Rental car needed
- Thread starter yota599
- Start date
Greg Miller
Well-known member
Did anyone notice that Ron Johnson stayed around after the T&T Friday to help this person complete his program?
Ron's Rabbit sported 400#s and competed very well!
Thanks Ron!! Your club support and spirit of club racing is something to look up to.
Ron's Rabbit sported 400#s and competed very well!
Thanks Ron!! Your club support and spirit of club racing is something to look up to.
mariefjellanger
Active member
Well, this is because Ron Johnson is an all around fabulous human being (and a past IRDC President)!
Seriously, we have some fabulous people in our Conference!
Seriously, we have some fabulous people in our Conference!
Reviving this thread because I want to share the story of my first race season with you all. I hope as many of you in the ICSCC community as possible will take the time to sit down a read this… I am afraid it may be rather lengthy, but the prestigious and wonderful group of people that YOU, if you are reading this belong to deserve nothing less.
I’d like to begin with some of my background: If you don’t know me yet, my name is Sean Peters. I grew up in Gresham/Boring, and Salem/Silverton Oregon. The family I was raised in was a wrestling family. In wrestling we learned some valuable lessons that I don’t think other sports give. Some do, some just not as well, and some not at all. In my wrestling years I learned a multitude of life lessons about integrity, honesty, teamwork, self-confidence, hard work, mental toughness, and selflessness. In this little narrative, however, I want to touch the selflessness thing specifically. Remember I said some sports taught the same lessons as wrestling but just not as well? It turns out that goes both ways. Wrestling teaches selflessness, just not as well as all of you. I have been absolutely, jaw-droppingly, astounded at the extreme caliber of the Men and Women I have met over the past summer. Let this stand as my personal and sincere thank you to all who have given me their blood, sweat, and tears with zero expectation for return on their investment. Thanks to our dedicated turn workers, safety teams, timers, coordinators, stewards, fellow drivers, and especially to those whose names are to follow herein.
I have watched from a distance while my father, Bob (#94) began his racing career in the ICSCC. He and I have dreamed of road racing for as long as I can remember. When he started I lived in Texas, attending USAF undergraduate pilot training. Because I was so far away, racing together seemed impossible. By the grace of God, and a stroke of luck I received an assignment after training to fly the C-17 Globemaster at McChord Field in Tacoma. Finally near home again racing seemed close, but still out of reach. I returned home from my second Deployment overseas in May this year. The very weekend I returned, my folks came up to race at the Ridge. It was Mother’s Day weekend. I came to watch, and help with the car…there may even be a few that remember my yellow Model A Ford in the paddock…that was the start for me. That weekend my Dad and I sat down and started planning how we could share the car to get me through the Novice program. The end Goal was to upgrade and run the Cascade festival of Endurance in the Fall. Nervously and hesitantly I started to research what I needed to do to get started. I spoke first to Kristi Bennett from the IRDC and told her my plan. I expressed worry about a late notice school cancellation in the event of a short notice mission tasking. Kristi helped me get registered in motorsportsreg and assured me that if I didn’t show, it was no big deal. Well sure enough, I went to Japan the weekend of the IRDC school and just as Kristi said…no big deal. Already, however, missing the school put me in a tough spot. My next best option for making the first of my three races was to go to the school on the Friday before the Chicaine Challenge in Portland, which meant an overnight turn time on my license! Enter Linda Hainerich, ladies and gentlemen! Linda bent over backwards for me. Trust me guys…do not limbo with Linda Hainerich! She walked me through every piece of documentation and paperwork I would need, had me send in a photo for my card via email, and even held number 494 for me to make for a quick change of number on a double duty car. Meanwhile, I called around and found Armadillo Andy’s number. I told him I was going to need some gear…on the cheap! Andy invited me to his home and spent nearly three hours with me as I hymned and hawed over what to buy. In the end, He sold me a helmet, advised me that my Air Force Flight gloves would be sufficient for now, and even loaned me a suit for my first weekend! Just as Linda had promised, on Friday night after the school, my shiny new license was already waiting for me, and gear in hand, I leapt whole heartedly into the world of racing! After the race day I worked the grid with Becky Pengraph and had a blast, and then lucked out working turn one with the nicest Australian lady the world has ever known. I about died when group one went flying into the Chicaine and the REAL fast orange rabbit dove inside a big, fast, tube car on three wheels! My new Australian/Canadian friend turned around with a big grin, and in her awesome Auzzie accent exclaimed:
“thaits note a no-mal bunnie!”
The Chicaine Challenge was an overwhelming success, and even more fun. I have never felt so genuinely welcomed into a community than I did at that race.
Race number two was the Dornbecker Dash in August. Again, a fantastic success! The little Integra ran virtually non-stop for the entire weekend. Special thanks to the boys on the paddock entry for allowing us to gas, change driver, and re-launch the car right next to the grid between the novice race and the enduro. They even manned our fire bottle!
Race number three was last weekend at the ridge, and truly became the motivation for this write up. We arrived at the track on Friday for the test and tune not for the car, but for me. I needed to get some time to learn the track before the race. In the very first session we began having issues. The car was popping out of third gear three or four times every lap. We tried a bungee to hold it in gear, tried tying the motor with a strap to keep it from rotating as we backed out of the throttle, tried messing with the linkage, nothing helped. The car was just done taking our abuse. Right about the time we were discussing packing it in for the weekend and thus abandoning our Father/Son Enduro goal, Mr. Ron Johnson, who was paddocked next to us, began packing up his club rabbit to head for home.
“Did you break?” I asked.
“No, just came for the test and tune,” he said.
“Well, how’s the car running?” I asked.
“Great!” Said Ron…
See where this is going yet?
“We broke,” I told Ron, “I was planning to upgrade to area this weekend and now we are sunk…which takes us out of the enduro next month too…what would you think about renting me your car for tomorrow?” I sheepishly inquired.
Ron, who is a man of short sentences, just simply said “Okay.”
“What would you want for a rental?” I asked him, and those who know Ron can picture this….He just waved his hand like these were not the droids I was looking for and said:
“You can just use it.”
I tried, guys….And could not get him to accept any payment for the use of his car. So last weekend, 494 was on Ron Johnson’s fun little Club Rabbit, and my Dad and I are still on track to accomplish our goal! Thanks for the Area upgrade Ron, thanks Linda, thanks Becky, thanks Colin, Jeremiah, Eric and George…Thanks Scott Ferris, thanks Armadillo Andy, thanks Bob Mearns, and Beef Wellington, thanks ICSCC….
Thanks Dad.
You are a truly unique and amazing group of Selfless people.
God Bless You All!
-- Capt Sean Peters
I’d like to begin with some of my background: If you don’t know me yet, my name is Sean Peters. I grew up in Gresham/Boring, and Salem/Silverton Oregon. The family I was raised in was a wrestling family. In wrestling we learned some valuable lessons that I don’t think other sports give. Some do, some just not as well, and some not at all. In my wrestling years I learned a multitude of life lessons about integrity, honesty, teamwork, self-confidence, hard work, mental toughness, and selflessness. In this little narrative, however, I want to touch the selflessness thing specifically. Remember I said some sports taught the same lessons as wrestling but just not as well? It turns out that goes both ways. Wrestling teaches selflessness, just not as well as all of you. I have been absolutely, jaw-droppingly, astounded at the extreme caliber of the Men and Women I have met over the past summer. Let this stand as my personal and sincere thank you to all who have given me their blood, sweat, and tears with zero expectation for return on their investment. Thanks to our dedicated turn workers, safety teams, timers, coordinators, stewards, fellow drivers, and especially to those whose names are to follow herein.
I have watched from a distance while my father, Bob (#94) began his racing career in the ICSCC. He and I have dreamed of road racing for as long as I can remember. When he started I lived in Texas, attending USAF undergraduate pilot training. Because I was so far away, racing together seemed impossible. By the grace of God, and a stroke of luck I received an assignment after training to fly the C-17 Globemaster at McChord Field in Tacoma. Finally near home again racing seemed close, but still out of reach. I returned home from my second Deployment overseas in May this year. The very weekend I returned, my folks came up to race at the Ridge. It was Mother’s Day weekend. I came to watch, and help with the car…there may even be a few that remember my yellow Model A Ford in the paddock…that was the start for me. That weekend my Dad and I sat down and started planning how we could share the car to get me through the Novice program. The end Goal was to upgrade and run the Cascade festival of Endurance in the Fall. Nervously and hesitantly I started to research what I needed to do to get started. I spoke first to Kristi Bennett from the IRDC and told her my plan. I expressed worry about a late notice school cancellation in the event of a short notice mission tasking. Kristi helped me get registered in motorsportsreg and assured me that if I didn’t show, it was no big deal. Well sure enough, I went to Japan the weekend of the IRDC school and just as Kristi said…no big deal. Already, however, missing the school put me in a tough spot. My next best option for making the first of my three races was to go to the school on the Friday before the Chicaine Challenge in Portland, which meant an overnight turn time on my license! Enter Linda Hainerich, ladies and gentlemen! Linda bent over backwards for me. Trust me guys…do not limbo with Linda Hainerich! She walked me through every piece of documentation and paperwork I would need, had me send in a photo for my card via email, and even held number 494 for me to make for a quick change of number on a double duty car. Meanwhile, I called around and found Armadillo Andy’s number. I told him I was going to need some gear…on the cheap! Andy invited me to his home and spent nearly three hours with me as I hymned and hawed over what to buy. In the end, He sold me a helmet, advised me that my Air Force Flight gloves would be sufficient for now, and even loaned me a suit for my first weekend! Just as Linda had promised, on Friday night after the school, my shiny new license was already waiting for me, and gear in hand, I leapt whole heartedly into the world of racing! After the race day I worked the grid with Becky Pengraph and had a blast, and then lucked out working turn one with the nicest Australian lady the world has ever known. I about died when group one went flying into the Chicaine and the REAL fast orange rabbit dove inside a big, fast, tube car on three wheels! My new Australian/Canadian friend turned around with a big grin, and in her awesome Auzzie accent exclaimed:
“thaits note a no-mal bunnie!”
The Chicaine Challenge was an overwhelming success, and even more fun. I have never felt so genuinely welcomed into a community than I did at that race.
Race number two was the Dornbecker Dash in August. Again, a fantastic success! The little Integra ran virtually non-stop for the entire weekend. Special thanks to the boys on the paddock entry for allowing us to gas, change driver, and re-launch the car right next to the grid between the novice race and the enduro. They even manned our fire bottle!
Race number three was last weekend at the ridge, and truly became the motivation for this write up. We arrived at the track on Friday for the test and tune not for the car, but for me. I needed to get some time to learn the track before the race. In the very first session we began having issues. The car was popping out of third gear three or four times every lap. We tried a bungee to hold it in gear, tried tying the motor with a strap to keep it from rotating as we backed out of the throttle, tried messing with the linkage, nothing helped. The car was just done taking our abuse. Right about the time we were discussing packing it in for the weekend and thus abandoning our Father/Son Enduro goal, Mr. Ron Johnson, who was paddocked next to us, began packing up his club rabbit to head for home.
“Did you break?” I asked.
“No, just came for the test and tune,” he said.
“Well, how’s the car running?” I asked.
“Great!” Said Ron…
See where this is going yet?
“We broke,” I told Ron, “I was planning to upgrade to area this weekend and now we are sunk…which takes us out of the enduro next month too…what would you think about renting me your car for tomorrow?” I sheepishly inquired.
Ron, who is a man of short sentences, just simply said “Okay.”
“What would you want for a rental?” I asked him, and those who know Ron can picture this….He just waved his hand like these were not the droids I was looking for and said:
“You can just use it.”
I tried, guys….And could not get him to accept any payment for the use of his car. So last weekend, 494 was on Ron Johnson’s fun little Club Rabbit, and my Dad and I are still on track to accomplish our goal! Thanks for the Area upgrade Ron, thanks Linda, thanks Becky, thanks Colin, Jeremiah, Eric and George…Thanks Scott Ferris, thanks Armadillo Andy, thanks Bob Mearns, and Beef Wellington, thanks ICSCC….
Thanks Dad.
You are a truly unique and amazing group of Selfless people.
God Bless You All!
-- Capt Sean Peters
Randy Blaylock
Highlander Motorsports
Thanks for Sharing Captain, and thank you for your service. Conference is a special thing indeed, a collection of great people that I'm also so very grateful to know and share my time with. Cheers!
bob_mearns
Well-known member
Great writeup! I don't remember what I did that deserves a thank you, but you're welcome all the same. 
Conference is indeed full of talented and selfless people who I'm lucky to know, and you're fitting right in. Good luck to the Peters Posse in the Enduro!
Conference is indeed full of talented and selfless people who I'm lucky to know, and you're fitting right in. Good luck to the Peters Posse in the Enduro!
Last edited: