WDMS Chapter 140
SCCA AT TWS
22/23 May 2009
Rami Races, Costas Crews
We'll let Rami kick this one off...he was racing while I was merely spinning wrenches!
Rami:
May 23, 2009 SCCA race review
Chris Taylor from TaylorRotorsports did a nice job reminding me there was a race in town and if I wanted to race, he would bring the car. After a grueling week of graduation at the restaurant, I thought it would be a nice reprise and good excuse to get back on track. I was getting back into the rental RX7 that I used in my July 2008 racing school at Texas World Speedway, a track I was familiar with, but only for driving days, never for a race.
Saturday morning, I arrived at the track just after 7AM. Found Chris and he took the car to get
tech'd while I registered and got the annual inspection on my race gear (still using Paul's suit BTW). Car passed and gear passed so I was ready to take the car out for a qualifying session. The car was a bit loose at the beginning, I was a bit nervous and I was turning 2.19 lap times on track - good for 13th out of 17th place in the group. For some reason, I didn't feel very confident at the time.
Afternoon comes and my parents, Anna, Rossi and Paul come to the track to visit and watch. With them, they brought rain. Lots of it. Wouldn't be bad if the car had tires other than slicks, but it didn't. They held up the race for about 20 minutes because of lightning (didn't want the corner workers to get struck). Afterwards, they started the Formula Vee race in the rain. I suited up and drove to grid while the rain stopped, however the track was still wet. We were in the cars ready to go when the officials told us it would be a while as a Formula Vee had oiled down the entire track and they had to clean up. We waited 30 minutes in grid and this gave the entire track a chance to dry from the rain with just a few puddles left on course.
Waiting on grid as the sun starts to peek out and
(thankfully) dry the track
We did a warm-up lap and got into position down the straight. I was in the back when the green flag dropped. I felt I could pass the RX7 in front of me when Paul's imaginary voice came into my head (a race isn't won in one corner)...doh. I passed anyway and got into the mix - now I was excited.
There was a blue miata in front of me that I was hanging with nicely. I stayed with him for an entire lap and on the second lap, attempted to pass him on the straight. With the RX7s crazy high revving engine, I actually passed him on the front straight - very very exciting. I periodically checked my mirror and he was nowhere close. Did I mention I was having fun now?
I was very cautious not to mess up and blow the lead I had just made for myself. Two miatas spun in corner one and to me, that counted as another pass. I was doing well I felt.
One of the Supras (not my class) blew something and was smoking on the side of the back straight. This brought out a full-course double yellow. One of the spun miata's caught up with me (on his own merit) at the beginning of the yellows. Two other miatas caught up then also as I had slowed down (I thought I had to under yellow as a corner worker was waving his hands to slow down when the flags came out). We stayed like that for 3 laps as we approached a lap car in front. The green flag dropped as we were entering turn one. I passed the lap car as the miata was passing me going into turn 2 - THREE WIDE. Exciting as the other 2 miatas were right behind me. This is where it gets interesting. For some reason, my mind thought that those three miatas were battling it out for first place. Therefore, I "let" the next two Miatas by politely in turn 3. Stayed behind as we came up to another Supra that was having car trouble on the back straight. He pointed us by at the end of the back straight - the 3 miatas passed - and I stayed back (politely again) until I got a clean pass (I didn't want to hit him). This politeness and mistake in letting the miata's pass cost me 3rd place as we only had one lap to go in the race.
<Boomhauer> k-k-k-k-k-k-k-KABOOM, justlikethat </Boomhauer>
When I came back, Paul told me I was in second until the miata's got by me - I was shocked. Really? I let my competition pass me? Ugh....I felt stupid. I still had a blast, but wish I would have known. Regardless, this was only my second race and I still had a great time. I improved 7 seconds from my qualifying times (2.12 lap times in the race) and ended up in 5th place in my class (8th overall). My front tires were corded after the race and I need to work on my lines a bit more (practice practice practice). I can't wait for my next race - maybe in August as I am now eligible for my regional license instead of my novice permit.
Thanks to Chris for the rental and Paul for the continued use of the suit.
Above left: See Daddy passing!!! Above right: There goes DADDY!!!
Costas:
This whole leave-San-Antonio-at-oh-dark-thirty and head east is just getting old. A few weeks back was NASA at TWS, then TWS MSC to help Wade and now this. Sadly, I didn't take my race gear as I was spinning wrenches for a buddy who swapped his old ASedan for an old GT1 car. He (Eric) and I have known each other a long time and I like to crew for him when I can and this was just such a weekend. He traded for the GT1 and it had been sitting for several years. He'd gone through the car as well as he could, but you never know until you get it out to a track, drop the loud pedal and air it out what will actually happen.
My
trusty steed for the last three TWS visits! Cold AC and good MPG FTW.
So my weekend started early as I left San Antonio very early on Friday morning to help Eric with the Friday test day. I'm not going to bore you with a play-by-play, but we got some testing in, broke some minor stuff, fixed some minor stuff and then at the end of the day, the diff died. So we, of course, went to dinner. Saturday morning we got the GT1 annual tech'd and Eric loaded up and went home. I stayed around, chatted it up with some other GT1 drivers and watched Rami do very well in his race then pointed Miss westward and with only a brief interruption to chat with a very nice DPS officer, I went back to San Antonio. Just got a no-front-plate warning (hey, I SAID he was nice!). Smooth sailing.
Above: Eric laying out the belts to slide into the tube frame wonder car
Above: Eric airing out the small block on the front straight.
Above: Here Eric is fixing a power steering hose that blew off from the AN fitting. We were back together before our next session.
Above: Ya know, a quick change really isn't that quick when you have a big piece of square tube in the way. Faster than a 9" chunk change tho...
Above: Tube frame, smallblock, jerico, quickchange, 12" wide wheels....what's not to love?
Above: <song> Money, money, money, money....MONEY!!! </song>
Above: At speed on the banking. The car sounded really good.