JC in NY

I ended up getting some amazing finish like 12th overall in the huge enduro group beating many, many faster cars somehow by sitting in the pits (unintentionally) at the very end of the race. Any idea how that happened?

BrandonH

All I can say is that the enduro results were very confusing to me as well. I got a third in G class so I'm not complaining, but there was a lot of grumbling about cars that allegedly never did the mandatory pit stop. However, you obviously did, and still finished well so ???

It certainly was quite an event. I was wondering how I'd hold up for 90 minutes but shouldn't have worried: with all the yellows it was less than an hour of actual racing...

Brandon
#77 G

JC in NY

I finished well but only because I was in the pits when the race ended. I pulled in at exactly end of the last double-yellow. I was in there for five minutes and I was just about to exit when the chief scrut waved me off and said "The race is over". I saw a black flag at the corner one station at that time. Somehow that pit stop allowed me to gain about 15 positions.

Greg Fishman

Sometimes it is better to be lucky....

Reason is (please correct if I am wrong) is that while most of the racers pitted, the field was lapping at race speed. While you were in the pits they were only lapping at pace speed (40-50 mph) laps maybe If you had been in the top 10, when you pitted, you could have possibly won the whole thing Congrats.

M758

I have run in a couple endro's with pit stops. The hardest thing to figure is where you stand after the stops. In both enduro I went and made my stops and return to the track. A competitor was near me as I reentered. Only problem was that I did not know if he had stopped or not or if we were on the same lap. It can be confusing if you did not within eyesight the entire time. Anyway I just raced them like they were on the same lap. In one case they were and the other I was a lap ahead.

JC in NY

That makes sense Greg. The overall winner of the enduro was also in the same boat as me and won for that reason despite not being the race leader before the pit stop.

BrandonH

Several guys I spoke w/said they delayed their pit strategy when they saw the rain, reasoning that even without a yellow, lap times will be slower in the rain and so the 5 minutes stop costs less lost distance. Because of the "no pit under yellow" rule, some may have waited too long to pit. It was my first enduro so I learned lots. Like how useful it must be to have radios...
B

GeoffD

Hi Guys,

We Canadians gave you great weather over the weekend didn't we!!

JC, if you got a break, I can tell you there are a few guys who got the short end of the stick. I have a radio in my car and during the race, I always get the intervals to the guys in my class who I am racing with. We also make pit stop decisions based on track position of the I class contenders. In Sunday's race we had a great battle with Gary Wielgoszinski who ultimately used a superior pit strategy and some consistent driving to take first in I class and beat us. Imagine our joint suprise when a car that we both had left far behind was listed as class winner even though both our team and Gary managed to duck into the pits on our stops right before full course yellows came out. What happened was that the winner had just gone into the pits when the final full course yellow (and then black flag) came out so he never did his five minute stop.

However....the rulebook clearly states that everyone must complete a five minute pit stop BEFORE the last five minutes of the race and those who were in the pits when the black flag was thrown did not satisfy this rule. It is my understanding that the results are under review. This is partially because the guy who was listed second in F class (Jamie Sutherland) was the one who spun into the turn 1 gravel trap and caused the race ending black flag. Jamie had not done his pit stop before he spun and ended the race and went and told the stewards he should be DQ'd. THat was when they noticed there were some inconsistencies.

In any case, Brandon and JC it was fun being bumper to bumper with you guys in the yellow group. I hope you enjoyed Mosport.

Geoff Davies
I classs 924S #60

BrandonH

Glad to hear the results are under review. My crew's impression was that less than half the field pitted. I shared crew with a guy in D who thought he'd won his class but got a sixth. Good to know they are working on it. Shouldn't affect "G"; I think we all went in, (but my overall might rocket upwards, maybe I beat some of those monster red group cars?)
Great to race with you too, Geoff, and really, in the yellow group, can't complain about the weather. You are very fast in that little car.

Brandon

Cris Brady

Does anybody have the Yellow qualifying and sprint race results for E Class? It was a drag having to leave early for the 2nd year in a row. And from looking at the practice sessions on Friday, my times would've been competitive.

BrandonH

Cris, really sorry to see you and Joel go, hope the engine comes back together OK. I don't have the qualifying sheet, but in the sprint race Ron Savenor won in E with a second overall, fastest lap 1:37.6 Second E was Brion Charters, 4th overall, 1:37.8 Bob Sandau was 3rd, 7th overall, 1:38.5 Jay Mazzola won in the burgandy 914 GT5 car, 1:35, Kyle Dolbow turned a 1:34.3 but retired in lap 8. Ernie Jakubowski was the fastest G car, at a blistering 1:37.9 for a third overall. Hmmm, 186HP???
Brandon

GeoffD

Gents,

Looks like the enduro results have been revised. I havn't seen them yet myself but have been told that 7 cars were disqualified and, in my case, I moved up 7 places overall and 1 place in class.

In other news, I was at the track August 8th and, in preparation for the upcoming ALMS race, they were paving all of the formerly gravel areas in the upper and lower paddock. So Brandon, that nice gravel mess that you were parked in is now fresh asphalt. Good reason to come back again next year.

GD

p.s. The reason that I was there was to try out an F1200 open wheel car. Imagine going flat all the way up the back straight and through turn 8, no lifting, no left foot braking, nothing!! And with your butt 3/4" off the track. Very fun!!

BrandonH

Very interesting. Looks like the PCA racing site still has the original results. I'm surprised it was just seven cars. Good news on the repaving; it was a drag tacking up all that gravel on the tires every time I came in.
Good luck with your F1200 explorations!
BH

JC in NY

Hmm, I wonder what will happen to me? I definately did the whole five minutes in the pits, and just as I was driving out Ray Pruitt waved me off from the pits into the paddock and said the race is over so I never crossed the "pit out" gate. There was a black flag at the corner one station. I wonder if I'll be DQ?

BrandonH

Sounds like you had the absolute perfect pit, then, since the track was mostly standing yellow while you were in. It might be worth an explanatory email to the timers.

Does anyone know how they track pit stops? I assumed that they do it manually, ie someone is jotting down car numbers and times as you enter and depart; but I guess it could be done by AMB, too, assuming they had antennae imbedded under pit road.
BH