When it comes to racing, Jim Blumenfeld has done it all. From autocross to the IMSA Firehawk Series, from rallycross to rally stage captain, Jim has tried pretty much every form of amateur motorsports except for lawn mower racing, and I’m not even sure about that. I’ve known Jim from several of these venues for many years. It was our mutual interest in amateur radio, as demonstrated by the callsigns on our license plates, that really broke the ice and got us talking. At my first Track Night in America event at Thompson Speedway this past May, Jim spotted me and made a point of saying hello. He was driving the pace car for the novice and open pace laps. They had already happened by the time we talked, but he invited me to hop in with him at the next event. True to his word, I found myself riding shotgun in the pace car during the Novice pace laps at the beginning of the June event.
After the open pace lap session, there was no more need for a pace car. Jim removed the light bar from the MR2’s roof and joined me on track for the final Advanced group session. The Run/Work option gives SCCA members the chance to get on the track for one 20 minute session in exchange for $35 and working the rest of the event. It’s a great way to get an up close look at the action and try your hand at it yourself for less than an autocross. Or, in Jim’s case, it’s a great way to make sure his turbo still works at speeds quite a bit higher than pace laps.
Since then I’ve updated the MR2 with more rubber to handle the power. Of course, when I first modded the engine I was like “oh, wow”.. Now a year and a half later I’m ready for more evil power.