Spring Fling Speed Festival XVI - 21 April 2022

Alltime Racing's annual Spring track day is Thursday 21 April 2022.

This is the day before the Spring Fling Malibu cruise (Friday 22 April)
This is only two days before the big CPW Club Spring Fling car show & swap meet in Van Nuys (Saturday/Sunday 23/24 April)
Make a long weekend of it all!

SFSF is held on the Big Willow track at Willow Springs in Rosamond CA (northeast of L.A. along the SR-14 Antelope Valley Freeway).

Having attended both Speed Ventures and Alltime Racing track days, I can tell you that the latter is much less frenetic than the former.

Lighter attendance means a day at the track with Alltime Racing equals:
Plenty of high-speed track time and challenge from similarly-skilled drivers, if you fall into that group.
Very supportive to the newbie, if you have never been to a track day.
A place for you on the track if you fall in between the two extremes.

Bench racing, swapping of lies, grilling, and 12 ounce curls on the Wednesday afternoon before.

It always amazes me how many attendees come from greater distances, compared to just a few from the L.A. area.
One would think with almost 20 million people in the L.A. basin, more drivers would cruise out just past Lancaster to blast around "The Fastest Road in the West".
Remember, this is just before the big show in Van Nuys. You car is already prepped for THAT show... come on out to Willow Springs!

$375, or $300 early bird discount if you beat the upcoming 21 February deadline.

Questions or reservation payments:

therren_2000@yahoo.com

Alltime Racing
14750 Miller Ave
Gardena, CA 90249


professional-looking video for the ambiance of a typical track day:
https://youtu.be/C7f5dF2cVaE

not-quite-as-professional in-car video of a session:
https://youtu.be/-MdMcTJqsBM

I would love to go. I just need to find someone - anyone - who can troubleshoot an issue with my 71 340.

Any LA area mechanics around?

you have a PM...

What time does this start? How long does it go?

Thanks.

The guys show up the day before to bench race. Track opens early (7-ish). Cars are on the track by 9 as I recall. Last cars come off the track late afternoon. Then the guys go out for dinner. A couple of times my wife has been the only woman at dinner. The guys treat her well.

It really is a fun day even if you're not running a car on the track (I have no desire to run or build a car for myself for these events).

What Jim said.

Socializing the afternoon before and the evening after is optional.

Actual day at the track:

Facility opens 7-ish
Mandatory Driver's meeting 8:30am
First run group [advanced] on track at 9:00am...
...parallel with a short newbie / refresher classroom session also at 9:00am
Last session ends somewhere about 4:00 or 5:00pm (or earlier, if you or your car are done)

In addition to the event fee [if you're running a car], there is a small ($10 or maybe $20) facilities fee for anyone coming onto the grounds, even for spectators and crew.

I'm local - is the Wed bench racing at the track or a nearby bar?

At the track.

Ok, thanks. I want to go but it's dependent on the car getting fixed before then. I drove it last night and it won't do well on the track until I can get a decent mechanic on it. I hope I can make it.

Seriously - if you know of a good mechanic please let me know. I have more money than time these days, but still can't find anyone to look at a carb.

If you can't get it fixed before the track day, bring it out and have some of the guys look at it, especially on Wednesday. It's a strong group in terms of knowledge on these cars.

What are the hours that people are there on Wed?

People start to show up in the afternoon, approximately 2 or 3pm.

It is not a "set" schedule.

I'm looking forward to Thursday! This will be my first time and my goal is to return with an intact car as opposed to trying to set any speed records.

What time do you recommend we arrive? Thanks.

I'm rolling in tomorrow late morning to spectate. Really looking forward to this and meeting brethren.

Speed Safe everyone.

Early so you get situated then hear the drivers meeting. Like 7:30 to 8 am.

FYI - I got there with plenty of time. I had a mixed day, but overall loved it! The cars were awesome, in particular the 50's Chrysler 300 stock car! I didn't get to run my car due a failure of the Borgeson steering box, which is still being diagnosed. I did get a flatbed home, though.

My thanks to Tim for organizing a great event and Dan who was a helpful instructor!

Was it the box that caused the issue? Saw that there was fluid sprayed around when the hood was up plus the trail it left. The pump quieted down once you had more back in and the air was bled out. Sounded fine after you took it back out.

We're still trying to figure out what the cause of the problem was. The box may be bad. I didn't go out on the track after that and on the drive home the hose kept popping off due to too much pressure in the return line. I eventually had to flatbed home.

Bummer. Some restriction in the flow causing it to barf. Hope you get it squared away.

Carl and JF:

Thanks for coming out to the event. Sorry about the steering box.

Please look me up and introduce yourselves, next time. There are generally not that many blue Hellcats at the event.

It will take a while [perhaps up to a week] to edit and post my videos.
There was an operator error that lost the front footage from a session, but I should have enough raw footage from all the other sessions to create a fair amount of content.

I will post a link or two in this thread, once the newest videos are up.

All of the videos from this and previous track days can be seen on the youtube channel HeckCat.

HeckCat youtube channel



Save the date: Thursday 3 November 2022 is the Fall event.

Very nice! I was preoccupied with my car and it's issues, but how did your blue Challenger do? Did you spin out on turn 3, or was that someone else? I would have loved the chance to spin out on turn 3, for the record.

I hope you can find a definitive root cause. I think a lot of folks here would like to know what happened.

Jim,

Talk to Lee Power Steering in Valencia. I had an extensive talk with one of the technicians there at a morning cruise in a few weeks ago.

Call about 10am after morning activity slows down.

Resivour type and configurations, hose type and length, pump type, pump blueprinting to match system, and even rebuilding the box….

They re-engineer these Borgenson setups regularly. Pump and resivours seem to be the most notable culprits. Especially they shiny Street Rod tall unit commonly being sold now (it’s garbage).

Car did fine. Drove back to San Diego Friday midday, and drove back up Saturday AM for two days in Van Nuys.

No spins or other unintended excursions for my blue car.

I am still editing videos, but for now...

...another blue car off track in turn 3 was not actually a spin, but is captured for posterity:




About this clip: We pick up the action late in a morning session. I am following a blue Mustang for one lap, beginning with his successful negotiation of turn 3. The next time through this turn... not so much.

Driver was physically unharmed, and the Ford sustained some RF suspension re-arranging.

No instructors out there to show you guys the line? All 3 of you guys were all over the place.

Instructors are available.

Patiently running in the pack to keep others on camera does not always place each car precisely within inches of what you might consider to be the proper line for one single statistically insignificant lap.

Please post your Big Willow track videos involving three synchronized camera views, so we may learn.

In the mean time, I will continue to throw around a 4500lb street car that has no business being on a twisty race track, and have a blast doing so.

I have plenty of other videos, but you should not waste any more of your time watching any of them.
Clearly, I don't know my car, and I'm doing it all wrong.

Cute. You're right I probably have no idea what I'm doing. Speed Safe.

What Do I Know

bUt I dRiVE a HEAvy cAr...drrrrr

But mah Car is Differnet, so it needs a different LINE!

Jeebus! Chill out guy.

I agree.

I bet the guy in the Mustang wishes he'd gotten proper instruction.
But like I said, what do I know. Only been a certified race instructor for over 10 years.
Speed safe fellas.

And this, my friends, is a shining example of why I almost never post on Moparts anymore.
To create this thread, I set aside my policy of avoiding this place like the plague, because Tim is holding on by the skin of his teeth with these track days.
What AllTime Racing needs is more newbies willing to come out to the track to learn some skills (from non-judgemental instructors, not know-it-alls), and more importantly, have some fun.
There are a dwindling number of venues where someone with a fast car can legally and safely stretch it legs.
And too many of those venues are intimidating to the newbie. Not so, at AllTime Racing events.

It is encouraging to see a member bust his hump getting his carburation sorted, and when he suffers the disappointment of ps pump problems STILL wistfully observe that he wishes he had a chance to spin out in three.
That kind of guy needs to be built up with some attaboys, encouraged to try again next time, and NOT be concerned that some balls-to-the-wall builder/racer will view ONE SINGLE LAP of his performance and condescendingly belittle him.

Here are some points to consider for know-it-alls who may indeed Know It All:
Life is not a zero-sum game - there is not less fun for you on the track, just because someone else is having fun on some other track on some other day.
This is a TRACK DAY. It's not a NASA, SCCA, or even a VARA race.
Maybe snicker to yourself when you see what you consider to be bumbling amateurs, rather than tearing them down online, so you can be Mr Skilled Racer (are you really that insecure?).


I spend considerable time and effort staging and feeding batteries and memory cards into multiple cameras during track days, and then spend about ten-fold additional hours later in synchronizing and editing that footage.
The few dozen subscribers who follow my modest little YouTube channel seem to appreciate the effort.
My track day friends likewise look forward to getting some screen time that they can review later, and show to their family and friends.
YouTube comments have trolls drop in sometimes, just like here. Without fail, they have no content of their own to offer as an example of better work.
A similar situation is when I suggest "Please post your Big Willow track videos involving three synchronized camera views", and the response is [admittedly stylish] still photographs, obliviously shot by someone else.

As an aside, the "guy in the Mustang", was feeling pressured by yours truly, and made a simple mistake, pushing too hard in a morning session.
This was his first day back on the track after undergoing open heart surgery.
Go ahead, ridicule him some more.

At this point, someone with a modicum of class would apologize and go away. Or maybe just simply go away.
I don't suppose either will happen, but hey, a boy can dream...

(More YouTube videos to come)

I think you're taking my comments a bit personally. So maybe I should add some context so that we can establish some common ground.

I want everyone to take their cars to the track. I want them to learn how to drive their cars well, fast and most of all, be able to drive them home. Period.

My local group has 8-10 events a year with 120-200 drivers/cars a weekend and we RARELY have novice level excursions off track. All novice participants require a full day (120 mins on track time) minimum with 1 on one instruction to be allowed to drive solo. Even then we have rigorous instructor inclusion into the novice groups allowed to drive solo for lead follow exercises and to identify participants that may need a "tune up". We do all this because the number one thing that will reduce participation is if word gets out that the events or tracks are a great way to demolition derby your cars.

I find it interesting that you're so wrapped around the axle about my lack of video. There are plenty of live casts, in car camera, etc of me driving. I own very little of it. Sponsors/team owners paid for production. My job is to drive and work with the crew to make the car and myself faster. Done with dataloggers and late nights. Wanna know where my proof is? Its in the shock tuning of a Hellcat. Bilstien OEM took those shocks right off the car I dialed in and used the data to tune the road cars. My wall of trophies helps too. I was there . I don't need to see a video.

To that end and our mutual concern for the Mustang driver; your videos are a bad idea for him should he be looking into an insurance claim. We have insurance claims statements that we can give to participants (drafted by insurance adjusters) that will identify the events as "Driving Instruction". We have the instructors, infrastructure, legal department and to back us up. Unless he paid for track day insurance, if his insurance company finds your video, they will have cause to reject his claim. We've seen it before. I hope that he is able to get his car back together and back on track.

To your further point of why YOU avoid posting, is the same reason why every professional driver that drives a mopar I know avoids this forum like the plague. They laugh at me for even trying to reach out and help this audience. We test and drive all the products from all the manufactures, create championship winning combos, and we STILL get folks that want to argue with us. We do everything we can do do help folks operate their cars at the limit and represent our brand well; and we we get friction like this. I have been active on this forum for over a decade, and Mopar people just don't get it. I never get this push back on the Chevy, Ford or import forums. Its nuts.

So you're right, I apologize that you immediately went on the defensive, as those aren't what my comments implied. If you noticed, even prior to the event, I wished everyone well and hoped you all would Speed Safe, and I still do. Speed Safe, keep it rubber side down and your tires clean.
I'll leave you with a video I do have. Helmet cam footage from the 2011 341 Hillclimb in my 1968 Road Runner. average speed of 78.6mph, top speed of 118. No one died that year, only 2 cars got smashed up. So it was a good year. I got a first place ribbon and a feature in Car Craft. I was also in the Netflix Special .

341 Helmet Cam

Car Craft

p.s. I HIGHLY encourage anyone on this forum to join me for a day at the track. I'm happy to be your instructor if you guys can come out to my region. Message me any time, we've got a great selection of tracks to choose from.

Okay, so you aren't a content creator, as I had already postulated.

You are indeed highly skilled in driving.
No one doubted that, and we still won't doubt that after seeing your offered evidence.
Congratulations on being in Car Craft and on Netflix.
The more you post about your accomplishments, the more insecure you come across, so you might want to dial that back a bit.

What you lack is diplomacy, board manners, and civility.
Contrary to what you think, you are NOT offering constructive help when you view a single lap of a track day, and observe that "all 3 of you guys are all over the place".
The video showing a single lap was posted in direct response to the question "are you the blue car that spun in three?".
And for the record,"But mah Car is Differnet, so it needs a different LINE!" is not particularly polite, and "I apologize that you immediately went on the defensive" is not an apology.

The Mustang video was posted with the approval of the driver, who is repairing the minor damage on his own dime.

Please start your own thread about your upcoming track events, so other members may find out how they can join you and benefit from your abilities as driver and instructor.

Now, let me critique the one and only driving-related video seen on your YouTube channel - the above linked "341 helmet cam":

As a Driving Instructor, I would expect that you teach that a racer's line of sight generally directs where your car goes. Therefore, it would be important to keep your eyes on the track, especially when that track is a winding hill climb with frequent drop-offs. To that end, one should have a muscle-memory [maybe even "zen-like"] grasp of all the important controls' locations. Given all this, how do you explain the driver's need to look down at his shifter at 2:05, 3:11, and 3:18?

So, how does THAT feel? (This was rhetorical - please DON'T feel the need to answer.)

With that admittedly juvenile dig, I think we're even, and hereby declare a truce.
I will stop bantering back at you.
Please leave this thread and start your own thread about events and available instruction, and let me try to convince people that AllTime events are laid-back and fun.

Speed safe.

I do like how you consistently ask for proof of validation of my skills and then mock me for providing proof that isn't in your desired format.

Sorry, when you start to push you car, you'll learn that the straights are for checking gauges and looking at course workers, or maybe checking RPM's (Tach is low right of the shifter) and debating shift points in this case? This is one of many runs of the weekend, and not at 10/10ths.

Your continued "points" adds to your obvious inexperience. Thanks for playing.

I have never once asked for validation of your skills (yet you continually offer them).

On the contrary, I have repeatedly stated that you are highly skilled, in hopes that your insecurities would be validated, and you would go away.

You are a great driver, and a highly talented instructor.
You have graced the pages of magazines.
Netflix has highlighted your skills.
Car manufacturers look to you for shock absorber design.
You probably have a bigger penis.

I will even let you have the final word in this exchange.
Compose your clever reply, after which we can call this done, and then please just go away.

See! Except for your first point (you did snarkily ask for my videos at Big Willow) Now we finally agree on almost everything! If you'd just taken my word for it in the first place we wouldn't have had to waste all these bytes on the intertubes!
Thanks for filling up my dead time this Friday while I was on hold.
But we all know you've got the bigger willy Mr. Hellcat owner <wink>

All of my videos from this track day start off with the same boilerplate description:

Ride along in a 6-speed Hellcat (a 4500lb street car), as it runs on the "Big Willow" track at Willow Springs.

All of my in-car videos are best viewed on the larger screen of a desktop, laptop, or tablet. A cell phone screen will not show the detail of the speedometer, the G-force screen, or the inset alternate camera views.

About the day: This was filmed at Spring Fling Speed Festival in April 2022. The event is promoted by AllTime Racing (www.alltimeracing.com), and is a Track Day, and NOT a race. Passing is only supposed to occur in three select areas of the track. For various reasons, not all cars seen are being driven full-out at any given point in time. These events are pleasantly laid-back, and a load of fun.

About this clip:
Here are some sightings of Sean in his Charger Daytona. Each of the two clips starts with a small white dot in the rear-facing view, which quickly forms into a much larger white mass on my tail. Sean says that I may have one mph top end on him in the straight, but I think he is just being generous. Clearly, I am out-classed everywhere else on the track.

Two interesting points:
An example of why I always seem to be driving like a little-old-lady through the hump in turn 6 can be seen at 2:30, when I try just a LITTLE more loud pedal on that turn.

At 6:05, Sean can be seen coming under me on turn 2, at which point he promptly runs out of gas right in front of me (gee, thanks...). Once he gets to the downhill side of the omega, he has full power again, enough to make it to the pits.

About this clip: The goal here is to get some screen time for my pals Jim and Randy, with their Red and Orange [respectively] C8 Corvettes.

About this clip:
We pick up the action midway in my final session. I pull off into the hot pits, hoping to get back on track behind my C8 buddies. Instead, I find that my doing so has frustrated the driver of "the little red car", who wanted to re-enter the track behind ME. I oblige him, and then keep him on screen for 6 laps.

The "little red car" is actually a crazy fast Veloster N, driven by fellow YouTuber "serge_vn". Of course it is fast in the twisties, but is also surprisingly fast on the straights.

Serge's channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1dtI4jc0_kCKkkPB8bHiow

About this session: Appearances by Sean in his Charger Daytona, Vinnie in his white Mustang, Jim in his red C8, Randy in his orange C8, and an anonymous driver in a blue Mustang. Watch to the end to see the off-roading. Driver was physically unharmed, and the Ford sustained some RF suspension re-arranging.

Please comment if you like or dislike the "wall" camera inset remaining in place the entire video, as opposed to popping in and out, as the Editor chooses.

About this session: Few appearances by others, so then I pull through the hot pit to get back on track closer to Vinnie.

About this session: This is [for me] the 5th and final session of the day. Thanks to operator error, I filmed nothing of session 4 from my forward-facing camera. Because of the lost footage of C8 shenanigans in that session, I again started the session with my friends Jim (red C8) and Randy (Orange C8) in hopes of re-creating the magic.

Be forewarned that this is 37 minutes long, and you may be entertained more succinctly by viewing some of the highlight excerpts of this and other sessions found in other, shorter videos.

For those sticking with this "War and Peace" version, here are some timestamps for you:

0:46 - 6:30 Hellcat/C8/C8 trio, take one (well, take TWO if you count lost session 4 footage)

6:40 - 8:00 Sean goes under me in turn 2, and promptly runs out of gas right in front of me. His engine catches again, and he makes it around the track to the gas station.

12:10 - 23:40 I turn some laps with fellow YouTuber "serge_vn" and his stupidly fast car (a little red Veloster N).
Serge's channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1dtI4jc0_kCKkkPB8bHiow

24:00 - 36:30 Hellcat/C8/C8 trio, take two

The day was not without terror.

I concur with Steve about the laid back and fun approach to Tim's track days. We didn't make it to this one, but have attended several others. While I have ZERO desire to build and run a track day car it is great fun to watch everybody else. We've seen guys from as far away as Kansas drive a car out, run it at Willow, head out on the Friday Fling cruise to Malibu, and then hang out at the show. Everybody else on the west coast (or anywhere else for that matter) that has any desire to fun big Willow needs to plan early and get out there.

Steve has become quite skilled in driving that Hellcat

Not according to one member...

Thanks for your kind words, John.

(Missed you in Van Nuys - sorry you couldn't make it).

Well, you know about opinions, like ………holes, everyone has one.