GS nationals Screwing People once again

Answers to Questions Regarding Quick 16 No Race Final Round


My Name is Wayne Roberts I am the Owner and Driver of the Saturn Yellow 72 GSX Race car which is powered by a Naturally Aspirated True 10.5, single 4 barrel Buick, which raced this weekend in the Super 16 at the GS Nationals in Bowling Green Ky.

First off: to all the fans that waited to see the final race I am sorry you were denied that by the GSCA. (out of My control) First time in 5 years they have the race and they do this to you.

I do not post much but I will concerning this issue.


We had a great time meeting everyone and talking to you about the car. Track and weather conditions were not ideal and I believe or best 60’= 1.15 so we were .07 from our best. We did try to rotate the earth Saturday morning but the track said NO NO NO! you can’t do that here. Our best et 8.321@160.


On Thursday I spoke with the Super 16 coordinator and discussed I only had one crew member with me and it is very difficult to turn this car around in less than an hour. I suggested that I only make exhibition passes during S16 and not race if that was an issue. He told me no! put it in the race, people want to see this car.

Again on Friday I talked with him about the time between runs for qualifying rounds and told them I could not get the car cooled that fast. I skipped round 2 due to this. Saturday I had the same talk with him, I was told to just ignore the calls to the lanes and go as fast as we could and they would make it work.

Just so everyone knows this motor and car were constructed for heads up racing. That means no air flow into the car under hood until the hood is removed. This motor gets the rings, and rods, replaced after 75-100 passes if not abused. Tires only last 12-15 passes if rotated every 2 hits. This is not a low budget build or operation. So I in no way was trying to drag my feet.

To speed things up I choose skip rotating the tires knowing that would result in throwing them out after this race (600.00). After the semifinals, knowing we only had one more pass I made the decision to use the on board batteries to cool the motor along with the other fans, and then charge the battery backup. (No you cannot charge when power is on it will fry the electronics) it worked.

The First time I thought something was strange, was in the 2ed round when I raced Lawrence Clark I called the Woman running the lanes over and told her please do not start him until my crew guy could get down on the track as I fire this thing and go directly to the water. She acknowledged by saying ok took one step turned and told Mr. Clark to start his car and go down. So Mr. Clark I in no way was trying to hang you out don’t believe you thought that but wanted to be sure.

In the Finals as we pushed into the circle track and I got out of my car to put on my Coat, Hans, and Helmet. I was told to either get in the car without it and race or I would be DQ’ed. I responded that is not going to happen. Then some guy I have never seen before started yelling from across the track that I have been dragging my ass all week and he is not going to put up with it. (he never came closer than 100 yards from me and turned and walk away) I yelled back if you can’t wait you will never see this car at one of your events again. He then told Gary to start his car and go to the line. Gray killed his car after dong his burnout and at that time he was instructed to run or he was out. This was told to me by Gary’s wife who came back to me crying that they did not want to win that way. I do not hold anything agents Gary for what he did and you should not either. THIS WAS ALL A GSCA ISSUE.

So everyone knows, from the time stamp on my time ticket from the Semifinals, to packing the shoot, cooling the car, charging the battery, up to the lanes, all this BS taking place, talking to a couple of people afterwards, pushing the car back to the pits and getting out directly to check the time it was 37 minutes total. I spoke with Dallas Jones the Track owner about this issue and he said the rental was under no time constraint and could have gone all night if it need to. The GSCA had your money they were done and wanted to go home, did not care if you stayed to see a race.


So just another Black eye for the GSCA. I or my car will never be there again. I am sure they will reply who cares. Just maybe they need to look no farther than their own mirror to find the answer to why attendance is 20% of what it used to be. I am sure there are hundreds of stories just like mine for why people no longer attend the GS Nationals.

Not one time did anyone other than the coordinator I approached to discuss this with come down and talk about any issue, no one came and said we are changing what you were told and get up here now. The S16 coordinator felt so bad he took money out of his pocket so I would be paid 1st place Money (I refused it).

I set out to be the first one with a NA Buick motor over, 1000 HP. I did that.

I choose to fight with every sanctioning body NMCA, Milan All Motor, for weight breaks for the Buick which would help everyone.

I CHOOSE TO TAKE A KNIFE TO A GUN FIGHT, WHEN RACING NMCA, and MILAN

BUT TO BE TREATED LIKE THIS AT THE GS NATIONALS! NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

All of these things inadvertently put money into the GSCA. That has stopped.

In the end I am a Racer first! I can compete up front with a Chevy for half of the investment and none of this BS. I have a lot to think about over the winter. This was all on my dime no sponsorship, I refuse to have any of you spend a dollar of your money with them just to see us race.


ONE LAST THING TO ALL THE SPONSORES OF THIS EVENT, THANK YOU

HOWEVER I TOLD THE GSCA TO SHOVE the #1 Qualifier, and 2ed place Trophies alone with anything else they were giving out. Make sure you do not Honor any of your donations from the Super 16 runner up.


I TRIED TO ANSWER ALL OF YOUR QUESTIONS IN ONE PLACE.

If YOU ASK QUESTIONS OR HAVE ISSUES WITH MY SIDE OF THIS NO PROBLEM, HOWEVER I WILL ONLY REPLY IF YOUR FULL NAME IS IN THE EMAIL. NO HIDING BEHIND A SCREEN NAME.

 

Wayne,

Im sorry this happened. What did Richard say when you talked to him about it?

 

PM sent

 

I do not know him. Or almost anyone else that works for him. The only lady I know is the one that has worked the tent where you pay for years. His officials represent his company. I just walked away. It was done at that point.

 

I just talked to Richard. He wants to make this right for you and hates that it happened. He is working to gather the facts and no doubt is willing to resolve it to make you whole. It would have been nice if you would have given him that courtesy before posting as I am sure you would hope for the same.

 

No dog in this race, but I hope it isn't the last for this car at the event, this is one of the absolute premier Buick powered race cars in existence, I really hope to see it in person someday.

 

Not right Wayne, sad that this type of deal would still happen in the Buick "community".
Kudos to you for 1000+hp NA, against the grain!

 

Lol ...... They had a problem with you dragging your ass eh?
I'll bet they didn't have a problem with taking your money at the gate though did they? Sad ........

 

Sorry to hear about the problems Wayne. We know how much you were looking forward to the GS Nats. You have been flying the BUICK flag as long as i have known you.
Even though we have not been to the Nats in quite a few years, the Q-16 always gave me goosebumps when we attended and we loved the attention they (Q-16) received, especially on Saturday,,,it used to be a BIG DEAL!!!
It is a shame the GS NATS racing program is not set up for big BUICK motors anymore.

Dave N Dayna Dechent

 

Wayne,
Sorry to hear how this all went down. As a sponsor I'll have to get all the facts before I commit for future events. I also would like to know who/ why the 4:00PM deadline was thrown out there? Dallas said run until done, so who made that call? We all need some answers.
You have a great car and went way beyond the norm with it. I can really appreciate that after building my GSX, which was only a fraction of yours.
I hope when things settle down with this, we can all unite once again.......hopefully at BG.
Please keep us posted.
You can pm me if you wish.
Steve Reynolds

 

I was not given any courtesy at the track by the employee that represents the gsca.

I was the last one to leave the track at 7:50 pm as Dallas locked the gates at 8:00.

No one came to talk to me about this or called until I posted my side 3 days later.

I was waiting.

I am a 6'2" 290 lb bald white guy I am not easy to over look. And after 5 pm the only other person in the track was my crew guy.

 

Jim Rodgers I disagree that Wayne should have sought out Richard before posting. He said he didn't know Richard or anybody else for that matter, and by posting the incident in the professional manner that he did brought it to the attention of the right people and it will hopefully get resolved and not happen again. I'm glad Wayne fully explained what happened and why it happened. This is much better than listening to rumors which as we know get blown way out of proportion.

 

I guess since I was involved I should comment also. Wayne is correct from what he said as he saw it. I'll add a couple more facts .
Wayne and I are friends and were looking forward to lining up together,we were both on our game, it was gonna be one heck of a race.
After the semi finals Wayne was going through his regimen necessary for a car of its caliber, and takes some time. I heard the call to the lanes for S-16 not long after we got back to the pits, After the second call I asked Tony if he knew if Wayne was ready, he said he still sees the chute out.So I continued to wait, after the third call I noticed Waynes chute was packed , I headed for the staging area.While
there the staging official told me to get suited up, I told him I can wait for Wayne. He said to get ready or face being DQ'd.
I took my time and by the time I was seated Wayne was in the staging area. I was told to move toward the tower. I waited as long as I could under the bridge until told to move to the burnout box. Sandy put me in the water and I waited until the starter motioned me forward.
After my burnout I stopped,moved back and shut the motor down,hoping Wayne had enough time to get to the burnout box, you can't see behind you when you're strapped in and was I hoping to hear the sound of his motor.
I opened the door and told the starter I'll wait, he motioned me to start and get to the line.
I ran the bye, I never want to win a race this way, especially at the NATS and the last race of the day. I can't comprehend that the race officials couldn't wait another 2 minutes to finish this event in a professional and proper way.
After returning to the pits I went to Waynes pit area and explained what happened,he acknowledged how unfair the track was and that he didn't feel I could have done anything else. We were both very upset, as were others that came to Waynes pit.
I shared the winnings with Wayne by giving money to a race director to give to Wayne.
Sandy heard that the track was intent on getting the program done by 4:00 and we were at 4:05 when we got to the staging area.
Did this play into their actions? Real Class!
As an interesting aside, the award I was given for S-16 is dated for the 2016 Nats, since we were rained out last year I guess they wanted to not spend money on new awards and recycle last years, LOL
gary

 

Very unfortunate the event had to end on this note just to spare 5 minutes. It was a shitty way to end a great weekend event. Wayne I hope we'll see the car again in BG as it was a work of art and so impressive! Gary my GSR award is 2016 too! I laughed my ass off and just shook my head.

 

When Buick events are struggling to survive the organizers should be doing everthing possible to make them great for everyone. Sounds like someone dropped the ball here. I don't think the racers are sour grapes, they just want an honest chance. Why didn't Wayne talk to Richard??? He apparently is not on the board, and who has his email or phone #. I don't believe Richard wanted to sabotage the Q16. So how about Richard getting on V8 and explaining what happened vs having someone else report. I'm sure eveyone would love to have Richard air our what happened and get things squared away so we don't lose another Buick event.

 

My people have been involved in drag racing for more than 60 years.
I tip my hat and raise my glass to both Gary and Wayne for "finishing this run" here.

I have also watched the true heart of all that drag racing is, slowly lose the power and endurance to thrive.

It is my hope that "real" drag racing live beyond me, and that it, like many other institutions that have "gone away", continue that my grand-kids will be able to enjoy it.

I also hope that those who need to, will give proper and professional account.

Thanks to all who make the scene a reality.

 

Part of your statement is incorrect. Dave came and spoke to you directly after the race. I guess in the heat of anger/passion you forgot that part about the situation. I moved my car but also stayed at the track way past the final pass of the day. There were quite a few turbo cars still around the track as well pretty close to when you left as one of them was a friend of mine i was waiting on and was still at the track almost till when Dallas closed it. But all that is a moot issue.

I am tied up with 2 businesses essentially and have finally caught up with emails and contracts to come on here and post. Otherwise I would have contacted you sooner.

For the record, I am not defending James Carswell nor am I speaking on his behalf nor the GSCA nor Beech Bend. I was asked by Derek Graham in his absence to sponsor Super 16 for 2017 and also assist Dave Mongeon in the class. I donated cash to Super 16 and helped organize the ladder, payouts, t shirts and get qualifying sheets printed out.

I will state i did notice while under the crossover tower some banter back and fourth between you (Wayne) and James and his daughter. Specifically before the semi final and final Super 16 run. I dont know the specifics,or what was said and to whom, nor do I care, nor do they matter. Could have been a personality conflict. I dont know and wont speculate anymore on the issue! I know the money is not the issue here, its the principal.

I know from being around Rod and his Regal it takes a longer time to cool his car . Same point with your car, Wayne. With that being said, with no sugarcoating, James made a bad call. He was tired and exhausted from the heat as everyone else was and let the anger get the best of him. It was wrong and unfair to Wayne. I dont believe it had anything to do with the GSCA it was the act of one individual who lost control of his temper and made a call to spite someone else being you Wayne. I have seen Pat Musi in person throw his helmet at a staging lane director in Las Vegas because he didnt have his car up to the lanes fast enough for a qualifying run for the Street car nats at LVMS. Have the video still to prove it. Wasnt the right call either.

Nobody besides probably Wayne was more upset than Dave and myself. It calls into question our reputation and the integrity of the class. So here is what we are looking at as we speak....

We are looking to have more involvement with the track. Meaning each class will have an individual class director. For instance, Dave Mongeon Super 16, Cal Hartline TSO, etc. They make their own prize monies list, create elimination ladder, create rules, etc. Same as it is done now. But that they have sole discretion/decision making powers on their own class, NO ONE ELSE!! Put someone in the tower who has the organizational capacity to keep the track staff on a timetable. Typed out program for both Friday and Saturday and strictly adhered to as well. Track prep at 800 am, qualifying at 9 and 11. Eliminations start at 12pm. Lanes dragged and cleaned at every blank of the hour, etc. All written down. A meeting prior to eliminations and also before Friday racing action to make sure everyone is on same page and also to set the # of qualifying runs per class. So no misinterpretations or assumptions, incorrect ones, at all.

With the strong possibility of 2018 BG being in October and Cecil being in September both events would benefit of a potential large car count for Super 16. I dont want people posting or even thinking that a call could be ruled upon against them and make it seem to them that it is not worth it to attend, due to personality conflicts, etc. A major and incorrect decision was made and i dont want sponsors either current or future ones questioning our skills in the class involvement. I can also tell you that Dave and Derek have reputations that are A plus where their hand shake and word is their bond. Not everyone can say that, but these two can as everyone can agree on that point. I am hoping our solutions will be put in stone so this never happens again. I am hoping by Friday, this Friday or Monday a set of resolutions will be put into effect so something of this nature will never ever happen again. Period.

Wayne, did you get my pm? If not i can copy and paste it and send it to you. And I want to send you the money for the Sloan Docs. If you could pm me your mailing address that would be great. I look forward to your reply!

 

Perhaps Mrs.Carswell should look into getting a part time job at Walmart as a greeter. I understand that it is In a climate controlled environment .....

 

Sounds like James and my car have a lot in common. They both needed time to cool down. I have AC in my trailer if he would of come by he and the car could of cooled down together.

Ha Ha

 

James made several "bad calls" this one was just the worst. After several years of him "running the program" he should have a much better grasp on how it should be done. Not saying it is the easiest thing to do but, he seems to be doing it for the first time every year. And if he was hot just imagine how the racers they had get suited up & in their cars 10-15 minutes before running felt.
As always I had a great time, but since I have been coming to the GSCA Nationals every year since 1985, I have learned "that's just they way it's gonna be". Sad, that I have learned to accept it, as I have been to many other races and never have I seen a program continuously run this way.