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03-26-2002, 10:41 AM
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The answer to your question!
Yes I know Chris and most of the other guys at Curry's incuding Chris L. Andy, and Ryan Laber.
It's the same car. Long story...but here is the short condensed version. My parents split up when I was 2 and I had my mothers last name ("Kofod") all the way through high school, college etc.....
My mother passed away many years ago. My father (whose last name is "Conlon") had been bugging me for years to take over his company but I had no interest in doing so. A few years ago he became very ill and I agreed to take over the company (Conlon Capital Asset Management, Inc.) because he could no longer do so.
He wanted me to legally change my last name to "Conlon" so our investors (it's a hedge fund) would not get confused and I wouldn't have to tangle with about a million special disclosure laws about ownership of our fund.
At the time I joined the Audi Club I thought I was going to change all my credit cards, driver's license etc... into my new name but after a few months I got sick of expelaining the story to everyone who knew me as "Kofod" so I just stuck with the old name.
The Audi Club is the only one that has me down as "Conlon". I joined BMWCCA, Ferrari Club, SCCA many years ago and did not change my name plus everyone knows me as "Kofod".
I answer to either and sometimes it's as confusing as Hell!
Hope that clears things up. I was thinking of telling you that I was a former CIA spy!
Jon
It's the same car. Long story...but here is the short condensed version. My parents split up when I was 2 and I had my mothers last name ("Kofod") all the way through high school, college etc.....
My mother passed away many years ago. My father (whose last name is "Conlon") had been bugging me for years to take over his company but I had no interest in doing so. A few years ago he became very ill and I agreed to take over the company (Conlon Capital Asset Management, Inc.) because he could no longer do so.
He wanted me to legally change my last name to "Conlon" so our investors (it's a hedge fund) would not get confused and I wouldn't have to tangle with about a million special disclosure laws about ownership of our fund.
At the time I joined the Audi Club I thought I was going to change all my credit cards, driver's license etc... into my new name but after a few months I got sick of expelaining the story to everyone who knew me as "Kofod" so I just stuck with the old name.
The Audi Club is the only one that has me down as "Conlon". I joined BMWCCA, Ferrari Club, SCCA many years ago and did not change my name plus everyone knows me as "Kofod".
I answer to either and sometimes it's as confusing as Hell!
Hope that clears things up. I was thinking of telling you that I was a former CIA spy!
Jon
03-26-2002, 10:58 AM
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No. Diseases generally have a cure.
You gotta pay attention if you're running in a mixed group. You can keep track of the FF's, FV's and FC's, but the Atlantics are trouble. Never ever ever ever worry about somebody who might be about to pass you, as Richard explained to you. Screw'em. There hasn't been a car made yet that doesn't have a steering wheel. Let them go around you. If you start worrying about what's behind you, you'll miss a reference point and be in deep trouble. My habit: just before I turn into to a corner, I do a quick 'attention flip' to the inside mirror for any surprise visitors, but then just tune it out. If you're gonna hit me from behind, why would I want to watch ???
You won't normally be running with the open wheel guys. At Regionals, you'll probably be grouped with the small bore GT's and the LBC (leaky British crap: FP, GP, HP). At Nationals, SRF's usually get to play alone due to #'s. Groupings tend to associate car weights and lap times, so it's not unsafe for Vee's, FF's etc. to share the track with the Sports Racer classes (SRF, maybe CSR, DSR if their entry # is low).
The biggest problems with the open wheel / sports racer mixed groups are that each class is fast in a different part of the track, so you just end up driving each other nuts, until somebody gets frustrated and punts a few people off.
No excuse for anyone missing flags. Hope the Stewards whacked the appropriate pee-pees. I guess the guys you described didn't hear the red flag lesson: "When you see a red flag, the VERY FIRST thing you should do is check your mirrors."
"Charles SRF" was probably Charlie Turano, in one of the Entropy cars. He's an EMRA and NASA guy who decided to get his SCCA license. I've raced with him before, I snag him for DE instructing duties from time to time, and he knows what he's doing. Glad you two found each other. (See ??? Racer world is very small !)
There is no substitute for REAL race conditions at a race school, as you noted. It's several notches above what most people expect, and it's way above what they experience in DE's. You've now made the transition, and open track lapping days will just seem boring now. Better up your travel budget, and get a second job.
Got an email from Matt last week. He was sitting on a beach someplace in Viet Nam/Cambodia/Myanmar/?, trying to recruit the usual suspects to instruct with Ferrari this summer. I'll probably show at one (or more) of their schools this summer. I don't know yet whether he and Chris will be instructing for me at PDA....gotta do my paperwork.
You won't normally be running with the open wheel guys. At Regionals, you'll probably be grouped with the small bore GT's and the LBC (leaky British crap: FP, GP, HP). At Nationals, SRF's usually get to play alone due to #'s. Groupings tend to associate car weights and lap times, so it's not unsafe for Vee's, FF's etc. to share the track with the Sports Racer classes (SRF, maybe CSR, DSR if their entry # is low).
The biggest problems with the open wheel / sports racer mixed groups are that each class is fast in a different part of the track, so you just end up driving each other nuts, until somebody gets frustrated and punts a few people off.
No excuse for anyone missing flags. Hope the Stewards whacked the appropriate pee-pees. I guess the guys you described didn't hear the red flag lesson: "When you see a red flag, the VERY FIRST thing you should do is check your mirrors."
"Charles SRF" was probably Charlie Turano, in one of the Entropy cars. He's an EMRA and NASA guy who decided to get his SCCA license. I've raced with him before, I snag him for DE instructing duties from time to time, and he knows what he's doing. Glad you two found each other. (See ??? Racer world is very small !)
There is no substitute for REAL race conditions at a race school, as you noted. It's several notches above what most people expect, and it's way above what they experience in DE's. You've now made the transition, and open track lapping days will just seem boring now. Better up your travel budget, and get a second job.
Got an email from Matt last week. He was sitting on a beach someplace in Viet Nam/Cambodia/Myanmar/?, trying to recruit the usual suspects to instruct with Ferrari this summer. I'll probably show at one (or more) of their schools this summer. I don't know yet whether he and Chris will be instructing for me at PDA....gotta do my paperwork.
03-26-2002, 12:15 PM
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Re: No. Diseases generally have a cure.
Yep,
It was Charlie T. I was racing with some other guy in a SRF on the third start. He was in the front row beside the FC and I was in the second row beside a FV. On the green flag I couldn't see anything because of the damn jumbo jet wing on the FC car. I just watched for him to accelerate. The lead SRF must have been in the wrong gear because I went right by him (nearly peeled his piant off) and took the inside line into #1. After that I put several car lengths on him on the first lap.
Charlie had passed him and then caught me by lap 2. I would gain a few car lenghts on Charlie between 3 and 5 because I was flat out down through the shoot and I don't think he was. He would gain in the carosel, but I would pull ahead through 9. But he kept catching me in #1.
He later told me that I was braking too early and that he was going 10 feet deeper in 1,3, and 10. I think he could have taken the inside line in 1 and attempt to dive inside but he didn't know me and didn't want to risk contact. On the last lap I was all over the place blocking him. It was real fun.
The FF guys were really having problems. They were all over the place and locking wheels in 1 and 5 repeatedly. They were fast on the straigths but braked really early and had all kind of interesting lines. There were two FC cars one driven by a former racer named Colin. He was fast and new what he was doing. He passed me in 4 on the OUTSIDE. That takes some *****!
Yeah the DE/track things seems downright boring now. I am dreading having to load up the trailer and prep my car for April 8th. Even thought about rescheduling but hey A BAD DAY AT THE TRACK IS BETTER THAN A GOOD DAY AT THE OFFICE!!!
I told my wife we are going to be broke in no time. Kids are now going to public school, no bigger house, no more vacations where there is no race track within 50 miles (any tracks in the Carribean??), and we should both buy KIA's as everyday drivers to save money for race season. She didn't find any of this very funny.
See you at Trackmasters! Did you know David Murray is going to be there?
Jon
It was Charlie T. I was racing with some other guy in a SRF on the third start. He was in the front row beside the FC and I was in the second row beside a FV. On the green flag I couldn't see anything because of the damn jumbo jet wing on the FC car. I just watched for him to accelerate. The lead SRF must have been in the wrong gear because I went right by him (nearly peeled his piant off) and took the inside line into #1. After that I put several car lengths on him on the first lap.
Charlie had passed him and then caught me by lap 2. I would gain a few car lenghts on Charlie between 3 and 5 because I was flat out down through the shoot and I don't think he was. He would gain in the carosel, but I would pull ahead through 9. But he kept catching me in #1.
He later told me that I was braking too early and that he was going 10 feet deeper in 1,3, and 10. I think he could have taken the inside line in 1 and attempt to dive inside but he didn't know me and didn't want to risk contact. On the last lap I was all over the place blocking him. It was real fun.
The FF guys were really having problems. They were all over the place and locking wheels in 1 and 5 repeatedly. They were fast on the straigths but braked really early and had all kind of interesting lines. There were two FC cars one driven by a former racer named Colin. He was fast and new what he was doing. He passed me in 4 on the OUTSIDE. That takes some *****!
Yeah the DE/track things seems downright boring now. I am dreading having to load up the trailer and prep my car for April 8th. Even thought about rescheduling but hey A BAD DAY AT THE TRACK IS BETTER THAN A GOOD DAY AT THE OFFICE!!!
I told my wife we are going to be broke in no time. Kids are now going to public school, no bigger house, no more vacations where there is no race track within 50 miles (any tracks in the Carribean??), and we should both buy KIA's as everyday drivers to save money for race season. She didn't find any of this very funny.
See you at Trackmasters! Did you know David Murray is going to be there?
Jon
03-26-2002, 01:12 PM
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One thing to concentrate on..
...is listening to where the cars around you turn on the throttle at corner entry. You're not going to be fast if you haven't pulled the trigger as you turn-in. All the suspension diddling is to dial the power-on understeer out, so you can squish the right hand pedal hard as you twist it in.
Listen to how and where the traffic around you turns the power back on. It's very enlightening. Earliest and smoothest is always the fastest. Beat somebody on the throttle going into T10 at Summit Point and his *** is yours by the time you get down to T1. I went around the outside of two people at T10 last year (out on the asphalt beyond the exit rumble strips...it was a bit of a pucker) cuz I was 10 yds. earlier on the gas. Of course, we won't talk about how I looped it a half lap later, when the connection between my brain and my feet took a short holiday.
Listen to how and where the traffic around you turns the power back on. It's very enlightening. Earliest and smoothest is always the fastest. Beat somebody on the throttle going into T10 at Summit Point and his *** is yours by the time you get down to T1. I went around the outside of two people at T10 last year (out on the asphalt beyond the exit rumble strips...it was a bit of a pucker) cuz I was 10 yds. earlier on the gas. Of course, we won't talk about how I looped it a half lap later, when the connection between my brain and my feet took a short holiday.
03-26-2002, 03:15 PM
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Re: No. Diseases generally have a cure.
But they are often contagious - I went to the cart dealer today to look at kiddie carts for my grandson - he is almost 5 and needs to be infected.
03-26-2002, 04:11 PM
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SRF? Sure they're not speed bumps?
Yo John,
Didn't we run ova a couple of dem dar thangs at a 24 hour in Florida a few years back? I get confused ... F440, SRF, FV, F3, IRL, CART, F1 -- hell, they all look the same to me. Gimme fenders and bumpers! Damn, I do sound like I live w/ a bunch of NASCARians? Gotta get out of Charlotte!
I was sorta looking for you at VIR over St. Pat's weekend. Hell of a turnout for the ECR rainfest. We finished 4th -- shoulda been podium but we did manage a little agricultural excursion as the track became a lighter gray.
Roebling is next ... when you coming (more) South?
Take care .. and just to stop the flames --> SRF is a hell of a class.
Didn't we run ova a couple of dem dar thangs at a 24 hour in Florida a few years back? I get confused ... F440, SRF, FV, F3, IRL, CART, F1 -- hell, they all look the same to me. Gimme fenders and bumpers! Damn, I do sound like I live w/ a bunch of NASCARians? Gotta get out of Charlotte!
I was sorta looking for you at VIR over St. Pat's weekend. Hell of a turnout for the ECR rainfest. We finished 4th -- shoulda been podium but we did manage a little agricultural excursion as the track became a lighter gray.
Roebling is next ... when you coming (more) South?
Take care .. and just to stop the flames --> SRF is a hell of a class.
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