Well, Jason found the source of our problem--a bad left rear shock absorber. Jason and Chris keep all their race cars spotlessly clean. There is a good reason for this other than simply aesthetics. A clean car allows a trained eye to more easily spot problems like leaks, cracks, etc. After my magical drive on Friday morning, Jason spotted a drip coming off the left rear shock absorber. There was nothing we could do while at the track so he just monitored it over the course of the weekend and after each session a little more fluid seeped out. Once back at the shop and after removing the leaking shock it became evident that the shock had totally failed. So the whole set was sent off for a quick rebuild and now they are back and ready to be reinstalled.

With this problem fixed, we now plan to run the same initial set-up on the car at Laguna Seca next time out. I just hope this set-up gives us repeatable results and holds up over the course of the weekend. If it does, I'll be ecstatic because that Friday morning session from Thunderhill is now my benchmark for how a properly performing racecar should feel. Now that I've sampled it, I want it back!

Jim

Umberto's selfie plus Jason, Jim, and Bill at Thunderhill.