Trying to catch up
OK, continuing from the Bremerton Double Regional post, I replaced the hub with a new one from Jerry Lundstrom in Portland (he was my instructor at the School in Portland in April). I wasn't able to attend Rose Cup due to a shoulder injury that was being rehabbed, so I didn't get a race in there.
I worked as a flagger at the Double National held at Pacific Raceways June 2-4 and got a look at the other side of the weekend as well as looking at the lines peole were taking through Turns 8 and 9. I was teamed with Mark Gnagy, an experienced racer who wasn't doing the weekend of racing. It really is interesting what you can see and learn from the outside after having driven the track. I'm considering getting an F&C License so I can work events when I'm not running for one reason or another.
I did attend the Double Regional at Bremerton July 19 and 30. It was the same plan as the previous Double Regional, run the races, get some miles under my butt, and qualify for a Regional License. This weekend went better, though the first lap made me wonder. I went out on cold tires in which I'd forgotten to lower the pressure from trailer numbers of ~25 PSI to racing pressure of ~10.5 PSI and spun into another stinkin' barrel in Turn 4 and hit sideways just in front of the right rear tire this time. I came off the track and my crew and I spent the rest of the practice session doing repairs. Nothing serious, just a fiberglass seam on the side body split (racers' tape) and a bent sidepod support and belly pan. We bent things back to where I could run and I qualified just fine. Even got some thumbs up from the flagging folks for completing a session with no spins. :)
On the start I discovered that I could pull the SRF on the start, but eased off and let him take the first corner, he was cornering faster than I. I'm still getting comfortable with the cornering limits of this little car, it's capable of a lot more than I'm comfortable asking of it right now. The race was mostly uneventful, I think I spun once in Turn 1. I won my class (7 cars in the race group in 7 classes, so everyone got a win.)
The next morning dawned nice, a bit cloudier that the day before. Practice and qualifying went without drama. There was one omen while driving to Pregrid, a rock from the left rear tire smacked my rear view mirror and broke it. I hope that isn't seven years bad racing luck! While in Pregrid it started sprinkling and turned into actual rain by about lap 2. I was on slicks this time and discovered just how icelike the dragster tracks were when wet. I managed to loop it in the braking zone for Turn 1 (the bumpiest part of the track) and picked up two cones - one stuffed open-end first onto the nose which I could have dragged back to grid and had removed, and one intimately embracing my left front suspension, I was done and got out to go to the flagger station, but they signalled me that the race had been checker flagged and I got another first (once I pulled the cones off)! Oh yeah, fould loose screws on the right front brake disc again. :(
So, Mission Accomplished; I finished two races and got signed off for my Regional. My plan is to get in 4 more races before renewal time and go straight to a National License, no sense in sending SCCA $85 for the Regional and then doing it again in a few months to get the National. I guess I can survive leaving the Orange Square of Noobness on the car for 4 more races. The plan was to go to at least one more race down in Portland this season.
That
was the plan. On the way home I stopped at a rest area to use the restroom. While walking across a perfectly flat asphalt parking lot I managed to sprain my right ankle without even rolling it. I just took a step, something went "Pop" and I nearly passed out from the pain. The Doc said rehab time would be at least 6-8 weeks, so I put the car up on stands in the garage and drained all the fluids.
Next post, "The Off Season".
