DAY 3 – LET’S JUMP ALL OVER THE COUNTRY TRACKCHASING TOUR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TODAY’S HEADLINES

 

Today I was responsible for one of our leading trackchasers having the time of his life on the ice track...................more in “The People”.

 

How did I go from sipping a Jack Daniels to sleeping overnight on the floor of the Denver airport is less than an hour? …………..details in “The Trip”.

 

There are just five trackchasers who will compete so hard that they will go trackchasing every weekend if left unfettered.  …………..details in “The People”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click on this link or paste it in your browser to take you to today’s Trackchaser Report via my website at

www.ranlayracing.com

 

http://www.ranlayracing.com/february132008.htm

 

 

 

 

GREETINGS FROM BRAINERD, MINNESOTA.

 

 

 

 

I WOKE UP IN BRAINERD, MINNESOTA.  I WENT TO SLEEP IN THE DENVER, COLORADO AIRPORT.  ON MONDAY MORNING, I RETURNED TO  SAN CLEMENTE, CALIFORNIA.  THIS IS WHAT TRANSPIRED TODAY.

 

 

 

 

PEOPLE/STRATEGY/TRAVEL NEWS

 

 

 

 

The Objective 

 

I am somewhat famous in the trackchasing community for putting together both exotic and complex trackchasing itineraries.  I guess this trip, which included new tracks in Missouri, Georgia and Minnesota on consecutive days, would qualify as “somewhat complex”.  Couple the geographical diversity with the time of the year (February) and this trip becomes even more unusual.

 

My guess would have been that this trip would never have come off as fully planned.  Why would I say that?  Because nearly 100% do not!!  I love planning the trip.  Carol says I like planning the trip more than I like TAKING the trip.  I’m not sure I agree with her.  I really do like planning the trip.  However, I like taking the trip as well.

 

 

     

The Trip

 

Yesterday was a very long travel day.  It found me starting from Springfield, Missouri, spending most of the day in Atlanta and then taking a late night flight to Minneapolis.  From Minneapolis, I drove more than 140 miles up to Brainerd, Minnesota.  I arrived at just before midnight.

 

I thought that making it all the way up to Brainerd (today’s track location) was a good idea.  Since the first race today was not scheduled to begin until 11:20 a.m., I could sleep in, a rare treat on the trackchasing trail.

 

*********************************************************************************

 

Following the event, it was another 140+ mile trip to the Minneapolis airport.  From there I flew to Denver and then onto Orange County.  It was nice to get first class seats on both flights on the way back home.  I always find it amazing that I can be trackchasing in a place like Northern Minnesota in the afternoon and be home sleeping on my Tempurpedic mattress that evening!

 

I wrote the above paragraph as I was sipping on a Jack Daniels and 7-Up in seat #2A of the first class cabin.  Yes, my 8:45 p.m. departure had been delayed for one hour to 9:45 p.m.  That had the potential to prove problematic.  The Orange County Airport has an 11 p.m. curfew.  They won’t allow any planes to land after that.  The pilot assured us we would get to Orange County before the curfew.

 

Soon, we pulled away from the gate and I was headed for home.  For some reason the plane stopped when we were just 50 yards from the gate.  We didn’t move for several minutes.  Finally, the pilot came over the P.A. and told us there was a problem with the plane.  He pointed out that safety was his main concern.  It wasn’t long after that when he told us, this plane wasn’t going to fly.  We returned to the terminal.

 

It was now past 10:30 p.m. (11:30 p.m. Brainerd Ice Track time).  The airline had found another plane.  The new plane was smaller than the plane that had just canceled.  That meant everyone would have to stand in line to get a new seat on this smaller plane.  Many folks grumbled but nearly everyone got in line.  I must say it is situations like this where many inexperienced passengers behave poorly.

 

I was most pleased when I again got a first class seat again, #2A.  We would no longer be landing in Orange County however.  When flights can’t make the late night curfew, they divert to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).  LAX is some 40 miles north of the Orange County Airport (aka John Wayne Airport or Santa Ana Airport).  That wasn’t good, but it was better than staying in Denver for the night.  I had to be in L.A. by 3 p.m. on Monday to get my vaccinations for an upcoming trackchasing trip.

 

My second plane left the terminal.  We were about ready to take off.  Then……..we paused.  Just like before the plane stayed stationary just 50 yards from the terminal.  Nothing happened for a very long time.  Then, the pilot keyed the P.A.  This plane had a malfunction as well!  We would not be taking it to California.  This flight was canceled!

 

My fellow passengers and I filed out into the boarding area.  It was now 1:55 a.m. in Denver (2:55 a.m. Brainerd Ice Track time).  Airline employees were booking the passengers on Monday morning flights.  Of course, by now, “Monday morning” flights were just five hours away!

 

Each passenger was being given a $150 travel certificate for their trouble.  Most passengers were also being given a travel voucher for a hotel for the night.  As a standby passenger, I had no status or priority.  I didn’t expect to get anything.  As it turned out, I was given the $150 travel certificate even though I had not paid anything for my ticket.  That seemed awfully generous.

 

The 150+ passengers on the cancelled Orange County flight were being rebooked.  These passengers along with the existing Monday morning customers would make getting to Orange County or anywhere in Southern California on Monday morning very difficult on a stand-by basis.

 

It is times like this that I am thrilled that I was in the Marine Corps and completed their infamous boot camp training.  It was this training that reinforced with me that no matter what happens I will make it through.  In boot camp, the objective was simply to make it through the day.  They exercised us to death, they yelled at us and they physically beat us.  None of it mattered.  You simply took what you got and tried to move forward if only an inch at a time.

 

As many passengers were now throwing tantrums as well as their bags, I found a quite spot in the corner of the terminal.  I went on line and searched availability on another airline.  I found an early morning flight (6:55 a.m.) to LAX.  This flight had plenty of seats.  I booked it.

 

It was now 3:05 a.m. Denver time (4:05 a.m. Brainerd Ice Track time).  I hopped on the airport’s shuttle train so I could change terminals.  When I arrived there, I found my planned 6:55 a.m. departure was delayed to 7:55 a.m.  I didn’t know if that was good or not.  I could sleep an extra hour, but I would get into LAX an hour later.

 

Whatever, I didn’t have any choice and I couldn’t exert any influence over the situation.  I accepted my fate.  I found a spot to camp for the night.  I used my computer security cable to lock my computer and camera to an airline seat.  I pulled out a snow boot and wrapped it in my long underwear.  This would be my pillow.  My winter UCLA jacket would be my mattress.  Yep!  It was just like when my family and I would campout in our Starcraft popup camper…….sort of.

 

My position was directly between two flat screen TVs that continuously broadcast CNN news.  Now I now exactly what they talked about in the Clinton-Obama debates.  The CNN audio was supplemented by periodic announcements that the airport security level was “orange” and that any bags left alone would be subject to confiscation.  I used my racing ear plugs and Bose noise-canceling headset to offset the unwanted noise somewhat.

 

When passenger traffic began to pickup on Monday morning, I was awakened.  I had slept just under three hours.  From there it was on to LAX.  I grabbed a Super Shuttle van to take me the 40 miles to the Orange County airport.  I must say that I would prefer a root canal to having to ride the Super Shuttle.  They cram 7-8 people in a van and stop 7-8 times on the way to the final destination.  Please pass the Novocain!

 

Then, after I picked up the Carol Lewis owned and Life of Virginia sponsored Lexus LS 430, it was another 30 miles back home.  I arrived into my driveway at just a few minutes before noon on Monday.  Yes, it had been a long night, but that’s the way it goes on a trackchasing trip sometimes.  I still love it.

 

 

 

The People

 

Nowadays, I rarely run into other trackchasers on the trackchasing trail.  There are a number of reasons for this.  One of those reasons is that I trackchase so frequently and go to so many diverse locations.  I am just as likely to be in one part of the U.S. on the first day of the trip and on the other side of the country by the end of the trip.  Most trackchasers don’t have the time or resources to keep up with that schedule.

 

Additionally, trackchasers rarely go back to tracks they have already visited.  I would estimate that amongst the top 20 trackchasers, they will see less than 10% of all of their tracks a second time.  That’s just the nature of the hobby. 

 

There are just a handful of trackchasers who take the competition seriously.  These folks trackchase nearly every weekend as they attempt to improve their positions in one particular category or another.  I would categorize the most competitive trackchasers as (in no particular order), Ed Esser, Guy Smith, Roland Vanden Eynde, Mike Knappenberger and myself.  There are several others close on the heals of this group as well.

 

Last year, I visited 160 new tracks.  At only eight of those tracks did I run into any other top 20 trackchasers.  As I have mentioned in the past, my running into other trackchasers is going to get rarer and rarer.  In 2005, I believe I saw Wisconsin’s Ed Esser twelve times.  In 2007, I saw Ed at just three different venues and we both went to more than 260 tracks. 

 

I meet up with those “dreaded East coast trackchasers” even less frequently.  I won’t run into them much in the East because they have seen nearly all of the Eastern area tracks.  Therefore, when I head east they won’t be at the track.  Most of the Easterners don’t travel very much outside of their region, so I don’t run into them much when I’m in the West or Midwest.

 

However, I expected to see Ed Esser at today’s track.  Why?  He had mentioned he was going to be trackchasing in Minnesota this weekend in his last track report.  By the way, Ed is the only other trackchaser to host his own website for the purpose of sharing his experiences at new tracks.  You can check it out at www.2arace.com.  I also knew that Ed had never visited today’s ice racing location.  This was only the second time, to my knowledge, that any group has ever ice raced at Brainerd.

 

My suspicions were confirmed when I went to sign the liability release form.  Ed’s name was right above mine!

 

Ed travels on a limited budget.  He spends the night in his Chevy Blazer on almost every one of his trips.  He describes himself as “cheap”.  I call him “thrifty”.  We have some “cheap” trackchasers, so I know the difference.  I also know that he trackchased in Minnesota yesterday.

 

Ed went trackchasing yesterday up in Erskine, Minnesota.  This was a track I discovered for the very first time just last week.  Yes, this is the nature of the hobby.  When one person finds a new track, others follow shortly.  I did not mind Ed following my lead.  I have followed his many times.

 

Nevertheless, this meant that Ed had stayed overnight in Minnesota.  The low temperature last night was right at 10 degrees or so.  I forgot to ask Ed if he slept in the Blazer last night.  I’m betting that he did!

 

I had two presents for Ed today.  First, I met up with the International Ice Racing Association (IIRA) announcer Renee Anderson upon my arrival at the track.  I gave her Ed’s trackchasing information.  Renee was nice enough to give Ed a very generous trackchaser welcome to the IIRA sanctioned event over the P.A. system.

 

Secondly, the IIRA folks had arranged for me to have a “ride along” during today’s lunch break.  In preparation for my ride, they asked me what size helmet I wore.  “Do you have a very big head?” they wanted to know.  I simply replied, “Carol says I do”.  With that, they went to retrieve a helmet.

 

I’ve done these "ride-alongs" a few times, most recently at Barnes Lake up in British Columbia last month.  They are an absolute blast.  I asked Ed if he had ever done anything like that.  No, he had not.

 

Great!  I talked with the IIRA folks and convinced them to let Ed take my place.  Soon Ed was fastening the strap on his helmet and being fitted with a four-point airplane regulation seat belt.  He would be driven by Dick Nordby in the car #1 VW Rabbit.

 

Prior to this outing, Dick entertained Ed and me with his stories about USAC stock car racing at the Milwaukee Mile back in the last 60s and early 70s.  The names of Jack Bowsher, Don White, Norm Nelson, A.J. Foyt and Ramo Stott were tossed about.

 

It wasn’t long before “Fast Eddie”, as he is called in some circles, was on the track.  Today’s road course track was about one mile in length.  To me, it was a better track than the IIRA road course layout I saw last week in Garrison, MN because it was much closer to the spectator area.

 

There was one other car on the track with Ed and his driver.  It would have been very easy for the drivers to space the cars out a good distance for this exhibition run.  They didn’t do that.  They ran nose to tail for the entire 15 minutes they were on the track.  They swapped the lead several times.

 

I think Ed had the time of his life.  I believe I had just as much fun watching Ed take a very wild ride.  They were sideways through most of the turns and within inches of the other car on the track most of the time.  Please go to www.ranlayracing.com and first click on “Trackchaser Reports” and then click on “#1,307” to see Mr. Esser in action.

 

 

 

 

STATE RANKINGS

Minnesota

 

Today’s track was my 41st lifetime Minnesota tracks.  I hold a third place ranking in the “land of 10,000 lakes”.  Jack Erdmann and Ed Esser are in control of the top two positions here with 66 and 58 tracks, respectively.  A rather large number of 48 trackchasers have seen at least one track in Minnesota.

 

I have now seen 14 ice tracks in my trackchasing career.  This puts me into a tie with the ice racing legend Rick Young, who hails from Maxville, Ontario, Canada for 6^th place in the lifetime ice standings.  Guy Smith has a commanding lead in this category with 43 ice tracks to his credit.

 

 

RACE REVIEW

 

BRAINERD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY ICE TRACK (ROAD COURSE), BRAINERD, MINNESOTA

Today was a fun day of ice racing.  Recall that Carol and I pulled into this very same location just one week ago only to find out that there was no ice racing at the Brainerd International Raceway.  It was good to be able to come back in just seven days to cross this track off my list.

 

When I went into the track office to buy my ticket I had to sign the normal track liability release.  That’s when I noticed that Ed Esser’s name was the last one on the list.  Good!  It would be nice to have someone to talk too during the races. 

 

I have now seen three different International Ice Racing Association events in the past 12 months.  The folks in IIRA are beginning to think of me as a regular.  Renee Anderson does a nice job with the P.A. work.  Most ice tracks that I have visited don’t even have an announcer or P.A. system.

 

I had talked to Renee’s husband, David, during the ice races in Balsam Lake, Wisconsin last winter.  David recognized me today and couldn’t wait to offer me a ride at lunch time in one of the group’s racing machines.  There “ride alongs” are a real “kick-ass” time.

 

You can imagine how I felt when I decided to approach David with the idea of giving Ed Esser my ride.  I didn’t want to offend David who was willing to provide me with such a fun prize.  I felt like I was “regifting”.  However, David understood and, as described above, Ed went off on his ride.

 

The IIRA group actually had arranged to have a small set of bleachers set up on the ice.  I didn’t see refreshments being sold anywhere, but there were porta-potties on sight.  Remember, we’re standing out in the middle of a frozen lake, so the normal conveniences are not always easy to come by.

 

The temperature was about 20 degrees.  There was a wind of 10 M.P.H. or so.  From time to time, the sun went away and it got cloudy.  I suspect the wind chill temperature was about 5-10 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

The IIRA shows are two day programs.  On Sundays, like today, they race a sprint race for 30 minutes and an enduro.  Today’s enduro was set for two hours and five minutes.  There is a mandatory driver change in the middle of the race.

 

Ed and I talked to several of the people working the race today.  We met Jim Anderson who was the wrecker driver.  His tow vehicle was actually a pickup truck with 1,000 (one thousand) studs per tire.  He didn’t have any problem getting traction!  Jim seemed pretty impressed that people like us would do what we do.

 

We also talked with Bob the starter.  Bob has a frozen white beard that was partially covered with snow ski goggles, a racing headset and microphone and a stocking cap.  He invited Ed and me out onto the track’s infield area for the start of the enduro race.  For some reason, it was much colder out in the open with no protection from the wind.

 

We watched the beginning of the enduro from there.  After awhile, it was time to seek some shelter.  At that point, Ed and I scampered across the ice, and the active raceway, on our way to my National Rental Car Racing Chrysler 300.  We spent the next hour or so talking about the events of the day in relative warmth.

 

There were just nine cars racing today.  The enduro winner completed 103 laps at an average race speed of about 60 M.P.H.   I was happy the IIRA folks stuck to the schedule. 

 

I will say this.  The many IIRA folks that I came in contact with could not have been nicer.  They provided a great P.A. mention about the trackchasing hobby, an in car “ride-along” and the ability to go out onto the track’s infield area for a better view.  It doesn’t get much better than that.

 

 

 

 

 

RENTAL CAR UPDATE

 

Minneapolis – Saturday/Sunday

 

I drove the National Rental Car Racing Chrysler 300, 339 miles in the one day I had it.  I paid an average price of $2.97 per gallon.  The Chrysler gave me 26.7 miles per gallon in fuel mileage at a cost of 11.1 cents (U.S.) per mile.  The car cost 12.0 cents per mile to rent, all taxes included.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading about my trackchasing,

 

Randy Lewis

Alberta’s #1 Trackchaser

Walking is easy, when the road is flat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

TRAVEL DETAILS

 

 

AIRPLANE

 

Orange County, CA – Denver, CO – 845 miles

Denver, CO – Springfield, MO - 634 miles

 

 

RENTAL CAR – SPRINGFIELD, MO

 

Springfield-Branson National Airport – trip begins

Ozark Empire Fairgrounds – 4.5 miles

Springfield-Branson National Airport  – 39.9 miles

AIRPLANE

 

Springfield, MO – Atlanta, GA – 563 miles

 

 

RENTAL CAR – ATLANTA, GA

 

None – private transportation

 

 

AIRPLANE

 

Atlanta, GA – Minneapolis, MN - 907 miles

 

 

RENTAL CAR – MINNEAPOLIS, MN

 

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport – trip begins

Brainerd International Raceway – 156 miles

Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport  – 319 miles

 

AIRPLANE

 

Minneapolis, MN – Denver, CO - 679 miles

Denver, CO – Orange County, CA - 845 miles

 

 

Total Air miles – 4,473 miles (6 flights)

 

 

Total auto and air miles traveled on this trip – 4,884 miles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TRACK ADMSSION PRICES:

 

Ozark Empire Fairgrounds – Free

Atlanta Motor Speedway – Free

Brainerd International Raceway Ice Track - $10

 

Total racetrack admissions for the trip – $10

 

 

 

 

 

RANKINGS

 

 

LIFETIME TRACKCHASER STANDINGS UPDATE:

 

There are no trackchasers currently within 100 tracks of my lifetime total. 

 

1.  Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 1,307

 

 

 

 

Other notables

 

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

 

26.  Mike Knappenberger, Reading, Pennsylvania – 439

 

27.  Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California – 353

 

27.  Ken Schrader, Concord, North Carolina – 353

 

28.  Max Allender, Des Moines, Iowa – 349

 

 

 

 

 

2008 TRACKCHASER STANDINGS

 

1.  Randy Lewis, San Clemente, California – 9

 

2.  Carol Lewis, San Clemente, California – 4

 

2.  Mike Knappenberger, Reading, Pennsylvania – 4

 

2.  Ed Esser, Madison, Wisconsin – 4

 

5.  Bruce Eckel, Easton, Pennsylvania - 2

 

5.  Pat Eckel, Easton, Pennsylvania - 2

 

5.  Guy Smith, Effort, Pennsylvania - 2

 

5.  Paul Weisel, Orefield, Pennsylvania – 2

 

Several trackchasers with one track.

 

Tracks have been reported by 16 different worldwide trackchasers this season.

 

 

 

 

LIFETIME NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY STANDINGS

 

2007 results have been posted at www.ranlayracing.com

 

 

 

 

 

Past trackchasing reports are available at:

www.ranlayracing.com

 

 

Official trackchaser standings can be viewed at:

www.trackchaser.net

 

 

Some of the data in this report comes from www.trackchaser.net

and my Garmin GPS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UPCOMING TRACKCHASING PLANS

 

The ice racing season in North America is short.  It runs pretty much during January and February only.  This means there are only 3-4 more weekends for ice racing.  Most of the ice racing in the Northeast has been canceled due to lack of ice in the Northeast.  That situation has forced me to search for hardwater in the upper Midwest and Canada to this point.  Since ice tracks run so infrequently, it’s important to get them when I can.  Fellow competitors should look for me to add to my ice racing totals before that season ends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RACETRACKS VISITED IN 2008 (** not the first time to visit this track)

 

 

1,299. Barnes Lake Ice Track, Ashcroft, British Columbia, Canada - January 13

 

1,300. Bira Circuit, Pattaya, Thailand - January 19

 

1,301. Cameron Lake Ice Track (oval), Erskine, Minnesota - January 26

 

1,302. Birch Lake Ice Track (oval), Hackensack, Minnesota - January 27

 

1,303. Mille Lacs Lake Ice Track (road course), Garrison, Minnesota - January 27

 

1,304. Mille Lacs Lake Ice Track (oval), Garrison, Minnesota - January 27

 

1,305. Ozark Empire Fairgrounds, Springfield, Missouri – February 1

 

1,306. Atlanta Motor Speedway (road course), Hampton, Georgia – February 2

 

1,307. Brainerd International Raceway Ice Track (road course), Brainerd, Minnesota – February 3