New Site!

Please follow my blog in the future at my new web site: www.IndexFingerRacing.com. I've lost a few photos moving over, but now I have my own hosted web site. Hope to add more items to that site, in addition to the blog, but don't hold your breath.

L-o-n-g overdue update

We left off after the 2012 Watkins Glen Club Race. The next race weekend last year was VIR, and again I was mid-pack in the Sprints (with a good-sized class). My friend Frank V's Euro SC was leaking brake fluid, so I "borrowed" his co-driver, Dwayne M, for the Enduro. Despite my car feeling anemic and pushing like a cow, Dwayne managed to leave me so far advanced by the time I took over that I had a real race. A few things helped - one was the Evan C, perennial front-runner, had a stop-watch mishap and had to pit an extra time. Since we shared a pit crew, I told them to help him but was informed it was "my turn" which put him further back than I expected. I pointed him by later, but that apparently was for him to just join the lead lap. Then I assumed I was mid-pack (although likely better than usual thanks to Dwayne), and ended up neck-in-neck with (also friend) Patrick R, who was gaining on me. On the last lap, he couldn't get by in the Roller Coaster, but got a run on me on the main straight, and was less than a car length behind me and gaining as we passed the checkered flag. That is 1/10 of a second at the end of a 90-minute race! We did our cool-down lap and as we came into the pits learned we'd finished 1-2! :D

Next was the August Club Race at Mid-Ohio. It seems that I either do very well in enduros, or experience damage. In the Sprints I was again mid-pack (hoping for better) but improved over the weekend. But during the enduro was was "nudged" off the track  (nose to tail) by a 944 that couldn't get by me. Although the car was drivable, I was pissed and wanted the other driver to get a 13/13, which he didn't. Frank V (see above) had a bad wreck there, but his rear fenders now grace my car.

I took the car in for dyno tuning and learned that it had a DME board that didn't match the box, and the chip didn't match the car, board, or box. New (correct) chip and I suddenly had 15 additional horsepower! So much for being "anemic."

I missed the Summit Point CR due to a family wedding, but did have a great time running in the Turkey Bowl at Summit Point over Thanksgiving Weekend. Very (very) low-key, with no timing or trophies, but saw some great old cars, and my Mom was able to come for a few hours and see me on the race track. I wasn't expecting her to enjoy it as much as she did.

So on to 2013. Race-wise this has not been a great year. The car developed a "miss" at Watkins Glen, and although I finished both races, I did not even hold my own due to how badly the car was driving. After 3 weeks of troubleshooting, replacing plugs, wires, points, cap, fuel pressure regulator (leaking) and injectors (also leaking), took the car down to VIR, but it was much worse. I got 6 laps between 4 practices (and only 1 lap without issues, first lap of the day), so drove home Friday night. Back to the troubleshooter who this time found a loose (but normal-appearing) solder joint on the DME. Fixed, and took the car last weekend to Summit Point for a shake-down--and it ran GREAT! And the silver lining - another few horsepower on the dyno.

At this point trying to decide whether to do PCA-Potomac DEs at Summit Point and VIR, or to bag the DEs and race at NJMP Thunderbolt in late August. Need to decide soon...