Duff Car at COTA, for real this time

Roger McDaniels · **Posted:** Thu Aug 04, 2016 10:23 am

It looks like we're finally going. The race is in December:

From: "Joey Todd" <jtodd@racewrl.com>
To: jtodd@racewrl.com
Sent: Wednesday, August 3, 2016 1:31:02 AM
Subject: COTA

Hi all, you have been accepted to the WRL US Endurance Championship at COTA. I planned to invoice you for the deposit tonight but PayPal invoicing is down. No fear, I will get the invoice to you asap.

Thank You,
Joey Todd
World Racing League
Race with the Leader!
www.RaceWRL.com
Facebook & Twitter: RaceWRL
844-RaceWRL (844-722-3975)

Vincent Keene · **Posted:** Thu Aug 04, 2016 10:26 am

$2100 entry fee + the towing costs + other race expenses (fuel, tires, brakes, etc)...that's going to be one expensive race!

Good luck!

Roger McDaniels · **Posted:** Thu Aug 04, 2016 10:33 am

We figure it'll be like Sebring. We won't be doing it every year, but we're all glad that we did it once.

Roger McDaniels · **Posted:** Sun Dec 11, 2016 8:01 pm

That was totally worth it. Even though it rained all the way there, then all weekend during the race, then all the way home, COTA is a great track and we had a blast. We were in the Mercedes F1 garage, and it was a very nice place to be. We could walk through the door to the red-carpeted stairway that led to the winners podium. I hung out in the cool-down room and used the bathroom there. I may have pooped in the same place as Daniel Ricciardo! Charles elected to ride the bus there and back (usually it's just me and Ricky), which was fortunate for us, because you really want three drivers if you want to drive the tow rig 1500 miles in 2 days.

Race-wise, we finished 5th of 8 on Saturday and 5th of 7 on Sunday in class and 42nd out of 78 overall on Saturday, 40th out of 75 overall on Sunday. We're really not competitive in our class at a national level, although we run a good race in our region. When we've got a V8 Camaro to beat, it's tough. We did beat the V8 Camaro on Sunday after they forgot to tighten their lug nuts and a wheel fell off of their car, but even then it was still a close race.

It was a very well-behaved crowd, which we've always seen at WRL, with the only really crazy/stupid driving done by Spec Miata drivers, which is just what we've come to expect from Spec Miata drivers. One of them passed me in the grass just before T20.

The track is very technical and challenging, with several places where a slow momentum machine can do really well, especially in the rain. The 2 big straights are not our strength, but coming out of the T1 hairpin and blasting down the hill through the T2-T5 complex we can really move. The tight turns and changing camber through the Stadium Section are also a lot of fun. There are also huge expanses of paved runoff room everywhere, so you can really take chances without too much risk.

I'd seriously consider doing this again next year, although our late-season race next year will most likely be Road Atlanta with LeMons. It is one hell of a road trip though. If anyone else goes, then eat at the "Hit the Spot" restaurant, and have the catfish platter, with the strawberry crepes for dessert. You won't be sorry.

Vincent Keene · **Posted:** Mon Dec 12, 2016 11:22 am

Congrats to you guys. Sound like COTA is a bucket list track for sure.

I'd have to say, my team would have wanted to bind and gag me if we drove that far to have it rain the entire race and trip. I would have bitched and moaned the entire time. I hate rain, most especially on the track.

Roger McDaniels · **Posted:** Mon Dec 12, 2016 1:32 pm

You would not have liked that race. There was standing water in many places and wide rivers running across the brake zones before T11 and T19. The Spec Boxters (they had a lot of those) were having a hell of a time getting out of a turn in a straight line. In the Duff car we had to back off about 10%, but other than that we drove like normal, except that we got sideways a lot. On the plus side, there is so much paved runoff that even if you completely lost it and spun multiple times, you probably never left the track surface. They also weren't enforcing track limits at all, so you could spend more time outside the gators in turns than inside and stay in the race. There was a Supra in the top 5 that was rarely on the racing surface in a turn. The Miata that passed me in the grass before T20 just went wide in T19 and used the runoff as track to take a line outside the gators to T20.

THSCC Forums

Duff Car at COTA, for real this time

Who is online