Saturday, April 05, 2008
Rain, Rain Go Away (April 4th/5th @ Roebling Road)...
Our weekend started Friday morning with the first of three test sessions on the day. Unfortunately, the morning got a late start due to a fog delay that kept cars off the track for over an hour. As you might imagine, it is helpful to be able to see down the track as you're traveling at over 100 MPH!
Once the fog burned off, however, we were able to hit the track for our first session. While the track was slick with moisture, the abbreviated session did allow me to get the lay of the land a bit. Even though we just got two or three laps in, it was easy to tell that the track was going to be a lot of fun once we got a full, clean session on the track.
That last two test sessions on Friday were mostly uneventful. I spun two or three times across the two sessions but I was able to knock several seconds off my times throughout the day and I was within shouting distance of the fast times by the end of Friday.
Saturday morning it started raining and the rain did not stop before we all hit the track in our Formula Firsts. Since the track was fully soaked, we ran the session on our fully-treaded rain tires. It was an adventure for everyone but I was able to post the fourth fastest time of the session. I wasn't thrilled with that, but after a couple of off-course excursions during the session, I felt like being in the top half of the field was a solid effort.
The rain continued off and on throughout the late morning and early afternoon before stopping near the end of the lunch break. The combination of no rain and a bit of sun and wind meant the track had dried out too much to use rain tires. That meant that the entire Formula First field qualified on a wet, but drying, track on our slick tires. As you might imagine, the conditions created very slick track conditions that were entertaining...for everyone watching. I'm not sure that any of the drivers would use the word entertaining to describe the track conditions that we experienced. When I returned to the trailer after the session (and three off-course excursions) I was frustrated and quite sure that I would be near the back of the Formula First grid.
After a few conversations, however, I realized that the track conditions were frustrating for everybody. Following some of those conversations I got a look at the grid sheet and realized that I had qualified fourth for Sunday's race. I am pretty pleased to be able to roll off fourth on Sunday. The weather forecast is clear for now, but we'll race in the afternoon...and afternoons in the south often mean thunderstorms. Anything can happen tomorrow, so keep checking back for all the latest. Thanks to everybody for their support!
Once the fog burned off, however, we were able to hit the track for our first session. While the track was slick with moisture, the abbreviated session did allow me to get the lay of the land a bit. Even though we just got two or three laps in, it was easy to tell that the track was going to be a lot of fun once we got a full, clean session on the track.
That last two test sessions on Friday were mostly uneventful. I spun two or three times across the two sessions but I was able to knock several seconds off my times throughout the day and I was within shouting distance of the fast times by the end of Friday.
Saturday morning it started raining and the rain did not stop before we all hit the track in our Formula Firsts. Since the track was fully soaked, we ran the session on our fully-treaded rain tires. It was an adventure for everyone but I was able to post the fourth fastest time of the session. I wasn't thrilled with that, but after a couple of off-course excursions during the session, I felt like being in the top half of the field was a solid effort.
The rain continued off and on throughout the late morning and early afternoon before stopping near the end of the lunch break. The combination of no rain and a bit of sun and wind meant the track had dried out too much to use rain tires. That meant that the entire Formula First field qualified on a wet, but drying, track on our slick tires. As you might imagine, the conditions created very slick track conditions that were entertaining...for everyone watching. I'm not sure that any of the drivers would use the word entertaining to describe the track conditions that we experienced. When I returned to the trailer after the session (and three off-course excursions) I was frustrated and quite sure that I would be near the back of the Formula First grid.
After a few conversations, however, I realized that the track conditions were frustrating for everybody. Following some of those conversations I got a look at the grid sheet and realized that I had qualified fourth for Sunday's race. I am pretty pleased to be able to roll off fourth on Sunday. The weather forecast is clear for now, but we'll race in the afternoon...and afternoons in the south often mean thunderstorms. Anything can happen tomorrow, so keep checking back for all the latest. Thanks to everybody for their support!
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Opening Day - 2008 Racing Season Begins April 4
In the morning, the #25 Evolution will take the track for testing prior to Saturday's opening round of the FormulaCar Magazine Formula First Challenge Cup. Please check eformulacarnews.com and JaygoRacing.com for updates throughout the weekend.
