A few more interesting things from Mid Ohio…
I tried to cut off the end of my thumb on Thursday, while helping change a front wheel bearing on Carlton’s car. Many thanks to Dr. David Herrington for his help and advice. And he was correct when he said that we have sensitive nerve endings at the tips of our fingers.
:woohoo:
David had some very frustrating moments over the weekend but some of the guys (especially Garreth) helped get him to the grid on Sunday. Unfortunately, his car wouldn’t start for the race but David kept his head up.
Carlton had some bad luck as well. The aforementioned wheel bearing, a broken rocker arm, and after a short run through the grass to avoid Mike on lap one of the Championship race, his car wouldn’t run.
We all learned that NASA needs some definite and written panalties, or we will use our own next year. Carlton’s car was ten pounds underweight after one of the qual races and our Group H Race Director (who did a good job overall) asked the drivers to vote on his suggested penalty. It turned out to be a problem and created some friction in the ranks…which is why we try to have definite penalties and why we don’t vote in Spec E30. Had there been a set rule, that would have been that. I was told that NASA would run the tech part of the weekend but we will have a more definite plan next year.
Hanging out in the paddock together really was a fun part of the weekend. David and Carlton spent a lot of time at the grill, making hamburgers and hotdogs for the Spec E30 drivers and crew. Chis had many official duties but I hope he and Sean can take some time next year to have lunch with us.
I learned a lot about Toyo tires (through talking with their on-sight tech guy and through my experiences on the track) and how they really need to be shaved properly. The tires I got from last years Toyo Bucks were shaved to 6/32nds and were very squirmy. I had them on the front and lost 8/10ths of a second per lap which took me from 2nd quickest to 6th.
I kept them on the car and they got better as they wore, and were at their best during the Sunday Championship race. The guys at Vilven Tire Company, Inc. from Royal, IL swapped-out my other new 6/32nds tires for 4/32nds and give us good trackside support. I’m also talking with Toyo to see if they will give us Toyo Bucks for the Champ race, since we didn’t qualify for the Toyo prize money.
I give NASA an "A" for their efforts to make the weekend successful.
While a few of us had some tough issues, we had a lot of fun and really look forward to another Championship weekend at Mid Ohio next year.
Carter
