The final session had Nick back in the car.  We were about 9 laps behind the leaders but catching at a rate of about 10 seconds per lap.  After doing some quick math it appeared we would have a shot at overtaking for the lead, but then disaster struck again as we were notified by race officials to pull in our driver for a one minute penalty due to passing during a yellow flag in an earlier session.  We were all stupefied as to how the official could ding us for something that allegedly happened about a half hour earlier.   If a corner worker saw us pass under yellow it should have been called in and dealt with immediately.  This is not the kind of thing that requires deliberation.  Regardless, the penalty was served.   When Nick went back out on track he drove with a vengeance posting very fast lap times.  We were passing cars and catching the leaders in a hurry but in the end there wouldn’t be enough time.  We finished about 2 minutes behind the leaders and in 4th place overall.  The silver lining is that we did win our class and posted the fastest lap of the race.  Faster than professional racers in a car with twice the horsepower. 

Despite not taking the overall win, it was another great race.  Much thanks to our team of engineers and mechanics who did an incredible job making repairs and keeping us in the race until the end. 

Looking forward to 2009.

Around 6pm the fog came rolling in until the drivers were no longer able to see much of anything beyond the nose of their cars.  The officials decided it was too dangerous to continue and the race was temporarily put on hold.  Nick was driving at the time and had to finish the last lap with his visor raised as it was completely fogged up.  If you’ve ever stuck your hand out the window while driving 60mph on the freeway, you know how powerful the wind resistance is.  Now imagine the same thing only it’s your face that is exposed and your going twice the speed, and it’s at night, cold and wet.

Since it was clear the fog wasn’t going to lift anytime soon we all decided to eat dinner and get some sleep in the RV.  Around 4:30am a voice came over the loudspeaker.  The fog was lifting and we had 25 minutes until the restart. 

Steve drove the first session after the restart and was cut off by a Miata requiring evasive maneuvers which put Steve into a spin and into the hillside.  He managed to limp back to the pits but the left rear corner was badly damaged and needed to be replaced.  Our crew went into action.  I’m not sure of the exact time but I’m guessing it took 20 – 30 minutes to make the change.  While in the pits wondering how many laps the Daytona Prototype was putting us down, we suddenly looked up to see it being towed in with far more damage than we had.  Initially we expected them to get back out but after putting going to work on repairs and doing a good bit of welding they eventually found something that could not be fixed.  Their race was over.

It wasn’t too much later when Steve was back in the pits with a broken half shaft.  All weekend the motor had been bucking pretty badly when around 3000 rpm.  This puts a great deal of stress on the half shaft and most likely is what caused the break.  It also meant another 20 – 30 minutes of repairs. 

I was back in the car next and had a bad time fighting vision problems.  About half the session I had one hand on the wheel and one hand trying desperately and ineffectively to wipe the fog and water from my visor.   After my session I discovered the problem.  In the first 10 minutes I removed the tear-offs from my visor as dirty water was getting trapped between them making it impossible to see.   While I thought I removed both tear-offs, it turned out one was still attached.   A stupid error on my part and another lesson learned.

It was finally my turn. ☺   I got in the car around 3pm and other than a majorly flat spotted tire, the left front I believe, the car felt good.  The flat spot didn’t affect the handling too bad but it was causing a tremendous vibration that meant having to fight the wheel and the discomfort of a constant jarring.  It also meant the side view mirrors were useless as they were bouncing around far too much to see anything in them.  I later learned it wasn’t a flat spot but a mound of rubber that was lodged inside the wheel.  As cars race around and their tires wear, bits of rubber come off and build up on the track on the outside of the corners.  The balls of rubber are often referred to as marbles because when you drive over them it’s like driving on marbles causing you to lose traction.  Unfortunately the outside of corners is also a good spot to pass slower cars so for us it meant driving over the marbles.  At some point a mound of them lodged inside the wheel, which now was like a magnet picking up more marbles on each lap.  This caused the wheel to be VERY out of balance hence the vibration.

Not too far into my stint I got into some serious traffic and the Daytona Prototype passed me on the back straight.   I knew it was one of their pro drivers in the car but not sure which so I jumped on his tail hoping I could hang on for a lap.  For the next 80 minutes we had en epic battle with each passing and re-passing the other several times.   I would manage to stuff him in a tight corner and squeak by, then he would power back past on the straight.  It was possibly the best race I ever had and after the session I went to talk with my competitor who turned out to be pro racer Tom Dyer.  I knew Tom from several years earlier when he gave me some instruction in racing shifter karts. 

The first pit stop went well.  We refueled the car, checked that nothing was falling off, strapped Steve in and away he went.  However, as he was pulling out the official walked over for a chat.  Yes auto racing has officials much like other sports.  The official pointed out a small fuel spill that occurred during the pit and then proceeded to slap us with a 5-minute stop-and-go penalty.  So Steve took one lap and was brought back into the pits where he had to sit for 5 minutes.  This was a painful penalty but for Steve no doubt it was particularly so.  When you climb into a racecar your pulse is racing, your adrenaline is flowing and your mind and body are preparing themselves for battle.  To be called back in after one lap is painful.  To sit in your car for 5 minutes, helmet on, 6-point harness holding you in tight, waiting for your turn while knowing the competition is getting further ahead, this is excruciating.  Eventually he was let out of the penalty box and rejoined the fight.  Steve drove the next 90 minutes burning fast lap times and keeping out of trouble and in a 25 hour race it’s all about keeping out of trouble.  However with 70 cars on the track that can sometimes be difficult to accomplish.

Quick time out for a product testimonial.  At last years 25 Hour race the founder of a company called GoPro came over and mounted this little plastic video camera to our car.  It looked like a bit like a disposable camera you might buy at a Walgreens.  My first reaction was no way the cars coming back with that thing still on it and if by some miracle it does the video quality will be unwatchable.  I was wrong.  Not only did the camera return in tact, but the quality was better than the far more expensive camera I run in my Spec Racer.   At $200 they’re a fraction the cost of your standard video camera, which makes me wonder what the hell Sony, Samsung and all the big manufacturers are doing.  The Hero camera is great for any kind of sport: skiing, mt. biking, motocross, surfing, scuba diving, etc…    If you’re interested in taking point-of-view video, I highly recommend getting one.

Thus ends my commercial.

We’re now about 1.5 hours into the race and at least 2 cars are already out due to failures.  Actually, both went out within about a half hour.  Shortly before the race team Cytosport, our competition in the Daytona Prototype, had what we believe was a fuel problem.  The result was not making it to grid on time and therefore having to start the race from the hot pits, which means the back of the pack.  We chalk it up to karma biting them in the ass for wrongfully being awarded the pole.  Regardless, over the duration of 25 hours the penalty is not severe.  We had to start at the back last year and in the end were still battling for the overall victory eventually finishing 2nd. 

Shortly into the race we had a few problems of our own.  The fire extinguisher, which is mounted on the floor next to the driver’s feet, and the rollbar mounted video camera both came loose and were rattling around in the cockpit.  Nick dealt with it for about a half hour but when the video camera bounced between his feet he decided it was time to pit.  The camera was a quick fix, but securing the extinguisher took about 10 minutes.  At around 1:45 per lap that knocked us out of first place and put us down several laps.  The DP is now in the lead and we’re working our way back to the front.  In fact, while I am writing this, I’m sure Nick has found his way back to 2nd.   23.5 hours to go.

This season’s first controversy has begun and Team Green is in the middle of it.  In qualifying, with Nick behind the wheel, we recorded a lap time of 1:45.85 and our primary competition, in a Daytona Prototype with professional drivers, recorded a time of 1:47 and change, yet they were listed on pole and we were P2.  After an inquiry as to how we were in P2 while running the fastest lap, the records were changed and suddenly our competition had recorded a 1:45.04.  The bottom line is in a 25-hour race it really doesn’t matter where you start, it only matters where you finish. 

Tonight’s job is to get a good night sleep as there will be little more until we all get home Sunday night. 

While the green flag doesn’t wave until tomorrow, if you’re a racer or race fan, you know the start of the race really begins with the test days prior to the actual event.  Testing isn’t only about refamiliarizing yourself with the car and track, it’s about working on your vehicles setup to maximize performance.  In many ways getting the setup right is half the battle.  It’s also a mixture of science, art and black magic.

For us the race began on Thursday with Nick and Dennis running our first test day.  As it turned out they had their hands full with a very ill handling vehicle.  After a full day of testing and many changes they were happy with the car.  One example of how a small change can make a big difference is in aerodynamics.  Nick & Dennis opted to flatten the rear wing on the car lowering the trailing edge about 1-inch, which means there is less wind hitting it.  The effect is less downforce in the corners but we picked up an extra 10mph on the longest straight.   Steve and I ran the test day on Friday, today, and benefited from Dennis & Nick’s hard work as we both agreed the car felt great. 

It’s now 4:50pm and qualifying begins in 30 minutes, after the sun goes down.