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Show Page IB South Edition Lakeside Review Wednesday, July 27, 1983 Precisely Janice Barlow took a written test in high school that showed she had an aptitude for mechanics. The test wasnt necessary though; because a more practical aptitude test for Janice had been conducted on the streets. After football games, we used to drive down the Boulevard. My friends would be looking at boys in the cars and Id be looking at their engines. And, at 41 much of Janices life still involves cars. Nothing as docile as repairing them; too calm, not enough action. To be precise, and Janice is, she races cars around precision courses with turns as sharp as Mr. Spocks ears. A real trip on your head, is how Janice describes it. ; ; -. . ; Her head takes that trip on most weekends during good weather, usually at Hill Air Force Base in Sunday races sponsored by the Hill Sports Car Club, of which she is a member. The trip on her head draws its life from one question and one answer. You ask yourself at the first of the race, Are you really good enough to do this? says Janice, and if you win, you say Yea, you really are. Janice has asked the question often in her career in racing, not always receiving the preferred answer, but asking the question nevertheless. 20-ye- ar Janice was even asking herself the question when she fin-- , ished last in the National Autocross Championships at Dallas, Texas in 1979. Her motor home broke down 800 miles from Dallas, and she had to drive her stock, Datsun 1200, her race car, on to Dallas. She was tired by the time she arrived, and blew both of her runs at the track. But Janice came back in 1980, winning the nationals in Salina, Kan., in the same Datsun 1200, which is also the one she drives to work. Her racing, career underwent a major change last fall when she bought a new prepared Datsun 1200, one that she cant a car so predrive to work pared it is difficult to explain, especially if your knowledge of cars doesnt go past the ignition key and the gas pedal. Heres how one trade magazine described it: The 1205cc unit is fed by twin DHLA-4- 0 De-llro- to . with mph in the straight this. After traveling through the course mentally, Janice begins to do it physically and, if things go right, she says she feels like she is driving in slow motion. After the race, youre doing one of these, she says as she shakes her hands nervously. Youre just pumped up. Its a high, but not a dangerous one. Ive only seen a cousays ple of minor accidents, Janice. Every 10 years youll see someone flip over or they may spin out. Or, another rac- h ar Mac-Pherso- Carrera, while the rear shocks are Spax units. Firestone slicks on Revolution Beta mag wheels complete the package. Understandably, Janice does only the minor maintenance work, like changing the spark plugs. er put it, Because of the expense and the commitment of purchasing the car, Janice debated about going into the prepared class. But the car, which was designed and built by a genius in San Francisco, Rick Hines, was available at a good price and Janice bought it. We dont trade chrome and paint out here. After the race, Janice pulls out her version of a black book. Like a baseball manager who keeps track of each hitter, Janice writes about every course she runs. Janices mother, Fern who knew ; first hand McNally, 60 To prepare herself for the race, Janice gets in the car before shes scheduled to race and starts drawing a mental picture of the course. I go around the course in my mind. Everybody who does this (race) well, does 28mm chokes, and with 12.5:1 compression from its ported and polished competition heads puts out 115 horses at 8,000 rpm. Right. The suspension? Decipher this. This little beastie is stopped solid discs up front, by while the rear binders are from a and have finned n aluminum drums. The strut inserts are by 8.5-inc- traveling aways. In a sport where championships are determined by tenths of a second, any advantage a Janices love for cars and racer gets, she takes. She racing, came to Janices Layton makes notes of mistakes she of home to take a look at the car. has made on the course, areas where she could have punched were going to she told Janet. I thought you outgrow this, Outgrow it? Never, says Janice. Its too much fun, too much of a challenge, and she is too successful at it. Besides, why give up a car that looks like it is owned by Felix Unger and cleaned with a rocker arm of its life? Her family is also involved in the racing. Janices son, Jeff, helps her at the track and wants to try racing when he is older. Her husband, Jay, and daughter, Patti, are also unde- rstanding about her racing. They excuse the messy house for a few days, Janice says. But precision racing is not just an excuse for Janice to get out of the house. It isnt a casual housewife hobby as in Girls, lets get together this weekend and race. No, Janice often races even up with men, and beats them while driving a car through course, often short, maze-lik- e the gas pedal a little more braked a little softer. Its a meticulous process, but one that , pays off. This precision, this ability to accomplish a task with few mistakes is something that spread into Janices work as a program analyst at Hill. Im very precise, thorough and dedicated, Janice says in a manner. When I decide to do something I get right into and do it. doesnt look like a person who, 'would make such bold statements about intensity and precision. Janice smiles easily a person confiand happily dent in what she is doing. She plans to continue driving race cars until she can no longer push a gas pedal. I told Jeff the other day, Youre going to have to help me into the car with my cane. And she Cruisin on a precision geriatric style race course. Story By Kent Somers Photos By Dan Miller |