Flying Pig has never looked better!

We spent the morning Saturday (well, the wrench did) waxing the Flying Pig Mustang!  Since Barry completed the paint on the quarter panel the rest of the car was looking pretty bad...So Dave was over, under, and inside the Pig making it the cleanest I have seen in years!  No lie.
As I always say, "ya won't always run good, but ya can always look good"!  I was relieved when the thing didn't fall apart after all the dirt was removed.  Now I'm thinking we probably will pick up a half of tenth just because it's lighter and slippery-er!

Oh check out Dan's Camaro in the background!

After the buffing we had the first annual pre-season Central Coast Autohaus Flying Pig Racing BBQ at the driver's house. (that's me)  In spite of the rain we had a blast.  Drug two webers out to the driveway so we could cook from under the garage overhang.  We BBQ'd 3 dozen oysters, 4 1/2 racks of baby backs, and a 2 pound slab of salmon. Everyone chipped in by bringing some side dishes.  It was quite the pig out! (pun intended)
So, we are fully prepared to go to Bakersfield this weekend and kick some butt!  Look out Famoso.  Here comes the twins, the wrench, the Nuke and the driver!

SloRacer. Out.

Season opener in 2 weeks!

We have got a serious itch around Flying Pig Racing! We are just two short weeks from our opening round of racing in 2011.  A lot of the teams are already making their first passes at the March Meet in Bako this weekend, but that's not on the Central Coast Autohaus Flying Pig schedule.

Just to get the juices flowing here's a short video of me running down a Nova last season. If I remember correctly we laid down a 10.42 on that run.

Anyway, we had the car over at Central Coast Autohaus and Tire for a week or so and completed all of the off season maintenance.  Dan pulled the rear-end and re-sealed it. The gears looked fine.  Dave "the wrench" Lee re-plumbed the fuel lines from the pump to the carb. He also installed the new 5pt harness, while Dan mounted a new pair of slicks.  Of course we also did the requisite oil change, fuel filter replacement, and new spark plugs.  And last but not least, Barry (the twin) laid down a fresh coat of red on that rear quarter that's been sporting the primer since a former wrench (to remain anonymous) nailed the throttle while attempting to drive the pig onto the lift, got her sideways and smacked the post.  I kid you not!  In any case, Barry nailed the paint job.  Now the rest of the car looks dingy!  Guess what me and "the wrench" are doing next weekend!  Wax on, wax off...

So, with that done, Dave turned to re-wiring the trailer lights while Dan re-packed the trailer bearings.  The last thing for now will be 4 new tires on the trailer which Dan will throw on before we head out on the 2nd of April.

Once again, Central Coast Autohaus, with the help of Dave "the wrench" Lee, and Barry "the Twin", have made it possible for Flying Pig Racing to run great and look good doing it!  April 2-3 will be the first Summit Pro race of the season.  We are going to use it as an opportunity to dial in for the ANRA season opener the following week.  That's when we start running the 10.60 index D-Gas class.  So we'll be slowing the car down a little.  (More on the throttle stop development later.)

Thanks to Dan, Barry and Dave!  Pigs are gonna fly!

SLO Racer.  Out.

FLYING PIG RACING 2011 Schedule

All events at Famoso Raceway

April

2-3 Summit Races 1 & 2 (No open testing during this event) - Gates 8am

8-10 ANRA w/Jr. Drags - TBA

30- May 1 Summit 3 & 4 (No open testing during this event) - Gates 8am

June

3-5 ANRA w/ Jr. Drags - Gates TBA

11-12 Summit 5 & 6 (No open testing during this event) - Gates 8am

August

26-28 ANRA w/ Jr. Drags - Gates TBA

September

24-25 Summit 7&8 (No open testing during this event) - Gates 8am

October

7-9 ANRA w/ Jr. Drags - Gates TBA

2011 Race Prep

Well, yesterday I met Dave "the wrench" Lee and Autohaus Dan over at the storage yard to make a list of stuff that we need to buy/do to get ready for the 2011 race season.  Most of the stuff is pretty minor, like buying new slicks, a new supply of spark plugs, oil filters, fuel filters and the like.  Some of the items were a little more involved.  Like sending the driver restraints off for re-webbing, and having new trailer tie downs made.  We're also gonna pull the the trailer wheels off, re-pack the bearings and look at replacing the springs.  Then there was the puddle under the rear dif! Well looks like we'll be pulling the pumpkin and at least replacing seals.  All in all, it's a pretty light list.

We're getting pretty amped up for the season to start.  Big change- I am going to run D-Gas at ANRA  this year.  D-Gas is a heads up 10.60 class.  It will be fun and challenging to figure out how to get the flying pig to run the 10.60 index in all different conditions.  We're looking forward to it.  Also, the D-Gas class runs off of a .400 pro tree, which is a whole new ballgame for this driver!  So I will (have) start hitting the practice tree hard in preparation.  My first hits on the practice tree were in the .060 range.  We'll see what practice will do to improve that!

In addition, we'll continue to run Pro in the Summit Races at Famoso this year.  Still waiting for the Famoso schedule to hit the website but we do know the ANRA races are scheduled:

SEASON OPENER: APRIL 8-10
•Auto Club Famoso Raceway - Bakersfield, CA.
•Friday April 8: Parking &Tech
•Saturday April 9: Qualifying
•Sunday April 10: Eliminations
•Jr. Dragsters will compete at this event.

SPRING NATIONALS: JUNE 3-5
•Auto Club Famoso Raceway - Bakersfield, CA.
•Friday June 3: Parking &Tech
•Saturday June 4: Qualifying
•Sunday June 5: Eliminations
Jr. Dragsters will compete at this event.

SUMMER NATIONALS: AUGUST 26-28
•Auto Club Famoso Raceway - Bakersfield, CA.
•Friday August 26: Parking &Tech
•Saturday August 27: Qualifying
•Sunday August 28: Eliminations
•Jr. Dragsters will compete at this event.

SEASON FINALS: OCTOBER 7-9
•Auto Club Famoso Raceway - Bakersfield, CA.
•Friday October 7: Parking &Tech
•Saturday October 8: Qualifying
•Sunday October 9: Eliminations
•Jr. Dragsters will compete at this event.

So we have a couple months to get ready, and for once we are way ahead of schedule.  I can thank Dan (Central Coast Autohaus) and Dave "the wrench" Lee for that.  It's a pleasure to have these guys going into another season with me.  It's been too many years since I had a steady and reliable crew, and it's nearly impossible to win races without that support.  It really takes a couple years of working together to get everything to gel, and we are there. So, no excuses this year.  We are gonna put a whippin' on the field.

SLO Racer.  Out.

Videos From Famoso Raceway

Here is a bunch of raw video (Thanks Kenny!) from the last two Summit Races.  The Central Coast Autohaus Flying Pig Mustang was making some sweet runs...in the mid 10.60s to low 10.70s.  We had a blast!  I am working on uploading some video of the last ANRA race where we made a couple changes and pulled off a stellar 10.42 pass!  Stay tuned!
SLO racer. Out.

Final Summit Race of 2010

Well...September 11 and 12 marked the last two Summit Series races for Central Coast Autohaus-Flying Pig Racing.  Having worked our way up to 10th in points at mid-season, before slipping back to 14th, I had high hopes for goin' rounds in the last two chapters and recapturing a top 10 finish. 

A couple days prior, my man Dan at Central Coast Autohaus (above) installed a new pair of Rancho 9-way adjustable shocks in the rear.  According to Calvert Racing these are the recommended shocks to go along with my Caltracs traction bars.  I had been experiencing some wheel hop and spin and "porpoising" on launches.  We set the shocks to the softest setting, theoretically dampening the rebound to decrease body separation to eliminate the crummy launches.  It worked like a charm!

On Saturday we ran a 10.600 first pass, which was the quickest run ever (by about .009), and then followed that up with a 10.587, and a 10.567.  The 60 foot times dropped as low as 1.568 Saturday and a low of 1.552 on Sunday.  When compared to previous runs in similar weather conditions, the benefit of the new shocks works out to over .05 second in the 1/4 mile.  That's a huge gain in quarter mile talk! 

Saturday's first round loss was one of my strangest races ever.  I mean, I have found a million ways to lose a race, but his one was just weird!  I dialed 10.60 vs. his 10.21.  When the lights came down I red-lit by .003, that's 3 thousandths of a second.  So I glanced up at the far end scoreboard and saw the win light on his side.  I proceeded to "run it out the back door" just for fun.  When I stopped at the timing shack and picked up my time slip, I couldn't believe it!  He red lit by .116!  I had run a 10.567, .033 too quick, and he ran a 10.163, .038 too quick.  So, essentially his red light was worse AND his breakout was worse!!  But NHRA rules state "first or worst" when it comes to fouls.  Since a red light is considered a worse foul than a breakout, it is the one that counted,  and since my red light was first, that put me on the trailer!  And that's drag racing in the Summit Pro Class!  On Sunday, I lost in a not-so-close race when I cut a .091 light against his .013.  Giving up .078 at the tree is typically an insurmountable deficit in this type of  racing.  I ran a 10.62, but I could not overcome the difference at the tree and he whipped me by .03.   Not the weekend I was looking for!  But as they say... The worst day drag racing is better than the best day __________ (fill in the blank!)

With that wrapping up the Summit Series at Famoso, and with the Flying Pig team still ready for more, we are looking into racing at the ANRA finals on October 23-24.  We'll run in the "Hot Rod" class, which is pretty much identical to the Pro class in Summit Racing.  Can't wait.
SloRacer. Out.
p.s. don't forget to scroll down and click "older posts" to read more fun stuff!

Central Coast Autohaus sponsors Flying Pig

As we prepare for this weekend's Summit Series Race #5 and 6, Central Coast Autohaus has joined Flying Pig Racing as a sponsor, and we'll be flying their logo on the car.  Autohaus owners Dan and Jamie Hunt are no strangers to gofast endeavors.  Dan has fielded and driven winning cars in several classes on several west coast racing circuits, mostly of the left-turn persuasion.  But after hanging in the pits at the last three Summit races at Famoso Raceway , he's hooked on the drag race scene. 

                                                                   Dan and Jamie

Central Coast Autohaus in Los Osos performs automotive repairs on all makes and models, as well as being a certified Smog Center.  I've been using them for my daily drivers, and last year Dan handled the installation of my new Fauset Racing 557 Ford engine. 

Yesterday he completed installation of new stud girdles on the valve train.  The parts are so pretty I asked if we could come up with some clear valve covers so they could be seen! 

Blue anodized stud girdle.

                              

New tall valve cover for girdle clearance.

In the process of completing routine maintenance last week, Dan also uncovered a faulty master cylinder that was causing drag on the front brakes!  Can't wait to see what the car runs without the front brakes on! 

So we're off to Bakersfield with the best prepped car ever.  I think the flying pig is likely to lay down some stout runs this weekend.  Unfortunately, the weather is going to be pretty darn hot.  The weather gurus are calling for 95 degrees on Saturday, and a blistering 103 on Sunday.  That will hurt performance in two ways.  First, as the temp goes up, the amount of Oxygen in the atmosphere goes down, thereby robbing horsepower.  And 2, Track temps will be pushing 120+ degrees, which can make the track surface really slick.  Not good for traction, therefore reduced ETs.

Regardless, everyone races the same track in the same conditions, so the goal is to be consistent, chop the tree down, and go rounds!

SLO Racer. Out.