I started this tradition in 2013 where I'd run Bumblestook with 4 drivers (myself included) on her final event of the season for what's basically a fun event with friends. This year was no different and with a tank full of ethanol from Nationals, I wanted to burn it all off in the most fun way possible. This year, the "beehive" as I call it would consist of James, Rad, Hez and myself. We got really lucky today with awesome weather and a course that seemed almost designed for the car. Every corner flowed nicely and was smack in the middle of Bumblestook's power band. To top it off we got 7 runs each for a total of 28 runs. We burned through most of the fuel, got rid of all the OPR from Lincoln and went through 8 gallons of water trying to keep the tires cool.
James getting ready to run - NNJR SCCA - 9/16/2017
This was the first time James was going to drive Bumblestook and although initially intimidated he soon got comfortable and put in some awesome runs good enough for 2nd RAW and 2nd PAX overall. Rad was a dirty boy. He only had one clean run (his first). He's always driven very close to cones to cut distance in his STR S2000 which is normally a good thing but unfortunately, Bumblestook's wider body was giving him trouble. He was just a bit too close.
Hez getting ready to run - NNJR SCCA - 9/16/2017
For Hez though, this was like putting on an old glove and he was fast right out of the gate. He easily took top PAX and FTD after a few runs and only extended the lead with each run. I was a bit inconsistent today but somehow pulled a not-so-crappy run to end up with 3rd RAW time and got bumped out of 3rd in PAX by Evan in the SSR Z06 on his last run so ended up 4th in PAX overall. I'd say finishing off the season with Bumblestook taking top 3 fastest times and 3 of the top 5 PAX times out of 126 drivers isn't too bad. Of course we got a bit of help with none of the SM or SSM cars showed up today. Today was more about sharing the joy of driving Bumblestook and having fun with friends and we all had boat loads of fun.
The Beehive 2017 - NNJR SCCA - 9/16/2017
She wouldn't be a Street Prepared car without some kind of failure this year though. As I was loading her on the trailer we noticed it was leaking some fluid. When the car is running there seems to be a bit of fluid coming out from the front driver side stainless braided brake lines. I've had that line there since Bumblestook was a track car so maybe it just failed. The odd thing is that it's not leaking when the car isn't running and didn't leak when I got to my storage and drove it off the trailer. The brakes are still fully functioning. I guess we'll have to take a close look at this in the off-season and probably pre-emptively replace all the lines just in case. This is a safety issue and I don't take chances with safety. I'm just glad it didn't happen at Nationals. I guess this is Bumblestook's way of telling me she's ready for winter hibernation.
