June 2012 NASA Great Lakes SpecE30 Write-up from Grattan Raceway
After a record setting turnout at Putnam Park a month earlier, 7 SpecE30 racers in the Great Lakes region made the trip to Michigan for the June event at Grattan. Making the trip was John Ackerman, Denny Barker, Cameron Bullard, Ryan CieChanski, Sean Louisin, Kyle Smith, and Michael Osborne.
Going into the weekend weather was going to be a factor. As day broke on Saturday morning the sky was blue, but the track was still damp from the previous day’s rain. The track had a few damp places in warm-up and was completely dry by qualifying. Bullard showed right away that he would be the man to beat by qualifying on pole with a 1:32.8. .6 back was Louisin in 2nd followed by Smith, CieChanski, Ackerman, Osborne, and Barker. As the race grew closer, the winds refused to die down. The dark clouds started to show their faces to the north. With everyone’s smart phones burning though data looking at all the weather maps, we were forced to grid with slicks knowing that rain could hit at any minute.
As soon as we left grid for the formation lap, sprinkles began to fall on our windshields. It progressively got worse as we warmed up our cars, and when we took the green flag for the rolling start, turn 1 was wet. The start was a very cautious one as everyone tip-toed their way through 1 ironically side by side. Eventually everyone got single file going into 2 except for the front row starters of Bullard and Louisin. Louisin had the inside line for the tight turn 3 forcing Bullard to 2nd. Quickly the top 3 began to pull away as they grew comfortable with the wet conditions. At the end of lap 1 Louisin was in the lead, Bullard 2nd, CieChanski, Smith, Ackerman, Osborne, and Barker. CieChanski was able to get around Louisin for 2nd and was battling Bullard for 1st as they approached the back marker Spec Miatas. Going into the downhill left turn 3, a Miata just in front of Bullard lost control and hit Bullard in the left rear, shoving his fender on his tire, and ending his race. CieChanski was barely able to squeak by giving him a healthy lead over Louisin in 2nd. The sky began to clear as the rain stopped almost as quickly as it came. A dry line began to form as Louisin began to eat at CieChanski’s gap. With 3 laps to go the faster Louisin was battling for the lead, but CieChanski was able to hold him off with his vast knowledge of the track. Further back in the field, Barker was starting to gain some familiarity with a previously unfamiliar track. He was gaining lost ground on Ackerman and Osborne. With a few laps to go, Ackerman’s engine stumbled down the front straight costing him a position while battling Osborne. With 2 laps to go, a closing Barker was also able to pass Ackerman going in to 1 when his engine again stumbled down the front straight. When the checkered flew, CieChanski crossed the line .4 seconds in front of Louisin followed by Smith, Osborne, Barker, Ackerman, and Bullard in the pits.
For Sunday, NASA was giving all the racers 2 races instead of the usual 1, so qualifying was first thing in the morning. Louisin set the pace turning a 1:32.2 with Bullard .4 back in 2nd. After eating Wheaties for breakfast, Ackerman flexed some muscle by laying down a 1:32.8 to grab 3rd. Smith took 4th with Osborne, Barker, and CieChanski rounding out the field. A unique incident happened on track for Louisin on his final lap in qualifying. As he went over the ‘jump’, his steering rack jumped teeth putting his steering wheel 30 degrees off center. Upon returning to the pit to go through the tech line, it just so happened that tech was checking for the proper E30 steering racks by counting the total turns lock to lock. While performing the test something broke inside the rack disconnecting the wheels from the steering wheel. Thankfully the stars aligned for this to break while the car was standing still! Never the less, this moved everyone up a spot, putting Bullard on pole with Ackerman to his left.
As what is becoming customary in the SE30 Great Lakes region, Sunday’s race 1 start was a standing start. The inside row was comprised of Bullard, Smith, then Barker. The outside was Ackerman, Osborne, and CieChanski. At the drop of the green, the back row had a great start with both Ackerman and Bullard having problems. Bullard has a known 2nd gear syncro issue making the shift painfully difficult. Barker was able to get a fender on the inside of Smith as they shifted to 2nd, but with Bullard’s slow shift and Ackerman’s engine refusing to work properly, Smith had no choice to go inside to avoid the slower cars. This pushed Barker into the grass, getting him a bit sideways right next to the armco. After mowing over a big cone, he was able to bring it back on track as the rest of the field pulled away. CieChanski mean while went from last to first as the field exited turn 1. Osborne was in 2nd, followed by Smith, Bullard, Barker, and Ackerman. Bullard got a run exiting 1 on Smith, who took a defensive line to the inside. Bullard still went to the inside as they drove through turns 2 and 3 side by side until Bullard eventually had the inside line through 4. The order remained the same until the field entered the hairpin of turn 10. Osborne was pursuing CieChanski when he got into the rear of CieChanski sending him spinning. That moved Bullard to the lead followed by Osborne, Smith, Barker, and CieChanski as Ackerman pull into the pits with engine trouble. Smith got around Osborne going in to 1 on lap 2 as Bullard started to pull away from the field. Barker started to put the pressure on for 3rd as CieChanski made it a 3 way battle. He got a run on Barker for 4th down the front straight as Osborne braked early fighting a braking issue. They entered the corner 3 wide and exited with Barker and CieChanski side by side for 3rd. Barker was able to hold on for 3rd as he had the preferred line through 2, but a lap later lost the position as he again went side by side with CieChanski on his inside. The next lap Osborne got around Barker going into 1 as the field started passing the back marker Miatas. On the following lap, Osborne passed a Miata on the inside of the right hander after jump. The Miata greatly over slowed and left 2 car widths to the inside. Barker, not anticipating the Miata to be so conservative, followed Osborne through the inside. The driver of the Miata didn’t see Barker and came back to the right to setup for the left. The rocker panel directly behind the right front tire of the Miata hit Barker’s left front wheel, breaking it, and ending Barker’s race. The Miata somehow only ended up with a flesh wound and finished the race. Osborne and CieChanski continued to battle, eventually getting around Smith when Smith missed a shift leading up to the long front straight. At the front, Bullard had a healthy lead before spinning. This moved him to last of the cars still running and on a mission with CieChanski leading Osborne and Smith. Bullard was able to reset the track record as he worked his way back through the field, eventually passing CieChanski with 2 laps to go for the win. They crossed the line Bullard, CieChanski, Osborne, and Smith. Osborne and Barker were both later disqualified for avoidable contact, making the final run down Bullard, CieChanski, Smith, and Ackerman.
Race 2 on Sunday was with one less car as Osborne decided to get a head start on his 8 hour drive home. The grid was set by the results of race 1 but would be a rolling start. Bullard got the early jump on CieChanski with Smith following behind. Barker was able to get around Ackerman at the start for 4th. Ackerman with a properly running engine began to pressure Barker who was dealing with a loose car. Eventually Barker could no longer hold him off as Ackerman made the pass. After developing a high speed vibration, Barker settled for 5th as he babied the car home. Meanwhile Smith was in hot pursuit of CieChanski has he looked for a way by. Eventually CieChanski found his rhythm as the short race ended almost as quickly as if began. Bullard took the win, followed by CieChanski, Smith completed the hat trick with his third 3rd, Ackerman, and Barker.
