Pain Train Cometh for Budsy....LittleItalian :D

[John M]

Well I think I'll take this little bit of time to reflect on how I just spanked Budsy (LittleItalian on the Alfabb) today at the Solo II autocross in Lexington, KY. Murray you will love this! Budsy fell like a patsy. Making all sorts of excuses along the way. But its a funny story so read on for some good ole chuckles.

Being a Duncan.....we always arrive late. This day was no different. I had stayed up until 5 am trying to decide if I was going to use my new "ringer tires". I suppose I should give a little history to this whole saga before jumping into today's festivities.

George Schweikle (aka the national king of SCCA solo II in an Alfa), Bud (aka Budsy) the fellow Lexitonian Alfa owner, George's wife Dee, and myself have been running Solo II all year long. The year started out with George's red monster being down for rebuild. So from the first event, George co-drove Bud's spider. They were on street rubber. George of course came in first....And I spanked Budsy. So next event ole Budsy went and got himself a set of ringer ronal wheels (very light) and some hoosiers a3s05s. So I then became the whoop'n dog until today. George got his red beast up in time for the Alfa convention. So George, Dee, and Budsy have all been spanking me with their hoosiers all season long. I am quite used to this with George and Dee....but Budsy beating me was just wrong!!!! I threw the 78 on 14" daytonas with yoko avidTs at him. I threw the 92 on the 15" phonedials with dunlops fm901 Vs at him. And the times just got worse.

So it was time for the pain train to come Budsy's way. Payback is a dish best served cold. So I ordered a decent used set of Hoosier r3s04s. Road racing compound. George and Budsy were on the softer, stickier A/autocross compound. But what the heck...they were dirt cheap. I slapped them on to the cheapo BWAs I bought off ebay. And spent last night mounting those puppies up. Then trouble hit. I had gave a couple of my spacers to Budsy. I had a probable rubbing problem on the rear. And needed spacers on the front too. Should I use washers? No...that is bad voodoo. But I said at 5 am...what the hell. On the rears go...let them rub if that's the case. Time to pay Budsy back.

Last few weeks Budsy has been tinkering with his baby trying to eek out every little HP he can find as he is scared of my motor!!! So he was braggin on running his advance at 37 or so, his this and that. So I thought...heck..I have that MSD 6AL, high comp pistons, that RML distributor set at 30 degrees or so. I am going to crank that baby. Cranked it up to 40 degrees when all in and I wasn't pinging. I didn't tell Budsy this until today. But I secretly laughed to myself knowing that I had more power served up from the Alfa gods! And at this point...if it blew up.....as long as I beat Bud....I'd be OK with it.

So this brings us to today. Bud, George, and I grid up right next to one another. Bud grabs the drywall used to chalk the course and writes in front of my car..."slow Alfa". Then in front of his own car...."fast Alfa". Then in front of George's car...."fastest Alfa". George and Bud gathered around my Liberache paint job Alfa as Bud calls it to check out the new hoosiers. I could tell Bud was getting nervous. He stammered back to his ride to fiddle with something. I think he actually did some sabotage to his ride. My reasoning for this will become evident soon.

Well.....George and I had co drivers. Dee for George, and my brother for my car. So we had to move to a co driver grid slot. Dee was missing from the track getting some food. But she was half a run away so we didn't think anything of it at the time.

Time to fire them up. Out of the 36 car heat...and the first heat of the day....I was gridded #1 and George #2. So all green track for us. So I pull up to the line and I am off for my first run ever on hoosiers...even though they are used and r compounds with some rubber build up on them. As I pull her into second gear and round the first big curve conservatively but still expecting the rear end to jog way out, I noticed the car stuck. I mean really stuck. So I added some more juice to her. The advance change working flawlessly. More power....spooling quickly....sounding really great. Dam the car stuck again. Now I am starting to lay into it hard into a tight right hander. Just a little under steer. I literally yell out...."DAM I LOVE THESE TIRES!!!!! It was at this point I knew Bud was in for a good ole fashioned A double S whoop'n!!! I think I was around 40 even on the first run being very conservative and just working through the course to memorize and draw my line for more aggressive runs. George of course, comes blowing through it the first time and was around 36 or so. That car and George are really Alfa perfection. So if I am close to George and Dee at the end of the day, I am happy.

So I roll back to grid, jump out and tell my brother to lay on it. The car was so planted just drive the hell out of it! I am prepping him for his first run ever. He is used to driving his 04 Z06 on the autobahn...USAF pilot stationed overseas. So the Alfa is a little different for him. Still no sign of Dee...George's co driver and wife. Oh look its Budsy pulling up for his first run. Dam....that car sounds wrong. Off Bud goes in a barrage of missing. Now he is off course and coasting back in. Budsy just DNF'd his first run and the car is missing with throttle. So George rushes over to see what he can do to help. Grid working down to the co driver's runs. Still no Dee..... Tools being grabbed. Spark plugs. Timing light. Hey Bud...why is the distributor body loose vs the shaft? Collar clamp loose shifting the timing. Hey Bud....why all this gas on plug 3? Still no sign of Dee. My brother now off on first run. Hey Bud....what do you mean you tinkered with the carbs? Hey Bud....you say you are going to drive what....George's car.....Hey Bud....what did you do to sabotage your car so you can drive the ultimate red beast George's Alfa Spider? Hey Bud...are you really that scared of the "Liberache Spider" with the hoosiers!!!! Hey Bud....got to have a ringer car to beat me?!!!!!!!!

So Dee got stuck at McDonalds. Budsy now co driving the red ringer beast with George as his car wouldn't run. And I am in my as Bud calls it "Liberache white Spider". Budsy in the red ringer beast (George's spider) was going to be a tough challenge.

Let's put George's car in perspective....well look at the pictures and use your imagination. More HP than me. Wider tires. Camber setup right for the hoosiers. Better suspension by far than mine. Better everything. Race seat, five point harness. Small diameter steering wheel. A true race car vs my fun car. The only thing I had going in my favor....was that Bud was driving!!! I am still going to beat his A double S!!! And when I do I'll be saying that Bud couldn't even beat me in George's super spider let alone his own!!!!!

Pain Train Cometh!!!!

Well after 6 runs....George wins of course with a nearly flat 35.0xx. Budsy on his last run in George's car turns a 36.4xx. But it wasn't enough. Budsy missed beating the "slow Alfa" or the "Liberache white Spider" by 1 tenth!!!! I cranked in a 36.312. Poor ole Budsy he had a tough day. He sabotaged his car....he spun George's out completely...he DNF one run....and he collected an assortment of orange cones during his journeys. Dee ran the second heat...and did well....but finished behind George, Budsy, and myself with a low 37s run. My brother the total novice turned a mid 37 run in my Alfa. Oh...and my other brother was there running his older Miata on street tires and could only get it down to around the upper 38s. He too collected a bunch of cones. Bud couldn't even beat me using George's car!!!!

So all in all a great day. My son, 12, rode with my younger brother in his Miata and with several other drivers in their cars. My older brother got his first autocross in. And I beat Budsy's A double S!!!!!! And I got past Dee too. And this is very rare. I think Budsy probably messed up the red beast before Dee got a chance to drive.

So enjoy the pictures. And give your condolences to Bud (LittleItalian on the bb) for 1. his car messing up, and 2. for getting whooped!

Best Regards,
John M

[John M]

A few more...

Best Regards,
John M

[Tifosi]

Very nice pix and a good read besides.

Thanks for sharing.

[John M]

Well...to add a little more.

I swung by Budsy's house today. More so to gloat than anything else. I have never heard so many excuses. Saying I had better tires. Saying George's car is just too good for him to drive. Saying that he was just laying back to make me feel good!!! Wouldn't you know it....he is already wrenching on his spider. He has already started working on the carbs. And now saying for me to just wait until he has his megasquirt going...then he'll really whoop me!!!

I suppose the cat has his tongue as he hasn't come back at me yet on here!!! Here lil'Budsy....here Budsy...come on out.....I won't beat you right now with my Spider. Come on Budsy.....come out of your hiding spot! You guys should really all leave him a message of encouragement. Poor ole Budsy is in last place and may never get out of the bottom again!!!!

Best Regards,
John M

[john.harrill]

Great photos!!

[Zunige]

John,

Since I happen to know George and Bud, this has certainly been one fun post, including your follow-up... I wish I would have been there... (I was in OH over the weekend, and knew that Bud was going to autocross on Sunday, but didn't think much of it...)

I think Bud is going to answer you back with the Megasquirt... (I'm also very interested in that set-up, so you know I'll be watching the re-match... )

Well, George, where is your comment? (I'd like to hear from someone that is perhaps a little less biased...)

Best reagrds to all,

[60sRacer]

George - that second pic of your car is really something. Looks like you have two postage stamps for contact on that front outside tire.

In fact, from the looks of it, the rears are well planted, the suspension is working fine, the tires and shocks are all in great position.

And I swear the entire body is twisted at least five degrees! The rear deck is flat, and the hood is crazily angled outside!

Do you need a chassis stiffener?

Maybe a petty bar on the roll hoop or a full cage to the firewall to take the body twist out?

From the looks of the helmets, none of the cars would make the roll bar test in AROSC.

Great story. Absolutely marvelous photos!! Makes my driving shoes itch somethin bad......

Robert

[conedriver]

Well, as Confucious said "A closed mouth gathers no feet". I had hoped to stay out of this conflagration, but... everyone should know these two are good friends, and serious Alfa enthusiasts. Everyone's performance in racing or autocross is a combination of personal effort and mechanical equipment.

I think that Bud might be the better driver (but obviously John's no slouch) while John has more power at this stage. I suspect it's gonna come down to the cars. Bud's is a reconstructed L-Jet basket case while John has been fine tuning his car for some time. Bud's time in my car was a case of him not being used to the car, and not being able to use all of the performance.

So... for those of you who care, the battle will be continued on Oct 29. Stay tuned, the entertainment value (and rhetoric) will be worth your while. Finally, I will be designing the course again, and am accepting contributions for a style that will benefit one of the two Spiders... (Bud & John, are you listening?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zunige ... Well, George, where is your comment? (I'd like to hear from someone that is perhaps a little less biased...) Best reagrds to all,

[John M]

Well I tell you guys.....we all had one hell of a time. Big big fun out there this past Sunday. Enrique you definitely need to come down on the 29th. He may have in the future his megasquirt to throw at me...but by then I'll have the turbo with autronic to throw at him!!!! I wish you all could come and let the Alfas dominate the course.

Hey Murray, I knew you would love it! Poor ole Budsy is at home licking his wounds and wrenching on that baby of his. I am looking forward to the next race and his car being 100%. I have to admit...I got a little nervous myself when I saw the Cheshire cat that ole Budsy is slip into the driver's seat of the big red beast. I figured I was about to go down in flames. But Bud was just enough perplexed by all the distractions that he just couldn't pull it off and surpass my time. I am thinking we'll be pretty evenly matched when he gets his ride running right. Oh yeah...I attached a photo of Bud once he knew he was going to be driving George's work of art!!!

I'll agree with George that we are all good friends. Bud and I prod each other on about the cars all in fun. We both though are Pavlovian trained to be spanked by George and Dee. The competition between Bud and I has been big fun. And it hasn't been much of a competition since he went to the hoosiers mid summer. Last event...he had me by 4.5 seconds on an equivalent length course and George had me by nearly 6 seconds. I guess it goes to show what race rubber, switching light 14" to heavy 15" wheels, and adjusting your timing for more advance can accomplish. This event I was 1.3 sec from George and .1 ahead of Bud in George's car. By the time the 07 Alfa convention comes around, we should all three be primed to bring it on in Michigan.

I cannot take credit for those pictures. We have a number of photogs that take excellent shots and post them up on a local board for download. Really is nice as the pictures I tried to take really stunk!

Now George.....how much is it going to take to keep Budsy out of your car?

Best Regards,
John M

[conedriver]

Hi Robert,

Thanks for your comments. We have had a ball with the current Spider. I bought it in 1983, with some preparation done, and have been adding stuff and tweaking ever since. Racing would be more fun, but autocrossing is something both Dee and I can do together and keep the budget fairly logical.

Over the years, I have worked a lot with the suspension. The front sway bar is one of those big hollow tube rear mount items from Jack Beck. If you use something like this, you had better be prepared to balance the front stiffness with a pretty stiff bar at the rear. Otherwise, you create an understeering pig! (ask me how I know). The rear has a panhard bar (again from Jack Beck). That this lowers the rear roll center by a lot is visible by comparing the shots of my car cornering with those of John's white spider. On John's car, the downward tilt of the roll axis from rear to front is evident and his car tends to corner on it's outside front tire while mine is more level (forget you heard this, John). Other items are 800# front springs, 300# rears, and a nice set of custom Koni double-adjustable shocks courtesy of a friend at Koni North America. Finally, as John says: "Hoosier Tires". Mine are the new A6, 225-45/15 ($193 each, but ya gotta do what it takes)

I don't think the chassis is twisting as much as it appears. When raising the car at the jack points, the doors don't bind (much). However, I am planning to add a Petty bar for next season. Chassis stiffeners are not allowed in the SCCA "Street Prepared" classes, but "Strut Braces" are and I'm trying to decide how I can use this rule to my advantage. I have a chassis stiffener on my '91 Spider, and it truly does make a difference.

My roll bar is an Autopower "Race" bar, and is taller than John's bar. In order to raise the top I have to disconnect the mechanism pivots, and wiggle the bows over the roll bar, then stick bolts back in the pivot holes. However, the corbeau seat mounting still needs to be massaged to further lower the seat. My helmet is just a little bit higher than the bar, and whenever Russ Neely sees me at a convention, he says "George!, scoot down in your seat!"

Quote:

Originally Posted by 60sRacer George - that second pic of your car is really something. Looks like you have two postage stamps for contact on that front outside tire. In fact, from the looks of it, the rears are well planted, the suspension is working fine, the tires and shocks are all in great position. And I swear the entire body is twisted at least five degrees! The rear deck is flat, and the hood is crazily angled outside! Do you need a chassis stiffener? Maybe a petty bar on the roll hoop or a full cage to the firewall to take the body twist out? From the looks of the helmets, none of the cars would make the roll bar test in AROSC. Great story. Absolutely marvelous photos!! Makes my driving shoes itch somethin bad...... Robert

[Bill]

John,
Great read! LMAO

"Take no prisoners!"

[60sRacer]

George -

I have admired your car since I first saw it! It just looks great at a time when spiders are having harder and harder times here in So Cal, and in some SCCA events because of the roll bar issue. The best cars around here are all GTV's such as Santos'.

The comparison of the two cars in the same turn really does show the benefit of lowering the roll center. Have you considered the drop-end fittings that Max Banks makes for the front - they also change the front geometry and furthur improve the roll height at that end. Also do you use the GTA style knuckle risers? (more of the same improvements in front geometry).

I must say I've never seen so much rubber on a spider! You've done a beautiful job on the fender flares to make room for them. Almost everybody in the west runs 14 inch rims and keep them inside the original fenders, so I've not seen "steamrollers" like yours around here. The rule book here peanalizes big tire-rim combinations too much. It's good to see a spider that can exploit that much rubber - the common myth I've heard is that Alfa's do better on small tires. I guess it just takes getting all the bits right to exploit them.

It seems incongruous that closed coupes can run with their naturally stiff body shells and a good spider can't use a chassis stiffener. Too bad! I have one on my Duetto and really do see the benefit too.

Did you see what Misert did to his spider to fit a good roll bar under his hardtop? He made a drop-pan for the driver's seat - there's a clear photo in his thread. Murray has done quite a job on his car - if he's around your events, you might have some competition as his driving skill increases!

I agree with you on running autocross - not the same as wheel-to-wheel on a track, but it is a blast! Also possible to be very competitive with a lot less work on the car. As you showed, driving skill can make a lot of difference