2010 Racing Season begins - April
I was excited to be heading to NJMP this April. All that hard work in the garage in getting the weight off the car, and now I'll be able to see the results. I held the lap record at the track and that was with a cracked frame. A hundred lbs lighter and a stiff chassis should make that record history.
I had a less than desired outcome for the weekend.
First session was damp, car felt fine, nothing fell off. Second session was dry, track had grip, started to go fast, got within 3/10ths of my best lap ever and there was a a good 1-1.5 seconds still left in the car. Was feeling good about the weekend.
About 4 or 5 laps in the 2nd session I was going thru turn 3 when I heard a thump and the motor lost power. Looking in the mirror showed a giant smoke cloud behind meand then soon lots of smoke started seeping from under the hood. The motor had grenaded. dumping oil on the tires and I spun a little, pointed the car off the track and toward the flag station. Smoke kept pouring out and then I saw the fire under the hood. I pulled the fire system and then calmly got out of the car. The fire trucks showed up a minute later, the car was still smoking and there was still some fire from the oil under the hood. They spent the next 5 minutes spraying the car down including the interior and all electronics (thanks guys). Well at least the fire system worked well enough to still have a car left.
Here's the in-car video Fire in the Hole
I had a less than desired outcome for the weekend.
First session was damp, car felt fine, nothing fell off. Second session was dry, track had grip, started to go fast, got within 3/10ths of my best lap ever and there was a a good 1-1.5 seconds still left in the car. Was feeling good about the weekend.
About 4 or 5 laps in the 2nd session I was going thru turn 3 when I heard a thump and the motor lost power. Looking in the mirror showed a giant smoke cloud behind meand then soon lots of smoke started seeping from under the hood. The motor had grenaded. dumping oil on the tires and I spun a little, pointed the car off the track and toward the flag station. Smoke kept pouring out and then I saw the fire under the hood. I pulled the fire system and then calmly got out of the car. The fire trucks showed up a minute later, the car was still smoking and there was still some fire from the oil under the hood. They spent the next 5 minutes spraying the car down including the interior and all electronics (thanks guys). Well at least the fire system worked well enough to still have a car left.
Here's the in-car video Fire in the Hole
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