This past weekend Shawn, Katie and I drove up to Romulus, NY to take part in the 2009 SCCA Finger Lakes NT. Due to reports that the test & tune course was held on a different part of the lot than where the course would be laid out, we decided to skip it and aim to arrive around 5pm to check-in, change tires, tech the car and then walk the course.
The lot was mostly clean, grippy asphalt with a high grip concrete section in the middle to mix things up.
Saturday
My goal Saturday was to go out and stay as close to the leaders as possible. I definitely felt nervous sitting at the line getting ready to set off on my first run and it showed. I was a little cautious in a few spots and was a little herky-jerky with the throttle in a few places. Came in with a 60.9xx which left me 4th out of 5 after first runs. Shawn led the class with a super fast 59.113 right off the bat!
On my 2nd run, I kicked my nerves to the curb and attacked the course with "controlled aggression". It showed on the clock, as my time tumbled to a 59.5xx which kept me in the 4th spot, but moved me to be within 4/10ths of the top spot. Shawn didn't improve but still held onto the top spot.
My third and final run was aggressive throughout, but I pushed it too hard in a few places and the car slid wide in the 2nd-to-last sweeper before the finish costing me a few precious 10ths. My final time still dropped to a 59.447, but how much time had I left on the table?
After Day 1, Shawn was in 1st, Keith (former BS national champ back in '85) was in 2nd just 3/100ths of a second back, Liam (350Z Nismo driver) was in 3rd, I was in 4th and Mike was in 5th. In all, 1st - 5th position were separated by just 6/10ths of a second!
Sunday
I got a good night's sleep and felt ready to get things going. First run out was very aggressive and the car felt great. Committed early with the throttle coming out of corners and it showed. My first run was a 56.0xx which was a 2nd fastest 1st run. I shot up to 2nd in class while Keith moved into the 1st spot with a blistering 55.431! Shawn fell a couple spots to 3rd.
On my 2nd run, things really clicked!!! I stayed ahead of many elements and got on the throttle earlier than before in a few corners. I matched Keith's time with a nearly identical 55.447!!! This kept me solidly in the 2nd spot. Liam moved into 3rd with a 56.1xx run as Shawn ran a 56.4xx.
On my 3rd run, I went for broke, I knew a 54 was possible and I wanted it! Slid the car in one crucial corner but picked up time in others, in the end though, my final time was a few tenths slower and I finished with a 55.7xx. Bummer. To top it off, Liam turned a 55.667 and when the times were tallied, he moved ahead of me to 2nd overall by just 0.005 seconds!
Summary:
3rd out of 5 in class
63rd out of 234 in PAX
Results:
B Stock Drivers: 5 Trophies: 2
T 1 189 Keith Scala 2009 Mazda RX-8 Gry Hoosier 60.363 59.395 59.146 114.577
[89] Shelton, CT Mazdaspeed/Hoosier/SCM New Englan 55.431 56.423 56.119
T 2 32 Liam Dwyer 2007 Nissan 350z Red Hoosier 59.222 62.567(2) 59.859 114.889
Southbury, CT Joes Tire Shop New Englan 56.456 56.138 55.667 (0.312)
3 90 Chike Dellimore 2006 Mazda RX-8 Gry Hoosier 60.970 59.546 59.447 114.894
[190] Crozet, VA Mazdaspeed / My Wife! Blue Ridge 56.061 55.447 55.764 (0.005)
4 190 Shawn Roberts 2006 Mazda RX-8 Gry Hoosier 59.113 59.497 59.394 115.537
[90] Woodbridge, VA Washington 56.569 56.424 56.503 (0.643)
5 89 Mike Montalbano 2009 Mazda RX8 Grey Hoosier 61.306 59.812 59.767 116.715
[189] Warwick, RI New Englan 56.948 58.398(1) 57.018 (1.178)
Pics:
Keith
Shawn
Liam
Chike
Mike
Katie, my BSL co-driver has really been stepping up her driving lately. I was really impressed with her last run on Sunday...
