Can Gwennie Get Her Mojo Going on an Oval?

Gwen Habenicht · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2011 12:12 pm

Here's an opportunity to do some reading if you're having a very boring day. Just remember, it's three minutes of your life that you'll never get back.

http://gwenbaake.blogspot.com/2011/11/2 ... ennie.html

jeremy gast · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2011 12:43 pm

if you wrote it am I am ready to learn! Spending my 3 minutes now

Matt McGrain · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2011 1:11 pm

Gwen Baake wrote:

Here's an opportunity to do some reading if you're having a very boring day. Just remember, it's three minutes of your life that will make you want to hit the road to try a National Tour event!

Dixie will be here before we know it Tarheelers, for those that want to journey to South Georgia for a great experience. Gwen, I love reading your blogs about the excursions. I saw the video that Junior Johnson posted and that slalom you mentioned near the wall (I'm sure the video makes it look a lot closer) looked pretty wild, but fun!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YAjOKkM9ow

JenniferBedell · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2011 1:21 pm

Enjoyed your post thoroughly! I can't tell you how many times I've tried to explain this to my sister: "... no one else is very concerned about what I’m doing. Everyone’s concerned about their own stuff." Going to send her this link right away.

Steven Carter · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2011 1:46 pm

gotta explain "Earnhardt...Mountain Dew"

great way to finish up 2011..congrats to you, Jim and Dave. Good luck next year!

jeremy gast · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2011 2:24 pm

cant wait for next years schedule to come out!!!

JohnByers · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2011 2:31 pm

jeremy gast wrote:

cant wait for next years schedule to come out!!!

This

DickRasmussen · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2011 8:15 pm

Gwen or Jim or David or ???

What is needed (besides "alien drivers") to make a Mini Nationally competitive in either of the classes? Big front bar plus Hoosiers? How about shocks and "radical" alignment? Lightweight wheels? Are the top contenders typically driven to events other than when trailering just makes more sense from a "get all the people and stuff there" perspective?

Just curious.

Thanks,

Gwen Habenicht · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2011 9:08 pm

DickRasmussen wrote:

Gwen or Jim or David or ???

What is needed (besides "alien drivers") to make a Mini Nationally competitive in either of the classes? Big front bar plus Hoosiers? How about shocks and "radical" alignment? Lightweight wheels? Are the top contenders typically driven to events other than when trailering just makes more sense from a "get all the people and stuff there" perspective?

Just curious.

Thanks,

Dick, if I understand your question...here goes...
No big front bar this year. Not legal. We were able to use JCW springs and rear bar this year, and, of course the cat back, double adjustables, and Mark Cooper to alignment to exactly our specifications. Yes, we use Mini wheels that are light, and Hoosiers. We usually haul to National events, mostly like you said, because there are three of us and lots of tires. We actually took 20 tires to Nationals and had 4 more drop shipped to the hotel. Dick, beyond that it's mostly just communmication between the three of us about what we saw, tried, did, felt, what worked, what didn't, hours spent reviewing data and video, and two guys that get the "math" of adjusting shocks and tire pressures. No magic, just lots and lots of hard work. That's actually the fun part.

DickRasmussen · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2011 10:24 pm

Gwen,

Thanks for the info.

Question: Why wasn't a different FRONT bar legal per 13.7 A? I assume the JCW springs and rear bar are a "port option" and allowed by the rules.

JamesShort · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2011 11:16 pm

John Ma ran a euro diesel Mini front bar (ie smaller than the stock MCS bar) on his D stock MCS that won it all last year. But with FWD it really seems to come down to driving style. Some like the big bar and some like smaller bars.

Pete Guthrie · **Posted:** Tue Nov 08, 2011 11:27 pm

are you going to nascar Mrs. Baake

THSCC Forums

Can Gwennie Get Her Mojo Going on an Oval?

Who is online