2004 RESULTS PAGE - CLICK HERE
My 2003 season got off to a late start after fixing some 2002 season fallout with the engine, trying to pay off loans from prior seasons (You know how to make a small fortune racing? Easy. Start with a large fortune.) and deciding to expand my operating range to some different tracks like Laguna Seca and Sears Point down in California country. Rather than chase another season championship in ITE (not that I would not love to do that again), I decided to race for fun this year and try a come back in Oregon Region SCCA during 2004 or 2005... probably with a brand new engine and possible a new and improved race car as well. We'll see.
Here's an index to the various 2003 race season stories on this web page...
NW Region SCCA Solo I @ Bremerton Raceway, WA
SF Region SCCA Regional Race @ Laguna Seca Raceway, CA
ICSCC/IRDC Race #1 @ Pacific Raceway, WA
NW Region SCCA Race #1 @ Pacific Raceway, WA
OR Region SCCA Rose Cup Race @ Portland Int Raceway, OR
OR Region SCCA Regional Race @ Portland Int Raceway, OR
SF Region SCCA Regional Race @ Sears Point Raceway, CA
ICSCC/IRDC Race #2 @ Pacific Raceway, WA (W/SEG TIMES)
NW Region SCCA Race #2 @ Pacific Raceway, WA
During the long, cold winter I removed the engine and swapped out the valve springs, found one bore had a wear spot which may have been caused by a yet unproven crack, put on some new head gaskets hoping it would fix my problem with losing coolant (which I would find out during this Solo I weekend that it didn't), fixed my oil drain plug fitting, replaced all the radiator hoses, upgraded the front control arm bushings and generally gave the car the once over without robbing a couple more banks in the process. I also had to install a different muffler to get the car down to the 90 dba noise limit required for the up coming Laguna Seca trip. So, the main objective of running at this Bremerton Solo I event was to get a sound reading taken and to see if the engine would run good enough to haul it 1000 miles south for a race or two. I had also replaced the right rear brake caliper and the brakes were acting up due to air in the lines. There's no better track to test your brakes on than Bremerton... with all its tank traps and tire stacks to zig and zag around.
I only ran on Sunday and was glad I didn't race on Saturday because it rained like cats and dogs. Sunday was damp in the morning but it dried out and the sun showed up and we had a nice clean, dry track to do some serious laps on.
Right off the bat though I get some gremlin who decided to light a smoke bomb off under the car. As we started the cars and headed to grid, Steve Sampson (my fellow F-body race driver) said he smelled something burning. Oh well. I made my first practice lap anyway and as I slow for turn one and back off the gas I check my mirrors and all I see is loads of blue smoke!! I carve turn one and head back south and still see smoke in back and smell it inside too. I pulled into the hot pit and the safety crew and I poke our heads under the hood but we can't find anything burning. Hummmmmm. I go back out and the smoke seems to be going away. Not that it hadn't left a sick sweet taste in my mouth in the process though. So, I did a couple laps during the remaining time hoping the sound marshal is catching me on his meter for me at least. Bob and I rechecked the entire car looking for the source of the smoke but couldn't find anything that had melted or burned. We decided something must have been left on the pipes after the shop installed my new muffler. Or, who knows, maybe the engine is trying to blow up again. I've decided to run it until it dies.
The second practice session the brakes were working great and I had a lot of fun chasing the other guys around on my Firehawk SZ50 street tires. Got a ton of practice dealing with under steer in the hair pin corner, sliding through the S turns on the slippery VHT and squealing tires under full ABS braking at every turn. I was waiting for the afternoon time trial laps to see if I would have a dry track to justify swapping to the Hoosier race tires or not.
As it turned out the afternoon was dry also. But, as I pulled up to the grid marshal I nearly ran into her when my brakes seemed to tighten up and I got a "low traction" light on the dash. The parking brake handle seemed sloppy too until I finally got it to work again. I backed up and pulled forward and the brakes seemed to be working again. So, I decided I'd go easy on the first lap and test the brakes before getting too carried away. We headed to the line and took our turns laying down our fast laps for the timer.
During my first lap I realized the tires were going to be a lot better but I now had no idea where I should begin breaking?? And I missed a shift. Second lap I tried braking later for turn one and ended up with two tires off in the mud. Luckily the brakes and ABS were working better than my brain fade. I finished the lap as fast as possible to get the mud of the tires. The third lap I somehow managed to get around the track with less trouble but felt like it was conservative at best. Slow down to go faster, as they say. Well, when the times came out I had somehow posted the fastest time of all the cars with a 0:56.899. Strange, that's all I can say.
The last timed session I was finally back in the zone and cut three fairly decent laps. I didn't push my luck though. But the car seemed to run pretty darn good. Bud Harris, who runs a very fast ZR1 Corvette with a pumped up LT5 engine was the main man to beat. I knew he would be gunning for me as I had out run him in the prior session. I also knew that the harder he might try the worse he might do. So, I figured I'd just keep my cool and let the cards fall as they may. Well, that strategy seemed to work. Bud had posted a 0:58.017 in the first session. He only managed to get a 0:58.248 in his second try. On the other hand I cooked up a slightly improved lap with a 0:56.888. That was good enough for a first place trophy in the Solo I ITE class. And my exhaust never went over 89 dba also. So, chalk up another fun day of racing at the Bremerton time trials.
Top four cars in Solo I **Slowrider** 0:56.888 in ITE Bud Harris 0:58.017 in ITE Steve Sampson 0:58.299 in ITS Mahlon Holloway 0:58.917 in ITS
Well, what can I say. Laguna Seca is one AWESOME race track and facility to go play at!! It was a LONG haul down from Seattle to Monterey, CA. But it was worth it. It rained going down and even tried to snow going up over the pass from OR into northern CA Thur morning as Craig Johnson, his wife Dianne and I both hauled our cars father and farther south. We tried to leave bright and early at 8:00a.m. But right off the bat we detoured to his tire guys at Discount Tires in Salem so I could replace a trailer tire with a cut in the sidewall. I also noticed one of my wheels on the trailer wasn't pointed the right direction. But that wasn't going to stop us from leaving town by 10:30a.m.
The day before, Wed, we had worked on his "hot rod" (a slightly mutated '86 Covette on steroids) and I had convinced him that this was no ITE car and he'd be a lot better off changing his registration over to Group 3 and running in SPO so he could get not one but two races. He finally let me call SF Region SCCA and when I hung up I had even made sure he could use his same car numbers, which saved us some more time in prepping his ride. By the end of day Wed we had maybe 50% of his car prep done and he and his neighbors were offing their 3rd bottle of wine. I was supervising the whole operation by staying sober. You have to keep in mind that Craig enjoys socializing while tinkering with race cars even more than actually driving on one of the best tracks this side of the Rockies or staying alive. Go figure.
Anyway, we had a great trip down and somehow made it through the CA border inspection station even though he was asked if he had any kiddy porn hiding in his brand new Dodge RAM 3500 tow rig which he took delivery on the day before as well... and even though he was towing a brand new UNLICENSED enclosed trailer. Apparently guys towing Chevies using Chevy pickups don't like guys towing Chevies using Dodge pickups or something? Although I doubt the kiddy porn joke would have been carried out had the Dodge RAM driver just tried a little harder to keep up.
Later that night at about 10:00p.m. I was hauling south of Sacramento doing right at 70 mph with the cruise control set when I noticed this fast approaching police car coming up in the left lane next to me. He then reduces speed and shadows me for about 1/4 mile. I figured he was checking out the race car as I was doing 70 in a 70. Luckily, Craig was NOT keeping up and must have been about 10 minutes back at this point, because I'm sure this officer would have seen the lack of a license on his trailer as well. Anyway, I was about two exits from our motel when his spot light comes on and now he's really scoping me out. Then I hear him yelling something in his P.A. system but can't make out what he's saying over the CD player at 103 dba. I turn down my stereo and he then yells something to me about, "... down here in CA cars with trailers are suppose to drive 55..." yada yada as his red and blues start flashing. So, I pull over to the right lane and slow down and he takes off up the freaking highway at 80 again looking for someone else to harass. I took the next exit and got some gas and kept on trucking. I mean who the heck wants to drive 55 for crying out loud? I'd probably cause a traffic jam and get shot by all the crazy road ragers if I did something that lame... right?
Next morning Craig is up with the sun and I join him at 7:00a.m. and we work on his car while Dianne works on her beauty rest until about 10:00a.m. Managed to get his brakes working at least... and a few more things somewhat finished. Every time we got a couple free hours we'd work on his car so he could pass tech. By the time it was 1:30p.m. on Fri we were parked in the holding lot outside the Laguna paddock area watching race bikes fly around the track and waiting for the gate to open at 5:30p.m. so we could go set up camp. The track is like a Monterey county park with camping, concert area, driving school, you name it. We spent a couple hours checking it all out. Finally, we found ourselves setting up our paddock space about 50 yards from the gas pumps, race central, the johns and the hot pit. We got a perfect spot and were happy as clams.
Before long Craig was giving me the grand tour of Monterey after telling me he wanted to find a part store and redo his brake lines one more time. After 30 minutes and 1/4 tank of gas he finally gave up and I had to show him how to ask directions at a gas station when you are lost in a strange city and can't find your way out. It was FUNNY. After finally getting his parts, we then find ourselves squeezing into some little PINK Fish House off the beaten track. It was standing room only and all I could do to get myself in the door. Next thing I know the door opens behind me and hits me in the butt. I poke my head back out and tell this guy and his wife, "Hey man. That's going to cost you an extra $10 now to get inside." He smiles and says, "That's fine by me just so long as we get in." OK. Come on in.
I went to the can and by the time I got back Craig and Dianne had decided that their new found social acquaintances and we were going to take off and go down to the Monterey water front were it would be easier to sit down and eat. We ended up following Bill Potter and his wife Deanna in their red turbo Supra (my kind of folks) as Bill makes a lot better time than we did on the drive down... through Monterey traffic. Craig had a little trouble staying up. I, on the other hand, was finally having FUN driving my truck in the CA twisties!
By the time we got done with dinner we had learned that Bill was PRESIDENT of Robert Talbott, (ever heard of Talbott wines before maybe?) that kind of explains the Supra. And the egg on my face. But we enjoyed every minute of our meal and the $60 bottle of Talbot wine Bill selected for us to sip on. Craig and Dianne were still talking about the dinner 3 days later. I guess I am too.
Finally Sat morning rolls around and Craig finally gets his car through tech. Darn thing screams when you fire it up!! My car, on the other hand was so quiet it was a freaking shame. I could not believe I had to run the Z28 in Group 1 with a 90 dba limit at 50' rule. And I had to patiently wait until Sat afternoon, the last session of the day, to get on track. Craig, in the mean time, got to go out for his practice session early and did 3 entire laps when he came in and parked his car because he had oil dripping down from his circle track valve cover breathers onto his GT1 hot headers that feed his dual 4" diameter stove pipes running under his home fabricated drive shaft tunnel just to the right of his aluminum race seat inside his sheet metal cockpit which I would later find out turns into a heat sink type sauna that only weighs about 2100 lbs soaking wet when hitting warp 5.2 down the straight.
So, off to the local parts store we go again... in Salinas... on another wild goose chase. When we get back he has finally satisfied the oil overflow catch tank rule that they missed at tech.
Out on the track he goes again for his qualify session. I time a few of his laps and see he's coming around about every 1:50 or so. Some of the other SPO, GT1 and GTA cars are clicking off low 1:30s. Craig's car would literally FLY down the front straight as he screamed past but it didn't seem to make it around the rest of the track nearly fast enough. Then again, he only had about 6 or 8 laps to his name at that point. Next thing I know he doesn't come around anymore. I wait and wait. No Craig?? I ask the meat ball station crew if they can find out where Craig went. He's not on the track they tell me. So, where is he? He finally comes around the corner into the HOT pit and parks it. I walk over and he gets out of his oil filled bath tub/sauna. Apparently his brand new circle track oil pressure gauge could not handle the oil pressure produced by a 7500 rpm oil pump tucked inside a 700 HP engine or something. It sprung a leak, ran which ever way was in direct line with the G-forces and managed to totally coat both sides of his floor boards and both his race shoes and all three foot peddles. That pretty much took care of him getting a decent qualify time as he ended up next to last on grid.
Finally, I went out with my Firehawk SZ50 street tires mounted up and did some Laguna Seca sight seeing. Took the first few laps at medium speed getting used to the Andretti hair pin at the bottom of the hill below the main straight. Yep, that's an INTERESTING corner alright. Turn 2 is a 3rd gear corner to the right, but don't get too excited on the throttle if you want to stay clean. Under the Dunlop/Bridgestone foot bridge and into T3 which sweeps right also. Past the kink you can grab 4th as you come to the braking zone for turn 4 left. 3.73 gears would have been nicer for these first few corners leading onto rather short straights. And they would have been even nicer as you then head up the hill and under the road leading into the track's inside facilities. At the top of this incline you come over a simi-blind rise and then down into a banked corner to the left, T5. This was a very fun corner and I soon learned that to get through it fast all you really need to do is tap the nose down... for about 3 brake markers worth... and then twitch the wheel about 10 degrees left and back to neutral as the car drops and banks. Then get back on the power and BLAST off in 3rd up the hill staying left at the first blind rise and further up the hill as you then cross over to the right side and toss out the anchor at the 3 marker while coming into the landing pad just before the cork screw. With the Z28 I would turn in a little early as the tires were still pretty light and kind of let the nose drift past the left apex. Then I find my tree down the hill and head for it as the bottom drops out. Like a roller coaster ride you then shut your eyes (can't see the road anyway... so why not?) and turn right and get back on the power in 2nd gear sweeping back to the right again. If you do things right you will power down the hill until you freak yourself out and grab 3rd gear and hope you have heat in your tires, which you don't because you are driving street tires... right?!
So, because I didn't have the required extra set of balls I would tap my brakes and SLOW back down and try to stay somewhat under control as I banked left through turn 9 and under another foot bridge (which I never did really like that much until the next day's racing). At the bottom of what seems like a 500' decent into T10 right you better have darn good brakes if you are trying to keep up with anyone who knows what they are doing. On the other hand, if you are just out for a Saturday afternoon drive it was a whole bunch of fun!
You sweep through T10 to the right and past the exit road on the left and step it up while crossing the track to the right side to set up for the last turn 11 which leads onto the front straight. Just before T11 is the hot pit exit on your left as you exit T10. During one lap this bone head named Mark Kibort who, it just so happens ended up on the pole, was driving a red 928 Porsche number 19 and decided to take the exit as I came down out of turn 10 and was realing him in. Problem is he didn't bother to put his hand up or use his brakes, apparently preferring to down shift and cool his rotors. Well, I didn't wise up until I was about 5' off his stern!! I jagged right under full evasive at the last possible second and just managed to have my first of two near death experiences at Laguna that weekend. But I survived. I also found out that T11 left is a KILLER. I must have managed to waste 10% of the rubber on the SZ50s in that one corner alone. I did at least 3 four wheel slides around it, one of which when I was being chased around by a fellow F-body jockey named Alan Blaine, in his hopped up green and white Z28 with all the bells and whistles. So, that time I just floored it as I drifted around turn 11, slid over to the rumble strip on the right, lost traction with the right rear as the nose was pointed back to the left side wall, shot back out to mid track with full power on, lit up the rears and weaved down the front straight in 2nd gear. Had to grab 3rd to regain traction and TOOK OFF with Alan recording it all for later. That was my idea of FUN! From that point on I was doing four wheel drifts on darn near every corner and sometimes practicing some dirt tracking to boot. I just plain got carried away and let it all hang out. It was GREAT and nothing much really to hit either... not like the tracks back home for sure! I guessed maybe I had died and gone to racer heaven anyways.
After we got through our 30 minute practice session I had finally grown one extra ball and figured out the basic line around the track. All I needed now was my race rubber and a clear track and who knows.
While parked in the impound another fellow F-body driver named Richard Pryor, who drove a white 4th gen #77 with a 305 under the hood in both AS and ITE, came by to say hi. "I was following you a few laps and wondered if you'd like some pointers?" I shook his hand and said, "Well, I already got four or so pointers I think." "Oh really?", he says. "Yep." And I pointed at my tires. He says, "I see what you mean. I suppose if you change those tires it probably won't hurt. But I noticed you were a little off line coming down off the cork screw..." I replied, "Yah I know. I was trying to figure out the passing line because I figured that's where I'd be spending most of my time..." He laughed and said, "I guess you got me there man. Have a good time and welcome to Laguna Seca..." Never hurts to psyche out the competition even when you are full of it. Right?
Next morning comes quickly. First I qualify then we would wait for Craig's morning race, starting at the end of the pack. After lunch Craig would get his afternoon race and finally I would get to run in the Group 1 race at the end of the day. So, I mount up and go on track with the camera rolling about mid pack. We are informed before we go out that if there are any noise violators they will black flag us all and come hunting for the bad guys exceeding the 90 dba limit. Apparently the county has their own sound cop and so does SCCA and the county's meter, for some reason, always catches the loud cars first. As it turns out I did get one hit the day before at 90.7 dba but you must be 91 to get a hit. If you get 3 hits during the weekend you are sent packing. Somehow with the colder morning air, even though I added an extra deflector on my tail pipe the night after my practice session, I still got a hit at 92 dba. So, I wasn't sure if I was going to get a clean race or not.
In the mean time though there was qualifying to run. I just got my tires up to speed when I came out of turn 11 onto the front straight with just one lone wolf black BMW about 100 yards ahead. I blasted off with after burners full open figuring I would try to real this guy in under braking in T1 and if I was lucky maybe I would be able to get a decent lap without a bunch of Rx7s and Miatas blocking my road beyond him. I had already passed 7 or 8 of them working to the front of the pack as it was. So at around 140 I clear the rise just past start/finish and come bearing down on the BWM at the brake markers. I cut power and go to brakes when I realize the brake peddle is SOLID AS A ROCK!! SHIT!! I had to think FAST and I mean FAST... as my life started rewinding before me and the hair pin was already looming to my left and the BMW was filling the picture. I started left thinking maybe I can cut in front with what little braking I was getting... which was damn frigging little. BAD IDEA. At the VERY LAST split second I opted right thinking tire wall here I come! I blow by his passenger door only because he finally decided to crank his wheel left. Had I gone left it would have surely been history for both of us. I probably would have killed him, I think his name was Richard Kuchman. He has no idea how close he came to dying I'm betting. But I do. Then the brakes came back to life and the ABS worked so hard I was actually able to round the corner on the very outside edge and get back into the ball game. From that point on the ABS light was my FRIEND! The more often I saw it light up the better!!
Well that fast lap was wasted so I spent the rest of the lap testing my brakes twice per turn. Then they black flagged us anyway and started hunting down violators including the white F-body #77. They got to stay in the hot pit while the rest of us went back on track to knock ourselves out. After a few more brake testing laps and re-heating my rubber I finally took a deep breath and open up again once I got some sort of break in traffic, which after being grouped in the hot pit came later rather than sooner, thanks to SF Region SCCA management practices.
Anyway, I only had one bad glitch after that when the rear locked going into the cork screw and I learned how come all the other drivers were smoking their tires at the top of the hill there. Once again I was having fun doing four wheel drifts around sharp corners. Woooo Hooooo.
By the time I came off track I was fairly happy with my new found lines and felt maybe one or two laps had been decent times at least. I also found a couple FAST Camaros to drag race with down the front straight just to put some frosting on the weekend cake. About an hour later I was also informed by Craig that the times were out and I had somehow managed to score a decent, though not that great, 1:45.185, which gave me 4th on grid in row two. I was actually expecting to land out someplace farther down (like 10th or 15th) to be honest, after seeing at least a dozen cars in ITE with rear wings, fat tires, Corvette and Speed Vision verbiage on their cars, etc. But here I was running the numbers in my head as to where I could find .5 sec in that corner, 5. sec down that hill, etc. Yep I could probably find 2 seconds more if I don't have anyone in front of me and that would put me right in the hunt with the red 928 on pole with a 1:43.185 and the black Vette in the #2 hole with a 1:44.033 or the white Speed BMW with a 1:44.501 next to me on row two. Heck Eric in the '92 Mustang had a 1:46.935 behind me along with Richard in the #77 AS/ITE car with a 1:47.116 (who wanted to give little old me some pointers) and Allen Blaine in the other 4th gen F-body, with all the bells and whistles, who had a 1:47.282. BTW, I knew I had seen Allen's car before someplace. Turns out he runs it in the Silver State Classic whenever he can. But, it looked to me like the only guy in this class with an F-body reputation to uphold was going to have to be me. Didn't seem right that I should just let a Corvette, Porsche and/or BMW put us F-bodies to shame like that. So, I decided to bring out my best front tire for T11 and drop 1 lb of air out of the rears and fix my frigging brakes and go hunting later that afternoon. Who knows, maybe I'd just pass them all in T1 and keep right on trucking?
But, Craig had other plans for me. By this time he had finally decided to fix his leaky oil gauge and maybe clean all the oil off the underside of his car. He got the gauge leak fixed alright. Then he took a break. And finally, about an hour before his first race in Group 3 he decides to squirt some carb cleaner under his car and INTO his left eye in the process. Well, to say the least that was a BAD idea. He wears contacts and his eye was so sore and red that Dianne had the medics come and patch him up. Someone up there probably figured if they couldn't put me out of action then maybe it was time to put Craig out of action... I guess. Craig was howling at the sun and wanted to race so bad it just hurt more. Finally he starts giving up on the race. Then he gets this bright idea that he wants me to go race his car for him. Then SCCA tells us no way unless we pay another $275 race entry fee. Then Craig goes and sweet talks them with some cash (a second entry fee) and next thing I know I'm trying to think of some reason, like maybe that car of his has bad brakes (which it does) or maybe it handles like crap (which it does) or I have no idea how to drive a Jerico (which I don't) or it's too LOUD (which it was) or what about all the oil, what if it starts on fire and I can't figure out how to operate the fire system or how to stop the car... I could burn alive... yada yada. He just looks at me and starts crying, "Chuck, come on man. I wanta see you race my car on the race track man." OK. Hell, I'll do it.
The green flag drops as I'm coming down the hill off of turn 9. From up there I see the lead cars blasting off a good 1/4 mile ahead past start finish as the two lame brains I'm behind are still scrubbing their tires. I put the peddle down and blast between them both and around turn 10 as it were. The car FLIES for turn 11 and I slam on the brake. WOOOW BABY!!! Power slide left, full counter steeeeering right. No good. Well, I tried to go around the corner. But this darn car should not be on a track with anything short of Good Year racing slicks. I go off backwards and spend a good 30 seconds watching four cars pass me while I try to start the engine that got a darn flooded carb now. Jeeeeeeze! It finally lights up and bounces off the rev limiter and I slam the Jerico into drive and spin back onto the track and up through the gears like a bandit shot out of a cannon. Dang this car is DANGEROUS FAST!
I spend the next two laps looking for my first victim and in the process notice a bunch of smoke coming up out of the drive shaft tunnel area. Apparently I'm already on fire. Lap 3 I passed two cars. So, time to pit and hit the fire with some white powder or H2O. Craig pops the hood and shuts it. He sorta looks under the car and says, "Get out of here man." A red Ponaz flies by as I lay rubber and head after him....
Well, it's 1:25a.m. and time for an intermission... and some sleep... now would be a good time for those who have read this far to take a break and grab some java before we continue on.
Let's see. Where did I leave off? Oh ya. I came out of the hot pit and tried to get missile lock on that GTS Ponaz ahead of me. Wish I had Craig's video of this race so I would not have to make all this up. But the part about the Ponaz is pretty close. Anyway, I chased this guy around a few laps. The Ponaz handled better in the corners. But Craig's car would reel him back in easily down the front straight. Braking for the turns had to be done a lot earlier than I would have liked to. That will be corrected once he figures out how to mount his six piston Brembos. Anyway, I tool around and figure out how to cut some 1:44-1:45 laps before the oil on the pipes forces me back into the pits again. I almost died breathing all the smoke. Sure would have liked a 7-up by then too.
I go back out after he wipes up all the oil on the passenger floor pan and start chasing around one of the faster GTA cars. Same story. Lose ground in the corners, gain ground down the front straight, sometimes I would almost black out coming out of T11 IF the Hoosiers actually hooked up, which most the time they couldn't. I also noticed it would lose power steering in a couple places when you least wanted it to. Apparently the PS belt was slipping. Pretty typical with an over powered road rocket like this, I suppose. Go FAST. HANG on for dear life. Go SLOW. Etc.
A few laps later I'm meat balled for sound. 105 dba??? What the heck is that? So, I come back in and the meat ball steward hands me this paper to read. Something about not going back out without correcting the equipment. I tell him to hand it to Craig. "He's the owner. I just drive this thing."
Craig and he walk around outside the car and have a chat. Craig opens the hood and pokes his head inside. I know this is hit #1 and don't think I should go out and get hit #2 before he has a chance to run in his race later in the day. He only gets 3 hits, right. He says just keep it below 5000 rpms when going up the hill past the meter. OK. But they still won't let me out. Finally, the steward says do something and I can go, "Kick the muffler or something." Craig, gives him this weird look, walks around back, kicks the muffler and out I go... if you can believe that!
Well, needless to say, I didn't finish too high in the standings. But, about half a dozen of those GTA cars still didn't beat me either, because they had gone and crashed into walls, gravel traps or chucked out parts of their drive shafts all around the tack. At least I finished and managed to pass a bunch of cars that scored more laps than I did. Had Craig started working on his car a month sooner I have little doubt I would have finished closer to 7th or 8th place. I was pumped when I got in and had to go change my Nomex bottoms before the next race. That was one wet dream of a ride!!
My uncle Kenney and cousins Ken and John showed up at noon. We eventually got my car prepped and took a break to watch Craig do his second race after I told him in no uncertain terms that there was no way I was going to risk MY life again and not do my race. "Once you get in that car and on that track and start chasing those guys around you will forget how sore your eye is. So, suck it up and get going man. You gotta do this race..." I told him. Well, I was right. Craig started out doing some god awful slow laps, 1:56s or something. Finally, after everyone had a decent head start he started trimming a second a lap. Before long he was in the 1:40s and I was beginning to think he'd be putting my 1:44 lap to shame at this rate. But he never managed to get it under the 1:48 mark. After all, he had only had 6 or 8 laps prior to the race. I must have done more like 30 before I drove it. Anyway, watching him streak like a bullet down the front straight was a sight to behold. He even nearly hit his driver mirror going next to the wall past start/finish just like I had done on one of my laps. Guess he wanted to see what it would be like. FUNNNNN! At over 140mph you can almost catch air with his light car as you take the jump about 75 yards past start/finish.
By this time we were both fulfilled. But there was one last ITE race and a Porsche and BMW to address. A bunch of the SF boys were a little miffed seeing this guy from up north standing next to a red Z28 on row two in grid. It was interesting watching them in little huddles glancing at me and chatting with each other. Craig helped me strap in and told me to come back in one piece. I felt my fangs growing slowly as the 5 minute warning was sounded. I also noticed that the bright blue sky seemed to be turning an odd shade of red. Must have been the red mist in my eyes looking at the cars gridded in front of me as we pulled up to the pace car and parked on the front straight. If it hadn't been for my quiet pipe I'm sure I would have grown hair all over my body too. I was out for blood.
We start rolling behind the pace car up the rise and down into the Andretti hair pin. I revved in 3rd and stomped on my brakes a few times running up behind the black C4 with the wing to get my Hoosiers warmed up. My plan was simple. Heat my tires better that these other jockies doing the typical left right scrub jobs, go to afterburners off the green, brake late into T1, shoot ahead with a four wheel drift on the inside, punt anyone out of my way who got in my way, and ride off into the sunset. Piece of cake, right?
We come out of T1 and I rev again and SNAP!! The car shook a little and started making these god awful grinding noises. I went to neutral and wondered, "What the FFFF is that?" Then I realized my coffin was nailed shut and I better coast over behind the wall at turn 3 and get real friendly with the SF region turn workers. Needless to say, vampires are not looked on very kindly by the man upstairs I guess. My clutch was history and no way it would go back in gear. Well, maybe next time.
Saturday's Activities
Steve Sampson and I decided to go burn away some old used race rubber out at Pacific Raceway this weekend. We set up shop with our F-bodies along with Carlo and Tarryn with their Rx7 rental car. It's always a lot of fun bench racing with good friends at Seattle in between real racing and working on the cars. And Saturday would be no exception when it comes to the working on cars part either.
Steve and I mounted up and headed to grid with our street tires on to scout out the track and the new dips at turn 9 after they had tried to repave that corner again. I had my new SPEC Stage 3 clutch in and just wanted to figure out how to get started from a dead stop without it grabbing and chattering my brains out. After several tries, and talking to SPEC the Friday before concerning the excessive chatter I was getting, it was time to go out and break in the ceramic pucks and learn how to drive a "race" clutch.
Well, we did a couple laps and started picking up the pace a little when next thing I know we're heading out of T4 on the back straight and I'm turning right after the dip there to set up for turn 5a left. I go to breaks and the car decided to go AWOL to the left, HARD! I was not expecting that, although I suppose I should have been ready for anything after my brakes had been acting up down at Laguna a few weeks prior. Well, this was BAD if I didn't do something real fast, like get the car hauled down in about one more nanosecond!! Turn 5a is not the sort of turn you want to get caught in with your pants down, even when the brakes are working perfect. I had to let up or get launched off the left dirt hump before the left apex FIA curb... like what had happened to Skip Nicholes a year or so back when he ended up in the hospital there. Problem is letting up on the brakes was a BAD option. But I did it anyway and I also counter steered back to the right as best I could. Another BAD idea and now my rear end started sliding left too. THEN I realized I wasn't going to make this corner, no how, no way. And the new TIRE WALL on the right was coming up FAST!! The car dives into the grave as I go back to brakes at about 50% just before I run off the pavement. OH SHIT I said to myself, with this very sick feeling rushing through my brain. All I could do was ride it out and steer left and HOPE the SZ50s with their street tread can somehow plow through the gravel and turn the car at the same time. To my surprise the combination of going back to brakes in the nick of time and steering left gradually was just the right evasive action to avoid total disaster, and I just missed the tires by about a foot off my right mirror. Now all I had to do was keep my momentum up enough to skirt past turn 3b right while plowing in the gravel and try to get back on track with Steve and a black Mustang going by me ON LINE. Last thing I needed was to get stuck in the pea gravel. And I didn't. I tucked behind Steve and the Mustang and finished up what was left of the 10 minute practice session testing my brakes, which kept pulling left every other time I used them.
When we came off track and putzed through the paddock to cool my brakes I noticed that if I went hard on the brakes at 20 mph I would get the old LOW TRACTION light once it got nearly stopped and the fronts would skid and with my hands off the wheel it would jerk left with the steering wheel turning left about 45 degrees as well. Tarryn and I got out the shop manual and brain stormed what in the laws of physics was going on. We decided that it was either (A) air in the line to the right front or (B) the left front hub speed sensor might be giving the ABS system computer some bad wheel speed readings causing it to over compensate to the left side of the system or (C) maybe the right front speed sensor was giving bad readings in the other direction. But I knew the right front hub/sensor was the newer of the two. So, we figured it was probably the left front sensor if either was bad. So, Sampson and I bled the entire brake system except the ABS unit itself, and we found some air in the right rear line (not the right front) and I swapped the left front hub out.
Then we got called to qualify. So, out we go again. The first couple laps all I wanted to do was heat the tires and test the brakes. The brake peddle wasn't as firm as I would have liked. But, so far, it was braking straight at least. The track, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as good as the last time I ran there either. It seems to have picked up more dips and has gotten rougher in some places. My old race rubber sucked to put it bluntly.
Jason Fiorito, the track owner, went out first in his black beast of a GT1 Ford Tourus (GTA type car). I followed him out and before we got past T3 had let Mac Russell in his too fast to be legal red Nissan 240 GT3 car and Jules Moritz in his red and white GT2 RX7 go by. Later, after T7, I let a guy in a blue Nissan 240 GT2 car go by also and decided to tag along behind him to see if I could stay up and maybe post a decent ITE lap time that way. Turns out this was good old Manfred Duske in a car I have never seen him drive before. All the while I am chasing him I'm thinking it's just some other GT2 pilot and I would have fun playing with him. Anyway, we pick up the pace after running a slow 2:06 warm up lap. Manfred has maybe 50 yards on me as we head past start finish. But I had to over break to keep from punting him in T2. I cut a 1:36.912 and new I could have done better had he not held us up. But I decide to follow him through the back side. Didn't have much choice really with him running on race slicks in a tube frame car.
Lap 3 was a tad faster, so I fgured he was now starting to get with the program. I chased him again down into T2 and again he holds me up and I used trail braking to keep from punting him again. His brake lights go out, so I figure he's back on the power now. So, I power down too and darn nearly ram him. Had to stab my brakes to keep from hitting him! That's three times in two laps already. So much for that lap; 1:36.161. OK, we soldier around to start finish again and again I'm reeling him in once I go to 5th grear coming out of the kink. As we arch through T1 I'm coming on stronger and finally he seems to be going for some decent entry speed into T2. I post a 1:35.373 this lap but was still held up some in T2 for the first 1/3 of the corner.
I decide I'm going to try and get by him the next pass into T2. To do that I'll have to try and close up on him into T8 and get a decent apex at T9 feeding onto the front straight. Things go according to plan and by the time we hit T1 I'm quite a bit closer than before. So, I move left to let him know I'm coming through as he brakes for T2. I brake later and dive down under him at the fog line and skirt the low line as fast as I can. I get my nose ahead of him and he comes down to my right door maybe 6" to 12" away. No room now for me to get on the power early at all because, IF I do, I will surely drift up and door slam him. As we make the apex he is able to get to the power first and as I grab 4th he squirts back ahead, cuts me off, I stab my brakes AGAIN and I follow him again down into 3a; 1:36.560 that lap. Now I'm a little pissed because this isn't going to do anyone any good. I decided we must have time for 3 or 4 more laps and I'm going to just play with this guy going into T2 one more time, if for no other reason but to mess up his qualify time in return for the favor. So, again I dive under entering T2 but this time I just hang in his blind spot and figure it will make some good footage on the in car camera to see a GT2 car off my right front quarter panel in a corner like that. Plus, He won't be able to see me very well if I'm in his blind spot, so it will probably slow him down some at least. It worked per plan. He went from a 1:36.538 on the prior lap to a 1:36.930 that lap. I back out and let him go and posted a 1:41.207 myself.
The last two laps I tried to go all out. I was posting what felt like a decent lap the next pass. But, darn if I didn't miss my 2 to 3 upshift coming out of T3b and only managed a 137.399 that lap. I got back on the horse the last lap and posted a 1:36.153, but must have tried too hard as it wasn't good for much. However, even though I had been held up my Manfred, it turns out that my 1:35.373 was a new personal best. And, to top it off, I had corded my right front Hoosier in the process. No wonder I was getting so much push in 3b and 5a and 8. Now all I had to do was figure out how to swap tires someplace on a SUNDAY, before our 11:20 qualify session, when nobody came to provide tire support at this race? At least I was sitting in the first slot out of the 3 ITE cars that had showed up on Saturday. And I beat Manfred's time of 1:35.806 and Jules Moritz's time of 1:36.072 (the 2nd and 3rd fastest of the 3 GT2 cars that had showed up so far) too boot.
Sunday's Activities
Well I got up early and managed to talk a guy at COSTCO into mounting a non-member's race tire, "...after all COSTCO sponsors a race car don't they?" Got the next old front tire and rim back to the track, bolted it on, did a quick check, tossed on the race gear and went for another qualify session "race". I say race because this time around the red Rx7 GT2 driver named Jules Moritz gridded behind me and decided he was going to, once again, pass me right out of the gate. This time though I decided no way. After Saturday's experience, if these GT2 jokies want to get in front of me and slow me down they're going to have to wait and work for it. Besides, I had already beat Jules's time by nearly a full click the day before. So, he should wait for me, I figured, unless he wants to drive more like a GT2 driver ought to.
So, we come around on the warm up lap and my goal was basically to do a couple test laps, one or two hot laps, have Carlo adjust any tire pressures as needed and then bag it for the race. Maybe get a bit better position on grid if I'm lucky. I make myself wide until we get to turn 8. Jules doesn't take the hint and passes under me in T8 anyway. I tuck in behind him through T9 and literally BLOW by him before he makes his upshift... just to play tic tac toe with him. Then I blast off knowing his slicks will let him gather me up sooner or later. It was a slow lap at 2:00.940.
Still on cold tires, I take T2 through T3b conservatively. By now I've decided the hub swap was working very well, brakes wise. We shoot down the back straight as the tires get up to temp. Jules is still behind me through T8 but hooks up better. I came out a little wide and he goes to my left rather than letting me swing back to set up for T9. Once again a GT2 driver is screwing with me. I guess, if the car says Mazda on it, it has to have a Mazda driver, right? Go figure.
We blast off down the front and head for the kink and I start to gather him back in real fast. I expect him to take a straight line through the kink and go out to the left wall like a white man, at which point I'll pass on his right, like a white man. So, what does he do with me bearing down on him at 15 mph extra forward velocity? You guessed it. He blocks me and I nearly ram him, spike my Alcons, jag left and go on by again. 1:37.962.
OK. Time to turn it up a notch. I go in fairly deep in T2 but take a standard line. To my surprise he goes under me. That's cool. Get going and I'll be very happy to follow. He leads the way full tilt and has maybe 30 yards on me by T8. I carve through T8 fairly well with the best tire on my right front and he takes it fast enough that he drifts out wide this time. He makes it through T9 fast though. As do I. He comes out with +10 more yards on me. I have to peddle faster to reel him in this time and apex T9 right on the wall. By now I have learned to turn in soon enough to take T9 real tight and to use all the bumps and humps and the wide exit to my advantage, to carry as much exit speed as I dare and catch up with him just after start/finish. 1:35.721. Jules clocked a much better (than his qualify time of 1:36.072 on Saturday) 1:35.047.
Now, if he can stay at this pace we should do fairly well next lap. By then my old Hoosiers will be toast. But, he's going to have to pass me one more time for good measure. Maybe down in T2 again? We arch though T1 and I blast on by with a good start for this lap. But no time to move right really. Figured he'd take the high line. Not Jules. He's a Mazda driver right? I keep forgetting. They do everything backwards. Well sort of. Had my tires been fresh I would have just followed the fog line down low and made him go high right. But, they weren't and I didn't. He is on my tail as I slide up about one car width. He must have figured I was letting him by, so he went under me on the fog line. I tucked in at the apex and as he swings out to to the right edge I slam down the go peddle and repass him back heading down into the valley. THIS IS FUN!!! And no paint swapping yet either. The turn workers must be enjoying the Mazda GT2 vs Chevy Z28 battle I would think.
He can't get around in 3a or 3b even though I got a little out of shape on the 3b exit. Tires are had by now. Last fast lap if that. I drag race him to 5a where I find some prefect apexes and rocket up the hill for T7 and T8. Tires push hard through T8 with Jules right in my shadow but I manage somehow to nail the T8 apex and come out fairly quickly. He had the lead going over start/finish last time. So, if he can hang with me and doesn't screw with me, this could be a good lap for me finally. I apex T9 prefect and he stays behind me. I pull away down the front again and make for start/finish in 4th gear, then 5th and around T1 at 145+. 1:35.168! Bingo. Another personal best. Jules racked up a slower 1:37.073. Tic for tac.
He must have been sand bagging though. He seems to have dropped back now and lets me go though T2. It was time for me to go in and have Carlo check the tires anyway. This would be my last fast lap. And I started to get sloppy anyway. By the time I came around to T8 Jules had been riding in my shadow most of the way. I had bounced off the rev limiter before 3a forgetting to upshift to 4th. And the tires pushed in most the corners. Entering T8 I nearly lost it under braking and Jules went down under me heading for his 1:35.027 best lap so far. I got a bad 1:37.461 after missing my 3 to 4 upshift at T9 and nearly fragging the T56 in the process. So, I just cruised around to keep heat in the tires and went on in to the hot pits. After we checked preasures I did a couple cool down laps and parked it.
The first 12 on grid should have formed up something like this, except for the no show(s)...
Fiorito GT1 Ford Taurus 1:28.098 Russell GT3 Nissan 240SX 1:32.556 Rowse GT1 Chev Mont Carlo 1:33.217 Miller GT2 Pont Fiero 1:34.742 Moritz GT2 Mazda RX7 1:35.027 Jessup ITE Chev Z28 1:35.168 Hohagen ITE Porsche 930T 1:35.688 (DNS - broken turbo) Duske GT2 Nissan 240 1:35.806 Gircester GT1 Ford Mustang Cobra 1:37.289 (DNS) Sampson ITE Chev Z28 1:37.339 Peterson GT2 Datsun 240Z 1:39.051 Ducken GT1 Chev Z28 1:40.567
TIME TO RACE
Sampson had to start at the end of grid after getting to the drivers meeting late. He asked me what he should do. I told him to hang back and try to get a run off the green and I'd spin out in T2 to hold everyone up and, if he was smart, he could pass everyone under yellow and the turn workers would be on dope and wouldn't see it. Maybe then he could hold them all up in T8 and return me the favor and I could play catch up and still win ITE. We laughed and strapped in. Funny thing was this is about what happened.
I had gotten the wild idea, seriously, that IF I could pass the lead GT2 cars off the green maybe I could battle my way ahead as we came around on the first lap and power away and hang on for a decent finish and ITE win with the GT2 cars running screen for me against that very fast Porsche 930 turbo that qualified behind me. Except the Porsche broke during a prior race, so that was a moot issue now.
Well, we come around and I'm on the right side of row 3 next to Jules, with Duske on my left rear and Miller right in front of me... the three GT2 cars I plan to do battle with the whole race. I think I'm the only one who even tried to heat my tires. Somehow I had this idea I would be faster in T2 than they would be. Who knows. So, we form up in 2nd gear and I get a great jump off the green.
By the time we get to T1 I had been pushed into the marbles along the front wall on the right by Miller as I go by him. I back out a bit to make the corner and tuck in behind Mac Russell's very quick GT3 car with the two fast GT1 cars ahead of him. Then I get back on the power and go after Russell down into T2 with everyone else in tow. I brake late for T2 and start out pretty much down the middle like any normal T2 entry. Carry some speed into the corner and start working the wheel. Then, all of a sudden, the tires don't seem to be hooking up any more as Russell is below me and one of the GT2 cars is off my left front corner. DANG IT! I slide up into the marbles and dust and oil and put two wheels off and then the left rear and the nose comes around to the left and back onto the marbles again. MY BAD.
Miller goes by, with Moritz right below him, then Duske and, to my surprise, SAMPSON! YES. My plan worked. Where the heck did he come from??!! (Sampson thanked me later for the sling shot starting advice.)
Steve has Peterson, in his GT2 240Z, right on his tail and I grab 2nd and go after them. As we all exit T2 I blast past Peterson and go after Sampson who is real damn good at carving all the twisties, to the point I can't manage to get by him down the back straight... after Peterson nearly clips my left rear wing going through 3b. Peterson managed to zip under me in 3b but I hooked up and repassed him again on the exit as I went hunting for Steve. I don't understand why, but Moritz somehow let Duske get by him back in 3b also. I was now back in 7th place over all but still 2nd in ITE behind Sampson. The lead GT1 car was long gone by the time we made for T7. But the rest of the pack I could still see at least.
We all headed up the hill and made for T8 like dogs chasing a fox... Mac Russell. Mac was actually ahead of the #2 GT1 car. He's FAST for a GT3 pilot! Steve and I do our best on old rubber through T8 and lose quite a bit of ground to the GT2 racing slicks. Steve was hustling a tad too fast into T8 though as he goes high right a little. I played it conservative and came in slower in 3rd gear and stayed on my line. Then I grabbed 2nd thinking maybe it would help vs Steve's 4.10 gears. Steve came out wide right but his 4.10 gears kept him in the game when combined with the wider arch in his path. I had to grab 3rd before T9. I was in his blind spot so he did not know he was beating me to T9. I think he let up a little as he checked his mirrors there? The other guys are leaving us behind as we sort ourselves out. NOT a good team play really.
I get a good T9 apex and slam down the after burner peddle. I grab 4th just as I pass Steve and we take off after the others through the kink. I didn't want to waste any more time and give chase to Moritz. I have him in my cross hairs by the time we got to T1. But, he saw me coming and opted for the low line right behind Duske who was very close to Miller's wing. I late brake and slide up to Moritz knowing he will walk me through the corner. And they do. We exit T2 and I go hunting again... down the hill. We're stacked up 3 GT2 cars and me, nose to tail, through the S's. And the back corners. But Miller walks away in T6 as he's chasing the #2 GT1 car.
Next lap Duske and Miller are battling in T2 and I'm still trying like mad to get back up with Moritz. We start to string out more and more. Miller won't give up his 1st in GT2 to Duske who is a real battling fool. I'm wishing real bad that I had used my new Hoosiers this weekend rather than next!! Darn.
The remainder of the race I seemed to lose about .5 sec a lap on the GT2 cars. That is until lap 4 when Duske dropped out putting me up another spot. By around lap 6 the #2 GT1 car was blowing oil and I was on his tail after the GT2 boys had passed him. He eventually parked it too. But, there just was no way to get back in that game with Miller and Moritz. And, as time passed and I tried harder and harder the tires just pushed worse and worse in each corner. But it was good understeer practice and a good work out... until the last lap sign came out and we had lapped a couple cars (one of which really held me up in the process) and a couple more had dropped out... and I once again went dirt tracking off of T2 for the fun of it. Brain fade I guess.
By the time I got done though I had snagged my first place finish in ITE and Sampson took second and I think I was something like 5th over all after the #2 GT2 car and Duske had oiled down the track pretty well and dropped out. Hey, at least I never missed any shifts. That's a GOOD thing for me. Right? Oh, my left front tire was corded ALL THE WAY AROUND too (glad I had swapped it to the left before the race). What a hoot.
Lap Times
1:43, 1:36, 1:35, 1:36, 1:37, 1:36, 1:36, 1:36, 1:37 (held up), 1:38 (oil), 1:38 (blown GT1 car), 1:38 (oil), 1:37, 1:37, 1:38 (oil everywhere), 1:37, 1:38, 1:50 (cool down in dirt).
Most of the Porsche gang I usually run against from up in the Seattle area here were no shows at this race because they had raced at PIR the weekend before. BUT, Scotty White, who's a top gun ex-Speed Vision pro racer with a brand new 2003 T1 Z06 Corvette pumping out 415+ HP at the flywheel and his team mate, Cindy Lux, who has run in the Ponaz Pro Series were running this weekend at Pacific Raceways for the National races. Cindy did not run in my Regional race but she won one of the two National races against Scotty earlier in the weekend. Their team has this giant race car transporter with 4 Vettes and four plus crew members to work on them. NayKid Racing.
Anyway, he was there and decided to run in ITE along with some of the 911 Porsches and I using his T1 Vette. Plus there were a hand full of PCA1 Porsche GT3 Cup type factory built race cars in the group running in SP class. Jan DeRie was driving a fast GT3 Cup type car as were a couple other Seattle area hot shoes, like Henry Luft and Craig Ranta.
I managed to qualify on the pole with a 1:34.434 before Scotty's Vette ended up oiling down the track after it had an oil cooler hose spring a leak about 3 laps into our qualify session... and after he had laid down a 1:34.697 lap which put him right beside me on row 1. It was hard to tell at that point who would have really qualified on pole had the track not been closed down.
Anyway, Scotty and Cindy had both posted 1:32.2 and 1:32.6 laps during their earlier races but Scotty had been driving his black 1999 Vette which has been updated to 2002 Z06 standards in T1. So, I figured Scotty would wipe up on all of us, pole or no pole, with his new 2003 Vette. He was still on the front row off the green. I recall speaking shortly with him about his car after qualifying to get a feel for what I was up against, etc. "Hey Scotty, what side do you want on the front row?" I asked. "You took pole Chuck, you get to pick the side," he replies. "I know Scotty but you're the pro, I defer to you man." "OK," he says, "I'll take the left side then." "Kind of figured you would. So, if I let yu have the left side will you let me be the first one through turn two then?" I ask him smiling. He says, "The only way you are going to get turn two ahead of me is if you beat me to it." "Come on man, that doesn't seem fair, when I give you something you should return the favor..." I laugh at him, "But, if that's the way you're going to be about it that's no problem by me. I still let you have the left side." When we gridded up Roxan Vine, the Splitter, was surprised when I informed her I was going to let Scotty have the left side, "OK," she said, "are you sure?" "Yep. I'm sure." I told her.
So we head on out. I do my standard tire warning routine and as we come around behind the pace car I take a look over at Scotty to give him the thumbs up. But he's already in his zone and looking straight ahead. I figure I'll have to really nail the start to beat him out of the hole and down to turn 2 first. Which is exactly what I did. I got a perfect reaction time off the green and got the drop on him and later, according to him, I had "walked him good down into turn 2... by a couple car lengths" with DeRie breathing down our necks and Ranta right behind him. Scotty is no chump driver. But I had warned him before the race not to hit me during lap one. He likes me and said that so long as I got to turn 2 first he'd be cool. So, I did. And I got to turn 10 and the start finish line first on lap #1 also. But the next time we went into turn 2 he out broke me, went under and next thing I know I'm looking at two Corvette tail lights about 6" in front of my nose for the next lap. Scotty has bigger balls than any driver I've ever seen before.
But I managed to hang pretty close to him even though his car handles a lot better than mine. Well, until we started braking for turn 5a at least where I had a brain fart and took dip and turn 4 corner too close to the right edge and hit one of those red traffic cones at about 90 mph and that ended up knocking out my head light cover and busting up my parking light and my $400 front air dam, all of which went under my right front tire as I was braking for the coner and I darn nearly lost control. Needless to say I lost about 30 yards on Scotty in the process too. DeRie also gained on me, etc.
But I got back after Scotty and was starting to close the gap some after several hard laps when his car developed ignition failure and he sputtered out and I blew by him like he was running in 3rd gear. Next thing I know I'm the lone Chevy holding down the fort against the next 10 cars, 9 of which were Porsches and one of which was a very fast RX7.
We lapped some of the Miata moving road blocks two times and I got held up a few times in the process. The others must have been held up as well though, so it all evened out. When it was all said and done I crossed the line 32.6 seconds ahead of Ranta and DeRie.
Scotty posted the best lap time with a freaking 1:31.904 during that second lap where he passed me. I got my fast lap during lap 3 with a 1:32.858 and Jan DeRie posted a fast lap of 1:32.993. But, he must have gone off track someplace, because one minute he was matching my every move from about 50 yards back then the next he was not in sight. Ranta had come in 3rd even though his best lap was a 1:35.169? That was just 1/1000th slower than my personal best going into this race of 1:35.168 (from last weekend when I ran on worn out tires at the IRDC race).
I was in 1st the 1st lap and lap 7 to 16. Scotty was in 1st the other 5 laps. I posted the following lap times whcih averaged out in the 1:33.867 ball park...
1:36 (Off the green with a 2nd gear rolling start at the line) 1:34 (Scotty got by me in T2 then hit cone and all in 5a) 1:33 (see fast lap time above) 1:33 1:33 (gained some back on Scotty) 1:34 (Scotty came up lame and slowed me up some) 1:35 (held up by Pat Newton and company in Miatas who were back markers) 1:34 1:34 1:35 (passed several Miatas and a couple 911s) 1:33 1:34 (passed blue 928 Porsche) 1:35 (passed Pat Newton again, Steve Sampson on worn out rims and Scotty trying to finish the race) 1:36 (more lapped cars) 1:34 1:34 (Pass Cobra after T9 exit who raced me to Start/finish)
Just like last year this Rose Cup event was full of interesting "stuff" happening to me. Last year it was the collapsing intake issue. This year some little electrical gremlin got into one of my connectors (the one that melted down during an off road fire in 1999) and decided to screw with me just about any time I tried to start the car.
I didn't have any problems during my practice session on Friday, well except for the fact that I nearly ran over one Miata on my way into the chicane. This time I dove into the dirt at the right side apex and somehow the driver heard me coming (thanks to my screeching street tires) and gave me just enough room to keep from swapping paint with him; I think he was Brian Clemons from Newburg, OR. That's heads up driving for a new guy. We had Saturday off. So, I just did more prep on the car. Made sure it was 100% ready, so I thought.
Sunday morning rolls around and we are gridded for qualifying. I'm in the 2nd spot ready to rumble. Had the car warmed up. Shut it off for a while. Then at the 5 minute warning I started it again. AND IT DIES. The fuel pump decided to stop working. I pop the hood and check all the fuses. All good. Open the door and take the cover off the fuse panel on the side of the dash. All good too. 1 minute. Try the ignition again. It starts. Everyone goes out while I get my gear back on. Finally go qualify. Somehow I found a good open track for one (1) lap and came back with a decent qualify time of 1:25.927. My goal was to break into the 1:24s though. The ITE track record was set by Craig Hillis at 1:25.057. Wasn't looking good so far. But, with 43 cars qualifying I figured my best chance would come during the actual race, sometime between the green flag and the first lapped car. Only problem was that would be in the heat of the day at around 3:20 p.m. It wasn't going to be easy at any rate.
So, I watch most of the Rose Cup main event with mom, dad, Craig and Jim and then go to take the car to grid. Won't start again. Well, it started but then it ran out of gas and died again. I jack it up and wiggle the junction box connector from the 1999 fire and it finally starts again. This was AFTER opening both fuse boxes with no positive results. This all sets the stage for what comes next.
Here's the "RESULTS" that some folks kept harping at me for. Yes, you know who you are.
ANATOMY OF A RACE... ROSE CUP TempControlMechanical REGIONAL at PORTLAND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY OREGON REGION SCCA SANCTION NUMBER: 03-RS-117-S JUNE 14-15 2003 Processing by MONITOR Systems 06-15-2003 15:27:06 GROUP # A TIME-CARD-FOR-CAR #98 TIME-CARD-FOR-CAR #10 DIFFERENCE (D) CRAIG HILLIS CHARLES JESSUP JESSUP - HILLIS = D 0 00:00:00.000 0:00.000 00:00:00.000 0:00.000 0.000 Took lead off green T1 to T10. Had a bad upshift 4th to 5th. Hillis gets up to left rear as we head down the back straight. Let Hillis by to avoid getting rammed from behind in turn 10. Follow Hillis around turns 11 and 12 onto main straight... Timing is at turn 12 vs start/finish... short segment lap #1. 1 00:01:16.565 1:16.565 00:01:17.078 1:17.078 0.513 Mad at myself for letting him get by. Decided to follow in his left mirror until the brake zone for turn 1 as he runs wide down the front straight in a simi defensive line. Once we reach the brake markers I jog to his right knowing he'll be focused on setting up for the turn in. As he hits his breaks I wait and break later, and harder, and get the drop on him on the inside line entering turn 1. Manage to hold the lead all the way around through turn 12 again. The 3rd place car is way behind us by now. 2 00:02:43.699 1:27.134 00:02:43.451 1:26.373 0.248- I notice that Hillis has more speed down the straights as he was almost able to get back by me down the back straight. I expect him to pull me down the front straight and decide not to fight the issue if it goes down that way. 3 00:04:09.514 1:25.815 00:04:10.353 1:26.902 0.839 I stay left along the wall. Hillis pulls me back on front straight, lose lead at T1. He pulls ahead once we get on the back straight. Raised his boost maybe?? I tuck in close by turn 10. But Hillis keeps pulling me on straights. 4 00:05:34.997 1:25.483 00:05:36.181 1:25.828 1.184 Ditto... lapped traffic coming up. Trying my best to hang close. Formulate a backup plan to catch up while passing lots of expected lapped traffic. One of a dozen Miatas may come in handy. Hope my tires will hold up when needed. 5 00:07:00.609 1:25.612 00:07:02.410 1:26.229 1.801 Fuse box cover falls off under my feet, can't reach it!! Start catching lapped cars. Fuse cover almost results in missed turn. 6 00:08:25.985 1:25.376 00:08:30.491 1:28.081 4.434 Try my best to ignore the fuse cover. Pass 3 cars between T7 and T10. Pass 4 cars T12 to T1. 7 00:09:52.933 1:26.948 00:09:57.900 1:27.409 4.976 Pass 1 car after T1. Finally get it and toss it to passenger side... Held up BAD by 3 Miatas in T9, finally get by. One more at T12. 8 00:11:20.294 1:27.361 00:11:25.996 1:28.096 5.702 Manage to get by SLOWLY after forgetting to downshift to 3rd. Gap between cars then gather up a gang of 8. Pass 6 just before T10. Chase the other two. One goes AWOL and pass last one in T12. 9 00:12:47.399 1:27.105 00:12:54.892 1:28.896 7.493 Time to get with the program.... Did better this lap, picking up dangerious pace. Pass Rx7 at T6 who held me up a bit. Pass one more car at T9. Spot Hillis ahead. 10 00:14:15.670 1:28.271 00:14:21.877 1:26.985 6.207 See Hillis again at T3 while making T1. He has apx 7 sec lead on me. Pass one more at T8. Then get by Hermes at T9 on back side. Gather in Dickoff in his red AS at T10 under hard braking to avoid tapping him. He hits his brakes at T11 holding me up again?? Not normal for him. Pass him at T12. 11 00:15:44.239 1:28.569 00:15:49.301 1:27.424 5.062 Hillis probably sees me coming on before he makes it to T1 this time. Pass #55 911 between T2 and T3. Hillis is closer now. But no more traffic to help hold him up either. 12 00:17:11.238 1:26.999 00:17:15.739 1:26.438 4.501 Hillis apx 4.5 secs ahead now. Mark his distance at T6 when I'm at T5. He passes next car on back straight. I'm held up and get by at T12 exit. 13 00:18:37.173 1:25.935 00:18:41.604 1:25.865 4.431 Scoping Hillis as he starts passing another pack on the back side. He exits T12 ahead of 2 faster cars with 5 sec lead. Pass Miata at S/F. 14 00:20:04.083 1:26.910 00:20:08.761 1:27.157 4.678 Pass one of the two faster cards at T1. Then pass another Rx7 at T2 who held me up. Then chase second faster car down at T4a and manage to drift pass him as we gather in yet one more slower car. Had to drift pass that one too at T4b. Pretty slippery stuff; i.e. FUN!! Pass one more on back side and Val Cory's yellow 911 at T12... 15 00:21:31.423 1:27.340 00:21:36.077 1:27.316 4.654 Then I scoot by 3 more cars before T1. Lapped cars are like shooting ducks in a barrel. Three more Miatas at T4, T8 and... 16 00:22:57.780 1:26.357 00:23:02.880 1:26.803 5.100 Another at S/F. Two more under braking at T1. More fun but pushing it real hard. Tires are very greasy by now. Not really gaining on Hillis who's a little father ahead at T6 this time. He passes another small group and I try too hard to close in on them myself between T11 and T12. Miss my T12 brake point and lose the rear for a 180 in T12. Manage to stay out of tire wall, stop on exit line, stab gas to get off track, 180 to left, get passed by 911 and Miata and get back on. 17 00:24:26.239 1:28.459 00:24:36.896 1:34.016 10.657 Slow recovery on top of it... so much for catching the leader. Repass Miata at S/F. Go easy for a few corners and chase 911 back down and repass him at T12 exit. 18 00:25:53.851 1:27.612 00:26:08.044 1:31.148 14.193 Drag race 4 more Miatas to the checker beating 3 of them to the line. THE END - 2nd place ITE and overall (exciting race though).
This race was fairly uneventful (is that a real word?). A couple days before the trip down to PIR I started thinking I should inventory all the spare parts I've removed from the Z28 over the years and try to sell them on eBay and make some extra racing cash. That's when I realized my old T56 still needs to be rebuilt too. Thought to myself, maybe I'll get that done soon. Anyway, I loaded the car and gear and headed south looking forward to hooking up with John and Mary Kelchen at the track and spending time with them and Pat Newton over the July 4th race weekend. John runs a well prepared black 1994 Z28 and Pat does Spec Miata now.
Turns out John and I hooked up right at the registration trailer at around 6:00 p.m. Thursday evening, set up shop and made our plans for the weekend. I decided to just do the one practice on Friday, skip the Saturday race and just qualify and race on Sunday. I was planning to run down at Sears Point the next weekend and only had two sets of decent tires with me, so no use wearing out brakes and tires this weekend, even though it was a double race event. John was going to run both races on Saturday and Sunday, as was Pat who showed up bright and early Friday morning.
I must have had some ESP about skipping the Saturday race because as soon as John and I got on track Friday morning and I started putting the car through its paces I noticed that my up shift to 4th gear was not good at all. The gears just grinded into 4th. 5th gear was OK. Next I down shifted to 4th and it grinded again even though I made sure I had the clutch all the way in. Not as bad, but bad enough to worry about. I did a few more easy laps and every up or down shift that went into 4th gear was not smooth at all.
I chased Jim Walsh around and noticed he was getting slightly better exit speed out of turns 2, 6 and 12 than I was. I'm beginning to think that my new 3.73 rear end gears are causing me more traction problems under hard acceleration than what I was getting when running my 3.42 gears. Have to be real careful putting the power down to avoid rear end spin and over steer now. But, they really come in handy as long as the nose is pointed straight, as I'd find out later during the race. After around 5 laps I decided to test the tires and brakes coming into the Chicane at T1 and managed to out brake Walsh and dive under him just to let him know I'm still around. You know, a little driver psychology thing.
Well, once we got in dad, John and I started chatting about what I can do about my bad, and very much needed, 4th gear. I sure didn't want to travel all the way down to Sears Point with a failed 4th gear in my slush box. But all my old T56 parts were 3 hours away up in Seattle. And I wasn't even sure if my 4th gear parts back home were good or bad either. After lunch I decided to go back home and get the parts and then use my down time on Sat to see if I could open the T56 and get lucky fixing it. It was a long shot, but what the heck. So, dad and I took his car and had ALL the parts back in Portland by the time the fireworks started going off at around 10:00 p.m. Friday night.
Saturday morning I got out to the track bright and early and had the T56 out at around 10:30 a.m. Then dad showed up after calling all over town to see if any transmission shops and/or GM dealers had a tranny man working. Everyone was on holiday weekend. So, I opened my shop manual up and started reading the fine print on T56 repair. Didn't take long to figure out I was in over my head. But I could tell that at least I should be able to get a LOOK at the 3rd/4th gear synchro assembly if I removed the front end of the T56 case. Luckily it wasn't one of the gears that would require complete tear down to get at. On the other hand, after monkeying around for about an hour and getting the front cover off, I could see only one side of the synchro pack and I could also see I wasn't going to be able to get it off without a couple special tools I don't have and even if I did get it off I'd never get it back together again anyway. The problem was removing it would also require complete tear down. BUT, we did notice that the front most blocker ring of the synchro pack was accessible and it seemed to be shedding some friction material off its inner facing surface required to make it grab and lock (like a clutch) on the bearing surface of the gear assembly.
At this point up walks some other propeller head who saw us working on the tranny and he wants to lend a hand, naturally. He gets a bright idea to remove one of the synchro pack retainer spring clips and thinks this will allow us to somehow gain access to the other side of the synchro pack for a look see at the rest of the parts involved. This wasn't a bad idea because I was curious if one of these three clips was bent and would have liked to see them out myself. But all three of them looked OK on the front side at least. And I did not like the idea because I wasn't sure I could get it/them back together again. But, before I could slow him down he had yanked one of the three clips out. I said, "Wait a minute buddy. Let's just look at the spare pack I have before you get carried away... OK?" Well, after showing him how it works and chatting about how IMPOSSIBLE it will be to put back together he walks off leaving me holding the bag.
Anyway, I had a better blocker ring to replace the bad one, which was better than nothing. But now we had to figure out how to get the retainer clip back in. That took use the better part of half an hour when I finally reached into my tool kit, found an old Shick injector type razor blade I could use as a shim to slide down behind the retaining spring in the guts of the synchro pack and then force the retaining clip down and get it behind the spring and slide the razor blade back out and finally the clip was back on. Another half hour and we had the input shaft and gears back in and then it still took us a long time to get the cover on, which did not want to cooperate either thanks to one of the shifter fork shafts not lining up right now. It was 2:00 p.m. by the time the patient was in the recovery room and ready to be installed back in the car. Not bad for a couple untrained medics trying to do brain surgery I guess.
Kelchen helped me lift the T56 back onto the bell housing and by 6:00 p.m. the car was ready to go test during qualifying on Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m.
In the mean time, Jim Walsh had easily won the ITE race on Saturday posting a mid 1:26 lap time. I figured I could hang with him better than I did the prior race again Craig Hillis at least. I'd still have to find some high 1:25 lap times to get the pole and/or to beat him though. But, as it turned out, I managed to win the pole with a 1:25.964 and a fully functioning 4th gear. I was back in the hunt again! Jim posted a 1:26.103. John, who had finished second over all the day before, after putting on a GREAT show against an F Prod BMW and a very quick Gary Bockman racing a SPU Mazda RX-3 and Scott Culberson in his red Nissan 350Z in T2 car. The were also a couple new cars that also had skipped the Saturday race that posted some 1:29 and 1:30 lap times between Walsh and I on grid.
Chuck Jessup 1:25.964 Camaro Z28 ITE Jim Walsh 1:26.103 Porsche 911RSA ITE Gordon Jones 1:29.036 BMW 2002 TII FP Ward Barbour 1:30.114 Mini Cooper S GT5 John Kelchen 1:30.173 Camaro Z28 ITE Scott Culberson 1:30.748 Nissan 350Z T2 Gary Bockman 1:30.771 Mazda RX-3 SPU Dave Dickoff 1:31.382 Camaro AS
In the mean time though, Jim Walsh was having electrical problems with his car causing his fuel or ignition system to apparently malfunction and cut out. They had tried all weekend long to find the problem with no luck. So, right before the race he swapped out his upgraded mass air sensor and PCM for his old stock set up.
We came to grid and he got there right before the 5 minute warning. Did our pace lap and when the green dropped I jumped right into the lead going into turn 1. I could see John following me into the turn right on Jim's heels. Even though he had started in 5th he was true to form as always. I could tell after the first lap and not going that fast that Jim wasn't going to be running well. So, I decided to let the tires heat up and then I'd lay down two or three fast laps to see if I could at least break the ITE lap record with the chicane. It was a LONG SHOT but there was nothing else better to do. I walked away from everyone else and on lap 3 when it felt like I was getting a GREAT lap I waited too long to go from 5th to 4th during hard braking for T10 left. Let the clutch out as I went over the FIA curb there and the rear kicked out on me. Went side ways and had to go to emergency recovery mode to stay on track. That was FUN. But, it also blew my fastest lap time all to heck. Cooled the tires on the next lap and tried one more fast lap after that. By then I was lapping the back markers though and the best I could do was a fast lap of 1:25.915 which had come back during lap #2 of the race. A 1:25.056 ITE lap record just wasn't going to happen this season I guess.
I ran the remainder of the 18 lap race and lapped 11 of the 17 cars in the group. Five of the Mazdas I lapped two or three times. Dave Dickoff's AS car was the last one I managed to lap once. Could not quite catch the T2 350Z car or Bockman in his SPU Mazda. Passed the Mini Cooper a couple times though, so he must have been running bad. Oh well. At least I could add one more win to the notches in my belt I guess. And John came in 3rd, so he ran another good race as well.
Well, this is one race weekend I had been looking forward to for years. Kind of got skunked on the trip down to Laguna Seca Raceway. This trip, a 700 mile haul south from Portland after the 4th of July race the weekend before, turned out to be far more successful. No problems on the haul south or back north and only minor issues keeping the wheels spinning once dad and I got to the track Thursday evening.
We found a motel room about 15 minutes from the track after setting up shop on a hillside overflow paddock area up near the turn 2 grandstands. Sears Point was a great facility with several stands to check out the action from and all of them give you a view of at least 50% to 75% of the complicated road course.
I got to grid early Friday morning with a full tank of fuel and my older tires I planned to use up getting to know the track. I also had a fresh left front rotor to swap after practice and before the afternoon qualify session to keep us busy if needed. Met an RX7 jockey name Laurie Dallenbach who seemed real "friendly" and asked her if it was possible for her to go easy a couple laps and show me around the track. I had already hooked up with Randy Mackintosh and got some tips about turn 10 eating new drivers, etc. So, easy does it for the first few laps. Laurie was all smiles and seemed to have a couple small horns hiding right behind her ears under that spicy looking California girl hair cut of her's too. "Sure. Just keep and eye on me and I'll be happy to show you around...", she said. I kept an eye on her any chance I got the rest of the weekend, whenever I wasn't wrenching on the car or driving it, etc.
So, we get out on the track and, true to form for any RX7 driver, Laurie takes off on me. Oh, thanks girl. I warmed up my tires and tried to keep track of her wagging her back end left and right as we came out of the hot pits, up towards turn 2 which you normally approach via a decreasing radius turn 1 to the left after crossing start/finish in front of the main grand stands. Turn 1 is a FAST left hand bend/corner which shoots up hill fast into T2. Turn 2 then goes hard right at the crest of the rise and goes off camber as you apex an FIA curb there. Too much power and you loop on exit. Not enough and you get your fanny passed by the more expert drivers. Just right and you can carry some power in 3rd gear around the slider and head down into a gully that leads to turns 3 left and 3a right. I tap my brakes as I get into the gully and apex 3 then gently apply gas as I shoot up and over 3a. Again, too much power and you will find yourself off in the weeds on the left with a good chance of banging the wall in front of the stands. Not enough and you lose time as you head back down for turns 4 and 5 which are like a double corner 90 degrees right and into maybe another 45 right sweeper with pretty standard track to play with.
After you exit T5 you go up over another blind rise (the third one already) which gave me a lot of issues in both the "need more balls" department and "wish it would not wheel hop as you get air off there and go to brakes" department. Once you get over the rise, with gentle braking, you drop fast and hang a hard sweeping left, through the T6 "Carousel", down under a foot bridge and track out as hard as you can to get good exit speed onto a short straight running along the left side of the drag strip. I'd get 4th gear on exit and try like mad to get into the red line before going back hard on the brakes for turn 7 which is a 180 to the right that crosses the drag strip shut down area to head you back from where you came. T7 is wild and you can run it in either 3rd or 2nd depending on how much wheel spinning you want to wrestle with and how many upshifts you like as you headed down through the S's. You exit T7 right out to an FIA curb, go hard to the left corner, wag to the right corner, through turns 8 and 8a, and left again and finally right one last time as you came over yet one more blind drop feeding you down into a sweeping and FAST turn 9 left. If I took the S's in 3rd gear it felt better in terms of power and traction but I tried upshifting to 4th gear a few dozen times over the weekend and it seemed to be faster that way but not without rattling all my nerves on several occassions as the car would want to drift and wash out sometimes which was no fun at all. With 4th gear though you could transition faster to the power as you dropped out over the exit and down into T9 while a 3rd gear exit meant you had to make a quick up shift to get with the program. It was probably six of one and half dozen of the other though. I'd have to get some segment times to prove which is the better way to go.
So, you drop down a hill into T9 left and carry a ton of speed through a long sweeper that feeds back to the right into turn 10, the car eater corner, where speed apparently kills. I know I can go faster through there now but not this weekend. I'd go to brakes pretty hard and bleed a good 30 mph maybe and then go back to power in 4th and race down another short straight with the hot pit exit on the left. Some tires just before the divider wall and three tire stacks on the right for the "hair pin", a tight 180 turn 11 to the right. Most drivers entered this corner mid track and if they were being chased they would enter on the right. I almost always came in full left, picked up tire bundle #3 for my apex and just ignored bundles 1 and 2, brake HARD with a 4, 3 and 2 downshift and cut the wheel. I got pretty good times through there and could get back to power if I'd just put the right mirror as close to bundle #3 as I could, which meant the right side tires where on the right of the FIA curb there and the left side tires where on the left. Power down, just not too much, so you would not quite rub paint with the hot pit wall as you came out, hit the rev limiter, up to 3rd gear and power through a 45 left hand turn 12 and back onto the front straight heading for S/F again. 4th gear and cross the line and head for T1 and HANG ON!!
This track is KICK ASS!! End of story.
Oh, well, not quite. Still had qualifying and a race to do.
That afternoon it was HOT. Got to grid late and on track again after a long driver's meeting and rushing to swap my rotor, tires, etc. Decided to just go easy a couple laps, get the tires sticky and then go cut some, hopefully, decent times. But, I noticed after a couple warm up laps that I had a vibration under braking. Damn, warped a frigging right front rotor somehow! Still I had no choice. I found the groove as best I could, even though I had to brake early to keep from rattling the front end apart. Did a few decent laps and came in to have Randy's father take a look see at my tires just in case I had maybe flat spotted one. Nope. It was a warped rotor alright. On a Friday afternoon, no less. Went back out to test the sucker again and it just got worse. Still, I managed to get a reasonable 1:54.256 rookie time which put me 4th overall on the grid of 35 cars. Just like what I managed at Laguna Seca somehow?
Parked the car, took both front rotors off, jumped in the truck and raced into town looking for someone who could turn a bad rotor for me. Found a GM dealer who was kind enough to direct us to a machine shop 5 miles away. $40 later and I had both front rotors, the new one and the used one, looking nearly new again.
Craig, Ralf, Ralf's son (they had come down to watch the races in Ralf's plane), dad and I then headed to San Fransisco for dinner and spirits. Crazy city. It was, shall we say, "interesting".
So, we get back to the track next morning, mount up the rotors and check the car out. Also adjust the left front brake duct and button her up after topping off the oil and coolant. Also found out the good news on how I had qualified. Problem was the first three boys had me pretty much out classed from what I could tell...
Don Camble in his Speed WC Corvette posted a... 1:48.718 ITE David Smith in his Speed Touring BMW posted a... 1:51.965 ITE Alan Blaine in his Z28 with all the goodies got a... 1:52.853 ITE I was #4 on grid with a... 1:54.256 ITE Behram Soonawala in a Porsche 911 RSA had a... 1:55.829 ITE David Allen running his ITS Mazda managed a... 1:56.701 ITE
There were another 4 ITE cars and a couple ITX cars in the top 12. At this point though my ESP had already kicked in telling me the pole sitter was going to break down before the end of the race and the other four of us in the top 5 would battle it out for the crown. Turns out Camble never even showed up as he had blown a head gasket during qualifying. Apparently this is not uncommon for his Chevy.
So, we once again get on track and now Alan Blaine is one row up on me vs. starting next to me like I had hoped. I kind of wanted to see if I'd be able to run with him or not. But I also hate to get out gunned by a BMW or 911 so far as that goes. I figured with good brakes now and more seat time surely I could find another second or so. Right?
At 12:53 p.m. we get the five minute warning and they rattle off the names of all the key players in the show. We line up behind the pace car and do our LONG 2.52 mile pace lap and before long we get the green and away we go at apx 1:03 p.m. that afternoon......
TIME OF DAY LAP TIME NOTES
----------- -------- -----
1:03:34
1:05:29 1:55 Tires not hot but fairly good. Nearly hit the BMW as I try an inside pass after
exiting T1 and heading for T2 after a decent jump off green and after Smith nearly
door slams Blaine in T1 who manages to gain the lead anyway. The 911 is in my
mirrors as well. Getting interesting already!! I glue to the bumper of the BMW
hoping to get by at T7. In the mean time I just drive my fanny off. But Smith
blocks the entry to T7 while Blain and he go after the S's. They work the back side
better than me and I realize I better just see if I can hang with them as they do
battle for a few laps...
1:07:23 1:54 Drop back some heading for the hair pin but manage to regain most back by T2.
Follow the leaders to T7 again. Exit T7 about as good as lap 1. Exit hair pin
same as before.
1:09:17 1:54 Lost about 1/2 sec by T2 though. They are out working me. I'm a little rough
around the edges. Good second behind by T7 this time. Work the S's hard. 2 secs
down by T10.
1:11:11 1:54 Try harder to drive smooth and reel them back in this lap. They are still nose to
tail at every corner. Decide to try 4th gear in the S's to see if it helps. Get
a good lap. Still 2 clicks back. 1:53.456 fast lap. Somewhere in there Blaine
posts a faster 1:52.466 and Smith nails a 1:52.236.
1:13:04 1:53 Smith tries a pass on Blaine here and there. Can't make it happen. They go side by
side in the S's and I gain some as a result. I'm a second down but Smith gets by
Blaine in T12. I get within 1/2 sec into T2 but nearly take a Miata out in T4 which
let them by. From then on I lose ground to Blaine and Smith. The battle had slowed
them down. But now Smith was in the clear and would walk away. Darn. At this point
I figured the best I might do would be to reel in Blaine in traffic... MAYBE. He had
fresh rubber and three years on me. Not likely to happen.
1:15:00 1:56 Blaine was now 3 seconds up on me. I got held up badly in the S's. Not good.
Even Blain was picking up speed now that the battle for first was over.
1:16.55 1:55 5 seconds down now. Passing cars even faster. Starting to lose traction but
learning how to get around a little better. Practice can't hurt.
1:18:50 1:55 Pass Laurie in T6 after being held up by a car on her tail.
1:20:46 1:56 Same as any race we go past 2 to 8 cars, maybe more, every lap. Split a yellow Miata
doing battle with a red RX7 in T12. That was fun.
1:22:41 1:55 Play various experiments to try and find speed.
1:24:36 1:55 Ditto.
1:26:30 1:54 Learning what works. And how to go 3 wide in the hair pin w/o doing the NASCAR
tripple spin out thing.
1:28:24 1:54 While traffic is thinner I regain a bead on Blaine again. I'm gaining on him.
1:30:20 1:56 Then I got hung up again. Oh well.
1:32:15 1:55 Boy there's a LOT of Miatas to pass around here too!
1:34:10 1:55 Last lap was even FUN. Can't wait to watch this video about 200 times!!
Well it was really a ton of fun. Have to do that track at least once a season. I liked it better than Laguna Seca personally. Very tricky track to master for sure.
After the race an old time email list contact, Perry Kincy, dropped in to say hello and we shot the bull a while. According to him I did "VERY WELL" for a first time outing at Sears Point. He apparently runs a lot of CMC/Pro races with NASA and let me know I was doing good. Made me feel OK even though all I managed was a distant 3rd over all.
Well, this past weekend turned out to be fairly positive for the F-Body road racers including Carlo Sparacio who was my "ringer" driver this time around in the ITE race. I had offered Carlo the chance of his lifetime to go for a spin in my little 'ol Z28. And, believe it or not, he took me up on it. Keeping him under wraps and out of the weeds wasn't easy, although he is one of the best drivers I know of. I just made him learn to drive the car using a bunch of my older tires and once he was allowed to actually do the ITE race on some near new Hoosiers he put on a really awesome show. The long and the short of it was that he drove a very fast race, laid down some serious smack on a Speed GT Corvette that gave in to a burned plug wire and dropped out and he took first place. In the process he also beat up on the 01 Fierro driven by Dean Miller (best lap time of 1:34.618) and made short work of Mac Russell's red Nissan 240 GT3 road rocket (best time of 1:35.924). The only cars that manged to beat him to the checker flag was the GT1 car driven by the track owner Jason Fiorito and Bud Reichard's GT2 RX7. In the process Carlo managed to click off a 1:34.927 feather in his cap. So, he finished 3rd over all out of 14 starters. Unfortunately, Steve Sampson who also started out well in ITE broke down with a failed clutch and had to sit out the last half of the race on the side lines while watching Carlo fly by.
After that we rushed around trying to get the car ready for the Group 1 race so I could race up a class in SPO against a larger collection of 26 ground pounders, including some of the same cars Carlo chased around. The tires were, shall we say, exceedingly well broken in by this time and the afternoon air was a bit warmer as well. I would not have been surprised if Carlo's fast lap would have bested mine. After all he had posted a qualify time that was apx 3/10ths faster than my 1:36.991.
Carlo had qualified 5th in row three at the start of his Group 4 race. I didn't fair as well qualifying in the 6th spot. In a way this worked out a bit better for me though as I got the right side of row 3 vs. being boxed in on the left side like Carol was. As a result I got a great start and managed to scoot past all but the front row cars by the time we exited turn 3b and blew down the back straight with Bud Reichard and I going nose to tail through T5a and T5b, etc.
I did OK all things considered. But I lost a couple positions due to a loss of braking traction twice in turn 3a. When it was all said and done I had managed to finish in the same position that I started in, and 2nd in SPO, with a fast lap time of 1:34.704. I think Carlo probably finished several seconds ahead of me in terms of overall race time, start to finish, though. By the end of lap 8, for example, he was a full 2 seconds better than me. Either way, we had fun. And that was the name of the game this weekend.
This is the race that should not have been. After our prior race at Seattle, Carlo and I got to talking about the NW Region restricted regional race held in conjunction with the NASCAR Chevy Dealers 150 this weekend and we decided to go ahead and round up a helper or two and with Carlo's and Steve's help I decided to go for it. After all there was going to be a big crowd and a bunch of Porsches to play with. So, I spent all my spare time after work between Sunday and Thursday changing all the fluids and preparing the car as best I could for this big show. We managed to get the car out to the track and set up by 9:00p.m. Friday evening and were ready to wear out some more tires after the 8:00a.m. driver's meeting Saturday morning.
By 10:30 we had already spent a few laps on track and I had managed to figure out how to drive on the old configuration again. They had removed the new, and much tighter, turn nine corner in order to revert it back into the hot pits for the NASCAR boys. This also meant that the kink was gone. Instead, we simply exit from turn 8 and floor it as you head out onto the main straight via the sweeping turn nine we used to run on back in 2001.
Sizing up the competition, it looked like the very fast Fordahl Motorsports prepared Porsche GT3RS driven by Kim Hiskey would be unbeatable. Doug Herbenthal was going to be another top gun to chase around in his Porsche GT3 Cup car. And car #3 in the power house bunch was the Speed GT Chevy Corvette Scott Gorcester drives in ITE to rain on my parade. There were also several other fast 911 Cup and 911 RSA Porsches driven by hot shoes like Bob Rygg, Don Gagne, Michael Harley and Jim Walsh. In all we had gathered up 16 cars to field for the race and only two of them, including my little red Z28, were Chevy powered. All the rest were Porsches. You just can't pass up a chance to run a race with so much Porsche metal to beat up on like that. Even if most of them were running in other classes. As a race group it was going to be full of fun.
I was very short on tires and brake pads though. So, I was going to have to use some old worn out Good Year GS-CS rubber during our short qualify session in order to save my one set of used Hossiers for the main event. The schedule for the weekend was pretty difficult to handle. First we had our practice session to wear out some rubber learning the old track setup. Then a 20 minute qualify session. I never did collect my times from that session. I ended up qualifying back in row 3 as I recall. But the Hiskey and Gorcester cars both had problems and were late coming to the qualifying race that came next. That moved me up to row two for the 15 minute qualifying race. The results from this short sprint race would set the stage for the main event at 4:40p.m. that afternoon. We were also told the results of the qualify race would be our starting position for the bonus race on Sunday too.
Unfortunately the Good Year tires only bought me some laps in the qualifying session coming out of that with both front tires blistered and burned thanks to turn 8. So, on went the Hoosiers 15 minutes sooner than I had wanted. My tactics would have been to just get in the first two or three rows for the main race. Now I decided to see what happens on the good rubber and maybe just treat this qualify race as my main event. Because the two fastest cars had showed up late and had to work their way up from the rear of the pack it seemed to me that there was a chance that I could take the checker if I drove the wheels off and could hang with Herbenthal somehow. Even if I got 2nd behind him I'd at least be on the front row for the main event. That would look better for Chevy than being back a couple cars, right?
So the checker flies and we all spin our tires on the drag launch area coming onto the main straight and away we go. It was a long 1/2 mile drag race to turn 1 and before I know it I am diving under everyone in turn 2. I came out of T2 with Herbenthal in my mirrors and get a bad case of red mist through 3a and 3b and down the back straight. We had installed a new convex mirror and when I checked my rear Herbenthal was several car lengths back as I came up the hill and through T7 heading for T8. I was blown away that he was so slow in the back twisties. Then I came out onto the front straight and looked up at the big board to see myself on TV as I passed start/finish in 1st place. We head down to T1 and a bunch of fans are waving as I scream past and blast down into T2. It was a yo yo race from there on out. I'd have Herbenthal behind me coming out of T7 each time and by the time we got to the T3b exit he would be right in my mirrors trying like mad to get by me. I'd out drag race with my 3.73s and 2nd and 3rd gears down the back side and just dance like mad through the 5a, 5b and T6 complex to regain some of my lead. I'd burn up my tires breaking late into T8 and scrub rubber and start the next lap like one more drag race for 3/4 mile down into T2. We did that for 7 laps as my tires got worse and worse. Herbenthal, in the mean time was running on Yokahma race slicks and was setting me up for the kill each time we headed down into T3a. But on the last two laps I altered my line through 3a and 3b so he'd have to go the long way around me if he wanted to pass. Somehow I managed to keep him back there even though I knew he had a reputation for doing the bump and playing dirty with folks. All the more reason to send him a message that what's fair is fair.
By lap 8 he had me in his cross hairs and had managed to wear me down by the time we got to T8. This time he came out right in my mirrors and he got good exit speed. I came out with massive push and only had one option, which was to come out wider than normal and shoot a straight line right below the fans at T9 and try like mad to swing out onto the front straight barely ahead of Doug. We came out nose to tail and he had the exit speed and cut off my tail for the pass. Then just as he gets his nose next to my right rear quater panel and we start across the finish line out comes the checker flag and I get my nose over the line with his head lights right out my passenger door. That was my first well earned photo finish win ever, even if it was a qualify race. It was AWESOME! And it was all caught on the big screen for everyone to see as well.
Per Carlo I had managed a personal best 1:32.2. Timing and scoring claimed I had managed a 1:27. They had Doug down for a 1:29. Carlo and I figured T&S had messed up their computer or something. I decided Carlo's stop watch would be my official lap time for that race. Then we hussled around checking tires, bleeding brakes and replacing worn pads for the main race of the day. I would start on pole. And it was a nice, sunny day for a race. Once again, my goal would be to nail down a 4th place overall finish and a 2nd in ITE behind the Speed GT Vette. My tires were pretty much toast. So, 4th was all I could hope for at this point. It would help to start on pole though.
Sometimes you win a race on lap 1 and sometimes you lose it on last lap. But losing it on lap 1, well that really sucks.
Next thing I knew we were lining up and flexing our muscles as we heated our tires. Doug would wizz by me in his 911 and hit his brakes to heat the tires and I'd wizz by him and give him a look at my break lights. We came around behind the pace car and checked up as we rolled out onto the main straight at around 3800 rpms on my tach. I got in the zone, checked my mirrors one last time and zeroed in on the green flag. It flew and so did Doug and I. As I rowed up through the gears I saw Kim already running side by side with Scott in his Speed GT Vette. And around turn 1 we flew, side by side, with Doug's nose a tad ahead of mine. Don Gagne's 911 was in the hunt as well as we arched through T2 after I went deep on Doug. I came out in front and shot for T3a as Kim caught up with Doug in short order. Don was in 4th and Scott was still back there. I thought Kim had passed Doug in T2 because both cars are the same color and I know her's was faster. Turns out though that Doug was between Kim and I. He managed to get under me in T3a and as we carved to the exit I tucked in behind him and in front of her. I nearly tapped him as we ran through 3b and could see she was locked on my bumper at the same time. As we exited 3b I knew I'd have to really grab 3rd fast in order to beat her down into 5a. But as I went for my upshift I missed the gate and hit 5th instead. Kim flew right by me like a sitting duck and Gagne closed in for the kill as I tried to regain 3rd. Haste makes waste. I must have hit 5th four times and 4th at least once. Could not find 2nd or 3rd for my life. Gagne went by me before 5a also. It seemed like my clutch refused to engage and I began to think the race was all over for me already. Then as I rounded T7 all systems were a go and 3rd gear started working again. I floored it and gave chase to Gagne in short order. Well, I was in 4th place alright. Not the way I had planned it though.
We came through T8 and out onto the front straight and Gagne even managed to pull me down into T2 again. But I managed to gather him back up under braking. He was as fast, or faster, than I was down the front straight though. As was Doug, who had already been passed by Kim. She was long gone already. I was checking the mirrors often for Scott's Vette, wondering if he was ever going to move to the front and help out the Chevy cause up here for once? I started harassing Don and forced him to lock up under braking into T3a. His right front came to a full stop as he was cornering so hard it lifted off the pavement in the corner while his two left side tires smoked away. I was there to see it all. We made for 3b and took off again down the back straight. Don pulled me again. This wasn't looking good. I decided to keep him as close as possible and to try and pass him by T2 next time around. To do that I'd have to dance a few corners on the ragged edge though. Even harder to do on these also ran tires I had.
Again we play tag through T8 on pace with Doug. This time I matched Don move for move and stayed tucked into his draft all the way to T1. His car color turned from white to pink (red mist again). I was too close to see his tail lights as we dove through T1. He must have let up for a cone or something as I just shot right by on his left and down into T2 with him tucked on my rear bumper now. I just started scoping for Doug and that was that as I traced the left fog line and went ballistic down into 3a. Doug must have seen me coming from then on though as he started upping the pace for the next few laps. I managed to reel him in a couple times heading into T8 but just didn't have enough rubber or speed to get missle lock on him. It was one heck of a dog fight though as Gagne faded away. In fact Gagne's car dropped out a couple laps later for some reason.
So, Doug and I diced it up until about lap 8, while lapping traffic, when my tires finally gave up the ghost and someone managed to oil down the track. Next thing I know I'm sliding up and off in T2 and looking for 2nd gear again to get back after Doug. I expected him to take off but he also had trouble making it through 3a. I got wise and altered my line in 3a to avoid the oil we were dealing with now. By lap 9 I began seeing Scott in my mirrors and decided I better get back on pace if I was going to hold him off for a first in ITE though; oil or no oil.
The track seemed to scrub off after a lap anyway. So, we all got back with the program. Doug was gone now and Scott was charging hard. He probably saw me and knew he might have a chance as well. By lap 10 he had reeled me in. As we came onto the front straight I saw a couple back markers going through T1. I was hoping I could catch them fast enough to put them between Scott and I. But it was T7 before I gather them up. And Scott was hot on my tail by then too. As we crested the hill I literally blew by a red 911 like he was sitting still. I was closing fast on the white 911 just before the T8 break zone and tried to go above him, but as I did he moved right into my path and then went to brakes on me. I literally dove left back under him with Scott in my wake and late broke into T8. Naturally my tires were screeming for relief and there wasn't any to be had.
Scott scooted past me as we exited T9 and headed out past start/finish and began lap 12. I tucked behind him at the 1/4 mile line of the front straight drag stip and figured I was now in 2nd place in ITE class. We banked through T1 and down into T2 and on came his break lights. I waited till I was next to him and tossed out my anchor, knowing full well I wasn't going to make it look pretty and there was a great chance I'd slide up into his door. Luckily he knew I was there thanks to my loud pipe right out his driver door and he gave me some room to live.
He quickly repassed me heading down into 3a and I carved a better line again as I tucked behind him for 3b. He swung out wide and I came down inside him as hard as I could. But he still got the rubber hooked up better than I could and away he went. I regathered him as we got into 5a and followed him through the twisty bits as he walked me on up the hill for T8. We came up on two more back marker 911s and raced on out for the front straight. Next thing I know we are blowing off a couple more cars as we cross start finish and see the checkered flag waving. I had no idea it was last lap and, if I had, I would have run a better defensive line going down into 3a and 3b. At the time I didn't see the point in doing that figuring he'd wave good bye to me once we got up onto the front straight anyway. A second photo finish might have been possible. Dang, got caught with my pants down again!!
Carlo clocked my laps as follows: 1:45.68, 1:32.73, 1:31.90, 1:32.40, 1:32.46, 1:32.46, 1:32.16, 1:33.04, 1:35.07 (oil), 1:33.46, 1:33.03, 1:32.97, 1:33.19. My official best lap was a 1:31.972. Scott laid down a 1:31.394. Doug's best lap was a 1:31.471. And Kim's road rocket gave up a blistering 1:28.699. It will take another 100 HP to beat her car one of these days. All in good time.
P.S. I managed to blow my rear end to bits during lap #1 of my next race. And that was that for 2003.
2002 RESULTS PAGES - CLICK HERE