Robert Lundbohm is our featured Driver of the Week…

Since the rest of the Board are too chicken to send me their info…

You all get to laugh at me this week…

Robert Lundbohm is your new 2010 SRRSCCA Editor …

Tell me about your first car…what did you do to it…how did it handle…etc what did you drive next, now, what have you done to it…plan for it… etc…

Whoa…that took me back a few years. I grew up on a ranch in Montana and we had a 1947 Willys Jeep with a bad engine and we also had a wrecked 1958 C-10 with a good 283 so Dad and I put the 283 in the jeep for me to use on the ranch. I guess my first real street legal car with license plates and all was a 1953 Dodge (something?) with a push button automatic. It was an Ultra UGLY pea soup green/kinda/gray and slooooow, it was freedom on wheels though.

But my first Hot Rod was a 1968 SS Camaro. Montana back then didn’t have any daytime speed limit so it was always just a red bluuur. I drove it like a bat out of hell and it just kept right on ticking like a Timex watch. My next HOT ROD was a Canary Yellow and Black 1967 Corvette, 427 BB with Side Pipes. I installed a tiny bigger cam but more importantly better valve springs, Headman Headers, a B-W T-5, a re-jetted 750 Holley DBL Pumper and it was my first car with radials. Yup, radials were just starting to show up.

 

Did or were you crazy wild when you were younger on your bicycle, Little red wagon or something else?

About 70% of our side roads back in those days were dirt/gravel. I always had my Camaro sideways around the corners. (“Dukes of Hazard” stuff before they were even on TV… minus the jumps of course). Before that I was riding Dirt bikes, snow machines, down hill skiing, water ski and normally getting in trouble for driving the Tractor or Jeep too fast on the Ranch. What can I say…I’ve always had a need for speed…

Tell me about how you got into racing? … was it AutoX? Or something else?

I started my racing at age 13 and got sponsored by Bombardier (SkiDoo). They put me on a factory 192cc single lung engine sled in the 13 to 17-age class. That thing was the meanest, nastiest sled I ever drove. I always had black and blue shins and usually bloodied my nose from the handlebars or windshield. Seriously, it had no suspension at all…I mean it…the track was just bolted in, the skis were just WELDED on and they were never on straight…ever…I swear it was the UGLIEST monstrosity EVER. With no suspension travel it couldn’t absorb any kind of bump so it was airborne more than it was on the ground. It just kept breaking down and they finally put me on a 371-twin cylinder “Experimental”. This one was FRICKING APOLLO ROCKET FAST and Cadillac smooth. I even won a race here and there. (No more bloody noses either…)

Later on I had the privilege of being test rider for Clarence Taber (USA developing engineer for Hodaka) It wasn’t work really, all I did was ride his bikes and then relay what his changes did for the Bike.

Tell us about some of the cars you’ve raced? 

My first real racecar was a 1953 2Dr Chevy. Clarence had a friend that had a BIG hand in getting me into dirt circle tracks and then paved ovals. Later on I got some seat time in some off-road rigs, even an outboard 13-foot open cockpit hydroplane boat. I never really got good equipment but it was fun and great learning. Done the Drag Racing scene for a few years. I’ve built some radical high horsepower stuff over the years.

I remember I couldn’t afford the Weber’s for a Baja buggy I built one year so I adapted a pair of Rochester 2jets from a Biscayne and even used the rear shocks from the same car. People stopped laughing after I finished second in my class at Barstow that year. Most recently my son (Mike) and I built a 467HP Naturally Aspirated single Carb.(No bottle) Small Block 357 CID, 1966 C10 Long bed drag race truck. Mike did the driving while I handled the tuning. One of my good friends put over 35K in his racecar and we had a little friendly rivalry going on. We did all the wrenching and only had a grand total of 3k in parts in ours. He was always buying more power while we just kept up with our tuning. He never did catch us until he went to a Big Block. CHEATER!!! 

 

I bought the BMW just the way it sits and besides an oil change, new spark plugs all I did was inflated the tires to 45psi …the back of the car was really loose so I dropped the rears to 38psi and that helped a ton. Then after a couple of events I bought wider tires and wheels. The tires are budget low dollar Federals but boy what a real difference. After a little experimentation I found the new set liked the front at 42psi and the rear down to 35psi. I’ve got to tell you all right here; I am having more fun with my dead-dog tired Vintage 1984 325e BMW with 220K miles on it than any of the big hp cars in the past. Since my son now has his ‘06 350Z I will probably take over the 86 ½ Supra for 2010. I’m honestly not looking to take the track by storm next year but I intend to go out and get my share of FUN.

The Supra is just Naturally Aspirated (non turbo) when it got home first thing we did was put new rod and main bearings in it, high flow CAT, 2 ½” exhaust, Something like a 4,500Watt System (but that’s out now), stiffer aftermarket sway bars front and rear which really helped with a more even tire wear and reduced the push. Mike bought some sweet 18’s for aesthetics and had Proxy’s on that were FRICKING terrible…they started wearing so badly after the first two events that he had to kind of take it easy on them the rest of the year. Those Proxy’s were a bad recommendation from Les Swab and I will probably go to 255x40x18 Hankook V-12-EVO to keep the proper ratio. Not too many other big Mods planned.

But what I really need (just like in the BMW) is to learn the quirks of the Supra…learn where and when I can lean on it…what RPM’s I should shift to get it back into the strongest part of the torque curve…where should I have the engine temp at the starting line…what RPM will give it the best launch…should I downshift at the slower corners or just use the torque to pull away…how hard can I brake while turning and cornering without loosing grip…can or should I use the brake and throttle in tandem…does it like a passenger to help balance the car or is it better without the added weight…how much difference does it make on cold verses warm tires…how much does surface temps affect grip and how should I change tire pressure to compensate…what tire pressures to use on different track surfaces, so many???????

I need plenty of seat time not just for me but for the car as well. When I know the car better I will know which Mods will give me the best results. I would feel spoiled if I just bought all the most expensive stuff and then really? I wouldn’t know if it were the parts or my driving. I’ve got to know inside that I am getting everything out of the car with my driving. When the time comes that my mind wishes I had more power…then the car is going to get some Mods. On the other hand…I might just have to drop my spare 400HP 350 in the BMW for 2011. Then go show Guy how it’s done…LOL Think about it…His car’s gray, mine’s half gray, both would have Bowtie power… That might just be FUN… What do you think Guy? Ready to get your “A” handed to you? Just kidding…or AM I?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you want the readers to know about you as a driver … as a person?

 While Mike was in HS he was an Officer on the Meridian Drag Racing Team. I was a mentor/volunteer and helped them with their cars and encouragement. They were Track Championship four years in a row. Over the years I’ve had fun helping and teaching kids work on their cars. Many of them and their parents’ are still friends and stay in touch.

I have some friends from the old days scattered all over… Some went on to try the big leagues…one is famous in his own right and even has his own TV show (He is even building a SOLO car for this year)…there is one common thread that keeps us all friends…we all love to have FUN in our cars! Just in case any of you are wondering…I’m not jealous of any one of them either…I’m happy for them all BUT I wouldn’t trade places with anyone. I don’t pretend to have all the answers but I am content in who I am. I have a great life right here and have a fantastic family. I’m reminded of one of my favorite songs; “Our house is a very, very, very fine house with 2 cats in the yard life used to be so hard now everything is easy ‘cause of you…” I’d only change it just a smidge… “Our house is a very, very, very fine house with 2 race cars in the yard life used to be so boring now everything is Fun ‘cause of SOLO…”  Cut me some slack…I know it doesn’t rhyme but It works me…

How did you learn about and what do you like about SRRSCCA? What made you decide to get involved with the board? Why?

I’ve known about the National SCCA most of my adulthood. I’ve known about the Idaho Hill Climb bunch since about the mid to late 70’s.

Mike started driving the Supra the Second day of the Big-Boy-Toy event just this year. His Mom and I would come out and video his runs. One day he gave me a ride and that did it !!! I was hooked and had to have my own car. I entered my first event at the Mountain Home Airport the last weekend in August. To be perfectly honest I was nervous about looking like a fool and not staying on course…(Hey, I broke my back in ’84 and haven’t had ANY real track time since) BUT once I got that first run in it didn’t matter how Crusted the reflexes were… I was really glad I bought a full-face helmet too. I mean here I am a worn out 57-year-old guy playing with a worn out car and I had a Cheshire smile like nobodies business. I was almost embarrassed that I was having so much FUN AGAIN …I said ALMOST…  Even though my PAX that day was 50^th. I was hooked big time and I’m not going away anytime soon…so you’re all just stuck with me for a while…

I can’t just do anything half hearted. So, when I heard that there were no volunteers for the Editor position I asked a few email questions … the next thing you know…here I am. Why? You have to remember I’m just a Car Freak with a need for speed… I’ve organized racing clubs and put on car shows so this was a natural transition for me. Now I just hope I can bring something positive to the table.

Do you have a goal set for yourself as a driver?

Yupper …HAVE FUN DRIVING… As much fun as I’m having I would also like to continue to climb in PAX. My first event I was 50^th and then started averaging around the mid to upper 20’s. My best PAX was 17^th the day of the Enduro. My goal is to get into the upper teens in PAX. I’m still going to stay focused on the Fun-Factor! OH Ya…and hopefully I can pick up a year-end Trophy.

Was there a definitive moment, an epiphany that changed your driving?

I remember one test-n-tune day very vividly. I was really being aggressive with my car. Throwing it sideways into the corners as if I were still on dirt and then just gassing it as hard as I could. I could REEEELY feel the speed and knew I was fast because I had to saw the wheel back and forth all the way through the corner…man I was flying. I think I ran about thirty laps like this until it finally blew a tire coming off turn 4. I came into the pits and changed two tires. Then out easy this time just to get some heat into them then parked it to let them cool. With my tires cooling I went up to the tower to check my times…I thought for sure I had set a new track record. BOY it was just the opposite…when I was just building heat in the tires I was over a second quicker. Being 18, I knew it ALL and had to do it MY WAY. BUT the light went on for me and I finally got what everyone was trying to tell me… “Slow-IN & Fast-OUT” … add that to a late apex and you’re not only quicker but will save on your equipment to boot. I grew up a bit and quit being a cocky know-it-all. 

In closing…

I am always open to tips, tricks, ideas and positive critique. Mike and I always like making new friends of all ages… So don’t be afraid to come say Hi…

I’m just out there trying to have FUN! ! ! SO… if you see me with my Cheshire smile after a good OR bad run. You’ll know I’m just getting my Fun-Factor-Fix for the day.

My son and I started another racing team. We will forever be known as “TEAM Rip N Grip” and our slogan is: “No regrets…Avoiding those Pesky Cones…”

See you all at the races…

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