Racerlinn
10-10-2005, 12:48 PM
Well, not really much to report as I was the only SE-R racing, so I guess that's four more race wins for me here in the strong Indiana/Ohio chapter. :D But at least Blair was their as well running his hardtop NX in the HPDE.
A brief overview of the weekend: :eek:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v366/Racerlinn/WindshieldOct05.jpg
Second lap of qualifying on Saturday morning. I hadn't been on track more than 2 minutes...
I was following a couple 944's into T1, one threw up a rock or bolt or something. That's not a hole, it actually shattered around the center circle of glass. It didn't spread anymore after that. Any farther to the right and I would have been done for the weekend as it would have been in my direct line of site. Reaffirms why I wear a full face helmet with the shield always down. It did make the left hand Turn 4 kinda tough to see...
Otherwise a really, really fun weekend. I had battles with lots of Miatas, Neons, CRX's, and Civics in all four races - little bit of bumper tag with a Civic in front of me (I was nice and didn't punt him off even though he deserved it) and a little from behind by a CRX when I got off T7 badly. He hit me square so it wasn't bad. Then had a great race with another CRX in the second race on Sunday. Couple laps before the end he dive bombed me in to T1. I gave him room - but apparantly not by much as his front left wheel tapped my right rear (no bondo there thank goodness!) and I slid off track to the left and he spun to the right. We both lost a couple positions as a result. We didn't think we had touched until the guy that was right behind us at the time said he was sure that we had. We had to go look at the cars after the race - no dents, but some rub marks on the fenders that should buff right out. Nearly punted a Neon a couple times and had a nice bump draft with him down the front straight. I got past him with a dive into T1 on the last lap of one of the races Saturday. Ran solidly in all 4 races in the middle of the pack - usually around 20th out of 40 cars in Small Bore. I had to start DFL in the first race Sunday as the stupid timing computer crashed during quals that morning. I had a couple clear, fast laps during qualifying so I came in early. It appears that the PC crashed and they started the field by a screen print of the last available lap. Well, me and another guy had already come in so we were not on the screen print and had to start at the tail. Made my way back up to 24th at the end. I may try starting at the tail more often. It was fun though coming up thru the slower cars.
Went thru about half the tread on the tires...enough left for one more weekend Gateway at the end of the month.
My buddy Rick in the Spec Miata that I have been paddocking with had a bad weekend. Slid off during Saturday morning quals and dented the right front fender (again - same one he did at MO). Then on the start of the first race on Saturday he got squeezed off into the grass down the front straight. Instead of easing off and getting back in safely he tried to race in the grass. I had a view of him as I was just behind and to the left of him. As he came back on track he hooked a wheel and started a tank slapper - I thought for sure he was going to come across my nose so I checked up. He caught it but ended up going back into the grass at the point where there is a pavement chicane that the karts use when they race there. So he bounced up over the pavement and as I went by I looked out the passenger side window and saw the entire bottom of his car facing me as he was nose down and flying sideways. Fortunately it came down solidly on the left rear and the wheel broke into pieces (never seen anything like it - shredded and torn). That cushioned his return to earth and he didn't flip. If the wheel had held it would have dug in and he would have done a really nasty barrel roll. The right side control arms were trashed and none could be found so he was done for the weekend. Pretty scary though and he admitted he simply screwed up.
Also had a C5 Vette that was running in the Time Trials have something break on the car under braking into T1. Car snapped left and went backwards thru a gate (the tubular stockade style) and fencing and out on to the track access road. Destroyed the back of the car and apparantly a piece of the gate came thru and hit him in the back. Fortunately the seat held and it didn't inpale him. They took him to the hospital with a possible broken shoulder. Car appeared to be totaled.
Ick.
A brief overview of the weekend: :eek:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v366/Racerlinn/WindshieldOct05.jpg
Second lap of qualifying on Saturday morning. I hadn't been on track more than 2 minutes...
I was following a couple 944's into T1, one threw up a rock or bolt or something. That's not a hole, it actually shattered around the center circle of glass. It didn't spread anymore after that. Any farther to the right and I would have been done for the weekend as it would have been in my direct line of site. Reaffirms why I wear a full face helmet with the shield always down. It did make the left hand Turn 4 kinda tough to see...
Otherwise a really, really fun weekend. I had battles with lots of Miatas, Neons, CRX's, and Civics in all four races - little bit of bumper tag with a Civic in front of me (I was nice and didn't punt him off even though he deserved it) and a little from behind by a CRX when I got off T7 badly. He hit me square so it wasn't bad. Then had a great race with another CRX in the second race on Sunday. Couple laps before the end he dive bombed me in to T1. I gave him room - but apparantly not by much as his front left wheel tapped my right rear (no bondo there thank goodness!) and I slid off track to the left and he spun to the right. We both lost a couple positions as a result. We didn't think we had touched until the guy that was right behind us at the time said he was sure that we had. We had to go look at the cars after the race - no dents, but some rub marks on the fenders that should buff right out. Nearly punted a Neon a couple times and had a nice bump draft with him down the front straight. I got past him with a dive into T1 on the last lap of one of the races Saturday. Ran solidly in all 4 races in the middle of the pack - usually around 20th out of 40 cars in Small Bore. I had to start DFL in the first race Sunday as the stupid timing computer crashed during quals that morning. I had a couple clear, fast laps during qualifying so I came in early. It appears that the PC crashed and they started the field by a screen print of the last available lap. Well, me and another guy had already come in so we were not on the screen print and had to start at the tail. Made my way back up to 24th at the end. I may try starting at the tail more often. It was fun though coming up thru the slower cars.
Went thru about half the tread on the tires...enough left for one more weekend Gateway at the end of the month.
My buddy Rick in the Spec Miata that I have been paddocking with had a bad weekend. Slid off during Saturday morning quals and dented the right front fender (again - same one he did at MO). Then on the start of the first race on Saturday he got squeezed off into the grass down the front straight. Instead of easing off and getting back in safely he tried to race in the grass. I had a view of him as I was just behind and to the left of him. As he came back on track he hooked a wheel and started a tank slapper - I thought for sure he was going to come across my nose so I checked up. He caught it but ended up going back into the grass at the point where there is a pavement chicane that the karts use when they race there. So he bounced up over the pavement and as I went by I looked out the passenger side window and saw the entire bottom of his car facing me as he was nose down and flying sideways. Fortunately it came down solidly on the left rear and the wheel broke into pieces (never seen anything like it - shredded and torn). That cushioned his return to earth and he didn't flip. If the wheel had held it would have dug in and he would have done a really nasty barrel roll. The right side control arms were trashed and none could be found so he was done for the weekend. Pretty scary though and he admitted he simply screwed up.
Also had a C5 Vette that was running in the Time Trials have something break on the car under braking into T1. Car snapped left and went backwards thru a gate (the tubular stockade style) and fencing and out on to the track access road. Destroyed the back of the car and apparantly a piece of the gate came thru and hit him in the back. Fortunately the seat held and it didn't inpale him. They took him to the hospital with a possible broken shoulder. Car appeared to be totaled.
Ick.