IFU through the years

#1

It’s a quiet week in SE-ville as everyone tries to keep cool and prepare their cars for next weekend at Road Atlanta, and with too much time on my hands, I got a little curious about the history of the IFU, versions 1-2-3.

First off, yes, Virginia, there will be an IFU-4 at CMP in November. Details will be worked out with NASA next weekend and announced soon after.

Some of the newcomers to the series may have wondered what IFU actually means. It stands for Inverted Field Unlimited, and we take that statement of intent very seriously. It was the demented brainchild of our own resident Taxi Driver, Robert DeNiro (I mean Patton)!

I scraped the rust off my Excel skillz and did a little analysis of the IFU competitors.

First off, I wondered how many competitors have done all three previous IFUs. A pretty small list:

Alonzo Taylor
Charles Taylor
Craig Geiger
Kelly Childress
Laura Patton
Robert Patton
Scott McMennamy
Thomas V Hall

Another 12 guys have done two of the three, and 46 different drivers have competed in at least 1 IFU.

In a “where are they now” segment, here is the entry list from 2007:

Alonzo Taylor
Charles Taylor
Craig Geiger
Damion Moses
David Cullen
James Coates
Jeff Puras
Jim Robinson
Keith Smith
Kelly Childress
Kenneth Neuhoff
Laura Patton
Mark Nichols
Michael Skeen
Robert Patton
Scott McMennamy
Stephen Foushee
Steven Canterbury
T.J. Brewster
Thomas V Hall
Travis Wilson

The fields have always been pretty healthy:
2007 - 21 cars
2008 - 29 cars (my research may be faulty but I believe this represents the single largest SpecE30 turnout at any event, ever!)
2009 - 24 cars (considering the state of the economy last year that is pretty amazing)

In 2007 and 2008, the IFU was held at Roebling Road. Considering all that has gone down in the 2 years since, it is amazing that we were able to pull this off! Of course, it may also be that our shenanigans were just another log on the fire too…

The race format has been just a little different each year, and the mad scientists of NASA and SE-SpecE30 administration have been cooking up something we think you’ll all enjoy for 2010, so make plans to be there!

To keep the thread going, if any of you guys want to post up some memorable impressions from the events (not to mention the crowd response), please do!

#2

Having been banned from a Roebling IFU, I flagged on tower 4. I threw yellow so 2 cats could cross the track.

That was the race that on the first lap someone near the front spun on the exit of 3 and ended up sideways taking up the whole track. Everyone else was flying at him in a tight pack at 105-110mph. The entire field herringboned right and left into the grass to avoid him. I wasn’t even in the race and I was scared.

#3

That was Damion.

From the “where are they now” camp…I’m living in Charlotte and my wife is 16 weeks pregnant with out first baby, A BOY!!

JP

#4

Congratulations JP, that’s terrific.

We miss you.

#5

Ranger, I must know why you were banned. You seem like the least likely guy to get banned from an event.

#6

I didn’t to race in the 1st one, I was part of the crew that was pulling the shenanigans - but the look on Skeen’s and Travis’ faces when they had just reached the front and we stopped the pack and started re-inverting the field was priceless!

And the Lemans finish last year got me to realize how out of shape I was!

#7

The IFU’s are always a wild time. I’m sure this years IFU4 will be another great event. Can’t wait to see what Tom and crew come up with for us…

That’s right, I said “US”… I’ll be returning from my sabatical away from the track for this weekend. My goal will be to not start on the front row this year.

Can’t wait (literally… can not wait)

My video from last years IFU: http://www.vimeo.com/7799842

#8

BigKeyserSoze wrote:

http://www.Gress.org/Home/Cars/TrackTales/IAmNotARecklessShithead/i_am_not_a_reckless_shithead.htm

Cliffnotes.
I went off at Roebling turn 9. If that happens you’ve two choices…1) Very quickly get the car under control and come to a stop near the track before the tower’s barrier. 2) Allow more time to get the car under control and go behind the tower. Something I’ve heard briefed at Roebling many times.

I crept behind the tower, an admin area, at 9mph.

Some flagger excitedly told both track and NASA management that I’d gone around the tower “at speed”. I got black flagged.

At the driver’s meeting Jim and Tom, based on the flagger reporting my recklessness, were pretty unhappy. Tom was so angry that I was afraid if I even opened my mouth I’d be banned for life.

That night I pulled the data and video and made a screenshot that showed me behind the tower at 9mph.

#9

So what advantage do you get to qualify well?

#10

Are we doing an IFU this weekend? Sounds fun, although I’ll likely be in the middle either way.

#11

turbo329is wrote:

[quote]So what advantage do you get to qualify well?[/quote]None…It’s a disadvantage actually.

The starting grid is created by inverting the qualifying order from the sprint race, so the fastest guy in qualies starts dead last, and so on…

Actually, even though we call it a race, and people are no doubt racing their buns off, the seemingly random reversals and injustices are pretty much designed to make the finishing order the least important and remembered aspect of the race.

#12

FishMan wrote:

[quote]Are we doing an IFU this weekend? Sounds fun, although I’ll likely be in the middle either way.[/quote]Ahh, no, it will be at November in CMP, like it says up top. The IFU is an optional, additional race (and also additional cost) beyond the standard Lightning sprint race. It is for SpecE30 cars only (and the rest of the racers are very jealous that we can do this).

The extra cost goes for the purchase of track overtime, and also rewards all the contestants with a bitchin’ shirt designed by ScottMcMcMc…

#13

Last year was my first. It was pretty fun. At first my only thought was “holly crap, what a mess”, than I realized my strategy of being passed a bunch of times at the start actually paid off.

Coincidentaly, that is very likely to be my first event back after the “baby break”, so looking forward to it.

PS - JP, although I never met you, heard a lot about you. I also live in Charlotte and just went/going through the whole baby thing. So, if you want to drink a beer behind the wheel of a Spec E30, even though it won’t be moving, feel free to come over.

#14

Hey, thanks to IFU I was able to acquire my one and only piece of original Geiger “art”.

#15

Man, it sucks that I will miss the race this year (just sold my car). IFU races are the best part of the southeast SE30 gang. I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone that has a car and can be at CMP that weekend!

#16

Last year was my first and only IFU and it was also my first NASA race weekend. As a new racer I already had some situational awareness challenges, but then throw in an IFU …and I was absolutely clueless.

In retrospect it was at least 6 months of racing experience rolled in to one afternoon and I am very much looking forward to the next.

#17

Ranger wrote:

[quote]Having been banned from a Roebling IFU, I flagged on tower 4. I threw yellow so 2 cats could cross the track.

That was the race that on the first lap someone near the front spun on the exit of 3 and ended up sideways taking up the whole track. Everyone else was flying at him in a tight pack at 105-110mph. The entire field herringboned right and left into the grass to avoid him. I wasn’t even in the race and I was scared.[/quote]

Yeah that was me but that was the IFU race. Same weekend but it was one of the sprints.

BTW 2 time IFU champion here!

#18

DMoses wrote:

[quote]
BTW 2 time IFU champion here![/quote]

Do they invert the order at the end of the race? :laugh:

#19

Elephant4 wrote:

[quote]DMoses wrote:

[quote]
BTW 2 time IFU champion here![/quote]

Do they invert the order at the end of the race? :laugh:[/quote]

:woohoo: don’t make me come to Mid-Ohio!

#20

DMoses wrote:

[quote]
:woohoo: don’t make me come to Mid-Ohio![/quote]

Would be great to see you at Mid Ohio sometime. Maybe you should plan on doing Nationals 2011. We also have 9 locals signed up for the August event, our region is finally starting to get some numbers. Ok back to your IFU discussion.