So, this weekend was the NASA Northeast Nazareth race - my first race on an oval. I had tried to do that once before, when EMRA was at Nazareth a couple of months ago, but the rain took care of that one. I didn't really know what to expect out of it to be honest. How boring would it really be?

Now, don't forget that I had flatspotted all four of my Toyos at Pocono a couple of weeks ago. I don't want to order new track tires at the end of the season, because we all know that they aren't as sticky after sitting for the entire winter. So, I mounted up my 5 year old R1s that were on the first CRX racecar that I bought a year and a half ago. The ones that were actually on that car when I picked it up in the middle of winter in Connecticut - actually sitting in about 4" of snow. I had always kept them in case of an emergency though, and this was an emergency... of sorts.

I got there and took a good look around the paddock, hmmmm, light turnout. I guess not many people want to race on an oval. If it wasn't so close to my house, I doubt I would have been there either. Then again, it was for points in the NASA Pro-Atlantic championship, so it wouldn't hurt to pull ahead of my competition a bit more. So anyway, a quick look around the paddock revealed a grand total of 4 race cars, including me. Everybody else was there for the driver's ed.

So, it was my CRX, Dave Davis' (my sponsor) 2nd gen Integra with the H22A in it (1970lbs/230hp), a Factory Five Cobra replica, and a GT1 C5 Vette. To say I was outgunned wouldn't begin to sum it up. I was the only small bore car there! Of the four or us, Dave was the only one who had run the track before.

So I intentionally lined up 4th for our first session out for obvious reasons. We were the first group on the track, so we did the first 10 laps under caution to help try to warm the track up a bit. We finally went green, and I jumped on it. I passed Dave on the right, the Cobra on the left, and the Vette on the right. It was one of those moments when your brain starts screaming, "I am the greatest driver alive!" My glory was short lived though, because after about two turns Dave decided it was time for him to go fast. Bye bye Integra! The other two didn't pick up the pace though, and I lapped them both before the session ended.

Here was the really weird thing though - the track was fun to drive. It's like a road course with 4 turns. Every turn is different, so it isn't just the same turn over and over again. It still isn't as good as a road course, but it was more fun than I expected it to be. It's worth the trip!

The second time out, I had a lot more confidence. We went green almost immediately and the Cobra tried to lose me. He got on it hard, but it only took a lap for me to use my exit speed to take his inside from him and get past. Shortly after Dave flew by me again, but I felt good as the stopwatch on my steering wheel was reading 37.5 seconds/lap. About halfway through the session I checked my mirror and noticed the Vette where I hadn't seen him before. $hit. Well, I guess he woke up. It didn't take all that long before he made me his bitch too.

I noticed that when I was running in 4th gear the whole time, the oil temp was hitting about 270. I wasn't particularly happy about that, so I shifted up to 5th to bring the RPMs down. That slowed me quite a bit, and the Cobra caught me and went past. Being as immature as I am, I downshifted back to 4th to catch him again, but our lap times were just about identical.

The next run session was qualifying, but when the session started, I was the only one there. I went out and turned a couple of warm up laps, and started running hot just as Dave was coming out of the pits in his Integra. He caught me and came past coming out of turn 4 and getting ready for the first turn.

Dave was FLYING by me, but didn't seem to be braking where I knew he should be. Even with those big fat Hoosiers on there, there was no way he could hold that turn, and I knew it. I started backing off before the *** end of his car started coming around, and it was a damn good thing. Sure enough, he lost it.

The *** end shot out to the left, and he was going too fast to catch it completely. He was sideways, aiming towards the infield. His car was moving towards the inside of the track so I aimed high, though I was still braking lightly "just incase". In the last two years of racing, one thing I've learned is that a spinning car could go anywhere. It was a good decision on my part. The next thing I knew he was coming up the track right to where I was aiming.

That's when the old racing saying kicked in: "It's not good to hit your sponsor!!!!!!!" I slammed on the brakes, as it was my only option at the time. Dave stopped his car before it hit the wall, and I stopped before I hit Dave. Well, I didn't actually stop, I cruised past his stopped car and a pretty slow speed. Then I heard it. thunk thunk thunk thunk. $#&%!

It had only been 3 weeks since I flatspotted my tires at Pocono, so I remembered how it sounded and felt. It sounded and felt like this. I pitted in to see what I already knew. My front right wasn't just worn TO the cords, it was worn THROUGH the cords. The 5 year old rubber just didn't stand up to that kind of friction. Just like that, my weekend was over. I didn't own any more track tires, and my street tires suck far too badly to put them on a track.

After I parked it, I went over to Dave's "crew member" who was on headset with him. When he was on his cool down lap I took the headset and said, "Hey Dave, you took me out of the race!"

"What are you talking about?"
"I flatspotted my tire trying not to hit you."
"****! You're kidding!"
"Nope. I'm done."
"You don't have any more tires here?"
"No."
"Come over to the paddock, you aren't done."

He felt REALLY bad about making me ruin my tires, and wanted to help.

I went over and he told his guy to get out the four spare tires and wheels. The guy comes out with 4 Hoosiers mounted on Volks. The only problem is that I run 185/65/13s, and these were 225/45/15s. They do have the same lug pattern though. We tried one of the rears, but it was rubbing. They didn't have any extra spacers, but Dave had two spacers on each of his rear wheels, and he said that he would be okay with just one. So we jacked up his car and stole one spacer from each wheel. They worked, and the rears were on. The fronts went on without any modification, but if I turned the wheel too much they definately hit. Luckily you don't have to steer too much on the track.

I got permission to take the car out during one of the driver's ed sessions to test it, and I could smell burning rubber before I even made it out of the pit lane and onto the track. It was hitting somewhere. I pitted right back in and discovered that when I cornered, the tire was rubbing against the fender lip. Good thing I have coil overs!

Lifting the rear 3/4th" and the front 1/4th" seemed to take care of the problem, and it was time to race. Dave had the pole with a time of 34.8 seconds. Then the Vette, the Cobra, and me (since I never really got a good hot lap to challenge the Cobra for that last position).

Though I was gridded last, in a field of 4 cars, who cares where you start! We came around and took the green and the Vette just took off like you wouldn't believe. He had been sandbagging it for all of the earlier sessions - that bitch was FAST! Dave took off after him in vain, and the Cobra and I started our epic battle - power vs handling.

He obviously out torqued me on the start, but I made up the ground in the first turn. I caught him on the exit, but he pulled away on the back straight. The added friction of the huge tires did NOT help my cause on the straights. The car just doesn't have enough power for that much sticky rubber. He had to brake a lot earlier than I did for the next turn, but he had the inside blocked out nicely. I just stayed high, went deep, and tried to pass him on the outside. It was a risk, but I was on Hoosiers! We ran the whole turn side by side, and even though I got past him, it wasn't enough for me to go for the apex and shut the door. His nose was still in there, and it wasn't worth the risk of hitting him and eating the wall.

He pulled ahead on the front straight, but unlike the first time we went through turn 1, I was right on his ***. I was running full throttle through the turn, and kicked out to the outside of him to try to get a run on him on the outside of 1. He had to back it off since he couldn't track out, and my Hoosiers stuck well enough that I didn't have to lift, even running the outside of the turn. I pulled ahead, but once again, he got up with me coming into turn 3. I did the same thing again, staying to his outside, with the same result.

I was even closer than the last time entering turn 1, and I kicked out for the outside pass even sooner. This time he was slowing way down, and I had him clean. I took off down the back straight, and looked in my mirror to see him pit in. WTF? I found out later that he was overheating and had to come in.

After that it was just me and the two cars that I couldn't touch. The Vette was just unbelievably fast, and Dave had no chance. He was turning lap times in the 32 second range, and Dave had qualified at 34.8. The larger wheels altered my gearing so I could stay in 4th and not overheat. I just cruised around, occasionally being lapped by the other two and took the checker.

I was first in class, but then again, so was everybody else! When I pitted in I discovered that raising the rear 3/4th" wasn't quite enough, because it did rub a little, but it wasn't too bad. Then I found out that the race wasn't for Pro-Atlantic points after all. They didn't mention that!

I started getting the car back to street mode, and Dave told me to just keep his tires and wheels until the end of the season (he knew I had a Watkins Glen race and a Summit Point race in the next three weeks). He threw my 13" wheels and R1s into his trailer for me since I don't have room for 8 tires in the car, and I kept the Volk/Hoosier combo. It isn't ideal, but it's better than nothing.

As much as it sucked to flatspot the tire, it was definately better than the alternatives! I'm looking forward to trying these tires on road courses. I think I'm already hooked on Hoosiers though - they are amazing!

I got some pics of the car with the 15" Volks on it. I really like how it looks with white wheels, those these ones are way too big - they look like wagon wheels.

So anyway, that was my saga. I'll let you know about the Glen race next week....

Matt

 

cool story.

 

Same type of story; different day. I went up today (Sunday) to run. It was the GT-1 C-5 Vette, the Factory Five Cobra Replica, and an ITE 96 Mustang Cobra racecar; and of course me (95 Civic DX B18B1 hybrid w/032R Yokos).

Well, the race was awesome! At the start, the C5 Vette took off massively. The ITE Mustang was next, then the Cobra Replica and me glued to his rear valence panel. He would pull me on the straights, I would reel him in on the corners. This went on and on, with me getting up to his door several times. Eventually, the Cobra pulled away about 25 lengths or so and it was me all alone in the back. I ran flat out, hoping something would happen....

Well, it did! The Cobra replicar overheated and blew up. Big cloud of steam/smoke and a massive spinout. Game over for the Cobra. Yellow and black flags! After the cleanup, we lined up again (minus the Cobra) and out came the green. I was determined to try to get by the ITE Mustang. So I tried and tried and tried and tried. He would pull on the straights; I would reel him in, especially on the "kink". I was taking it flat out at 105 to 107 mph. At one point, I thought I might actually get the damn thing; I could see blue smoke trailing off his right front tires. I caught up and he suddenly pulled ahead. He was running flat out for 3 or so laps then an 85% lap to try to cool his tires...

Well, thats how the race ended. Oh, the C5 Vette lapped me twice; guess I forgot to add that.

My best lap (we did 35 laps) was a 36.281. Damn, would have been nice to get into the 35s!!!

Well, I had a great great time. It is a really fun track to race on; you guys gotta try it sometime....

Todd

PS I also instructed for 3 rungroups; they were short on instructors. one guy was a stock 1977 911 -- maintanence throttle!!! maintanence throttle!!! DON'T LIFT!!!

 

Nice story - thanks.

Scott, who believes now that ovals could be fun.........it's all racing huh.....

 

Oh crap! That wasn't his car!!!! The guy who owned the Vette also owned that Cobra, his friend was driving it. That thing had problems from the start, he kept dropping parts on the track. Then the fan broke, then it developed a leak....

Matt

 

Here is my novel:
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=78467