Had a ball at Thunderhill this weekend

[camcojb]

Spent the last three days with Charley and Mark Stielow driving one of Charleys 65/6 Mustang fastback track cars at Thunderhill for the Nor Cal Shelby Club mini-nats. I did do a school 20-25 years ago but have never driven a full-bodied car on a road course before. What a blast!

I was in the rookie group, and had Mark ride with me for the first section. He's actually a driving instructor for GM, and it shows. Showed me the lines and gave a ton of tips to help me go smoother and faster around the track. Riding shotgun with him in the faster class was a definite "E" ticket ride; he is just so smooth and sooooooooooooooo faaasssstttttt............

I'm going to be looking for a 70-73 Camaro to build a track car out of. I'll definitely be getting ahold of David and Mary Pozzi at that time for some help with suspension selection and set-up tips. Going to try to do this on a budget of sorts. Don't need a world beater, just something that can keep up with Charley's Mustangs...........

I want to thank Charley for the use of his car, and Mark for the help and advice, it was much appreciated.

Jody

[MtotheIKEo]

Nor Cal Shelby Club events are fun to go to. Diverse group of cars and lots of friendly people willing to let you ride along with them.

[Blown353]

Jody, I don't know if you're open to blue-oval stuff but you can pick up some already track-prepped 5.0's pretty cheaply and they're very competent on the track too with the right stuff. Seems like there's always a few for sale on C-C. It's a cheaper route than building your own. My buddy's 89 5.0 was a lot of fun at T-Hill and Laguna, and it didn't have all that much done to it.

I do agree an early 2nd gen would be cooler but it's hard to beat the 5.0 for a track beater; the cars are dirt cheap to buy and there are a million parts out there for them with plenty of track time to iron the bugs out.

I've thought about buying a track beater but it's out of my reach since I don't have the necessary truck or trailer.

[camcojb]

Originally Posted by Blown353

Jody, I don't know if you're open to blue-oval stuff but you can pick up some already track-prepped 5.0's pretty cheaply and they're very competent on the track too with the right stuff. Seems like there's always a few for sale on C-C. It's a cheaper route than building your own. My buddy's 89 5.0 was a lot of fun at T-Hill and Laguna, and it didn't have all that much done to it.

I do agree an early 2nd gen would be cooler but it's hard to beat the 5.0 for a track beater; the cars are dirt cheap to buy and there are a million parts out there for them with plenty of track time to iron the bugs out.

I've thought about buying a track beater but it's out of my reach since I don't have the necessary truck or trailer.

yes, they make great track cars, and would be the smart thing to do, but I don't think I'd be happy with one. I want to do an LS engine and so the second gens seem like a good start. It'd be cheaper to buy a done car than build it, but after finishing the Chevelle my play money is wiped out, so I thought I'd get a stripped car and build from there over time.

Jody

[camcojb]

Originally Posted by MtotheIKEo

Nor Cal Shelby Club events are fun to go to. Diverse group of cars and lots of friendly people willing to let you ride along with them.

yes, I've met several of the regulars from the Shelby club, and they've all been first-class.

Jody

[Steve1968LS2]

Sounds like a blast... and nothing makes you feel slower than taking a ride with a really fast driver.

[camcojb]

Originally Posted by Steve1968LS2

Sounds like a blast... and nothing makes you feel slower than taking a ride with a really fast driver.

understatement of the day. Good drivers like Mark are amazing with what they can do with a car.

Jody

[jannes_z-28]

Originally Posted by Steve1968LS2

Sounds like a blast... and nothing makes you feel slower than taking a ride with a really fast driver.

Ditto That, the first thing I asked myself: "Where's the pictures?"

Jan

[awr68]

Sounds like a great weekend Jody! Look forward to the build of the 'track car'!!

[David Pozzi]

Jody,
All it takes is a ride at a track day and you're hooked!

A world beater would probably be a Mustang II with an LS2!

Mary's 73 Camaro does amazingly well for a 3500 lb car. Take some weight out, and it' would really haul.
David