Well, my latest foray into the world of racing wasn’t nearly as successful as my last.
Things didn’t start well when a strange quirk in schedule inconsistencies, announcements and timing afforded me a very short qualifying session. Some of my competitors got six laps, some four but a few of us only got two. I probably could have gotten the full session had I been willing to bake on grid wearing my three layer nomex suit in 90° weather, but I was trying to maximize my “freshness” while on track. With only two laps, I never really got up to speed and the end result was a qualifying time seven seconds off my usual pace. Needless to say, I was going to start the race at the back of the field.
I actually like starting at the back and was looking forward to picking off cars at the start. Unfortunately, I was far enough back that I couldn’t see the green flag and several of us back there kinda got left in the dust. I did manage to overtake a few cars during the course of the race, but what ended up being a leak in one of my break lines (from police tape wrapping around the wheel) kept me from really trusting my car. Throw a bunch of traffic in the mix and you had all the makings of a relatively low finish. It was one of the more intense races I’ve had in a long time, but it wasn’t always for the right reasons.
Given I was leaking a noticeable amount of brake fluid, things could have been a lot worse. I still got to race and bring both myself and the car back in one piece. Maybe I’m just growing older (more boring?), but I’m willing to take that as a measure of success.