Silver State Classic (New member in the 200 mile Club)

[Tahoe Shark]

For those that do not like long stories please skip to the photos at the end because this is a really, really long story.
We have been racing ORR since 2004 and during that period I have mainly driven the car. We have had quite a few successes over the years and are fortunate to have been inducted into the 200 mile per hour club several times. Along with that honor we have accumulated a couple of 200 mph club jackets and shirts and placards. About 18 months ago Cheryl (my wife) mentioned that they were really my awards and not hers because she did not drive the race she ONLY navigated in the car. I knew that was un-warranted criticism of herself, but that was the way she felt. We talked about it and both decided she should start driving and working her way up the speed classes so she might someday race the car and get her own 200 mph recognition. She started in the 130 mph class and over the next 3 races progressed to the 150 mph class. By completing the 150 class she was eligible to step up to Super Sport and give 200 mph a try. Since the Beast is tech’ed for unlimited speeds the car would not be a problem. We had decided that she would make the attempt at the Silver State Classic Challenge in Sept 2009. This is a big deal, only a few Women have ever gone that fast.

A couple of weeks before the race the competitors were informed that the State of Nevada had cut rumble strips down the center of the road and that about 1/3 of the course would be affected. Cheryl was not real thrilled about that and considered giving up her ride to me. We agreed that she should take the car out and run the course in its entirety (at legal speeds) and see if the rumble strips would upset that car enough to give her concern.

We left for the race on Thursday in an uneventful trip and arrived in Ely, Nevada in time to check in to the hotel and get cleaned up for the arrival party at the old post office. All of our friends were there and we realized how much we had missed everyone during the last 6 months. ORR friends are kind of special to us because no matter what class they are running, they will stop everything and pick up a wrench or share a part to get you running again. Some of the cars are really unique and you sometimes wonder how their idea ever became a competitive vehicle. But I digress. We have a couple of glasses of wine and head out for Chinese dinner at our favorite place. Except that it is closed, oh no it’s after 9pm and the streets folded up. Hungry we go back to the hotel and eat some coffee shop food.
Friday is the road inspection day for us (and open to all public traffic) so after filling up the race car and locking the seats down for Cheryl we climb in and take off to the start line to refresh our course notes and test out the rumble strips. At first look the rumble strips look huge and Cheryl is a bit uneasy about them. We take off and get up to speed (70 mph) so we can test out the effects on the car. The first time we cross the strips it sounds like we just entered the symphony when the kettle drum solo started, crap that was loud and the car pulled to the left. Not good. The first set of strips end and we approach the second set. Better, now its just snare drums and the car barely pulls. We continue down the course getting more and more comfortable with the feeling of crossing over the strips. While we are doing this Cheryl & I are talking about and writing down the speeds she will be taking the turns (yes there are turns in ORR ). We agree that with one or two exceptions she is comfortable with 165 mph entry speeds on all but two turns. We approach the narrows and calculate what she will do as to speed in the canyon. She ran the canyon section at 115 before but we decided to have her run it at 110 and carry a cushion through the speed trap allowing us to come out on the other side of the narrows right on time for the 160 mph class. We continued down to the finish and met up with the Illinois Boys in their OB 928 with a dart block Chevy engine.

Having had our Gatorade we mounted back up and drove the course back to Ely. 20 miles in the car started bucking slightly and lost intermittent power. I had Cheryl try different gears and the car behaved the same. We made it another 50 miles and stopped in Lund for me to get out and see what might be happening. Got fuel, wires tight, distributor caps ok, plug wires, hum! Start it back up and continued to Ely 30 miles away. Half way to Ely the car is bucking significantly. The wideband shows the car going full lean when this happens so we are looking at no fuel being burned. Hum, I said. We made it back to the hotel and knew that it would be a longer day than we had planned. Now I am not the greatest mechanic in the world but I have a lot of very knowledgeable friends and I take orders pretty good. I called and left a message, then talked with Marc & Susan Thomas and told them that my ship was sinking. Meanwhile the Illinois Boys came over and offered to help which I accepted. We checked the fuel pumps, all three of them, the fuel sump, the vents, all of the wiring, replaced the fuel filter, fuses, etc. Started the car up and it continued to run very rough. About that time I remembered 5 years ago I was stuck on the side of the road in my GTS going to an ORR and the car behaved just like this, except that time after a few minutes it just quit. Oh yeah, it was the fuel pump relay. But don’t those just completely fail? Well it’s worth a try so I get a new one out of the box and slip it in. The car starts immediately and idles just like it should. No time to drive the car today because it is getting dark and we are hungry. I take the boys to dinner and we hit the hay early determined to drive the car at least a hundred miles tomorrow to see if the problem resurfaces.


Saturday morning was cold, Ely is never cold. I fill up the Yukon and follow Cheryl round the highways for a couple of hours and the issue is solved apparently. We drive back to the hotel and get ready to go down to the park for the mandatory car show. We hang out at the car show a couple of hours then decide to put a few more miles on the car just to be safe. No problem arose.

Sunday morning and I am nervous, me nervous and I am not even driving. Wait, that’s why I’m nervous. I have navigated for Cheryl 4 times now and never been nervous, what is going on. 200 mph is what is going on, no control on my part at all. We arrive at the start line and every thing is going off on time. Amazing, it is never on time. We have a couple of hours to kill while the slower classes start and finish the race. My stomach is churning, crap. Every twenty minutes I am visiting the little blue relief station, crap. We get the 30 minute warning and are told that only 2 cars were on the shoulder and no incidents at all. Perfect! Blue station again. 15 minute warning and we start suiting up. Lets see, cool suit, gloves, helmet, Hans, arm restraints, navigation board, watches, everything is here. I help Cheryl into the car and she is ready. I turn the intercom on, start the cool suit pump, pull the clips off the fire system and climb in. Crap, my fingers are tingling, what a woos. We warm up the car and get in line. We have our usual discussion about right button to start the watches. Take off only after I verify the GPS and watches are going, etc. Up at the line and I am twitching like a grade schooler in the principal’s office on the first day of school. It is 11:48. 5,4,3,2,1 – Start the watches, good to go. GO. We take off and are soon in 5th gear. If you have been married a long time you will completely understand the next few minutes, if not you will eventually be divorced and lonely. First turn at 1 mile out and we are only going 155. That doesn’t work in the 160 class. I mention that we need to be at 165 on that turn and the next two, then 175-185 for the next 10 miles if we are to build up the cushion that allows a leisurely 110 mph through the narrows. We kind of agree that we will get comfortable in the car first then go faster. 160 through the next couple then on to the straight. I offer the opinion that now we might want to go a little faster to make up all of the time we have lost, IF we are now comfortable with the car. We agree that we are now feeling fine. I do a real quick calculation and we need to run 190 for about 8 miles to get back to where we want to be. My lovely wife, immediately floors the car and we are rocketing down the straight at 194 miles an hour. Take that Mr. Navigator! It is very surreal sitting in a rocket and isolated from all sensation of speed, especially when you are NOT driving. I guess we are comfortable now! How does she do this when I am driving? We are about 10 seconds down at the end of the straight and I give instructions on the next few turns to be taken at 160. She enters at 165 and exits at 175. I’m comfortable now, Honey. Fine! We are back on time and start preparing for the speed trap. One bump before the trap @ mm 8.5. We had talked about this before because the car goes air born very slightly at this point. She hits it exactly right (165) and whoosh, up then gently down and we are on our way. 4 miles out from the trap and I tell her to plant her foot on the floor and do not let up for anything other that a safety issue. I am trying to find a mile marker to get our bearings and discover my right hand watch has gone black oh no to the left backup watch. I look up at the GPS and it says 198. Great, we might make it. I look down at the backup watch to finish my calcs and now the GPS says 204. Wonderful, no problem, a new 200 mile Women.
I count down for the radar location and look at a mocking GPS that is screaming 209.9 mph with ½ mile to go. I talk to Cheryl to make sure she is doing OK and she is doing great. A side note here, while this explanation may seem to be taking a long time in words we really had very little time to accomplish this. 200 mph is a football field every SECOND. We run through the trap, wave to the radar guy and vanish into the distance. I congratulate Cheryl and we forget the trap and get back to business. One goal left to accomplish, win the 160 class.

Cheryl, we need to find a mile marker fast because you just set the all time record for this car and we are going to be really early. 1 ½ mile per hour faster than your navigator has ever ran. Congratulation, honey you are one awesome chick. We find the MM and as suspected we are over 60 seconds early. We drop the car down to 140 and continue towards the narrows. Boring! Did I mention that the car is running perfectly? It was! We can not scrub all of the seconds off before the Narrows so I recalculate and she must run the narrows now at 105 mph. Narrows coming up and she flawlessly navigates the turns and pops out the other side only 7 seconds early. We continue at 135 for 2 miles and are on time. Back up to 160 and the really hard part starts. Bring us in on time Mr. Navigator. Cheryl holds the car at 160, around two more turns then we see the finish a couple of miles up the road. We are a couple of tenths fast so we adjust and cross the finish line less than a tenth off perfect. We are elated. She parks the car and is greeted with 50 or 60 cheering drivers, navigators and workers. They had been following her on the scanner and knew she had been doing well. We were both on top of the world and enjoying her astounding success. A Super Sport women driver is rare, a 200 mph one is even rarer.

At the awards in Ely we found out that she took first place in the 160 class by over 5 seconds. They did not list the top speed but we knew it would be slower than our GPS reading of 209.9, it always is but it does not change the fact that she ran 209.9. A friend called last night and informed me that her official speed was 204.5 mph and that she was the fastest car in the event. What a woman and I have her. I am a blessed man. Anyway that is our story. I’m sorry it is so long and detailed but I must pay tribute to my wife, she is one in a billion. One final congratulation for Marc and Susan Thomas for building us an outstanding car. This car was conceived 6 years ago and has never failed to finish an event that was not red flagged. We have 6 verified 200 mph passes (2others that didn’t count) and the car is a joy to drive and ride in. It is truly awesome.
Thanks for taking the time to read my account of the 2009 Silver State Classic. here are a couple of pictures for your enjoyment.

[James Bailey]

Well done !

[IcemanG17]

Tim-Cheryl
CONGRATS.....in a big big way.....a seriously excellent achievement.....

I am lucky to have ridden in the beast a few times.....it truely is a purpose built for ORR race car....everything is setup to go fast for a LONG TIME....it literally feels like its idling under 80mph.....not even trying....

I hope MKM comes back next year with some more events.....it sounds like a fun event for my wife and I.....she is analytical and would enjoy the challenge of getting the time just right.......add a cool suit and real windows in the widow....or use the M3 in lower classes is the ???....

[Ron V]

Way to go Cheryl and Tim!!!

[Bill Swift]

Nice job Cheryl & Tim!!

[svp928]

Good reporting there, nervous nav-man! Congrats to you and Cheryl.!

Steve

[S4ordie]

Fantastic event and incredible results. Tim, I too have a 1 in a Billion wife. She loves to drive and someday we will participate in ORR events. Just a great story.

[Bill Ball]

Congrats, that is!

I can testify that The Beast is the most comfortable, best handling 928 I've ever gotten a chance to drive, even if it was about 100 miles an hour short of Cheryl's speed.

I wasn't worried about Cheryl, but I am glad to hear you made it through OK, Tim.

Awesome!

[Mrmerlin]

Terrific news Tim and Cheryl.
Glad that things worked out, for both of you, thats what team work is all about., Stan

[edco]

Nice job.... Congrats Cheryl & Tim!

I wish I was there to join in the fun, I missed you guys. Now how long till NORC

Talk to you both soon...

[Richard S]

Awesome job by both of you! But this settles it.....Cheryl>Tim

Rich

[Landseer]

Congrats. That's very very fast. Wow.

[gersar928]

Congratulations Cheryl, that is awesome!! Tim, Great write-up. Loved every bit of it!

Sara and Gerry

[Rick Carter]

Congratulations! Well done!

[Tim Murphy]

WOW!! Great story, great results! Congratulations