Long Off Season-Your Best/ Worst

#1

We touched on this in another post, but it is going to be a long off-season. Let’s see if this will grow to a 5-6 pager.I’m certain it will if we can get Al to chime in…

Best:
Starting at the rear of the field at Roebling (bad gearbox excuse) and making it up ton 3rd by race end. The racers in the pack didn’t try to "race" and were well aware of the traffic.

Worst:
Passed Laura in the final laps for 3rd place earning me the title of "Dad the horse’s butt."

Best:
The entire IFU. Thanks Chuck Taylor for your sponsorship and to the racers for some clean close racing.

Best:
Racing with Carlton Goldwaite at Barber. Totally out of control…

Worst:
See above. Never knowing where his car was going to snap back to and not willing to crunch metal to find out.

More later, gotta make this one 5-6 pages, Robert Patton

#2

Hmm, so many to choose from.

Best: First time out with MA, finishing top 10 both days and not breaking/crunching anything.

Worst: blowing up at RA in March.

Worst: getting punted from 2nd by a Honda at RRR.

Worst: lapping a Miata that didn’t see me and dropping to 3rd (from 1st).

Best: inverted race at the Rock. Pushing Robert past a dozen cars by turn 3.

Best: IFU. Total blast. The battle with Damion trying to go around the outside of T1-2 was worth the price of admission.

Best: The last 7 points races.

#3

Best: with Skeens help, going from last to first at Rockingham on the first lap of the Rock IFU.

Best: passing on the apron of turns 1 and 2 at the Rock in the April race and the look that had to be on JP’s face.

Best: passing on the straightaway apron at the Rock in June and the expressions of those that were passed.

Worst: Going from first to last on lap two of the same race because of a self-infliced flat tire.

#4

Best: The entire IFU Roebling race… can’t say enough about how much I learned in a short amount of time not to mention how fun it was. It was, dare I say, LEGENDARY. I have to say my favorite move of the season was the pass on Craig from out of nowhere… Can’t wait for next years!!!

Worst: Transmission failure (stuck in 2nd gear) at the start of the Sunday Race at Roebling in May;

Best: See above… not getting trunked by the rest of the field as I was stuck in second gear near the front at the start of the race (fun video to watch though);

Worst: Plaiging mechanical issues particularly towards the end of the season. Hopefully I can get it sorted out over the off season and have a strong year in 2008;

Best: Learning (mostly through qualifying) that I can put the car towards the front of what is a really tough field of cars and drivers;

Worst: After qualifying well (see above), I aparantly decide on some subconsious level and just about every race to do some landscaping instead of racing. I guess you can say I channel myself. Thanks to everyone for the John Deer nickname, sticker, and model;

#5

Best: holding off Geiger at Roebling Road for a 5th place finish.

Best: chasing Laura Patton at Roebling Road for a 5th place finish.A tough crowd of 23 racers means a 5th isn’t too bad.

Best: Watching Laura get 4th at Roebling and 2nd at the Rock.

Told you I was gonna drag this out to 5-6 pages…Regards, Robert Patton

#6

Best: I’ll come back to that one.

Worst: This was a difficult one but I’d say because it affected someone else too it would have to be my spin in the IFU race that took out Laura. I had prided myself on racing really clean with few mistakes and blew it at Roebling.

Best: Still thinking…

Worst: That would have to be the Charlie Gibson 3 hour enduro in a torrential rain storm. I put it in the armco, which in itself wouldn’t have been that bad but it was the first lap of the race, it happened right at pit entrance (I came to a stop 20 feet from our pit box), and the damage to the car ended the race that my co-driver paid for. Significant damage to the car but was ready for the next race at VIR.

Best: I came up with something. Keep in mind this is from the perspective of a firt year rookie. Finished better than I started all but one 1 out of 8 races this year. Made the top 10 in three races with some pretty good competition at VIR and Roebling. Finished in the top half of most of the races this year.

Worst: Nerves got rattled at Roebling spinning in both the Saturday sprint race and the IFU. Lost nearly 2 seconds at Sundays qualifying. One the bright side I have all winter to think about it.

#7

Best – Pass in the grass and through turn 1 in the 1st lap of the IFU race. I felt like Mike Davidson in the rain at VIR.

Worst – Going into the tire wall in front of the concession stand at VIR with a huge crowd watching.

Best – CMP race…last lap…battling w/Skip Bennett and Keith Smith for 3rd. Keith passed us both coming out of the last turn, starts waving his hand (as if to say "see ya"), thus missing a shift as me and Skip blow by him at the finish line.

Worst – Pulling a "Ricky Bobby" at The Rock when I was stuck in the sand trap.

#8

Best: Letting Travis go by and take 1st position at CMP’s February race (it was a 40 minute deal)only to watch him use up the car and… well I can’t remember what he did, but he didn’t finish first.

Sorry Travis, but I had to bring it up.

Regards, Robert (cat and mouse) Patton

#9

Yeah…That was my 1st real race since comp school, and I thought I was gonna win the whole thing…until the schooling began with about 10 min left and Robert and Cullen come blazing by.

#10

Best: Making it through my rookie year without incident and learning a lot the entire way.

Worst: Having to listen to Kelly keep repeating that his best moment was when he passed me. Man I wish it was someone else.

Best: Watching Dave White (driving Brians? beertech car) sail through the grass on the outside of T12 at Road Atlanta during my first race and driving it out… Not sure I would’ve been able to avoid the alternative…

Best: Watching Travis Wilson in my rear view sail through the grass out of T9 at Roebling laughing my way to the finish line but still wondering if he would be able to use the grass to his advantage and somehow beat me.

Worst: Watching the entire field go by after I spun at Roebling.

Best: Sitting on Robert Patton’s bumper at Roebling realizing he wasn’t losing me.

Worst: Not being able to make it to Barber.

Best: Competing in a field of 23 at Roebling.

Worst: NOT WINNING A 6TH PLACE TROPHY!

… I’ve got more for when this thread needs to be bumped…

#11

Best: Making it through my first 4 races without a scratch on my new paint job

Best: Finishing better than I started in all four of my races so far

Worst: Spinning off the track because I was watching Skeen in my rear view mirror instead of watching the track at Barber

Worst: Spinning off in the exact same spot 2 or 3 laps later without being able to use the Skeen excuse again

Best: Meeting a great group of people who taught me so much this year and who let me park with them in the paddock area before I was even a racer

Worst: Seeing Chuck’s car on its side at Road Atlanta

Best: Racing Laura in both races at Barber

#12

Best: Building my car and deciding to come race with all you monkeys

Worst: Thinking about qualifying while on my first out lap of practice on the day of what should have been my first race.

Best: Rebuilding my car and deciding to come race with all you monkeys again

Worst: Spending 90% of my first season with the turn 10 monkey on my back

Best: Ditching that monkey at the IFU race at Roebling and making my last race of the season my best race of the season

#13

Best: The IFU race at Roebling was just too much fun. Plus anytime I can finish ahead of the "Machine" is a good day.

Worst: The wreck with those damn Miatas at Road Atl:angry:

Worst: Twice losing races at CMP that I believe I could have won because I was impatient.

Best: Coming to grips with driving a low hp car.

Best: The fact that can we produce 20+ cars fields in the SE is awesome

Worst: Watching 21 Spec e30s coming at your drivers side door full bore:woohoo:

#14

Damion Moses wrote:

[quote]

Worst: Watching 21 Spec e30s coming at your drivers side door full bore:woohoo:[/quote]

:blink:
Best: and not getting hit :silly:

#15

Best: to read a common thread among racers that it was a great year and that your finish positions were better as you progressed. Also to read that you raced clean and close with no metal to metal contact.

Worst: the IFU…You guys learned as much in 50 minutes than I did in three years of racing.The competition in 2008 will be tremendous.

Regards, Robert

#16

Best - finishing higher then Geeger in the season points

Best - finishing higher then Geeger in a points awarding race

Best - the response this post will get from him

Worst - running out of gas and time in the IFU race while running Geeger down like a dog

EOM

#17

Best - taking 2 podiums* at Rockingham

Best - Smoking all of my competitors everytime I start the car.

Worst - See above.

Best - Going to RA for the first time ever and beating A LOT of locals!

Worst - Not finding the late season pace to race with Travis.

Best - No wrecks or incidents for my rookie season.

Worst - Having to put in a new motor (and new exhaust :angry: ) after only one season racing.

Best - We get to do it all again next year! I’m running SE exculsively next year.

Best - Beating Robinson everywhere he runs, everytime.

[size=2]*one assisted by Patton, one because Travis sucks![/size]

#18

JP Coates wrote:

Best - refreshing JP’s memory that I did manage to finish higher then he did in the IFU and Hard Rock 3 race.

Worst - having to clean the oil droplets off my windshield anytime I got behind him, up to and including driving through the paddock.

#19

Jim Robinson wrote:

[quote]Best - finishing higher then Geeger in the season points

Best - finishing higher then Geeger in a points awarding race

Best - the response this post will get from him

Worst - running out of gas and time in the IFU race while running Geeger down like a dog

EOM[/quote]

Best - Having Jim Robinson use me as his metric for success.

Worst - Not being at Barber to once again embarass him.

Worst - Jim "running out of gas" so he has an excuse to losing the IFU race.

Best - not having to wait until next year to talk smack.

#20

Best: Kicking dad’s butt at Roebling. Sorry dad, but I just had to shut the door.

Worst: Hitting the tire wall/birm at Robeling

Worst: Car breaking at CMP

Worst: Just generally sucking at Barber and CMP

Best: Getting third in the Southeast for points for the 2007 season.

Best: A second place finish at Rockingham.

But, once again, the BEST thing was beating dad fair and square for the first time at Roebling.

Can’t wait for next season!

#911 Laura Lou