The Pit

Must be something about Rockford, but this is the second year in a row that we’ve had to cancel a scheduled autocross. While autocrosses are actually good to drive on wet pavement and in moderate rainfall, Rockford is not a venue where this holds true. Banked curves and lots of obstacles if your car goes out of control makes this a bad place to do wet driving. We’re able to cancel the event 2 days prior and judging from the forecast at that time, we made the call (however when the day came the weather wasn’t bad!).

Last year we were able to move it to the following weekend, but this year we weren’t so lucky. We tried other venues, but no venues were available to us. So, while our third Triple-cross event didn’t take place, we’ll still be scoring the overall champion based on the other two autocrosses (we should maybe call this a double-cross…).

Our winner and Triple-cross champ for 2009 is… Chris Bond!

Conrats to Chris. And many thanks for all those who help during the year at racing events. Big thanks to our instructors who share their wisdom, their time, and most especially - their COURAGE when getting in cars with the good people they teach. Special thanks to Kristina Ristanovic, Angela Berger, Jo Schumann for helping so much in check-in and administration. And the biggest thanks to Mark Schumann who does so much to keep this race program as great as it is! See you all next year!

What a day! The last track day of the year could not have been any better. There was not a cloud in the sky, the temps were mid 80’s, and we were at one of our most favorite tracks – The Autobahn Country Club. It could not be any better!

This was the last road course event for the IL VCA this year. And for those doing the entire Triple Crown series, it’s the culmination of the entire season and finally reveals the winner for 2009!

The day began with an IL VCA drivers meeting to acclimate drivers to the way we run things at Autobahn (in conjunction with LAPS Inc.). Then another meeting for the entire track took place shortly thereafter.

The veteran group was the first to hit the track. Rookies and those wanting training attended the in-class training session. There was a large mix of different cars at the track this day, we share the track with other clubs and get to see a variety of other vehicles (sometimes they even get in our way!). The Viper Club had a very good showing with well over 30 drivers!

Everyone was broken into three run groups. Each session was a full 30 minutes (wow). This can actually be exhausting, but once you’re in the car you just don’t want to get out. The adrenaline takes over!

The track held up nicely. There were some astounding laps laid down by the Vipers. The mid 2:30’s are no longer unknown territory for the fastest drivers on this course. The rookies are amazing. We had several new people join us for the first time and it was shocking to see how quick they caught on with over 20+ turns!

The day wore on and good times were shared by all. As 3:00pm approached, many people needed to leave. Some were tired, but the rest needed to prepare for tomorrow (Vipers Invade Niagara!). So it was decided to do trophies at the next (which is our last) meeting for 2009.

But we won’t hold you in suspense. There were many great drivers all season, but as we plugged their numbers in the computer to run the calculations, it whittled down the top drivers in each class as well as the overall winner of the season. You’re results are below for the days laps as well as the class winner. But there was one overall winner we need to congratulate.

You’re winner and the 2009 Triple Crown Champion is… David Catalanello!! Congrats to David and all our drivers for great driving throughout the whole season. We feel sad saying it, but we’ll see you guys in the spring!

Unlimited Class
Steve Loudin
Tom Shapiro
Ray Moore
Scott Alexander
Ben Madey
Bill Sampognaro
John Gastman
Ray Sweers
Allen Sweers
Gary Grube
Marsh Dickler
Aaron Vanassche
Seth Palatnik
Howie Frank
Gus Pablecas
Steve Wedel
Manoj Mehta

2:37.766
2:37.977
2:38.314
2:38.706
2:39.878
2:40.359
2:40.762
2:40.827
2:41.219
2:42.352
2:43.938
2:44.442
2:48.202
2:54.004
2:58.398
2:59.861
3:07.885

Super SRT
Jeff Cash
Kim Peterson
Glenn Davis
Roger Dittrich

2:59.328
3:00.696
3:01.003
3:04.683

SRT
David Catalanello
Driver
Matt Pablecas
Dan Klauber
Larry Catcott
Paul Krant

2:55.713
2:56.111
3:00.831
3:01.282
3:12.531
3:21.812

Super Stock
Dan Govero
Wes Bank
Barb Dickler

2:59.455
3:23.957
3:50.126

Officers
Alex Ristanovic
Mark Schumann

Unscored
unscored

The “Longest Day” Performance Driving event is a two day experience combining both autocross and road course driving. This years Longest Day occurred on Sunday/Monday and while it was as long as last years, it was even more tiring, but with better weather!

The first day of driving was met with sun and 80 degree temperatures. Members came out as over 35 drivers registered for all the fun. We began in Pontiac, Illinois at the Caterpillar plant. Our first event was the autocross!

While Caterpillar is a great place for an autocross, the type of parking lot does create a challenge for course design. The initial design was fast, but very long. A delay at the beginning of the day led way to some changes that shortened the course to something more manageable. This course was very challenging! It was a course that needed more memorization than usual due to how condensed it was, however it was fast! Lot of space to hit it hard and screech the tires.

The course began with a straight shot and a sharp right before a huge skidpad that led to a slalom. There were several long distance “esses” that allowed you to accelerate hard while swerving. There were also several wide turns that allowed you to hold the gas steady while cornering. The finish was a slalom that ended in a left hand whip that (was planned) to upset the car and force people to control their cars from spinning out.

It took a few laps to learn, and after that folks were running hard. By lunch we were getting toward the end of the first round of 4 laps. Lunch was served and the club popped for pizza. The course stayed hot and folks took their lunch breaks between runs. The club tents kept folks cool and the members did their jobs as corner workers throughout the day.

By the end of the day we still fit in 2 parade laps and 8 runs each. After the smoke cleared, the group got together under the tents for the days awards.

However this was only the first leg of the journey. The scores from today would be calculated on a weighted scale and drawn into day 2 of the overall event. The group bid farewell and disbanded. Some went home if they lived close, others caravanned together, got dinner, and called it a night at a hotel near the race track for the next day.

Monday began with perfect sunshine and warm weather, it couldn’t be a more comfortable day! Our venue was the Autobahn Country Club, one of our absolute favorite tracks. Members arrived around 7:30am and began to prep their cars and check-in. We had many newbies on this day as well (in fact we ran out of instructors!). There was a brief drivers meeting for everyone and we were off to the races.

There were three main run groups. The run groups were organized to give everyone a good hour between runs. The rookies had the opportunity to sit in on 3 classroom training sessions in addition to their runs.

This was indeed a track that needed time. This is a fairly safe track to drive, but a harder track to learn due to 21 total turns! Most tracks have half that much. Beginners running their first few times, often don’t know where exactly they are on the track. But as people got further in their day, the turns began to stick in their minds and the rubber began to heat up.

Veterans ran very hard, many of them serious drivers (evidenced by the many ACR’s) but all of them also really learning this track. Times began to come down as members got acquainted (and reacquainted) to the course.

The track had other branded cars out there, mainly because we rent the track from a club that shares it with us. So on the track with us at times were Porsches, Miata’s, and various other models. The Viper’s obviously had no competition when it came to power, but don’t be fooled, the little cars wiz around the turns and are a lot lighter than the big Vipers. But what would you rather drive…?

By lunchtime everyone was getting their groove. Lunch was included and always a good time to compare notes on what is being experienced out there. The green group (fastest group) interestingly was the troubling group. They spent more time off the course than any of our rookie or intermediate drivers. So hats off to all those new folks, you did a great job! As for you veterans, a lot of grass was cut that day, but that is always good for a laugh as well.

The day ended around 4:30. Many folks (as we notice often) start getting tired around 2-3pm and leave early. Two days of racing is more than most weekend warriors can handle. So by the end of the day the group was drastically reduced. As winners were being computed for the day and for the overall competition, a glitch caused a delay and it was decided that the trophies would be awarded at the next meeting rather than at the track since so many were absent.

But the overall winner was evident. The computations are based on getting predetermined points for the position you finish each day. You are then awarded additional points for each person you beat in your class. So the more people you’re able to beat, the higher the score (to a degree – there are limits that are set to avoid unfair advantages to small classes). The points are then added up and all classes are them merged to add the points. The winner is generally the one with the most points – typically the fastest driver in their class, beating the most people, and consistently doing so across both events. In the end, the 2009 Longest Day Winner is… Andy Ferguson!!! Congrats Andy!!

We had a great time. We were very lucky this weekend. Those who recall last year (where we also ended up lucky in many respects) had the threat of bad weather all around us. It’s a good feeling to wake up to sunny skies, good temps, and great people. Congrats to all of our winners. The individual day’s statistics are below for both the autocross and the road course. Thanks to everyone for coming out and thanks to all those who help put such an elaborate event together!

Unlimited Class
Dale Naffziger
Steve Hill
Steve Loudin
John Gastman
Tom Shapiro
Gary Grube
Gus Pablecas

52.429
54.132
54.839
55.120
55.743
56.475
58.740

Super SRT
Glenn Davis

56.408

SRT
Vince Cannestra
Dan Mehmeti
Chris Bond
Dave Catalanello
Kim Peterson
Paul Krant
John Gayton
Rob Salus
Rob Buckman
Larry Catcott
Guy Morice

55.873
55.965
56.164
56.496
57.074
57.102
57.173
57.687
58.093
60.483
69.805

Super Stock
Andy Ferguson
Scott Storms
Bill Kennedy
Dave Pinder
Marshall Dickler
Jim Cichy

54.929
56.041
56.897
57.367
58.815
59.265

Women's Class
Kristina Ristanovic
Kit Loudin
Jill Pinder
Kathy Kennedy
Barb Dickler
Patty Wirth

59.029
60.883
62.267
65.498
68.909
69.682

Officers
Alex Ristanovic
Mark Schumann

Unlimited Class
Seth Palatnik
Steve Loudin
Scott Gerami
Ray Sweers
Tom Shapiro
John Gastman
Gary Grube
Marshall Dickler
Allen Sweers
Gus Pablecas

157.411
157.882
160.392
160.752
162.140
162.753
165.693
166.855
174.465
191.280

Super SRT
Glenn Davis
Kit Loudin

172.842
222.694

SRT
David Catalanello
Rob Salus
Joe Baessler
Dan Mehmeti
Vince Cannestra
Kim Peterson
Paul Krant
Jeff Lambert
Larry Catcott
Jay Joshi
Guy Morice

179.125
180.525
182.765
182.931
185.366
190.289
193.157
200.269
204.540
216.356
218.136

Super Stock
Nate Coate
Dave Pinder
Andy Ferguson
Adam Berger
Alex Paul
Jim Cichy
Wes Bank
Ken Paul
Barb Dickler

177.677
178.674
182.651
190.881
191.748
193.719
202.759
269.286
272.026

Officers
Alex Ristanovic
Mark Schumann

What a fantastic day for autocross. We had clear blue skies, 85 degree temps, and one of the best autocross venues we have access to!

This event took place at Maywood Park, in Melrose Park, IL. We had a huge turnout! Almost 40 drivers came for the fun and they really got their thrills this time!

The day began early for some as the course was setup. The lot was particularly clear of little pebbles due to recent strong storms. The 10 acre asphalt gave the club plenty of room to develop one of the most enjoyable course we’ve had in some time. Not only was this course fast, wide, and challenging… it was long (about a minute and twenty seconds!). Plenty of time to get in trouble!

The day did however start off a little late due to some challenges with our timing equipment. Once the quirks were worked out, we were off to the races. We began with 2 parade laps for every driver so they could learn the course. After that, each driver took an initial 5 timed laps and then took a break.

The day was warm, luckily with the club tents up and plenty of chairs setup, the group was comfortable (although it was tough to get corner workers out in the sun!). It's also a good place to sit back and watch all the action.

Members got comfortable with the course quickly, while the course was very long, it was quite easy to learn. This course carried decent speeds, but was still a finesse track. Some inputs were slight, though some areas of the track were big time tire screechers so that members could test car control at higher speeds and with the suspension loaded up! Plenty of transitions were on hand so members could practice weight transfer. It was a fun course to drive and just as fun to watch.

The afternoon wore on, folks took their lunch breaks while other worked the course and drove their laps. Every member got another 4 runs in before the end of the day.

Our day ended after 4:00pm and awards/goodbyes soon followed. It was a very rewarding day and you could tell members really enjoyed themselves. That's what it's all about.

Big thanks to the tremendous amount of help we had putting this event on. We had some new processes and equipment that require the officers time, and having helpful members helps tremendously. The day was perfection and we’ll keep our fingers crossed for much of the same at the next racing events!

Unlimited Class
Dale Naffziger (1st)
John Gastman (2nd)
Bernie Paul (3rd)
Steve Loudin
Alex Paul

73.292
75.451
77.392
77.721
80.955

Super SRT
Tom Shapiro (1st)
Roger Dittrich (2nd)
Glenn Davis (3rd)

76.377
80.758
81.000

SRT
David Catalanello (1st)
Chris Bond (2nd)
Vince Cannestra (3rd)
Rob Salus
Howie Frank
Paul Krant

77.534
77.596
78.053
79.184
79.853
84.405

Super Stock
Aaron Vanassche (1st)
Andy Ferguson (2nd)
Dave Pinder (3rd)
Steve Hill
Scott Storms
Bill Kennedy
Wes Bank
Nathan Barnhill
Jim Cichy
Gus Pablecas
Larry Catcott
Ken Paul

77.969
78.189
78.831
79.208
79.513
81.244
82.080
83.925
84.558
85.256
87.085
98.103

Non-Viper Class
Darren Murray (1st)
Marsh Dickler (2nd)
Kristina Ristanovic (3rd)
Larry Bond
Spencer Schumann
Kit Loudin
Barb Dickler

79.980
81.434
83.524
84.606
85.731
89.808
98.274

Officers
Alex Ristanovic
Mark Schumann

Our club has a great track record with weather, we can't remember a time when we needed to cancel an event. But somehow (last year included) whenever we go to Gingerman, weather just isn't "optimal"! Last year there was a wild storm, closed roads, flooded highway, knocked out power, etc... This year, well, the same! Although this year we weren’t even able to run the full day like we did last year.

Most members arrived the day before. A spectacular 40+ people were signed up for a day of road racing! But by 3:00am the morning of the event, there were high winds, hail, and buckets of rain. People were still spirited and optimistic. The track dries off fast and even wet weather track driving is exciting and teaches you a lot. But as we soon learned, sometimes even we have to lose one!

The day started a little late given a road was closed and we didn’t get going on schedule. But as we began to check-in, have a drivers meeting, and get cars out – we were only 45 minutes off our time.

We had two complete sets of run groups make it out on the track. The track was wet at times (and some turns were very wet) but depending on when you went, we you were actually able to get up good speed. There were many rookies on hand, our instructors were busy. It was actually a blessing for those learning to drive, wet weather driving actually helps exaggerate what the car does, so it teaches you skills that are usually far more subtle on dry road.

The group broke for lunch, but after lunch it was sporadically raining. We had a few starts and stops, but after a few attempts (with lightning in the background) it was time to call it a day in the early afternoon.

While the event ended early, everyone at least got something out of their day. Spirits were still high, though everyone always wants more. No trophies were issued. And for those running the entire season Triple Crown competition, we’ll likely just not include this event in the scoring. We’re 1 for 1 in Michigan the last two years, we’re hoping next year we’ll finally get a break! Thanks for all those who came out. We’ll likely be issuing a little bonus for all those who came to this event – toward their next road race!

Scores are below for the event, they aren't categorized by class. Keep in mind some had more track time than others, while some had drier road than others!

Our first major autocross of the year went off like never before! A few quick statistics: we had 40 drivers, 13 rookies, and over 15% of the drivers were our ladies!! What a day! And of course, the weather worked out quite well under sunny skies and cool breeze.

The day for drivers began at 9:00am. After a brief drivers meeting to go over the days plans, we kicked things off. We packed a lot in one autocross. We had walk arounds, we allowed everyone two parade laps, and everyone got 11 additional runs! And for many at the end of the day, it still wasn’t enough.

Alex Ristanovic held a short drivers tutorial on general autocross knowledge for the new drivers. Mark, Alex, and Rob were hoping in and out of cars all day helping out the new folks one-on-one.

It was amazing watching drivers completely new to autocross pick this up so quickly. It’s taken MANY years for our veteran drivers to learn how to handle their car aggressively. But literally within two autocrosses and thanks to one-on-one instruction, the new drivers literally caught up on years of knowledge!
 
The course that was setup was fairly mildly technical from beginning to end. It was built to demonstrate that brute strength is not what makes you fast, its technique and control.

As the day wore on, the ground warmed up and so did the tires. Even by the end of everyone’s first session, cars were running hard. The confidence was growing in the drivers and people began to get out of their comfort zones.

Meanwhile, our new computer scoring method worked well to document scores, but we’re still working on the dual display screen that will allow drivers to see all information live as it’s inputted (we’re working on it, it’s our vision!).

By the end of the day we fit in all of our runs and had lots of smiles on faces. The energy from the new drivers was immense and most definitely impressive. And the ladies represented! They had their own class and they really can handle the vehicles. Only with the IL Region!

As the day came to a close, we began tabulating lap times. While the computer work was being done, we left the course open to anyone who wished to run it. Folks hopped in their cars and had a good time letting it hang loose some more.

The day ended with thank you’s and awards to those who had the fastest times, however these events are mainly to just get out there and learn how to handle these cars. The IL club has long been known as the best Viper Club racing group in the world. Today, we added many to the ranks, and wow, this is going to be a wild year!!

Unlimited Class
Ron Adee (1st)
Bernie Paul (2nd)
Tim Waedekin (3rd)
Alex Paul
Paul Merz
Gary Grube
Gus Pablecas

37.934
39.746
39.803
41.555
41.685
42.010
42.836

Super SRT
Steve Loudin (1st)
Tom Shapiro (2nd)
Glenn Davis (3rd)

39.360
40.372
41.591

SRT
Chris Bond (1st)
Bob Troost (2nd)
David Catalanello (3rd)
Rob Salus
Roger Dittrich
Dan Mehmeti
Paul Krant
Nathan Barnhill
Guy Morice

39.998
40.257
40.420
40.580
41.173
41.781
43.628
44.894
48.505

Super Stock
Scott Storms (1st)
Al English (2nd)
Kim Peterson (3rd)
Andy Ferguson
Steve Hill
Wes Bank
Bill Kennedy
Anil Vemulapalli
Marsh Dickler
Larry Catcott
Ken Paul

39.150
39.422
39.816
39.823
40.368
41.278
41.653
42.051
42.175
44.842
48.191

Women's Class
Kristina Ristanovic (1st)
Jackie Dubnicka (2nd)
Kit Loudin (3rd)
Tammy S.
Barb Dickler
Kathy Kennedy
Gale Merz

41.857
44.482
45.011
45.938
46.329
46.562
52.114

Officers
Alex Ristanovic
Mark Schumann

How often is it that the wonderful women of the club sit on the sidelines to support and cheer on the guys? It seemed as if the club was getting onesided as most of ther performance driving event participants – were guys. We thought it was time to flip things around and make a day all about the ladies! And what better thing to do, than to do a completely free event. No excuses, and it doesn’t get better than this!

This event was a tremendous success, more popular than we expected and most certainly something we’ll repeat in the future. The even was established to accomplish many goals: to teach driving stick, to get the ladies comfortable in a Viper, to teach car control during more aggressive driving, and to get the ladies involved… and boy did it!!

Over 30 women drivers registered for the event! Our location was one of our favorites – the Caterpillar plant in Pontiac, IL. While our day started with rain, luckily we have a few club members with trailers and we waited out the drops. Alex held his driver instructor's meeting as the rain fell, and when it was time to speak with the drivers, we were nearing the end of the rain.

A few of the initial registered drivers got scared off by the forecast, but as we continue to learn, don’t plan on bad weather, somehow things just work out. By 9:30am, the rain was over and the ground very quickly began to dry. So the activities kicked off, several things happening at simultaneously.

In an adjacent lot, all those learning to drive stick shifts (about 16) we paired with instructors and put in a huge area to learn to get their cars moving. It was AMAZING as training took far less than expected. Some drivers were already getting the car rolling in minutes. And within 30-40 minutes, ALL the drivers were done learning and on the street. And thanks to the VERY rural area we were in, it couldn’t have been better. It was truly a faster outcome than we expected. Many of the guys remembering it taking them longer when they first learned themselves! This might have been a precursor for what we discovered in the other lot…

In the main lot, a special activity was planned. Several completely separate components were built. One was a large and complete circle. The next was a very long slalom. And last was a small course with a few scenarios typical of your average autocross course. The idea was to have each driver spend 6 minutes on each individual item, working it REPETITIVELY. The effect was amazing.

As expected, drivers of all levels of experience (though most of them 1st timers to performance driving) went out there with some apprehension and a big will to experience this. But within minutes, given the safety of what was put together, the ladies began pushing the cars hard, and then even harder… Soon tires began to screech, a comfort level was reached, and the all too familiar grin began to appear on faces!! We know it well, it’s the addiction to commanding a powerful car to do these wonderful things. It’s a challenge, it’s empowering, and most of all, it’s fun!

The big circle taught the ladies the limits of the car when it comes to adhesion. They learned how fast they can really go. They also learned that once the car began to break traction, there was a very predictable and controllable method to get the car back in line. This really opened some eyes. The ladies began to see how easy it was to look good out there when pushing a car, it’s easier than it looks.

Next was the slalom. The ladies learned smoothness, rhythm, and steering. They already understood how far the car could be pushed, so they took to the slalom quickly. As they built confidence in the car’s ability to react to their input, they were weaving between cones wonderfully.

Last was the mini course. This taught several elements including braking, turning, acceleration, and car control. The ladies for the first time saw what it was like to use all the abilities of the car. It was a treat. Everyone was REALLY having a great time. After completing one round, confidence began to set in and screeching tires were being heard from the three components that were setup. Repetition was key, since doing the same motion over and over provided a tremendous amount of driving experience in a short period of time. By the end of the second wave, the girls really had a good feel for the cars.

Next we broke for lunch. The club popped for 15 pizzas for everyone to enjoy. As members hung out, ate lunch, and mingled… your officers were working on the next step for the afternoon plans to kick this to the next level!

The plan for the large lot was to take all the components that were created and now link them into one large – autocross course! Yes, the ladies were going to get the full experience, and they took like bees to honey!

Early on the girls realized now that familiarity was key to driving autocross. They realized that even a good driver has to learn the course. And with that behind them, they could focus on speed. Tires were screeching and the afternoon went into high gear as wave after wave of cars hit the autocross. The smiles could be seen from across the lot.

This was a hit, the girls were hooked! Toward the end of the day, concentration turned to excitement as we ran our final laps, and the girls were in autopilot and they were quite comfortable running their cars. They probably didn’t even realize how much they learned in a day. AND… a good number of ladies would DEFINITELY beat the guys! WOW.

There was no mistaking the abilities that were developed in this small period of time. This was truly a success. The vast majority of the girls stated they will definitely do this again, many of which already have plans to join the guys in the next autocross.

We believe that now it’s clearer how easy it is and definitely how fun this is and they now experienced the addictive quality of performance driving. It was a unanimous success and we’re certain we’ll be seeing the ladies at all future autocrosses.

Let it be known, that this day, Pandora’s box has been opened. And to the guys who have big egos, you better check them at the door, the girls are coming… and hell’s coming with ‘em!!!