Memphis Race Report - Pictures/Video

[Subdriver]

All,
My first race of the 2004 SCCA MidWest Division season went pretty much as well as I could've hoped... okay did hope:

1 race, 1 pole, 1 win, 1 track record.

Race results: 1 of 4 in the T1 class, 2 of 17 overall. New T1 track record of 1:13.2, a full second under the previous record.

I started the weekend with some trepidation. I had done a lot of off season maintenance… all myself, including replacing all four rotors, calipers and new brake pads, the lower front a-arms, front wheel bearings, new plugs and all oils, installing a new helmet cooling system and radio, and doing my own alignment with lots of good advice from my car builder and forum vendor Phoenix.

I took it very easy the first session on Friday’s open practice session, but the car ran perfectly and handling was excellent. I used the first session to finish bedding in the new Carbotech pads I had installed. The second session I pushed much harder and ran a 1:14.6 on old tires, 0.4 off the track record. Deciding the car was running extremely well, I called it an early day and prepped the car for Saturday mornings practice.

I put on fairly new tires for the Regional race qualifying on Saturday morning and turned a 1:13.2 on my third lap. I stayed out for about 20 minutes to get a feel for how the tires faded when they got really hot.

For Sunday morning’s National race qualifying, I decided to use the same tires to see if they faded with the extra heat cycle – they didn’t. I turned a 1:13.3 on lap 3 and figured that was good enough for the pole and it was. Closest other T1 car turned a 1:13.7.

I replaced my tires for the race with another slightly used set, but they were in excellent condition and worked very well in the race. My second race lap was my fastest lap of the weekend, and it was with a full tank. The Carbotech XP10 pads front and XP9 pads rear were exceptional with no brake fade. In fact, my braking points actually decreased during the race. Final margin of victory was 23 seconds.

Below is a video of the first race lap and a picture essay of the race weekend.


A lap of Memphis Motorsports Park (video courtesy of forum member Rob Ferretti)
Right click and save as:
http://beyondthequarter.com/sub2.wmv
The video starts off at the end of the pace lap. I started outside front row, next to a 680 HP, tube frame GT1 “Corvette”. At the start on the drag strip, the GT1 walked away from me. We approach turn 1 at about 140 and then brake hard down to the upper 80s and dive into turn 1, a long sweeping 180 degree turn. I take an early apex to “protect” the inside from the three T1 cars behind me, drift out, feather the throttle and work my way back in to the second apex, clipping it at about 78. Easing back onto the power, I hit track out at just over 90, shift to 4th and continue turning to the right through an easy right that is more or less a continuation of turn 1. Just shy of 110, I feather the throttle and turn to the left for a very fast left. As soon as the car is straight, hard on the brakes, downshift to 3rd and turn into the “M”s, a series of 50-60 mph turns. Exiting the “M”s, the speed rapidly builds back to just under 100 before more hard braking into a left-right combo called the “90”s. Again back hard onto the power heading into “Grant’s Tomb”, the 180 degree right hander that leads back onto the main straight. Approaching straight into a tire wall at just shy of 100 again, its hard on the brakes for the 4th and final time of the lap, trail braking heavily into the Tomb. Tap dancing my way through the tires, concrete and other bad stuff I ease back onto the power and exit back onto the main straight at about 85, drifting to the left wall and catch 4th when the car is straight. Repeat 25 times.


Flying racing colors:


My new helmet:


Saturday qualifying approaching the 90s:


Entering the 90s:


Nephew and brother-in-law checking the suspension before race day:


Last minute check of tire pressures:


Putting on the new HANS device:


Helmet cooling hose:


Race pre-grid:


Main straight at about 125 and accelerating:


Entering the 90s during race:


The result:

[case2307]

Man...that's great! Congrats...and I hope you have a great season.

[StoneyJ]

Brad,
Congrats, and thanks for the video! It was nice to have the speed
and gear info to go along with it. Quite a nice start to the season!
Mel

[dirtrider]

Awesome video. You kept up with that GT1 car for a long time considering how much better it is at everything than a T1 corvette. Congrats.

[KCMAGS]

Congrats Thanks for the post & the best to you the rest of the season.

[rpallas]

Awesome!! Congrats!!

Heh.. I'm glad that the blue and white Vette was not in your class. At first, I thought that I was watching a repeat of the Sebring WC race with the Cadillac's running away with it.

Now I have 3 drivers to root for this year. You, Lou and Juan Pablo Montoya.

Bob

[ROSSO Z]

Subrocket,

Too cool. Congratulations on your first of many wins this season!

[Redshift]

You are the man! Congrats, Brad. Win the whole season for us!

Thank you for serving our country, also. I can't say that enough. People like you are better humans than I could ever hope to be, risking your lives so people like me can live free and with relatively little fear.

[2MchFun]

Congratulations on an outstanding performance.
Great vid, thanks. It allows those of us who don't track very often to live vicariously through you.
Good luck on the rest of the season!

[Subdriver]

All,
Thanks for the kudos and best wishes for the rest of the year. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. Next race for me is Mid America on Apr 24-25.

Now I have 3 drivers to root for this year. You, Lou and Juan Pablo Montoya.

Bob, That's a pretty fast crowd.
I'll try not to disappoint.

Thank you for serving our country, also. I can't say that enough. People like you are better humans than I could ever hope to be,

Brian, I don't know about that, but thanks! Words like this help on those long deployments away from my family.

[JOEZ06]

Brad,

Par for the course bro...! Congrats !

So did you ever over take that GT1 under braking? Looks like you had the brakes on him big time (that and the talent)... Tough to overcome a few hundred ponies down the mains, but looks like you almost had enough....

PS.. Whose track record did you break? Let me guess... yours from last year?

[Subdriver]

Joe,
No, that is a very fast GT1 car. He walked away from me to the tune of 4 seconds a lap or so. He was a little timid on cold tires though.

Actually, the previous track record wasn't mine, it belonged to Matt Whitaker, who finished 11th in the 2001 Runoffs. Being a 41 year old guy, running on a limited budget, I'm actually not very brave out there and run fairly conservatively. Each time I go to a track I become a little more comfortable with it and a little faster, weather conditions permitting. I'd probably make a terrible rally driver.

Last year, first race weekend of the year was at Memphis,
Day one qual: 1:18.2, race 1:18.9
Day two qual: 1:17.1, race 1:17.6
Four race weekends later, I was back in Memphis on Memorial Day, much hotter, but I was faster:
Day one qual: 1:14.2, race 1:14.9
Day two qual: 1:21.6 (wet), race 1:14.9
This year, first race weekend of the year at Memphis:
Day one qual: 1:13.2 (sat out Regional)
Day two qual: 1:13.3, race 1:13.2

Hope that bodes well for the rest of the season. A new MidWest Division driver (in a Phoenix vette) went to the Regional in St. Louis last weekend and ran a second under my track record of last year. Bummer.

Gain a track record, lose a track record.

[Bob Cooper]

Subdriver,

Way to go!! I really enjoy reading about your races. I will pray for safety and a great season. As you can see you have many fans. My Dad and I drove over to Deming NM this weekend from Tucson for a driving event at Arroyo Seca with NASA. Meet some great guys and went out on the track with the race cars Sunday morning. I held my own very well but now need some new tires!

[quickZ]

That is very cool, Brad. I wish I could race, but DEs and the like will have to do for now. Frankly, I'd need to race in something really cheap and whose looks I do not care about--maybe a NASA Camaro or Mustang--as I'd be very timid about trashing the big dog. I am sure if you get going fast enough, sooner or later you'll tear it up.

Nonetheless, great job, nice work-up, and keep us posted on your technical matters, like brakes. Very helpful for us.

Thanks.

[Manteuffel]

You gave that GT1 a good run for its money! 680 horses are 680 horses, but you seemed to do real well in the turns. He only walked away in the straights, the rest was pretty even.

Nice video!

G.