<VV> Back From Beaverun

[vairologist@juno.com]

Smitty says:  Since I was too pooped to make the trip home without some
sleep, from the track.  I suppose you all have heard all about the event.
 So now hear it again.  The weather gods were somewhat kind for the show
at the hotel, waiting for evening to rain on us.  Next day at the track
they made it up to us.  We woke to rain and it just got worse during the
morning.  I couldn't believe they were actually going to let us out on
the track because at times you couldn't see across the pits lot.  Racers
are either a hardy bunch or insane (I don't know which), because before
long they were lining up on the grid getting ready to go out and follow
an instructor for a few laps to get a feel for the track.  I'm sure my
experience wasn't unique, but as I sat on the grid my nice warm engine
began to make warm moisture which attacked the windshield from the
inside.  Being strapped in tight,  I got a napkin from my pocket and
valiantly tried wiping the windshield with the tippy tips of my fingers. 
I no sooner got a patch in the middle cleared and it was time to go. The
instructor being a considerate person did not go fast  He only took it up
to 65 or so, leaving a rooster tail which was aimed at my windshield.  It
really wasn't too bad.  I only ran off the side of the track in the damn
straight and was lucky I could realize that, more by feel than by vision.
 I got black flagged of course and came in to the pits to check my tires.
 I didn't have any business out there anyway.  Finally got the windshield
cleaned up and by leaving the windows open kept it clear enough to see. 
Got back on the track an found that what people were calling washes
across the track were in reality rivers that had escaped from their banks
elsewhere in the state and come there to mess with us.  No exaggeration,
some of them were at least two inches deep.  Most were of course placed
either across the blind side of hill crests on the turns or right in the
middle of the braking zones.  The NECC guys had done a wonderful job of
setting cones out to mark turn in points and apexes to aid us novices.  I
won't claim I always hit my mark but it was sure great to know where I
should be.  The rain came and went and sometimes it was possible to be on
the track without anyone in front of you and then came the opportunity to
push a little harder.  Probably every modified car out there was faster
than me but I didn't care.  I had a lot of fun.  It was kind of like
having a big fat guy standing on your toe.  You know you could enjoy
yourself if you could just get him to move.  Towards afternoon the rain
slacked off and even though the track was wet and the rivers were still
there they started the time trials.  I'd like to go into the interesting
aspects of the track but I'll keep this short as I can.  The guys with
the rain tires did good and the guys with slicks were hopeless but we
were all running on the same track under the same conditions to get our
times. As a final note, I was in the timing tower when My friend Paul
Whelen, driving Spike came down the hill on the back stretch, hit the
kink at around a hundred and lost it.  He made a full 360 and kept it on
the track while I had a full blown heart attack watching.