MrAWD
20+ Year Contributor
- 66
- 2
- Dec 4, 2002
Well, after all this mess here is the overview of what happened at the 2006 SCCA Solo2 Nationals for the Smokey Team!! Charles and I left for Kansas around 7 pm on Friday in order to get there before they would close the gate at the HPT site and ready for the Test & Tune on Sunday morning as well. 25 hours later (well 24 hours and 50 minutes to be exact) we arrived in there and parked the trailer inside the park. Since the last time I was there were 4 years ago I was quite overwhelmed with the whole place again!! It was sooooo good to be there again!!!
After a needed rest we got back in the morning around 7 am just to find that we are running T&T in the firs heat which starts at 8 am!! So, unloaded the car, changed the tires, tech the car and got to the grid with cars already running! The great thing was that the whole thing was organized in the way to allow us competitors to avoid getting frustrated so the rest went smoothly!
Well, except the grip level of the site!! We got the run right side of the ProSolo course and with the temps in low 50s grip was at premium. Without walking the course (I actually got to run (literarily) through it once) and without us really being there faced with the low grip problem I had pretty tough time keeping the car on the course. We did soften the LSC a bit but I couldnt feel any difference due to the frustration of things not going the way we expected it! So we finished running with some low 34 sec runs which felt horrible. The strange thing was that one of the fast guys (Mark Madarash) who run the course during the Pro run only tenth or two faster then we did, so there was some hope left! Another great thing was that we got a taste of the low grip of the course on the unimportant event, so we where much more ready for the Tuesday!!
Next day Charles made me to paint more of his car to the red color after buying some spray paint and sand paper. Car now has RED rear spoiler and I was told that hood has to be painted ASAP along with the mirrors. I guess, he finally realized that RED is so much faster then the BLACK and he wanted the have a fast car! Who could blame him!!!
Tuesday morning we got there on time brought everything and walked the course one more time! Compression stayed the same we left it at the T&T, but we also took out four clicks of rebound all around to help car to bit more and heat up the tires a bit faster! Charles go out and comes back with good time for the cold tires (52.2) and he is clean. Sammy gets 51.2 and 51.7 for me, which puts as all pretty close. I am dirty but time is good and car feels great!
On the second runs times dropped quite a lot and Charles is with 51.2, Sammy at 50.4 and 50.2 for me. But I am dirty again!! There was still time left on the course so I am not overly concerned but a bit worried due to all dirty runs.
On the last run, Charles is first and comes back with 50.5, Sammy goes a bit faster and drops to 50.1 and I get back with 50.3 but clean this time!! So, we are all in the game and pretty close with 2 and 4 tents off the Sammys time and knowing that we could have gone even faster!! Sammy knows that and we know that he knows it!!
Wednesday morning comes and as soon as we brought the car to the grid exhaust smoke was way more blue that either one of us would like it. Charles goes out and comes back with 54.4 being a bit more careful due to the cold tires. Sammy pulls pretty fast 51.2 to my 52.1. I was a bit overcautious and didnt push as hard as I could at the beginning, plus overcooked one of the biggest sweepers for a moment, so I felt good about the times. But, smoke from the exhaust was getting obnoxious and we had to turn off the engine in the grid since there was not a single mosquito in a few miles radius. Charles goes for the second time and the half way there, car makes a big puff and he slowly crawls back to the finish with 55.0. Turbo blow a seal and at that point wasnt even spinning any more. Feelings? As Charles was saying gutted!!
We both got a ride in the Mustangs but I wasnt really feeling like running any more. Still went for my runs and I got 55.0 on my third run which was same time Charles pulled in his Mustang! Our first runs left us at third spot for me and 12th spot for Charles which didnt help anything. I ended up with the trophy but it had a very bitter taste!! We where so close to a great finish at the Nationals and we could have come back with first and second or third, but instead things where much worse.
Surprisingly, Sammy already started talking about moving us out of ESP since we are too fast!! I guess there will be more talk on this and we will all knew pretty soon what will be decided. At least for another year we are in the ESP, but things could change for 2008 if Sam succeeds in this.
So, we had back with long faces and second day of driving our tow truck decided that it shouldnt be the only broken car and its water pump start dripping coolant an hour before the Buffalo, NY! Seven hours later, we are back on the road and finally made it home after 33 hours on the road!!
I would like to thank Charles for letting me to abuse his not so black car any more and hopefully we gona have better luck next time. One thing is for sure though and that is the fact that DSMs are not underdogs any more in ESP and they finally have a great chance of winning the ESP National Championship!!
Fedja
After a needed rest we got back in the morning around 7 am just to find that we are running T&T in the firs heat which starts at 8 am!! So, unloaded the car, changed the tires, tech the car and got to the grid with cars already running! The great thing was that the whole thing was organized in the way to allow us competitors to avoid getting frustrated so the rest went smoothly!
Well, except the grip level of the site!! We got the run right side of the ProSolo course and with the temps in low 50s grip was at premium. Without walking the course (I actually got to run (literarily) through it once) and without us really being there faced with the low grip problem I had pretty tough time keeping the car on the course. We did soften the LSC a bit but I couldnt feel any difference due to the frustration of things not going the way we expected it! So we finished running with some low 34 sec runs which felt horrible. The strange thing was that one of the fast guys (Mark Madarash) who run the course during the Pro run only tenth or two faster then we did, so there was some hope left! Another great thing was that we got a taste of the low grip of the course on the unimportant event, so we where much more ready for the Tuesday!!
Next day Charles made me to paint more of his car to the red color after buying some spray paint and sand paper. Car now has RED rear spoiler and I was told that hood has to be painted ASAP along with the mirrors. I guess, he finally realized that RED is so much faster then the BLACK and he wanted the have a fast car! Who could blame him!!!
Tuesday morning we got there on time brought everything and walked the course one more time! Compression stayed the same we left it at the T&T, but we also took out four clicks of rebound all around to help car to bit more and heat up the tires a bit faster! Charles go out and comes back with good time for the cold tires (52.2) and he is clean. Sammy gets 51.2 and 51.7 for me, which puts as all pretty close. I am dirty but time is good and car feels great!
On the second runs times dropped quite a lot and Charles is with 51.2, Sammy at 50.4 and 50.2 for me. But I am dirty again!! There was still time left on the course so I am not overly concerned but a bit worried due to all dirty runs.
On the last run, Charles is first and comes back with 50.5, Sammy goes a bit faster and drops to 50.1 and I get back with 50.3 but clean this time!! So, we are all in the game and pretty close with 2 and 4 tents off the Sammys time and knowing that we could have gone even faster!! Sammy knows that and we know that he knows it!!
Wednesday morning comes and as soon as we brought the car to the grid exhaust smoke was way more blue that either one of us would like it. Charles goes out and comes back with 54.4 being a bit more careful due to the cold tires. Sammy pulls pretty fast 51.2 to my 52.1. I was a bit overcautious and didnt push as hard as I could at the beginning, plus overcooked one of the biggest sweepers for a moment, so I felt good about the times. But, smoke from the exhaust was getting obnoxious and we had to turn off the engine in the grid since there was not a single mosquito in a few miles radius. Charles goes for the second time and the half way there, car makes a big puff and he slowly crawls back to the finish with 55.0. Turbo blow a seal and at that point wasnt even spinning any more. Feelings? As Charles was saying gutted!!
We both got a ride in the Mustangs but I wasnt really feeling like running any more. Still went for my runs and I got 55.0 on my third run which was same time Charles pulled in his Mustang! Our first runs left us at third spot for me and 12th spot for Charles which didnt help anything. I ended up with the trophy but it had a very bitter taste!! We where so close to a great finish at the Nationals and we could have come back with first and second or third, but instead things where much worse.
Surprisingly, Sammy already started talking about moving us out of ESP since we are too fast!! I guess there will be more talk on this and we will all knew pretty soon what will be decided. At least for another year we are in the ESP, but things could change for 2008 if Sam succeeds in this.
So, we had back with long faces and second day of driving our tow truck decided that it shouldnt be the only broken car and its water pump start dripping coolant an hour before the Buffalo, NY! Seven hours later, we are back on the road and finally made it home after 33 hours on the road!!
I would like to thank Charles for letting me to abuse his not so black car any more and hopefully we gona have better luck next time. One thing is for sure though and that is the fact that DSMs are not underdogs any more in ESP and they finally have a great chance of winning the ESP National Championship!!
Fedja