Gate Workers for Sunday

Wes Eargle · **Joined:** Mon Oct 27, 2003 9:47 am **Posts:** 3683

Donnie Barnes wrote:

Ryan Holton wrote:

High of 42°

I might bail on that

Pansies! My first ever autocross the high was 40F and there was a constant 20MPH wind that gusted higher pretty regularly. And still I came back for more...

I've done an Evo school where the conditions were slightly worse than that first autocross, and included snow at times as well as wind so strong that it blew the entire course over a couple different times (even though many cones were double stacked!).

At the Atlanta Pro one year it was under 40F all day and RAINING LIKE HELL for most of it...there were places where water was running across the course over an inch deep during my work assignment.

Pansies!

--Donnie

But Wilson is just too far away to drive? It must have been some other Donnie Barnes that I saw last night lose some bodywork in Portland due to a tangle ...

Gwen Habenicht · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2007 9:42 am

Well, obviously I want to do this, or I wouldn’t have Chaired. That being said, this isn’t the event that will determine the Championship of Anything, and as long as we aren’t going to forfeit $$$ (don’t know how that works) I’m all for pansying out if it’s freezing cold and raining. There’s also no sense in killing ourselves a week before Christmas. Ryan is right. In NC you never know what the weather will be in December. You just hope for the best.

I'm pretty sure that if the weather sucks there will be precious few willing to climb out of bed to play.

jimpastorius · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2007 9:55 am

Donnie Barnes wrote:

Dammit Jim, you let the cat out of the bag. The one thing I didn't mention about my three experiences were that I don't think in any of those cases I checked the weather adequately enough or I would have probably stayed home, too. I know that after each one I said "I'll never do *that* again." :oops:

I was just having fun calling them pansies. :twisted:

--Donnie

Todd Breakey · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:00 am

Wes Eargle wrote:

But Wilson is just too far away to drive? It must have been some other Donnie Barnes that I saw last night lose some bodywork in Portland due to a tangle ...

hehe, I saw that too. But hey, Donnie got mentioned on a nationally broadcast program!!! That's more than the rest of us can say!! Apparently the only way to get a mention during the MX-5 Cup races is to be in the top 3 or have an altercation.

On a related (not so related to the original thread I guess) note, the MX-5 Cup got a new sponser for next year...PLAYBOY!! I may have to go see a race next year now!!

Donnie Barnes · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:08 am

Hey, I *flew* to Portland and the weather was GREAT other than some rain in one practice session. I'd do that again before I'd do an autocross below 45F.

As for my TV time, well, that was annoying. My car just absolutely wouldn't turn in that race. The harder I drove it the worse it got (duh), and it was at that point that Olsen tapped me and went by. For the record I'm fairly sure that was her front inner fender liner that ripped out and flew off as there was no visible damage to my car. Also, once I calmed down a bit I was able to drive the car a bit better and later I tapped her in the same spot and went back by. Shame they didn't show *that*, too. You'll note in the results I finished ahead of her.

The race coverage is pretty astoundingly bad, IMHO. By the time you take out opening and closing the show and the commercials, they're showing about 15 minutes of a 45 minute race. And I guess Ara is the only person who got his in-car footage submitted in time, obviously. It was nice to know that I wasn't the only one who had the telemetry missing on an in-car session with the AiM DaVID, though. Apparently about one out of five times the act of starting the car will make that go away if you power it off of a switched source. I only used mine once (in Canada) and it did get telemetry for the *race*, which was nice...

Too bad about the sponsorship thing, personally. Call me a prude or whatever, but with two young children I just can't race in a series sponsored by Playboy. *sigh*

--Donnie

Kevin Allen · **Joined:** Thu Aug 28, 2003 6:42 pm **Posts:** 3479

As far as the decision to call it off goes, just imagine that you're going to be driving the bus in whatever the weather ends up being, and that it's going to be dark on your way home Sunday. It's not the safest thing on the road when it's 75° and sunny. I did polish and adjust the headlights, though, so at least I'd be able to see whatever I was crashing into. :lol:

I'm fine with a Subaru in the snow, at night, but I'd rather not risk losing all our equipment and possibly my life for a few runs on an autox course that's 2.5 hours from home. Just to inject a little perspective. :wink:

Gwen Habenicht · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:27 am

Kevin Allen wrote:

As far as the decision to call it off goes, just imagine that you're going to be driving the bus in whatever the weather ends up being, and that it's going to be dark on your way home Sunday. It's not the safest thing on the road when it's 75° and sunny. I did polish and adjust the headlights, though, so at least I'd be able to see whatever I was crashing into. :lol:

I'm fine with a Subaru in the snow, at night, but I'd rather not risk losing all our equipment and possibly my life for a few runs on an autox course that's 2.5 hours from home. Just to inject a little perspective. :wink:

Regardless of the weather, you're welcomed to leave the bus at the kennel-45 minutes from Danville-so you won't be driving it in the dark. Bernie and I can always get it back to where it needs to be sometime during the week-in the daylight.

JamesFeinberg · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:44 am

Donnie Barnes wrote:

At the Atlanta Pro one year it was under 40F all day and RAINING LIKE HELL for most of it...there were places where water was running across the course over an inch deep during my work assignment.

I remember that weekend distinctly as it was my first ever national event and I was ill-prepared for the weather. I was co-driving Jim P's MR2 and I was the first one of our group to line up based on car numbers. And who pulls up next to me in the other lane? Jeff Cashmore, the current ES national champion at the time! Just as I start to pull up to the staging lanes, Jim P. points at Cashmore, leans in the window and says "No pressure...".

Jim P. and I wound up making a trip to the local outdoor outfitter that evening but I was still cold and miserable all day Sunday. Amazingly, as much as I've auto-x'd in the few years since then, I've only had to use that stuff one other time.

Jim

MikeWhitney · **Joined:** Wed Aug 20, 2003 9:15 pm **Posts:** 4724

Donnie Barnes wrote:

Too bad about the sponsorship thing, personally. Call me a prude or whatever, but with two young children I just can't race in a series sponsored by Playboy. *sigh*

Prude! It's an adolescent fantasy of mine to drive a racecar with adult magazine sponsorship

David Spratte · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2007 11:16 am

Donnie Barnes wrote:

some stuff. . . .and it was at that point that Olsen tapped me and went by. . . later I tapped her in the same spot and went back by.

Mary Kate or Ashley?

Wes Eargle · **Joined:** Mon Oct 27, 2003 9:47 am **Posts:** 3683

MikeWhitney wrote:

Donnie Barnes wrote:

Too bad about the sponsorship thing, personally. Call me a prude or whatever, but with two young children I just can't race in a series sponsored by Playboy. *sigh*

Prude! It's an adolescent fantasy of mine to drive a racecar with adult magazine sponsorship

Daddy, what's The Hugger? :wink:

JamesFeinberg · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2007 11:49 am

David Spratte wrote:

Donnie Barnes wrote:

some stuff. . . .and it was at that point that Olsen tapped me and went by. . . later I tapped her in the same spot and went back by.

Mary Kate or Ashley?

It may have been Bridgette. :shock:

"Tapped" may not have been the best choice of words for that story...

Jim

Ryan Holton · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2007 11:59 am

JamesFeinberg wrote:

David Spratte wrote:

Donnie Barnes wrote:

some stuff. . . .and it was at that point that Olsen tapped me and went by. . . later I tapped her in the same spot and went back by.

Mary Kate or Ashley?

It may have been Bridgette. :shock:

"Tapped" may not have been the best choice of words for that story...

Jim

Not that there is anything wrong with being part of team "Fluffypickle"

Donnie Barnes · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2007 12:30 pm

I HATE YOU GUYS!

Mike, it would be a much tougher decision if Playboy were knocking on my door offering to pay for my ride. But since I'd have to carry their name on my car *and* pay money for the privilege, well, it's a much easier decision.

--Donnie

jimpastorius · **Posted:** Wed Dec 12, 2007 1:11 pm

Tell your kids what our fathers told us...I read it for the articles. Problem solved. Feel free to ping me for any other parenting advice

THSCC Forums

Gate Workers for Sunday

Who is online