Summit Point PCA Race

Now this weekend is why I go racing. Close, intense, mentally challenging, what a great time was had at the track last weekend. This was round 6 in the 944 Cup championship. While I'm not in contention for the championship this year, that will probably go to Al Cohen or Steve Randolph, the important bits, the actual racing was hugely fun.

Summit Point at dawn

Even though it was Thursday evening, I got caught up in major traffic around Baltimore, and the normal 2 1/2 hour trip took close to 4 hours. About a mile from the track, the rain started again and I had to set up camp in the dark and rain. Sleeping in the trailer, I heard rain sporadically throughout the night, but by morning it was clear and mild, with a fine sunrise welcoming the racers.

Racecars at rest in the morning

Friday was a practice day. The first session I just bedded in fresh pads and let them rest. The rest of the sessions I became reacquainted with Summit Point. Where once it was my home track, the PCA race last year was the first time I've been there in years, and didn't go back until this weekend. I like the track. It's very technical and has a good flow and there's plenty of places to pass. The downside is it's pretty unsafe if you go off compared to a lot of other tracks. Lots of trees and berms not too far from the racing circuit.  And the main straight seems to be a major wildlife corridor. A deer being eviscerated at 120 mph isn't an unknown event.

The day ended with the practice starts and the short fun races. Since I'm still on 13/13 probation for the LimeRock curb assault, there's no upside for me to participate, but plenty of bad things could happen. So I sat them out.

That car cover probably doubled the value of that 944! .... Just kidding...

Saturday was qualifying and two sprint races. My data system died in the beginning of the qualifying session, so I was running blind with my lap times. Even so I was surprised when I got the results of the session. Only 9th in class. That was a shock. I've had plenty of poles here in 44Cup, being that far down meant I sucked big time. Part of it I put on getting old and slow. Just takes me longer to get up to speed. But another part is my intermittent motor issues are back. I thought we stamped them out for good at VIR with the new AFM box, but remember last race at NJMP? Where I went out for race 1 and the car just sputtered and wouldn't run? And then 5 mins later was fine? It's back!

I could hear and feel a flutter on track, and it's feels a little down on power. That could explain some of it, but I'm sure it's mostly me these days.

Turn 10 leading onto the front straight

So its soon 10:30 and time for Race 1. The sun is out, temps are nice and the track is warming up. Heading out onto the track for the outlap before the start, the motor starts bogging. Not this again! Arghh! Shit! After about a 1/2 lap it seems to clear up and I breath again. We have a split start with the rest of the run group of 911's and Boxsters taking the green before us. We get a 2nd green flag for just the 944 Cup cars. Onto the front straight we come, and ... Green Flag!

A couple of cars get a jump on me, but by turn 1 I'm going down the inside and getting those plus more back. Three wide we all go through turns 1 and 2 and then two wide through Wagon Bend (turn 3). The speeds are picking up as we flash down through the downhill "Chute" and into a huge stackup at the bottom in turn 5. I follow the train through while Van, who started 3rd, spins out at the bottom and into the dirt and grass. After that the race settled down a bit. But when I say settled, that doesn't mean it became a sedentary activity, instead of the volume being at 11, it was maxing out at 10. Matt Marks and Steve Randolph checked out at the front, but there was a big group of us going nose to tail, lap after lap. For the rest of the race it was more a matter of how you got screwed by traffic and how many times you were screwed. I was in the middle of the scrum and had my good moments and bad moments. Even though I was making it to the front of our group, by the end I got shuffled toward the back, ending up right where I started, in 9th. Not a great points result, but just awesomely fun racing anyway. No regrets.

Here's Van Swenson's video of the race with some great captions. Van does much better video than me, so I'm going to steal it. In the video he says I got sloppy at 10. The truth is I was hung out to dry by a 911 making a late pass and I had to check up to avoid collecting him, killing my momentum in the most important corner on the track, gifting Van with an easy pass. Enjoy.




More to come.

Summit Point PCA race - part 2

So where were we? Ah yes, strapped into the car, rain pouring down and ready to start another race at Summit Point. The skies teased us with some lightening of the deluge, but no love for race 2. 10 miles away in Winchester it was dark and gloomy, but not raining. Looking at the radar, Summit Point seems to be stuck in a Groundhog Day loop, a giant rotating green splash that seems stuck on us. All totally irrelevant of course, 944 Cup racers are made of stern stuff, we race in the snow after all (February @ VIR). While I wasn't on pole, I was on the outside of pole but with a transparent windshield this time. A tradeoff I would glady do again.

Bob Page (blue 76) and Chris Derecola (yellow 24) at Nationals 2010

Bob Page in the blue #76 was lined up next to me on the inside on pole. Right behind me is Steve Randolph (#3). We're in about row 4 or 5 of the race group. We round turn 10, eyes straining for the green flag. Revs build and hearts are beating 180 bpm and then Green Flag!

Bob and I pedal neck and neck down the straightaway. I decide to stick with the outside lane and not do anything stupid since it was still pouring. I tuck behind another car and follow them in the braking zone. Now I'm usually a good latebraker. I'm even better in the rain since my car has ABS ... As I'm diving on the brakes, I'm watching some cars skid off in front of me into the gravel trap or run off road. I'm also thinking. Man, Bob's waiting awfully late to brake ... I bet he's going to not going to make the corner, I better do something about this.  I check up and go wide in the corner figuring he would go flying past the front of me. And here's come a flying splash of blue 944 on my right side. Unfortunately Bob didn't miss me, but nailed me pretty good in the wheel and front fender. Just like a banked pool shot he goes flying off at an angle and into the outside gravel trap.

Other than a slight deviation in my course, it didn't do a whole lot to me. I continued on at full tilt and into the class lead.

Bob Page's car at Nationals 2010

Now Bob is breathing down my neck in the championship. With his win in race 1, he's only 2 points behind. With him in the gravel, now's my time to make some points. With cars spinning off everywhere at the start I guess the corner workers were busy. I watch the black flag stations (I could see them this race!) as I go by but don't see any call to come in. A couple of laps later they close the pits as Bob was able to make it to pit lane but broke down and blocked it. He needed to be towed in to clear it.

Eventually Steve Randolph (#3) is parked on my bumper. This should be a fun race, we should be evenly matched in the rain. Entering the carousel (turn 6) my car just doesn't have any power. Normally, I downshift into 3rd gear at the bottom of the Chute (turn 5), accelerate on the short straight, a light left foot brake, turn in and back on the gas. This time nothing much happens. WTF? I glance at the Data System and it says I'm in 3rd gear. I don't believe it, it feels like I'm in 5th. I reshift and back into 3rd. Still no power. Steve just dives into the inside and motors on past.

The car feels slow. I'm keeping my foot to the floor through the rest of the carousel - normal proceedure for a 944 anyway - but not much drama. Rolling through turn 9, it's like my turbo spooled up and came on boost as the power came back online. The middle of turn 9 was not an auspicious location for this to happen and the rear stepped out on me. Some quick hands and we were back on course. With Steve disappearing in front of me of course.

Halfway down the straight, the power goes away again, then reappears halfway around turn 10. And so it goes the rest of the race, power, no power, power - holy shit not here! - no power ... I'm in 2nd but not destined to stay there long. Dave Gibson comes rolling up and after some token resistance by me, goes on by. Into 3rd now. Crap.

And now here come Robert Provost in his SP1 car filling my mirrors.  Here's a couple of laps from his viewpoint.

My car is at least consistent. Power, no power, power, no power. But as the race winds down the on power cycle is getting longer. I figure something got wet (duh!) and is finally drying out a bit. I manage to keep Robert behind me and bring the car home in 3rd. Another podium finish and some breathing room from Bob. With the finish I now need to just finish 14th or higher to get a lock on 2nd in the championship.

The turn 1 hit resulted in a dented fender, easily fixed at home with a mallet and some krylon paint, and a cut tire. It was time to get another set of wets anyway.

Tomorrow is another sprint and a 60 minute enduro, both non-point races. Still more challenges ahead, the weekend is definitely not over. However, it was time to head off for beer and the bar-b-que track dinner.

Summit Point PCA race - part 1

For the twitter nation, here's the short version of the weekend: dry, warm, beer, cold, rain, fogged up, 2nd, more rain, bang, miss, 3rd, beer, ribs, trophies,tires, more beer, dry, cold, still missing, 2nd, cup car, mud, 1st, pit, cup car, spin, overheat, dnf, home, beer.

You can leave now, the grownups will stay.....

Friday was dry and warm. With my old 12 heat cycle tires I was able to get down into the 1:27's. Which was nice as I haven't been to Summit Point in years after the thousands of laps I've done there. The track felt good and I remembered where all the turns where. We had 3 practice sessions and then the rookies had their practice starts and fun races and it was time for some beer. We ended up at Winchester Thai (recommended) for dinner in the pedestrian mall in Old Winchester.

944 Cup Head Honcho Dave Derecola has moved to South Carolina from the Maryland area, and so has joined the ranks of the Gentlemen racers, doing arrive and drive, letting his crew, in this case, Gerald from John Behe's shop, drive the truck and trailer and wrench on the car.

Gerald working on DD's car

David Mann and Dave Derecola.Steve's Randolph's car in the background.

By Saturday morning, the clouds had moved in and it was threatening rain. Soon it was time for qualifying and the track was damp enough the decision was made to go to Hoosier Wet tires. And they stayed on the car for the rest of the day. Our group was a mix of 944 Cup cars, Spec Boxsters and misc 911's. It was a bit crowded and I never got a clean lap and qualified 4th, within a second of the rest of guys on a wet track.

Steve Randolph #3 - North Region Champion 2011 -
I was mathematically eliminated over the weekend. when Steve finished
only 1 position behind me. Still in the hunt for 2nd.

Bernie, Steve Randolph's crew and mechanic

Sitting on the grid for race #1, the rain was coming down pretty good. I was feeling pretty good myself, I enjoy rain races. It seems though, that is a minority opinion, as the run group size was only 50% or less from the day before. The call comes, and we head out for the pace lap, taking my position on the outside (left). Just them my windshield starts fogging up. WTF? I use shaving cream on the inside to defog since I don't have any defrosters. The qualifying session was just as wet and visibility was great.

That wasn't the case now, it was seriously fogging up. I could wipe about a 1 foot square circle just in front of me, I couldn't reach any more. We come onto the front straight and there must have been a green flag, not that I could see it, but we all went. Huge waves of spray coming off the cars in front of me. I assume it was coming off the cars, as even if they were 5 feet in front of me, I couldn't see them.

'Well this sucks' I'm thinking. I head to the inside hoping to get out of the spray so I can maybe see turn one and brake for it. The spray lessens and I run down the inside with all the other 944's stacked behind a slow Boxster and take the class lead.

Some of the SuperCups - Noel Hall's turbo

Meanwhile in the car, the fogging is getting worse. Pretty soon my windshield is solidly opaque with just the little porthole in front that I can reach with my glove. The rear hatch was mostly fogged up also, so visibility to the rear was mostly from my left side drivers mirror. Anything out the right side of my windshield is just not there. Since there is only 3 left hand turns with all the rest right-handers, that made driving a bit challenging. I started playing the game "Guess where the ... (brake marker/apex/track-out) ... is". I started taking mental snapshots of the turns ahead and when I thought I was in the vicinity, I would turn in.

Overall, I sucked at this new game. I think I may have hit 3 apexes and maybe a couple of braking points in the entire race. I would brake way too late, get all crossed up and squirelly - remember it's a wet track and slippery. But I was still in the lead!

About lap 7 I caught a 911 that was getting stacked up in turn one behind a Spec Boxster, slowing us both down. Bob Page, who I had been keeping a consistent gap behind me even with my driving by braile style, was able to catch up and parked himself on my bumper.

Heading into Wagon Bend (turn 3) I totally missed the braking point (my marker is on the right side ...) and got the car very much out of shape. With arms windmilling, I gather it back up, but Bob got by. With Bob actually able to see out his windshield, I was never able to get past him and brought the car home in 2nd place. With Bob taking the win, he was now only 2 points behind me. I must finish in front of him in the next race. Steve Randolph rounded out the top 3. Since he finished only 1 position behind me, I was told that mathematically eliminates me from the championship - ala  Formula One! But I still have a good shot at 2nd as long as I can keep Bob behind me.

More SuperCups - Steve Wilson's turbo

Check out that wing on Wilson's 951

944 Cup dinning at Joe's aka The Racing Chef'
(from left) Bob Page, Steve Randolph, DD

After a nice lunch prepared by our own 'Racing Chef', Joe Boschulte, it was time to strap back into the car for Race #2. Still raining, but  I had redone the shaving gel treatment to my windshield and I was expecting to at least see this time. And that was the result, good visibility throughout the race. With that problem solved, Mr Murphy wasn't done with me yet. More drama was in store.

Stealth Car Recognition

Interesting weekend at the Summit Point PCA race. Drama, rain, contact, flat tows and podiums all mixed together. Race report to follow.

But first, at the Saturday dinner, my car was voted by the corner workers to be the most colorful, or unique, or "interesting" design. I'm still not quite sure exactly what the criteria was, but I ended up with the "Andy Warhol Paint" award. And the trophy was much bigger than the podium awards. I'm surprised they were actually able to see in the car in the pouring rain. It's flat black with no lights after all. Anyway, pretty cool indeed.