Mid Michigan 4,5
Event Number 3, the Cannonball Pub
Saturday May 5
There are at least two people at OLOA numbering these events and they ain't a talking to one another. In the scoring, event number 3 is the stop at the Cannonball Pub. There are no points to be gained, but there are points to be lost by not showing up on time. Nobody got dinged. But everybody had to wait the allotted two hours. Must be tough to just sit around when time is a wasting. Throwing back a few brewskis to kill some time on an event like this is not a hot idea.
Event Number 4, Mid Michigan Drags
Sunday May 6
Event number 4 was a drag race with points being awarded based on elapsed time. When the rubber smoke cleared, SP308 piloted by Dennis Olthoff was the top dog. Barry Kline was a most impressive 5th. Just to let you know what the competition was like, here are the top 15 cars.
| Position | Car | Class | ET | Points |
| 1 | 2
Superformance Mk III Dennis Olthoff, Rick Lee |
Super Tuner | 0:11.754 | 445 |
| 2 | 13 Nissan Skyline GTR | SSGT1 | 0:11.972 | 440 |
| 3 | 8 Dodge Viper | SSGT1 | 0:11.993 | 435 |
| 4 | 49 Porsche 911 Carrera | Vint For | 0:12.154 | 430 |
| 5 | 4
Superformance Mk III Barry Kline, James Roxbury |
Vint Amer | 0:12.293 | 425 |
| 6 | 10 Dodge Viper ACR | SSGT1 | 0:12.619 | 420 |
| 7 | 9 Dodge Viper | SSGT1 | 0:12.772 | 415 |
| 8 | 25 Pontiac Firebird | SSGT2 | 0:12.910 | 410 |
| 9 | 32 Ford Mustang | SSGT2 | 0:12.926 | 405 |
| 10 | 35 Mazda RX-7 | SSGT2 | 0:13.157 | 400 |
| 11 | 11 Chevrolet Corvette | SSGT1 | 0:13.181 | 395 |
| 12 | 6 Chevrolet Mallett Corvette | Super Tuner | 0:13.268 | 390 |
| 13 | 41 Pontiac Formula | SSGT2 | 0:13.465 | 385 |
| 14 | 21 Chevrolet Corvette | SSGT1 | 0:13.490 | 380 |
| 15 | 7 BMW M3 | SSGT1 | 0:13.581 | 375 |
Event Number 4, Mid Michigan Bracket Race
Bracket racing is a handicapped form of drag racing. Each car has a stated ET or index. The slower car leaves first by the difference in index's. If the index's are accurate, the cars should arrive at the finish line at the same time. If the car is quicker than the index, then it might arrive under the stated ET. If it does, it "breaks out" and is disqualified. This put a premium on reflexes and driving and downplays somewhat raw horsepower.
Of the 89 entries, 81 made it to the line for the bracket (drag) race. Of these, 42 lost or broke out. These 42 cars were all give 8th place and 410 points. This continued until one car was the winner of the final round of 2 cars.
The Kline/Roxbury Superformance was knocked out in the first round. The Olthoff/Lee Superformance made it two more rounds before being knocked out. The eventual winner was #13, the Nissan Skyline GTR that finished 2nd in the drags.
The good thing about bracket racking is that everyone who runs finishes no less than 8th and everybody get lots of points. So overall our boys had a very good day at Mid Michigan. The overall results are to be posted after MIS.
Report from Alan Chamblee SP455
The following report from Alan was posted with SCOF on Sunday at 9:27 PM.
Left Ann Arbor this morning at 06:15, at a balmy 55 degrees, to run 130 miles northeast to support the Superformance One Lap team at the Mid Michigan raceway. #455 and I ran alone until we got to about 50 miles from the track, when we ran into some of the contestants. We finished the ride in with them.
Upon lying my way into the track I met up with Dennis Olthoff in the staging lanes. I helped him push his Super Tuner Mk III up in the staging lanes just prior to him ripping off the fastest E.T. of the day. An 11.7! I also met his co driver Rick Lee. Then I met Barry Kline and his co driver Jim Roxbury, they were running an SPF in the Vintage American Class. It was great to watch these cars do such damage against the competition. After finishing the eliminations, we packed up and made the 127 mile run to Michigan International Speedway for the next event. Me and old #455 running with the Big Dogs! It was great to be just a small part of it.
The racing at M.I.S was super. I got pictures of Olthoff and Kline running in excess of 170 mph comming out of turn 4. It was very nice to spend time with Superformance racers. I got a lot of free advice from guys that know about these cars of ours. I can’t believe how nicely I was treated, although I cleaned Dennis’s car and bought burgers for everyone! Thats what you call real support!
After the track event, I wished all the racers good luck and headed back home. Altogether, 326 miles today in #455, and I got 18.6 miles per gallon to boot. I love this car!
Alan " One Lap " Chamblee