Narra @ Road America

[jerdeitzel]

I just wanted to send out the invite for this event if anyone is interested. I'm running the US Time Trial Championship event with Narra on may 12,13. If anyone wants to come on out and run the event i have plenty of room at my house for you to stay. I live a easy 30 miles from RA and the commute should be painless.

If you don't kno anything about Narra you can do some reading here. http://www.narraonline.com/joomla/ The big thing about these events and NASA event's is that there is tire contigency if you can do well. In fact, the contingency program for Narra is actaully pretty darn good and from what i have seen from results, its not out of the question to do well.  So, it might make it worth while for some of you guys to come give this a shot. Its a pure HP/weight classing system so its pretty easy to class the car.

If you guys can't make this and see any other events at RA you'd like to attend just let me kno. Everyone is always welcome.

PS.  The SCCA June sprints, and Indycar @ milwaukee mile are some events that should be fun to spectate at.

[jerdeitzel]

I took my first trip up to RA in perfect weather today. I went up to drop the car off/ get teched/ register. I also wanted to watch a bit of One lap of America. That was pretty cool to check out. Having my boys there with me and them actually having a blast was just the best thing i could have ever wished for.

As far as the parts of the track that i checked out, all i can say is WOW! I cannot believe the elevation changes on the course and there are some steep hills. 

I'm excited for tomorrow and i was right about being a bit underprepared in the check book for this series. lol. Its all big rigs and pit crews!  . (everyone is very nice and i do feel welcome but its a bit strange) But hey, i had my pit crew with me. Its just that they rolled around in the grass wrestling more then working.

[Handy Man]

Cool! Good luck winning those tires! Let us know how it goes. If it wasn't such a long drive I'd have taken you up on that invite in a heartbeat... at least you would have looked a LOT less low budget pitted next to my rig

Did you happen to see the Rochester DSM Evo blow it's motor? I've been following those guy's progress. They apparently either have zero luck or a crap engine builder.

[jerdeitzel]

Today was just one of those days that i need to just put behind me. It all started with the first session and i think compounded itself from there. So, we had absolutly NO leadership for the TT portion of this event. We attended the drivers meeting and pretty much listened to a few tidbits about the pro racing drivers there and to exit the track at turn 5 intead of the start finish. We were then dismissed and let out on a touring run in the support vehicles. The first session comes up and i go to get in line there is nobody there about 10 min prior to us starting so, i am waved to the front of the group. ( Mind you there is a serious pack of angry looking HUGE HP vipers behind me). I went out and waved a few of them buy on the out lap just so i had somebody to follow. It wasn't too bad as i was able to keep pace in the bends and gain in the braking zones. The problem was that i was probably one of the slowest car's out there on the straights. I let people pass when they needed to and kinda got a clean lap in. This put me gridding 11th out of 20 cars and this is where it became a cluster fuck! So i was told (just because i asked) that we should grid up in those postions. I then went out for the next session and i don't think there was 1 person other then me that was in a grid spot. So, it turned into another watch your mirrors for 700HP vipers and try and not rear end them into the turns. I did get 2 cleans laps i believe without having to get off line. I put down a 2:31.5 on my 11 lap around the track for the day.

So lets then turn to the results. From checking the first 2 sessions of the day i only see 2 names in TT3. This put the tires out of the game in my mind. So i went out the 3rd session and joined in what was pretty much a race and not a TT knowing that it wasn't going to be the fastest session. Then, the last session of the day. I went out and had some clean track and put down a 2:30.2. I was happy with that and tought that i had wrapped it up. I go to check on the times for the day and see 3 people listed under TT3. I look at my time and its the time from the 3rd session so i go and ask what's up. I am then informed that they don't count the last  session of the day because nobody usually goes faster that late in the day. I'm not sure where that rule came from but i had never heard or read that! That put me second in the results by .011 with sticking with my 3rd session time.

Overall tho i had a blast. I'm just going to put this behind me and enjoy this very fun track. This is NOT a track for an EVO thats for sure. You need HP and less drag then my econobox has on this super fast track.

[jerdeitzel]

I will say that the viper cup is pretty bad ass to watch. Those car's are insanly fast! The fastest were putting down 2:12's.

[Handy Man]

Well thats pretty stupid that they don't count the last session of the day. Seems kinda pointless 

[jerdeitzel]

Yea, oh well. I sure would  have approached that 3rd session differently if i had known we had 3 people in the class and that was the last one that counted. 

[jerdeitzel]

Day 2.

Today started with me pretty focused at the task at hand and the slight distaste of yesterday still lingering. My plan was too just look ahead, keep the foot planted as long as my balls would allow, and try and think about using  momentum to help me on the straights. (point and shoot was NOT going to help me on this track).f I went out in the first session of a perfect day and figured i was just going to see what unfolded and try and put down a solid lap. Well, lets just say that the whole ugly whoever has the most HP gets to be in front thing started right up again. I unfortunatly was not the only recipient to this behavior as i was following a Porsche 911 GT3 RS that had run about 3 sec quicker then me the day before. I figured i was set becuase everyone SHOULD have been faster then me that was ahead of me. We then proceded to head out on track. The green flag flew and we were off. I was trying to give a bit of exrta room because i had a feeling that i was going to catch everyone right away in the braking zone and first 2 turns. This was pretty much exactly what happened and then the BS started. This guy in a viper just would not let the Porsche and myself by. The porsche guy was giving every hint in the book to get the F out of the way and i could have been on his bumper if i wanted too. (i gave some extra room for a mishap since your liable in this series if you cause and accident) . It finally got the point that he braked going into the kink and really made braking a a very bad time a neccesity. I WAS PISSED! Fortunaly i was able to back off just alittle to give myself just enough room to run a real lap. And that wasnt' even easy because i had a viper hounding  me from behind. So i had to keep my pace or he was going to have enough of a run at the straight to catch me.

IMO, the whole thing was just because there was NO leadership to tell anyone what a TT is. It really just turned into a big race with super high HP cars.

Anyways. enought about how they could use a bit of help in their execution of TT's.

Onto the Great news. I did actually manage to find a few laps today that were traffic free and i put the hammer down. I  had a great battle with the Porsche Cayman that beat me yesterday,with a him taking the first session and me coming back to take the victory in the next 2 sessions. I ended up with a 2:29.2 as my best time of the day. He ended up about .8 back.

That foruntatly made the weekend's BS worth every penny. Their contigency is pretty darn good and i walked away with even more then just 2 free Hoosiers. 

I will post some video of the 2 sessions i had recorded soon.The one session is the one from the story above.

One strange thing was the whole media thing with this event. I was interviewed and they placed some go pro camera's on the car for footage. It was pretty funny! 

Pic of my competitor's cayman.

[jerdeitzel]

And FWIW, I learned alot about non DOT slick's this weekend! 

[jerdeitzel]

As for the Road America!  . I have so many thoughts that its hard to describe. It really is one hell of a track! And the front straight is darn right scary when you pass someone or you get passed. (altho that is not the fastest part of the track.)

[Habib88]

I am then informed that they don't count the last  session of the day because nobody usually goes faster that late in the day.

What total BS, why even have a final session?  At least you made up for it Jer    Congrats on the win and tires!

[jerdeitzel]

I am then informed that they don't count the last  session of the day because nobody usually goes faster that late in the day.

What total BS, why even have a final session?  At least you made up for it Jer    Congrats on the win and tires!

Thanks!

I'd be okay with that if it were SOMEWHERE in the rules! I personally got quicker every session! There is still more time in some of the big braking zones.

[jerdeitzel]

And on a more somber note. There a a VERY bad wreck on the first lap of the viper cup yesterday. (everyone is okay with some reports of a pretty good concussion from the driver that flipped,)  At the driver's meeting it was said to have been the worst wreck people have seen there in a LONG time. I have seen a few post that it actually stunned the drivers behind it and caused another minor accident. In fact, i'd say half the field left after that and i have heard a few are dropping out of the series becaue it was unbelievable.

[HillclimberGlenn]

Hi Jer,
Glad you had fun. What you are describing is not my cup of tea. When I roadraced it didn't seem that crazy. I rember on race where ITA, A-sedan, T-1 and T-2(Mustangs, Camaros Vettes ect. with Neons Civics and MR2s) was in one group. The only thought I was having don't get hit by the bigger cars.

[jerdeitzel]

It's not my cup of tea either! It's not a group for the faint of heart that's for sure. I was scared shitless with this one viper that came by me on the front straight. I even knew he was coming but it was like i was standing still. I know no what the slow cars in racing feel like with alot faster cars out there with you. Fuck, i  was just hanging onto the wheel trying to not get blown into the wall by his draft.

[ninetyfourintegra]

Cool Jer. I'm certain the knowledge gained will be put to use.

[marka]

Howdy,

And on a more somber note. There a a VERY bad wreck on the first lap of the viper cup yesterday. (everyone is okay with some reports of a pretty good concussion from the driver that flipped,)  At the driver's meeting it was said to have been the worst wreck people have seen there in a LONG time. I have seen a few post that it actually stunned the drivers behind it and caused another minor accident. In fact, i'd say half the field left after that and i have heard a few are dropping out of the series becaue it was unbelievable.

This one?

Courtney In-Car Video 12May12

Mark

[jerdeitzel]

Yup and here is some more footage and an interview with the driver.

SRT Viper Cup Interview with David Pintaric on Vimeo

[GTI_Speed]

So do they have their shit together more or less than NASA? I'm thinking about getting more serious about TT next year as the GTI looks like it would fit very well into TTD.

EDIT: Nevermind NARRA's slowest TT class has a maximum of 8.75:1 lbs/hp haha it would take a lot to get the GTI close to that.

[marka]

Howdy,

Yup and here is some more footage and an interview with the driver.

So, that's a little closer to us than people probably realize... Pintaric lives about 10 miles from me in Canfield.  Never met the guy though.

Mark