BritishV8 v2015 – Indianapolis, IN -Rick Ingram
Hosted by the Three Stooges (Rick Ingram, Dave Kirkman, and Pete Mantell), nearly one hundred enthusiasts (from a combined seventy three registrations) gathered for the twentieth annual "BritishV8" which was held in Indianapolis, IN from July 15-18, 2015.
Participants began arriving at the Clarion Waterfront on Wednesday. Participants drove in from Canada, Michigan, New Jersey, Virginia, West Virginia, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Wisconsin, and California. A pizza party/orientation night (where thirty five pizzas were consumed) was held at the hotel that evening. The tradition of tire kicking and lie swapping commenced in the parking lot immediately following orientation.
Thursday morning saw tech sessions being held in the parking lot. Max Fulton gave a presentation on the functions of a volt/ohm meter and Jim Miller gave a presentation on how he mapped out his Advance Autowire loom prior to installation in his MGB. These sessions were followed by Dan Masters and Steve Carrick (Advance Autowire) discussing the products that they have to offer.
After lunch, the group made a short drive to the Ray Skillman Collector Car Showroom. This awesome collection of cars (most available for purchase) and automobilia is located just 8 miles south of I-465 on US31 South. Registrants realized that they should have followed up on our suggestion of "drool cups" as soon as they entered the showroom.
Thursday evening we took a chartered motor coach from the hotel to Downtown Indianapolis where attendees chose the restaurant and/or entertainment of their choice. Many of us went to The Slippery Noodle (the oldest pub in Indiana) for supper and a good blues band. And yes, upon our return to the hotel, more lies and tire kicking was experienced in the parking lot.
Friday morning representatives from Meguires gave a tech session on the many products that they have available. Several attendees cars were given free detailing by the Meguires staff. Mantell Motorsport offered up their portable scales for four-corner weights of our cars before the group of eighty-one enthusiasts headed into Downtown Speedway for lunch and a visit to the Dallara Indycar Chassis Factory. Dallara is the supplier of the carbon fiber body shells and associated bodywork used in Indycar racing. Visitors were treated to a short film on the history of Dallara and given a tour of the factory and garage found onsite. They then tested their driving skills on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's famous oval of bricks on driving simulators located throughout the lobby.
Friday evening we ventured over to the Union Jack Pub in Speedway for a great pub meal and a few pints before returning to the Clarion. Lie swapping and tire kicking was briefly postponed due to inclement weather (rain and hail), but the party continued at poolside for our group!
Saturday morning seventy-three of our group headed to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for a museum and grounds tour. We had seats on the first three buses out that morning. We were unable to tour the actual track as the Richard Petty Driving Experience was underway, but were able to tour the Media Center, the tenth floor of the Pagoda, and Gasoline Alley in addition to the museum. The disappointment of not taking a lap on the oval was offset by the sight and sound of NASCAR students driving on the track. We spent a couple of hours at the Speedway before heading back to the hotel where Terry Senneker and crew of FastCars, Inc provided a tech session on their product line. Pete Mantell had set up an autocross course in the parking lot that several registrants took up to five runs on to test their driving skills. One of the highlights of the autocross was when Jeb Blanchard and Calvin Grannis took a couple of veterans (who were also meeting at the hotel) out for a couple of runs. I do believe they had fun judging from the grins they had on their faces at the end of the runs. "Veteran Ralph" thanked us numerous times throughout the day.
Saturday evening we gathered in the hotel restaurant for a fantastic buffet meal, some presentations, and our infamous auction. Ted Lathrop of FastCars and Dan LaGrou of D&D Fabrications were recognized for their contributions to the hobby over the years. Jeb Blanchard performed a bluesy song he wrote in honour of BritishV8 meets. It was a hoot. We roasted a few attendees; we had a 50/50 raffle drawing. And yet again, we raffled off Jim Blackwood's hat. For some reason, he's won it back every year. After the Spurious V8 club members gathered for a group photo, we adjourned to the parking lot for.....more lies and kicking of tires.
Another BritishV8 had come to a close; a good time was had by all.
RIGHT ON! Great Time, thanks to Stooges!
Excellent write up Rick! Thanks to the three stooges for their efforts and a great 2015 V8 meet!
Corner Weights - Scales courtesy of Mantell Motorsport (Sorry about the format).
Without Driver With Driver
Owner Model, Engine LF RF LR RR Total LF RF LR RR Total
Scott Constanza MGB LS4 V8 583 598 456 467 2104 2288
Steve Carrick MGB 302 V8 592 586 546 529 2252 691 570 627 576 2465
Ralph Ratta MGB/GT V8 584 585 556 565 2291 2518
Dale Knapke TR6 2.3 Turbo 547 572 603 595 2316 597 579 685 634 2496
Max Fulton MGB Stock 561 603 607 598 2369
Jeb Blanchard MGA V6 626 635 579 562 2402 702 631 661 615 2608
Jim Miller MGB Rover V8 579 586 617 634 2416
Rob Ficalora MGB 302 V8 637 645 559 578 2419
Barry Glass MGB/GT Rover V8 617 629 610 615 2471
Rich Berger MGB V6 635 599 606 649 2489
Wayne Kube MGB Rover V8 620 626 622 643 2511
Ed Peppard TR6 302 V8 579 633 697 650 2560
Phil McConnell Spit/Vette 693 664 619 671 2646 740 673 688 711 2811
Ken Hiebert TR6 LT1 692 687 670 692 2740 742 690 743 725 2900
Merv Hagen Jag XKE Ford 351 V8 812 797 869 857 3335
Charles Long MGB V6 679 618 714 678 2687
Ken Nicks MGB/GT V6 688 620 739 688 2735
Autocross (again, sorry about the format)
Driver Vehicle Practice 1 2 3 4 5
Scott Costanzo MGB LS4 V8 DNF 33.1
Mike Moor MGB 300 V8 DNF DNF 32.11 30.78 29.53
Mike Moor Jaguar Coupe 350 V8 (Tim) 29.16
Max Fulton Stock MGB 31.38 29.51 29.31 30.29 30.37
Max Fulton TR6 V8 (Ken H) 29.61
Max Fulton MGB GT 302 V8 (Shimp) 31.38
Simon Dix MGB Rover V8 32.06 31.28 30.48 32.24 30.31
Terry Senneker Jr MGB 302 V8 (Steve C) 31.71 38.26 DNF
Terry Senneker Jr TR6 350 V8 (Ted) 31.78 31.41
Bill Yobi MGB Rover V8 34.83 31.48 30.84 29.89 28.59
Alex Mantell MGB 302 V8 33.23 35.46 34.06 35.78 31.85
Rob Ficalora MGB 302 V8 33.43 31.91 33.04 30.84
Ed Peppard TR6 V8 DNF 36.65
Carl Floyd MGB Rover V8 32.61 30.98 31.14 35.23 32.34
Carl Floyd TR6 V8 (Ken H) 32.09
Calvin Grannis TR6 V8 31.56 31.51 32.66 30.93 29.24 28.61
Matthew Blackwood Jaguar 350 V8 40.37 40.16 38.06
Jeb Blanchard MGA V6 56.24 DNF 39.38 38.58 35.96 35.53
Drew Ficalora MGB 302 V8 60.23 38.18 44.97 DNF DNF
Tim Duhammel Jaguar Coupe 350 V8 31.68 31.52 30.16 29.26 28.99 28.76
Ken Hiebert TR6 V8 34.88 30.14 27.87 27.27 29.01
Katie Ermakovich TR6 V8 43.8
Katie Ermakovich Jaguar E Type 351 V8 73.57 37.15 42.8 33.69
Larry Shimp MGB GT 302 V8 35.45 33.16 33.33 32.53
Jim Miller MGB Rover V8 33.86 32.72 30.39 30.83 30.16
The Richard petty driving experience is awesome!! If you ever get time to do it, it's well worth the money. Got to do 16 laps in Fontana and I don't even watch nascar but it was an eye opening experience... In typical fashion, 8 guys and 2 chics got the opportunity to do it... Fastest lap time was recorded by a chic... But it was neck and neck