Ok all, I am back home from the first day of racing.
Let me say that I have always had this doubt in the back of my mind that I wasn't sure that I really "belonged" in SCCA racing. I drove kinda fast, but I never knew how good I could be. The last six races have been in ITS cars that were acknowledged to be uncompetitive. So even though I did not finish all hat well, I could always fall back on the "it's the car" excuse.
But my T1 Corvette is another story: I knew when I bought it, it would be fast. When Reed won the first race he drove it in, and had similar success in other races, my suspicions were confirmed: it's fast!
Now, my problem is that the only time I had the car on the track was at my last driver's school at Nelson Ledges. I drove the wheels off the car (or so I thought), and only ran 1:18s. Considering that the last T1 National was won with a 1:13 and the track record is 1:11, I was firmly "back of the pack." Depressing, then Reed runs "front pack" in the same car: more depression, more doubts of my abilities.
Well this morning I go out on a cold track (43 degrees) outside
on cold tires. And what do I do? Spin the car coming out of the third turn! Not even a full lap completed! What makes it worse is that I climbed the tire wall (observers said I was a fill 3 feet in the air).
Needless to say I wanted to climb under a rock and disappear. I felt like crap.
Well, little damage to the body: front cover has a piece missing on the driver's side, just in front on the front wheel. And the driver's headlamp cover is missing a 1" sliver. Other than that, the car is fine. So I go out a tip toe around the track, just trying not to embarrass myself anymore. I still managed to spin the car twice more going into "Oak Tree" (gotta work on that 3 to 4 downshift).
I pull into the pits after the qualifying session expecting a mid 1:20s time.
When I was shown my times, you could have knocked me over with a feather...1:14.55! I was totally shocked. I was just babying the car around the track.
So I qualified 3rd, behind two GT1 Corvettes. I don't feel bad: 2600 lbs with 600 HP, yeh, they should be faster than me. Right behind me is an SPO Porsche 911 with a supercharger. Again 2600 Lbs with alot of power.
We go out for the race and I take it easy since the tires and the track are so cold. The Porsche passes me and I did not care. I didn;t want to be a hero and win the first lap.
I chased the Porsche for the whole race, had a few opportunities to pass him but did not want to damage his beautiful car, nor mine.
I finished 4th. But the best part, my best lap time during the race was a 1:12.5. A full six seconds faster than I had gone ever before in the car.
The best part, my friend Csaba Bduso, who races A Sedan (4th in 2003 Run Offs) congratulates me and tells me I would have had the poll in this year's T1 National.
Guys, I CAN drive this thing!
BTW, my brother bought a new GT4 Nissan. This one won the Run-Offs this year. He ran it today and was 4 seconds faster than he had gone before, and he won his race.
2004 is going to be soooo much fun racing!
DMP
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