NHIS 5/12-13/2003

Preparation:

My first track event for 2003 was supposed to be Pocono in April 19. I didn’t make it. I did not get the car back until April 30. Next up was a two day Driver Ed event at New Hampshire International Speedway (NHIS). Should be plenty of time to get the car ready, right? Not really. I spent the first weekend in May crewing for my friend John Colasante at Lime Rock (his first club race). That left less than two weeks to get the car ready.

When I picked up the car from the body shop it looked great. However, I still had a fair amount of mechanical preparation to complete before it would be track ready. The work to be done included:

-change oil

-change brake fluid

-install new water pump hose (and change coolant)

-install new crush rings for the power steering pump (so change that fluid too)

-align the car

-install race wheels

-perform tech inspection.

-take car for test drive and make sure the new oil cooler doesn’t leak, the power steering lines are tight, the brakes work, the body work doesn’t rub, and the engine makes good power.

Since I am not a professional mechanic or race car driver, I still have a day job. I also have a family that I want to remain part of. That means I get to work on the car after my kids (2, 5, and 8) go to bed, around 9:00 PM. I work till about 11:00, then I clean up and go to bed. The prep took all week, but I was ready to go by Saturday morning. Since Sunday was mother’s day, I didn’t want to leave too early. My wife has been more than understanding, considering how much time and money I spent repairing the car, then working on it. To shorten this part of the story, I left NY at 6:00 PM and I was parked outside the track at midnight.

Trip Up:

The weather forecast for the event was not good, cold, cloudy, periods of rain. Sunday night it rained hard, but there was no rain Monday morning. I pulled into the track, parked near the garage and checked in. I had enough time to unload the car, get it ready, and go through tech. Then it was time for the driver’s meeting, instructor meeting, and novice driver classroom session. Once those were out of the way, I actually got a chance to drive!

waiting for the track to open.

Day One

When I was giving the classroom session (I am the chief instructor for Metro, and we teach a class to the beginners at each track event), the instructor group drove, so I missed that session. I then planned on driving in the intermediate group, but a driver asked me to move him into the advanced group, so I rode with him to determine if he was qualified (he was). I decided to drive in the beginner group. There weren’t a lot of cars in the group, and since I haven’t been on the track since August, I would not be exactly ripping it up. And, I could certainly use the track time.

Before I got out on the track, I let the beginners out first. This way I entered to an empty track. The car was running great. I was taking it very easy, and slowly working back up to speed. NHIS is a technical track, lots of turns, and I was finding it hard to get into a rhythm. Eventually I remembered the track, and it started coming back to me. The car was working great, good power and brakes, OK grip (it was damp and cold). After 10 minutes or so I came up to the beginners. The drivers (or more likely the instructors) were attentive and gave me lots of passing signals.

Eventually, the run ended and I pulled into the paddock. Nothing fell off the car! Nothing smoked, burned, or leaked! Success!! I quickly looked the car over, made an air pressure adjustment, then it was time for the instructors to drive. That group was obviously a lot faster than the green group, but I was able to keep up. My car felt very good and I was very happy.

That particular run was long, and when it ended I was pretty tired. The track dried off, the weather warmed up, and I worked hard in that session. I didn’t push hard, but I was hot and sweaty by the end of the session. I had a few sessions free, so I spoke to some students and watched the track. Then it started to rain. Easy at first, then more steady. I was debating weather to drive or not, when I decided that since I had all the equipment, I might as well drive. I got all the stuff from my trailer and pulled into the garage. About 10 minutes later the rains were on. I had enough time to check the tire pressure, then head out onto the track. I think gthat maybe four cars were on the track. Overall, conditions were fine. Some sections of the track were VERY slippery, others had good grip, but generally it was fine. I had lots of fun sliding the car around, I had enough power to spin the wheels whenever I wanted to.

The last run of the day was the combined red/black (instructor / advanced driver) session. By that time it had stopped raining and the track was dry or drying. Unfortunately, I was busy before and I didn’t have time to change back to the dry tires. Actually, I did have time, but I was too lazy to walk over to the RV and get my jack. I borrowed a jack before, and the guy had the nerve to leave the track! I missed the run, but I wasn’t too upset about it.

That night I was too tired to get dinner with everyone else. Just about everyone else was staying in Concord, about 20 minutes from the track. I didn’t feel like driving the RV or the Porsche 20 minutes into town, spending 2 hours at dinner, then driving back to the track. NHIS management let me stay inside the track. It was nice because the track has electricity, so I had power to spare in the RV. I went to a local convenience store and bought a frozen pizza. I watched some TV, caught up on Autoweek and Time magazine, and was snoring by 11:00. Of course it rained all night.

Notice the wonderful weather

Day Two

Tuesday dawned like Monday: cold, damp, and cloudy. The weather forecast was the same, showers in the afternoon. Since it was dry out, I put the Hoosiers back on. The morning went quickly, car prep, driver meeting, instructor meeting, and that sort of stuff.

On the track the conditions were very slick. The track was wet but drying. Each lap the track got better and better. Not good, but getting better. I was one of the first people out there, and I didn’t see too many other cars. I had to pit after a few minutes because my passenger side mirror fell out of the housing. The wire controls prevented it from falling onto the track and breaking, so I was able to press it back into place. I think I saw maybe two other cars the entire session.

Later I rode with some white group drivers. I took a student for a ride, drove in one more session, then packed up and got ready to hit the road. I left the track at 3:30 and made the 7:30 PM ferry from Bridgeport to Port Jefferson. I was home by 9:30.

The car worked great for the first time out. The passenger side window is off the track, so I need to fix that. I have install the new rear spoiler, rig up a better undertray for the splitter, and get some graphics on the car. Next up is Summit Point in July. I would like to do an event in June – any ideas for something in the northeast?

B