This will be a short post.  We are packing up to start the return trip, but I do have one last treat.

As promised: In Car Video

Sorry about the sound, the car is quiet, and the mic had no wind filter.

As usual, Monday at PIR was a little more laid back than Sunday.  Some of the local crowd had already gone home as well as some of the weekend warriors.  That left the dedicated track junkies with a little more time to play.  We sort-of fall into that catagory, but mainly we didn't drive from Tennessee to Pennsylvania for one stinkin' track day. 

As one might expect, we haven't heard a whimper from ze Porsche, so this may be less entertaining than it might have been in years past.  We had no mad dashes to the parts store in Blakeslee to get a distributor, no savaging of coke bottles to serve as coolant overflow reservoirs, and no slipshod fuel pickup repairs...which was exactly the point. 

Having had the opportunity today, to ride for a few laps in the car, I can report that it is just as absurdly fast as you probably think it is.  The whole story will be forthcoming once I have access to my own computer.

For the mean time: I have uploaded about 50 more photos from the track.

p.s.  I am in the process of uploading the in-car video as I type this.

This morning did not look promising.  A pretty nasty storm rolled through early in the day, and the forecasts looked grim, with predictions of scattered thunderstorms all day long.  Fortunately, they were kind enough to scatter somewhere other than Pocono International Raceway.  So, after a mildly damp tech-inspection and drivers meeting, things dried out in a hurry as the sun came out. 

Aside from the well documented track time, Lamborghini Automobili provided a rather tasty free lunch in exchange for allowing them to send you mail...right, really twisting my arm there...  As a minor extra, they were also offering charity rides in the New LP-560-4 Gallardo.  The two LP 560s they ran are, incidentally, the only two on the east coast at the moment, still sporting european tags...and they are not slow.

So, from years past the PR lap, set in the Pantera stood at 1'43", on pretty new DOT-spec tires (BF Goodrich R1s IIRC).  This year, in the third session out, on Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires, the GT2 managed a 1'39"...not bad for the first day.

Anyhow: ...You can find photos from the track here.

Videos are a work in progress, but keep watching this space.

I just got in from the Concorso D'Eleganza; an event more widely known as a "car show".  As one might imagine, it was spectacular.  Lamborghini probably had the strongest contingent, with Ferrari not far behind.  Maserati was also well represented.  The Pantera and Alfa crowds were a little thin, but the quality was there.  We also "enjoyed" an appearace by the Cadillac Allante' club...because apparently the bodies were made in Italy, flown over, and then mated to their cushy underpinnings in Detroit.

The highlight of the day, for me, was stumbling across a Koenigsegg CCX that Universal Autosports of NY had brought over replete with dihedral, sychro-helix doors and 800+ hp engine.

Obviously, I don't have room here to tell you exactly how excited I was, but there might have been a few pictures taken...which you can again find here.

Checking in from Pocono, PA.  I am up here for the annual La Belle Machina D'Italia Italian car super meet.  It spans three days and features one of the largest Italian car shows in the North East, as well as two track days at Pocono International Raceway.  I will have a more detailed article up once all is said and done, but pay attention to this space for day-to-day updates.

So far, we made it up here from Tennessee without incident.  The Porsche 911 GT2 got the nod for the trip this year, so we are a little out of place, but were allowed an exception for the track. The car will not participate (obviously) in the Italian-only show.  The good news is, that leaves us free to trapse around taking pictures.

Speaking of which, I have already snapped a few shots during the trip and at the venue during registration. Here are some teasers

As stated in the previous post it was time to get some tuning time on the dyno. Took it down to Carma Performance Engineering this afternoon for a dyno session. I was able to drive the 240 down to the shop, from Mt. Juliet to Nashville (~30mi), with not too much trouble. After food and drinks it was time to go to work. Speedpro (resident mechanic and dyno operator) strapped in the 240 and began the magic. He turned a car that barely idled into a pretty beastly ride. There were a few things i learned today. Laptops suck, Tuning is harder than i once thought, Ice water chills an intercooler FAST, and dyno time is not cheap. Phase 1 - *Complete*

- T.J. (Ruff Ryder is back)

It's about that time that the 240sx, which has been running but not properly, to be strapped down to the dyno and spend some serious time getting a tune. If all goes according to plan, it will be sunday midday/afternoon that the dream will finally become a reality and the 240 will live once again. Hopefully as a mere shadow of its former self however. Anyone like to guess some numbers? Head to the forum to join in the discussion.

-T.J.

As a final shakedown preceding the upcoming SESM track day, I decided to take up the local Porsche club’s invitation to participate in one of their autocrosses.  The PCA events are a little more laid-back than an SCCA regional, and the crowd is smaller.  It proved a fun way to get some extra seat-time, and I made a respectable showing with the 6^th quickest time on the day behind a Cayman S, two drivers in the same 911, a 914-6 racecar, and an STI.

-Richard