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Team WTF?! is a loose association of a handful of Washington, D.C. area
autocrossers. The name was hatched when two of the founding
members were doing a course walk in the rain at the DC ProSolo in June
2004.
The Answer is the question.
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Welcome to Team WTF?!
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Written by Nick
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Monday, 17 April 2006 |
Well, suffice it to say that this weekend was very interesting. For those few of you whom I haven't blathered endlessly to, I went down to the Tarheel BMWCCA Club Race at VIR this weekend. This was my very first race weekend, so my primary goal was to avoid hitting anyone and/or balling up the car. Luckily, I fulfilled my primary goal.
Unfortunately, this weekend was absolutely plagued by mechanical problems. On my first session out, I noticed that the car was behaving strangely - transitional response was not good. The uphill esses were pretty terrifying, and the clanking through hogpen was really not encouraging. Eventually this was diagnosed as a blown out (again!) right front Advance-Design strut. Unfortunately, no one had the tools I needed to open the little fucker up, so I was restricted to adding nitrogen every session.
Even more interesting was the faint smell of fuel. After several failed attempted to diagnose, we gave up looking for it. Until I brimmed the tank for the enduro, that is. With fuel spilling out, we had to park the car. Eventually, we found the leak (a hole that a friend's crewman had drilled into the fuel tank while installing my fire system - ironically this was for the nozzles he ran TO the fuel tank) and patched it up with a screw and some JB Weld. This got me all set for Sunday and the sprint race.
I qualified adequately, with rain screwing up our session. Third in class (KP). I didn't want to stress the car too much, so I only ran a few laps. The race was an absolute blast. I had a fantastic start - I gained something like six places overall and got up to second in KP. Unfortunately, the bad strut was making the car's handling downright awful. I was losing an enormous amount of speed in Hogpen, which absolutely killed me on the straight. Just imagine having a jackhammer going on one side of the car. Now imagine a swaybar transmitting the vibrations to the outside tire. I'm sure you can imagine what that did for my grip levels. Eventually, something really went in the shock and I ended up understeering off the track there. I kept my foot in it and drove through for a while, but the tail started coming around in a big way so I just locked up the tires. It isn't worth trying a big save off-track - you might save it, but more often tryign too hard results in hitting something hard and/or rolling the car. About all I can say for my finish is that I wasn't DFL. Barely.
But I'll be back and next time the car will actually be working.
I'll post pictures and video at some point. |
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Written by Administrator
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Sunday, 16 April 2006 |
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“WTF?!, so something landed on my face in the middle of the run, “Clyde said when he returned to grid after his second run at the first Autocrossers, Inc. event of the 2006 season. “I tried to brush it off a couple times, but my run was shot. What are you gonna do?” What are you gonna do, indeed? 
Nevertheless, Clyde managed to drive the Team WTF?! RX-8 to a second place finish, 0.150 behind codriver and Team WTF?! member Bren, who was in the car for the first time. Bren’s class winning time was recorded on his sixth of seven runs. The seventh run was a real Team WTF?! kind of run. He came into the showcase turn with way too much speed and took out the entirety of the outside cone wall. Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to make it around, he continued on straight through the second cone wall, pulling a couple more cones underneath the car…where they stayed until returning to grid.
Also found in grid was a plastic exhaust shroud that had been knocked out (for about the thirty-seventh time), but this time far enough to come into direct contact with the exhaust pipe. Team WTF?! was alerted to this damage via the smoke rising from the rear of the car. “Payback for jumping my car,” Bren was heard to say to Clyde after the event’s conclusion.
In other Team WTF?! action at AI #1, BahnBaum continued to show that the 325is can get it done in STX. Together, the three members of Team WTF?! in attendance finished in 7th, 9th, and 36th of 130 in the PAX standings.
In typical Team WTF?! fashion, no video is available due to dead batteries. However, DL1 data was collected in the Team WTF?! RX-8 and will be made available shortly. 600 photos are available here.
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Written by Pinecone
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Sunday, 09 April 2006 |
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Team WTF?! ran the Summit Point National event this weekend in true Team WTF?! style. Bottom line - handling problems, power problems, rain, miserable, but a great race! |
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Read more...
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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 03 April 2006 |
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The Philly Summer Series event number one was a real Team WTF?! kind of event. Rain, heats that were way too long, stranded Team WTF?! members scrambling for rides in the wake of other Team WTF?! members bagging the event rather than risk standing around a parking lot all friggin day on the hope that they wouldn't have to run in the dark.
Team WTF?! managed to perservere, though, winning two of the three classes they contested, John V and Ken went 1-2 in one of the Team WTF?! A Stock S2000s. Bren took A Street Preared in his M3 and BahnBaum was a solid mid pack in his STX 325is. After winning AS, John V was heard screaming "A Flock of f'ing seagulls ate my f'ing lunch!" while running across the grid chasing some birds. Yeah, it was one of those events.
922 photos from the third and fourth heat are available here. |
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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, 29 March 2006 |
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Team WTF?! had mixed results at the 2006 WDCR test and tune this past weekend. Clyde spun (but just once) and was lucky to take first in B Stock while blinding everyone with his new bling-bling wheels. Ken started getting acclimated to his S2000 coming in fifth in AS, but less than a half second back from first. Bren made a solid second place showing in ASP M3. BahnBaum got clobbered by his co-driver in his newly STX prepped 325is. Nick couldn’t find his footing and was mid pack in ASP. “It was the tires, man, it really was!” Shoulda gone with the Hoo-shears, Nick!
300+ photos (mostly of 3 rd and 4 th heats) are available.
Videos are also available. We have on-car and spectator video of Clyde's runs as well as spectator video of one of Greg Obadia's runs in a borrowed S2000. |
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Written by Pinecone
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Monday, 20 March 2006 |
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Team WTF?! traveled to VIR to open the racing season in the newly (at least partially) repainted Team WTF?! Spec Racer Ford. The weekend was to be Fri practice, Sat practice, qualifying and a 1.5 hour enduro, then Sun another 1.5 hour enduro and a 10 lap sprint race. Typical WTF weekend followed. Crash, fix, massive run through the field, 83rd to 19th overall. |
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