Running my 997 in One Lap of America 2017 (last updated 1/22/17)
 

One Lap has been on my bucket list and this year it hits two bucket list tracks: Road Atlanta and Sebring. Threw out a FB post to see if any of my friends would bite to co-drive and one of my friends and racing buddies, Ken Brinkman (admittedly drunk at the time), raised his hand!

Start/Finish (Tire Rack) is 45 min from my house. 3300 miles and 6 road courses (including our "home" track, GingerMan).

We will run my bone stock 997.1 S. Haven't decided on tires yet. Looking for suggestions from any Lap Dogs on gear/tips to make the most of the event!

I'll update this post over the next 5 months as we prepare for an epic road trip!

5/3/17 UPDATE:

Got the brakes bled and the Hawk pads from Andrew Racing installed. Yakima rack mounted. It's a slick system. It'll be for sale after the event ("used once")!

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4/2/17 UPDATE:

Serious preparations underway! THE STICKER GARAGE delivered the cut vinyl, and ANDREW RACING/NASA GREAT LAKES sent along some decals. Got a more track oriented alignment done: Camber 1.1, 0 toe in the front; 1.5, 1/8-1/16 toe in the rear. Finally, got the Rennline fire extinguisher kit installed. Next weekend we go to NASA Great Lakes' event at Gateway for some tire testing!


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3/18/17 UPDATE:

FIRST THINGS FIRST: SPONSORS!!!

I am pleased to announce that NASA Great Lakes (http://nasagreatlakes.com/) is sponsoring our effort! Check them out if you want to race or drive on track in the Midwest!

Also, Andrew Racing (http://andrew-racing.com/) has joined on as our brake pad sponsor. I'll be running Hawk DTC-30s in the event. If you are in the market for Hawk pads and other goodies, give them a call!

Also, The Sticker Garage (https://stickergarage.com/) will be printing out our vinyl livery. Give Jeff a call if you need anything!

Please visit my FB page @PajamaPants Racing at One Lap and make a donation to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research here: https://fundraise.michaeljfox.org/pa...tsracingonelap.

Busy planning and preparing. Drove a 991 from Miami to Chicago a month ago. It was a great opportunity to learn what I needed to survive the transits. Lessons learned:

1. Don't clutter the cabin. I'm definitely getting a roof box to store stuff so we can keep the cabin clear.
2. Switch seats often. Don't wait to gas up, eat or pee. Two hours off, two hours on. You don't realize how much concentration you are using just driving down the highway until you get in the other seat, turn on the internet, and chill. We'll throw the spare tires, jack and a few other things that (hopefully) we won't ever need in the box.

So, my Amazon Prime cart is full of stuff like power strips, FM transmitter, roof rack, and other necessities.

Just picked up my tires! Decided to go with the new Michelin Pilot 4S. I have the Carerra Sport wheels, so I went with 245/305 stagger. Got them mounted up. I'll scrub them in and do some testing at Gateway in a couple of weeks.


1/22/17 UPDATE:

I made a FB page to document my preparation for and participation in this year's One Lap! Banter, advice and donations to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research are welcome! Follow me @pajamapantsonelap

1/14/17 UPDATE:

I have set up a donation page on www.michaeljfox.org to collect donations to fund Parkinson's research as part of my One Lap adventure! To donate, go to www.michaeljfox.org and roll over the green "Donate" button. Scroll down the dropdown menu to "Team Fox". Enter "PajamaPants Racing One Lap" in the search box and it will take you to my page where you can make a donation. The donation form lets you leave a message and share on FB and Twitter. Please feel free to "share" this with all of your friends!

1/7/17 UPDATE:

I am looking for sponsors! We will be driving my Speed Yellow (read: high visibility) 911 in the Stock GT class. We are also raising money for the Michel J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research in honor of my father, Bob Burkhardt (more information to follow in that). The event will be covered in Grassroots Motorsports magazine! Please contact me by PM or email (kburkhardt12 at comcast dot net) if you are interested. Thank you!

Welcome and we look forward to seeing you in May. Try Woody at the Tire Rack if you have any questions. He's always a great resource for our participants.

Best
Solomon

Luke's my guy!

Luke is awesome indeed. Just got some blizzaks from the fine gentleman.

Very cool!

Get whatever Tire Rack recommends. I am running Pilot Super Sports. For 3300 miles you might want something hotter.

Are you running this year, too, Skip?

I would recommend a set of tires just for this event (the idea is to have them almost down to the cords by the end). MPSS aren't awful tires, but the sidewalls are pretty soft for track duty. Maybe Pilot Sport Cup 2 or Bridgestone RE-71s - both have shorter tire life but stiffer sidewalls and more grip - ideal for a track oriented event like One Lap.

The rules require you run a set of tires just for this event. You purchase them from Tire Rack before the event. They also require that you run >140 tread rating.

Very cool. I always wanted to do that.

That's awesome. Should be a fun time. I know a couple of people that used RE71R's last year with good results.

that sounds like a lot of fun - enjoy it and I look forward to your updates

For what its worth - I have driven Bridgestone SO4's at Sebring without too much drama.

I also run Yoka's AD08R's - but being an R-comp - I don't know if they meet the 140TW....

OP updated!

Pilot sport cup 2 would be the tire I would run