ScAries wins $2012 Grassroots Motorsports Challenge!

[Pat]

Man, what a crazy two weeks! I'm still beat and will write up the whole story later, but here are a few of the highlights. We placed 1st in the concours, 2nd in the autocross and after a long, drama filled, exhausting day filled with snapped axles, stubs stuck in the differential and a wounded transmission, 1st in the drags to take the overall win. A little SDAC plug here...we also took home top finishing car club. :thumb:

I have very few pictures since it was just Bill and I that went down, but here are a few vids taken by others while down there.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_w88cuH7j0&feature=youtu.be


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHxRPdCdPks&feature=youtu.be


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfKLUd32Y7Y&feature=youtu.be

41726
41727
41728
41729


Found a bunch of pictures here on the ebay motors (a damn good event sponsor by the way!) event blog.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ebaymotors/page4/

[RoadWarrior222]

You Rock!
41730

[RoadWarrior222]

Was it breaking up a little in 2nd on that drag pass or is it just my imagination?

[Pat]

Was it breaking up a little in 2nd on that drag pass or is it just my imagination?

Thanks, man. Didnt break up....unfortunately, it didn't like to shift either! Lol!

[RoadWarrior222]

Yah, listening again, think its just the exhaust resonance/bounce I'm hearing. Sucks about the trans, glad it held out just long enough for you though. You can probably blame me, wishing you to break parts in the other thread, I was meaning it like a "break a leg" thing :D

[turbovanman²]

Dude, that is awesome, huge congrats, :hail:

[omni_840]

Awesome!!! Glad to see all your hard work pay off:nod:

Looking forward to the write up

Again great job and way to represent TM's

[BadAssPerformance]

Awesome Pat! :hail:


A little SDAC plug here...we also took home top finishing car club. :thumb:

Nicely done! :clap:

[cordes]

Congrats guys! That's a huge accomplishment, and a well deserved one at that!

[speedfreek500]

Great job :clap:, and you almost didn't wanna go.

That autocross looks like alot of fun, i think i will try it next year.

[2.216VTurbo]

As always Pat, you are a top notch ambassador for our niche marque:clap: Yeah, it helps to win but not just with your results but also with the way you present yourself. Good job for all the TM folks:)

[roachjuice]

Hell yea!!

[gkabbt]

Big contrats on your win! :hail:

All your hard work finally paid off even though you had a "little" drama in the 1/4 mile.

Gregg

[Johnny]

Congratulations!!!!

[GLHNSLHT2]

So who came in 1st in the AutoX?

[168glhs1986]

As always Pat, you are a top notch ambassador for our niche marque:clap: Yeah, it helps to win but not just with your results but also with the way you present yourself. Good job for all the TM folks:)

Well said Alan

[bakes]

Congratulations!!!!

[ohiorob]

Awesome :clap: :clap: :clap:

[85boostbox]

Congrats Pat. I have always wanted to go but never have either the time or the money. Hmmmm I wonder if they have ever had a limo enter ;)

[speeddemon]

Nice work Pat. That hood decal looks even better this year!

[RoadWarrior222]

Hmmmm I wonder if they have ever had a limo enter ;)There was a "limo" in the LeMons racing the other year, some illegally imported south american deally with a big merc, that could "never ever be registered for the road"

[85boostbox]

Was it turbo??? :p

[vipernbox]

SWEET!!!!! Great work Pat!!!

[RoadWarrior222]

So who came in 1st in the AutoX?I hear it was some young hoons in a RWD i6 2 door sports jobbie....

---------- Post added at 08:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:45 AM ----------

http://www.ebaymotorsblog.com/grassroots-motorsports-2012-challenge-race-report/
http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/events/2012challenge/

[Johnny]

In the one photo, there are two 2x4's with blue tape on them. What did you use those for?

[vipernbox]

Holy smokes.. That AutoX course was MUCH 'faster' than last years huh?

[Pat]

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I will run through the whole story later today.


So who came in 1st in the AutoX?

The External Combustion team (Silverfleet on here is a member) with thier unbelievable Jeep XJ. That thing was amazing around the cones.


Nice work Pat. That hood decal looks even better this year!

Again, thanks for hooking us up with it Craig!


In the one photo, there are two 2x4's with blue tape on them. What did you use those for?

Those are my do it by myself toe guages. I clamped them together, and marked them evenly so I can run them in front of and behind the front tire to get an accurate toe measurement without having a second set of hands to help hold a tape measure. Works like a charm.


Holy smokes.. That AutoX course was MUCH 'faster' than last years huh?

Much, much faster. That was a huge plus for us. On that long sweeper, the ScAries was well into 3rd gear!

[cordes]

Could you give a run down of how to use the two by fours or even how you do your whole alignment when you have time? I've been wanting to do my own alignments now for some time.

[4 l-bodies]

Congrats Pat and the crew. Quite the accomplishment!!!
Todd

[Khajjathefang]

Could you give a run down of how to use the two by fours or even how you do your whole alignment when you have time? I've been wanting to do my own alignments now for some time.

Sounds like a future KC article...

[cordes]

Sounds like a future KC article...

that would be a great reference for sure!

[roachjuice]

Could you give a run down of how to use the two by fours or even how you do your whole alignment when you have time? I've been wanting to do my own alignments now for some time.

I bet he lines em up as close as possible. Measures from the middle rear and middle front of the rear tire. Takes note. Should be the exact same measurement. Then measures the front. Adjust toe like that. How ever much you want. I've done it with a pair of jack stands and pink string. Takes a little bit but works well.

[turbo2point2]

A well deserved win. Congrats!!

[Reeves]

Wow! Awesome!!!!!!!!!! Great job Pat!!! Can't wait to see the GRM magazine article!

[Pat]

Thanks a lot everyone! I'm still bouncing off the walls about this. While attendance was down a bit this year, there were still a high number of quality cars there. Even when we started, I had no idea we'd do this well this year with as little prep as we actually did. Despite the beatings the car took for the past year, it still cleans up nicely and amazingly, that motor still had some in it.

Here's the story: After deciding last year that I needed a year off, I spent 11 1/2 months saying I'm not going this year. As it got closer, I started to have second thoughts. After whining to my wife about it a few dozen times, I decided if I can get someone else to come down with me on short notice, I was going to do it. Most of the SDAC-NCC crew were not able to go, but Bill Cuttitta told me he was in. Six days before we'd have to leave, I contacted GRM and asked if they could get me in. Next thing I knew, we were registered!

I spent that Saturday welding up and reinstalling the divorced downpipe I made last year. I had taken it off after the old pipe (it was made from a used exhaust system) had cracked at the brace and had run a stock swingvalve this year and a muffler. The car had slowed down with the stock swingvalve, so I wanted to get the divorced set up back on. I also did some other small things, like remove the bottle header, check the brakes, change the oil, etc. The following Tuesday, Bill came over and we gave the car a good cleaning and aligned it. Wednesday, I packed and loaded up the car for our 5am departure time Thursday morning. Made it down there about 12 hours later with no issues.

Friday was the concours judging and the autocross. We gave the car a quick cleaning, added a few new sponsor stickers and rolled up to the concours judging. I did not have high expectations here. The car cleans up really well, but it has a few chips and nicks here and there that weren't there last year. It was also a come back car, which typically never seemed to judge as high as it does the first time. I told the story of how the entire car was built in my garage by a bunch of hobbiest gear heads and that no one on the team was a professional body/paint guy, no professional fabricators, no machinists, etc. I wanted them to know that this was not a speed shop build during off time. I also talked about how the car was a come back, but it's been raced for a year now...hard. They seemed to like it and were very appreciative of the fact that the makeshift crap that we built for it all seemed to work and held up to a years worth of racing. At that point, I thought it went well, but I had no idea where we'd finish.

Next, we prep the car for the autox. Since our pro driver Barry was not able to make it, and neither Bill or I are in the same ballpark as Barry, we decided to let one of the pro drivers run the car. GRM brings in national champion autox drivers to run the cars if the competitors choose since the event is supposed to be about the build, not the drivers ability (interestingly enough, they don't do this for the drags...autocrossers seem to think anyone can drag race well). Alan McCrispin was the guy for us...he's done well with FWD cars he's ran there in the past, gives great feedback for adjustments and generally is just a very cool guy to talk to . He took the car out and on his second pass, put us in the lead by over a second. We then went through a series of alignment adjustments to try to get the car to be less darty. On the last pass, he took another .3 seconds off our time! We were thrilled that we were sitting with FTD, but knew that there was one car in particular that was coming for us...the External Combustion Jeep. We held FTD until the very end of the day, when the Jeep guys laid down a killer 3rd pass, beating us by .09 seconds, then on their 5th run, crushed us by .5 seconds! If there was a car there that we were happy to see beat us, it was the Jeep. That thing and the guys that built it are cool as hell.

At that point, Bill and I worked on the car to set it up for the drags and ended up being the last ones to leave the track. On the way back, I get a phone call from fellow GRM'er Andy Nelson, who called to congratulate us. I assumed he was talking about the 2nd place autox time, which I was thrilled with. He says, "No, no...not the autox, the concours win!" I was shocked. We had no idea we had done so well in the concours! All of a sudden, we went from just going for giggles to sitting in the lead *before* the drags, which is usually where I'm trying to make up ground! Un-freaking-believable.

Needless to say, I didn't sleep much that night. I kept thinking about how typically I go into the drags with nothing to lose. This time, I had everything to lose. If the car didn't make it down the track, I would go from first to bottom of the pack. Admittedly, that bothered me a lot.

Bill and I get to the track very early on Saturday. We finish prepping the car and I essentially detune the crap out of it. Based on estimates of what other cars would run, I figured I needed a low to mid 12 second pass to secure the overall win, so I pulled boost, timing and put dinky little jets in it with the intention of launching easy. In years past, the early runs are by far the best there. Once you get to lunch time, the air goes away and cars start slowing down drastically. We finally get running at 10:00 or so. I roll up to the line, the lights come down and BOOM! I grenaded something...likely an axle. Not good. Once we get it pushed back into the staging lanes, I get underneath and realize that either I broke the trans or the axle in the trans. My stomach sank at that point.

Then some cool stuff happened. GRM staff members and competitors, including guys shooting for the win, all came rushing over to help. We had offers to run to the parts store to buy parts, tools, water, help wrenching, etc. The sportsmanship and support was amazing. It was also really neat to see how many were actually rooting for us. It was great to see and experience.

I tore the left axle out and found the inner CV was destroyed, but it had also broken the axle stub in the diff. GRM staff members and Bill went out hunting for magnets to get the stub out. Within minutes, I had at least 7 magnets of various sizes to get the piece out. In the end, the External Combustion guys were the ones to come up with the magic magnet. Huge thanks to Tony (silverfleet), Greg, Jeff and Pat (PunKid) and the rest of the guys. That was huge for us.

Once the car was reassembled with another used axle, we went back out. I ran a 12.56 on an easy pass, but had a lot of trouble getting into 3rd gear. Good enough, but it would be close. There was a car that had run a 12.53 at that point and while the primary goal was the overall win, I wanted the drag win too. I made a few more passes, and went 11.9, 11.72 and 11.69. The motor was running great, but was getting blocked out of 3rd and sometimes 4th gear. Waiting for the rpms to come down (granny shifting) was the key to getting a clean pass, and got me the 11.69. Trap speed was 119.84. I knew we had it at that point, but made one more pass and grenaded another axle. This one also broke in the diff...at that point we pushed it onto the dolly and decided to go help the Jeep guys squeeze some more out of it. In the end, the Jeep squeezed off a couple of pretty good runs that we thought would secure them 3rd overall, which it did. Congrats to them on a great showing!

All in all, it was a blast and I've already decided I'll be back next year. It's just too good of a time not to do it. We ended up getting another photoshoot done of the car, this time with the Jeep which carried a Mark Donohue Javelin theme. Cool thing is that the Super Touring Stratus that the ScAries is themed after was driven by David Donohue, Mark Donohue's son. Well, maybe that's not that cool, but I thought it was. :-)

Again, huge thanks to everyone that helped in this build. Dave Skrab, Scott Drega, Bill Cuttitta and especially Barry Miles. When building this car, I'm pretty sure my kids thought Barry was moving in with us with the amount of time he spent at the house! There were also a ton of people who helped source parts, such as Craig St.Pierre, Billy Grimm, Mark Skelton and others. Can not thank the wifey enough either...it's awesome that she understands my little racing addiction and is as supportive as she is.

[Johnny]

Can't not thank the wifey either...it's awesome that she understands my little racing addiction and is as supportive as she is.

Maybe this....
Can't not thank the wifey ENOUGH either...it's awesome that she understands my little racing addiction and is as supportive as she is.

Great write up, thank you for sharing.

[RoadWarrior222]

Awesome story, thanks! :thumb:

I am a little curious as to what your autocross renta-Stig thought of the car.... or was he just "diplomatic"? :D

[Pat]

Maybe this....
Can't not thank the wifey ENOUGH either...it's awesome that she understands my little racing addiction and is as supportive as she is.

Great write up, thank you for sharing.

Done! :-)

[Johnny]

Would love to autocross that car someday!!!!

[Turbo3Iroc]

Pat, great story!

[Pat]

Awesome story, thanks! :thumb:

I am a little curious as to what your autocross renta-Stig thought of the car.... or was he just "diplomatic"? :D

The Stig gave us more than a bit of feedback on the car, including:
-"that thing is all over the place...it's hard to keep straight. Can't get on the throttle with the wheel turned"
-"lateral grip is awesome'
-"Toe it way in...we need to control the beast"
-"OK, that didn't work. Toe it way out."
-"something might be moving in the front end" (I think this is the case....)
-"the car to watch out for is the Jeep...they're fast" (he was right on this one too!)

[Johnny]

You have the stock front suspension still?

[RoadWarrior222]

-"Toe it way in...we need to control the beast"
-"OK, that didn't work. Toe it way out."

LOL :lol:

Thanks again.

One thing that occurs to me, is that the bolts that hold down the steering rack and the metal/nut they hold into is relatively puny... especially when you multiply force with wide wheels and hoonish antics.

[Pat]

You have the stock front suspension still?

No, but it's all used/low buck/creative stuff. Used formula gp's, modified spring perch and hat to accomodate stock MP autox front springs and cut down rear springs inside the front springs (double sprung on both sides) to increase spring rate, 1 1/4" end linked front bar, modified struts to accomodate 3 degrees negative camber. It has your poly bushings in the dual pivot K, cast K frame, but they're at least 8 years old at this point.


LOL :lol:

Thanks again.

One thing that occurs to me, is that the bolts that hold down the steering rack and the metal/nut they hold into is relatively puny... especially when you multiply force with wide wheels and hoonish antics.

Possible, but I don't think so. It doesn't seem to have any real play. I suspect a bushing issue but I will defnitely double check.

[cordes]

That was a phenomenal write up Pat. I realized about half way through that I was getting really excited while reading it. Very well written.

[fishcleaner]

Freakin awsome! congrats to you and your crew, way to represent. There are 2 autoX's coming up in DE, Oct. 13th in Glasgow and the 28th in Dover, hope you can make it, I would love to see it run in person. BTW the autoX video you posted is sweet, I found myself moving around in the chair like I was riding in it. A+

[Pat]

Freakin awsome! congrats to you and your crew, way to represent. There are 2 autoX's coming up in DE, Oct. 13th in Glasgow and the 28th in Dover, hope you can make it, I would love to see it run in person. BTW the autoX video you posted is sweet, I found myself moving around in the chair like I was riding in it. A+

Thanks. I doubt I'll be making the run up to DE this fall. It's in the garage with another broken axle and a hurt transmission. I may try to fix the trans and run it at Cecil on November 10th. I really would love to see a 10.99 out of this car.

Here's a couple of pics Bill just sent me of the axle carnage. As you can see, the heat, the pressure and the lack of sleep was starting to get to me. :-)

41777

41778

[cordes]

Talk about a clean looking break. It looks like you cut that thing.

[omni_840]

^^Exactly what I was thinkin and that look on your face is great:)

[Reaper1]

I don't know if you saw me congradulate you on FB, so, once again....CONGRATS! You all deserve it!

[moparman76_69]

Here's the email I got from GRM:

Grassroots Motorsports concludes its $2012 Challenge with some big surprises

https://9507df7b2f-custmedia.vresp.com/0b9c7fc67b/Challenge logo 2012.jpeg

The 13th running of the Grassroots Motorsports low-dollar Challenge brought together everything from a twin-engined 1986 Ford Escort to a bone-stock 1987 Porsche 944 to compete together in autocross, drag racing and concours judging. Presented by Kumho Tires (http://cts.vresp.com/c/?MotorsportMarketing/0b9c7fc67b/1b7cb49a42/dc4dd36c56) and powered by eBay Motors (http://cts.vresp.com/c/?MotorsportMarketing/0b9c7fc67b/1b7cb49a42/c5482f9fcd), nearly forty teams brought cars this year that ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Running annually since 1999 and regularly supported by CRC Industries (http://cts.vresp.com/c/?MotorsportMarketing/0b9c7fc67b/1b7cb49a42/e0aab47c43), this event uses the year as the total budget and combines an autocross, drag race and the craziest concours event that you will ever witness into one weekend. For a total budget of $2012, these teams bought, built and competed their low-dollar wonders at world-famous Auto Plus Raceway at Gainesville, home of the NHRA Gatornationals.
Grassroots Motorsports publisher and lead concours judge Tim Suddard said this of the $2012 Challenge: “The average car was way better than it has ever been. We had very few entrants that weren’t worthy of our attention. Nearly every car was well-sorted and well-presented. We also had a return to reality that has been missing in recent years. I could honestly say that every car I judged this year, yeah, with a couple thousand bucks, a little luck on eBay and a few months of nights and weekends, I could have built that.“

https://9507df7b2f-custmedia.vresp.com/0b9c7fc67b/scaries crop.jpg

Winners included the amazing Shelby Dodge Auto Club “Scaries” turbo Dodge Aries of Pat Culkin and Bill Cuttita. They impeccably restored that 1987 sedan, taking top honors in the concours, and also got it to win the drags with an 11.694-second time in the quarter mile. They took it all home: a $2012 check from eBay Motors (http://cts.vresp.com/c/?MotorsportMarketing/0b9c7fc67b/1b7cb49a42/6c34f55354) and a new set of Kumho (http://cts.vresp.com/c/?MotorsportMarketing/0b9c7fc67b/1b7cb49a42/379a83864e) tires. The External Combustion team won the autocross with their unlikely—and shockingly fast—turbocharged Jeep Cherokee.

There were many more winners at the event, they include:


Autocross times:
1: External Combustion: Jeep Cherokee 38.703
2: Shelby Dodge Auto Club Scaries Dodge Aries K 39.196
3: el Diablo Speed Shop BMW 325e 39.239


Concours Scores:
1: Shelby Dodge Auto Club Scaries Dodge Aries K Scaries
2: Cobra Kai Racing Group 44 TR7
3: David Melton’s Toyota MR1.5

Drag
1: Shelby Dodge Auto Club Scaries Dodge Aries K: 11. 694
2: Tom Sullivan Integra 12.415
3: Scott Evans Civic 12.925

Overall:
1: SDAC 122.25 points
2: David Melton 117.72 points
3: External Combustion 117.0 points

Most Spectacular Failure:
Mickler Motorsports Ford Fiesta

Spirit of the event:
Georgia Tech. They earned this award more than any other team in the history of the event.

Best Engineered:
Texas A&M…for constant engineering.

Editors' choice:
External Combustion Jeep Cherokee.

One Man Show:
Scott Evans who finished 6th overall

Best Attempt to Persuade Concours Judges:
Karl and Marie LaFollette #18 for their trophies for valve cover racing and necklaces.

Highest Finishing Car Under $1000:
Tim McGarvey Nissan Sentra

Highest Finishing Classic Car:
Cobra Kai TR7 who finished 4th overall

Best Underhood Detailing:
External Combustion Jeep

Best Visual Package:
Cobra Kai TR7

Challengers Choice:
#36 Little Lamb-orghini

Top-finishing Crapcan Entry:
Flying Deuce, Greg Voth/Steve Brozyna Mazda RX-7

The complete story on this long-running and popular event will grace the cover of the April 2013 issue of Grassroots Motorsports. In the meantime, many details are at grassrootsmotorsports.com/challenge (http://cts.vresp.com/c/?MotorsportMarketing/0b9c7fc67b/1b7cb49a42/450495c53a). You can also see find more info and pictures on the eBay Motors Blog (http://cts.vresp.com/c/?MotorsportMarketing/0b9c7fc67b/1b7cb49a42/310bd7b153).

[88C/S]

I got the same email too, put a big grin on my face to read that Pat and crew did so well, especially since I had read the ScAries project log on the build. Makes me want to try autocross. Congratulations!, great write up and I loved the videos.:D