buckle-up

It was a welcome change of pace to find ourselves back at High Plains Raceway (HPR). After our last outing we had the brake and power steering fluids replaced and upgraded to fluids more suited to track outings, and I was very interested to see if we had rectified the suspicious brake “pedal to the firewall”, a momentary heart-stopping syndrome Margo and I both experienced the last time we were at the track. More importantly, we wanted to see whether the fun we both had behind the wheel of our older Corvette, series 5, or C5, Z06 would continue, or was just a one-off following so many frustrating weekends behind the wheel of our newer, Corvette series 6, or C6, supercharged coupe. The picture at the top of this post is of “the rig” we drive to track events now. Whether it’s just a day’s outing or a weekend affair involving several days of driving just to get to the track, we are now totally sold on the value of bringing home with us. There’s still some teething troubles and a few...

When this title first came to me I immediately thought my readers would associate this headline with red wine, and while I am not averse to sampling a good red at any time, but given the season, it’s really a time when a man’s fancy turns to thoughts about the track. After suffering through innumerable snow storms and looing heavenwards for any signs that warm weather was imminent, pulling the car from the garage for the first time and prepping it for the track proved every bit as satisfying as tasting a better red wine! Much has already been covered in previous postings of how, after many discussions, Margo and I elected to retire the big blue supercharged C6 Corvette in favor of our little red C5 Z06 ‘Vette. Having it assume the mantle of the garage queen this past decade did sit well with this car, I have to believe, so prepping it over the past couple of weeks provided a lot of fun. Out with the old clutch, transmission and differential fluids – still in original condition ...

Well it’s spring but it feels more like summer. Temperatures have climbed rapidly and the coming week it is expected to be mostly high 70s. Perhaps even low 80s, and definitely looking like it’s time to head to the beach, or, at the very least, to unplug the cars from their battery tenders and to once again fire them up in earnest. Tires may actually be able to grip the road and brakes may actually work! It’s been several months since Margo and I have been on a serious fun-drive in the mountains and as I write this post, Margo is already out and about in the C6 ‘Vette. The photo at the top of the page is of the C5 Z06 Corvette freshly washed and waxed alongside the new trailer and with the appearance that it is just ready to go! Again, the lines from that Beach Boy’s song come to mind once again. Yes, while we are once again enjoying the C6 as a daily drive, Margo and I can barely wait to see how the C5 performs and with the early onset of spring, it’s only a matter of weeks befo...

What constitutes a sports car? What do we really mean when we say we like to drive sports cars? And does the definition evolve as we move from one country to another? As a small child I would watch a Jaguar roadster drive by and immediately recognize it as a sports car, just as I would attach a similar label to a variety of Triumphs and MGs that appeared on our Australian roads. But as I look at the cars around me I see the word “sports” appended to just about anything – from sports sedans to sports utilities. This week our 2003 C5 Z06, “Fiftieth Anniversary” Torch Red Corvette, heads back to the shop for the first time this year. After a prolonged hiatus, there are just enough breaks in the weather to take the car out of the garage and cover the four or five miles to Curt’s Corvette Spa in Longmont, Colorado. The first phase in the preparation of the C5 Z06 will be all safety oriented – tow hooks added front and back, and a fire extinguisher mounted on the floor, just ahead of t...

Housebound for the next couple of weeks, which is pretty much what all we have been doing for the past couple of weeks, it’s hard not to let the mind drift and where thoughts center on much sunnier days. Winter is never a good time for car enthusiasts and even though it’s a time for car shows and for wandering through showrooms, it’s still a poor substitute for getting back on the road. Perhaps I should just stay indoors, look out the window and take in the view of the mountains, a grab a warm drink. The Escalade SUV is tolerable and lets us get about in slick and treacherous conditions but let’s face it, there’s little to get enthusiastic about when you are behind the wheel of something that weighs almost 6000lbs! And each time I take out the trash I pass through the garage, as seen in the photo above, and in doing so, I pass a bevy of cars and motorcycles anxiously waiting for Spring! Pulling the latest issue (February, 2012) of Grassroots Motorsports from the mailbox always c...

It’s time to look back at what transpired in 2011. While returning to living full time in Boulder, CO, was definitely the highlight of 2011, when it came to adventures on the track and the fun we had behind the wheel, unfortunately, the needle was firmly planted in the other direction. The year 2011 had to have been the worst of years. But then again, if learning to drive quickly and safely on a race track was easy to do, America’s many road circuits would be full of participants every weekend! The picture above is of the 70’s era Pontiac Trans-Am I purchased for US$2,000 shortly after arriving in America. For the third time! Yes, I had spent several months in 1977 living in Dallas, Texas, where I rented a Pontiac Grand Prix for the duration of my stay, and when I returned in 1986 I had bought a used Pontiac Grand Prix for US$2,000 that I kept for all of that year. If I am residing in America, it would seem then, there will be a GM car in the driveway. And yet, I still harbored f...

There’s no escaping the fact that with the early onset of winter this year there’s little opportunity for any further track time. The blue Corvette is ready to go – new suspension, new alignment and ride height, and with the track-ready wheels and tires mounted. Each time I walk past the car that is sitting rather forlornly in the garage it is a reminder of how much I miss track weekends and just how good the Vette really is – yes, close on 65,000 miles with all by 20,000 running the forced-induction (FI) set up and with some twenty five track weekends under its wheels! And the picture above is of the car laying idle, but hooked to its faithful battery charger, waiting for the seasons to change. Keeping it company, and just as likely to be spelled from any further track driving duties is the Viper; every bit as reluctant to test step outside with snow on the ground! Our home track, High Plains Raceway, is also out of action but less so due to early snow falls. The track is undergo...