Race Report of Touring GT Race - Aug. 14th
08-24-05, 11:42 AM
#1
Rotary Freak
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Race Report of Touring GT Race - Aug. 14th
As mentioned in my previous thread, here is my "Thrills and Chills" race report of the Touring GT race, from the Sunday.
As also mentioned in my previous report, I wasn't at Mosport for the Saturday so I didn't get a chance to qualify. This meant that I started dead last for the Sunday race. Again it started raining just before we went on track. For this race we had hooked up the front bar, as we felt that it would be a good compromise in case the track dried out. We raised the tire pressures to dry track start pressures and left the rear shocks full soft + 1 turn. We weren't going to be the fastest in the wet but we were gambling on the track drying before the end of the race. Just wanted to hang on and when the track goes dry, Zoom Zoom Zoom, as some company says.
On the pace lap as I touched (breathed on) the brakes, the fronts would lock up. Oh Oh!!! The track was very slippery. Noticed a ton of oil dry down on the track, in the rain they were using cement powder and it was kicking up a very viscous spray and it was suprisingly slippery in the wet. Again not looking good as my (all together now) car is not very good in the rain or wet. Had a bit more pressure than normal as my boss and a bunch of co-workers were out at the track to see me in the race. As we rolled into Turn 9 I tried to load the car up on the brakes and the rears started spinning. A brake stand, pretty cool but not what I was looking for.
We got the green and I nailed it. The tire spin actually got the RPM's up a bunch and I got a great slingshot. Pulled by a terrible looking Fiero and saw a gap down the inside of Turn 1. As I turned in the car started to rotate a bit, actually a lot. I countersteered caught the back end, passed Cliff Daley and to get some grip stuck the car inside the rumble strips. This gave me a clean line going into Turn 2 with a good head of steam over the cars ahead. Passed 2 cars( an NX2000 and A VW Golf) under braking around the outside of Turn 2. Got squeezed a bunch on the exit of 2 and had to fall in line to get to the outside of Turn 3. WHOO HOOO 3 cars in the space of 2 corners. With delusions of God-Like status and the belief that my car was actually working in the rain I tried to drive around a couple of Sentra's.
Again as soon as I touched the throttle in 3 the back end started to slide out and I had to give way. Got 1 sentra on the outside of 4, with a big breath and decided to wait to the back straight for the other 1. Came out of 5 and had a suprising amount of grip. Blew by the other Sentra and took off after the rest of the pack that was starting to pull away. Finished the first lap up 6 spots from my start and stuck on Ian Laws '88 Civic with a GSR VTEC motors butt.
We picked up a bunch of speed but kept position for a couple of laps. Each corner was a lottery. The track was wet, but drying, with sprinkles every so often. I made a move around Ian in 3 but he pulled me going down to 4 and he is a good solid driver and I had to give way as he took my outside line in 4 and 5. How rude!
After another lap we came up on Alan Jone's Supra Turbo. Ian got by him going into Turn 1 and I almost pounded into Alan as he turned down on me. His Turbo power pulled me going into turn 2, but I drove around him on the exit of 2 and watched as Ian had taken off and was now about 10 lengths ahead and battling with Perry Iannuzzi (Sentra), John Bondar (Integra) and Sean Hyland ( Mustang Cobra). They pulled away a bit as the rain started to get heavier and my lovely car started its normal rain dance. It may have not looked like it from the outside, but I was very very busy on the wheel and pedals.
Another few laps went by and I was starting to catch Ray Arlauskis (BMW 325) with an M3 motor. I got a great run down through 4 as the track almost had a dry line at this time. This gave me a great run out of 5B and I was stuck behind him on the back straight. Got a great draft off him going up into 8. The car was flying. Feinted to the wet line going into 8, Ray moved left to block and I used my momentum to dive down the inside. Looked at the speedo as I touched the brakes, OMFG !!!!! 220 kmh in the wet. Hit the brakes and locked all 4 wheels. Pumped like the devil and steered for the first apex. The car turned sideways and started sliding to the outside of the track, sideways. Crossed my fingers and started figuring out what I was going to hit drivers door first.
As I hit the edge of the track the tires grabbed and I got pointed towards turn 9. I checked my blind spot and Ray wasn't there. Looked in my rear view and he was behind me. I guess he slowed up not wanting to get his nice paint chipped up with debris. At this moment I wish my radio was hooked up as I wanted to call the pits and tell them I needed a hose to clean out the seat.
After passing Ray I kept station on John and Perry until 2 laps from the end. I had just passed Alan Jones for the second time when I noticed my oil temps starting to drop (down from 200 to the 160 area). Thought for a second, looked at my water temps and they were in the 160 - 170 range. Looked at my oil pressure and it was starting to drop from 80 lbs, now 70, now 60.... Oil temps were dropping as well, now 140, now 130.... I was Turn 8 by this time so I pushed in the clutch blipped the throttle a bunch and kept the oil pressure above 20 psi and pulled into the pits.
Stopped in my pit box, Dave Salt (my crew chief) asked what was wrong and I told him (actually yelled) I had "NO OIL PRESSURE". He went around to the passenger side and opened up the Accusump. The oil pressure went up to 50 psi. I looked at the starter and he was holding the Last Lap sign. Crossed my fingers and decided to idle around the last lap.
Ended up in 7th place in Touring, 10th overall. Luckily there was a bunch of cars behind me and I only had to run 1 lap.
Now diagnosing the problem and it looks like I blew the front cover oil ring and thanks to my watching the gauges and the Accusump I was able to finish the race and not hurt the motor. Will get it all fixed and be ready for the ALMS Race where, if it is dry, we should be in the top 5 and maybe a podium.
The second lap was spent searching for grip as I
As also mentioned in my previous report, I wasn't at Mosport for the Saturday so I didn't get a chance to qualify. This meant that I started dead last for the Sunday race. Again it started raining just before we went on track. For this race we had hooked up the front bar, as we felt that it would be a good compromise in case the track dried out. We raised the tire pressures to dry track start pressures and left the rear shocks full soft + 1 turn. We weren't going to be the fastest in the wet but we were gambling on the track drying before the end of the race. Just wanted to hang on and when the track goes dry, Zoom Zoom Zoom, as some company says.
On the pace lap as I touched (breathed on) the brakes, the fronts would lock up. Oh Oh!!! The track was very slippery. Noticed a ton of oil dry down on the track, in the rain they were using cement powder and it was kicking up a very viscous spray and it was suprisingly slippery in the wet. Again not looking good as my (all together now) car is not very good in the rain or wet. Had a bit more pressure than normal as my boss and a bunch of co-workers were out at the track to see me in the race. As we rolled into Turn 9 I tried to load the car up on the brakes and the rears started spinning. A brake stand, pretty cool but not what I was looking for.
We got the green and I nailed it. The tire spin actually got the RPM's up a bunch and I got a great slingshot. Pulled by a terrible looking Fiero and saw a gap down the inside of Turn 1. As I turned in the car started to rotate a bit, actually a lot. I countersteered caught the back end, passed Cliff Daley and to get some grip stuck the car inside the rumble strips. This gave me a clean line going into Turn 2 with a good head of steam over the cars ahead. Passed 2 cars( an NX2000 and A VW Golf) under braking around the outside of Turn 2. Got squeezed a bunch on the exit of 2 and had to fall in line to get to the outside of Turn 3. WHOO HOOO 3 cars in the space of 2 corners. With delusions of God-Like status and the belief that my car was actually working in the rain I tried to drive around a couple of Sentra's.
Again as soon as I touched the throttle in 3 the back end started to slide out and I had to give way. Got 1 sentra on the outside of 4, with a big breath and decided to wait to the back straight for the other 1. Came out of 5 and had a suprising amount of grip. Blew by the other Sentra and took off after the rest of the pack that was starting to pull away. Finished the first lap up 6 spots from my start and stuck on Ian Laws '88 Civic with a GSR VTEC motors butt.
We picked up a bunch of speed but kept position for a couple of laps. Each corner was a lottery. The track was wet, but drying, with sprinkles every so often. I made a move around Ian in 3 but he pulled me going down to 4 and he is a good solid driver and I had to give way as he took my outside line in 4 and 5. How rude!
After another lap we came up on Alan Jone's Supra Turbo. Ian got by him going into Turn 1 and I almost pounded into Alan as he turned down on me. His Turbo power pulled me going into turn 2, but I drove around him on the exit of 2 and watched as Ian had taken off and was now about 10 lengths ahead and battling with Perry Iannuzzi (Sentra), John Bondar (Integra) and Sean Hyland ( Mustang Cobra). They pulled away a bit as the rain started to get heavier and my lovely car started its normal rain dance. It may have not looked like it from the outside, but I was very very busy on the wheel and pedals.
Another few laps went by and I was starting to catch Ray Arlauskis (BMW 325) with an M3 motor. I got a great run down through 4 as the track almost had a dry line at this time. This gave me a great run out of 5B and I was stuck behind him on the back straight. Got a great draft off him going up into 8. The car was flying. Feinted to the wet line going into 8, Ray moved left to block and I used my momentum to dive down the inside. Looked at the speedo as I touched the brakes, OMFG !!!!! 220 kmh in the wet. Hit the brakes and locked all 4 wheels. Pumped like the devil and steered for the first apex. The car turned sideways and started sliding to the outside of the track, sideways. Crossed my fingers and started figuring out what I was going to hit drivers door first.
As I hit the edge of the track the tires grabbed and I got pointed towards turn 9. I checked my blind spot and Ray wasn't there. Looked in my rear view and he was behind me. I guess he slowed up not wanting to get his nice paint chipped up with debris. At this moment I wish my radio was hooked up as I wanted to call the pits and tell them I needed a hose to clean out the seat.
After passing Ray I kept station on John and Perry until 2 laps from the end. I had just passed Alan Jones for the second time when I noticed my oil temps starting to drop (down from 200 to the 160 area). Thought for a second, looked at my water temps and they were in the 160 - 170 range. Looked at my oil pressure and it was starting to drop from 80 lbs, now 70, now 60.... Oil temps were dropping as well, now 140, now 130.... I was Turn 8 by this time so I pushed in the clutch blipped the throttle a bunch and kept the oil pressure above 20 psi and pulled into the pits.
Stopped in my pit box, Dave Salt (my crew chief) asked what was wrong and I told him (actually yelled) I had "NO OIL PRESSURE". He went around to the passenger side and opened up the Accusump. The oil pressure went up to 50 psi. I looked at the starter and he was holding the Last Lap sign. Crossed my fingers and decided to idle around the last lap.
Ended up in 7th place in Touring, 10th overall. Luckily there was a bunch of cars behind me and I only had to run 1 lap.
Now diagnosing the problem and it looks like I blew the front cover oil ring and thanks to my watching the gauges and the Accusump I was able to finish the race and not hurt the motor. Will get it all fixed and be ready for the ALMS Race where, if it is dry, we should be in the top 5 and maybe a podium.
The second lap was spent searching for grip as I
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