IN nearly every culture, seven is regarded as a number of power: the seventh son of a seventh son; seven wonders of the world; seven chakras; seven samurai; seven deadly sins, and seven virtues. Last weekend’s Historics marked the seventh year anniversary of National Road Autosport’s Cumberland Airport Autocross series, and the resurgence of grassroots racing there. To finish in the top ten Saturday on Cumberland’s mile-plus long course, only a time with a lucky seven in front of it would do the job.
In keeping with the auspicious nature of the number, Lady Luck smiled down on the assemblage, and the universe aligned to produce a near perfect weekend. Lingering gray skies and steady rain spiked plans for the street festival/car show in downtown Cumberland Friday, but both race days featured sunny bluebird skies and fresh cooling breezes. The field was full, with over 100 timed entries each day, and yet ran very smoothly and on time. From far and wide, folks brought some truly exotic expressions of the automotive art. Unlike in some past Historics, many display cars also took to the course, and delighted all by having the living snot run out of them.
Adding flavor to the usual crowd of misbegotten Cumberland racers, the much discussed LS1 powered Lotus Seven clone of Mazda Ebrehimi made its Cumberland debut, joining fellow Lotus worshippers Gary Hughes and Jeff Duncan. It looked just plan nasty with its protruding V8 and no hood or windscreen as it rolled through tech.
The Snot Rocket's Bigger, Meaner BrotherAlso spotted was a neat silver 1932 Ford open topped hotrod, whose driver, Jeff Schliffka out of Pennsylvania, proved was no show pony as he pushed it hard in the second heat. Various vintage Porsches in smart racing livery emanated from the cavernous hold of the rolling double decker garage cum hotel suite of the Aircooled Racing Team.
32 Ford HotrodTarheel Stan “The Man” Vann joined the open wheel contingent in his sleek white open wheel 1970 Caldwell, accompanied by Dave Cutchens in his immaculate deep blue Euro Swift Formula Ford. As we milled around the paddock early Saturday morning, we spotted arriving on an open trailer behind an ambulance Ron Polimini’s salty olive drab 1959 B Stock Volvo PV 544, a first generation veteran of Cumberland and other storied Eastern Seaboard road courses, still in wearing its racing paint and scars from long ago battles. On display in the hanger later that evening, I’m proud to report that these relics were in good running trim, and actually raced all weekend.
Vann's Caldwell and Polimini's Volvo
Euroswift Formula FordOn Saturday, in tribute to the SCCA Nationals road races held at the airport in days of yore, Mark Boggs used every foot of available tarmac to lay out this Historic’s signature mile plus long course. The coursewalk was long enough to actually qualify as exercise, and I only had time to tread it twice.
Super Long Starting at the bizjet hanger, there was a left hand crossover, followed by about six or seven offset gates (basically a large slalom) down the far side of the runway, that took you well past the State Police hanger. This feature fed into a straight chute, followed by a couple of jogs, leading to a right hand turn into the taxiway entrance, then a fishhook shaped turnaround 180 to the left out of that, which fed into a left sweeper, then a right hand sweeper, followed by an endless (seven gate!) slalom up the hanger side, then a crossover to a couple of showcase midcourse turns, a fast back straight, feeding into a short right hander which led to a tight diamond shaped 270 degree skidpad turn on the terminal end. From there a short slalom fed into to some very tight esses, to the finish. Probably the most distinct elements of any course I have ever run. While there seemed to be hundreds of cones out there, navigation errors were kept to a minimum by a chalk line on one side of the key turns. The course flowed pretty well. The back section was very long and very fast, but deceptive; many a driver (including me) on early runs lifted far too early and more than once. Actually, you could stay in it the whole way down, building some eyeball-peeling speed by the time the real braking point was actually reached, far in the distance. On the other hand, to keep things safe and drivers’ raging adrenaline somewhat in check, Boggs punctuated the course with numerous slaloms and some tight sections.
Check out this amazing aerial shot, from Bill Armstrong, showing the chalkline around the front part of the course.
Shades of 1965!As usual, CACC Cobras stuffed the grid of the Thunderous Third heat. Wade, Al Paca, Fast Freddie, “Mr. Personality” Casey, Shortpipe Hubbell, the Smith Brothers and pere, and Wayne Koi Boi Orchard, all brought their snakes out to play. They were joined by the Knotts/Teeter West Virginia Backdraft. CACCers Gregg “K Mart” Keller also attended in his CRX and your scribe, still without the Bottom Dollar Coupe, in my Solstice GXP.
Full Grid In a rare treat, the Historics this year featured two illustrious guest Cobra pilots. Paul P. of Team Ziptie was slated to drive John Hubbell’s forced inducted gummy tired purple FFR dinosaur. Paul, demonstrating more enthusiasm than sense, was undeterred even after a week of abuse on the CACC forum that culminated in the coining of his club nickname: “Fluffer” (complete with a chiseled-ab male harlot avatar). We learned at the bar Saturday that this apt sobriquet was quickly adopted on the Team Ziptie forum, mystifying Paul, who apparently believed he had sole administrative access to that site. Wisely choosing not to herald it on the forum, SCCA ace Brian Karwan got to keep his given name, left his ricecooker at home and drove Fast Freddies’ FFR roadster. At the driver’s meeting Saturday, NRA organizers presented the Fluffer with essential equipment for any driver with zero seat time in a home built 450+ hp open topped monster: an adult diaper.
Due to the huge field and super long course, Saturday’s drivers only got three chances to prove their mettle instead of the customary five runs. In first heat action, decent times on the extended course were trending toward the low 80s, exemplified by Rob Robeson’s wicked black RX-8’s final 81.1 run, and a Pennsylvanian black S2000 CR’s even faster 79.5. Jake Moran once again ran the Clan Moran Subie in XP the first heat, and he broke out with a jaw dropping 76.1. And while the vintage Volvo did not burn up any track records, it did not take parade laps either. Its straight side exiting pipes emitted an ear piercing blatting note at the top of the tach, wafting the savory aroma of Swedish meatballs as it careened around on its primitive suspension.
During the second heat, the open wheel cars held sway, as Vann and Cutchens shot their swift C Mod fenderless arrows downrange, driving the bar for the packed third heat even lower with their 73.7 and 74.9 laps, respectively. But local Reynard pilot Matt Felten answered the call with his amazing best pass of 72.8, a time which was to hold as FTD all day.
Native Bearer Matt Cary, displaced by Fluffer as Uncle John’s factotum for the weekend, drove his R32 krautwagen to D stock victory, disposing of a first heat BMW rival. ‘Cinderella’ Moran acquitted herself admirably with her 80.8, a time which would hold up well all day in the hotly contested XP class, disappointing many of the boys and their muscle bound RWD V8s. Team Ziptie’s “Mustang Boy” Joe Oxenham showed increasing mastery of his 32 valve DOHC 4.6 liter Cobra Mustang with a clean fast run of 78.8, cementing firmly an E Stock class win on the long course.
Second heat also saw Brian Karwan’s turns behind the wheel of Fast Fred’s mighty stroker. We watched with amusement as Brian “adapted” in real time to the unfamiliar twitchiness of Fred’s steroidal FFR, going off course sideways twice as he logged his three runs, leaving only his initial orientation run clean, to finish in a most unaccustomed position: the cellar of his XP class. When it was over, Fred silently exhaled, knowing that at least Brian would not beat him in his own car that day. But, to his credit, Brian wasn’t done, and would climb back on the horse the next day.
Karwan Wrestles With Fred's RoadsterAs the huge number of third heat entries lined up, the smart money held it unlikely that anyone could top dominant Matt Felten’s sub-73 second pass. Murmers in the paddock were that the best grip had come and gone in the second heat, when Felten, Vann, and Cutchens ran, and that increasing heat and applications of rubber on the racing line were taking a traction toll.
But they have learned at Cumberland never to count out the Cobras, and whatever the FTD contest held, coveted XP class bragging rights were still up for grabs. No less than 22 cars vied in XP Saturday. Wade, Fred, Larry, Doug Smith, and other top CACC drivers hankered to snatch the class crown away from Jake Moran, with brother Mike Moran and Assfault Hubbell still a threat in the fourth heat to come.
With no runs to waste, birthday boy (yes really!) and multiple Cobra Cup champ Wade Chamberlain started out fast with a recon run of 77, then faster with a 76, then faster still, ending with a 75.3, enough to edge out Jake, earning the birthday boy (yes, really) a respectable 5th place overall. Doug “Bird” Smith continued his breakout, methodically pushing his three clean runs down to a best last lap of 76.5, good for seventh place overall. Fred and Larry strived mightily, but came up a tad short. Fred ran consistently in the 77s, but with his first and second runs marred by traction events and cones, his best was his last, a 77.2 clean. Larry finished with a third run of 76.9, but a late called cone drove him down a few ticks below Fred. Each made it to the top ten, with Fred finishing 6th and Larry 7th, not that either will be consoled by that. In the third heat Lotus clone wars, Jeff Duncan’s Ultralight, stomped Gary Hughes’ Brunton Snotker by a full 2 seconds, 74.9 to 76.9, earning Jeff the D Mod class win, and fourth overall, behind Felten’s FTD, Vann’s second and Cutchens’ third, relegating Gary to a lousy E Mod win and tenth place in the raw times standings. Smooth Jim Harris, running his Z06 for a change, easily cinched the Super Stock class win with a double lucky 77.6.
Craig Smith did well with his sub 80 second 79.8 second lap. Paul the Fluffer handled the torque and power with alomb, popping his cherry and John’s rev limiter on the back straight with the best of them. He finished midpack in XP with a very respectable 81 flat. Dave Thompson, who is showing disturbingly steady improvement with each outing, stretched his Lonestar’s legs to reach the 83s, just behind Al Paca’s sister car’s 82.5. I received a photo showing Dave’s right rear tire a good three inches off the ground entering the Kink, proving that he “gets it.”
Frame Flex Much?In the fourth and final heat, Wade tried to project cool indifference, as Mike Moran and Hubbell took up their grid spots. Hubbell ran an 80, then a 78, and finally a 77.1, not enough to make the XP podium. Mike Moran, really pushing hard the first run, logged a 74.4, but clipped three cones. On his final timed run, he mustered a 76.7, lodging him in a top ten finish at 8th place overall, but not enough to displace Wade as XP class winner, or even brother Jake. In a strange little twist at the end of the heat, as presumptive XP class winner relaxed with a beer in the paddock, the brothers Moran noticed on a video replay that a cone was out of place, and somehow, Mike got a rerun. I happened to be in the vicinity of the timing trailer at the time, and observed to no one in particular that it was customary in such situations for the driver to stop mid course, point out the fault, and not complete the run. In the end, in my estimation at least, everyone did the right thing, and the time on the rerun was not logged. And in the end, XP looked a little different than usual this year, and went Wade 1, Jake Moran 2, and Doug Smith 3, proving the undeniable mettle of the Morans, and that even within CACC, there are so many fast drivers that ya just never know. Francois Bru, another fourth heat contender, crushed everyone in BSP (including me and numerous prepped Corvettes) in his WRXsti, with a 76.8, earning him the class victory and ninth place overall.
As we gridded for the third heat, Doug Dearie arrived in his Grand Sport Corvette tribute, which Dave Williams gave the place of honor at the special charity auction in the jet hanger that evening. Spectators and even a reporter from the local paper buzzed around it like flies, and pictures of it (along with Vann’s Caldwell, and our own Mr. Personality’s silver bullet Cobra) graced the front page of the Cumberland Sunday paper the next morning. At the dinner, Doug’s Duntov tribute car was flanked by some truly beautiful race cars, most of which ran in competition that very day.
Museum of Speed During the auction dinner, NRA bestowed on your humble scribe a “Keeper of the Flame” award, for the scribblings posted to this site. Touched and a bit choked up as I clutched the Lucite monolith and was handed the mike, for once words failed me. The best I could manage was some quip about how this will probably be the only trophy I will ever earn at Cumberland. Ha ha. But now, in solitude before a glowing monitor, let me say to those reading this that I am merely recording the deeds of the people and their rides that come together at these events. If there is fun, if there is drama, excitement, sportsmanship, and camaraderie, if here we chronicle the achievements of men, women, and machines forged in friendly competition, it is you, not me, who are the authors of those stories, and the true keepers of the flame.
This One's For YouAfter the dinner, we rolled out at dusk for the hotel. Joined by the Morans and the Ziptiers, we repaired to the bar, and celebrated, looking forward to doing it all over again the next day.
