Roamin' Chariots


Official Newsletter of the Midwest's Premier Car Club of Popular Italian Cars
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Spring 2006

A Day at the Autocross

By Jim Wagner of Wichita, KS

Hi all,

Well another top down season has come to a close. But maybe with the fickle weather we get in Kansas and the surrounding states some of us might sneak the cars out for one quick spin. I'm not going to be one of them, as mine will finally be in the paint shop. About time Ay! Ron. J . But I'm going to write more on the last event here this month in Wichita. So bear with me, as this is first newsletter I have turned in.

Blessing Fiat

I got invited to the last Autocross of the season. The first Sunday in November put on by the local SCCA at the Raytheon aircraft plant parking lot in Wichita. Most of the RC members know that one of our own does some racing. I should say 4 members of the family do.

Gary Blessing, Gary Jr., Steven, and David, All get behind the wheel when schedules allow. So this one Sunday it was Gary Sr., Gary Jr., Adam, (a friend) Steven, and his friend Audrey with Mom (Jean Blessing) along for support.

I was just a little curious, as to how Autocross worked since this was the first one had seen. I had heard about them, but never watched one. Most my racing had been “back when” I was younger and with less since - mostly drag racing and some dirt bike racing - though, I really liked the road racing of sports cars.

Action shot

The day was cool, little windy but sunny. I got to the track just as the Blessings were unloading the car. Having done lots of pit work before, I jumped in and helped put on the race wheels and tires and what ever else could do. Then Gary told me to drive it over to the spec station for its check over. Ok! Cool I thought. Then, we went over and signed in. Everybody signs in - part of the safety thing.

Next was to walk the track with the drivers to see the layout. Now as this was a parking lot, it wasn't in ideal condition with some loose asphalt and dirt and couple of small dips. While waiting for our turn to run, I had time to ask questions and look at more of the competitors' cars. Seemed to be a pretty mixed bunch of cars running. (See photos) There were even a go-cart and a Corvair. I watch the first bunch make their runs and enjoyed a few spinouts, flying cones or some that just went right out off the course. But, since you are running against the clock and not another car nobody got hurt but for some embarrassment and some bruised egos. J

Came time for our guys to run, Gary Jr. and Adam drove in the same group. It was Adam's first autocross in which to drive, and he did fairly well, I thought. Then it was Steven with Audrey for a passenger. Now he had the right idea. If you're going to carry extra weight, make sure they are pretty. J . Then came Sr. who threw me a helmet and said lets go! I said, no driving for me. Ok! But, you have to ride. So off we went. You line up at the start and wait for sign to go when the course is clear and clocks are set. Then, the only way I can tell you is, it was the fastest 44 seconds from a dead stop, back to an almost dead stop when you go through the clock timer at the end in a Spider with left and right turns, I had ever been in. Gary needs to put more grab handles in that thing!

Each person gets to make 4 runs and the best time out of the 4 is your time to post for the event. They add 2 sec for every cone you hit and no time if you go off course. So the object is to run fast and smooth without hitting a cone while staying on the course.

In all it was fun to watch and more so to get to ride with Gary and Steven. Gary told me next time I get to try it. Well, we will see. I hope they have plenty of cones and a clock that can read in minutes and not seconds.

By Jim Wagner

Winter Luncheon in Norman

By Ron Conlon

Our last event of 2005 was as usual a lunch to get ready for winter. We met in Norman, OK at a nice oriental restaurant and a plucky group showed off their cars and tried out the heaters.

A highlight was Jim Chandler and his Flaminia project. This editor has been watching this car take shape for the past several years and I have driven it on occasion. It never fails to make me smile.