Spun out, turned around, up against the guardrail at the Autobahn Country Club Raceway. This was the final image of last season for the Gulp Racing Team. A frustrating end to the campaign, no doubt, but this group is nothing if not resilient, and it’ll take more than a little oversteer to crush our spirits. So we surveyed the wreckage, looked at the tape, and set our sights on 2017. And at long last, the new season is nigh.
We broke down the crash in the aftermath, then spent the winter making repairs to the damaged engine and transmission. Now all that’s left to do is master the befuddling physics of the rear-engined car. Thankfully, with enough practice, even a $500 hooptie can harness the oversteer to slingshot through corners (or so we’ve heard…) so we hit the GingerMan Raceway in South Haven, MI for a little test ‘n tune.
Even for year-round gearheads like us, there’s nothing like getting back out the track for the first run of the season. The fresh exhaust and optimism in the air, the grease beneath your fingernails, the creativity that such tight parameters inspire – it keeps us coming back. What happened to us last year isn’t out of the ordinary (in fact, it’s exceedingly common in this type of circuit), and that’s what’s so damn cool. Of course we’re in it to win it, but we’ve also come to terms with the fact that at any moment, the wheels could literally fall off. The whole thing is both limiting and liberating, occasionally futile but always fulfilling.
Plus it’s just good, greasy, debaucherous fun.
We’ll be back at the scene of the crash, the Autobahn Country Club, on July 22nd in the 24 Hours of LeMons race series. Keep up with our 1973 VW Fastback and the latest from Gulp Racing on our team Tumblr page. Best believe we’ll be tinkering ‘til the gun goes off, getting this mofo race-ready on the cheap. Stay tuned!
