As we head down the road to St Louis, I can't help but reflect on how crazy this event is... or more accurately - used to be. This is going to be our longest day so far, but still pales in comparison to how the event used to be. Previously, you had to basically leave one event, drive through the night, then arrive in the morning to start the next event. If you were lucky, there was an hour or two for a quick cat nap before the time trial, but overall there was very little 'extra' time in the schedule.
Over the years, it's gotten a bit 'softer' but today is a throwback to the way it used to be! We started the day in Tulsa, drove to Hallett, then back to Tulsa for nighttime bracket drag racing, and now we're heading to St Louis for a time trial at Gateway International Raceway. So by the time we get to sleep it will be around 3AM and we have to be at the track around 7AM.
Today could have gone better, but certainly could have gone worse. On the slate was the enormously technical Hallet Motor Racing Circuit - a track I've wanted to drive ever since I moved somewhat nearby. Of course, that track was Fisher's on the rotation, so we geared up to help him work on something that he's struggled with as a driver for years - learning a new track. And let me tell you, Hallett isn't an easy one to learn.
Lots of off-camber, blind entry, blind exit, over crests, interconnected turns, downhill braking zones, banked turns... it literally has it all, and within a tight 2.2 mile circuit! We started by having Richard ride a lap on his bike (the very same one we'd purchased the night before,) to get oriented followed by a track walk with the two of us. We talked about the corners and compared approaches. I would watch what his approach was to a specific corner, then correct as necessary.
After another lap on his bike, Fisher was off. He didn't have the best mental picture of the track yet, and as such struggled to put a fast run together - but he kept it on track (for the most part) and we ended up 28th overall. Unfortunately, we got beaten by our competitors in the SUV category, in a BMW X6M. After some more drills to learn the track, he improved to 25th in the afternoon run, and we ended up in 13th overall. The Bimmer beat us again by one measly spot, and because of that our class lead was trimmed to 5 points!
We packed everything up again and headed to Tulsa Speedway for the drag racing events - knowing it would be a struggle for us. While our MAZDA5 has great power, with 305whp, it's relatively heavy and front-wheel-drive. Also, it's great power for a MAZDA5, but not necessarily for the One Lap - stomping ground for some seriously fast cars. Low ET was set at a 10.9! We came through with a 14.2 @102mph which was good enough for 35th overall. Next year, 450hp.
After the low ET competition, everyone set a dial-in time and we lined up for the bracket racing portion. For those who don't know, bracket racing is like a golf handicap. You set your dial-in and race to that number. If your dial in is 14.1 (which is what I chose,) and your competitor is a 12.1, you get to start 2 seconds before them. The first to the finish line wins! There was a Civic running a 15.88 dial in that won overall, starting sometimes 4-5 seconds before his competitors. He eventually used his consistency to win overall, but in the process we tied for 3rd overall by reaching the final four!
After the track entered my dial-in wrong for the first run, they allowed me to rerun - which I won strictly on reaction time. Round after round, I just tried to stay consistent, usually being within two-tenths of my dial in. On one pass, I managed to run a 14.114, only .014 from breaking out! If you break out (go below your dial in,) you automatically lose. In the final four, I lined up against a fast E36 M3 and raced him hard to the lights. He knocked me out by only .012 of a second at the line!
So with some lost points in the morning and at the low ET drag event, we gained a bunch back at the bracket event and ended the day 13th overall. More importantly, the class battle was a stalemate with our closest competitor scoring an identical number of points to us - so we leave the day leading our class again!
You can follow our progress at onelapofamerica.com, and teamzoomzoomnation.com
We've been getting some great blog coverage in the media as well:
Motor Trend: http://blogs.motortrend.com/6674511/one-lap-of-america/2010-one-lap-of-america-the-rise-of-the-giant-killers-at-mid-america/index.html
Autoguide.com: http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2010/05/2010-one-lap-of-america-tests-man-and-machine-to-the-extreme.html
No comments:
Post a Comment