Laguna Seca Race Weekend-New Qualifying Record

This past weekend was our final event before the Runoffs.  We tried something new this time.  We experimented with tire warmers before each session so that when we went out the tires would be closer to the ideal temperature right away.  They worked really well the first time out in Q1 on a brand new sticker set and not so much each session after that.  So the verdict is still out on whether we will continue with this program.  Check out our video on this qualifying effort as it has 7 laps in a row run flat out.  Many of them get compromised by having to pass slower cars, but finally we get a clean one and break our own track record again with a 1:21.405.

In the first race we had a throttle cable issue again that forced us to drop out 2/3 of the way through while we had a big lead.  We made up for it in the 25 lap second race by lapping all but one car in the field and putting on a nice show for the friends and family in attendance.

The car comes all apart now as we will be preparing it for Daytona.

The Qualifying Experience

I really enjoy qualifying, especially when it's on brand new tires.  As you slowly bring the tires up to the perfect operating conditions, the car just gets more hooked up until you feel it's on rails.  It takes about 3 laps or so to get the tire pressures and temperatures about right.  This video shows our little rituals from start to finish except for editing out two of the warm up laps.  We wanted to save the tires for the two races that followed so we limited our running to five laps total in this session and we still accomplished our goal of setting a new qualifying record of 1:09.523.  I'd love to get a chance to run PIR in nice cool weather and really see what we can do.  Watch the video here.

Results Match Sizzling Temperatures-Record Assault Continues

Jason and I enjoying the Western Conference Championship award

We finally got the results we've been hoping for at Portland but it wasn't easy.  The weekend started fine but soon we developed an engine miss.  It was quickly diagnosed as an electrical issue so the question was where to get parts.  Jason called his wife, Courtney, who took the kids to the hot shop back in Modesto and got some tools out and removed a key part from another car and had it shipped out for early delivery the next day.  We missed the 1st qualifying run as we discovered the ECU needed to be re-flashed to complete the fix, but after that, the car was golden.  Courtney saved the weekend for us and I owe her big time.  She's quite a Super Mom and fully devoted to Jason's career of running the finest prep shop in the country.

We were the fastest car on track all weekend long and broke the qualifying and race records in P1 even though the temperatures were in the mid-nineties most of the time and almost unbearable.  We won both races and clinched the Western Conference championship too.  We also finally got our new RePlay Prime X camera to work after employing a few tricks to minimize the vibrations that previously caused it to fail. The video and sound quality are quite good, so enjoy the start of race 1 where my old nemesis, Chris Farrell (in a P2 car no less), got a good jump on me and leads for a lap before I got back around him and motor away.  Watch it here or on the Race Video page.

I also have to give a shout out to my 84 year old future mother-in-law, Valerie Rancier, who came down from Canada to see in person what I am so passionate about.  She cheered loudly every time I came around and thoroughly enjoyed the show.  Val you're the best!

Development Efforts Pay Off As Record Setting Pace Continues

This past weekend at Laguna Seca was our first time out with the latest upgrade package and it went exceedingly well.  We broke the P1 track records each time out for the two rounds of qualifying and in both races.  In fact, we ended up turning the fastest qualifying lap ever run at Laguna in San Francisco SCCA competition history with a lap time of 1:21.565.  We easily won both races and lapped all but one car in the 20+ car field in the 2nd race.  We also slightly improved our fastest lap time by posting a 1:21.522.  Next races are in Portland at PIR where we've struggled in the past.  We hope to do substantially better this year.  Wish us luck!

Success With New Parts And Another Track Record

We used last weekend at the Thunderhill regional races as an extended test session for trying out the new front bodywork.  By the end of the weekend, we were fully convinced it was better as proven by our new track record of 1:37.302 set during the first race.  We easily won the first race and led the second race before a throttle cable broke.  The car will have a strange look for a while as we work to convert the rest of the bodywork over to carbon fiber.

New Competitor Livens the Show at Buttonwillow Major's Race Weekend

With BW's new pavement job, I was looking forward to testing the limits of the track at the place formerly known as Bumpywillow.  At the last minute, the reining NASA Super Unlimited champion,  Jon Van Caneghem, entered his modified Elan DP02 sports racer in my class and the weekend was headed for a whole new dimension.  We diced and mixed it up throughout the weekend and repeatedly lowered the track records.  When all was said and done, I started on pole both races with a stunningly low Q2 lap time of 1:37.965 and won Saturday's 14 lap sprint race, although Jon led a good share of it as well as he captured the race track record at 1:39.168.  Jon won Sunday's 20 lap feature race, but I got the track record back on the very last lap with a 1:39.024 which is now the fastest lap ever run at BW in SCCA competition.

Congratulations to Jon and I truly hope he keeps running in P1.  I'm craving a rematch!

Interview after Saturday's Race Win

Obsession With Weight

It is just a plain simple fact...all things being equal, a lighter race car will go faster.  In fact, a minimum weight specification is standard in just about any set of rules for racing.  My class (P1) has multiple weight limits depending on the car and engine combination.  My minimum weight limit is 1,350 lbs. including me and my gear at the end of a race...and we are no where near it yet.  We usually are at least 100 lbs. over the minimum so we constantly search for ways to get this weight penalty down. 

My Norma was engineered for a series that runs in Europe at a heavier weight so it's really a safe durable car but getting that extra weight back out is tough.  We've done most of the easy things like changing to a lithium battery and now we have to get more creative.

We've found that with the g-forces the car generates in the corners, we get fuel starvation once we fall below 3 gallons of fuel on-board so to maintain that cushion means 18.3 extra pounds to lug around.  Jason has rigged up a new system with a swirl pot so we can take that extra load down as low as we dare.

I'm big for a race car driver at 6'3" so I'm always trying to watch my weight.  I'm around 195 lbs. so not much more to get out of me.  However, my race gear weighed about 12 lbs. (helmet, fire suit, shoes, gloves,  fire proof underwear, Hans device, arm restraints, etc.).  Amazingly, you can save some weight in the gear now due to modern technology and cutting edge fibers.  I saved 1.5 lbs. by upgrading my underwear and shoes.  A new fire suit can save another 1.5 lbs., so saving my pennies for that.

The big project looming ahead and one that should save the most weight is to convert the rest of our lightweight fiberglass bodywork to the lightest possible carbon fiber pieces.

The Shape of Things To Come

We have a new nose and front splitter coming soon that are supposed to create more down force with less drag and less weight.  Can't wait to try them out.  Our version will be in carbon fiber and without headlights.

Record Setting Pace As Season Gets Underway

Race cars are a finicky lot.  They'll up and quit on you in an instant or some times do a slow deterioration that drives you mad.  We scratched out of the first race weekend this year when an electrical gremlin showed up that we couldn't fix with the spare parts we had with us at the track.  We immediately ordered a new wiring harness from Norma in France, put it in and the problem was solved.

At Laguna Seca a couple of weekends ago, we opened the season with a bang.  We were the fastest car on track every session out, broke the qualifying track record by about .7 seconds with a 1:22.261 lap time, won both races, and missed getting the P1 race lap record by a tenth of a second.

This past weekend, we raced in a Majors Series race at Thunderhill.  Same result, fastest car on track every session out, broke our own qualifying track record by .5 second with a 1:36.458 lap time, won both races, and missed breaking our own P1 race lap record by a tenth of a second.  Watch the qualifying record lap here.

So far, we continue to make good progress in developing the car...we've knocked 4.5 seconds off our fastest lap time set at Thunderhill a year ago shortly after we received our new Norma.  We have a few more upgrades in the works too, so more speed to come.

Some Assembly Required

I go down every few days to Jason's new shop in Modesto, it's less than 10 minutes from my home, and check on the progress of the build as the car gets put back together after the winter tear down.  I'm posting some pics of where it was a week ago and now today with some serious gearbox work being done.  Glad this is him doing the work and not me...this is master mechanic stuff.