Carl Fausett

I am still editing stills and video - I have not posted any just yet.

My wife just came out of the hospital (total hip replacement) on Thursday before we left for Pikes Peak on Sunday. So I have been sucking up a bit still to make up for my abscence. She is in a rehab center for physical therapy now and will be home next week Wednesday. Then I will have more time.

Here is a short anecdote from the week:

On Wednesday at Pikes Peak we practiced in the "W's" - the center section of the course that has eight switch-backs and boot-laces its way up the side of the mountain. First practice, I ran a 2:34 in this section. In my second run, I late braked a little too late in #6 and rumpled the RF fender into the guardrail. Came back to the pits, the crew pounded it out with a hammer, and I went back at it.

It needs to be said that after you hit the Armco at Pikes Peak (stopping to look over the edge) you have a moment to reflect on things (like your life, for example) and you have to fight the natural inclination to wus around that section you just had an accident at.

However, I went back up and ran a 2:31.9 on my next practice run - a new personal best and the 2nd highest qualifying time in our group for that section.

928autobahndreamer

Fantastic job Carl and crew. I can't wait for the video.

jorj7

Very cool Carl, congratulations on another great run on a very challenging course.

Iwanna928

Carl, You are living the dream!

Stephen

Carl Fausett

Thanks guys, here are a few pics and another back-story from the race:

On Wednesday, we practiced in the "W's" where I hit a guardrail and also set the 2nd best time in that section (story above).

We felt pretty darn good Wednesday night and looked forward to practice on Thursday and Friday, which was very important to us because we had yet to drive this suspension and tire package on gravel.

Thursday morning: 3:30 AM. Back the GWS out of the trailer and started her up. She started immediatly, and after the 20-second warm-up cycle had passed, I blipped the throttle to excite the alternator before turning on the headlights so we could drive up the mountain in the dark to our starting position for the day.

Right after the blip, she died. We cranked and cranked but she was a no-go.
By God, the crew and I did CPR on the car for a solid 4.5 hours until 7:30 in the morning - we tried everything, changed the plugs, towed it up and down the road with a strap to pop-start it, ether in the air filters, the works. No go. Finally we had to concede we'd missed a day of practice and we had to go down the mountain and fix it.

We called one of our Sponsors - Concours Cars of Colorado Springs - and they had us bring it right in. Mark, Brett and Jason would turn the whole shop over to us - whatever we needed to get the 928 back to the starting line in time. They were great.

And we used all their equipment too - from recording oscilloscopes to check the crank trigger to the hoists and hand tools to remove the flywheel, they were awesome.

We lost some time chasing dead-ends before we found the problem: in the 38-degree cold of the early morning mountain air, our aluminum racing flywheel had contracted to the point where the steel timing gear was a loose a fit. Then, when I blipped the throttle, the timing gear spun a few teeth on the flywheel and that was the cause of our no-start. We did not catch it at first because I had run this flywheel and timing gear combo for 2 years in Wisconsin without an issue, so we did not immediatly suspect it.

Looking back on it - I also had never parked my racer outside in that temp and then gone to start it up and race it.

The clutch came down, the flywheel came off, and we relocated the timing gear and pinned it with 4 set screws. But by this time it was Friday afternoon and I had missed 2 of the 3 days of practice - and all the practice sessions on gravel.

I would have to race Pikes Peak without practicing on it first - and did.

But for the tireless contributions of my never-quit crew, we would not have made it.

My thanks to Myles Lowery, Steve Neitzel, Taylor Fausett, Austin Fausett, Dan Respalje, and Mark, Brett and Jason from Concours Cars.

Mako 928

Carl
With all of the setbacks you had to deal with, stress of figuring out "no run" symptoms and missing out on practice, it is even more amazing on how great of a finish you achieved.
Not to mention your wife having a total hip replacement. Glad to see she is "on the mend"

Carl Fausett

Thanks, Greg.

Yes, leaving her in a nursing care facility 3 days after she got out of the hospital was a joint decision... she told me to go win it for her. What a trooper! She comes home this Wednesday.

The rest of the story - working late into the night feverishly trying to prepare the car - is just what every other team was doing too. Our story there is not unique, we were well aware of what our competitors were doing too.... changing transmissions, some were on their 3rd clutch, the Gronholm team had flown in a replacement engine, etc etc. All teams were at work beating down their demons just like we were.

Pikes Peak is an endurance event... after flogging the cars up the mountain for 3 days before the day of the race - then the race itself, plus the temperatutre extremes (on race day I started on tarmac in the rain, drove thru mid section of dry loose gravel and at the summit it was snowing) all equipment and personnel are strecthed to their limits.

Carl Fausett

I have just put up our 2009 Pikes Peak video for download.

Be sure to play this on a PC with good speakers - the audio is wonderful!

It is the first one on this page:
http://www.928motorsports.com/othervideos.html

We recommend that you right-click on the movie icon and select "Save target as" to download and play the short movie from your PC for best performance.

DR

Carl,

GREAT VIDEO!!! What a great way to start off the morning watching that and getting all revvvvved up!!

Congrats again for representing the 928 so incredibly well in such a classic event!

Carl Fausett

Thanks Dave. Its a sweet video - took so long to compile clips from spectators and the 3 cameras we had in the car. Glad it turned out so well.

Its a hoot seeing "1978 928" on the Competitors list when all the other cars are 2003-and-up.

jcorenman

Great Video, and the audio is indeed wonderful!
But the editing is what really makes it, the continuity is great and mixing the inside and outside shots really works well.

Will you by chance have a DVD version for sale, maybe at Sharktoberfest? (hint, hint).

jpNcos

Thanks for sharing great way to start the day. Now to record the audio for my alarm clock.

AO

Awesome vid... Big *****? DEFINITELY!

Tahoe Shark

Carl, What an excellent video, makes you feel like you are in the car and experiencing the race itself.
Having never been there I am a little suprised by all of the spectators on the outside of the turns. Some of them were ready to bail on the one turn on the dirt section! Obviously the promoter allows those viewing positions it is a little strange though. Also, did your navigator forget to put his gloves on?
Congratulations on your excellent results, you are a great 928 ambassador!

dprantl

At 4:30, two dumbphucks say, "I think he lost a cylinder huh" and "That sounds awful". WTF were they smoking?

Dan
'91 928GT S/C 475hp/460lb.ft