2008 One Lap of America

Reality blows

2008-05-13T21:03:00.003-04:00

I've been back at my job for two days now. I actually enjoy my work - I get a rise out of it, and I'm passionate about what I do...but man is it hard to focus after this past week. My friends will recognize this comparison - but there is a scene in the movie Fight Club, when the main character's boss is speaking, but the volume is turned down...it becomes background noise. I remember feeling this way after my first One Lap, and it's exactly the same this time. Around 3pm, I start panicking about how far I have to drive, and then I realize that the only place I have to go is the copier, down the hall.

My only saving grace is that I don't have the trophy. I don't know if I could stand it staring at me, begging me to hit the road, and go racin'. In the end, we did great. We crushed in our class- 1st place (and enough to get our picture on the front page of the One Lap website). We finished 13th overall as the 2nd fastest BMW. Without a couple of our mistakes and setbacks, we would have been a top 10 team. And with a little extra luck and with everything running smoothly, who knows...we could have been number 1. Oh well, Alex, the car owner, has the trophy, and it's a darn good thing. It could never sit still in my office. It would call to me, like an addiction. And I'd be on the road racin'

Just 353 more days until One Lap 2009!!

The winning team - Gyro King was NOT an official sponsor...maybe next year?

On the way home, the East Coast BMW's stop for gas, and a photo-op.

Well done lads! Alex kept the trophy, I kept the beer.

Back and Beat

2008-05-12T20:09:00.002-04:00

I got in late Saturday night and slept until about 2:30 Sunday afternoon. After a good night's sleep Sunday, I still feel like I have been beaten with a stick. 2 days in the office to get a lot of things done - the wild catch-up that a trip like One Lap demands is just nuts! I promise a proper ending to our blog shortly.

Am I really back home?

2008-05-11T00:36:00.003-04:00

Alex and James took the superstar route and flew home. I drove the 600-some miles from South Bend, Indiana to Bethesda, Maryland, and literally just walked in the door. It was strange driving around without 200 pounds of gear and a couple of ripe smelling dudes...I spent most of my drive home on the phone with them anyways - call it withdrawal.

I'll get back on tomorrow (or Monday) once I'm well rested. For now, mission accomplished. It is GOOD to be home. Now where did I pack that sombrero...

Home stretch

2008-05-10T21:52:00.002-04:00

Several points I have learned through this week:
- use all available sources of navigational information! We had the One Lap issued route book, Vic's Google maps for each leg printed before the event, and the nav built into my Blackberry (the 1 in true racecar keeping was a stripper with no nav). Anyway, that GPS nav unit in the Blackberry would have been pretty sweet to have on when we blew past our exit on the PA Turnpike at 2AM and had to drive 15 miles out and 15 back to get to our hotel.
- on the electronics side, keep them all plugged in, and all active at ALL times. Lesson almost learned with radar detector in LA now hammered home with the nav...
- we can now unload the 135 and remove the interior in about 5 minutes - I knock it out in about 10 alone as Vic and Alex walk the Beaver Run track. Slamming it back together and packing up only takes about 10 minutes. Efficiency is king and we are able to add nice chunks of time to get extra sleep this way. Which we never took advantage of.
- as awesome as sleep is, it takes a back seat to fun and the end result defined our trip. We wasted a lot of potential sleep time with fun, side trips, antics, etc that I would never have skipped. This approach however does not wear on the group through the week and 8 days is oddly enough seemingly the breaking point!

Well, Beaver Run was cold and damp - we have definitely gotten back to the North now. This event was Alex's turn to strap on the helmet and jump in the fray. After replacing the rear shock mounts. he was kind of back to an unknown setup now that we had regained all that control in the rear. I'll let him report on the results, but we did well and maintained position.

I was given the auto-X duty and after walking the course several times, I was ready to rock. Alex pulled the car off track from his session and we immediately went to the auto-X with hot tires and brakes - good. I launch out of the starting line and immediately want a redo - not that I did badly, but I really just wasn't fully prepared to go. Not a huge deal, I get a second run and this is my safe one. Or at least that is what the book said and I assumed. Mental note - James is not an autocrosser - stick to the high speed stuff!

Our day ends for all intensive purposes and night begins on the transit back to South Bend. We stop at Great Lakes Brewing Company and meet all/most of our BMW compadres for dinner and a few beers - great stuff! Vic and I then begin to push Alex's buttons for the remaining 250 miles, and he thought he left his two kids at home...

We were supposed to go out and celebrate Saturday night after the awards ceremony, but everyone seems to want to pack it in early, so we arrive at the South Bend hotel with only a skid pad requiring a 5 minute drive to the event and holding the wheel to make the car go in a circle. Both directions...and starting at 9AM. With this in mind, most drivers in the event take advantage and convene in the lounge.

Our #34 car enthusiasm continues and we dig in hard for a 3AM night topped with a wonderful Steak & Shake meal. Alex just happens to wake up at 8:30 which is roughly enough time for us to throw on clothes and make it to the skidpad. It would have been relatively idiotic to miss the final event. We do unfortunately miss the large group photo, and apparently the group screening of Vic's late night phone messages to everyone whose cell number he had.

We unpack and pull the remaining interior apart in under 5 minutes and Vic is on! His first direction leads to over 1G! Not bad for a street car on now worn-out tires. Reversing direction Vic is able to average 0.97G (or something close - I am too tired for fact checking). Some of the very light cars do well (including an almost 1G Yaris!!!), but we maintain position.

The final spoiler result - we pull in the 1st in class trophy, and finish 13th overall. It is painful to know that without my Texas off we would have been 8th overall and the fastest BMW as well. I will have more of a summary later. For now, I am home (flew, sticking Vic with the responsibility of driving the car back) and I am headed to a long nights sleep!

A few long days...

2008-05-09T21:36:00.002-04:00

Things have been pretty busy here. Tuesday night was one of the longest we have had, but I actually magaged to get some sleep. This was our No Problem transit where we slipped through New Orleans for some food and a drink or two - One Lap is supposed to be fun and I just don't buy into making it a job!

To backtrack just a tick, things went well at No Problem. The 135 was quick and more importantly consistent. We were sticking in our 10-15th slot range that the car probably deserves on its own merits with the other Hp cars around. And Vic got to change his forst brake pad with minimal supervision - joyous day!

As we blaze across the country from LA to SC for the Carolina Motorsports Park event, I first give staying awake a good go. We have been through multiple cases of Redbull at this point. At a fuel stop, I locate NRG potatoe chips. They are not a trip sponsor, so I feel completely comfortable in saying they taste roughly like sucking on aspirin. Behold - the dinner of roadtrip champions...

This is our mess of mobile electronics. Laptop, video camera, cell phones, and radar detector all have their slots - except for the brief period that I unplug the radar detector on Alex to plug in my cell - 5 minutes later he is bound for TicketTown. I hang my head and the next day, Harold (friend from New Orleans) gives us a splitter!

We get to CMP and things are good. I have already won a race here this year, even handicapped with my friend Jim as a co-driver, so I think chances are good! We can't quite stick the car in the top 10, but again, we may not have the overwhelming V10 Hp to do it so the fact that we get close is rewarding. Again, consistency is king and ignoring my nasty off at TWS in the rain, we are plugging along nicely!

CMP has always been brutal on brakes. In this event, I am overly happy to have the Performance Frictions on the car. Even though we aren't hitting 150 three times per lap like Road America, we are KILLING the brakes. After the first three lap session, I roll in and park the car. The tires are too hot for Alex to check pressures and in the process, the center cap falls out on the ground, melted. HOT.

Skipping ahead, the BMW Performance Center is a track that I have been at a few times recently for a fun club event, some media testing, and the X6 media release - I have gotten familiar. Even though the layout for the One Lap drivers has changed a bit over the course of the event for some reason, I have been on mos tof the configurations, so we are happy. Seems like preparation paid off and I pulled a 6th overall. What a great wrap-up to a great day!

Next we are off to my home track - VIR. I just finished 3rd there in our World Challenge race and set a new track record the weekend before clicking 1:59.6 in a BMW E30 M3, and I am pretty dialed in and ready to go. NO BLOG! Becuase after 2 tracks and 500 miles on top of the 800 the night before, when we roll into town dinner seems more of a priority. There is a chance of rain, which I like A LOT as we settle in for our long night's rest.

When I get up the next morning at the crack of 8AM (which is wildly late for my One Lap schedule and even more early for my normal non-track schedule), I look outside the windo of out pit suite onto the front straight and see glorious WET TRACK!!! This means power cars are not powering by, so local knowledge and driver skill will play a huge part. I knock off 4th overall in the early session on South course and 3rd overall on North - both times behind other exceptionally fast BMWs - it is a good day for the spinning propeller! We wrap up the day on a dry full course with a very respectible finish roight outside the top 10, which puts us in 12th overall! Kicking myself though - without my TWS antics we would be in SIXTH!!!

On a side note, I destroyed a tire at VIR. We are allowed 6 total, so we are into 5 now. I think it did it clipping a curb, but it had a slow leak and was down by my last lap of North Course. The cool-down on the flat tire didn't help... So the good news is we get rid of our spare tire we have been lugging around all week (for a day, new one coming tomorrow). Notice the over-stuffed trunk at the beginning of the trip:

And the Vic 1 finger close at VIR, post-tire disappearing:

After VIR we head to Beaver Run in PA and take a detour at our shop to address a rear shock mount issue. We installed the JRZ suspension on this car using a reinforced stock mount and it just isn't holding up. Basically, we have had effectively two non-existant rear shocks for the last few days which are not helping with laptimes! Marks looks them over and comes up with a solution with some Powerflex parts we have in stock. Rolling out of Dublin, VA, the 1 feels more planted than ever!

In-Car Video is Up!

2008-05-08T23:49:00.011-04:00

Join the BimmerWorld 135i from the driver's perspective, starting with my idiotic 100MPH off at TWS in the pouring rain. Alex reverted to his 8/10ths credo for a while, but I snuck it back up to 11/10 while Vic distracted.

BimmerWorld TV - In-Car Videos

Time to lap the Beav

2008-05-08T20:31:00.003-04:00

We get one good night's sleep, and get lazy on the blog- sorry!

Carolina Motorsports Park went GREAT yesterday. James rocked it: fastest BMW both sessions. That afternoon, we hit up the BMW Performance Center in Spartanburg, SC for an extended autocross type event. James had another great run - fastest BMW again, and 6th fastest overall! My Salazar hero Brian Hair would have been 2nd fastest overall if he didn't clip a cone to incur a 10 second penalty. The drive from South Carolina to Virginia International Raceway was relatively short (about 250 miles) so we got in pretty early. Instead of blogging it up, we enjoyed a beer or five with some of the other racers.

Hanging at the BMW Performance Center with more BMW friends. They're EVERYWHERE!!

Today, James kept up the superstar pace at Virginia International Raceway. 3rd and 4th in the morning overall (North and South courses), and 13th on the high-HP friendly Full Course. His stellar driving has us back in the hunt for a top 10 spot. Our Bimmer brethren also did a bang up job at VIR. We're tightly packed in the standings, and I'm sure we'll all be dreaming of Top 10 finishes tonight.

James at VIR. The Ford GT40 on the left was about to get into the pic...but was too slow :)

Now, we're headed to Beaver Run, outside of Pittsburgh, PA tonight. We made a quick stop at the BimmerWorld shop on the way up to have them look at our rear shocks. The stock shock mounts have deterioated from our abuse and the ONE's been a little unstable, making it an adventure to handle. Jason Marks, the BimmerWorld crew chief nailed down a solution, and sent us on our way with new mounts. We immediately felt the difference. James surmises that Marks' improved mounts would likely have given us a few seconds on each track. Would have been nice to have them at the start, but that's the drawback with being the first to do the research and develpment on a new car.

The ONE at the BimmerWorld shop - notice the Speed World Challenge cars in the background.

While at BimmerWorld, Alex and I snuck off with the keys to James' Turbo-Uber-Wagon. It's a 600-HP monster that was featured in Grassroots Motorsports last month. Apparently James thought we were joking when we asked him to take the wagon. I could have sworn that he gave us permission. That's my story at least. Our spirited drive to get burgers was more like a NASA rocket launch. Holy schnikeys - the massive turbo spooled up with the fury of a jet engine and slammed us into our seatbacks. For a moment, I thought we were going to hit hyperspace or go back in time...Alex was probably screaming for help, but I never heard him. We must have been going faster than sound. We rolled back into the shop sheepishly grinning from ear to ear.

I clown around with Rob at the shop - you can see the Turbo wagon and James' new M3 in the back.

Alex or I will likely drive Beaver tomorrow. We've both done well there in the past in Spec E30's. The contest is really tightening up, and the pressure is on. The BMW's have been doing very well, and we're all clumped together, leaning on the top ten. Bragging rights are also on the line. With the forecast calling for rain, it should be a wild ride. Spirits are high in the mighty ONE, and we can't wait for tomorrow.

No sleep? No problem!

2008-05-06T23:09:00.003-04:00

We are on the road for Carolina Motorsports Park...500 miles in, and 300 to go. It's gonna be another late night. No problem.

That's the theme for the day - no problem. We were at No Problem Raceway near Baton Rouge, Louisiana today. James rocked out two great sessions - top BMW both times 'round. Then the organizers dropped a bomb on us and decided to run a drag racing event. We were hoping to get out early for the long trip, and we were glad that yesterday's drag race (at Lonestar drag strip in Texas) was rained out. Our car makes a lot of power. It's enough to make me giggle every time I get on the gas. However, a lot of the cars on One Lap make "stupid" power. We just can't compete in a straight line with the horsepower monsters. We had an average showing but we're still rocking our class, and still hoping to move up as we run through tracks closer to home.

James smokes the brakes at No Problem.

Before the drag, some of the BMW nuts hangout. Brian Hair (in orange) looks over for tips on which gang sign to flash. Brian hasn't needed any tips on how to drive so far. Without having driven ANY of the tracks so far, he has been tearing it up, and is the second fastest BMW, with sights on the overall Top Ten. I taught him everything he knows.

And yeah, the M3 got us in the drag race...

On the way out, we couldn't resist the draw of the big easy.

Also, Harold and David ROCK! They are BMW drivers who hosted us at No Problem, gave us a cool garage to hang out in, gave James some insider advice on how to run the track, brought us lunch, snacks, and even bought us a tank of gas...I've been really touched by all the bimmer fans who have come out and supported us. Thanks guys!

On the other end of the spectrum, you've got the Alabama police. 11 cop cars in 10 miles, starting right at the state line. They must have thought that we were smuggling donuts...and they're probably Duke fans.

--sorry if the formatting is messed up. I blame the Alababa police. They're at fault...somehow.

What makes the BimmerWorld 135i tick - Build List

2008-05-06T19:29:00.001-04:00

Sorry if this is late in coming, but here is the list of work that we have done on the 135i to turn it into the One Lap
car. It started as a minimal option car with the sport package. Additions include:

Engine/Driveline:
Active Autowerke piggyback ECU
Active Autowerke intercooler
Active Autowerke blow-off valve kit
Streamline panel filter
Riss Racing downpipes (catless)
Burger Tuning O2 sims – to keep the CEL light off with the downpipes
Diffsonline 3.46 limited slip differential

Suspension/Handling:
BimmerWorld/JRZ coilover suspension – with JRZ RS dampers and adjustable camber plates
BimmerWorld Evo stainless brakelines
Performance Friction ZR28 front brake kit
D-Force 18x9 LTW-5 wheels
Michelin PS-2 255/35-18 tires

We pulled about 40# out of the front with the PFC brake system. The D-Force wheels and tires take out about 20 more and the suspension is good for another 10-15. We have been pulling out our rear and passenger seats making the total weight of the car minus driver about 3100#. The power of the car is excellent and we have had no issues with check engine lights or limp mode to date. We have enough power to keep us in the game even in a small engine car (which is extremely impressive considering the V8 and V10 competition), and the handling characteristics make up the difference to put us near the front of the pack on this adventure. The brakes (with PFC 01 race pads) are neough to lock up just enough to send a puff of smoke flying before ABS hits. The suspension is one we use for full race and high-end street – meaning we have the ability to dial it in to a variety of conditions. This is one of the reasons the car was so fast in the rain at TWS – dial back the JRZ dampers and it is compliant.

After One Lap, the car will go back to BimmerWorld for some fine-tuning of some of the systems we have developed. At this point, I am pretty happy with the first crack at this new platform!

More pics from Texas

2008-05-05T19:53:00.004-04:00

Tough day today - Racing is filled with Highs and Lows. No matter the slip-up today - we're in high spirits, since the drive to Baton Rouge, Louisiana is a short one. We just hit Louisiana, and are on the lookout for food that is not sold on a shelf next to beef jerky.

Here are some pics of us messing around in the garages.

The driver decides to get his manicured hands dirty.

I'm not driving today, so I'm eager to help. James doesn't appear to need the help.

Hmph.

Now there's heavy lifting involved. James is happy to resume managerial duties.

P.S. If Coach K is reading this blog - don't kid yourself. Coach Gary Williams owns you...I gotta remember to log out of the blog before giving the laptop back to James!

Hero to Zero

2008-05-05T19:29:00.002-04:00

This morning I put the 135i in 5th place in the rain - awesome!! Moved us back up to 9th overall and with a rainy PM session, we were planning to move up even more, especially on the short course that took away some of the HP advantages of the other cars in front of us.

Alex and I pose for a picture commemorating the event. This is about the point that the decision is made to reach down from the heavens and smack me - the NFL calls this a celebration penalty.

This PM - I spin it in 1 and blaze through the grass sideways to stop in a little marsh that has formed due to the weather. And since I can't get out, the session is finally red flagged when someone realizes the little blue car is missing. Causing a red flag = DNF = no points = poor, poor showing.

I hang my head in shame, we pack up the car as quickly as possible, and head to No Problem Raceway in LA where I hope to start what I will call my Run to Redemption.

Video will follow shortly, I will throw a link up.

Some pictures we have been slow to post...

2008-05-05T19:16:00.003-04:00

Not always easy to post pictures along the way, so we have been a little slack. Here are some from the road:

James in the office at Road America

Using all the track in T5 at Road America

Alex takes over what turned into our all-night drive to get brake rotors. This is claimed to be the biggest truck stop in the world on I-80. I've seen bigger.

Morning of the second morning. This was supposed to have been seen from a hotel window...

Vic - Alex took this one - he is either calling his position or telling Alex he will be going off in T1 again because he is driving no-hands - both plausible

The warm invitation to Ned's hous in KC!

Alex - the earplugs are his comentary on my iPod, not so he can sleep...

Several thoughts from Sat night/Sun day - more later

2008-05-05T01:20:00.003-04:00

My turn to sleep as we enter TX. I learned or observed a few things that I will share today:

-IL troupers are sneaky. I think my keen powers of observation last night avoided some poorly choreographed 3-cruiser takedown. 1 Series -1, Cops - 0.
- Vic should practice what he preaches - not signing out on a shared computer is seemingly an invitation.
- Indiana has at least one monster raccoon, who thanks to dumb luck is still alive today
- Dumb luck is better than skill - I brushed the brakes last night to take an exit and the raccoon which would have otherwise taken out our aftermarket (=PITA to replace) AA intercooler, custom oil cooler, and radiator slipped by 5' in front of us.
- The Kansas City BMW Club Chapter is AWESOME!!! Yet another warm welcome from those guys who came to see us at MAM today, then after mentioning ribs, Ned Smith invited us to his house for a BBQ and a shower. Great times!
-The driver's seat of the 1 is the best seat in the house. You pay for it though. My all night drive last night was comfy, but sleep is more important tonight. I opted for stretched across the back seat instead of front seat with head bouncing off window.

End of a very long day

2008-05-05T01:04:00.003-04:00

My turn to drive to wrap up the TX transition. I slept like a baby in the back all night last night wile my two awesome co-drivers shouldered my share - so I could prep for MAM. Really regretting I took one of those Coach K pounding the Terps beatings today. I wish I was as fast as my co-drivers Alex and James.

Don't get an M5 - you'll beat me!

2008-05-04T22:59:00.003-04:00

If you haven't seen the Pontiac commercial, where Pontiac pits its G8 against the M5, gooogle it and check it out. It is hilarious in a sad way. Any clown that would pick a G8 over an M5 should just give up and buy a Prius. Let me put it this way, no G8's trounced me today...but some M5's did.

Mid-America was a little disappointing for me. I flew in last month to learn the track, and had a blast beating on a poor (and really worthless) Chevy HHR rental car. Sherida White, a local BMWCCA instructor was nice enough to teach me the fast line, and give me a ride in his smoking fast 318ti. Thanks again Sheridan! With Sheridan's help, I thought I had the track down, and in a low horsepower car, like my 170 HP Spec E30, I could do some damage. However, in our 135, I had trouble staying smooth, and just didn't have my A game. Mid-America really is tricky. The track is really wide, but is very crowned, so you're best bet is to stay on the favorably cambered parts, and not do a traditional outside-inside-outsdie. I had two "offs" into the grass which each cost us a few seconds, and valuable points overall. Rookie mistakes that I should not have made. Oh well. At least I don't drive a G8.

Both M5's did great today. My fellow salazarian Brian Hair rocked it hard, and was the fastest BMW in the morning session, and I think in the afternoon session too. Nice work Brian!

Right now, we're in transit, in Oklahoma, to Texas. I'm really bummed that we're not running at Hallett, which is a fantastic little track in Oklahoma. Lack of sleep has really caught up with me, and the miles to Texas can't melt away quick enough. It's getting to Alex too, as he has taught us to not leave yourself logged in to the blog, or someone might just add an addendum to your post ;)

Retraction

2008-05-04T22:27:00.001-04:00

Actually, I take that back. Vic just put in my iPod and played 30 minutes of abba's greatest hits followed by the Grease Soundtrack for me. I was in heaven.

Cinco De Mayo

2008-05-04T21:56:00.002-04:00

Mid America pic

2008-05-04T21:56:00.001-04:00

Vic on track.

Out of the waste land.

2008-05-04T21:39:00.002-04:00

After two tracks and the wet skid pad we sit at 13th overall and first in class. I think we are in the cat bird seat. If prior to the start of this ordeal you had asked me where I hoped to be in the standings as we rode out of Iowa; 13th would have been about as good as I could have realistically hoped for.

Neither Mid America or Road America were predicted to be good tracks for us. Road America is a high hp track that does not favor our comparatively under powered (less than 400 hp) little car. And, none of us has spent any appreciable time at Mid America- 13th place leaves us within striking distance of the top 10 as we head toward more friendly asphalt.

Assuming that nothing goes horribly wrong, I expect us to make a steady assault on the front runners as we race on very familiar tracks like CMP, The BMW performance Center, Texas World Speedway and of course BimmerWorlds home track, VIR. Should be a very interesting 3 or 4 days and I am predicting good results.

Alex

Ps-Vic and James have the absolute worst taste in music of any two humans on the planet. If you have a love of 80’s techno, big hair heavy metal, reggae that Bob Marley never heard of and George Michael and Elton John duets, speeding across the flat states in a Bimmerworld 135 is the place to be.

Make that Two Lap...

2008-05-03T22:55:00.002-04:00

Car #34 (read the 8th place overall car) is headed back through IN for a second shot as I type...

First, the official results are in! We are actually the second fastest BMW. Catesby Jones knocked out a 0.91 in the skidpad (2nd) and 10th? at Road America. Vic's skidpad final is 8th and I pulled 16rh at Road America. I think there were 4 mechanical and damage casualties by the time my (second)group was done. Doing well will definitely be about consistency for us - not enough tire, wheelbase, or power to do it with an overdog (or on par) car alone.

Now the fun. We have some pretty worn brake rotors. Alex pointed this out and I was going to bring spares on my plane, but I was running late and couldn't find them quickly, so I decided to have them shipped to us later. We have been keeping an eye on things. After Road America (three straights that I pegged the speed limiter at 150 and slower it for a 3rd gear corner), we inspected. The ears that connect the rotor disc to the center hat are cracked. All of them. Sketchy!

For you techy guys, here is my thought... The floating rotors (this is a race version) float a lot. And we have been driving on race pads, operating way on the low side of out of their temperature range - meaning they are very abrasive. Also, we have no pad clips due to the racing version pads, and they are 4 piston, 4 pad - lots of leading edges to bite. And here is the kicker - newer BMWs have a feature built into the electronics system that keeps the pads close to the rotor at all times to be better prepared for an emergency stop. This, coupled with our racing rotor float spec, means the car is automatically applying light braking pressure often to the system. All this equals high rates of rotor wear!

This sends us into a whirlwind of logistical fury. I have parts at the shop but at 6PM with no close large hub airport and we need parts in Iowa at 8:30 AM tomorrow. The drive from our shop is 1200 miles - with 14 hours to go it would take som eimpressive speeds to make that happen. Then it occurs to me - my buddy Bill Heumann who now wishes he had looked away and walked on by me, leaving me thinking he was still in China on Friday, has the same Performance Friction brake discs we are using (not an Advance Auto part) in Louisville, KY. I track him down at dinner, but with the Derby, his airport is busy and we can't find anything that helps there either.

One of Bill's friends finally calls back and agrees to drive the parts to IN to meet us in our rerouted trip! But now instead of a 580 mile drive tonight, we are looking at arriving when the track opens after a good 8-900. Small proce for getting to see mile after mile of cornfields again. As a bonus, I am in the back working on my laptop and with 1100# rear springs (about 3x stiffer than a stock car) my head bounces into the roof at roughly every bump.

Being back on track is pretty awesome. Racing is all about comaraderie and friendships and having a friend like Bill who is willing to find us a part and figure out a way to get it to us at 8PM on a Saturday night is a good feeling.

More tomorrow from me when I am not bouncing around in the back of the car and when I can dig out the camera to add pictures. Vic is on for MAM tomorrow, then we have about 1000 miles to TX. Good thing we are getting a good night's sleep tonight to prepare. Does the fun ever start?

Newman...

2008-05-03T13:14:00.004-04:00

Road America. The chunky little postal worker of tracks for me. The first time I was there I was in a Miata in which the exhaust came off halfway through the raceand dumped CO in the car to the point I had to go to medical. The trip before last in World Challenge I flipped my car in the gravel trap in Turn 1, put it in a tire wall when a suspension arm broke, and then flipped again in T1 in the last lap of the race when another suspension failure ocurred (from 3rd position). Last time, yet ANOTHER suspension failure - broken bolt sent me into the wall on the inside of T1 - variety...

As I was telling Alex (proud owner of our 135) my accounts, he stressed the comment made in the driver's meeting earlier - "this is an 8/10ths event - don't push too hard". Wierd. But 8/10ths doesn't cut it. No pressure, but after Vic's morning performance, it is time for me to lay it down and I am going to err more on the 11 side of 10... With any luck, bad luck comes in threes and we will be driving away from Road America on our own four wheels!

High pressure jobs

2008-05-03T11:09:00.003-04:00

Get some. I just finished driving the Tire Rack Wet Skid Pad shootout. Tire Rack put the sprinklers on their skid pad, which is bascally a 300-foot radius circle. Driving the skid pad is not difficult, but there's pressure to do well at such a seemingly simple event. Think of it as having to kick 20-yard field goals over and over.

We were the 34th car to run, and I nabbed 6th place overall, and 1st in class. The skip pad is a test of how many G's the car can pull. We pulled an unofficial average of 0.889 G's. Not too shabby in the wet. I do like to think that they're some driver's skill involved...if the results hold, then it's skill :) The JRZ suspension did it's thing and kept the car planted.

With 200 plus miles to drive to Road America, we packed up our stuff and hit the road. I'm writing from the car right now, while the rest of the field runs, so we don't if our scores will hold up.

Next up is James at Road America. AAOOOOWWW!!! One Lap baby!

Fun times, fun times...

2008-05-02T21:19:00.002-04:00

Headed out early this AM with no sleep - not a problem. Got to the airport nice and early for once - which of course means my flight was delayed. Apparently Chicago was having storms - I ALWAYS avoid Philly and Chicago, but not this time. So we take off 40 minutes late and really I could care less because as soon as I sit down I am out. I did catch the fact however, that we took off and started circling - apparently we got the green light, then got put off and may not have flown to Chicago.

Finally we headed that direction and landed - about an hour and change late. Again, too tired to get the finer points, my connection to South Bend was either canceled or I missed it, but I was told I was booked for the 8:30 flight the next morning - hot. I started to stand in the customer service line which was not moving and the guy in front of me was ready to pop - for about 30 minutes straight which is no small feat. Oddly enough, the madder and ruder he got, the funnier I thought it was and the better mood I got in. In the middle of this, Bill Heumann (IP racer) grabbed me as he was walking by on his way back from China - wild. Finally I called it quits, got a one way rental for about the same price I paid for the round trip flight I was missing, and got on the road. Hyundais are seemingly junk - all the harshness of a sports car but absolutely NONE of the capability.

Anyway. I get on the road, drive a couple of hours, and get to Tire Rack in time for the driver's meeting - at least the last half. Well, I am at least starting this deal out in familiar territory. I spot Chris from the BMW Performance Center and sit down, scanning the room for my co-drivers. I am tired and oblivious and for some reason I mis Vic??? The meeting goes on for a bit, then I go and register, then its decal time.

The guys had already done the required decals and did a hell of a job with them. We packed them nice and tight to give the paying sponsors some room to spread out. Here is the quick pre-decal and post-decal view...

Vic, Alex, and I, ready to rock out...

At this point, we are ready to start driving at the Skidpad Shootout tomorrow AM at 9, so it is time to go return my rental, make a futile attempt to get my l

uggage that United seems to have on a different priority level than I do, and get dinner and maybe a beer or three. Sombreros rotate at every stop, it is my turn to stuff it in the car. Coupled with the first time we have all 3 actually been in the 135 AT THE SAME TIME, opening the sunroof gives the hat a little room to breathe, but does nothing for our comfort level. Oh well. 10 miles down, 4k+ to go...

Friday - Day zero

2008-05-02T21:04:00.003-04:00

Whew...not exactly an easy first day, but better than the best day at work. The 2nd leg of James' flight to South Bend, Indiana was cancelled. James jumped in a rental car and drove the two hours from Chicago just in time for the driver's meeting (without his luggage). Meanwhile Alex and I registred, and ran off to pick up some supplies that James asked for. These prima-donna drivers require constant attention and coddling.

James asked for some specific products to get our decal package on right. Alex and I whined about the extra trip to Wal-Mart, but we certainly can't argue with the results. James got in, we knocked out decals, and the car looks fantastic. I'll be surprised if Alex ever takes them off. We'll get pictures up tonight - I promise.

We ran into our buddies Neil Simon, Woody and Brian Hair, Barry Battle, Robin Sparrow, to name a few. We also met Mike Renner and Chris Thompson with BMW. They are running a factory-backed BMW M3. They made fun of our tight living quarters for the next week. I'm one of those nuts that says that any M3 since the E30 is a luxury boat, but man it would be nice to have some legroom. Being the smallest of our trio, I usually get stuck in the backseat, with the sombrero.

Tomorrow morning, I'll be driving the Wet Skid Pad shootout at Tire Rack. We immediately head off to Road America, where James is going to lay a smackdown. We're prepping tonight with beer and sleep...two comforts that we will likely not enjoy for the next week. At least I've got clean socks and draws. James will be borrowing Alex's if United airlines doesn't find his bag :)

...pics to follow soon!

Nothing like no time...

2008-05-02T06:13:00.002-04:00

I have been training for the One Lap all week - all month actually, by getting no sleep, trying to slam way to much work into way too little time. It is 6:15 in the AM and I am just about done for the night, ready to pack, and then to catch my 9:40 flight to IN (reminds me - check weather and leave bulky clothes at home if possible!)

Since the inception of this stellar idea, we have been prepping equipment and ourselves. I have visited 5 of the tracks we will be driving on in the last month - kind of a starter One Lap, but I cheated and flew some. The process, combined with a regular race schedule, means I have been in the office about 8 days last month and looking for a similar performance in May due to the OLOA trip and UT and Lime Rock races the two weekends after. Does the fun ever stop?

IPod almost done synching with the new stuff I loaded for the trip. Now if Alex and Vic had just remembered to bring that other little required piece of electronics gadgetry - the V1... I am told it will arrive Saturday. Until then, I Vic is happy to drive over 100 on the way up last night flying blind.