PCA Road America race updates please!
09-03-2007 | 04:17 PM
#16
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From: saratoga, ca
09-04-2007 | 02:11 AM
#17
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Joe and Mark co-drove Mark's car in the enduro, given that Joe's car had a variety of issues, mostly oil related. The car started about 40th in the fast group, with 77 cars taking the green flag. The white car didn't get many laps in and was gone after the first half hour or so. When we dropped by the pits it was sitting there with a badly cracked windshield and nobody around. We had to leave and don't know what might have happened. Mark had dropped out of one of the practice sessions with overheating problems. We don't even know who was driving that first stint.
Dave (Joe's camera lugger)
Dave (Joe's camera lugger)
09-04-2007 | 09:44 AM
#18
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From: Chicago Bears
Firstly, what a great weekend!
On Sunday, Joseph was driving Mark's car to start the enduro. There looked to be 100-ish cars on the track when the green flag fell on the start, and with about 2/3 of the field already roarin' past on the front straight, a car blew it's engine in spectacular fashion with a huge plume of smoke. Mark said that Joseph claims he saw a connecting rod on the track, but Mark is skeptical since he said that Joseph doesn't know what one looks like.
This brought out a yellow, which was the beginning of the end for Mark's car. While under yellow while the oil was being cleaned up, some cars in the field were mis-behaving, and the track officials made the pace car travel at 20 mph, which in turn caused many of the cup cars to overheat, including Mark's car. It should be noted that the day before, Mark pulled in into the pits complaining of the engine running too hot, at speed with plenty of air through the radiator.
Because of the many cars reporting running too hot, another decision was make to pull the cars off the track and into the pits, which was slower yet with no airflow through the radiators. When Joseph finally pulled up and stopped in his spot, coolant was leaking and pooling under it. It was probably 20 minutes later when they let the cars back out onto the track, and when Joseph restarted the engine, it belched out a puff of white-ish smoke, and shortly thereafter drove it back into the pits with an apparent blown head gasket.
Now for Joseph's car and the sprint race.
The first time out on the track for practice on Friday, oil was going everywhere and had to pull in immediately. Apparently during assembly, a crankcase vent hose was not attached underneath the intake manifold; due to it's location, it was difficult to repair, but Mark and Joseph persevered after getting some new hose from Carl Fausset.
After that was fixed, the engine was not running right as it was belching black smoke like a **** and the plugs fouling. Mark swapped out all electronics: LH, EZK, and finally an O2 'bypass', and it appeared the car was running much better, although not quite right.
After blowing the head gasket on Mark's car on Sunday during the enduro and the sprint race was the next day, Monday, Mark and Joseph got to work getting Joseph's car to run right. I think the final 'fix' was the O2 bypass, and the car was ready to go Monday and was out for the practice run where I was told he clicked off a 2:22.
However, for the qualification session, the car went half a lap, and back into the pits with another problem which turned out to be a thrown alternator belt which also took out some wiring, so back to the pits and no qualifying.
The car was 'ready' for the actual sprint race, and due to missing qualification, Joseph had to start dead-last in an approximately 50-car field. Once the green flag fell, by the time they made to Turn 5 where we were watching, Joseph had already passed 11 or 12 cars. With the engine sounding healthy when he roared by, Joseph subsequently tore up the track like a madman, and ultimately worked up all the way to 2nd place; it was so exciting to watch!
All that hard work trying to get his car to run right, and then finally making it out at the very last second with virtually no practice, and to end up finishing 2nd after starting dead-last, really put a shine on an otherwise bad weekend for those guys.
Congrats to two very nice guys and very fast drivers!
On Sunday, Joseph was driving Mark's car to start the enduro. There looked to be 100-ish cars on the track when the green flag fell on the start, and with about 2/3 of the field already roarin' past on the front straight, a car blew it's engine in spectacular fashion with a huge plume of smoke. Mark said that Joseph claims he saw a connecting rod on the track, but Mark is skeptical since he said that Joseph doesn't know what one looks like.
This brought out a yellow, which was the beginning of the end for Mark's car. While under yellow while the oil was being cleaned up, some cars in the field were mis-behaving, and the track officials made the pace car travel at 20 mph, which in turn caused many of the cup cars to overheat, including Mark's car. It should be noted that the day before, Mark pulled in into the pits complaining of the engine running too hot, at speed with plenty of air through the radiator.
Because of the many cars reporting running too hot, another decision was make to pull the cars off the track and into the pits, which was slower yet with no airflow through the radiators. When Joseph finally pulled up and stopped in his spot, coolant was leaking and pooling under it. It was probably 20 minutes later when they let the cars back out onto the track, and when Joseph restarted the engine, it belched out a puff of white-ish smoke, and shortly thereafter drove it back into the pits with an apparent blown head gasket.
Now for Joseph's car and the sprint race.
The first time out on the track for practice on Friday, oil was going everywhere and had to pull in immediately. Apparently during assembly, a crankcase vent hose was not attached underneath the intake manifold; due to it's location, it was difficult to repair, but Mark and Joseph persevered after getting some new hose from Carl Fausset.
After that was fixed, the engine was not running right as it was belching black smoke like a **** and the plugs fouling. Mark swapped out all electronics: LH, EZK, and finally an O2 'bypass', and it appeared the car was running much better, although not quite right.
After blowing the head gasket on Mark's car on Sunday during the enduro and the sprint race was the next day, Monday, Mark and Joseph got to work getting Joseph's car to run right. I think the final 'fix' was the O2 bypass, and the car was ready to go Monday and was out for the practice run where I was told he clicked off a 2:22.
However, for the qualification session, the car went half a lap, and back into the pits with another problem which turned out to be a thrown alternator belt which also took out some wiring, so back to the pits and no qualifying.
The car was 'ready' for the actual sprint race, and due to missing qualification, Joseph had to start dead-last in an approximately 50-car field. Once the green flag fell, by the time they made to Turn 5 where we were watching, Joseph had already passed 11 or 12 cars. With the engine sounding healthy when he roared by, Joseph subsequently tore up the track like a madman, and ultimately worked up all the way to 2nd place; it was so exciting to watch!
All that hard work trying to get his car to run right, and then finally making it out at the very last second with virtually no practice, and to end up finishing 2nd after starting dead-last, really put a shine on an otherwise bad weekend for those guys.
Congrats to two very nice guys and very fast drivers!
Last edited by SwayBar; 09-04-2007 at 10:34 AM. Reason: Enduro was on Sunday, not Saturday
09-04-2007 | 05:35 PM
#21
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From: saratoga, ca
way to go Joe!! Sorry to hear about the mishaps, but the race is what it is all about, and it doesnt matter how you get there. As far as for Mark. BUMMER!! thats too bad. How in the heck did a brand new engine blow a headgasket? do they need time to seat or something?
and what is the 02 sensor bypass? is that the coder plug configuration that sets the car for the euro set up that doesnt have an o2 sensor? I wonder why that changed the car from problematic, where it hasnt run right since 2002 to finishing a race with no issues!
nice to see the 928 of Joe's, finish so strong
mk
and what is the 02 sensor bypass? is that the coder plug configuration that sets the car for the euro set up that doesnt have an o2 sensor? I wonder why that changed the car from problematic, where it hasnt run right since 2002 to finishing a race with no issues!
nice to see the 928 of Joe's, finish so strong
mk
09-04-2007 | 05:59 PM
#24
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From: Horicon, WI
[Carl is doing DE, he doesn't race PCA.
Who knows - maybe next year I can run with Joe and Mark.... but I'm going to need a lot of practice! My times were not anywhere near theirs. I had DE traffic where they had Race Traffic - and race traffic is faster - but still.... I am not really to challenge the Big Boys just yet.
I did post results of Joe's accomplishment and some photos of the weekend over here:
https://rennlist.com/forums/928-forum/370163-the-2007-928-motorsports-event-at-road-america-sept-1st-2nd-and-3rd.html
09-04-2007 | 10:08 PM
#26
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From: Chicago Bears
New thread started by Mark Anderson:
https://rennlist.com/forums/928-forum/376002-road-america-race-recap.html
https://rennlist.com/forums/928-forum/376002-road-america-race-recap.html
