RANLAY RACING – TRACKCHASER REPORT – ENGLAND PART 2

GREETINGS FROM SEVERAL POINTS IN ENGLAND

 

 

Photos from my 2006 United Kingdom Easter trackchasing trip have now been posted.  You should know that I only share my very best pictures with you.  After I take my pictures, I download them to my computer.  I immediately go through and delete the photos that can’t even be considered for the website.  I then go through a second screening process to make certain that only the very best pictures of the trip make it to your viewing eyes.

 

I hope you enjoy them.  As always, the pictures can be accessed by going to the RANLAY Racing website at www.ranlayracing.com.  Remember, all photos on my website are copyrighted.  If you would like to use one of them, all you have to do is ask.

 

PEOPLE/TRAVEL NEWS

 

SUNDAY, APRIL 16

 

Easter Sunday started off really well for me, then took a temporary downturn before reversing course and becoming an excellent trackchasing adventure.

 

I awoke after a great night’s sleep in the Greenwood Lodge (http://www.greenwood-lodge.co.uk/) in Highbridge, Somerset, England.  I came downstairs for breakfast and was greeted by the friendly proprietor, Penny.  She asked if I wanted the continental breakfast or a full “English breakfast.”  Since they were both included in the price of my lodging and I’m a big strapping youngster I went with the full English breakfast.  It was delicious.  Penny even substituted baked beans for the tomato (pronounced ta-maaa-to). 

 

Following breakfast, I left the bed & breakfast at about 10 a.m.  My first track, the Somerset Bangers Raceway was just a mile or two from the B&B or so I thought.  I had seen the racetrack sign on my way to the B&B last night.  The races were scheduled to begin at 12 noon.  My second track of the day, the Mendips Raceway was to begin at 2 p.m.  The tracks were only about 10 miles apart so a double would be easy today.

 

I figured I would drive over to the Somerset Rebels track, which was first on my schedule, and get the lay of the land.  I had been told my second track of the day, Mendips Raceway, was difficult to find.  Therefore, I planned to drive over to Mendips to make sure I knew where it was and be back at the Somerset track before they started at noon.  This seemed like a good plan when I started out.

 

At 10:15 a.m., I pulled into the Somerset Rebels racetrack in Rooks Bridge or so I thought.  There was not a soul around.  They could not have cancelled because of weather, because the track’s flat oval looked to be in excellent condition.  It didn’t seem likely everyone would pull in at the last minute.  Where was everybody? 

 

As a trackchaser, I am trained to be positive.  When there are tornado warnings, I always figure it will blow over and they will race.  When the rain forecast calls for 90% chance of rain, I figure it will stay dry.  When there is nobody at a racetrack less than two hours before the scheduled start time, I figure they will all appear as if by magic and they will race.

 

There was no magic today.  Nobody showed up.  I stopped a passerby and he told me to knock on the door of the farmhouse at the track.  They would know what the racing situation was.

 

I walked over to the farmhouse.  The farm’s dog, fortunately on a leash, did not greet this wandering American in a friendly manner.  I knocked on the door.  After a few anxious moments, the farmer’s wife answered the door.  No, they were not racing at Somerset Rebels today.  She told me her husband was off racing in Newport, South Wales.  I guess they race at Somerset on Fridays and Newport at other times.

 

She didn’t know how far Newport was from where we were.  I asked somewhat impatiently, “Is it 20 miles, 200 miles?”  She wasn’t sure, but thought it took about two hours to get there.  I have never seen a race in Wales.  I looked on my map and Newport seemed like a bigger town.  I began to wonder, from what the farmer’s wife had told me, “Was the track IN Newport or just NEAR Newport”.  Newport looked to be maybe the size of Topeka, Kansas.  Would you drive two hours one-way on the hunch that a track MIGHT be in Topeka or maybe just somewhere around Topeka?

 

I would!  That’s why I am a trackchaser.  I headed up the M5 toward Newport, South Wales.  I figured if I got over there and couldn’t find the track, that I could still make it back to Mendips for their late afternoon racing.

 

I’ve frequently mentioned that the use of information technology is vital to my trackchasing success.  My use of technology saved me one track and maybe two tracks today.  It also helps to have people contacts.  Two heads are better than one.

 

While I was motoring along on the M5, I was booting up my computer, grabbing my reading glasses and checking my U.K. communication log.  You see, I had copied all of my pre-trip emails into a Microsoft Word file so I could refer to them during my trip.  I figured I would not have access to an internet connection and having these communiqués might come in handy.  They would end up be a trackchaser lifesaver.

 

Next, I got on my cell phone that had very little battery life left (thanks to my friends at Thrifty Rental Car who did not want their car stunk up with smoke and had disabled my cell phone power source.)  First I called Colin Herridge for advice.  He wasn’t home.  Next, I called Tim Street.  Tim and I had communicated about Somerset racing over the past couple of weeks.  Fortunately, for me Tim left his cell phone number at the bottom of his email to me.  I called Tim.  He didn’t answer, so I left a message.

 

I had exhausted my contacts.  I continued to drive toward Newport when the phone rang.  It was Tim Street.  Tim informed me they were racing in a “Farmer’s field” just a couple of miles from the Somerset Rebels track I had visited early this morning.  I had gone to the wrong track!  I was looking for the Somerset Rebels Banger Raceway.  I had actually been at the Oak Tree Arena where the SOMERSET REBELS speedway bike team races.

 

I think that mistake was easy to make given the fact that they are located within a mile or two of each other and have nearly identical names.  I’m glad I had my cell phone and I’m glad I had thought to copy those emails and I’m glad Tim left his cell phone number.  All of that came together to save me one and possibly two tracks.  I made a u-turn on the M5 (well almost) and was back at the Somerset Rebels Banger Raceway in time for the driver’s meeting.  You can read more about how that went below in the race track news section.

 

Following my second track of the day, I headed over toward Chicester.  I had a Travelodge reservation there and planned to meet the #1 European trackchaser in the world, Roland Vanden Eynde for dinner at 8 p.m.

 

I pulled into the hotel parking lot at 7:58 p.m.  Roland was standing there waiting for me.  We had dinner at the Little Chef located next door to the Travelodge.  I don’t know of any trackchasers who enjoy their food more than Roland and I do.  I was surprised we settled for a Little Chef.

 

Roland and I enjoyed catching up.  This was the first time since Carol’s and my visit to Belgium in May 2005 that we have been able to talk.  We talked non-stop through dinner, adjourned to his room and talked non-stop until past midnight.  There is no other trackchaser who understands trackchaser human behavior and is able to express those thoughts better than Roland.  The surprising thing is that he can do it in something other than his native tongue.  Roland, I enjoyed our chat.

 

 

MONDAY, APRIL 17

 

Today ended up being a good day of trackchasing but it started off very weird.  Can you believe the first FOUR tracks I either had planned or actually saw were uncountable by trackchasing standards?

 

Roland and I met for breakfast at the Little Chef located next to our Travelodge Motel.  We had finished breakfast and we were in the parking lot getting ready to leave for the S.A.A. Speedway.  Right at that moment I received a cell phone call.  It was English trackchaser Colin Herridge.  Our first planned track of the day had cancelled.  We would not be seeing any countable racing at the S.A.A. Speedway.  It had something to do with their Armco barriers not being finished.  This was the first track cancellation I have ever had in the U.K. after seeing about 40 tracks.  I have never had a weather cancellation in the U.K.

 

It didn’t matter what their excuse was.  We wouldn’t be going there.  Yes, for the second day in a row, my international cell phone had saved me both time and money.

 

Seeing Colin was good for another reason.  I could use his car’s electric power to charge my cell phone that was on its last legs.  His power meant that I was never without cell phone power during the entire trip, although it was close.

 

Colin recommended we stop by the Goodwood Circuit road-racing course.  He reminded us they only race one time each year and that’s in September.  It was nearby and we had some extra time now.  We did as recommended.

 

When we arrived at Goodwood, unbelievably we heard the sound of racecars.  There were racecars circling the track at speed.  Could we somehow slip in an unexpected countable track?  Four sports cars lined up at the starting line with racecar numbers on their sides and their drivers buckled in and wearing full-face helmets.

 

The flagman was about ready to throw the green flag.  If they all accelerated at the same time, we would have countable racing.  Alas, when the green flag flew, only one of the four cars left the starting line.  Then in 10 seconds or so, the second car left the starting line, etc.  These cars were racing timed laps and not racing in a wheel-to-wheel format.  Not too long ago, this type of racing was outlawed by trackchaser voters.  The Goodwood Circuit would not be countable today.

 

Soon we arrived at the Oval Raceway.  Yes, it’s a very original name!  I had been following Roland when I stopped at the track’s entrance to take a picture.  Just at that moment Colin Herridge appeared in my mirror.  The three trackchasers representing England, Belgium and the United States were now joined up as we had planned.

 

The first race on the concrete oval at the Oval Raceway was the “Minis” being raced by younger than adult drivers.  Not countable!  This was our third planned or actually seen track just today that was not going to add to our track total at this point. 

 

The next race on the Oval Raceway property was on the road course.  This track snakes its way inside the Oval Race Track oval.  What were they racing on the road course?  Motobikes!  Yes, another non-countable class.  That would make our fourth and final track of the day that was either on our schedule or where we had actually seen some machines on the track.  So far, we had nothing countable at all.

 

Of course, it’s never a good idea to give up.  We didn’t and were rewarded with two new tracks later in the day.  I’ll detail the specifics about Oval Raceway and Arlington Stadium in the racetrack news section.

 

A special treat when we arrived at the Arlington Stadium was meeting up with Paul Huggett.  Paul is the editor of “Wheel Spin,” the official magazine of Spedeworth Motorsports, the promotional company for Arlington Stadium.  He also does work with the national magazine of England, “Short Circuit.”  Short Circuit has featured trackchasing stories about me during my past visits to England.  Our very own Canadian trackchaser, Rick Young, is a contributing writer to this magazine.

 

Paul, it was great seeing you.  Thanks for getting us “Up on the roof,” the view was great from there.  Also thanks for the copy of Wheel Spin.  This is an excellent magazine, you should be proud.

 

Roland had to leave Arlington a little early to catch a flight home to Belgium.  Colin and I left Arlington after several more races.  Since we were both headed north to London, we stopped along the way at an English pub to share a pint and have dinner.

 

The Nutley Arms on the A22 in Ford’s Green, Nutley was a fine place to dine.  It was simple and fit the bill for some local color and food.  Their claim to fame was that they served organic beef.  I heard a lot about organic farming over the radio and in the newspapers during this trip.

 

I owe a debt of gratitude to Colin.  He helped me with track selection for this trip.  He also gave me some great heads-up on the best routes to take.  Of course, his morning phone call today saved us a worthless trip to a track that wasn’t going to run today.  Thanks, Colin!

 

On the way back to my hotel in Stains, just south of London’s Heathrow Airport, I stopped for gas.  That was only my second England petrol stop of the trip.  You might want to check out the “Rental Car Update” below to see how many gallons of diesel fuel I used at $7.50 per!

 

TUESDAY, APRIL 18

It’s time to fly home.  Counting the overnight on the plane and five nights in motels/B&Bs, I’ve been gone six nights.  I only saw six new tracks (seven were scheduled) which is not a huge amount, but I doubt anyone gained anything on me in the trackchaser world over Easter weekend.  This is one of the quieter weekends of the racing year in the U.S.

 

I always enjoy my trackchasing in Europe.  In addition to the racing, there is so much to see.  Both the sights and scenery are unique and fun.  I’ve been here enough now be called, “America’s #1 European Trackchaser.”  I like the sound of that.

 

Today should be easy.  My flight doesn’t leave until 3 p.m.  I’m staying less than 10 miles from the airport.  My non-stop flight from London to Los Angeles is about 11 hours in length.  It could be worse, I could be connecting somewhere.

 

I spent this morning walking around the quaint downtown shopping area of Staines.  I bought some postcards and sent them back home.  The cards cost 20 pence (35 cents) and the postcard stamps cost 50 pence (88 cents) per card.  That makes all the sense in the world to me.  Shouldn’t the cost of transportation of more than 5,000 miles be more than the printing and manufacturing of a flimsy piece of cardboard?

 

It’s been a fun trip.  It was great to see Colin and Roland.  I’m not exactly sure when I’ll see them again, but trackchasers seem to pop up out of nowhere, so you never know. 

 

Within hours of returning home home, I’ll be driving son Jim’s 1974 VW bug to the Long Beach, California shipping terminal.  We’re putting it on a boat and shipping it to Jim in Hawaii.  Assuming the bug doesn’t break down, then it’s on to Palm Springs for some golf and relaxation with my college fraternity brothers.

 

Carol and I will reemerge on the trackchasing scene during the last weekend of April vigorously.  Carol is on her way to moving into the “Top 40” and clawing and shoving her way past her immediate competition (those are my words not hers, so don’t hold anything against here.)

RACE TRACK NEWS:

SOMERSET REBELS BANGER RACEWAY, ROOKS BRIDGE – TRACK #1,021 – 4/15/06

Possibly the most significant remembrance of this track is that it moves me into a tie with Allan Brown for second place in the trackchaser worldwide rankings.  As described above I almost missed it.

 

With the M5 Motorway just a few yards from the track off Junction 22, I pulled into the “Facility.”   A woman was collecting the admission fee of 6 pounds at the entrance to the track.  An informative race program was just another 50 pence.

 

Soon I was meeting Mr. Tim Street driver of the #70 car.  He races in the Production Hot Rods Rear Wheel Drive division and was last year’s champion.  That figures that I had been communicating with a track champion over email and not just some back of the packer field filler.  By the way, you might like to check out the website for Tim’s racing team at http://www.arbstreetracing.co.uk/.

 

Tim and his friends were very informative.  Tim provided me with the name of the track and its city location.  This is auto grass racing.  I’ve seen Autograss racing many times before but today was most unusual for me.  I copied this description of U.K. Autograss racing that I thought you might find interesting.

What is Autograss all About Then?

 

“Autograss Racing is Britain’s most popular form of amateur motor racing. It takes place at venues throughout England, Wales and Northern and Southern Ireland.

 

Autograss is basically cars racing, usually on quarter-mile oval tracks. The tracks are laid out on natural surfaces (usually a farmer’s field) - a fresh track will start off as grass. Although highly spectacular to watch, it is first and foremost a participant sport. Meetings are promoted by non-profit making clubs.

 

The social side of the sport is a very large factor in the appeal of Autograss. With many a Saturday evening spent with the aroma of  a barbecue and  the sound of beer cans clunking! This just seems to emphasise the family nature of the sport encompassed by the fact that husband, wife and children can all compete in the same Poor class 1 mini!.

This is a true family sport – anyone can take part. Junior drivers may start racing at 12 years old, moving into the adult classes at 16, and some drivers are racing competitively well into their 60s and 70s. Ladies’ races are held at every meeting and the sharing of cars between family members is encouraged. It is the affordable motor sport. You can race in the most basic classes (such as Class 1, for standard 1000cc Minis with only safety modifications) for an initial outlay of under £500 and minimal running costs. There are ten classes of car ranging from production saloons, through progressively wilder Modified machinery to the super-fast single-seat Specials.” 

 

Today’s racetrack truly was a farmer’s grass field when I arrived.  You’ll be able to see both before and after pictures at www.ranlayracing.com.  Following the driver’s meeting everyone in the pit area was dispatched to a far corner of the field.  At that location were some 100-150 used truck tires.  Everyone grabbed a tire and began rolling it toward the center of the field.  In no time, the nearly quarter mile track was lined out with both an inner and outer ring of tires.  The cars would race on the grass in between these tire barriers.

 

The program told me there would be 31 races today.  The classes included Ladies Hot Rods, Bangers over 1800cc, FWD Production Hot Rods, Bangers under 1800cc FWD, Junior Rods, RWD Production Hot Rods and Bangers under 1800cc RWD.

 

At the driver’s meeting the pit steward asked how many women were racing today.  Only four raised their hands.  The pit steward didn’t think this was enough for a class race.  This was greeted with many men yelling, “Let ‘em race with the blokes!  Let ‘em race with the blokes.”  That is exactly what they did.  The women raced with the blokes (men).

 

I think some of the other classes were combined when an individual class didn’t have enough cars to present an entertaining race as well.  According to the program, most classes were scheduled for four heat races.

 

I did learn something new about Autograss racing that I found interesting.  The first 28 races are called heat races.   The last three races of the day are called finals.  Points are awarded for heat races within each class.  The overall highest point total per class is the day’s winner based upon the heat races. 

 

The “Finals” race combines cars from multiple classes.  Often  the attrition rate is high and some drivers prefer not to race in the finals because there is a high incidence of beating and banging amongst all of the classes.  The final is NOT a feature event, it is just a FINAL race of the day for each competitor.  The heat races are used to determine the champion of each class.  This new news effects how I have counted my blended doubles (BD with or without a feature) in the past.  With this new knowledge, I will go back and recalculate my BD results.

 

An interesting note appeared in the program.  “The Club races thanks to a friendly farmer.  Let’s keep him friendly.  Please take all your litter home.”

MENDIPS RACEWAY, SHIPHAM, ENGLAND – TRACK #1,022 – 4/15/06

 

The Mendips Raceway was exactly 10 miles from the Somerset Rebels Banger Raceway.  You can’t ask for much easier of an afternoon Blended Double than that.  Even though the distance was short, the elevation between the two tracks was significant.

 

The SRBR sits down in the valley.  The Mendips oval is located on one of the highest hills in the area.  Some of the route is just one lane wide.  That’s most difficult when you see some of the huge racecar haulers that had to make it up that hill.

 

The Mendips Raceway will always have its place in my personal trackchasing history.  It will be noted that this track moved me into undisputed second place in the worldwide trackchaser standings.  At this point, I’m only 16 tracks out of first place.  Maybe I will reach that position some day.

 

There were three classes of racecars at Mendips.  The Formula 2 stock cars were the main attraction.  They were supplemented by classic bangers and hot rods.  I like all three of these classes.

 

Today the track was hosting a World Championship qualifying round for Formula 2 stock cars.  Each track gets only one of these events per year.  The BRISCA formula stock cars start the fast cars in the back.  Each car is graded on its previous performance.  Each competitor has a special roof color to denote what his past achievements have been.  From slowest to fastest the roof colors go like this White, Blue, Yellow, Red and National Champion.  In most races the faster cars can come from the front to the back.  Sometimes this happens with a little persuasion from the “Chrome horn.”

 

Only two of the “Classic” bangers really got my attention.  By the way, only “Pre-1975” cars are eligible to run in this division.  The two cars I liked best were a Wolseley 6/80 and a Mark 2 Jaguar.  I have pictures of both on the website.

 

I received a nice trackchaser mention from a very qualified announcer over a robust P.A. system.  I consumed a trackside cheeseburger for 2 pounds, 60 pence ($4.55).  I must apologize to my fellow spectators on this one.  I mistakenly placed myself in the drinks only line when I was looking for my cheeseburger.  I wondered why that line was shorter and moving so much faster!  The serving woman took pity on my American accented apology.

 

When the sun was out it was a nice day for racing.  When the sun went behind the clouds, it got cold.  I used the ice cream van as a windbreak.  Following the 10^th event of the day, the Formula 2 World Final, I decided to head down the hill.  Along with Ballymena, Mendips was my favorite track of the trip.

 

OVAL RACEWAY, ANGMERING, ENGLAND – TRACK #1,023 – 4/16/06

 

We arrived at the Oval Raceway at 10:30 a.m. for their 11:30 a.m. start.  Colin reached the track at nearly the same moment that Roland and I did.  This was the first time this Englishman had met this Belgian.  I am pleased to have been the instigator in quite a few trackchasers meeting for the first time.

 

We had plenty of time to get to know each other.  We also had time to wander through the very crowded pit area.  I must say this track seemed to have the least diversity of racecars of any I saw on this trip.  Almost every car seemed to be a variation on the “Mini” theme.  I would estimate there were more than 100 racers in the pits.

 

They started at 11:30 a.m. with practice.  Then they went with heat races for the “Minis” driven by kids.  Other than the fact, that this class limits their drivers to the 12-16 age range, there was no visual difference between the cars or the quality of racing compared to the minis driven by drivers without an age restriction.

 

The track itself was unique.  The oval track ran downhill (when driving clockwise) from turns 3 & 4 to turns 1 & 2.  The outer retaining wall was a steel Armco barrier.  Above the barrier was a mosaic collection of old tires painted black and white.  Some of the tire barriers were 6-8 tires high.  The checkerboard paint scheme was very creative.

 

The pit area was directly behind the backstretch.  There were no formal grandstands.  People either sat in the cars that ringed the speedway, brought a lawn chair or stood.  We stood.  The P.A. was difficult to hear from our position.  The track, like most in England, has no lights.  I say to you England.  Get some grandstands and get some lights!

 

We ended up heading over to the Arlington Stadium at 1:15 p.m.  Arlington was a little less than an hour away, although the worst traffic of the trip made it seem longer.  Arlington was scheduled to start at 2 p.m.  We arrived after the first heat race of the day had finished.

 

The racing wasn’t that great at the Oval Raceway because nearly all the cars looked the same and we couldn’t hear the announcer.  The Oval Raceway was the first half of a Blended Double without a feature event. 

 

 

ARLINGTON STADIUM, EASTBOURNE, ENGLAND – TRACK #1,024 – 4/16/06

 

The Arlington Stadium racing facility is one of the more well known in England.  The race program is under the promotion of Spedeworth.  They promote Arlington, Bovingdon, Great Yarmouth, Ipswich, Ringwood, Swaffam and Wimbleton.  I have now been to all seven of the Spedeworth tracks.

 

I had been forewarned by track photographer and editor of the Spedeworth magazine, Wheel Spin, Paul Huggett that parking would be at a premium on a “Bank Holiday Monday.”  That was the understatement of the weekend.  There are four bank holidays, one at Easter, two in May and one in August. 

 

We approached the stadium on a very narrow road that was made that much narrower by cars parked on both sides of the it.  That left about one and one-half lanes up the middle.  Not knowing how far we were from the track or if there was any better parking spots ahead, the three of us, Colin, Roland and I parked our three cars on the side of the road and began to walk and walk and walk.  After a while we could hear the racecars.  That was a good sign.

 

When we arrived at the car park (parking lot), a sign told us the lot was full.  Our eyes told us the same thing.  We stood in line to pay our admission and entered the track.  I guess this is where the term, “Standing room only” came from.  First of all, there were no grandstands at all.  Everyone stood.  People were standing at the track’s fence all the way around the track.  As we used to say in the Marines it was #$%&%$ to bellybutton all the way back to the top of the hill which was 15-20 feet from the fence.

 

We were standing near the start/finish line wondering what our next move might be with such a large crowd.  I can definitely understand how those European soccer crowd stampedes can occur.  Just at that moment, Paul Huggett appeared from the track’s infield.  He immediately escorted us to the rooftop of the press box.  We were some 30 feet or more off the ground and had an excellent view of everything.  We only stayed up there for one race, but it was great.  The four of us chatted for a while and Paul went back to work. 

 

There were three classes racing today.  These included team banger racing, Spedeworth Super Stox and 2-liter stocks.  The track itself is made of concrete and a little less than a quarter mile in distance.  The concrete oval is very narrow.  The track has an inner shale (dirt) oval that adjoins the concrete oval.  It’s not uncommon for the drivers to slide through the dirt oval back onto the concrete track.

 

In banger racing, the objective is to knock the other cars out of the way so you can win the race.  Ya, it’s sort of like trackchasing (just kidding!).  If 20 cars start a banger race, then each car is trying to knock the other 19 out of the way.  In team banger racing there are 10 cars on each of the two teams.  That means each car is only trying to knock 10 cars, not 19, off the track.  That means less crashes.  When I watch banger racing I want to see crashes.  Nevertheless, the crashes they did have at Arlington were of the high speed variety.  It was too bad it was so crowded and we could only stand at about a track high elevation level.

 

The Super Stox are virtually identical to BRISCA Formula 2 stock cars.  It’s normal for U.K. tracks to start 20-25 cars in a 16-20 lap heat race.  The vast majority of feature events in the United States don’t start that many cars for this long of a race.  This is one of the reasons I find U.K. racing so entertaining.

 

The racing was good at Arlington, but it was way too crowded.  It was almost scary crowded.  Since we were saving ourselves for dinner, we didn’t try any track food.  U.K. tracks are woefully short on amenities of just about any kind.  Restrooms, seating, lighting (usually none) and parking are very backward.   Nevertheless, the racing is excellent with full fields and generally good organization.  That’s why I keep coming back.

 

The idea of running over to the Arena Essex Raceway following Arlington was heavily discussed.  Some thought it was about an hour’s drive away and some others thought it might take up to two hours in Easter traffic.  I never really saw any major traffic on any of the motorways I traveled except for a few minutes getting out of London on Thursday night.

 

In the end, I nixed the Arena Essex idea.  Although I think I could have pulled it off, I don’t like to do very much driving when two competing programs are running at the same time.  My maximum is one hour and I really like to limit it to no more than 45 minutes and hopefully less.  Taking 45 minutes or less out of the middle of two programs that will run simultaneously for 4-5 hours doesn’t seem too bad.

 

On the way out Colin and I did our very best job not to get run over while trying to walk back to our cars.  That was no easy task!  Once we found our machines we were off in search of some “Pub grub” and we soon found it.

 

This was my sixth trip to the United Kingdom for racing.  Even though it’s a long way to come, I’ve enjoyed every one.  I’m just 14 weeks into the 2006 trackchasing season and have already traveled more than 57,000 miles.  Nevertheless, I’ll be back again but the next trip will probably be during the summer.

 

Cheers!

 

 

 

Thanks for reading about my trackchasing,

Randy Lewis

America’s #1 European Trackchaser

 

That’s all the news that’s fit to print from San Clemente where the women are strong, the men are good-looking, all of the children are above average and the real estate prices are way above average.

 

 

 

 

 

RENTAL CAR UPDATE:

 

The Thrifty Rental Car Racing Vauxhall Vectra was an excellent rental car, one of the best I’ve ever had.  Except for the fact that the smoking police had disabled the cigarette lighter/power source and the car was difficult to nap in, it was great.

 

I didn’t know I was getting a diesel powered car, until I was handed my final paperwork.  I was a little hesitant about getting a diesel.  I bought a brand new 1980 Cadillac Sedan Deville from a dealer in New Jersey in August, 1979.  That car was a diesel and a real lemon.  I had three different engines in that car in the first couple of years I owned it.  Fortunately, I became a member of a class action suit against General Motors and they ended up reimbursing me for all of the repair expenses.  Another positive was that it gave me good experience at becoming a member of a class action suit.  I have done very well in class actions ever since.

 

The clerk sold me today on the idea of a diesel with these words, “It gets better gas mileage.”  You might think fuel costs are up in the United States and they are.  However, fuel costs are really high in the U.K.  Diesel was running about 99 pence per litre.  My slide rule says that with an exchange rate of about $1.75 per English pound, diesel fuel runs about $7.50 per gallon.  Yes, you read this correctly.  $7.50 per gallon!

 

The car had excellent pick up and cruised along at freeway speeds just like my gasoline car does.  It DID get great fuel mileage.  How does 46.5 M.P.G. grab you?  This made my fuel cost somewhere around 16.0 cents per mile, give or take a tenth or two.

 

I usually get around 25 M.P.G. with my domestic car rentals.  Taking into consideration that my domestic cars get only 55% of the fuel mileage of this week’s U.K. car, the REAL fuel cost adjusts downward from $7.50 per gallon to $3.99 per gallon.  That’s still more expensive than the current $2.90-$3.00 in the U.S. but it’s not as bad as $7.50 sounds.  For additional useless fuel mileage facts, please contact me privately.

 

 

 

LIFETIME TRACKCHASER STANDINGS UPDATE:

 

These worldwide trackchasers are within 100 tracks (plus or minus) of my current trackchaser total.

 

1.  Rick Schneider – Bay Shore, New York - 1,038 (+14)

2.  Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 1,024

3.  Allan Brown, Comstock Park, Michigan – 1,021 (-3)

4.  Guy Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania – 1,011 (-13)

5.  Andy Sivi, Clairton, Pennsylvania – 1,007 (-17)

6.  Gordon Killian, Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania – 996 (-28)

 

 

 

Other notables

 

These worldwide trackchasers are within 10 tracks (plus or minus) of Carol’s current trackchaser total.

 

39.  Virginia Schuler, Allentown, Pennsylvania - 248 (+10)

40.  Steve Kinser, Bloomington, Indiana – 246 (+8)

41.  Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California - 238

42.  Don McAuley, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada - 235 (- 3)

43.  Andy Ritter, Mansfield, Pennsylvania - 235 (- 3)

44.  Colin Casserly, Stevenage, England 232 (-6)

45.  Bernie Harlen, Goshen, Indiana - 229 (-9)

 

 

 

 

 

2006 TRACKCHASER STANDINGS

 

1.  Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California - 33

2.  Ed Esser, Madison, Wisconsin – 24

3.  Roland Vanden Eynde, Vilvoorde, Belgium – 18

4.  Mike Knappenberger, Reading, Pennsylvania - 15

5.  Paul Weisel, Orefield, Pennsylvania – 13

6.  Linda Thomas, Watford, England - 11

6.  Gordon Killian, Sinking Springs, Pennsylvania – 11

8.  Rick Young, Maxville, Ontario, Canada - 9

8.  Roger Ferrell, Majenica, Indiana – 9

10.  Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California – 8

 

 

 

 

CUMULATIVE TRAVEL DISTANCES:

 

AIRPLANE

Los Angeles, CA – London (Heathrow), England – 5,447 miles

 

1^ST RENTAL CAR – LONDON, ENGLAND (HEATHROW AIRPORT)

London (Heathrow) Airport (1^st rental car) – trip begins

Liverpool, England – 228 miles

 

 

AIRPLANE

Liverpool, England – Belfast, Northern Ireland – 184 miles

 

 

2^ND RENTAL CAR – BELFAST INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND

Belfast International Airport (2^nd rental car) – trip begins

Ballymena, Northern Ireland – 113 miles

Belfast International Airport – 133 miles - trip ends

 

 

AIRPLANE

Belfast, Northern Ireland – Liverpool, England  - 184 miles

 

 

1^ST RENTAL CAR – LONDON, ENGLAND (HEATHROW AIRPORT)

London (Heathrow) Airport (1^st rental car) – trip begins

Liverpool, England – 228 miles

Little Budworth, England – 243 miles

Rooks Bridge, England – 478 miles

Shipham, England – 488 miles

Angmering, England – 657 miles

Eastbourne, England – 698 miles

London (Heathrow) Airport (1^st rental car) – 796 miles - trip ends

AIRPLANE

 

London (Heathrow), England – Los Angeles, CA 5,447 miles – trip ends

 

 

Total air miles – 11,262 miles

Total auto and air miles traveled on this trip – 12,191 miles

 

 

 

 

 

TRACK ADMSSION PRICES:

 

Ballymena Raceway – 8 pounds ($14)

Oulton Park – 8 pounds ($14)

Somerset Rebels - 6 pounds ($10.50)

Mendips Raceway – 5 pounds ($8.75)

Oval Raceway – 5 pounds ($8.75) included program

Arlington Stadium – 5 pounds ($8.75)

 

Total race admissions for the trip – about 37 pounds ($64.75)

 

Note:  Senior discounts saved me a considerable amount at some tracks

 

 

 

Past trackchasing stories are available at:

www.ranlayracing.com

 

Official trackchaser standings can be viewed at:

www.trackchaser.com  

 

Some of my standings data comes from trackchaser.com

 

 

 

 

 

UPCOMING TRACKCHASING PLANS

 

No trackchasing this coming weekend.  It’s time for our annual Delta Sigma Pi golf outing.  It’s in Palm Springs, California for the first time ever.

 

 

 

 

RACETRACKS VISITED IN 2006 (** not the first time to visit this track)

 

992.  Watermelon Capital Speedway, Cordele, Georgia - January 14

 

993.  Cross Roads Motorplex (asphalt oval), Jasper, Florida - January 15

 

994.  Norfolk Scope Arena, Norfolk, Virginia - January 20

 

995.  Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California - January 21

 

996.  Oregon State Fair & Expo Center, Forster Livestock Arena, Salem, Oregon - January 28

 

997.  Morosso Motorsports Park, Jupiter, Florida – February 4

 

998.  Thunderbowl Speedway of Ocala, Ocala, Florida - February 4

 

999.  Cross Roads Motorplex (dirt oval), Jasper, Florida - February 5</