Categories: nissan eventNissan Motorsports Articles

2010 Nissan National Convention – Omaha, NE (part 4)

At this point, we made the decision to combine the run groups. No one had been flagged all morning, and people were really getting the hang of working together on the track, despite some pretty broad differences in speed and skill (seeing a new Z06 C6 Corvette wait patiently for a point-by to blow past the rented Cube was pure comedy). The rest of the day brought perfect weather, with light clouds, cooler temperatures, and almost 7 straight hours of open track time.

While the street cars were tearing up the road course, another course layout was just being finished up: The rallycross course. Set up by the local SCCA group, they took advantage of the night’s rainy conditions and the area’s rocky soil to provide us with a half-mile course that was sure to challenge the drivers. Of course, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to check out the course for safety (wink wink), so Mid-America’s own track staffer Bill loaned me their ancient Ford F150 shop truck to have a few laps around the course. Talk about fun… I could just hear the theme song from The Dukes of Hazzard as the old Ford slung sideways around the course, throwing roostertails of mud and rocks. Good times!

Solo driver-turned-rally-driver Boston Cleek hit the course in the Nissan Sport Magazine 200sx and put on a great show. Minnesota native Chris, who’s no stranger to driving in crappy conditions, brought out his late-model Ford Focus and rocked the course, despite demolishing his front bumper in the process.

The front-drivers really shine on a rallycross course, but the car everyone came to see still hadn’t made an appearance. Meanwhile, wicked sounds were emanating from the paddock area, and we all knew what that meant: The NICOclub Rally 240sx was fired up and getting ready to hit the track. Built and piloted by Ian Seppanen (FlatBlackIan), the rally beast was built for one purpose: To haul ass in conditions that no 240sx should have to endure.

From its Lexan windows to its extreme wheel travel to its full roll cage and reinforced suspension, this car is all business. This was the car’s maiden voyage, and she performed well, rampaging through the mud and muck like a champ. Soon afterward, Ian took her up the road to see if she could fly… Again, cue the theme song from The Dukes of Hazzard!

Saturday night’s happy hour was attended by almost everyone in attendance, and we announced that we’d arranged a little something special: The track would be open AGAIN for a four-hour session Sunday morning! So, wait… Let’s do some math here: $125 for over TWENTY HOURS of track time? Yeah. That’s how we roll.

Later, the crew headed for downtown Omaha for dinner at the Uptown Brewery and to investigate Omaha’s nightlife scene. Somehow (and again, I disavow any official knowledge), our group stumbled into the midst of multiple bachelorette parties, featuring some of the hottest women in the midwest. While a bunch of Nissan enthusiasts don’t need much encouragement to misbehave, it didn’t help matters that it was Dan Vogelsberg’s (Dano) birthday either… How these guys got the bachelorettes to celebrate with them is beyond me… Breakfast on Sunday holds vague memories of hearing about each bachelorette’s “to do” list and the night’s shenanigans. As always, the NICOclub guys and their new friends had a great time and took full advantage of the best Omaha has to offer.

Sunday morning brought us a little bit cooler temperatures and a beautiful day. Several cars showed up that couldn’t make it earlier in the weekend, and the car show grid started filling up. While the track went hot, we set up the raffle prizes and the awards, made sure the catered picnic was ready, and began preparing for the awards ceremony.