Trip to Watkins Glen

I documented this trip originally to compare with Sundancer's trip to ...I think it was Talladega, where he had an invitation to watch the NASCAR race from a suite. I wanted to compare our experiences but Paul couldn't document his trip...so here's mine, it sort of goes along with the Bluemaxx Daytona party...with waaaay less people involved.

This is my trip to Watkins Glen to flag for the October 11 SCCA regional race known as 'The Last Chance'

Friday afternoon, heading South on 81 from my office in Syracuse
A stop just north of Homer at Bob's BBQ for a chicken dinner
Ribs and cornell style chicken on the grill
Admiring the Central NY fall foliage while I wait
Bob's menu. (Spanish sub-titles for the South American farm hands who love BBQ too).
After a quick stop at the house to load-up and a 70 minute drive over the backroads, through Ithaca and Watkins Glen, I arrive at the worker's compound set-up my accommodations (15 minutes) and settle down for dinner
One half cornell style chicken, a side of beans, and a side of mac salad...oh and a side of Yeungling's lager too. The red seasoning is Dinosaur BBQ Foreplay.
My Saturday work place...station 9 (turn 6)
Looking east to station 8
West to station 9A
Hot big time on-track action..I think these were production class...Miatas, Integras..actually fun stuff.
The fans go wild!! Look closely and you'll see the wood chuck, and to the left sitting on the tire wall is a chipmunk who kept me company all day.
Lunch Time! Two Salens hotdogs from the concession stand courtesy of the Glen Region of the SCCA
Me, on-track headed back to station, I am headed up the esses here...not going very fast..
Saturday night social...the bar...I found they had a couple bottles of Ravenswood Merlot, everything else was from Hazlitt's Fingerlakes winery (sweet stuff)..
A stunned group of workers amazed to find a buffet, instead of the usual pizza, wings and crudite'
My melange of a dinner...there was a sliced london broil, a stroganoff kind of thing, awesome mac and cheese, salad and veggies. Probably the best worker meal I've had...thanks again SCCA
Sunday workplace...Station 2
Looking west to turn 1
East to turn 2
The fans go wiiiiild!
For the lunch time track tour of the VW van club of New York
Moonrise somewhere west of Ithaca

I didn't have the crowds of Talladega, or Daytona, but this was the most awesome weekend I've had for the Last Chance. The weather was in the 70's the food was great (party was too), and on the trip home I had the windows down, Ry Cooder's 'Chavez Ravine' blasting on the CD player, the sun setting behind me high-lighting the orange colors of the trees against the lavender sky...Still makes me smile.

Bluemaxx, come on up next summer! Lots of PCA events to attend...

Cosmos,
Thanks for a good trip report and great foliage photos.
Our trees are just turning here in Northeast Georgia; last evening, I drove dogleggedly from Atlanta northeast to Gainesville and then back to Athens, and noted that as I drove south from Lula (10 miles east of Gainesville), the trees were putting on less and less of their annual show.
Thanks for the Bob's BBQ photos, too... ya makin' me hongry!
Tummyrumblingly, Ort. Carlton in Amazing Athens, GA.

Nice trip report, Cosmos. I haven't been to Watkins Glen in about 35 years. It sure is pretty country around there. Do they still burn cars and buses for entertainment during the big race?

I love the look of that BBQ shack! Cornell chicken on the grill? Even wanderingjew would approve of that, as it is "regionally authentic".

By the way, the club racing (SCCA?) at Daytona is just as sparcely attended - just racers and their friends and family.

===Moonrise somewhere west of Ithaca====


The last time a solar object rose from the west was in John Wayne's movie, The Green Berets. Are the 'End Times' near?
Bob's BBQ looks good.
Where is your car? Who works or what is the work station for?

mark

Great report and pics of a beautiful area. Bob's Q looks good, and the prices are very good.

Very nice Cosmos, thanks. Wish we had Bob's BBQ here.

quote:

Originally posted by MiamiDon

Nice trip report, Cosmos. I haven't been to Watkins Glen in about 35 years. It sure is pretty country around there. Do they still burn cars and buses for entertainment during the big race?

Car burning is sooo passe'. I too was there in the immolation heyday...Oddly the nascar crowd isn't nearly as rowdy as the old CanAm and Grand Prix Crowd was in the '70's. ..and these days I bring a 12 pack for the weekend instead or 12 cases...

Bob's is definitely regionally authentic. Bob (whose name is really George...go figure)saw how popular the fireman and church bbq's were, and felt there was a demand for chicken even when nobody need to raise money.

His stand moved around a couple times (probably after complaints about the smoke..as sweet as it is, I'm sure you get tired of it). He set up this permanent stand a few years ago and has been going gangbusters ever since.

quote:

Originally posted by doggydaddy




===Moonrise somewhere west of Ithaca====


The last time a solar object rose from the west was in John Wayne's movie, The Green Berets. Are the 'End Times' near?
Bob's BBQ looks good.
Where is your car? Who works or what is the work station for?

mark

Very funny, but, I was west of Ithaca when I took the photo,.. the moon was way east of there...

Mark, I volunteer for RSI and the SCCA as a flagger. My job is to stand in the corner station with a variety of flags and a radio. I signal the drivers to let them know whats happening between myself and the next station down the road or if there is a track condition elsewhere that everyone needs to respond to.

If say, a car spins after my station I show a single yellow flag (stationary if the car is off the track, waving if it is on) so the next driver knows there's a problem ahead, and he is not to pass anyone until the next station that is not showing a yellow flag. I also use my radio to tell the race control what happened and what car it happened to. If there is a crash I inform race control what happened, the severity and offer my opinion if there needs to be an ambulance, tow truck or clean up crew sent to help out.

I show a red and yellow striped flag if there is oil or debris on my part of the track, a white flag if there is a slow moving vehicle on track, a blue and yellow striped flag if there is a faster car (say the leader lapping the field) coming behind you, A black flag if the whole field is called to the pits (there are station where we show a black flag and a number board if an individual car needs to come to the pits (usually to get yelled at), and a red flag if the race is called to a halt, and everyone needs to stop right where they are.

I go to the track usually twice a month in the summer to do this, though there is something happening on track almost everyday. I get paid in free camping, food and the occasional beverage to wash the food down.

Its a lot of fun for me and stress relief. I encourage anyone to look up their local SCCA region and ask about volunteering. This was a small club weekend, but I also work the IncyCars, and GrandAm races...don't do NASCAR though...too old to deal with drunks other than myself..

I was at the GLEN in '87 for the Winston Cup race and they had a bonfire going just beyond our campsite in turn 1 composed of couches, living room chairs and pallets.(this of course started after midnight on Sat ).
The race was actually run on Mon. due to rain cancellation.

Not a bad little 35 ft. high weeney roast. (some less than sober fans were roasting hot dogs on sticks).

Lovely report Cosmos--I'm glad you clarified the picture of the VW vans. The whole racing thing is on the long list of Things I Don't Get and I was like, 'they will race anything' when I saw that picture.

quote:

I documented this trip originally to compare with Sundancer's trip

Our first Roadfood eat-off? Now there's an idea!

Seriously, Nice job. That photo of the cornfield is amazing. I read the entire menu in the one photo - I think I'll have pulled pork and key lime pie.

quote:

Originally posted by EliseT

quote:

I documented this trip originally to compare with Sundancer's trip

Our first Roadfood eat-off? Now there's an idea!

Seriously, Nice job. That photo of the cornfield is amazing. I read the entire menu in the one photo - I think I'll have pulled pork and key lime pie.

+Well, I wasn't thinking of an 'eat off' per se (you know something about that doesn't sound quite right...). but Paul and I were headed to to very different races on the same weekend, his was luxurious compared to mine, hotels, suites, big crowd, big event vs, pup tent, corner station, dozens of fans (mostly wives girlfriends and children), and as far as the event...I know we had more cars (and probably better racing), There were over 200 cars as I recall, 8 different classes.

I'm quite sure we both had as much fun. The only real drawback to my weekend was the clear skies led to some very coooold nights and mornings, I somehow got dressed in my sleeping bag, and I'm not that limber.

The cornfield shot came off better than I thought it would. The trip home was so incredible, I was grinning from ear to ear. Windows open, that wonderful fall foliage smell, the colors were incredible, and I wasn't even high ;).

quote:

Originally posted by JAKE91

I was at the GLEN in '87 for the Winston Cup race and they had a bonfire going just beyond our campsite in turn 1 composed of couches, living room chairs and pallets.(this of course started after midnight on Sat ).
The race was actually run on Mon. due to rain cancellation.

Not a bad little 35 ft. high weeney roast. (some less than sober fans were roasting hot dogs on sticks).

A couch? Rookies...we burned a bus!

Nice report....like being there...minus the noise!!!

Cosmos, excellent report, sir!! I'm gonna take a wild guess here and say that Bob's BBQ won't be open when around Christmas when I'm in CNY? That looks like some seriously good food. A little Cornell chicken and some salt potatoes sounds good right about now! What kind of beans were those? Homemade? Grandma Brown's? I really do love the sights and smells of fall in CNY!! Always triggers a huge smile in me every time! How did you first get involved with flagging?

quote:

Originally posted by billyboy

Cosmos, excellent report, sir!! I'm gonna take a wild guess here and say that Bob's BBQ won't be open when around Christmas when I'm in CNY? That looks like some seriously good food. A little Cornell chicken and some salt potatoes sounds good right about now! What kind of beans were those? Homemade? Grandma Brown's? I really do love the sights and smells of fall in CNY!! Always triggers a huge smile in me every time! How did you first get involved with flagging?

Nope, I think Bob's is closed as I type this...George and his wife go to Florida over the winter where I'm sure they work their tails off doing something else.

Beans are modified canned I'm pretty sure, not Grandma Browns. They are good wherever they came from.

I started spectating at the Glen when I was 14, and got hooked into Grand Prix and road racing in general. I attended two races a year until I moved to Chicago in '79. There I met a school teacher who flagged for the SCCA at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin...A truly beautiful part of the world in its own right. I flagged a few events there in the early '80's for a couple years...I was a broke college kid and couldn't afford the camping gear et.al...

After I moved back to CNY in '86 I attended a few races and mostly watched on TV until I got bored w/ that. I e-mailed the Glen Region of the SCCA, joined them and joined with RSI to be able to work the pro races at the track. I have been enoying it whenver I can get out of the office on weekend ever since. Some day, I'll travel to other tracks like Daytona, Sebring, and Lime Rock and work the races and try the road food there...

Central NY is so beautiful....Thanks for sharing.. I really enjoyed this post.

Cosmos - this post is GREAT!! What a fantastic job of taking pictures, posting and informing those of use what a Flagger does for a race. To take that one step further, you guys who voluteer to save our lives are nothing less than HEROS!! That is why it is SO IMPORTANT for us racers to wave after each session is over...no wave, no save, right?

Anyways, I too really enjoyed this post and can't wait to get back up there to drive WG again. Not sure when the PCA race is but I will look it up and put it on my calendar. We have a house in Canandaigua which is not too far away. Absolutely love those roads!!

Keep up the good work, Cosmos!

Looks like a fun weekend with lots of good food and beverages.

quote:

Originally posted by Bluemaxx

Cosmos - this post is GREAT!! What a fantastic job of taking pictures, posting and informing those of use what a Flagger does for a race. To take that one step further, you guys who voluteer to save our lives are nothing less than HEROS!! That is why it is SO IMPORTANT for us racers to wave after each session is over...no wave, no save, right?

Anyways, I too really enjoyed this post and can't wait to get back up there to drive WG again. Not sure when the PCA race is but I will look it up and put it on my calendar. We have a house in Canandaigua which is not too far away. Absolutely love those roads!!

Keep up the good work, Cosmos!

Thanks, but don't give me too much credit, I just flag and talk...they won't let us play over the guardrail up here, only the fire and rescue guys and the course restoration folks are allowed on track...I do know how to shout 'emergency' to get those folks running to my corner though..

Canadaigua is a great town. My mom grew up there and my aunt and uncle had a very nice house on West Lake Road at the north end of the lake, and a cottage on the east side,..many fond Thanksgiving memories there. Two in particular...one when my aunt forgot to put the bird in the oven...and one when she served us some kind of creamed chicken dish leftover from a bridge party...my dad never let her live that one down...

Anyway, I'll send a flare up when the track schedule is released, we have a lot of PCA events, 10 different clubs...checking last year's schedule, they seem to have all been track-day events...no competition..

Trying to figure out where your flagging station was. Its been probably 35 years since I was at the Glen - grew up nearby and attended many race weekends in the late 60's and early 70's. I remember Jim Hall's Chaparral 2J CanAm 'sucker car' but especially the awesome Porsche 917/30. Certainly had a few beers but didn't burn any buses. I'm thinking your station was near the point where the original track transitioned to the new track? Its too bad the Glen is stuck with only nascar as a major draw and not the ALMS series.

quote:

Originally posted by SBXSTR

Trying to figure out where your flagging station was. Its been probably 35 years since I was at the Glen - grew up nearby and attended many race weekends in the late 60's and early 70's. I remember Jim Hall's Chaparral 2J CanAm 'sucker car' but especially the awesome Porsche 917/30. Certainly had a few beers but didn't burn any buses. I'm thinking your station was near the point where the original track transitioned to the new track? Its too bad the Glen is stuck with only nascar as a major draw and not the ALMS series.

I was a big Mark Donahue fan.

The 917/30 was the most powerful sports car racer ever built and raced. The 5.374 litre 12 cylinder (90.0 x 70.4 mm) twin-turbocharged engine could produce 1,560 bhp (1,160 kW) with twin turbochargers run up to full boost, a simply astonishing 39 psi, though it usually raced with around 1,100 bhp (820 kW) at 7,800 rpm to preserve the engine. The 917/30 dominated the Can-Am series during the 1973 season. The 917/30 could go from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 1.9 seconds, 0-100 mph (160 km/h) in 3.9 seconds, 0-200 mph (320 km/h) in 10.9 seconds, and on to a top speed of 257 mph +, (413 km/h +) .These staggering levels of performance, the attendant fuel consumption of the engines, and ever increasing risk, has led to the 917/30 sometimes being cited as the car that killed Can-Am racing.

quote:

Originally posted by MiamiDon

quote:

Originally posted by SBXSTR

Trying to figure out where your flagging station was. Its been probably 35 years since I was at the Glen - grew up nearby and attended many race weekends in the late 60's and early 70's. I remember Jim Hall's Chaparral 2J CanAm 'sucker car' but especially the awesome Porsche 917/30. Certainly had a few beers but didn't burn any buses. I'm thinking your station was near the point where the original track transitioned to the new track? Its too bad the Glen is stuck with only nascar as a major draw and not the ALMS series.

I was a big Mark Donahue fan.

The 917/30 was the most powerful sports car racer ever built and raced. The 5.374 litre 12 cylinder (90.0 x 70.4 mm) twin-turbocharged engine could produce 1,560 bhp (1,160 kW) with twin turbochargers run up to full boost, a simply astonishing 39 psi, though it usually raced with around 1,100 bhp (820 kW) at 7,800 rpm to preserve the engine. The 917/30 dominated the Can-Am series during the 1973 season. The 917/30 could go from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 1.9 seconds, 0-100 mph (160 km/h) in 3.9 seconds, 0-200 mph (320 km/h) in 10.9 seconds, and on to a top speed of 257 mph +, (413 km/h +) .These staggering levels of performance, the attendant fuel consumption of the engines, and ever increasing risk, has led to the 917/30 sometimes being cited as the car that killed Can-Am racing.

Don - STOP!! You are turning me on!

Great report on Watkins Glen.

Having been a Cornell undergrad in the 60's, I passed thru Watkins Glen many, many times enroute to and from Keuka College (all female then) near Penn Yan.

Now as an old f&*% I take courses and and attend seminars now and then at the NYS Academy of Fire Science at nearby Montour Falls.

Just in case anyone cares.

Wally
Cornell '67

quote:

Originally posted by SBXSTR

Trying to figure out where your flagging station was. Its been probably 35 years since I was at the Glen - grew up nearby and attended many race weekends in the late 60's and early 70's. I remember Jim Hall's Chaparral 2J CanAm 'sucker car' but especially the awesome Porsche 917/30. Certainly had a few beers but didn't burn any buses. I'm thinking your station was near the point where the original track transitioned to the new track? Its too bad the Glen is stuck with only nascar as a major draw and not the ALMS series.

You are correct sir...The shot I have looking east from station 9 looks at the exit of the loop. Station 9 is at the 'ankle of the boot'.

http://www.freewebs.com/ferrariporsche/Porsche%20917_30.jpg
Ahhh the Porsche Panzer..I hold that car in awe and disdain...it was so incredible it annihilated my beloved orange McLarens (Denny Hulme and Peter Revson, RIP)and their amazing 7 litre aluminum block Chevy V8's (oooo that sound...).

As I said, I don't do NASCAR but the IndyCars are awesome...they hold the track record and are impressively fast if not handsome andpleasant sounding...wait 'til 2011...turbos will be back !!!(I hope)

quote:

Originally posted by MiamiDon


The 917/30 was the most powerful sports car racer ever built and raced. The 5.374 litre 12 cylinder (90.0 x 70.4 mm) twin-turbocharged engine could produce 1,560 bhp (1,160 kW) with twin turbochargers run up to full boost, a simply astonishing 39 psi, though it usually raced with around 1,100 bhp (820 kW) at 7,800 rpm to preserve the engine. The 917/30 dominated the Can-Am series during the 1973 season. The 917/30 could go from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 1.9 seconds, 0-100 mph (160 km/h) in 3.9 seconds, 0-200 mph (320 km/h) in 10.9 seconds, and on to a top speed of 257 mph +, (413 km/h +) .These staggering levels of performance, the attendant fuel consumption of the engines, and ever increasing risk, has led to the 917/30 sometimes being cited as the car that killed Can-Am racing.

It was not the staggering levels of performance of the Porsche, rather the staggering amount of money it cost to develop a car to beat it...McLaren briefly attempted to bolt a turbo to the Chevy, but realized it would take more than that and quit...as did pretty much everyone else, until they outlawed turbos...

...A BUS?... a)if you even started a fire on a bus that tells me something about your maturity level and sense of responsibility...b) it was several couches and chairs and pallets... c) I was not involved with the incineration nor would I be so inclined to do something as stupid as that at an area with so many people...(children present too)

I once saw (at the 24 hour race at Daytona) a crew of spectators roll an empty VW Beetle into a tee-pee shaped from 3 couches on their ends. Filled the VW with fire wood and torched it. The blames had to be 30-40 feet high...unbelievable! Hurley Haywood got all mad because the smoke was covering the track in the Turn 4 banking. I loved it because it was 35 degrees out and there were alot of drunk women all around me!

Your chicken and beer dinner looked good..

Do those races have any cash prizes, Cosmos?
How about the one you were just in, Bluemaxx?

quote:

Originally posted by JAKE91

...A BUS?... a)if you even started a fire on a bus that tells me something about your maturity level and sense of responsibility...b) it was several couches and chairs and pallets... c) I was not involved with the incineration nor would I be so inclined to do something as stupid as that at an area with so many people...(children present too)

To clarify..I say 'we' as in a grenaralization of the Grand Prix fans at the time. I personally did not steal an idling bus chartered by Brazilian fans who came to see Emerson Fittipaldi become the youngest F1 Champion...drive it into the bog and set it on fire.

I did however witness the blaze. I would not disagree it was a childish thing to do...it was pretty funny, though (if you don't think about the Barzilian fans...Emmo won anyway, and I'm sure they were pretty happy on Sunday ;)

The place was a little wilder before the France family bought it..nascar fans are sedate by comparison