Dave532
15+ Year Contributor
- 98
- 0
- Jun 5, 2006
-
Minneapolis,
Minnesota
Autobahn Country Club
Joliet, IL
July 21, 22 2007
Pre-Race: Since the car passed tech and performed so well at the last race, I didn't see a need to change the car in any way at this time. After an oil change and tire rotation I was ready to go.
Friday: I couldn't find anyone to help me crew for this event so I was on my own. A 9 hour tow brought me to Joliet, IL a southern suburb of Chicago. Autobahn is a racetrack composed of a north and a south section. It was truly a Country Club...Autobahn members were allowed to run their street or race cars on the north side of the track while NASA ran on the south track. Great atmosphere with excellent facilities.
Saturday
Practice: Concentrated on learning the track...I can spend time perfecting my line later. A surprisingly greasy track while very bumpy in the braking areas.
Apparently this is an ongoing problem with the track owners due to the obvious multiple repaving.
Qualifying: After Practice one of the 944 turbo drivers approached me and remarked I had no brake lights. After spending 30 minutes under the dash and all over the car I was stumped. Luckily for me some of Rich Merrit's crew were wandering by to see how I was doing. Now I was under the dash while a couple of Rich's crew was under the rear hatch, all of us trying to figure out what is wrong. For some unknown reason the positive wires to the brake lights were dead and replaced by another set going to the rear.
We spliced into the good set and voila, brake lights again. I thanked them for their help but I missed Qualifying.
Race: I had to start at the back of the field which didn't concern me too much as I was not going to set any records at this track anyway...I had only 20 minutes of practice before the race so I used this race as a another practice session. I had to start 26th but finished 16th. What a blast...though this track had its issues I liked the layout. The DSM was clearly dominant in the last right-hander before the start/finish...this really helped make the pass on anyone in turn 1 which immediately followed. I knew there was room for improvement though...I needed to work on turns 7 and 10. I was doing 1:45's at this time.
Sunday:
Practice: I did my best to optimize my weak corners and get the car to rotate better...apparently due to the 2 hour enduro last night the track is not near as greasy and tends to be more predictable.
Qualifying: I put the best lap together I can and get down into the 1:44's. I'm 18th overall...still much room for improvement.
Race: I make a drastic tire pressure change in attempt to get the car to rotate. It proved to be a good decision. I am passing a car every couple laps...I am really starting to enjoy the track and the car together. I finish 11th overall and 1st in class (I was the only one in my class). I am now down in the 1:42's. I used the same formula again and again...catch them under the finish line and pass them in turn 1...a slow 180 degree right-hander. After the race I finished up some rookie paperwork and went to help Rich with a wheel spacer issue. Once this was resolved I loaded my car up for the journey home. I felt much more confident in the car and my progress on the track. You couldn't pry the smile off my face on the way home. Besides the wiring issue the Eclipse performed well and my suspension and pressure adjustments are starting to show results.
Joliet, IL
July 21, 22 2007
Pre-Race: Since the car passed tech and performed so well at the last race, I didn't see a need to change the car in any way at this time. After an oil change and tire rotation I was ready to go.
Friday: I couldn't find anyone to help me crew for this event so I was on my own. A 9 hour tow brought me to Joliet, IL a southern suburb of Chicago. Autobahn is a racetrack composed of a north and a south section. It was truly a Country Club...Autobahn members were allowed to run their street or race cars on the north side of the track while NASA ran on the south track. Great atmosphere with excellent facilities.
Saturday
Practice: Concentrated on learning the track...I can spend time perfecting my line later. A surprisingly greasy track while very bumpy in the braking areas.
Apparently this is an ongoing problem with the track owners due to the obvious multiple repaving.
Qualifying: After Practice one of the 944 turbo drivers approached me and remarked I had no brake lights. After spending 30 minutes under the dash and all over the car I was stumped. Luckily for me some of Rich Merrit's crew were wandering by to see how I was doing. Now I was under the dash while a couple of Rich's crew was under the rear hatch, all of us trying to figure out what is wrong. For some unknown reason the positive wires to the brake lights were dead and replaced by another set going to the rear.
We spliced into the good set and voila, brake lights again. I thanked them for their help but I missed Qualifying.
Race: I had to start at the back of the field which didn't concern me too much as I was not going to set any records at this track anyway...I had only 20 minutes of practice before the race so I used this race as a another practice session. I had to start 26th but finished 16th. What a blast...though this track had its issues I liked the layout. The DSM was clearly dominant in the last right-hander before the start/finish...this really helped make the pass on anyone in turn 1 which immediately followed. I knew there was room for improvement though...I needed to work on turns 7 and 10. I was doing 1:45's at this time.
Sunday:
Practice: I did my best to optimize my weak corners and get the car to rotate better...apparently due to the 2 hour enduro last night the track is not near as greasy and tends to be more predictable.
Qualifying: I put the best lap together I can and get down into the 1:44's. I'm 18th overall...still much room for improvement.
Race: I make a drastic tire pressure change in attempt to get the car to rotate. It proved to be a good decision. I am passing a car every couple laps...I am really starting to enjoy the track and the car together. I finish 11th overall and 1st in class (I was the only one in my class). I am now down in the 1:42's. I used the same formula again and again...catch them under the finish line and pass them in turn 1...a slow 180 degree right-hander. After the race I finished up some rookie paperwork and went to help Rich with a wheel spacer issue. Once this was resolved I loaded my car up for the journey home. I felt much more confident in the car and my progress on the track. You couldn't pry the smile off my face on the way home. Besides the wiring issue the Eclipse performed well and my suspension and pressure adjustments are starting to show results.
