I had a fantastic weekend at the track.

To read about it go here: Press Release and scroll down to the text dated 6/8/03.

You go RainMeister!!!!!!!

has a nice ring to it!!!! way to go!!

Rain Meister Chris, You gotta be pumped, I bet that was a blast. Glad your making good with the rain that falls about every weekend in the NE. I bet you'll be in tribal gear doing a rain dance before the next event.

joe

Great job, Chris!
And a great discription of the weekend-your PR department is really spinning it.

Paul

Hey Chris,

Is your server down? Can't get to your pages...

cheers,

Jeroen

It looks like his site is down. Here is the text of the press release for those that are interested.

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Chris Foley Wins National Race at Lime Rock Park

On June 6th and 7th the SCCA New England Region held its Flower Power National road racing event, part of the Northeast Division National Racing Championship Series. Friday’s qualifying was held under sunny skies with temperatures in the upper 70’s, optimum conditions for fast lap times. The Production and small bore GT classes were in race Group 3 of the 8 scheduled races. Chris Foley, driving the Tangerine Racing Porsche 914, posted a 1:04.9 time on the 1.53 mile circuit for 23rd overall starting position in a field of 37 entries. This was 5th fastest of the eight F Production cars entered. Not bad considering the 100hp backup engine being used for this event. The Pole position time was 59.4 seconds, set by Eric Kreuger in his higher class E Production MGB.

After suffering from brake troubles at the beginning of the morning qualifying session, the 914 had to be towed off the track. The team spent their time rebuilding the right front caliper and making sure the car would be ready. In the afternoon session Chris got faster with each lap. He made sure the car was performing as expected and he posted his best time on the final lap of qualifying.

Saturday morning the team arrived at the track in light rain conditions, which deteriorated as the day progressed. The switch to rain tires left no time to run the car in the morning warm-up. Other small adjustments were made to the handling as it became obvious that the 30 lap race would be held in steady rain.

As the field took the green flag Chris got a good start, passing several cars by the second turn. Less than halfway through the first lap, two cars just ahead made light contact, causing the red Fiat X-1/9 of Giovanni Tartaglia to spin directly in front of the tangerine 914. Chris had to stop with only inches between his front bumper and the passenger door of the Fiat. The rest of the field went by on both sides, and Chris resumed nearly in last place after Giovanni was able to move his car out of the way. By the end of two laps Chris had passed 7 of the cars which were previously behind him.

Conditions on the track were very slippery and visibility was poor not only due to the rain and mist, but the spray off the car tires as well. With each lap the Tangerine Racing Porsche made its way past competitors at a steady pace, in an effort to gain sight of the class leaders. After 17 laps a GT-4 car went off track, stopping in a dangerous location which brought out a full course caution for 4 laps. This allowed the field to tighten up behind the pace car. Chris was in 3rd place in FP by this time and could see the higher powered first and second place FP cars of Tom Burdge and Harold Flescher for the first time. There were 5 other cars in between, some of them already running a lap down.

When green flag racing resumed, Chris made his way past the back markers and closed in on the leaders. With 6 laps remaining, the Tangerine Racing Porsche 914 easily passed the maroon Austin Healey Sprite of former National Champion Harold Flescher. Chris began dogging Tom Burdge, also driving a Porsche 914, at every turn. The blue and yellow 914 of Burdge was faster on the straights, but Chris could see that he was able to brake later and go through the turns faster than Tom. In less than two laps Chris passed Burdge’s 914 going into Big Bend to take over first position in the FP class. This was the closest contest within the overall race. Two of the faster EP competitors worked their way between the two 914s as the race wound down, creating a small cushion for Chris. He couldn’t see his FP rival in the mirror until both EP cars passed by him.

With less than 2 laps remaining, the interval between the two rival Porsches dwindled rapidly. Both FP drivers set their fastest laps of the day on the final lap and the CFR Welding/D&D Auto/American Specialty Products sponsored Tangerine Racing Porsche 914 crossed the finish line only a few feet ahead of of the second place car of Tom Burdge. Chris had incredibly finished in 5th place overall at an average speed of 62.68 miles per hour, with only the top four higher classed E Production competitors ahead of him. This is the second National victory for Chris Foley, both times in wet conditions. These two wins in additon to last year’s Pole position set in the rain at the NARRC Runoffs clearly earn him the title of RainMeister. It also goes to show that more power isn’t always better. Smooth driving and a well balanced car were the key elements to Chris’ victory in some of the worst conditions encountered in SCCA road racing.

Special thanks go to sponsors CFR Welding of Manchester CT, D & D Auto of East Hartford CT, and American Specialty Products of Vernon CT for their continued support of Chris Foley’s Tangerine Racing Team. Their help has been a significant part of the team’s success.

SCCA National events offer some of the most exciting and competetive road racing in the country. Top drivers and celebrities, such as Paul Newman (who also won his race on Saturday), reigning and former National champions, and up-and-coming drivers like Chris Foley, regularly compete at these events. Lime Rock Park, in Salisbury Connecticut, is one of the most enjoyable locations for spectators and race fans to witness the action. The grassy hillsides offer excellent viewing of the races, and the paddock areas are always open to meet with the drivers and get a close-up look at the race cars.

Come and join the fun at the next SCCA National Race at Lime Rock Park on July 5th.

Way to go, Chris!!

Great job Chris....I enjoyed reading that :sweet:

Congratulations Chris, and good luck in your next race, you make us proud.
:worship:Jared

Woo hoo! Really cool... When are you going to get the in-car video so we can relive it?

Regards,

Thanks everyone!

I really had a great time, and did way better than expected. Even a third would have been totally cool for me.
I wrote the report Sunday, and my wife, Mary, edited it about 5 times before she considered it acceptable for print. I hope to use write-ups like this in my quest for full sponsorship, so I can be competetive at the Run-Offs in Mid-Ohio for the next few years. The engine I'm running may be reliable, but it's not very fast.
I verified everything with my in-car video, so I know it's an accurate report. I will tell you though, that when I write "the team" I mean "Chris and Mary", since I don't have any other crew.
I'd be glad to share the video. I recorded it on Digital 8 and copied it onto VHS already. Maybe I can find someone to burn it onto DVD for me.
You would be shocked to see how bad the visibility was, especially with just Rain-X and no wipers. Also, some of the passes I made were very bold. The car stuck like glue in the turns. I've actually been waiting a long time to run a full race in the rain with these tires.
The other Nat'l win I mentioned was 5 years ago and it was nothing like this one since I only had to beat one car. In fact my good race engine ran on three cylinders that day through the entire race, I was on Yoko AVS tires, and I couldn't see out the windshield. I had to look out the side window to select my turn in points. The competition was truly pitiful. I beat the guy by 45 seconds despite being blindfolded and having both arms tied behind my back.
Anyway, I'm glad you liked it!

what are you using for rains?

The tires are Hoosier Wets. They're a cantilevered tire like the slicks, only softer and with a deep molded tread.

Wahoooo Chris!! Sounds like a great weekend in the wet!!!! Congrats!!!!!

When are ya comin' to VIR???

nice report chris and congrats !
some of the most fun i have ever had were on a wet track in a gokart with 4 other racers
we knew the track owner and after a rained out session when everyone else left we took to the track on less than optimum grooved dirt tires
we all agreed that no other single session taught us more
wish you could still put a competative kart together for less than a grand
jt

Bravo Chris....

Lime Rock can be such a wonderful place to run at.... and then it can rain Lake Lime Rock

Congratultions Chris!

I enjoyed reading your account.

Years ago at an SCCA race, I watched a friend in a clapped out 912 with a salvage yard flat-6, racing in a horrendous downpour. He simply walked away from his field and a horde of Corvettes. Once he passed another driver, they never gained on him again. He just kept increasing his lead until the race was over. I was mesmerized, and realized right then how much a driver's skills are amplified in the rain.

I also realized right then that I was buying a Porsche just as soon as I could.

Excellent write-up and congrats on the victory!!!

cheers,

Jeroen

More from The Race Site

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Outside agencies effect FP outcome

In F-Production past SCCA Champion Harold Flescher and his familiar maroon Austin Healey Sprite would certainly be the favorite on a dry track and in fact Harold was significantly the fastest FP car in the dry on Friday. But that was then.

In fact Flescher did lead FP early in the going and seemed content to slosh around in about 10th position but leading his class. But spurred on by an early battle with the Datsun 210 of John Birk Tom Burdge got his sea legs and soon was moving his Amwell Porsche 914 into the FP lead and had even built up a bit of a lead as they reached the halfway mark.

With 14 laps left Tom Drake got his Midtown Machine Opel GT tangled up with Giovanni Tartaglia’s Motorsport Garage Fiat X19 in the down hill turn bringing out the yellow flag. The subsequent full course caution bunched up the field, which at this point was fairly strung out.

This caution would have a dramatic effect on FP since it brought the CFR Welding Porsche 914 of Chris Foley into contact with both Flescher and Burdge. It didn’t take Foley long as he quickly dispatched Flescher and soon went around the outside of Burdge in Big Bend to claim the win as the trio of competitors crossed the finish line in a tight group.

Foley was elated after the race saying, “This is really unexpected. I usually don’t even think about winning these races!”

Michael King, who had qualified 2nd in the dry, also slid down to finish 4th in FP and 18th overall in his MG Midget. I guess those Mowog’s don’t like the rain much!

When I was a senior in high school, me and three other car guys went up to Gainesville drag strip, home of the NHRA Winternationals. They use to run SCCA regionals there using the strip and return roads. The last race of the day was the fast guys, A, B, C Production cars. We saw a 914-6 (BP) run down and pass a Vette (AP) on the last turn of the last lap to win the overall race. It was great-and I've been a 'teener ever since.

Paul

Re: More from The Race Site

Thanks Paul!

I had no idea there was a reporter in the impound area. I didn't even know this site existed. Its good to know that we are getting some media coverage.