|
Road Race Report Newer Road Race ReportsRoad America -- August 27, 2000The 510's definitely did some more development between now and the last time I (Jamie Blair) raced with them. The good news is....I took my sixth checkered flag in a row, the bad news, a 510 now owns the ITC track record at Road America. I qualified on the pole at a 2:59.5 which broke the old qualifying record. The start of the race was pretty uneventful....after the first couple of corners I had a solid lead. At about lap 4 I started getting into some pretty heavy traffic. A GP Sprite blasted by me going into turn 5 where an ailing GP Pinto was hogging the line. The Sprite braked really early and went to the outside of the Pinto. I decided to try to pass on the inside. I guess the Sprite spooked the Pinto because he cut in front of me just as we were exiting turn 5. I had to come to almost a complete stop to avoid hitting him. Unfortunately, this move cost me a lot of momentum, and the lead I had built up. The second place 510 was able to catch me in the uphill portion going into turn 6. For the rest of the race he kept up with me pretty well, even giving me a few love taps on the rear bumper just to let me know he was there. We hooked up in a draft for portions of the rest of the race and started turning consistent 2:58 and 2:57 times. At one point he was able to get beside me after I bungled a turn, but he was never able to make anything stick. The result, the 510 turned a 2:57.755 (blasting my old record of 2:58.158) and I was only able to manage a 2:57.930. We finished very close together, with his front bumper and my rear bumper about even. This race was definitely an education for me. I think it's much easier to be the "hunter" rather than the "hunted". I found myself at one point worrying more about what was happening in my mirrors then about concentrating on what I was doing. I made some mistakes, but none serious enough to make me lose. I should be in first place now in the Central Division. I have six first place finishes and for the Championship points they only count your top six finishes. That means the best someone can do is tie me for the Central Division Championship. -- Jamie Blair Roebling Road SARRC -- August 20, 2000 A 750 mile trip, taking 14 hours, for six people, for one 18 lap race - and worth every minute of it! Will qualified first in ITC and Vesa second in a good field of 13 ITC cars. At the start, Will got into a race with Mike Fine in his freshly built and fast CRX for first in class. This battle continued for the 18 laps, with more lead changes than we could count. with Will winning by a fender length. Vesa battled Walt Puckett (1977 ARRC ITC winner and former pro racer) for third for the whole time. On the last lap, Walt put Vesa in the position of giving up his third place, or get the car in a wreck. Vesa did the smart thing, with the Championship race coming up so soon, and gave up the position. Jamie Hamilton and Gail Perry worked Timing and Scoring, and reported that even the people in there were cheering for the great ITC battle. Will finished second overall, beating all ITB cars, the battle went at such a fast pace. His fast time was recorded as 1:27.716. Art Thompson and Bill Perry were not so much crew as cheering section for this race. With all this hard racing we might have expected some body damage. Not a bit of it! And Vesa reported going a full half lap side-by-side with Walt along with numerous contested passes. Good racing guys! August 26, 2000 Road Atlanta SARRC/ECR -- July 29-30, 2000Three Rivergate cars went down for this event, Carl Blevins CRX and the Civics of Vesa Silegren and Bill Perry. Art Thompson chiefed a crew of George Lewis, Gail Perry, John Perry, David Stubblefield, Stuart and Robbie Wood, and Kenneth Hurt.
|
