Not even a week after the DC Pro, we were back at home turf for the SCCA Championship Tour at the Meadowlands in NJ. While she performed superbly at the DC Pro, the conditions at DC were very unique so it would be very interesting to see how she'd perform on long course on high grip asphalt like the Meadowlands. It would also be the first time this year where I could go up against Mike Lane's BSP 350Z. Mike's consistently fast and would be a very good benchmark on how Bumblestook and I would stand this year. Before all this though, I had to address the temporary caliper bolt so it was off to SJF Performance to have my brakes sorted out.
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Early morning getting the brakes fixed before practice
SJF Performance - 5/2/2014 |
Then it was off to the Meadowlands for Friday practice. With the settings from DC she was undrivable and incredible loose everywhere. Took some drastic shock changes but proper balance was achieved so she could be driven hard under throttle and stay perfectly neutral. It would also be a good time for my codriver for this event, Jeremy Prati, to get some seat time so he could get used to the car. Unfortunately he was only able to get 3 runs in before the session completed but it was valuable nonetheless since nothing can really prepare you for her turn in speed.
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Practice runs complete - SCCA Champ Tour
Meadowlands, NJ - 5/2/2014 |
Day 1 of competition and Mike put down a solid fast time on his first run, I was well over a second slower but I was just getting used to her at full speed on grippy surface. On run 2, Mike dropped another full second and it was time to push her to the limit. I put in a flyer and was only 0.008 seconds off Mike's time. On the last run, Mike found some additional time but I lost enough time with a bobble coming into the slalom that I ended up going slower and we ended day 1 just 0.15 seconds apart. On such a long fast course, I was expecting not to be able to keep up to Mike's car. Surprisingly not only was I able to put up a fight but we had RAW timed SSR, something I had never been able to do before.
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| Sun setting on the Meadowlands after day 1 - 5/3/2014 |
Day 2 the temps were at least 15 degrees cooler than the day before. Overcast, extremely cold winds and a slight drizzle made for uncertain conditions. Mike put down a solid time on cold tires yet again and I followed suit just 0.1 seconds off his time, I was now trailing by 0.2 seconds. On second run, Mike put down another flyer. I pushed a lot harder but made some significant mistakes but went faster. Now we were separated by 0.4 seconds. On his last run, I watched Mike put down an incredible run and extended his lead to 0.8 seconds. It was now or never. I knew Bumblestook had the pace but I had to make a flawless yet aggressive run. I gambled in the early half of the course and got greedy with some of the corners, losing much needed time. I picked up the pace in the second half to try and make up for the early mistakes but it was too little too late and I couldn't improve on my time. Mike took the win and I ended up second with a comfortable margin to Lee in third. Unfortunately for Jeremy, he coned all his runs on day 1 and wasn't able to make it up on day 2 so he ended up 4th but overall I think he had a good time. Congratulations to Mike for the win. It was well deserved and I was simple outdriven.
2nd place BSP - SCCA Championship Tour
Meadowlands, NJ - 5/3-4/2014
(Video caption is wrong, I'm #129 BSP for this event)
Overall, while we couldn't get the win, I'm still extremely happy. This is only the fourth event for Bumblestook in her current trim and she's already showing excellent pace. Now all that's left for me to do is to figure out how to consistently drive her quickly. I'm still awe struck at how quickly she corners and changes direction. In fact the adrenaline rush is so high from driving her that I am physically shaking after each run. I need to get used to that speed so the adrenaline doesn't hamper my ability to drive smoothly and accurately.
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2nd Place BSP - SCCA Championship Tour
Meadowlands, NJ - 5/4/2014 |
It'll be another two months before our next big race at the ProSolo in Toledo, Ohio. I'm going to get some much needed rest after two weeks of intense action and get some minor tweaks and maintenance done so she's ready to do battle again. Hopefully we'll have her ready to do some local events for practice before then.
