Back in the game...M-O weekend recap

[C. Ludwig]

Retrospective weekend blog:

Did some work for a guy from Cleveland who owns an ITS RX-7. Back around the 1st of the year I installed a Haltech EMS in the car and tuned it and have done some consulting with him since. Gary, the owner, has raced in the SCCA for years but his son, Mike, is just getting started and we've been trying to iron the car out for him. Gary offered me a chance to drive the car this past weekend at Mid-Ohio to get a feel for what they had and maybe help them with a couple issues they've been having with it. Basically help them iron it out and if possible show the potential of the car to Mike so he has a rabbit to chase.

I haven't driven a road race car at all in over 2 years and it's been 4 years since I'd been at Mid Ohio. How long will it take to knock the rust off? Can we be as fast as we were when we had our own car?

Jason, Em, and I stayed at my Mom's Friday night. Got in around 10:30pm, in bed around 11:00 or so. Out the door for M-O at 6:30am. Already tired and late.

Get to the track about 7:45 and register. Think it was about 45 degrees. It rained all the way up Friday night. It's supposed to be sunny Saturday but it's very black and looks like more rain. We assume the track will be dry by the time we hit the it for qualifying in the 4th session. Go through tech without issue, get suited up, and ready to go. We're scheduled for a 20 min practice/qualifying session, a 13 lap sprint race, and a 1 hour enduro all run on Saturday.

Hit the track for qualifying. Track is still wet even though there have been 3 sessions out already and there has been no rain for several hours. It's just that cold. On the out lap I can't decide if its wet or the newish pavement I've never seen is just darker than I remember. On the first hotlap it's confirmed to me that it's wet and cold when the car jumps sideways through the kink in the back straight at around 100 mph. Next lap I have a HUGE lockup braking at the end of the back straight. Still cannot believe I didn't spin the car as it swapped directions 3 times. The track begins drying through the session and combined with me knocking the rust off and gaining confidence we go faster and faster. We end up running a 1:48.1. Good enough for 2nd in class and pretty good considering everything. The good news is the car is FAST! I wish I would of had this kind of power in my old car. There is nothing in ITS I can't just pull out and pass. There was one nice looking T2 RX-8 running in our group and we drag raced down the back straight. I was following him and pulling on him pretty good in his slipstream. Even with the draft it surprised me as the 8 should have a good 40+ hp on us. The bad is that the car is very unstable under braking. The front end is hunting back and forth under heavy straight line braking and it wants to push under braking for slower corners.

Between sessions we discussed the braking issue. Mike, the guy that normally drives the car, says he knows exactly what I'm talking about and it's something that is hurting his confidence with the car. We talk about a couple possible issues then look at the ride height. Long story short the car is practically riding on the bump rubbers at regular ride height and is bottoming the shocks under braking. We raise the ride height 1/2" in the front and give it a go.

For the race there were 3 cars starting between me and the class pole sitter. I got to his bumper by the time we got to the chicane at the keyhole on the first lap. It took me a couple laps to make the pass and honestly I felt like I was driving at 11/10ths to make it happen. Once I made the pass I relaxed a little for a lap or two and built a little cushion. I then noticed a black 240SX about 2 seconds up and thought this was one of the quick guys in ITS that had qualified behind me and must have somehow slipped passed us at the start without me seeing. Thinking I needed to catch him we turned it back up to 11/10th. I ended up making the pass and cruised the last couple laps to a 15 second win! The changes to front ride height worked and the car was the best I've ever driven. We managed a best lap of 1:43.040. The record is 42.588. Next best in class was a 44.1

After the race I am explaining the 240 to the guys and they're all looking at me like I'm nuts but no one says anything. About that time another back 240 rolls past our pit with EP class letters on it. I really didn't figure it out for certain until we got home last night that when I passed the other RX-7 I was already in the lead and I didn't need to chase down the 240! The other ITS 240 was well behind and I had ran down and passed an EP car. Another need for radios!

We rolled through tech and we weighed 2720 so we were 40 lbs over weight. Only problem is we have a bunch of fuel still in the car and when we do the math we don't think we'll weigh enough when we finish the 1 hour enduro. We go back to the pit and start looking for ways to add weight. We only have about an hour to get the car ready. I change my underclothes which are soaked with sweat and try to hydrate while Jason and Mike go to work on the car.

We start the enduro based on how we qualified in the morning, so again we are second in class. My honest plan was to cruise for the first 1/2 hour, 45 minutes then pick it up and go racing. At the start though the lead RX-7 is just pretty slow and I pull around him and take the lead and easily pull out about a 9 second lead. At this point I back off trying to not abuse the car and looking for a comfortable pace. The ITS 240 from the first race makes his way to 2nd in class and is closing on my casual pace. The lead shrinks to 3 seconds and the car owner is on the pit wall telling me to push. Jason is telling me the same thing on the sign board. I figure if the car owner tells me to wring his car out I need no other excuse and put it in 10/10 mode for probably 25 minutes or so and build a 22 second lead. At around the 40 minute mark the car starts missing coming off a couple of the corners. At first it's just annoying but it gets worse and after about 5 minutes it's starting to effect the lap times. We're running out of gas. With around 15 minute left we still have a 20 second lead but the car is flat dieing in a couple spots on the track. When I see the starter giving the one to go sign I figure we got it in the bag even with the fuel issue but on the last lap the car shuts down a couple more times. Coming into Thunder Valley I can see the 240 in my mirror probably 1-2 seconds back. The car clears 10A well and into Thunder Valley strong which had been a problem area and I honestly think it's in the bag. Roll though the Carousel without issue but when I get on the gas coming off the Carousel for the final left and only maybe 150 yards to the line the car is dead. I am coasting in gear with my foot on the floor just hoping the car will pickup and go. The whole time I'm watching the 240 coming like a freight train. I momentarily think about blocking him but think better of it. Just as I've given up the car picks up some fuel and begins running. The 240 has a huge run on me but it's only about 3 car lengths to the line. As we cross the line he blows by me but I have him by about 1/2 a fender at the line. Official margin of victory is .25 seconds! The car runs out of gas on the cool down lap and needs to be towed in. At this point I am thinking we planned on finishing with about 3 gal in the cell and since we don't have that we're probably not going to make weight and we'll lose the race in impound. The tow truck pulls me to impound and there is no one there and the doors on the tech shed are closed! Guessing since it was a non-points race they didn't worry about teching the cars.

We left the track and met some of my family for dinner and didn't leave Mansfield until around 10pm. We got into Louisville around 3am and in bed around 4am. TIRED! Thanks to Jason for driving half the drive home!

All-in-all is was a GREAT day. The car is a rocket! Gary, the car owner, mentioned doing some more races. I'd drive this thing any time! I am very sore on the side of my legs where they were being pushed into the sides of the seat all day. Have some nice swollen lumps on each side. Thanks to Jason and Em for all the help! This weekend was a gift in so many ways but for God to put me back in a car like this without it costing me a dime at a time when I don't have a dime to give is just an amazing thing. With that in mind I was up at 8am after 4 hours of sleep, even though Em and I had agreed to skip church this am, and was ready to go by myself and let her sleep in. We both ended up going of course just to say thank you in a small way.