April 29 Heartland Park Touring laps

[Minidave]

Yep, we're going up again!

Next Wed is the last Touring Laps I can make till the June event as I'll be on the Mt. Rushmore trip the week of the May event, so let's make it a good one! I'm going to see if I can get some alternate tires/wheels on the Clubster and eke out a little more performance from it........

Dimini is threatening to bring his Classic Mini P'up with it's Honda heart up to the track - that will be so cool if he can!

This is the least expensive way to get some track time in your MINI/Mini, and it is more fun than you can imagine, so let's have a great turn out of MINIs. The weather should be perfect, cool and sunny this time of year........

As usual we'll meet at the Legends for lunch, then caravan to the track. If you just want to join us for lunch and come watch, spectating is free and chances are we can get you a ride with one of the advanced drivers in a Corvette, Lotus or Viper.....depending on who's there that day. Anyway you cut it, it's a great day to play hooky and come to the track!

[toeknee]

We'd love to go, but will be on our way to the Dragon for a weekend full of MINI fun. Have a great time, and post some pictures and/or video!

[sliboa]

It's doubtful that I'll make it to this one as the 29th is my last day of classes before finals start the following week. That, and my tires are damn near bald and I don't really have the time or, more importantly, the money to get them replaced until sometime in May.

[Hagar46]

Boy, do I want to go! But having eye surgery for cataracts in my right eye on the 29th. Have to go in May and/or June.

[petek]

Darn it all... I'm booked from 8 AM to 8 PM.

I've got to sit down and mark my calendar for all of the Touring Laps dates so that I can schedule my life around the dates!!!

[dimini]

I've been holding off on taking the pickup until I had time to work out a few rattles and squeaks, but what the heck, with earplugs and a helmet, I won't notice them.

[S-car-go]

I would love to make this my first MINI event, but can't make this one. I'm gonna shoot for the one in Mid May if anyone else is going.

[Minidave]

I'll be out of town for the one in May. If you can't race, maybe you can cruise up with us and watch - spectating is free.

[Counterfit_Mini]

If you can't race, maybe you can cruise up with us and watch - spectating is free.

Oh cool I didn't know it was free to watch..

[Minidave]

We may get rained out, call me around lunch time before you go...........

[Minidave]

Wow, what a fun day!

Dimini and I were watching the weather radar all day, there was a large thunderstorm cell all over Topeka, but behind it the weather looked clear, but it was a really slow moving cell, we weren't sure if it would clear Topeka in time. 2 pm came and the radar showed the area pretty clear so we decided to go for it. By the time we got to the track it was cloudy but dry. We cleared tech and got ready for our first run. The turnout was pretty light due to the storms so they put the Advanced and Intermediate classes together, which meant we got in quite a few more runs!

Don's Classic truck ran really well, at least till he almost ran out of gas!

I got to spend enough time with the Clubster today to really get a handle on it and came away pretty impressed, it's actually quite fast! Despite having the stock swaybar, runflat tires and water in some of the key corners, and an automatic transmission, I was turning very good lap times.

We had a great day, got in tons of runs, and by the end of the day the sun was even out - no one damaged their car and we all went home safe - all in all a total blast!

[dimini]

One thing about driving a classic out there, plus the round trip of getting there... OMG, I'm so exhausted, yet over-stimulated at the same time. On the way to the track we drove through a storm, where I had my first experience driving the P'up in the rain. Any normal person would be scared to death as a passenger in a MK1-style classic Mini while zipping down the turnpike at 70 mph in the rain. Wipers worked well, but with all the spray, limited visibility and an enormous amount of road/wind noise added to an already over-amped experience. The P'up, in classic form, leaked like a sieve. Once back home, I took out the mats to find soggy foam carpet pads--No wonder during the 50-year history of BMC/Austin/Morris/Mini/British Leyland/Rover there was never more than a 25-day rust protection plan . So now I know to stay out of the rain or endure major detailing to soak up all the trapped water in the floor pan, carpets, etc. Live and learn.

I was pretty happy out on the track but drove with caution as I'm still getting used to the 40 year old technology. Classics are so crude--and so fun. At any speed it feels twice that of a new MINI. The feeling while running the P'up between 5200 and 7000 rpm would be like driving a new MINI without doors and with the engine relocated to the passenger seat. I was happy to shut it off once I got home.

[Counterfit_Mini]

Why did your truck get so much water in it? I drove my Mini in the rain once and I didn't get any water in it..

[kenshin138]

Found this on another local car site:

[Minidave]

Cool!

Which site?

Were there any others? Like of a blue Clubster?


Edit: Strange how the perspective makes the rear tires and wheels look larger than the fronts?

Edit2: ahah, did a little sleuthing............

Edit3 : Alas, I guess my poor Clubby wasn't photogenic enough............

[dimini]

kenshin138-
thanks for posting the great photo. Nice panning.

Pulled out the seats, carpets, carpet pads, battery, spare wheel and finished soaking up the water. Gee, only spent 4.5 hours detailing the little Pup. Hopefully I won't be driving through rain anymore. I couldn't find an obvious leak, but I think the water is coming up through the floor pans. Nonetheless, the tracktime was still worth it. Not that many people turned out so we had extra track time.

[Counterfit_Mini]

Pulled out the seats, carpets, carpet pads, battery, spare wheel and finished soaking up the water. Gee, only spent 4.5 hours detailing the little Pup. Hopefully I won't be driving through rain anymore. I couldn't find an obvious leak, but I think the water is coming up through the floor pans.

Interesting... I can't think of any place the water could've come from unless there was a leak... Did you have your windows open or anything?