Garage Heroes (In Training)

Learning as we go. Come along with us and Enjoy the Ride!

Laguna Seca

GHIT 0087: SilverSleeves Racing Team Driver Greg Birch

Wolseley Hornet
SilverSleeves Wolseley Hornet

On this episode, we had Greg Birch on from the SilverSleeves racing team from the west coast.  We first met the team at Laguna Seca earlier this month but both of us had less than ideal racing weekends.  It was great to catch up with Greg and we look forward to racing with them again. 

  • Barbie Corvette and Team SilverSleeves
  • Barbie Corvette
  • Team SilverSleves and the Hornet
  • Team SilverSleeves
  • A Select Group
SilverSleeves Racing Team

Highlights for this episode include: 

1)  What is a Wolseley Hornet, its history, and how to get one onto the track, as well as future plans
2)  Greg’s Mini fascination and history with both classic Mini’s and modern Mini’s
3)  Canada is a great place to get low cost cars for racing due to insurance rules and where Bill and Alan are going soon, very soon
4)  Where the Magic Bus nickname came from and its full history
5)  Some of the driving rules for their team and perhaps how they should be our teams
6)  a reasonable place to get driver training in the pacific northwest
7)  The SilverSleeves car assortment, like the Austin 1800, and MG 1100 and the Barbie Corvette
8)  Getting to hear the words competitive and Ford Probe engine in a sentence
9)  What is a Hydrolastic Suspension and its “advantages” in racing
10)  Racing in Lucky Dog and the 24 Hours of Lemons series
11)  We come up with a way to expand upon their primarily British car themes
12)  Bill’s idea to limit speed creep win low cost endurance racing and fortifying Class C cars
13)  Discuss the mini as the predecessor to all transverse front wheel drive cars that are so prevalent today and its racing heritage
14)  Team fastest lap punishment ideas and a discussion on speed creep in low budget endurance racing
15)  Tire wear versus tire growth, lol
16)  Waterford Hills Race track
17)  Dialing in our new JCW Mini Cooper with as much cater as we can get
18)  Too many cars and a way to possibly limit the issue with your significant other
19)  One of the best team mantas we have heard
20)  A very helpful the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
21)  The inherent greatness of in race racing with a friend on the track, like when Greg raced with Todd of Everyday Driver that may be in their upcoming tv episode on Motor Trend
22)  Best west coast tracks to add to our list

Also Good Off Road, lol
Also Good Off Road, lol

We had no luck getting any info on the new theming ideas that SilverSleeves is working on but look forward to the big reveal. 

Hydrolastic suspensions for everyone!!

Here are a few videos where the SilverSleeves team and cars are featured. 

Best regards,

Bill, Vicki, and Alan
Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training podcast
and team members in the GHiT
Immature Endurance Racing Team

GHIT 0087: SilverSleeves Racing Team Driver Greg Birch

GHIT 0084: Our Sunday Race at Laguna Seca with Lucky Dog

Sunrise at the Corkscrew
Our last racing day at Laguna Seca for 2020, unless…..

We conclude our wrap up of our racing at Laguna Seca with the Lucky Dog racing series by summarizing our Sunday race and our overall thoughts and experiences.  We had a great trip out to Laguna Seca and the track is wonderful.  Did our Saturday continue into Sunday.  Yes.  Did our car give it everything it had?  Yes.  Did we finally break the podcast curse and finish a Lucky Dog race?  Well……listen and find out. 

Riding into the sunset
Thank you to Lucky Dog and Laguna Seca

Highlights of our review include:

  • Race car status and prep review
  • Mental’s first rolling start in a race and our thoughts on tire warming of street tires
  • Mental’s Stint to start Sunday race day
  • The setup of our race car and how to drive it optimally
  • Many of the differences between the Lucky Dog series and Lemons
  • Vicki’s technique to remove some of the oil leaking into the cabin of the car
  • A discussion on window nets
  • Mental seems to have a “new” Miata attraction developing
  • Performance variability between the series and within some of the car’s by different drivers
  • Our goals for the weekend and goals for our day/stints
  • Our primary issue turns were #6, #9 and #1 (and late Sunday any straightway, lol)
  • Vicki’s thoughts on going through the Andretti Hairpin 3 wide and the aftermath
  • Our repair efforts, several of them
  • Erik won an award from the race, with a bit of our help
  • The joys of a random steering direction on center
  • Our end of day exploits
  • Favorite cars we were able to have several great laps of back and forth racing with
  • Mental completes his full set of competing in all amateur endurance series that use production-based cars
  • Track thoughts about Laguna Seca
  • The upcoming Champ Car race at Watkins Glen
  • Mental takes over hosting and we review our goals going into the race
  • Bill shockingly overthinks things and wanders down a path away from racing
  • Bill befuddles Mental enough that he is left without words
  • We question our training and preparation and Mental
  • Bill points out a gift that Mental received but wasn’t even aware
  • Vicki and Mental bond over Veggie/Vegan and Bill will have none of it
  • Front wheel drive thoughts and the difference between it and the way a car is prepared/set up
  • Best/Favorite cars of the weekend
  • Our usual Good, Bad, and the Ugly
  • Overall trip takeaways

For those who care:

Mental was able to get down to a 1:54 on Sunday
Vicki was able to get to a 2:06 on Sunday
Bill was only able to get to 1:59 on Saturday

The overall fastest lap of the weekend was 1:41 on Saturday and 1:40 on Sunday by the red #97 Miata

Southworst MX-5
Fastest Car of the Weekend title goes to

Overall, we loved our time with Lucky Dog and their team.  Please try to race with them if they are ever near you. 

Lucky Dog
Lucky Dog Racing League

Also, we really want to thank Erik for allowing us to use his car and experience this great track. 

Best regards,

Bill, Vicki, and Alan
Hosts of the Garage Heroes In Training podcast
and team members in the GHiT
Immature Endurance Racing Team

#racelucky #raceluckydog #garageheroesintraining #garageheroesintrainingpodcast #fasterfarms #deafstig #deafstigsbodyshop #ThankYouCathy #becauseracecar

Some of our Favorites from the weekend

Two of the biggest big boys. Small stature but big time speed!
Tiny but Mighty. AND AWESOME!
350 TR
Mustang 350 TR
Erik, Lonnie and Vicki
Deaf Stig (Lonnie) and Vicki
and Erik makes and appearance
Area 51 was one of the more unique cars we saw
It was a race with constant challenges, mostly internal

GHIT 0084: Our Sunday Race at Laguna Seca with Lucky Dog

GHIT 0082: Laguna Seca With Lucky Dog and Mental

Planning and Repairing
Planning and Repairing

Unedited live episode from Laguna Seca after Day 1 of racing with Lucky Dog. We had a long day or racing and repairing. It was our first day ever on the Laguna Seca and Vicki’s first ever day racing a front wheel drive car.

We made a few mistakes, learned a ton, and loved every second. Most importantly, we think we made a whole bunch of new friends and we were able to catch up with many we already knew.

Lucky Dog is a great series, with great people, and some spectacular cars. Some are spectacularly good, some are spectacularly fast, and some are spectacular in their own way.

A tired crew describes our first ever race day at Laguna Seca with our friends at the Lucky Dog racing series, silliness ensues.

With Vicki, Bill and special guest Mental Ward

GHIT 0082: Laguna Seca With Lucky Dog and Mental