed my Civic back to my storage unit using a Uhaul dolly,

Figure 5: Surprise Snow Storm in the New Truck!

Figure 6: Picture of Truck and Civic in Northwest Philadelphia at Night

I swapped the ‘93 Civic Motor (a D15B7 making a whopping 102 break horsepower) into my ‘98 Integra, eventually using this car as a daily driver to and from my job in Central Jersey (120 mile round-trip commute),

Figure 7: Single Cam D15B7 Acura Integra

I found my own tow dolly, well-equipped with its own heavy-duty brakes, purchased it for a good price, and asked my friend Rick to let me store it at his house since I was low on space,

Figure 8: Unloading my Dolly at Rick’s House

I had the car fully caged by Alexander Fabrication in Knoxville, MD for a great price which included NASCAR bars, and a rear x-bar,

Figure 9: NASCAR Door Bars in my New Cage Thanks to Lee Alexander

Figure 10: More Glorious Work from Alexander Fabrication

I fully painted the whole cage and installed everything to get the car running,

Figure 11: Door bars painted with padding fitted

Figure 12: Rest of Cage Painted with Other Padding Fitted

Figure 13: My Old Sparco Ergo II with G-Force Cam-Lock Harnesses Installed...Gauge Cluster Zip-Tied to Roll Bar, ECU Secured to Bracket Taped to Floor

And I got my car to the track at the last minute for my opening track day at Lime Rock Park with NASA Northeast.

Figure 14: A Day at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut

However, I spent a large amount of track time troubleshooting a gushing oil leak, missing both days at Lime Rock, missing two days at Watkins Glen, and missing my competition school day at New Jersey Motorsports Park in May of 2018.

Figure 15: Zephyr Helping me Troubleshoot While Listening to Ska Music

I was devastated, but eventually, with hard work, perseverance, and support from my girlfriend, Zephyr, Alex, members of Junior Varsity Honda Challenge (JVHC), and others, I was able to get my Civic to NASA’s second competition school of the year.

On June 8^th, 2018, I finally earned my provisional competition license, and my first race weekend I got a 1^st and a 2^nd place out of four people in the Honda Challenge H4 Class.

Figure 16: From Left to Right, Kallie, Dame, Ken, and Me

Figure 17: First Place Trophy and Some Mini Roses

My car is nothing fancy. It has suspension, brakes, safety gear, and an engine swap, but I do all of my alignments by myself, with string. I do my own welding, I install my own parts, I do my own pit-crew work, and I do my own research and development.

Figure 18: Note Linoleum Tiles Under Tires Used as Turn Plates for “Frictionless Surface” Needed for Alignment

Figure 19: Bags of Grout Simulating Driver Weight While Doing Alignment-- Steering Wheel Held Still by Ratchet Straps

I’m not rich. I make a decent amount of money at my job, but A LOT of it is overcome by a massive amount of student loan debt. However, I knew I wanted to go racing, and as my friend Zephyr said when he was convincing me to do wheel to wheel racing, if you want it bad enough, you’ll make it happen.

Figure 20: From Left to Right-- Ken, Me, Kallie (Photo by Windshadow Studios)

Figure 21: Me Being Chased by Damien and Ken Behind Two Spec E30s (Photo by Windshadow Studios)

What’s This Blog About?

It’s impossible to make the jump from doing track days to racing without hard work, friends, and careful planning-- especially in three months. However, with enough will power and drive, anything is possible. Don’t restrict yourself because you think you can’t.

I want to show the reader that it is possible to go racing on a budget. I want to offer the reader do-it-yourself (DIY) articles, empirical data, product reviews, and a sight glass into my own racing “career.”

If you ask any racer, professional or amateur, if they thought they’d be actually racing when they were adults, they’d likely laugh and tell you “NO!” I know that if I had been told I would be racing at 25-years-old when I was 18-years-old, I would have told you to kick rocks as I drove my $900 auction car from my blue-collar neighborhood outside of Northeast Philadelphia to the train station so I could get to class on time.

My goal is to show you that racing and performance driving can be done for cheap. At the end of the day, your biggest obstacle is yourself. Welcome to EJ2 TRACK RAT, The Blog.

Figure 22: Me at Pocono Raceway, Testing (Photo by Sam Cowan)

Notable Mentions

Figure 23: Zephyr Rounding the Bend at Watkins Glen

Zephyr is a mechanically-skilled, logically adept, manufacturing engineer based out of Middlesex, NJ. He has been racing before I was in high school and has given me a lot of advice on how to progress from a mere autocrosser to a race car driver over about four years. He races the LoBuk 517 Acura Integra in Honda Challenge H2.

Figure 24: Alex With His Hood Open at a MoE Track Day

Alex is one of my best friends. He introduced me to Zephyr and he and I share a bond that goes beyond racing. We met through autocross and mutual friends. I am currently helping him build and drive the Number 55 “Trash Teg,” which we got for free through friends on a racing forum!

Figure 25: Rick's Whip Sitting in Paddock

Rick is a friend I met at work. He has a family and lives in South Jersey right next to New Jersey Motorsports park. He is an instructor with NASA Northeast, a driver with the Prompt Critical Racing 24 Hours of LeMons Team, and a crazy good driver.

Figure 26: Anthony in LAST YEAR'S trim

Anthony is another great friend, who wasn’t mentioned in the article above. He has helped me to a great extent as well, even lending me his own truck when my truck broke down so that I could go race at Lime Rock in July of 2018. He races in Honda Challenge H2 with the Number 9 Civic. He was partially responsible for the formation of Junior Varsity Honda Challenge (JVHC) which WAS mentioned above.

Figure 1: My friend Kelley in his Civic Si

Kelley is a friend I got into track driving after meeting him in autocross. He’s a college student with an immense amount of talent. If you have any interest in getting on track. Message me!

Figure 27: DK 

DK is a friend and instructor and also an internet troll (like me) that is dumb fast and has been driving for years. He earned his competition license alongside me after years of instructing and earning multiple track records in NASA Time Trials.

Figure 28: Alexander Fab Out of Maryland!! 

Alexander Fabrication is a business owned by Lee out of Maryland. He does amazing work at a great cost. 

 His Facebook Page can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/Alexander-Fabrication-LLC-325429727489732/.

Figure 20: From Left to Right-- Ken, Me, Kallie (Photo by Windshadow Studios)

Kallie is a friend who I’ve been driving with since at least 2016. I met her back when I was in HPDE 2 at Palmer Motorsports Park. She joined the JVHC Crew in late 2017 when she bought her soon-to-be Integra race car. She drives the Number 49 H4 Acura Integra.

Ken has been driving with me since late 2016 to early 2017. My car got a flat tire on the way to Watkins Glen, and he lent me two RA1s to complete my track day on! This was my first track day that I had taken my girlfriend to and she got to experience first-hand the generosity of the JVHC Crew. Ken drives the Number 358 H4 Acura Integra.

Figure 21: Me Being Chased by Damien and Ken Behind Two Spec E30s (Photo by Windshadow Studios)

Damien has been driving with me since I first started volunteering with NASA in 2016. He and I both rock the term “single cam rage” as we were the only ones doing HPDE with single cams for the longest time. He drives the Number 6126 Honda Civic and he’s one of my fiercest competitors in H4.

Figure 29: Girlfriend

My girlfriend, Gabby, has supported me to a great extent through family troubles, personal conflicts, and my own fears that all served as obstacles during the time I was building my car and for that I can only simply thank her and say, “I love you.”  Sometimes you need someone who's stronger than you.

Figure 30: JVHC Stickers made by Anthony

JVHC is a group of individuals who drive Hondas on track with hopes of doing wheel to wheel racing in NASA’s Honda Challenge Series. Some are currently building or preparing to do competition school, some are doing track days and time trial while they save money to race, and some just love Hondas.

Figure 31: National Auto Sport Association, Northeast Region

The NASA Northeast Organization has provided my friends and I huge opportunities to learn about the club racing environment, driving technique, and to make a lot of great friends. Without them I would not have been racing today. To learn more about their organization, go to the following URL: http://nasane.com/

Figure 32: Alan, lead volunteer (2017), pushing a GTS3 BMW while I speak with another volunteer and Ken watches over

The NASA Northeast Volunteers have been a great crew to party with, drive with, and laugh with over the years. We have developed a strong bond together and we continue to share a passion for driving with our friendships.