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.jpg) My first
introduction to Road Atlanta was just about 5 years ago when we attended
the 2000 O'Fest and participated in the driver’s school hosted by the
Peach Tree Chapter. I fell in love with the track then and longed
for the chance to come back and race on this track. My return was
almost nixed by the effort to get down there was worth it.
Taking advantage of a
pre-planned trip from Boston to DC for the 4th of July weekend
I figured I was about half of the way there so I decided to take a few
extra days and after enjoying the celebrations in our nations capital I
got up very early the morning of the 7th to make the some 10
hour trek to Braselton, GA.
Not more than 10 minutes on my way I made a wrong turn that cost me
an hour on the road. With
some directions over the phone from my wife I was back on track and on my
way south only to hit a full highway closure in Fredricksburg. Turns out a truck full of acid
jackknifed, was hit by another truck and dissolved the highway
literally. After a 6 mile
backup we were routed of the highway by the state police and left to
navigate route 1 for miles of bumper to bumper traffic without any traffic
management by the state police
Again another call to my wife who used MapQuest to get me off the main road and guided me
through side roads where I was again able to join the highway. Six hours from my departure I was
only sixty miles from DC.
I remember
thinking to myself that the state troopers and the state of
Virginia did a horrible job of managing
the situation and keeping the traffic moving. I thought to myself if there were
a major disaster in DC that
Virginia was completely and totally
unprepared to manage it or any interruption to a major artery out of the
city. As I write this now I
think of hurricane Katrina and how poorly that situation was managed by
the various authorities. God
help us, we are in no way any better prepared to a disaster post September
11th and how to handle a mass evacuation much less deal with a
highway accident.
Virginia gets low
marks in my book.
I was so frustrated and within
two hours of having to cancel my trip as I would just arrive too late to
make the race and be in any shape to compete in a 90 minute Enduro. Thanks to support from my wife I
had enough MoJo to press on and give it a shot. It was a long drive and I arrived
17 hours after my start time I arrived at the track and unloaded the car
and the trailer, chatted with Stephan Ayers and then made a dash to the
hotel for some much needed sleep.
I crashed and got a good nights sleep. Glad I did as I was to need it for
the next day.
I got up early and hit the
convenience store for lots of ice and water. It was going to be a long day with
an early drivers meeting, two practice sessions, qualifying and a 90
minute Enduro but I was determined to make it happen and complete a
personal goal of completing a 90 minute Enduro as a solo driver. The day started out cool with a
lot of condensation on the car.
It was perfect for changing over to the track tires and prepping
the car for the fist session.
It did not stay cool for long and as soon as the sun came up things
started heating up. It was
well into the 90’s and on the pavement well up over 100 degrees. I pumped the water and filled my
cool suit cooler with ice and water.
I have to say that this was a lifesaver. In fact I couldn’t wait to get
suited up and plugged in to actually cool down.
I went out for the first
practice session and took it pretty easy. It had been a long time since I
was last on the track and just spent the time finding my way around. After the session some other
racers shared some good tips about the racing line vs. the old drivers
school line from years
ago. Another practice session
and I felt that I was ready to compete on the track. We did a few practice starts in
the second practice session with out any major surprises. The qualifying was unimpressive as
I qualified a low 24th – more than half way down the pack. Well I figured it would be a long
race and my game plan was to stick it out and climb my way back to a
decent finish. I was far
outclassed and most of the drivers had far more experience on this track
than I did.
I came to the track as a one
man show and knew that that I need support for the mandatory pit
stop. I have asked Alex
Brosseau of PMI Racing if he could spare someone to help refuel the
car. He had a full slate of
racers to support but told me that he would find a way to help me
out. I checked with Alex
before the race and we decided that I would take whatever slot in the pits
was open in deference to the other racers he was supporting. We agreed on a general time (who
knows what can happen in a race this long) and I left with a full tank of
gas. Lucky I
did.
The start to the Enduro was a
stop and go type adventure and I was able to jump a few spots but nothing
significant. After the first
lap the pack quickly spread out and I focused on consistency and lap after
lap I advanced my position.
About 40 minutes into the race Alex called me up on the radio and
ask how I was doing. I was in
a good rhythm and reasonably comfortable in the heat due to the cool
suit. He was pleased to hear
that as I heard my pit stop would be much later than expected. While talking on the radio I
realized how much one really needs to stay focused and not try to carry a
conversation through a turn.
I had some pretty hairy moments but managed to stay out of
trouble. Sixty minutes into
the race it was finally time to come in. Alex and the PMI crew were
fantastic. I got out of the
car and was kindly handed a very cold bottle of water – much needed. The crew refueled the car, check
the tires, cleaned the windshield and cleared ducts and vents. I got an
update and heard that I was continuing to do well and was climbing my way
up slowly but surely. Five minutes to the second I was rolling again. The pit stop was perfect and I
knew I was in good shape.
I returned to the track and
quickly got back into a rhythm.
I thought only 30 minutes left, after two laps I should take it up
just a notch as I figured the pace would pick up towards the end of the
race. About 10 minutes into
this leg I found I was just getting hotter and hotter. I realized that I must not have
properly reconnected the cool suit feeder tube (its pretty picky and has
to connect just so). Well, no
chance of fixing that now so I made sure I had ready access to my drinking
tube as I knew it was still pretty full of ice water. The Ice had melted but it was
potable. Sipping on this
carried me for another ten minutes but the heat was oppressive. I had to back down the pace a bit and really focus on
just keeping the line and just to bring the car home. On the straights I would use my
hand to direct some air towards my face and in the turns I would do what
any mad dogs in the mid day sun would do and that was to pant. I must have looked like I was nuts
driving around with my toung hanging out. Maybe I was Michael Jordan sinking
a dunk… wait I am driving, focus, stay cool, make it to the finish
line. I was down the last lap
in me when I saw the checkered flag come out. It couldn’t have come soon
enough. I crossed the white
line (checkered actually) and my fatigue turned to exilleration as I
realized I made it and completed a major personal
goal.
I learned that I ended up
finishing 12th out of some 45 cars. Ok, so I wasn’t first in my class
and there was no way by any stretch that my car or skill could catch some
of the others in my class but it didn’t matter. I had a personal best, many great
laps, the adrenaline rush and the trill of crossing the finish line. The rest of the weekend would be
icing on the cake as far as I was concerned. The 17 hour ordeal to get down
there was well worth it. The
event organizers were fantastic and the
South
Atlantic region and other racers made me feel more than
welcome. After some post race
beers, dinner and story telling I hit the sack hard and got a solid nights
rest.
The next morning we the racers
decided to move the race up and
push an extra practice to the afternoon as a gulf storm was moving
into the region. We had the opportunity to do an early practice
session. I took the car out
and did just a few laps to sort out the car and make sure that everything
was in good running order.
The next session was qualifying. More open track combined with
greater familiarity with the track I was able to grab the 18th
slot. Not great but at least
I was in the top half of the pack.
The start was another stop and go situation but I was able to get a
good jump and stay clean.
After the first two laps I pretty much found myself along with
David Bradyhouse in an open gap between the top half of the pack and the
bottom half of the pack.
David had an excellently prepared JS E30 M3 and the two of us had a
great gentleman’s race for most of the race. I was able to must up enough speed
on the back straight to overtake David for a short time only to realize
that this required about 1/10th more driver than was behind the
wheel. After an lap or so of
hanging it out there I decided to take it down a notch. Glad I did as shortly after that
the fun began as I was witness to some pretty wild driving by the race
leaders. The outcome was
unfortunate but I had the best seat in the house for all the
excitement. The race was
called on this lap and I came in off the track.
I learned that I finished where
I had qualified. Mo better no
worse but at least the car and driver were all in one piece. It was a fun race and this time
the video camera worked and a few clips are posted below. Since the race was moved up
in the day this gave me a shot at making it back to DC to spend Sunday
hanging out with my nephews vs two back to back days driving back up to
Boston. While another race
would have been fun the events had exceeded my expectations and I was not
one to tempt the fates. I
rushed along and got the car packed up and hit the road by 4:00pm and made
it back to DC in the 10 hours to the minute.
I can’t thank Alex and the PMI
Racing team enough for fitting me in and playing a major role in helping
me have such a great race experience. These guys offer a great service
and I strongly recommend their services.
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