Formula Car Magazine and SCCA Enterprises announced a divisional series with a $5,000 payout per division. I plan to run the NEDIV series, the race at VIR, and the Summit Point and VIR nationals.
On the practice day Monday I wasn't happy with how the car was working, so out came the scales and I changed nearly every alignment parameter available. Yes, it's a big no-no, but with 3 days of qualifying I figured worst case I'd just switch it back. We were combined with FM for qualifying which made for a huge group with major speed differences- the fastest Atlantic turned a 1:16.6, and the slowest Formula Mazda turned a 1:32.7. After many complaints about the rolling chicanes, we were split into two 10 minute groups for Tuesday's qualifier. I ran new tires for Q1 figuring the 10 minutes would be enough to turn a fast time but still leave plenty of tire for the race. With all the changes the car was slightly loose, but that's ok, I turned the fastest FSCCA time by 1/2 second at 1:27.672.
The second day of qualifying we were scheduled for 8:25 AM. I figured the track wouldn't be as good, so I threw on the used up tires from the August race. Unfortunately the stewards decided to combine us with FM again due to complaints about the lack of track time- on Tuesday the FM guys were sent out while we were on the cool down lap (dangerous!) and only got about 6 minutes of green flag qualifying. While waiting to get started, the grid godesses told us it would be an extra 15 minutes to clean up a big wreck at turn 11. The sun was out and it was warming up quick. Eventually we got to head out, gridded by qualifying times. Several of the Formula Mazdas behind me passed me on the warm up lap- evidently they all thought they'd be held up by a faster car. Once I got the tires up to temperature I caught up with them and after viewing several stupid antics too close I decided to take a trip through the pits to get away from them. Unfortunately that dumped me into a group of even slower Mazdas, but immediately a black flag all came out. When most of the folks stopped in their pits to consult their engineers I moved up a few spots in line to get some clean laps. When we restarted after a couple laps I could see the old tires wouldn't let me go faster, and I saw more stupidity so I pulled in and went to impound where Ken Brown checked the car over. Ken was also looking for Kyle Watkins and Oliver Zitzmann who was paddocked near us. Kyle came by to visit- he hadn't been on track due to working on his A-Sedan car really late. Michelle looked for Oliver but didn't find him. Eventually word came that he was in a wreck in turn 11, another pile up much like the FC guys did earlier.
Oliver took a trip to the hospital, got checked out and released. He was bruised and his back was really sore, but his car took most of the damage and his Hans device likely helped him avoid more serious injury. When he came over the hill in turn 11 a Mazda was sideways right on the exit line. No way to avoid it or slow down much- he probably hit at around 80 MPH. Both cars were destroyed. Both drivers were ok and driving the next day.
Qualifying results showed nearly everyone went faster except me, with Oliver turning a 1:27.9, narrowing the gap to 0.3 seconds. I contemplated my tire choice for the next day and after hearing FA would be split from FM again, I decided on new fronts with the old rears. We were going out later so I though the track would be at its best for the week. It might have been, but the car was too loose. I managed to just squeek into the 27s, still fastest by 1/2 second on Thursday with Kyle finally showing up to turn the 2nd fastest time of the day. I threw the tires from Tuesday on the car and a new one on the right front to keep the car balanced for the race.
Race day on Friday we were scheduled to start at 5:10 PM. I can't stand days where I wait around the whole time- way too antsy. So Michelle and I slept in and got a big breakfast at Cracker Barrel, and got to the track around 11. We watched a few races, I set the corner weights for the last time, and got ready to race. The race had a lot of excitement in the first few laps. I got a *REALLY* bad start- haven't been on row 10 for a long time and when I looked for the starter stand, the flag was already waving and I was off the gas. Kyle Watkins got a fantastic start and got well ahead of me and Oliver but about half way down the front straight a Pro Formula Mazda came over on him and spun him out, removing both his wings and damaging his suspension. I backed off heavily to miss the mess and tucked behind Oliver to work together and get away from the rest of the pack. After a few laps we were clear and I got a run out of the keyhole and tried to pass into 7 but he stuck next to me and we went side by side through 7, 8, 9, 10a, 10b, and 11 before getting back in line. Next lap tried the same thing and got the same result through 7, 8, 9. Don Schanche (FV guy) said we had the whole grandstands on their feet when we were going side by side so much. He said when we came around side by side again it looked like we had done the whole lap like that. Two laps later I got clear of Oliver through 7 and put some distance through the next few turns, then ran away. By the end I could see him coming out of 1 as I was about half way down the back straight. Fighting what must have been intense pain Oliver fell into the clutches of Keegan Van Sicklen but managed to hold him off for the rest of the race. I won the unofficial FSCCA National Championship! No trophies, but Erik Skirmants from SCCA Enterprises presented us with gift certificates before we even left pit lane! Mine was for $2,500- a great end to a great week!
My record for the season in FA is one 2nd, three 3rds, one 6th, one 10th, one 14th. If FSCCA had its own class, it would be 6 wins, one second.
For me this was a practice event for the Runoffs, although for some it is a last chance to get points to qualify for the big race. Severe thunderstorms were forecast for Saturday, but Sunday was expected to be clear and sunny. Our practice session was dry, and I turned a good time of 1:30.2 although the car was pushing a bit more than I'd like, but it didn't matter. The session before our qualifier it poured down rain. Then it started to clear. I increased the rear spring preload to try to get the car to be easier on the front tires, and stayed on slicks, figuring it would dry enough to make them much faster. Out on track there was a big puddle approaching the apex to turn 1, another set of puddles in turn 9, and damp track in many other places. At the beginning of the session I was much faster than most folks- even keeping a real Atlantic in reach for several laps. Passed a bunch of cars during the session, thought I did better, but when the times came out I had moved down several spots to 6th in FA- starting directly behind the real FA that caused the opening excitement at VIR.
Really heavy rain postponed the last two qualifying sessions until Sunday morning, and gave me a chance to enjoy a Bass with Rob Futcher, a fast FP Spridget racer from across the pond. The rain stopped long enough to enjoy a really good dinner from the NE Ohio region- BBQ pork and chicken, plus free beer. After dinner they gave away a bunch of prizes for those who could answer motorsports trivia questions.
Sunday I slept in, watched most of the Vee race, then finished the car prep. When group 3 went off at 11am, I figured for sure we'd be after lunch, but around the time I was headed to eat the call came to report to grid. When the green flag dropped, I got around the slow FA driver and a couple other cars before turn 1, passed a Pro Mazda on the back straight, and was running 4th in FA at the end of the first lap. On lap 3 the FA driver got by me coming into turn 1, slowing me through the turn and allowing Oliver Zitzmann to get a run on me and pass entering the keyhole. We had a good race until around lap 12, then I mistook the Pro Mazda coming up behind us as one that was lapping us, pointed him by and realized my mistake too late. As I was working on getting back around the Pro Mazda, a few laps later Oliver spun in the keyhole and didn't continue- his battery died. Glad I put a generator on my car! Shortly afterward so many cars had gone off the course went full course yellow and the race was checkered early. I ended up 6th in FA, first of 3 FSCCA cars. A few FM drivers were passing under yellow after the race was checkered- idiots!
Michelle and the puppies made the trip with me to VIR. Even with the possibility of losing points to the guys doing the double at Pocono, we prefer VIR for the country club environment and hospitality. But the weather can be a bit brutal- it was humid and around 100 degrees Friday, and only a little cooler Saturday. Luckily there are many power hookups, so Michelle and the dogs stayed in the trailer with the A/C on most of the weekend.
Running on the same tires as the last two races, I figured a good qualifying time in the morning session couldn't be matched in the heat of the afternoon. So I short filled the fuel and took some ballast out of the car to run close to the minimum weight. It didn't take long to get in 1:58s, and when a 1:57.9 came up on the dash followed by a 1:58.0, I figured that would be good enough to skip the afternoon session. When the results came out I was 4th in FA, 9th overall.
Mishael Abbott, driving a Formula Mazda this weekend instead of her Infinity Pro Series car, had the same idea, so we sat in the shade with her dog Squirt and watched our competitors use up their tires. That turned out to be a good idea, since only one FA moved ahead of both of us- and he should have been way in front of us anyway. Even after dropping 2.3 seconds from his time, he was only 1/4 second in front of me, so I knew he would be a problem at the start.
When the green flag dropped I got a decent start, but couldn't pass the FA in front of me due to his extra 80+ hp. When we got to turn one, I lined up to the outside figuring on him braking early and I was right- he hit the brakes about 200 feet too soon, cars bottled up behind him and one ran into him. As I started to pass him on the outside I saw his rear tires lift off the ground and thought better of it- I could pass him when it was safer. He got it back under control then spun off the inside two turns later making it really easy to pass him. Those two events really split the field. Tim Minor and I had a good race trying to get around the top FM drivers, but half way through the race my tires were done and he was leaving me by 4-5 car lengths in the two right turns before the uphill esses. I would make the distance back up on other parts of the course, but not close enough to get by him again to take a shot at the Mazdas. At the end of the race I was 3rd in FA, 8th overall, first FSCCA. Tim won FC.
John Kraus and I made our annual trek to the Glen after mounting new tires on the Suburban and the trailer. Got up there kind of late, but there is plenty of paddock space so it wasn't a big deal. We found the little italian place next to the Villager Motel has good pizza- much better than Pudgie's, which is about the only other place in town serving food around 10pm.
The Glen brought out a good FSCCA field of 5 cars, and Ken Brown came out to give us a compliance inspection. Everyone checked out clean after the first qualifier, but some confusion over the newly announced/enforced tire rule and a quickly rained out second qualifier left a few folks confused and frustrated. Thankfully everything got sorted out before the race.
In the race I spent a few laps going backwards before really getting going- for some reason I always do that at Watkins Glen. Thought I had a good start going until the DSR in front of me stopped in turn one to let someone else go in front of him. That just bottled up traffic behind us and a few more folks snuck by including some on the back straight. I guess my opening laps strategy needs improvement there. My traffic issues let Oliver Zitzmann get away, and Stephen Bauer got by for a little bit- then I got that spot back, and started working on the Pro Mazdas separating me from Oliver. With their extra 70 hp and two of them together I wasn't able to get by despite getting good runs on them through the turns, and I ended up finishing 10th, second FSCCA. Disappointing result, although it was a fun weekend meeting several new FSCCA racers and partying with the Vee guys. Ed Womer was sporting some interesting new equipment to improve his performance- anybody got a picture?
Michelle and I brought our puppies to BeaveRun for their first trip to the racetrack. Getting there took a bit longer than expected due to one long cleanup stop. We ended up parked on the edge of the pavement on the furthest corner from the track entrance. The dogs still didn't like the noise much Friday evening. Once most people left the track they settled down ok. This was our first trip to this young track, and it still has a bit of growing up to do. Trash cans and soap didn't appear until Saturday, and the showers were ok but had no hooks to hang your stuff, and several folks were not fond of the hole filled exhibitionist shower curtains.
The track is short- 1.53 miles, with most of the 10 turns concentrated in the first 1/3 of the track. Then you have a long back straight with 2 kinks into a tight uphill 180 degree hairpin onto the front straight with one kink. Not much to learn, which was good for me, but turn 1 is kind of blind at the entrance, and turn 7 is *really* blind at the entrance. First session was just a practice, but I managed to turn a decent time in the high 58s, 4th of 7 in FA and about a second faster than Tom Mihelich in his FSCCA. Not much to learn- just use the concrete curbs to get the car turned in and pull you through the turn. But I never really got turn 7 right. After the session I looked at the right front tire and concluded it was going to be worn out before the end of the weekend, so I went and got a new set of tires.
New tires and some watching of Rick Silver and Chas Shaffer through what I could see of turn 7 paid off. Qualified with a 57.8, Good for 4th out of 6 in FA- one of the drivers from the morning session didn't make it out. My car was bouncing like crazy over the curbs in turns 1 & 2, but working really well everywhere else. If it were a test day, I would have reduced the spring preload to see if overall the times improved, but since nobody was going to pass me there I left it alone. By evening the dogs were getting comfortable with the track and all the noise and people who didn't all want to pet them.
Since we were group 7 and things had run slow on Saturday, there was plenty of racing to watch before we hit the track. The Vee race was excellent with Dean Curtis pulling off a well deserved win over his car builder Ed Womer. In F500, Jeremy Swank scored the victory for Short Bus Racing. The Formula Continental and Formula Ford race was pretty exciting with Rick and Chas duking it out for second as Jeremy Hill flew away with his Suzuki GSXR powered 72 Tui. Jeremy's straight line speed was too much for the F2000 cars, and he did a pretty good job in the turns too. Curtis Boggs had some good racing in FF and snagged spot on the podium spot.
By race time the FA field was down to 5 cars. At the start I had hoped to take Greg Beresford in his Pro Formula Mazda, but his 238 hp was too much for my 175. On lap 2 he spun in front of me in the left hand turn 1, and my only option to miss him was to turn right into the grass. After watching several cars go by, I got back on and rolling, passing a few back before a full course caution came out after a couple other cars went off in turn 9. That helped bunch the cars up. When we went back to green, I started my run too early and had to brake heavily to avoid rear ending the sports racers in front of me. I passed a few, including some lappers, then caught Tom. Passed him going into the hairpin and took off intent on keeping him behind me. Gradually put a few cars between us, including the second place FM car. By the last 2 laps I had caught the lead FM in some lapped traffic, but didn't get a good chance to pass him before the checker fell. Finished 2nd in FA, 6th overall. Graham Rahal won FA in a real Atlantic and set a new track record in the process. Tom Mihelich finished 3rd in FA- quite likely this is the first time two FSCCA cars have made the podium in an SCCA National race. With the points from finishing second, I am currently leading the NEDIV FA points!
One more tire change- the trailer picked up a screw in the left rear tire- and we were on our way home. The dogs slept the whole way.
Rick Ruckman sent me pictures from the latest repaving so I was ready to give this fast, fun, but run down track another try. Michelle and I arrived late Friday night and I was shocked to find not only was the paddock not a giant mud bog, but it was even freshly mowed! That's two steps in the right direction. For the first qualifying session on Saturday I put the 2 gallons of leftover gas from Summit Point in the car and crossed my fingers that it would be enough since the fuel pumps were closed. Went out for my first session at Nelson in the FSCCA and discovered the repaving wasn't 100%, but it was pretty significant. Most of the session I spent flying by various sports racers, then I settled in behind a Formula Mazda to see if I could pick up a little speed in the turns. He was taking a few turns quicker than me, but overall was slower. After the first session I was 4th in FA, 6th overall- not bad, but I thought I could go a good bit quicker in the next session.
After a long trip to get street gas ($6 a gallon for 100 unleaded at the track, and no 93!), a successful fuel test, and a bit of car maintenance (a few bolts loosened, but nothing like before the repaving), I was ready to hit the track again. Unfortunately mother nature decided to let loose with some serious rain, enough to make me stay dry in the trailer, and so much that only 3 people bothered to run the session. The best time that session was 22 seconds a lap slower than I went in the morning. Right after the session ended, the sun came out and the weather for the rest of the weekend was great. With the car prepped and ready to go and running group 5, there was nothing to do but look for entertainment and sleep in. There isn't much to do around Nelson Ledges, but we did find a Dairy Queen and a drive in where we saw Madagascar and took off before Monster in Law.
Sunday morning the FC/FF race was entertaining until Rick Silver disappeared apparently due to motor problems and Chas decided to go get a closer look at the woods outside turn 2. Click here for a pic of them going into turn 1.
At the start of the race I goofed- thought it would be a first gear start with the tight turn onto the front straight, but as speeds crept up I hit the rev limiter almost instantly at the drop of the green. Recovered quickly and saw the inside line was bottled up due to a real FA having worse problems. Passed two real Atlantics, and one of the Mazdas, and tore off after Rob Nicholas. Just before the Carousel one of the real FAs caught me and I pointed him by. On the back straight the other one caught me, but after that there was nobody to be seen. Rob pulled a little distance on me every lap, and in a few laps we were lapping sports racers. After lapping a few, I saw Ashen Yelkin stuck on the curb inside turn 13 for 2 laps, so I knew I was third. Good thing I listened to Michelle and added 10 lbs of ballast to the car at lunch- just to be safe in impound. After lapping many more sports racers, I came up on two racing pretty hard just as the one lap to go was shown. Knowing nobody was even close behind me, I just followed them around to let them race. At the line they were at most half a car length apart. Turns out it was the race for second in S2000! I'd lapped most of the field. Final results had me 3rd in FA, 4th overall. That puts me 2nd in FA points in NEDIV.
Ran the test day on Thursday to get back into things. Everything went smoothly, but no quicker than last year even with the lighter flywheel and new fuel system. The stiff setup from Mid Ohio last year wasn't working well in the carousel- losing speed to the fast FC drivers there. Saturday was cold and miserable. First session was wet and slow, with some drivers not bothering to run. The afternoon session was mostly dry and much faster. I was the only Formula SCCA car in a field of 6 Atlantics. The race was uneventful with some dicing passing FC and FM cars. Most of those positions I lost when I left room for Jacek Mucha to lap me going into turn 10, then got a REALLY slow exit when he passed me through the turn. It didn't cost me any class positions, just looks bad on the overall results. I finished 3rd out of 6 in FA.
