When you wanna take BOTH! Thank you to @kqphotoworks for being so supportive and not thinking I'm crazy for wanting to take both my Mustangs to a driving event. It was awesome to be able to drive them back to back around the same course. I had to adapt driving styles a little for each car. With Hank, the blue one, I have to be extra smooth with throttle input, brake earlier, and not carry as much speed through the turns. But he made up for it with his higher speeds in the straights. With Racecar, the white one, I could brake later once the @carbotechbrakes pads warmed up, and the @michelinusa Sport Cup 2 Connect tires (200tw) provided much more grip in the turns thank Hank's Michelin PS4S tires (300tw). I could also get on power harder and quicker with Racecar, compared to Hank. Top speeds on @m4them short course, in the long sweeper, were 87mph in Racecar and 92mph in Hank.
9-4-2021
That "I didn't die" feeling and other creeper shots from @kqphotoworks
9-7-2021
Thank you everyone who tuned into the live stream last night!
A behind the scenes look, and a couple of screenshots, from the member video @sccaofficial recently released. There is a link to the video in my profile, or you can search "Ryan Cheek SCCA" on YT.
It is a huge honor to be the first member featured in this brand new series. After a long day of racing at Time Trial Nationals @ncmmsp this year, I sat down with @racebrat93 and answered some questions about how I got started, what keeps me going, and advice I would give those wanting to start racing. The video is under 3mins long, please go check it out and show some love! It'll help me more than you realize!
Video link:
If you are having trouble seeing this video, watch on YouTube
9-18-2021
First time here @carolinamotorsportspark! Im here this weekend for at Time Trial with the SC region of SCCA. Super fun track, love the fluidity of the course. Had a good first session this morning. Just practice, but I set a 1:52.0 lap time. During my 2nd practice session, first lap, I blew my clutch in T11. I heard what sounded like a lot of pebbles clinking everywhere and the car wouldn't go into gear. Actually though I blew my transmission, and had to get towed off track. I was bummed, but within 5mins of being towed in I had two offers of cars I could continue driving for the rest of the event. My friend, and hillclimb buddy, James Currie, offered up his 2020 M4. The car is stock (with 4 point rollbar & harnesses) and runs in the Sport2 class. I typically run Tuner 3, which is considered a more competitive class than Sport, so I am still competing with the M4 in Tuner 3. The car is completely stock, and I'm having to used the 3point belt bc the car's harnesses don't fit my body correctly. However, I am having a blast with the 550hp beast, in M dynamic mode. No traction control, but it will come on in an emergency scenario (like if I'm about to lose it). My first session (Still practice) ran a 1:48.6 lap time, and my afternoon sessions (competitive times) I dropped to a 1:46.2 lap time! I'm still in 2nd in my class by 0:00.2 seconds, but it feels great to just have a car! Tomorrow is another round of sessions to whittle off some more time! Still be very conservative with the car, as it's not mine!
I have so much I want to say about this weekend! I think starting off with epic trophy pictures is the way to go.
It was a great experience having my hillclimb buddies join me for a Time Trial event. It was their first TT, and they all did amazing. Everyone took home hardware! Sam Wright Racing brought his 2009 Civic, winning 1st in Unlimited 2. Lawrence Shue brought his 2003 M3, winning 1st in Tuner 3 (and beat me by just 0.269 seconds, and that's with combining 2 lap times.). James Currie brought his 2020 m4, and took 2nd place in Sport 2. James also brought his 17yo son, Aiden. This was Aiden's first track event, and he drove his own 2018 330i. Aiden took 1st in class and dropped many seconds off his lap times throughout the weekend, finishing with a 1:57. It was awesome to watch him get more and more comfortable on track.
This was my first event competing as part of the Racing for ALS crew. It is an honor to race along side these guys who are passionate about raising funds and awareness for ALS. And, boy, they sure can drive! Nearly the whole top 10 overall where Racing for ALS drivers! Scott Lloyd and Scott Weatherford battled all weekend for 1st in Unlimited 1, with Lloyd ultimately claiming the win & FTD. Chris Hardy grabbed 1st in Class. Ron James also claimed a 1st in class win. Rob Wilmoth spent most of Saturday evening & Sunday morning fixing his car, after it popped a brake line heading into T8. Despite the challenges, Rob also claimed a 1st in class win!
For me, blowing my clutch during the practice session didn't seem like a great way to start the weekend. However, the script changed when James Currie offered to let me share his car for the rest of the weekend. The kindness of others always surprises me, and I swear car people are the best you'll ever find. I am so lucky to call these guys friends. My first lap in the M4, I beat my practice time in the Mustang by 3.5secs. As I got more and more comfortable with the car, time kept dropping. After my 4th total session with the car, on the second day, I had whittled the lap time down to a 1:45.5. During the session, I knew had got faster and when I caught the back of my session group, I decided to pit in early. Kyle eagerly ran up to me to tell me my time, getting under 1:46 made me happy. Then he went on to say Lawrence ran a 1:45.4! 0.1seconds faster!! Ugh! Although there were two more sessions, the temps outside were climbing and I didn't feel comfortable going back out and "pushing" for a faster time in someone else's car. That's when mistakes happen. 2nd place in class, behind my friend Lawrence, was A-Ok with me! Actually being able to drive the whole weekend was a win in itself.
Out here at @roadatlanta for the last stop on @sccaofficial Time Trials Tour. Day 1, is in the books. With a couple of short track sessions, I am sitting 2nd in class and have dropped my PB by 1.5seconds. More sessions today and hoping to maintain position and drop more time. Best of all, I'm getting to spend time with my buds Sam Wright, Lawrence Shue, and James Currie. We are also lucky to have some great people who cooked a bunch of food and felt like sharing! Yum! #funwithcars
@that_blue_fg2
Nice to see someone pushing these cars to their limits.
Posted by MPower on 10/12/20 @ 2:21:13 PM