Toby and his friends Pat and Ram entered the 24 hours of LeMons (not LeMans) race at the Summit Point Shenandoah Circuit. 24 Hours of LeMons is an endurance race series for cars (lemons) that “cost” less than $500. The team decided to enter a 1987 BMW 535i. The rule allowed selling parts to get the cost down to $500, excluding safety equipment and consumables. … Continue reading 24 Hours of Lemons
Team Shum made the pilgrimage to the Montreal Grand Prix again. We again got seats at Turn 2, which provided a great view of the tough “Senna S” complex. We also got to see great side by side racing at race start and pit stop action. It was a McLaren 1-2, with Lewis Hamilton leading Jenson Button at the checkered flag. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso finished … Continue reading 2010 Montreal Grand Prix
To prepare for Club Racing, Toby studied the rule book for modifications so Dirty Molly’s could be more competitive. Toby found a rare factory Aerokit II rear decklid and rear wing. The fiberglass decklid was much lighter than the stock steel one. The wing was the only allowed substitute to the stock pop-up spoiler. In addition to looking menacing, it reduced drag and improved straight … Continue reading Final Race Prep
On Betty and Gary Church’s recommendation, Kenny and Toby visited Palmaz Vineyard in Napa. They toured the vineyard’s state of the art gravity flow wine making facility and cellar, had an excellent tasting and brought back quite a few (Kenny and Toby looked a little tipsy?) and of course, saw the Porsche collection. Highly recommend it if you are visiting Napa. http://www.palmazvineyards.com/ Continue reading Palmaz Porsche Collection
In preparation to the 2009 season, Toby and Kenny completed an audacious project (lucky fools!) to remove shocks and sent back to JRZ for service and replaced shock mount monoballs that were worn out. Molly was on jack stands in Toby’s garage spot and his neighbors and the building’s watchmen were amused by the sight. Kenny completed his PhD program and got great news of … Continue reading 2009 Track Days Recap
It was a rainy day in San Francisco. After lunch with her family, Cindy found the road to her Civic was blocked from traffic and workers in uniform next to her car. A big tree branch had fallen on her car and smashed the trunk! A clean-up crew member handed Cindy a claim form to report the damage to the city. This marked the return of Cindy and Kenny’s car-free life in San Francisco. Continue reading Car vs. Tree
To make Dirty Molly safer and to prepare for the eventual Club Race, Toby decided to give her a roll cage. Toby and Kenny first put Molly on a weight loss diet. All things “comfort” were removed (carpets, plastic molding, stereo and air conditioning). The doors were reduced to a bare skin, with no interior door panel, armrest, power window or power lock mechanism and … Continue reading Dirty Molly Got “Caged”
2008 was another great season. Toby and Kenny did 22 track days at Summit Point, VIR, Mid-Ohio, Watkins Glen. Highlight of the year included: 1) Kenny and Toby were certified to be instructors with PCA and NASA It was good to be able to “give back” to the track day community. It also provided Toby and Kenny with the rare opportunities to be on track … Continue reading 2008 Track Days Recap
2007 was an “up and down” year of track days for Toby and Kenny. On the “Up” side, Toby made it on track for 33 days, while Kenny did 31, on the down side were a broken drive shift 450 miles from home and a blown engine on track. Dirty Molly gained “GIVES YOU WINGS” rear wing decals and “DHL” hood decals, a nod to … Continue reading 2007 Track Days Recap
When Jon and Ceci traveled to HK to attend a wedding… they made a car-focused detour to the Tokyo Motor Show. In 2007, many manufacturers introduced highly anticipated models for car enthusiasts. The biggest star was definitely the new Nissan GT-R. The Evo X, Impreza STi, and CR-Z (all of them all-new) also made their debut. Nissan GT-R (R35) Touge Weapons: The Evo X and … Continue reading Gozilla!
