My SCCA Run Offs Experience
Sorry this is so long, but I want to share with everyone my 2010 SCCA Run Offs experience. To say that the week finished well for me is an understatement.
First some background. 2009 from June on through June of 2010 was a tough year of racing for me. Between those dates I blew three race motors (2 Viper V10s and one Mazda 4-cylinder turbo), wrecked my T1 Viper at the 2009 Run Offs, and almost wrote-off my new Viper testing at Mid Ohio.
At last year’s Run Offs race I spun into the gravel trap outside Canada Corner. Canada Corner is a significant spot in all of this, for several reasons. First, it’s where I ended my 2009 season, #2. a good friend of mine blew a motor in his T1 Corvette at the June Sprints there, and then wrecked the same car testing for the Run Offs. There is a fourth reason, which I will get too later in the story.
This year was also my wife, Janet’s, first SCCA Run Offs. She could never go with me because someone had to “watch” our daughter. Since our girl is now in college, we now have an empty nest and hence Janet can go to a few races with me.
My Run Offs race week started later than most, as I could not arrive at the track until Tuesday afternoon. That daughter I mentioned? We had to move her belongings into her dorm at The Ohio State University on Thursday, then attend a niece’s wedding Saturday, then drop Rachael off in Columbus Sunday. Monday I had some housekeeping to do at the office, so we left for Elkhart Lake first thing Tuesday morning.
This put me behind the eight-ball. Monday’s qualifying session was likely the best of the three available. My first time on the track was Wednesday morning.
The Kryderacing crew made some significant changes to the suspension since the last time I drove the car in August. The net effect is that I am experiencing significantly more front tire grip, to the point that my first session on Wednesday was scary to me as the front bit and the rear was lose. I was able to clock a 2:19.300 to get into the show, but I was sorely disappointed in that result. But I got seven laps and had notes to refer to to improve the car.
Changes were made in the car before Thursday’s afternoon session. I was told by several people afterwards that Thursday’s session was the slowest of the three. I was able to run a 2:19.153, which was .020 seconds faster than the number two qualifier, Jerry Onks, who drives a beautiful C6 LS7 Corvette.
SCCA Tech helped me a bit in obtaining the pole position. The fastest car/driver combination of the qualifying sessions was the M3 BMW of Joe Koening. But his 2:17.600 lap time from Monday was thrown out because of “non-compliant” gasoline. I understand that the fuel he used was the same as I had in my car, but that batch didn’t pass SCCA’s tech.
So, for 2010, I was the SCCA Run Offs STO pole winner! That turned out to be pretty cool as Gum Out held a “Pole Winner” awards ceremony on Thursday after all the qualifying sessions were finished. All 29 class low qualifiers were present. What a thrill to be associated with such a great group of racers!
Sunday morning was our race. We were in a combined group with Touring One (T1). This was significant in that something quite spectacular, and not in a good way, happened in that race.
One good thing that winning the pole position brings is the ability to set the beginning-of-the race pace. The can be big if your car has certain strengths. The Viper I drive has a really good bottom end torque level, so I wanted a slower start speed. If I was in a Ferrari, with its miniscule torque but greater HP level, a higher starting speed would be my preference.
I matched the pace-car’s speed and held that range until the green flag dropped. The driver in the outside pole position did move up about one car length ahead of me before the green flag dropped. In talking with him afterwards, it was a misunderstanding on his part as to what the rules say. But what I don’t understand is that the person waving the green flag has to know what the rules are, and that start should have been waived off.
Nevertheless we rocketed down the front straight and I was able to regain the lead entering Turn One. I held the lead for the entire lap, but about mid-way through the first lap the double-yellow flags indicating a Full Coarse Yellow came out. Something was up.
My radio wasn’t working at the time, I found out later that the plug that connected the head-set and my microphone pulled out of the radio. So I had no idea that was happening behind me. When I approached the top of the hill on the front straight, I found out.
Remember me referencing the T1 race and something big happening? Well, 6 cars, one Viper and 5 Corvettes, crashed right after the start/finish line. One of the top qualifiers, John Heinricy (11 time Run Offs Champion) experienced a mechanical failure while shifting from second to third gear. The car behind him, driven by Jim Lynch, tried to evade the Corvette by going right. Unfortunately there was the fifth place qualifier, Tom Sloe, right there. A big pile-up ensued. No one was hurt, but several of these cars will never race again.
Our race was “red flagged” and we waited an hour while the track was cleared and the cement barriers were reset.
The restart was clean and I again took the lead. However, just before I crossed the start/finish line I was passed by the Joe Koening driven BMW. To say I was shocked is an understatement. I expected the speed that the Jerry Onks Corvette displayed, but I was not anticipating the power displayed by the 4.4 liter BMW. This is a credit to the preparation of the Fall Line people, as well as the driving of Joe Koening. He got a great jump on me exiting Turn 14 and the additional speed carried him past me going up the front straight.
So I set my sights on catching that beautiful BMW. Since the race was a restart, we only had 15 minutes to “get it done,” rather than the 13 laps scheduled. I estimated 7, maybe 8 laps. No more. It turned out 7 was it.
I turned a faster lap in each succeeding lap, excepting lap 6, which was full of cars that we had to lap. Coming to the start/finish line for lap number seven, the started held up the “one to go” sign. I knew if I was going to do something, I had only 4 miles to do it. I had those 4 miles to close the 5-car length gap between the BMW and me, PLUS find a way past him.
As I said earlier, this was my wife Janet’s first Run Offs. She was watching the race from Turn Five, and saw when we passed that section that I was five cars behind. She told me later that she started to think of who she could ride home with rather than going with me, because she knew I would be a miserable SOB if I finished second.
She then started praying to Saint Jude, the patron saint of lost causes.
Right about then, I was probably going through the “Kink” at 119 MPH and thinking to myself, “Let’s try to get close to him and see if he makes a mistake.” The next corner was the infamous-for-me Canada Corner.
But this year my luck changed! Exiting Canada Corner, I was about 1 ½ car lengths behind Joe Koening. I got on the gas, but his car didn’t. He checked up (later, he told me the car shut off when he shifted into 2nd gear) and that gave me the opportunity to pass him. All I had to do I avoid rear-ended him, which I did by going wide-left a bit.
The 2010 SCCA STO Run Offs was mine as long as I negotiated Turns 13 and 14. I did so. In fact, lap 7, our last lap, was my fastest lap. I turned a 2:17.029, which set a new track record for the class.
I turned the “hat trick” at the Run Offs: Pole; track record, and race win. Can’t beat that!
My cool down lap was filled with “woo hooo’s” I sounded like a hill billy for the entire 4 miles. In fact, I was still “woo hooing” when I drove into Indiana! To say I was happy is a gross understatement.
I was interviewed by GoRacingTV. I don’t know when the rebroadcast will air, but rest assured I am going to find out.
The sweetest thing in racing is spending time in impound after winning a big race. What a great sense of accomplishment.
I am fortunate to have the support of some great people in my racing efforts. Obviously having my wife and daughter behind me is huge. They don’t get to many races, but they keep my home life stable and trouble-free. This allows me to focus on making money and racing.
I am also fortunate to have the great people of Kryderacing, Inc. providing support. Matt Miller, Matt Carson and Jerry Palmer built this car and improve it each and every week. Sandi Kryder takes care of all the administrative tasks like travel arrangements and such; and her husband Reed Kryder is the best mentor a driver like me can have.
My friends at Hoosier, Bruce Foss, Jeff Spears, Tim Gilvin and Terry Gilven provide us with the best racing tires in the business. The family of Mike Puskar, with his sons Dan, Chris and Andrew, and their company Carbotech brakes, keep my Viper stopping from 165 MPH lap after lap.
One of the best gifts a driver can give to the people working on his car is a car returned in one piece after a race. The very best gift that driver can hand over to his crew is a Championship. I am so thankful I was able to do so for these friends of mine who make all of this possible.
