It has been a while since I posted any thing about the adventures of Jim & Barney. A month ago we paid our last visit of 2008 to VIR. Based upon our last visit there and VIR supposedly being my "home" track, the expectations where high.
Arrived Thursday evening with hopes of getting a little track time in Friday's practice. It worked out that I got all the track time I could stand and it was free. Can't beat that with a stick. The most important thing, it looked like the overheating issues had been resolved.
I did sneak in a ride with Kent Lydic during one of the Comp School sessions. No lie, the SOB drives with one hand. We passed everyone of the students and he might have put two hands on the wheel a couple of times during the whole session. I found where he was faster than me and where I was faster than him. Those lessons would come back to bite me on Sunday
He was faster through the esses than I thought could be done in a solid axle car. I feel I had him in turn 1,10 and oak tree; simply because of our braking style. He drives deep and jumps on the brakes hard. Me on the other hand, have a little more finesse that allows me exit faster out of those turns without the car being upset too much.
Turns out that was the last full session Kent's Mustang would make. On the next session out, he broke the crankshaft. A broken crank makes a mess of the motor
On Saturday he borrowed one of Mike Morris' Mustangs to make the race.
Saturday was overcast but warm with some decent humidity. Since we can't tune out stock motors, we were about 2-3 seconds a lap slower than our times in March. Practice and qualifying were uneventful. I was comfortably sitting 4th overall. To be honest, something was amiss. Not sure if it was the expectations or what, but I was driving like it was my first time on the track back in 2006.
During qualifying, NASA had issues with their timing session. Most of the Thunder group did not record qualifying times. So each class got to determine their starting order. CMC decided that CMC cars would start in front of the CMC-2 cars and we would grid based upon current points. That put me 4th in grid, which was were my practice times had me any ways. The main beneficiary was Kevin Louden who missed qualifying and got to grid third. The person who paid dearly would be Harold Krien who was fastest in practice but had to start 6th.
The timing issue was a sign of things to come for the Saturday race. CMC was to be the last group out, with AI/FFR the first group and then the GT/SP cars. AI/FFR started to roll out, about 3/4 of the way through their group out pace car starts to move out. The pole sitter Mike Morris had no option except to follow. Not sure why our pace car decided to go, but it turns out one of the AI/FFR cars stalled and held up the others. We had AI/FFR cars behind us and coming up through us during the warm up lap. Worse, we had GT/SP cars cars about 1/4 lap behind us. The start was uneventful, we all made it through turn one with me in third. It was looking up
But by the time we got to turn 10 (southbend), the GT/SP cars were catching us. So much for getting clean laps. That allowed Mike and Kent to open a slight lead. Kevin, Harold and myself were running nose to tail with me leading. Kevin was on a mission because he had a point to prove. During the normal smack talk, he was told he could not beat me at VIR. I wish they had not told him that. I could pull Kevin and Harold on the front straight and back straight because I got better runs out of the turns. Neither could get close to me between 3 and the lower esses. Kevin tried to out brake me a couple of laps in 14, but I had inside position allowing me to keep third. For some reason, everything I learn about 14 had escaped my head and I was really screwing it up.
Meanwhile as the three of us tangle and tangled with the GT/SP cars, Mike and Kent were walking away from us.
But where those two had me were in the climbing esses. On the third lap, Kevin got around Harold and had one hell of run up the hill into turn 10. He jumped to the inside and broke as late as anyone I had ever seen. I saw him coming and stayed as far right as I could get the car. No way he was making this move on me and if he did, he was just going to shoot off track right. If I drove my line, which I was entitled to, he was going to take me and himself out of the race. I decided it was not worth it. And I would wave at him as he went over the hill and through the grass. The SOB made it stick and I was left trying to fend off Harold into 11.
On the next lap, my mental issues continued. Getting into South Bend, I missed my braking point and the rear of car was literally dancing left and right. This left the door open for Harold and decided to pull a Kevin diving inside of me. We are side-by-side when the back of his Mustang came around. I swore he was going to clip me, but I drove pretty much straight and stayed track right as long as possible. I watched as harold went sideways in South Bend. His car stalled and he could not get it refired. A lesson I learned at Roebling Road, make sure your battery is big enough to start the car when the motor is hot! He would finally get tagged hard in the left front. But with me slowing so much to avoid the contact, Colin Jevens got a run on me into 11 and got around me. When Harold got hit, it sent him off South Bend into the ravine between turn 10 and the back stretch. The AI car that hit him came to a rest track left between 10 and 11. I never saw Harold down there until the cool down lap.
The rest of race was uneventful with me driving like I was an HPDE student out there for my first time. I could close on Colin but never enough to make it a race. Finishing a very disappointing 5th.
Saturday night was long and painful. Kevin and I had a heated discussion about his pass on me. Colin and Harold backed me up on the high risk move. As is usual with the CMC group, Kevin and I shook hands and put it behind us. But I was troubled by my mental lapses and was wondering what was wrong.
Sunday, I decided to go back to the basics. Focus on hitting my marks, driving well and not worrying about time. This helped me qualify 4th. Mike Morris switched to his CMC-2 car and took the pole. Kevin qualified 2nd and Jimmy Joyce was third in his CMC-2 car. Colin was 6th in qualifying. Kent decided to call it a weekend not wanting to be responsible for another car.
For Sunday the grid worked like clockwork per the normal NASA-MA. Mike brought us to the green and the Camaro was in a sweet spot in regards to the RPM. The green waves and Kevin stumbles in front me. I catch third and hear a terrible banging noise coming from my car. What the hell is that noise. Into 4th and there the noise is again. So much for my race Chi. This is not good. With Kevin's stumble (turns out he was losing 2nd gear) Mike and Jimmy jump out front and Colin dropped to the inside of me in turn 1. I was able to beat him into turn 3. But every upshift and left hand turn, there was the banging noise. I was trying to determine if my driveshaft, transmission or rear end was about to have a catastrophic failure all the while chasing Kevin and fending off Colin. This is not good....
On the first lap exiting Oak Tree Kevin stumbles again! Kevin and I were 1/10th apart in qualifying time. Colin was about 1.5 seconds back. My thought process was for Kevin and I to separate ourselves and settle it between him and me...one of the three of us were going to get our first win. With his stumble, I had two choices, either try and pass or bump the snot of him to get him going. I opted to bump the snot out of him. I had a run and just pushed him down the back straight (and I mean literally pushing him). Great plan except Jimmy Joyce got suckered in by the veteran Morris in turn 14 and went off track left forcing us all to bunch right up as we tried to figure out where Joyce was coming back on.
The metal on metal clattering continued...now I was getting worried. I have probably been on full course ten times. I have never gone through the climbing esses as fast as I was on Sunday. I was envisioning something breaking and wondering if the car would stop before hitting the condos. On lap two, Kevin stumbles and I push out wide exiting Oak Tree. I can not get a run on Kevin but Colin gets a run on me and gets me into 14. I am not sure where Colin found the power between qualifying and race (cough, cough, NOS) but he made a run on Kevin and decided to pass Kevin on the outside in turn 1. Kevin used all of his 1/2 of the track and more forcing Colin almost 2 wheels off. This opened the door for me on the inside. With having to worry about my car coming apart, my line was not perfect which it needed to be and the car pushed exiting. So here you are exiting turn one with three cars side-by-side all pushing out
I checked up, Kevin checked up and Colin managed to keep it on the pavement getting around Kevin. As an aside, we all respect each other in CMC and for the most part all of Thunder. The gentleman's rule is, you have your half of the track and I have my half. Respect each other's territory and we will race side-by-side forever. Kevin did cross that line, but it was pay back for an early incident between him and Colin (as Kevin told me later). The three of us got lined back up for turn 3 and continued that way for a few laps. With the car still making noises, I was opting to hang behind Kevin. I did not want to make a bold move and something break, wrecking both of us. After reviewing MyLaps, I was 1/2 second faster every lap. With clean air and no traffic, Colin opened up a decent lead on us.
Did I mention how fast we were through the climbing esses? In classroom, they always talk about the hump in turn 7. I never really noticed it too much. It was more fun than anything else. Well, on Sunday, I did notice it. If the Camaro was not leaving the ground over the hump, the tire contact patch was probably 1/10th of normal. I watch Kevin taking the right side wheels off the ground in turn 8 and we were nose to tail coming into 10 lap after lap. And then it all went very, very bad. Going at the speeds we were, I had to work every ounce to get the car track right for 10 plus getting it straight for braking.
This was a very, very new sensation. And did I tell you that the clattering was still there? Every upshift and every left handed turn. the only good thing, it was a consistent noise and was not getting louder. I was starting to learn to live with it. Kind of like a wife...
Kevin had figured out his second gear issue was driving around it. Although I was faster lap after lap, a good passing opportunity did not present itself. That was until about the 4th or 5th lap. I had a run out of the lower esses and was right on his bumper up through the climbing esses and mean right on his bumper. But I screwed up. He got loose at the top of hill and I stayed a little track right as not to run into him. Not a good spot to bump draft
I did not adjust quickly enough (Chi was out of sync) and when I hit my brakes all hell broke loose. The back end of the Camaro came around so fast I had no chance to correct for it. And even if I did, nothing was going to save it. The joys of having a solid rear axle! So two feet in and hang out. I went off track right off of South Bend. I do not mean a little off, like I drove off and could drive along the straight into 11. I mean backwards at probably 80 mph. I came to a rest in the ravine Harold found on Saturday. But the car was still running. So what to do. I was actually closer to the back straight than to the straight between 10 and 11. Morris was just exiting Oak Tree and saw this flash flying down the hill in the grass. He though it was pretty cool. I opted to enter the track between 10 and 11, once I got some traction in the grass. Hot RA1's and grass don't mix real well. I had to stop before entering the track as some of the CMC-2 cars and AI cars were coming. You know how hard it is to look to see if the track is clear when you are tying to merge and have a HANS device on....it is really tough and I did not want to be known as the idiot who took out 3-4 cars while trying to get back on track.
Plus, I figured there were about one and half laps left and whatever was making the noise was probably broken by now. Got back on track, exited Oak Tree and started to get a feel of the car. The noise was still there on the upshifts...just like a wife, not matter what you do, sometimes it just will not go away. But Hogpen, I had faith the car was "fine" from our little incident and got back to driving. The car heated up while in the grass, but as we gained speed the temps dropped from 240 to a more normal range. I started to catch the CMC-2 cars, but with a lap left, decided to tuck in behind them and call it a day. Settling for a third place finish.
Now about that noise...got the car home and started to do post race maintenance on it Monday evening after the race. Everything was in its place in the backend, the drive shaft had no play in it. I could not find anything. That is until I started to pull the plugs. The two exhaust manifold bolts on the right side around cylinder 8 were gone! The damn engine builder must not have used lock-tite on them. I would fire the SOB if it wasn't me
So it off to Summit Point this coming weekend. Now if the tires stay on the car (literally) and all the bolts stay bolted in, it might be a fun weekend. The pavement is in terrible shape and I am not sure if they will have it fixed, but it will suck for everyone. Now the driver has to get his head out of his butt and not repeat his Saturday VIR driving show.
The pressure...not too much since nothing is expected of me do to my lack of seat time at Summit. But the real pressure is from the points standings. Colin is in second place, 14 pts in front of me and Kevin is only 5pts back of me......On a positive note, at the Sunday Hyperfest race, I was less than 1 second off the fastest lap. Quite a change from a year ago when I was about 7 seconds off the pace.
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