NASA Race Weekend at VIR (RTR appearances)

[Darren]

Check out Bobby T. in the wet! The video is from a very fast e36 M3 in Bob's class (Eric Wong who has driven with us at Summit before, and who lurks around here on the forum sometimes), and Bob dive bombs into turn 1 at a million mph...whoa!

http://tinyurl.com/2t2thg

After Bob's banzai pass, Eric does a wonderful job of avoiding a driver who spins in front of him and never goes both feet in -- here is why you go both feet in!!

Bob went on take overall victory in his class.  Shannon T. ran in the time trials and took 1st in her class as well!

We had 12 cars running in the PTE class, the biggest field yet!  Todd and I had a nice battle on Saturday....Sunday he was suffering on old tires and a total loss of traction with the cold and the wet.  I have to find some videos from the race on Sunday -- there were AT LEAST 10 Miatas that wrecked during our race! It was nuts!!

[Phokaioglaukos]

Did Bob go two wheels off on the outside triggering the spin?

[Darren]

Nope! I don't think so!  Bob drops his LR off at track out it looks like, but he has the car on track and under control when the red car spins.  It looks like maybe the red car still had the wheel turned and then shifted, I don't think he opened it up, so when he lifted with the wheel turned at the limit, he had snap oversteer.

[bobt993]

Doug, (red car) went on throttle early in the worst part of the corner.  He almost spun on the start also.   A dozen plus cars spun in that area of the track due to wet and oily conditions on the track.  I knew that it would be dicey and caught the car at the track edge.  I was well in front when that happened.  I think Doug wanted to get back on me before Nascar.  I slowed down after I entered the track to avoid putting alot of dirt in the way of cars behind me. With 60 cars on track, I think 20 went fully off.  It was a tough race. 

If I did not get away at the start, there was no way I could get in front of the M3s.  My car was more than 300 lbs overweight for class as it is set up for PCA stock class.  I am considering changing to fully NASA GTS and just running PCA as exihibition.

 need sleep........:?

http://bobt993.neptune.com?selectedalbum=bobt993355692

[Phokaioglaukos]

Pretty cool, Bob! That looked like a big slide you caught in T1 with at least two wheels off. Nice wipers, though....

After you get some sleep, tell us more about PCA and NASA racing as you think about it for your car. NASA seems to be growing great guns and drawing people from BMW and PCA club racing and also from the SCCA.

[bobt993]

A couple more comments before I get some sleep:

My car was 300 lb heavier than the M3s with the same HP.  At the start in the dry they pulled, but not much more than in the vid.  In the wet, I had better traction and did not loose too much ground at all. 

Now in PCA,  with cars that are supposed to be the same hp/weight, I lose 10 car lengths at the start by T1 at the Glen, same at Summit.   I hope that puts a general answer to  your question of what is different.   

NASA has a very simple rule platform, so to not allow interpretation and even the playing field.  Tom D last year qualified 1st at Summit with 3 M3's less than a .1 secs behind him.  The finish was just as tight and you get to race against cars that have advantages and flaws against your car.  It really makes you work on tactics and racecraft alot more. 

[Phokaioglaukos]

Congratulations on a great race.

[Darren]

Here's Todd's video from the small bore race.  I'm in the Crapura Integra in front of him, white car blue trunk.  We get a full course yellow after turn 5 and then restart at the s/f.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=...2096&hl=en

He had no grip whatsoever!!!

Hopefully the Probemeister will chime in....

[fasthonda]

hi guys!

the Probenstien is still not anywhere near 'right' after its close up interview with the T6 wall last month.....  it turns left pretty OK, but won't turn right.  something is still bent up and amiss in the front suspension somewheres.....

that race on sunday in the clip;  it was on and off wet all day.  i just couldn't decide which tires to use;  earlier in the month i had purchased a real nice set of used wet tires, but i didn't want to chance ruining them on a drying track during the race.  my dry tires were hankook z214s, but they were on their 14th race day, and were quite worn and heat cycled.  they weren't working well in the 41 deg temps and drizzle.  i gambled and went with last year's street tires (hankook z212 rs-II tires).  i hadn't used them since the turkey bowl's one hour mini enduro race.  i had overheated them a bit during that race, but they still had some tread and looked ok.

during the race on sunday, it was immediately apparent that they weren't ok!!!  it was like driving on frozen snot;  almost zero grip for me.  the car was so very slidey and skatey, and i had to drive it with extremely quiet hands and inputs.  i typically really enjoy driving in the wet, but that race, with the poor tire choice and bent suspension was not much fun.  it was a victory for me just to finish without crashing out!!!!

see y'all soon!

todd

[magnetic1]

Darren wrote

(Eric Wong who has driven with us at Summit before, and who lurks around here on the forum sometimes), and Bob dive bombs into turn 1 at a million mph...whoa!

http://tinyurl.com/2t2thg

Lurker... that I am

Fun race... a couple weeks later I did the same thing that Doug did and nearly got T-boned

http://brakeswapracing.com/ericwong/vide...oStart.wmv

Bob/Tom: Apparently there is a PCA vs. BMWCCA ClubRace at BeaverRun 7/12-7/13. You guys thinking about going?