So this is pretty much what the ITS field looked like all day Sunday. Much to our surprise I might add!
Friday, Test Day:
We spent Friday at open test day tweaking and reparing small things that are still being worked out in development of the Corrado VR6. The plan was to test susp. setups, some splitter configs and different tire combos. New Hoosiers vs new Kumho etc. However during the inital test runs we began to have some problems. The splitter/air damn dropped down and began to self destruct requiring an early abort of the session and a lengthy repair. On another test run the brakes went completly soft and began to pulsate. While troubleshooting this we realised the new untested bias valve was split internally and this required a complete flushing of the system after we removed the valve. After corner weighting the car and missing a session to do so, we were set to go out for the final session when the track closed down for the day. Best time of the day was only a 2:20.x, nothing to write home about and only 5 sec faster than the ITB Golf.
Saturday, Qualifying:
So, Saturday arrives, it's pouring rain. We know the track as well as our driveway so we stay dry for the 1st session. The 2nd session whowever is qualifying. The track is slightly drying but still not enough to trust a new car to slicks...and good thing we didnt! The new unbiased, untested brake setup were a mess! Going into T1 on the first flying lap the right rear locked up an istantly pitched the car slideways... a quick jerk on the wheel and application of full throttle brought it back but the trust was now gone. After a few laps the rear tires had generated enough heat that they were now only locking when the brakes were applied hard in a few heavy braking turns...but still the result was the same, instant rear kickout, even when braking in a stright line. So a pumping the brake and rolling in between approach was adopted...not the fast way around.
However, the car fron the exit of T1 all the way to the bustop was excellent, not problems putting power down in the rain and perfect gearing up through the esses. I was motoring by Corvettes and BMWs that I thought must be on slicks.
Given the braking issues, It was with quite a bit of surprise therefore that we found ourselfs on the front row after qualifying.Pole was won by another FWD car, Steve Wheeler's Acura Intrgra.
Sunday, Race:
We awoke to bright blue sunshine. A beautiful day in the fingerlakes. Damn! :angry: I was sure that the FWD rain advantage was the only way to stay in the hunt. I would have to spend the day watching cars drive by and hoping nobody got impatient and booted me.
We had some bad wheel shake during the test day on one set of Kumhos so we took the 2 front over to get them balanced. Turns out one tire had developed some sort of internal defect, as it was obviously out of round. Our only option was to race on the new unscrubed Hoosiers and a set of smaller 205 Kumhos in the rear. (Yes not IT legal, but we had no choice).
So the green flag drops and I manage to get inside the Acura and draft a Porsche 911 up the hill for the first lap, in my mirrors I see lots of hungry ITS cars and I just start driving it for all it's worth... the thought is to push hard and hopefully we can stay in the top 10. On lap 2 or 3 Bob Driscoll's Autotechnic BMW motors by on the straight, I tuck in behind and follow him around for a couple laps.
Going into the bus stop and with heavy traffic in front I manage to sneak back past and spend the next few laps with a kidney grille in my mirrors.
Since I was not driving in my mirrors (famous last words) I can't tell what happened behind me but after a few laps Chris Camadella's Porsche 944 was glued to my tail. The Corrado would pull away from T1 up through the esses and down the back straight but through the twisty sections the perfectly balanced 944 would catch up every lap. I was pretty sure Chris was just measuring my up for where he would make his move.
At one point while rounding turn 10, the front end decided to go on vacation and the car just understeered off the track...A little full throttle farming and we were back on track and barely in the lead... this was very un-nerving as I was not sure what had just happened. (Post race revealed a less camber than was needed on the RF, but even so the new untested tires felt inconsistent. Heat? We had our Kumhos over 230* in the pits on Friday...perhaps I was cooking the Hoosiers in the front.)
It was at this point that things started to get a bit weirder. 2 cars went off in T10 and got stuck in the sand bringing out a full course yellow and the pace car. The pace car picked up Dan Jones' BMW ruining his excellent run from 17th up through the field into 4th. I was with a small group of ITE cars that were still circling at full tilt despite the full course conditions. After the green was waved again we set off to weave our way through some slower traffic when things got ugly again in the heal of the boot. Mazdas and Porsche were spinning all over the track and I went down to 2nd gear and autocrossed my way between the mess with Chris's 944 directly in tow. The call came over the radio....2 laps left, "you have 2 laps left"
OK so I continue to push the Corrado with it's tail happy brakes and very inconsistent tires around and was telling myself that it's OK if Chris gets by. This is already a MAJOR victory for this car.... entering T11 setting up for the penultimate lap it happened again...but this time no farming... I had glanced up to check on the location of the chasing 944 and when I looked back down I was about 2 feet from the apex..."no problem, I'm not at the limit".... turn, turn turn, why aren't you turning???? Lift... NEVER LIFT ! Bang! Game over.
After a pretty well driven race where we managed to hold off a very competitive ITS field at one of the great racetracks on the schedule, I managed to throw it all away at the end by doing a "great" 4 wheel drift into the armco on the outside of turn 11.The car is repairable but it will take quite a bit of work to get it back on track.
However. There is a silver lining...
The VR6 is competitive in ITS
The VR6 is competitive in ITS
The VR6 is competitive in ITS
The VR6 is competitive in ITS
Until next next time...
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