Thunderbolt Race Weekend

[fasthonda]

hey darren and bob!   man, i'm sorry i couldn't make it last weekend;  i'd have had a BALL!

but, i am spending my time (and money) wisely;   the last two weekends i've been working on my lotus super seven super sprint (any of you RTR'ers remember that car?  i blew it up in late 2002;  hasn't been on track since!).   rebuilt motor is now in;  i have hooked up all the ancillaries and gone over everything;   another 3 hrs of 'this and that' and i should be ready to turn the key!!!!!     then, its off to Turkey Bowl 2009 at the end of this month (hopefully!).

racing is like this -- it's all about knowing when to take the (big) chance, at the right time.   you have to be aggressive, but not so much that there is a good chance that something 'bad' happens and it takes you out....    but, being too timid is almost as bad, or worse;   the other guys will smell blood in the water and will 'swarm' you, jamming in everywhere, passing everywhere.  and you'll get taken out this way, too!   it's a balance, trying to find the speed, and the aggression, and also taking care of the car, and the tires, and the brakes.   and then there is working the lap traffic, too!   its all those things that make up the BIG difference between DE'ing (even at a 'high' level;  the black and the red group) and wheel-to-wheel racing.....   it is a huge difference in skill level, racing vs lapping.   i like to explain it like this -- lapping at a DE you can expend just about all your brain power and concentration on the driving aspect (with a little bit of brain power expended on watching for flags and keeping your eyes up, etc).   during a race, i am using the majority of my brain power on 'racecraft' and making 'plans';  how to keep darren behind me!   and how to use the slower miata lap traffic to make it harder for him to stay on my bumper!  or how to set up a pass somewhere on track where he doesn't expect it, or better yet, can't defend against it!     racing wheel to wheel is SO much more, in so many ways.   generally, it can't really be explained too well;  it just has to be experienced!

cruising around in the red group (or any advanced group, with any club) is downright relaxing compared to a 'real' race.   but the adrenaline rush of a race is something to behold -- it's up there with very few things in life!!!!! 

todd