s4wood

Well, I made it through another race weekend. Let me first state that I race my Miata for fun...not for profit...glory...etc. I also have a budget..a low budget for racing...so I cannot go out to the track every week or two...testing out stuff...I also can't get a Sunbelt engine...a Rebello tweaked engine..(since it costs in excess of $4K even to talk to these engine guys). So, I am down on power..and this was definitely evident this weekend...DEFINITELY. There were 61 Spec Miata's racing this weekend. The top twenty guys are really really good. My weekend started out being pretty stressed when I lost a radiator during practice on Friday...I only got three decent laps until my windshield was totally covered in radiator water..and I came in...lost about 10 laps of practice. The next day we qualified...in the dry for the most part...I think there were 5-6 guys that qualified in the 1:48s, another 12 or so were in the 1:49s..and at least that many in the 1:50s. Me?, I was down in the 1:54-1.55 range. I qualified in the dry but raced my first race in the rain..on and off...got kinda harry in laps 9-13..since it really started pouring on part of the course. Of course I slowed down...so did everyone else..especially those on slicks. I started in 54th place..and ended up in 44th. I passed a few guys late in the game so that was rewarding. The second day they put us in the same qualifying position..so I started in 54th again. Since a number of Audi friends were there I really wanted to do a better showing..but sorry guys..that was the best I could do. This racing stuff aint easy...The second race started in the dry...so I was psyched. However, I wasn't able to increase my position much due to car handling issues. For some reason the tires weren't gripping very well at all...turn #3 was a disaster for me late in the game...it pushed terribly on entrance..but then the back end came around..very weird. The tires felt very hard...not grippy on any turn..I have never felt that feeling before..very strange. Anyway, I ended up 47th...on the second race. I really wanted to get to 30th position..each race..that was my goal..but I fell far short of that...I guess I will just have to be happy with that. I did have lots of fun....a few scary spots...but not many. That is all the racing for me this year..until the money situation changes...

I watched Paul Lambert and Rick Maki race in the Touring car race later in the day...as they can attest..it aint easy out there...Paul and Rick only managed about 11th or 13th place at best. Remember, Paul WON the touring car race back two years ago...

quattrogirl

Steve, don't be so hard on yourself!
You did GREAT esp with the constantly changing conditions. Wet/ dry/ sunny/ overcast/ damp.... crap on the track... and 61 cars!!!

It sounded like an angry swarm of yellowjackets.

It's the most cars anyone's seen on the track. Yikes you guys were 2-3 deep in ALL TURNS. I watched and tried to snap some pics from the bottom of 2 and up the hill tween 4 & 5. I'll see if any of them are clear enough to post.

And remember, Maki also was in YOUR race, he went from the A4 Touring Car right into a Miata....so you're playing with The Big Dogs competing against ppl who do this for a living.

VERY respectable finish, Sir!

:-)

NASA racer

too many cars, too little time.

Maybe you should run the NASA Spec Miata races where there are fewer cars and you can work on the race craft a little more without being surrounded by a gazillion other cars.

Also, if you'd started higher, you would have finished higher...it's tough to overcome a sea of cars which are going a particular speed whereas if you are in a faster group, you go faster.

If the car is in one piece and you learned some stuff it was a success...don't sweat the "results".

John/TSR

...is hanging your *** out in qualifying. You really have to suck it up and gooooo so that when race time comes, you get sucked along with the faster end of the field.

With large groups, that means that you have to figure out a way to find clean 'holes' to cut a fast lap. Radios so you can know where the big traffic is (and maybe duck into pit lane and wait 45 seconds for the circus to pass), drafting buddies that can 'gang up' on slower packs and punch the way thru...it's all part of the 'tactics' of spec series racing.

Example: This weekend at the Glen, me and my normal 'drafting buddy' got to the grid EARLY for our group qualifying, and were 3rd & 4th in a 30-somthing car field. Cut some hot laps right out of the box, had to 'gang tackle' a GT car that didn't want to get out of the way, did some big time drafting and had 3 or 4 tenths on the rest of the 'spec' field. He got the pole, I got P2. In the race, he got the win and I got P3 (after getting jammed at the start by an dimwit in a D Sport Racer and backing up to ~P10 by Turn 1). If we'd been mid-pack, we would have gotten swamped by traffic, even though we were faster than all of it.

Learn to qualify well.

NASA racer

we didn't have the huge fields last time I raced in a spec class:

That's me in car 5, I have a slow leak on my left rear tire and am going to hit the guard rail at the exit of turn 6 in about 3 laps heh:
<img src="http://pictureposter.allbrand.nu/pictures/nasa+racer/nasas+stuff/fm.jpg">

Mark Dalen

With limited time and budget, those are pretty good results - AND you had fun and put the car back in one piece.
Big fields like that are all about qualifying well. But the upside is that you almost always have someone to race with. Keep at it.

Corey S

What's that?

Oh, hi Christine! :-)

Silver Streakin'

100k miles

Silver Streakin'

finishing ahead of where you started sounds like a success to me

Corey S

Oh. Duh.