“Track Side,” A day in the life of a Track Junkie…, This is humorous series of articles written by my good friend Matt Y, who is a devout SCCA track junkie, running his ’87 VW Golf GTI (more affectionately referred to as, “the General Li”). These articles give you a look into what racing is really like. It’s not always fun and games… Sit back, relax and see what it’s like to be “Track Side.” Eric M, GTA Webmaster – 5/1/2002
As has been typical, all the time leading up to MARRS I was squandered doing other things like preparing and running a car in the Grassroots Motorsports $2002 challenge, crewing for a few Grand Am Cup races and the infamous Longest Night of Moroso. That having been said, the General Li is wholly untouched from the previous season except for some different (not new) tires and fresh fluids.
Thursday, 25 April
Arriving at the track to drop off the trailer was a shock – trailers were lined up inside the facility almost as far as the eye could see. The volume of people was almost as great as during the “keep your license” double-MARRS event in September!! Once inside, I was able to secure a pavement spot for myself (at the request of some friends who wanted pavement in case we encountered rain) and a several spots for my friends that were destined to arrived later (much later…)
Friday, 26 April
True to form, Summit Point was a mob-scene packed with folks trying to get thru Annual Tech or simply trying to get the car running. Since I didn’t plan to unpack much because I was in the first race group, I milled about and caught up with some friends whom I hadn’t seen since the previous season.
Saturday, 27 April
First Qualifying – The fun began early since ITA ran in Group 1 which commenced promptly at 0830!! While the temps were cool, the the track was dry and the sun was shining brightly. The first lap was rather slippery considering the temperatures in the mid-50s. Entering turn 4 leading into the chute, I lifted slightly and then powered thru the turn – the Celica following me wasn’t quite prepared for that maneuver and promptly spun behind me – doh!! On the third lap, entering turn 1, I was buzz-bombed by Jerry in his RX-7. As he hit the braking zone, he started to slide – I backed off the throttle as Jerry slid past me and across the track after the apex of 1. As I got back on the throttle, I found another RX-7 pulling off near the apex of 2 – apparently Kez broke an oil fitting and dumped oil. The session was immediately black flagged and ended with only 3 laps completed. The only upside is that this left me in 4th position for the afternoon qualifying session.
Second Qualifying – The temperature had finally increased enough to be comfortable and the sun had warmed the track enough that it promised to be sticky. Once on track, the session was rather uneventful – as expected, the fast cars passed and I found myself alone and able to work on turning a fast lap (not that I could). The only excitement came from a pair of battling SSC Neons that were so focused on each other that they didn’t notice me. I remained behind them for a while since one had rookie stripes and because I didn’t really need to hit the cars to get around them – yes, I know this goes against my grain but I think I’m going soft in my old age. Once the session ended, the bad news was apparent – 11th OA, 10th in class for the race.
Having heard rumors of rain and having forgotten the rain tires at home (feeble mind) – I ran home to get them and to hope for a dry race.
Sunday, April 28
As I awoke, I heard the rain beating on my window and figured that couldn’t be a good sign for a dry race. Sure enough, on the drive to the track the rain varied from deluge to downpour. Arriving at the track, I frantically changed tires and wondered about how Hoosier Dirt Stockers would perform. I’ve heard nothing but praise for the tires but had never experienced them before. With no hardship practice pass, I would have to learn about them in the race…
The start was, well – WET. Racing into turn 1, the biggest challenge was seeing the car in front well enough to recognize that it was braking. I immediately commenced a 12 lap chase of an MR2 after I tucked in behind it at the start. The track was full of puddles, streams and small lakes which made car position critical. The tires certainly worked well as I pushed hard to maintain position. After a few laps, a car spun to the outside of turn 3 and a full course yellow was issued to safely extract the car from it’s precarious location.
The restart revealed no more further drama and I remained glued to the rear of the MR2. The MR2 was well driven as he was able to block me with great success entering the chute and thru the carousel. While I was able to close as we exited turn 9, the MR2 had more power and would pull about 1/2 car length which made passing in 10 too risky. Braking in turn 1 was still a challenge – I know there are brake markers on the track but I never saw one on Sunday because they were obscured by the spray!!
As the one-lap remaining sign appeared, we started catching a few lap cars. Entering the chute, an RX-7, running ahead of the MR-2 and myself caught an SSB (or SSC) Neon. Since the RX-7 is RWD, John slowed more than either of us but kept us behind him as he made his way thru the carousel. This gave me the break I was looking for as I was able to get a decent run thru turn 9 and pull alongside the MR2. We ran side-by-side into the braking zone at turn 10 where I late-braked the MR2 and finally passed him!! I took a fairly cautious exit and carried enough speed to remain in from of the MR2 at the finish – woohoo!! Nothing like a last minute desperation move that pays off!!
The aftermath
The results weren’t stellar but acceptable nevertheless – 10th OA, 9th in class. Even more surprising was that I’d survived the rain race without any contact!! The most impressive news was a 2nd place by Nate in his 240SX and a 12th place finish by Lee in his 16v Scirocco!!
The rest of the weekend was unfortunately a bit more eventful. During the ITS race, Michelle, Rick’s daughter and rookie racer got a bit overexcited while racing Rob and performed a gentle rollover in turn 10. Considering that Rick did a similar manuever in Phoenix a few weeks ago, we figured that she was just following the Old Man’s example. In the Spec Miata race, Robin’s new car lost a cylinder so he chose the prudent option and parked the car. Payton, running well and aggressive as ever went off in turn 3 and performed a fairly spectacular flip. The good news is that no one was injured although both cars need a fair amount of TLC to be race worthy.
The next race is at VIR (near Danville, VA) on May 11 and 12. With any luck (and some available leave), I’ll be there trying to learn a new track and avoid being a large moving chicane (although the colour of the car does lend itself well to resembling a large pylon).
Til then…
~Matthew
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