It was the best start to any race season that I could ever imagine to hope for. Weather was beautiful from a low of around 40 degrees in the morning to an afternoon high of probably 70 degrees. The debut of car #38 to join the 944 Spec Racing group performed really well. Didn't have any mechanical problems and I stayed clean for both races.
I started off in the morning on Saturday with the fastest warm up lap of around 2:05.558 with Greg right behind me at 2:06.993. Steve and Jerry were a little further behind. I think I had an advantage because I drove to the track and my tires were slightly warmed up already Wonder what was going through the guys heads when I shocked even myself by turning in the fastest warm up lap.
Qualifying for Saturday was terrible because there was a standing yellow for about 2 laps and then with traffic and a waving black flag which seemed to end our session early. Regardless, Greg had the best qualifying time of around 2:05.620 with Steve just edging me out with a 2:06.949 and I had a 2:07.043.
I started in the 3rd pole position and when the race started, we quickly caught up with a slower BMW E30 car which gave me an opportunity to pass Steve on the outside of turn 2 but the E30 car came back in front of me and Steve made a bold move to pass both of us on turn 7. Greg was already gone by then. Since it was my first race, I didn't want any incidents so it took me about 2 laps before I was able to pass the E30. After that, I could still see Steve within my sights but I couldn't really gain on him. I just drove my race and stayed out of trouble and ended up in 3rd place. My fastest lap during the race was a 2:04.435 and Steve did his personal best of 2:03.066. Greg won the race with his fastest lap coming in at 2:01.139.
On Sunday, the morning temps were not quite as cold and Greg showed us why he was the guy to beat. He turned in a 2:02.938 for his qualifying session. I did a 2:05.708 and Steve was at 2:07.796. I felt more pressure for this race because I knew Steve will be pushing right behind me and trying to pass when possible. This time we started in the middle of the pack right behind the 2nd group of faster cars. When the flag turned green, Greg and I were pretty even until turn one which I tucked in behind him with Steve right on my rear end. When we got to turn 6, I could feel Steve behind me and with a quick glance, I could see he wanted to pass me on the outside of 6. I was shocked that he lost it and went off track. Luckily he didn't hit anything and was able to get back out and regained his 3rd position to finish the race. By the end of lap 1, Greg was starting to gain a comfortable lead which I knew I would not be able to shorten so I just kept going at a good pace that kept me out of trouble so I can finish my 2nd race without any incidents. I was hoping maybe Greg would make a mistake and I can pass him but that never happened so Greg took 1st with a best lap time of another 2:01.139 and I took 2nd with a 2:06.195. Steve did a 2:05.452. You can see how consistant Greg is by his numbers. Can you believe a 2:01.139 fastest lap for both races?
I am pretty sure the info above is correct from my memory and the help of the results which you can view at:
www.nasaproracing.com/results/no ... tid=277317" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. I really enjoyed every moment from this awesome experience and encourage others to JUST DO IT if you are on the side lines thinking about it. We can't wait till Jeremy gets his car ready so he can come out and race with us.
Not bad finishing 3rd and 2nd for my first two races but then again, there was only 4 of us that made it to this race weekend. Should be a larger field for the March 8-9 weekend at Thunderhill. See you guys there.
