My last full race weekend, for what will probably end up being a year, was somewhat of a disappointment. Were I racing with hopes of placing high in the championship, I probably would have been downright pissed at the outcome. As it is, it’s more of a let down than anything. I spent the better part of the weekend dealing with brake shudder from a swap to four piston calipers. We didn’t pinpoint (read: care enough about) the problem in enough time to solve it but I could still run, albeit without confidence in the brakes.
It’s also worth noting that the competition has gotten faster over the course of the year and I’ve stayed pretty much the same. I blame it on doing a partial season but it’s probably because I haven’t made any real progress in my driving in a few years. I used to podium, or close to it, a few years back but these days I’m lucky if I manage to qualify in the top 10 and finish in the top 6-7. I’ll probably only fit in one event around school next year so the gap will likely increase, if anything. It’s nice not to care about the results but at the same time I’ve found it impacts how hard I try; the brake problem being the perfect example.
Saturday
I qualified 10th. I picked up one or two spots on the start but that didn’t last very long. One of the cars I passed tried to make a late brake move going into turn 5 and went in way too fast. I knew he was going to spin and likely end up in front of me so I stepped on the brakes early. As he spun, seemingly in slow motion, I wondered where I’d end up hitting him and waited for the crunch.
I managed to stop with about a foot between our noses (he was facing backwards) but we were sitting ducks for the rest of the field coming through. I couldn’t drive around without making myself more of a target so I was stuck. As I watched the cars behind veer dramatically to both sides in my mirror, I took my hands off the wheel (to protect from injury) and kept saying under my breath “please don’t hit me, please don’t hit me.” My wishes were answered. It was over as quick as it started and I was no worse the wear… except for being in DFL (19th).
After the whole field passed us by, I pulled off track to get around the car in front of me and set to find some racing. I worked my way through the field, lap after lap, and eventually found my way back up to 9th. Overall, that’s not a bad result but it seems that me having to work my way up from the back is a common theme this season.
Click to view 944 Cup Race – 8/23/08 on Vimeo.
Sunday
I qualified about the same place. I picked up two spots right after the green flag dropped and despite the on-going brake issue, felt pretty good about my chances to move up through the field. As I rounded the sixth corner of the second lap, the car started to backfire and lost power. Quickly slowing in pace, I checked the gauges for a larger problem as the rest of the field started to pass me by. Since the gauges were fine, I repeatedly put the car in neutral, revved the engine and tried different gears to see if the car would right itself. A third of the way around my third lap, there was no real response from the car and so I parked it out of the way, ending my race. Of course it ran fine when we pulled it on the trailer so the cause of the problem has yet to be determined.
I haven’t finished in the top 5 since October of last year and it’s getting annoying. Hell, looking back at 2006, I only finished outside the top 4 twice in a 13 race season. Of course, I am 2 seconds off my best times this year and part of that is because I’m just not serious about it. I used to podium, a lot, and it’s clear something has changed. Maybe the time spent away from racing for grad school will renew my hunger.
This video really demonstrates how close I was to getting smacked from behind.
http://vimeo.com/1706192