Absolutely a great weekend for the Wellbridge Capital, RS Barn, Hoosier, and AJ Hartman Racing sponsored #75 Porsche 968 driven by your truly. What an event!!! Being there with all the big Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series teams as well as the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge group was surreal. The media, energy drink paddock girls, Speed Channel, rigs, and everything else in between just rocked!
The #75 Porsche 968 rolled off the trailer on Friday after a few finishing touches, but from a setup perspective, effectively untouched since Lime Rock Park a few weeks back. Right off the gates we set a lap time of 1:33 and change in the first practice session that got us a New Track record by about 1 second on Friday. My first time running the track with the chicane and we had some minor handling/push issues but overall the car was good. The flat bottom air circulation fixes were also effective but we have just one more thing we will do to it. I liked the chicane a LOT! Very fun, and the 968 was probably Top 10 fastest in that sector amongst Cup Car company... But it kills the handling and momentum advantage off T2 which hurt me under race conditions.
Saturday warm-up session came and we reset fast lap lowering the new GT5S track record again with a 1:32.7 which should be the fastest standing time for GT5S at NJMP Thunderbolt with the Chicane today. From Friday's qualifying time, we were gridded 18th of 53!!! Way started way higher than expected with our power deficit to the rest of the field. Theoretically, from a classing perspective, the #75 968 should have been below 25th - 30th in the grid somewhere! We even had GT-3 Cup Cars and Caymans starting behind us....
Race went well, but as it has been since the start of the season, it feels like I have left the emergency brake on at the starts as everyone blows by. It is also a struggle to pass more powerful cars early in the race to stay in front. I hate being so underpowered... Once stuck behind a slower car that has good race craft (I still have much to learn in this area), then the race is almost over as it is hard to click strong lap times and stay ahead of the incoming behind me when momentum is taken away at every turn. And even though I may be able to get side by side through a turn, I just get walked exiting it.... Makes it really difficult and I have to take way too many risks to pass and/or stay in front. You'll see that in the videos... With Jonathan Vasquez on the radio calling strategy and spotting, we were able to make a few critical passes for positions I lost at the start, and we finished with the Win in Class, 15th overall, and a new Race Track Record.
Sunday, I started 1st in Class and 15th or so overall, BUT unfortunately, the race for us ended early after a really great start where I only managed to lose one or two spots. After starting to settle into a rhythm, I was taken out in Turn 1 (fast right hander) on Lap 5. Leading a pack of four (a 993 behind outside, Boxster S inside the 993 two-wide, and a Cayman S behind them) while entering T1 where I was very hard to outbreak, the Cayman S tried a three-wide (behind me) inside move on the Boxster S and the 993, who were already two-wide behind me, to pass all 3 of us. Unfortunately a ZERO probability move. Way too hot, unable to slow it down, and running out of track, he bounced off the inside curbing, crossed across the bow of Boxster running inside two-wide behind me, and landed on my rear right wheel / quarter panel with his left front corner/front bumper. A completely impossible move.... We were all stunned ... I actually saw him coming as I entered T1, but other than leaving some room (which I did), there was nothing I could do.
Pretty hard hit that sent me into a seriously fast-rotating 360. I have to admit; the view from Turn 1 looking the wrong way at 3 cars heading one's way at around 80 mph not knowing where to go to avoid me is EPIC! NOT pleasant though…! Somehow, Doug and the 993 did a fantastic job in not collecting me, or the Cayman. With some fancy steering and foot work, I recovered after the 360 without stalling the car and rolled back on track pointed in the right direction with my finger on the radio button. Nonetheless, it ended my race and a sure 11 points towards the Regional and National Championship.
After video review by all, the Driver of the Cayman was a gentlemen and sincerely apologized. Given the high visibility and profile of the event being the support race for Grand-Am, the PCA National Steward and the National Scrutineer where both there. I was almost immediately unofficially cleared after my video was played to the National Steward. After the in-car videos from the Cayman and Boxster were played, it was a no brainer and I was formally declared not at fault and therefore not penalized. I hate to see it happen but I believe the Cayman's driver got penalized and now is on probation for 13 months and/or 13 races. Any additional contact in that periods results in license suspension.
Pictures are a pain to post here so please check them out at my Facebook page (they are public - you will nott need to sign-up or befriend me):
http://www.facebook....26982566&type=3
One of my support crew members (Griffin Gamcsik) is a photographer and most of his pics of the event are here:
http://gsquaredmedia...92115&k=dPm4DW5
