Quick run-down of results from IT-Spectacular at Mid-Ohio
08-13-2007, 02:23 PM
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Quick run-down of results from IT-Spectacular at Mid-Ohio
Just a quick run-down of the results; we (the PUB Racing team and our friends and competitors Fast Frog Racing) went down to Mid-Ohio this past weekend for a big SCCA IT Race, the IT-Spectacular put on by Cincy Region. This was a very big race, preview for the ARRC, with competitors trucking in from as far away as LA and Colorado!
Qualifying went well, taking second in ITB with a 1:49.6 after stopping to fix a plug wire that fell off - on last year's tires, no less. But the Sat PM race was not so good, cheapo fuel pump switch died at the end of the first lap and cost us the race and a possible win.
Likewise, our Fast Frog buddy Doug in the #66 Bimmer also conked out partway through with a busted header - lost an entire chunk of the header on the #4 runner! He got lucky, my expert fabricator crewman was able to repair it with scrap parts and a borrowed welder that evening. Likewise, we just about ruined a portapower and used all of our hammers straightening his brother Bob's car, which got backed into the wall driver's right after Madness. It was seriously bent, to the extent that they were all ready to throw in the towel, but my crew chief and I went to town and got it amazingly straight! Nothing like a little experience! 
Sunday qual race, I started DFL (gridded on fastest race lap - mine was a 2:01) with Doug a few rows in front of me... charged the field once we made it through 1 cleanly, passing about half the ITB field by the end of the first lap... continuing to work the field, I motored by Doug on the back straight a few laps later, then the 4th place car took out the 3rd place car in front of me... spent a while driving around in circles, chased down the leaders, and right as I was coming up to them, the 2nd place car overreached himself in the Carousel, allowing me to get past him on the front straight, on the outside into 1... kept with it, he tried to hang on, sort of managed, but didn't quite have the pace, as I continued to inch towards the leader... then he (the #3 placed Prelude) lost a LR hub at the end of the back straight, caught up w/ him after Madness, and he failed to make the right into the Esses, nearly flipping then spinning like a top into the tires driver's left.
I continued to close on the leader (a BMW 2002 from Colorado), ended up maybe a few seconds behind him at the checker, but not close enough to strike, and with Doug behind in a distant 3rd.
Last race on Sunday, 22 laps (21 for us, being lapped by ITS) in the miserable heat... I got passed by Doug coming out of 1 while messing with slow ITS cars, but tucked in behind to lay back, watch and wait, and try to pull away from the rest of the pack... wanted to wait back for 10-15 laps while those guys hammered at each other, then see what we could do in the closing laps. Unfortunately, the laying back turned into falling back, .3-.5s per lap, and ended up finishing approx 6s behind the front two, with the 4th place Audi coming into sight...
Still good for 3rd place and medal, plus in spite of the Saturday DNF I still finished 4th overall for the weekend points championship!
Final note - until things faded Sunday PM... this 924 was FAST on the back straight! Once we got halfway down the back straight, top half of 4th gear, we really closed up on a lot of those guys... Hopefully I haven't damaged the motor, that wasn't the reason our lap times faded so much - I'm just hoping the tires got too hot, maybe the driver too - 'cause that really shows good results for future "big-track" races... heck, I can still uncork the exhaust quite a bit to go run those loud tracks (my car's still set up for a 75Db local limit)...
Qualifying went well, taking second in ITB with a 1:49.6 after stopping to fix a plug wire that fell off - on last year's tires, no less. But the Sat PM race was not so good, cheapo fuel pump switch died at the end of the first lap and cost us the race and a possible win.
Likewise, our Fast Frog buddy Doug in the #66 Bimmer also conked out partway through with a busted header - lost an entire chunk of the header on the #4 runner! He got lucky, my expert fabricator crewman was able to repair it with scrap parts and a borrowed welder that evening. Likewise, we just about ruined a portapower and used all of our hammers straightening his brother Bob's car, which got backed into the wall driver's right after Madness. It was seriously bent, to the extent that they were all ready to throw in the towel, but my crew chief and I went to town and got it amazingly straight! Nothing like a little experience! Sunday qual race, I started DFL (gridded on fastest race lap - mine was a 2:01) with Doug a few rows in front of me... charged the field once we made it through 1 cleanly, passing about half the ITB field by the end of the first lap... continuing to work the field, I motored by Doug on the back straight a few laps later, then the 4th place car took out the 3rd place car in front of me... spent a while driving around in circles, chased down the leaders, and right as I was coming up to them, the 2nd place car overreached himself in the Carousel, allowing me to get past him on the front straight, on the outside into 1... kept with it, he tried to hang on, sort of managed, but didn't quite have the pace, as I continued to inch towards the leader... then he (the #3 placed Prelude) lost a LR hub at the end of the back straight, caught up w/ him after Madness, and he failed to make the right into the Esses, nearly flipping then spinning like a top into the tires driver's left.
I continued to close on the leader (a BMW 2002 from Colorado), ended up maybe a few seconds behind him at the checker, but not close enough to strike, and with Doug behind in a distant 3rd.
Last race on Sunday, 22 laps (21 for us, being lapped by ITS) in the miserable heat... I got passed by Doug coming out of 1 while messing with slow ITS cars, but tucked in behind to lay back, watch and wait, and try to pull away from the rest of the pack... wanted to wait back for 10-15 laps while those guys hammered at each other, then see what we could do in the closing laps. Unfortunately, the laying back turned into falling back, .3-.5s per lap, and ended up finishing approx 6s behind the front two, with the 4th place Audi coming into sight...
Still good for 3rd place and medal, plus in spite of the Saturday DNF I still finished 4th overall for the weekend points championship!
Final note - until things faded Sunday PM... this 924 was FAST on the back straight! Once we got halfway down the back straight, top half of 4th gear, we really closed up on a lot of those guys... Hopefully I haven't damaged the motor, that wasn't the reason our lap times faded so much - I'm just hoping the tires got too hot, maybe the driver too - 'cause that really shows good results for future "big-track" races... heck, I can still uncork the exhaust quite a bit to go run those loud tracks (my car's still set up for a 75Db local limit)...
08-15-2007, 09:47 AM
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Got the video up on Youtube now...
http://youtube.com/user/924RACR
Highlight reel - both "race start" videos, but also Dave Gran in an ITB Prelude losing a hub and nearly flipping while chasing me into the Esses for 2nd (on the race where I started at the back)... I wouldn't be surprised if the hub was dying as he went through or exited the braking zone at the end of the back straight, but didn't completely lose the wheel until the next RH'er:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0wPxHu7ly98
http://youtube.com/user/924RACR
Highlight reel - both "race start" videos, but also Dave Gran in an ITB Prelude losing a hub and nearly flipping while chasing me into the Esses for 2nd (on the race where I started at the back)... I wouldn't be surprised if the hub was dying as he went through or exited the braking zone at the end of the back straight, but didn't completely lose the wheel until the next RH'er:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0wPxHu7ly98
