Janni
Enthusiast
Sorry for the delay - even though we got back yesterday (Tom Sessions was driving for us) we've just been too tired to post.
The weekend started off a bit funny when we realized that the distance from DFW to College Station was not the 120 miles in the Finals packet, but 210 miles.... so the 8:40 AM flight on Monday wasn't looking like a great idea....
We arrived at the track at about 7:30 Thursday night. Tom met us shortly thereafter. After some brief unloading and visiting with the Archer crew and Don Cochran and Nancy Stein, we headed back to the hotel and to grab a bite to eat.
Friday morning brought beautiful weather and we unloaded the car. After working non-stop for the psat 4 weeks to get the car ready after the incident at BeaveRun, it was nice to finally be here. And, it was nice to have a practice day to shake down the car - since it had only traveled about 50 yards under its own power since being put back together. Since we didn't have any pieces left over - and nothing was dragging or clanging- we figured we were good to go.
Fridays sessions went well - with Henry and Jim Stout sharing information and Motec data. With those guys 15 points apart in the overall standings - it's nice to see them helping one another. Friday night, after a lovely reception, we retired to the Cold Stone Creamery with Marshall and Barbara Dickler, Darren, Tom and Jim Garrett. After a sufficient sugar buzz (thaks, Barbara!) - Henry and I reveiwed some data and looked at some video.
Friday morning, Henry wanted to try a couple of changes to lines and gears, so he went out in the 9:00 - 9:30 session. All was going well and he had dropped some time, until I get a call on the radio that the car is broken - won't go - either clutch, transmission or half-shaft. The wrecker tows him and and after some quick reviews, we determine it to be the clutch. With 1.5 hours until qualifying, we were scrambling to try to make it. And here's who we need to thank:
1. Tom Sessions. What would we do without Tom? He's about the only person (besides me) that Henry trusts to tear his car apart, put back together and then go all out on the track without being able to do any additional checking.
2. John Archer. He has the parts. He has the knowledge. And he will do everything in his power to make sure that you win or lose on the track - not in the pits. John brought parts, fluid, tools - etc. anything we needed to get that car finished.
3. Eddie Martin. With lightning fast diagnosis - does 4th gear work? No? Then it's a clutch - he came over to offer any assistance.
4. Bill Lamb. With the "big house" towing a stacker trailer - it was instantly converted into "the shop" and we dragged the car in and started tearing stuff apart.
5. Aaron Vanassche. He dove in and helped us get the car loading onto the lift.
6. Newt Watson. Outstanding crew chief, great driver and good friend - Newt was always there to help.
7. Seth Palatnik. For keeping me sane and talking me thorugh some things.
8. Marshall Dickler. Who told us that since he wasn't in the points chase, if Henry's car had not been fixed - he was going to offer to have him drive HIS Comp Coupe. Amazing.
And there are others.
At about 11:18, we were done - clutch swapped and new tires put on. We headed for the grid. Unfortunately, a blown motor had closed the track due to excessive oiling. Qualifying was over - we missed it. We were now 10 points behind in the standings and would have to start dead last BOTH DAYS.
The race was cut to 10 laps in order to even out the track time lost due to the oil issue. Not a lot of time to catch Jim - who was gridded second - behind Bobby Archer. The green flag dropped early and caught Henry off guard so his start was less than stellar. However, Jim had an early off in turn 13 that allowed Henry to make some good passes and make it to the front in 3 laps. Bobby was black flagged due to body work on the number 50 being a bit loose. henry ran the rest of the race in front. At the end of the day, Henry was leading Jim by 20 points.
It would all come down to Sunday.
But first, we all attended the gala Saturday night banquet. Since the National Champs were not yet decided in any class, Michelin Challenge Series regional trophies and all the perpetual trophies were given out. As usual, it was a stunning display of crystal and a top nitch event. Some highlights included Skip announcing Hendrick Dodge of Cary as a main presenting sponsor of Viper Days for 2006 along with a special Viper only toll free number for all your DOdge needs. Please remember this when it comes time to purchase our next vehicle - contact info will be up on the Viper Days website SOON. Also, Tricel Corporation signed on as a new sponsor - thanks, Steve Loudin! On a personal note, Henry was awarded the "Hard Charger - Paul Mumford Memorial" perpetual trophy. It was very emotional and we are both very honored to take care of this for the next year.
Sunday morning came WAY too early - so we slept in a little - as we had decided not to run either practice session - instead saving our car and tires for the inverted grid race. The race was scheduled for 24 laps - the longest of the season. Oh goody - we all know how I love sitting in the pits with my heart pounding for 45 minutes.... trying to sound calm on the radio....
The green flag dropped and we were racing. Bobby was flying in Dave Held's old GT1 car - that is currently for sale... and he made it to the front by the 3rd or so lap. Henry, Jim, Russ Oasis and Sam Carvahal were battling it out and working through the field. After a couple of passes into 1, Henry was second by lap 6. Jim was struggling with a slippery car and spun. However, as the laps ticked by - Henry's lead over Jim was shrinking - at an alarming rate.... Jim pulled the fastest lap of the weekend DURING the race. I radioed to my driver that he might want to pick it up 1/2 a notch and he responded by doing just that. Jim had another off and that put him too far back to catch up. Marshall Dickler and Tom Wilson had an epic battle - with Tom pressuring Marshall for MANY laps - and Marshall towing Tom around TWS without a single mistake - great close racing for all to watch! On about Lap 21, Henry radioed in that something was spraying onto his windshield but he was gonna try to make it. Well - he did pretty good as Russ was closing - but when you can't see straight out - turn one can be hard to find. So on the final lap - he spun and Russ sneaked by. Henry managed to drive around using the window and the right side of the windsheild - crossed the finish line second and immediately pulled over - concerned for cooling and the potential for fire.
Something in the power steering system let go - not a hose, but maybe a seal - don't know - but the car never got too hot and it should be an easy fix.
Second place was good enough for the weekend and the National Championship. I'l try to get some pics up and posted within the next few days.
Not too bad for our first year with the Comp Coupe.
I can't tell you how honored and humbled we are to have the friends we do at Viper Days. There is NOT a better group of people assembled in one place. There are countless stories of competitors HELPING one another go faster, or drive better or loan parts or help fix things. People helping others with the intent to improve the overall level of competition - incredible. It's been an exhausting season for me - as we do most EVERYTHING ourselves - but one that I wouldn't trade for anything!
We had lots of close racing with NO contact. We had strong friendships renewed and new friendships made - all while driving a spec car and measuring ourselves against both ourselves and others. It was a marked contrast to the antics that went on at Laguna on the same day. We are truly fortunate to have this series.
Hope to see you all in Texas - January 20th - for the start of another fabulous season with Viper Days.
I'll have a complete race report for Skip by the end of the week!
The weekend started off a bit funny when we realized that the distance from DFW to College Station was not the 120 miles in the Finals packet, but 210 miles.... so the 8:40 AM flight on Monday wasn't looking like a great idea....
We arrived at the track at about 7:30 Thursday night. Tom met us shortly thereafter. After some brief unloading and visiting with the Archer crew and Don Cochran and Nancy Stein, we headed back to the hotel and to grab a bite to eat.
Friday morning brought beautiful weather and we unloaded the car. After working non-stop for the psat 4 weeks to get the car ready after the incident at BeaveRun, it was nice to finally be here. And, it was nice to have a practice day to shake down the car - since it had only traveled about 50 yards under its own power since being put back together. Since we didn't have any pieces left over - and nothing was dragging or clanging- we figured we were good to go.
Fridays sessions went well - with Henry and Jim Stout sharing information and Motec data. With those guys 15 points apart in the overall standings - it's nice to see them helping one another. Friday night, after a lovely reception, we retired to the Cold Stone Creamery with Marshall and Barbara Dickler, Darren, Tom and Jim Garrett. After a sufficient sugar buzz (thaks, Barbara!) - Henry and I reveiwed some data and looked at some video.
Friday morning, Henry wanted to try a couple of changes to lines and gears, so he went out in the 9:00 - 9:30 session. All was going well and he had dropped some time, until I get a call on the radio that the car is broken - won't go - either clutch, transmission or half-shaft. The wrecker tows him and and after some quick reviews, we determine it to be the clutch. With 1.5 hours until qualifying, we were scrambling to try to make it. And here's who we need to thank:
1. Tom Sessions. What would we do without Tom? He's about the only person (besides me) that Henry trusts to tear his car apart, put back together and then go all out on the track without being able to do any additional checking.
2. John Archer. He has the parts. He has the knowledge. And he will do everything in his power to make sure that you win or lose on the track - not in the pits. John brought parts, fluid, tools - etc. anything we needed to get that car finished.
3. Eddie Martin. With lightning fast diagnosis - does 4th gear work? No? Then it's a clutch - he came over to offer any assistance.
4. Bill Lamb. With the "big house" towing a stacker trailer - it was instantly converted into "the shop" and we dragged the car in and started tearing stuff apart.
5. Aaron Vanassche. He dove in and helped us get the car loading onto the lift.
6. Newt Watson. Outstanding crew chief, great driver and good friend - Newt was always there to help.
7. Seth Palatnik. For keeping me sane and talking me thorugh some things.
8. Marshall Dickler. Who told us that since he wasn't in the points chase, if Henry's car had not been fixed - he was going to offer to have him drive HIS Comp Coupe. Amazing.
And there are others.
At about 11:18, we were done - clutch swapped and new tires put on. We headed for the grid. Unfortunately, a blown motor had closed the track due to excessive oiling. Qualifying was over - we missed it. We were now 10 points behind in the standings and would have to start dead last BOTH DAYS.
The race was cut to 10 laps in order to even out the track time lost due to the oil issue. Not a lot of time to catch Jim - who was gridded second - behind Bobby Archer. The green flag dropped early and caught Henry off guard so his start was less than stellar. However, Jim had an early off in turn 13 that allowed Henry to make some good passes and make it to the front in 3 laps. Bobby was black flagged due to body work on the number 50 being a bit loose. henry ran the rest of the race in front. At the end of the day, Henry was leading Jim by 20 points.
It would all come down to Sunday.
But first, we all attended the gala Saturday night banquet. Since the National Champs were not yet decided in any class, Michelin Challenge Series regional trophies and all the perpetual trophies were given out. As usual, it was a stunning display of crystal and a top nitch event. Some highlights included Skip announcing Hendrick Dodge of Cary as a main presenting sponsor of Viper Days for 2006 along with a special Viper only toll free number for all your DOdge needs. Please remember this when it comes time to purchase our next vehicle - contact info will be up on the Viper Days website SOON. Also, Tricel Corporation signed on as a new sponsor - thanks, Steve Loudin! On a personal note, Henry was awarded the "Hard Charger - Paul Mumford Memorial" perpetual trophy. It was very emotional and we are both very honored to take care of this for the next year.
Sunday morning came WAY too early - so we slept in a little - as we had decided not to run either practice session - instead saving our car and tires for the inverted grid race. The race was scheduled for 24 laps - the longest of the season. Oh goody - we all know how I love sitting in the pits with my heart pounding for 45 minutes.... trying to sound calm on the radio....
The green flag dropped and we were racing. Bobby was flying in Dave Held's old GT1 car - that is currently for sale... and he made it to the front by the 3rd or so lap. Henry, Jim, Russ Oasis and Sam Carvahal were battling it out and working through the field. After a couple of passes into 1, Henry was second by lap 6. Jim was struggling with a slippery car and spun. However, as the laps ticked by - Henry's lead over Jim was shrinking - at an alarming rate.... Jim pulled the fastest lap of the weekend DURING the race. I radioed to my driver that he might want to pick it up 1/2 a notch and he responded by doing just that. Jim had another off and that put him too far back to catch up. Marshall Dickler and Tom Wilson had an epic battle - with Tom pressuring Marshall for MANY laps - and Marshall towing Tom around TWS without a single mistake - great close racing for all to watch! On about Lap 21, Henry radioed in that something was spraying onto his windshield but he was gonna try to make it. Well - he did pretty good as Russ was closing - but when you can't see straight out - turn one can be hard to find. So on the final lap - he spun and Russ sneaked by. Henry managed to drive around using the window and the right side of the windsheild - crossed the finish line second and immediately pulled over - concerned for cooling and the potential for fire.
Something in the power steering system let go - not a hose, but maybe a seal - don't know - but the car never got too hot and it should be an easy fix.
Second place was good enough for the weekend and the National Championship. I'l try to get some pics up and posted within the next few days.
Not too bad for our first year with the Comp Coupe.
I can't tell you how honored and humbled we are to have the friends we do at Viper Days. There is NOT a better group of people assembled in one place. There are countless stories of competitors HELPING one another go faster, or drive better or loan parts or help fix things. People helping others with the intent to improve the overall level of competition - incredible. It's been an exhausting season for me - as we do most EVERYTHING ourselves - but one that I wouldn't trade for anything!
We had lots of close racing with NO contact. We had strong friendships renewed and new friendships made - all while driving a spec car and measuring ourselves against both ourselves and others. It was a marked contrast to the antics that went on at Laguna on the same day. We are truly fortunate to have this series.
Hope to see you all in Texas - January 20th - for the start of another fabulous season with Viper Days.
I'll have a complete race report for Skip by the end of the week!
)
