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 Wow... that was a lot of fun. Exhausting and at times frustrating, but fun nonetheless.
First, my hat is off to General Default for winning C stock at the Tour. The General showed us how he earned that handle, putting the troops at attention from the beginning with a blistering run on Saturday. Although he didn't have the fastest run on Sunday, he was still quick enough to hold on to the top spot for the weekend. Way to go, General!
Team Cheap Bastard had a solid finish, with tailchaser in 9th and me in 8th overall out of 18 drivers when the dust settled on Sunday. Just slightly out of the trophies, but at least we both managed to improve a position from our Saturday standings. It's amazing what you can do when you get more than one run... Whazat? Read on to find out.
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The dfwmiata.com/Team Cheap Bastard Miata piloted by altiain and Tailchaser was looking good at the Tour. Tough competition left the drivers looking tired.
| Although the forecast threatened rain all weekend, Saturday dawned mild and partly clooudy. The occasional very light sprinkle would come down for a minute or two, but it was never enough to even slightly dampen the surface. C Stock was running first out in the fourth and final heat, and working in the third. Well, about 10 minutes before 4th heat began, it started to sprinkle. Then it started to drizzle. And although it never turned into anything more than a steady drizzle, it was enough to dampen the spirits - and times - of all the drivers running in the fourth heat. Since course conditions were rapidly deteriorating, Saturday's finishing order would basically be determined by the outcome of your first run - if you didn't get it right then, you certainly weren't going to get any faster as things got wetter and wetter throughout the heat. Unfortunately for Team Cheap Bastard, neither of us got it right enough on our 1st run on Saturday, leaving us 9th & 10th in the standings. General Default took advantage of his low number (#22), was the 2nd man on course, and made the most of it, laying down the fastest time in class on his first run out, and then parking the car for the rest of the heat (in true General style). Bill Van Tassel and Chris Williams showed they were also up to the task, taking 2nd and 3rd after day 1, respectively.
To add insult to injury, by the time the heat was over and we were released from impound, there was plenty of blue sky directly overhead. Too little, too late.
Sunday dawned a little foggy (and a little early), but the fog and dew quickly gave way to mostly sunny and mild conditions - conditions that would thankfully hold out for C Stock in the fourth heat. The course was fast and fun (one of the best courses I think I've ever had a chance to run), with a lot of transitions. High cone counts were the norm for Sunday's action. Team Cheap Bastard was up to the task, ready for the opportunity to redeem themselves. Laying down the 7th and 8th fastest times on Sunday showed that we had come to play, but unfortunately it was only enough to move us both up one spot in the standings, respectively, as the top drivers were all quite consistent. Including former National trophy winner David Green, who consistently coned all of his Sunday runs, while laying down raw times that would have had him in the lead (much like Saturday).
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The General takes a Tour win with General style. Rumor has it he parked the car after his first run on Saturday... Congrats from all the folks at dfwmiata.com!
| Overall, it was a good event. If I learned anything from this weekend (aside from a few setup tips from the pros), it was the need to come out swinging on your first run... you never know if you're going to get a better opportunity. Unfortunately, my slow start on Saturday might just have cost me a trophy. C'est la vie... but rest assured that it won't be a mistake I make again.
I also learned that Brian Mateucci is the man - he won DSP in his '95 BMW 325is with a time that would have given him 3rd place in Super Stock (not to mention first in SM or SM2 by a almost two seconds)... then had the cojones to hop in a car after his runs on Saturday, drive back up to Lone Star Park, take the lead at Mazda Rev It Up (his time was eventually beaten by Jon Etkins), drive back to Houston Saturday night, and continue to lay the smack down on everyone with fenders on Sunday. What an amazing driver.
Overall, I had a blast. I didn't do as well as I wanted to, but I learned a lot, and I know exactly where I need to improve in order to do better next year. Lastly, I've got to give tailchaser props for his driving skills over the weekend - having never driven the car before this weekend, and having never driven on the V710s before the first run on Saturday (the V710s proved to have loads more grip than Jon's old Ecsta V700s), he drove that car like he owned it. Less than a second back from my times each day - and I've been driving the damn thing for 2.5 years! Way to go, tailchaser! |
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