So our team went out to compete in the two day race, we had about 3/4 of a day out on the track. plus the full open track day.
Our weekend started thursday afternoon, driving down to south jersey setting up tents unloading the car and revving the engine a bit. Friday morning, we were up around 6 headed to the drivers meeting to learn the rules of the track, and we were on the track by 9am. Tech inspection for the actual race opened up midday, which we failed. Terribly. We had a few small infractions all which were easy fixes, our fuel vent line didn't vent below the tank, and our master kill switch didn't kill the car immediately. Two, annoying, but easy fixes. The killer was that our roll cage didn't meet spec. We were asked to add a diagonal cross bar behind the driver, we had to add a few gussets where the bars meet, and box in the feet of the roll cage. honestly, if i had a week to do all that, i wouldn't have gotten it done. We had a day, and I got it done. We drove the car back to our camp site, took some quick measurements, and set the remaining drivers back out on the open track. Off Henry and I went to pick up all the metal we would need along with some tools and supplies. We got back after the track had closed for the day, and I started making mock ups of everything we needed fab up. (mind you we are in a dirt parking lot, running off a generator, with next to no tools) after I made of list of everything we needed to create and their dimensions, JJ and I started cutting and grinding. We were at it till about 2am saturday morning. We decided to power down, and start again in the am. We all woke up around 6 again for the second drivers meeting for the actual race. And sadly after the meeting we went back to our site, rather than the track. JJ and I continued to cut and grind till about 11am, were we then moved to car to a found friends work site who said we could use their welder. Where I then spent the rest of my day. I was doing welders yoga till 7pm, but it got us on the track for sunday.
RACE TIME! JJ started the day, and set a pretty good lap time for the team, 2.18 on a track that is just shy of 2.5miles long. Tony followed, but couldn't beat JJ times. I was third in line, and was immediately slowed by about 8laps of yellow flags, but i got to know the track pretty damn well. And when they dropped the flags I opened it up. pushing the car more and more each time around the track. I started getting in a pretty good groove though out 90% of the track, but one area always got me and i would slide out the back tires every time around that specific turn. And the more laps around the track i made the hotter the tires got, and the higher the pressure got in them, and finally around that same turn the back kicked out about 4 feet, i was able to correct and save the turn, but it caused my right to tires to leave the track. And because I'm such a good guy, I decided to self report myself to the race judges(i didn't have a flags thrown due to me leaving the track). And that was the end of my turn. As i pulled back to our camp site, my teammates told me that I had crushed JJs time by 6seconds. I was now the fastest guy on the team. Unfortunately the following driver ended up burring out the clutch and pressure plate to an unusable point, and the last two guys didn't get to go back out on the track(nor did he come close to my lap times).
That was pretty much the end of our race weekend. But if I was asked to do it again, I fucking would.
