Grand Bayou Race Series Round #2

Well after getting the new Brembo rotors and Hawk HP+ pads on we were ready to head out Saturday morning towards Louisiana and round #2 of the Grand Bayou Race Series. Checked the weather report before we left to see if we needed to bring the rain tires. Everything looked good to go with no chance of rain all weekend. We got on the road around 10:30 or so and headed down the freeway west bound for Louisiana. It's kind of cool pulling the car with and open trailer on the freeway, I get a lot of looks and thumbs up from people. This weekend we got in earlier than usual so we went to the track and dropped off the trailers and headed to the hotel. My stepdad is actually racing his new Panoz Esperante this weekend for his first time, should be interesting to see.

Sunday Morning - We get to the track at just before 7:30 in the a.m. and start to unload the cars. No tech this round as I have already gotten my annual tech inspection for the series. All we have to do is get a transponder and throw $10 towards paying the corner workers. Everything seems in order on the car. Quick check of torque on the lugs, top off the fuel with some 104 octane, check the fluid levels and we are ready to go racing.

Practice Session - There is one thing about the practice session I do NOT like. They let all the Spec Miatas practice with us in the morning time. That is putting about 30 cars on the 1.8 mile track and it becomes a little tight in some places on the track. That and we only got 10 minutes this morning for some reason and I only got maybe 1 good clean lap in during the session. Oh well, the new brakes feel GREAT and really aggressive. I can't wait for qualifying to roll around.

Qualifying - Ok, during the qualifying runs, I usually tend to hang back in the griding area to let the faster bracket guys go ahead and go. One, it gives me a clean track to go after and two, it gives me something to chase and try to catch. 15 minutes of qualifying this session. The starter gives us the 2 to go and I start to get my head straight. Thinking about staying smooth, hitting my marks and driving my race and no one else's. Can't worry too much about what another car is doing in qualifying, just need to run your line and go as fast as you can here. Thumbs up and ready to go, starter sends us off and I work through there gears up to 3rd and onto the front straight. Back and forth scrubbing the tires in and trying to build up some heat before we get the green flag. The first few minutes of qualifying I just like to get the line back in my head and not really push the car too hard. About the 10 minute mark is usually where I lay my good lap in for qualifying. The session went pretty good. A few sections of the track the car was really sliding around in the rear. Didn't know if I was braking too hard too late, or if was a suspension setting or tire pressure. No matter, can't fix it here just will have to make due. Even though the car was sliding around, I still managed to lay down my personal best time of 1.33.01 for my qualifying time which was good enough for 3rd in our bracket. I was not disappointed at all with the time considering how the car was handling.

Lunch - Well after qualifying we had lunch and that meant we had about 2.5 hours of down time. We ate and I checked my suspension settings and tire pressures right when I came off the track. Sure enough, my tire pressure in the rear was at 30 lbs. NOT where I want them to be. I took them back down to 23 psi and made sure the fronts were at 25 psi. Cold. When I come off the track hot, the front will be at 30 and the rears around 26 - 27.

Heat Race - Well after our 2 and half hour lunch break and my tire pressure adjustment, I was ready to get back on the track for our heat race. We line up on the grid and I notice I am a little further up than I thought I would be. Seems some other guys in faster brackets had some mechanical difficulties (or wrecks) and were starting in the rear. So we get the 2 to go sign from the starter and a quick check of the straps, gloves, helmet, mirrors and zoning in on what I have to do. We get the thumbs up and we are off. Pace car is on the track and we have about 3/4 of a lap to get tires scrubbed and warmed up. Head around the track working the brakes, tires and getting lined back up as we head towards the flag station. 2 by 2 on the short shoot straight away and GREEN FLAG !!! I stomp it in 2nd gear and shoot past a corvette and a mustang heading into a left hand turn throwing up into 3rd. Hard on the brakes for a right hander and back to the left setting up for the big sweeper heading onto the front straight. Going into the sweeper I went in too hot and pushed out to the left and about 4 cars went right underneath me. Tough way to start, but I have to keep my head and just drive and try and catch us back up. On lap 2 about 3 Porsche's went spinning off the track that caused everyone behind them to check up and get on the brakes hard, so I had my chance to gain the ground I just lost back up. The rest of qualifying was pretty uneventful really. The tire pressure adjustment REALLY helped and the car felt GREAT. I finished 3rd in the heat race in my bracket but what a great ride. The car was really dialed in. Going to check the results I set a NEW personal best with a 1.32.14. A GREAT time for me and yet another personal best lap time for me here at No Problem Raceway. The car is just running really, really good right now.

Feature Race - Well in the feature race I really wanted to be more aggressive on the start. I shot past 2 cars in the heat race, but was too hot going into the sweeper and lost that ground just that quick. So as we got the green flag in the feature, I hesitated for about a second and then punched it. The car again launched great off the start and I was right on the bumper of Allen Simpson and his BMW. The points leader right now in out bracket. On the second lap cars went everywhere in front of me and I had to make some moves off track to keep from hitting them. One 911 came shooting across the track backwards in a pretty fast section and I had to go ahead and throw the car off track to keep from T-boning him at around 80 miles an hour. So that gave Allen (BMW) and Skeeter (Mustang) a good run away from me. So I focused in on them and started to reel them in. I started to get closer to them, their own personal battle started to heat up. As we went into the hair pin turn, which is a VERY slow turn, both of them locked up their brakes and slid almost into each other. This was my shot and I took advantage. I gained A LOT of ground and now was within about 2 car lengths from them. As we came by the start finish line and down the straight away a soaked them up and was right on Allen's (BMW) bumper. As we went by the tower this time the flag man said 3 minutes to go or about 2 laps. I had to make some moves now or it was done. So I focused in on where I could gain some more ground to make a move on these guys. As we went to the back section of the tack where the esses are, I pushed the car as hard as I could to be sure to be on the move and in the boost fully as we hit the short shoot straightaway. I did it about as fast as I had ever gone through there and was still about 1 car length behind Allen here. Allen and Skeeter were still battling for the lead and one went for a pass and went off track in a corner so he had to slow down and I was right there here on the last lap. As we went through the sweeper I went way wide to come out hot and pushed the gas pedal through the floor pan and shot around Allen on the front straight to take second. 1 more lap and I would have caught Skeeter who beat me by 1.1 second. A good run by everyone in our bracket. A LOT of fun out there this feature race. A GREAT ride and just an all around good race for us here in the blue bracket. Checking with the results, I couldn't believe it. Another personal best lap for me, this one was 1.30.00. MAN, that is as fast as I have ever gone on this track. I was REALLY stoked when I saw that.

Heading Home - Well after a GREAT day of racing, a new personal best lap time 3 times today. We load up the cars and make the 4 hour haul towards home in Florida. Another second place for me and another 8 points still keeps me in 2nd place in the points chase with 16 right behind Skeeter who won, got the 10 to go with his 7 from the last round for 17. Only 1 point behind right now. Hopefully next month, we can qualify a little better and try to get out first win of the season. But for now, car back in the garage and we will go over it and see what we have to fix and replace for round #3 on December 2nd.

~Eddie Garrison