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Just got home form a good weekend at PBIR. Two Spec E30s showed up and split the races. Natalie Black won on Saturday, Scott McKay won on Sunday. Both races were run in blistering heat.
I think both set presonal best times as well but I’ll let them report their own stories.
Don
Yep… it was DAMN HOT.
Really, really HOT.
And an awesome time B)
Scott McKay, Natalie & John Black and Don Stevens were there representing SE30.
The SE30 fun started Friday night with dinner out at the Jupiter Grill with an evening of good food, drinks, plenty of smack talk and some ice down Scott’s pants.
Saturday
Saturday started off hot and humid and seemed to just get hotter as the day went on. On the schedule was a practice session, qualifying and 30 minute sprint. Early on, it seemed as if Scott’s weekend was going to be cut short after it looked like he had a head gasket problem. After a lot of looking, poking, prodding, compression testing and head scratching the general consensus was run it. It ran!
However, it was going to be a weekend of wrenching for the FL SE30s - McKay’s alternator was dead and would need to be sourced and replaced. And he’d stripped out a couple of wheel studs too (luckily we had some spares). But everything was running by race time.
I got the lead at the start and was managing to hold Scott off when after maybe a half dozen laps he dove into the pits. Apparently his arm restraints had managed to pull the camlock on his belts and he was essentially loose in the car. Not good. Belted back in, he rejoined the race right behind me. After a few laps, I exited turn 5 and the car was just a brick when I hit the gas. There was nothing. After what felt like an eternity, but was probably mere seconds, the e30 came back to life. Fuel starvation. Crap. Even though I was a lap up, I spent the rest of the race peddling like mad to get back around him, but to no avail.
Saturday’s race results:
1st Natalie Black 1:38.488
2nd Scott McKay 1:38.763
It became quickly apparent when I got back to my paddock spot why the car had sputtered during the race. There was a growing puddle of fuel forming under the car. Upon inspection the rubber fuel line on the output side of the fuel filter had split open. After tracking down some small enough metric sockets and raiding Scotts box of hoses, John got the car fixed up and ready to run for Sunday 
Sunday
Guess what. HOT AGAIN! (Yes, I know, shocking for Florida!) Thank whatever divine entity you happen to believe in for the cool suit!
Qualifying and a 40 minute sprint were on the schedule. With all the mechanical issues behind us, it was time to throw down and race. Scott and I started side by side on the grid and I got a terrible start as a result of the car in front of me getting a terrible start. Scott got the corner on turn 1 and I spent the next forty minutes trying to get by him while dodging the ever-moving and ever-expanding collection of cones in turns 2/3. It didn’t happen, but I did get a personal best time and ended up setting the new track record for the class.
Sunday’s race results:
1st Scott McKay 1:37.315
2nd Natalie Black 1:36.847
Awesome weekend! Thanks & great to see everyone again!
:cheer: 
Scott, natblack is for real!
Looks like there is some good competition in the Florida region.Thanks, Natalie, for the reports.
Regards, RP
I keep selling Natalie short because she has the wrong mix of chromosomes, but she is fast and getting faster. We need to drag her and John to the Southeast soon to run in one of those thick fields. I had a great time, hotter than Hiroshima this weekend, but fun racing anyhow. We had some excellent food at the Jupiter Grill and just a general good time. Her and I had a nice opportunity to trade spare parts, whatever I didn’t bring, she and John did, and vice versa.
New tires on order. Will look at all alignment settings and try to get the setup on the car closer to perfect for next time.
-Scott
Scott, Roebling Road awaits…September 18-19.
The atmosphere is so laid-back and lots of track time to test-n-tune.
RP
Yep, there is video - I need to retrieve the camera & traqmate from the car. I may not get it online until after this weekend because I’m heading to Cleveland for a funeral on Friday.
Will post a link when I get it uploaded!
Patton wrote:
[quote]Scott, natblack is for real!
Looks like there is some good competition in the Florida region.Thanks, Natalie, for the reports.
Regards, RP[/quote]
Thanks Robert, it’s been a fun season so far - and we’ve got three more race weekends to come! If we could just get all of our ‘in progress’ FL guys onto the grid, we’d have a nice looking field
Wish my schedule would let me get up to the SE to play too! Love both Roebling and RA.
I’m getting as much seat time as I can. Sebring, CMP (gotta see the IFU4), and Road Atlanta to finish off my first year. I have decided I am going to try and swing one event a month next year. Can’t wait to see a nice field in Florida as well as the SE.
