TVR 2500M

Back in May, My father and I took a trip to Carlisle, PA for the Carlisle Import and Kit show.  We arrived Thursday night.  We woke early and started down to the Carlise fairgrounds in our 2003 Toyota Tundra. (exciting car, huh?)   My first impression was, wow, not many cars here.  (i would be proved wrong) we immediately headed for the show field.  cars were still just arriving so we went to the vending area.  The first stop was a tent with all Datsun (Nissan) parts.  We were at Carlisle to ponder a car purchase at the event.  At the top of our list was the Datsun 280ZX T-top.  We ventured around there for a while. and the day went on as we ventured through the fairgrounds.
the next day there were so many cars i could not even begin to count.  I was in heaven.  The only car we saw that we liked was a 1974 TVR 2500M.  (i had to explain to my dad what TVR was.)  A while later we were sitting down watching cars STILL rolling in, when we saw another 2500M roll in on a trailer.  It was Orange with a Black racing stripe.  We then went to see if it was for sale.  It was.  You can probably see where this is going.

So now most of you are wondering, well, what the heck is a TVR and more so the 2500M.  Well, TVR was founded around 1948 by Trevor Wilkinson.  The name TVR derives from his name. TreVoR.  His small company started out making kit cars.  Then, in the 50's, the Grantura became their first production car.  Then came the Griffith and the Vixen and so on until in the late 60's, the 2000M came out to start the M series.  In 1971, the 2500M came out.  Our 2500M is a 1977, the last year of the 2500M until the more powerful 3000M came out.
Here are some statistics:
around 110HP (our car has dual SU Carburetors which boost that number to around 150
top speed: 110 MPH (see above)
0-60: 9.2 s
Triumph TR-6 In line 6 engine
Weighs 2500lbs

MRP WKA Gold Cup

 So, i was just racing in Indiana for my 3rd WKA Gold Cup event. The race took place at Michina Raceway Park. Earlier in June i was down there for practice. However i had a mentor named Mark Miller. Some of you who follow the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge may know who he is. He drives the #4 Mazda MX-5 Miata in that series.

Anyway, the Friday of the race weekend was just practice, and quite uneventful for me. Saturday was the day of my first race, Jr. Sportsman 2 Lite. The first session was just practice, then a three lap qualifying session. (remember, this is only my 2nd National Gold Cup race) I qualified 7th out of 9. Up next was the Pre-Heat. For the majority of the race i had 4th or 5th, but on the 8th lap of 10, the guy behind me shunted me in to the grass. (this happened quite a bit but the officials were to busy with their cheeseburgers) So i ended up finishing 8th. The final session was the race. I slowly climbed up the field from 8th to 5th, which is a podium finish. i finished 5th an i was ecstatic.

Then, an official called me over to where he and my dad were. he was going to penalize me for scrubbing my tires. I wanted to throttle his neck. I was so upset, for one who really cares, i didn't really do much wrong and second of all this rule is not in the rulebook, not in the rules hand out that they call "propaganda" so everybody pretty much figures it is commercial advertising, and they did not go over it in the drivers meeting on Saturday, the day of my penalization. (of course, they said it the next day.)

Sunday was the day of Jr. Sportsman 2 Heavy. I qualifyed 7th out of 10, and finished 7th in the Pre-Heat. Then, in the race some jerk shunted me in to the guy in front of me, srewing round with the carburetor. So in the race i lost 300 RPM and 2 seconds per lap.

So, note to WKA, Tighten up the rules, and, most importantly, actually watch what is going on in the

2014 Camaro

This week I was at Camp Motorsport which is a racing camp located at VIR (Virginia International Raceway) near Dansville, Virginia.  Now, I am not going to talk about my experience unless you would like me to in which case you should COMMENT about it.  Ok, but i am going to talk about what happened to be testing at the track while I was there.  First, the number 49 NASCAR of Juan Pablo Montoya was testing Monday and Tuesday.  (The camp got a tour of his garage setup).  BUT, on Tuesday a GM trailer arrived and unloaded what appeared to me as five Chevrolet Camaros.

                As it was, obviously as I really know my cars, I was right.  But another thing I noticed was some styling.  These Camaros looked much different than any Camaro I had seen.  I concluded that these must be new, 2014 Camaros.  My suspicions were confirmed Wednesday when I spotted a guard pacing in front of the GM garages.  A Person (name and title are Top secret.  Not really i just don’t want to tell you because i don’t understand how legal stuff works.) had also told me that the new Camaro have a DODGE Viper engine.  Now I do not believe this has been confirmed by GM or Chevrolet, but as I write this driving home to my residence in New York, I was told that this test was a really big deal while I was gone.  So, these five Camaros consisted of an orange and black one, an all-black one, an all-red one and a white one that I BELIEVE was a NASCAR Aerodynamics package test.  (i noticed a Carbon fiber front splitter which started this suspicion.)  Because It was announced by Chevrolet that Camaro is coming to NASCAR Nationwide.  (WOW I am good).

                Now I will describe these cars.  First off, they sound MEAN.  Sort of Shelby Cobra-ish but a tad toned down and more “civilized”  The whole car is more streamlined than the previous Camaro and appeared to have a lower profile.  They also had Shark Gill side vents on either side.  The rear end appeared to be thinner horizontally than the old Camaro.  I did not get much time to study the front end.  The car also appeared to have more Carbon fiber, but the only section that I believe is carbon fiber is the deck lid.  The NASCAR test car had a carbon fiber splitter and rear wing.

                GM had brought along a Shelby mustang which i believe was used to compare data with their cars.  The Camaros also seemed slightly faster than the NASCAR #49.

Technically, i saw these Camaros before anybody else even knew they existed, which is kind of cool.

Note:  None of the descriptions have been confirmed by Chevrolet or GM.  The only confirmed statement in this article is the Camaros entry in to NASCAR.  Any questions please COMMENT!!!  Juan Pablo Montoya was not actually at the track as well, so don’t ask me to sell you his autograph.