nostatic at all...

Of course there were some complications. The first being my trying to figure out the logistics. Buttonwillow is about 2 hours north of LA. Kinda long for a day trip to/from. But the motels in the area are scary (according to the tripadvisor.com reviews). Plus I was wicked tired and in need of serious sleep and rest. So burned out in fact that I pondered backing out of the whole thing. But my sense of duty won out, and I made a plan to be flexible. I decided that I would get up at 4:15am on Saturday and drive up...at least I could get a few hours of decent sleep in my bed. I'd take a change of clothes with me so once I got up there and ran on Saturday I could grab a motel room for Saturday night. Or I could drive back home to LA, and if so inclined could drive back up on Sunday as I didn't need to be there as early (no 7:15am driver's meeting).

The alarm was rude, but I had packed the night before so it was like auto pilot hitting the shower, loading the car, and heading north. There was a bit of rain, and weather was a concern. POC doesn't run in the rain, so the trip (and the entry fees) could all go for naught. I was nervous about driving Jim's car, and I was tired and not hitting on all cylinders. As I got close to BW I filled up with gas and got some food. Couldn't choke down all of the egg mcmuffin though. I pulled into the track a little before 7am and the usual suspects were around. I pitted with Martin who graciously lets me store some of my stuff in his trailer and had raging organic bananas.

I touched base with Jim and we seemed good to go. I was going to try and do parade laps at lunch in his car so I could get a feel for it, but turns out that was not to be. More on that later.

I have never run BW and the first time out at a new track is always difficult. BW is very technical and has a lot of places where you can get it wrong. And when you get it wrong, you pay. The overnight rain made it worse, as damp soil can catch a wheel if you go off. And that's usually how you roll a car. That is to be avoided. The first session I was slow, still not feeling great, and really confused by the track. My competition had all run this place many times before so I was at a serious disadvantage. Luckily I didn't care much...I was so burned out I was in survival mode and just wanted to finish. The second session was a little better and I was figuring out some sections but others were still a mystery. Qualifying was next and I did not break any records. In part it was due to my ailing car. I've had grinding on the 2-3 upshift for some time, but today for some reason the 3-2 downshift was really not happening. Sometimes it would grind horribly, a few times it freewheeled (not good when you need to apply power for controlling the car), and it only would go in smoothly if I really babied it. Babying it is sort of the antithesis of racing.

before the race

During lunch we had our driver's meeting, then I took Jim's car for a spin around the paddock. That was it. About 3 minutes in mostly first gear at about 10 mph. Well, that should fix me right up for the enduro!

But first there were cup races to be run. I was running in green just like at Laguna. We had a small field (13) which was fine by me. There were 2 other R7 cars, both faster than me. I started 11th and after passing a slow car in front of me was doing ok and starting to feel a little comfortable on parts of the course. I had my competition in my sights when I saw the first drops of rain on my windshield...on about lap 3 of a 12 lap race. I figured it might stop but it didn't. It wasn't a downpour, but was on and off. I went into wet mode, having driven a couple of track days under damp conditions. Basically you have to be very smooth and avoid painted surfaces like the gaitors. About lap 5 the traction flags came out from the corner workers indicating that it was getting slick. Yeah, like I needed confirmation. People in front of me were spinning and I gained a few spots. I caught one of the R7 guys when he spun on about lap 7. The track was getting quite treacherous, mostly due to very uneven conditions. Some parts had ok traction, other parts, especially the two hill sections, were like glass. Conditions were changing every minute and you couldn't tell by looking. Luckily I had one wiper on the car.

After I caught the car, he caught back up to me and was on my tail. I was defending my position but trying to also stay in control Then on lap 9 I was going into the Bus Stop, a left hander with gaitors on the right side of the track both at the turn in and the track out point. I got the car to turn in, thought everything was fine, then whoosh, the back end just went away without warning. Before I knew it I was spinning off into the dirt. I put both feet in (clutch to keep the engine from stalling and brakes to try and slow the car...right...in the wet) and ended up sliding sideways in the dirt. The worst possible way to go, as if you catch a wheel in the dirt or mud, the only thing the car can do is roll. At that point I was a passenger and just remember thinking, "don't catch a wheel..." Dirt was pouring in the passenger window (you have to keep both windows down at all times) and I couldn't see a thing. I finally came to a stop in the dirt with my nose pointing towards the track. I was covered in dirt, my windshield was mostly mud with the rain, and I was still in a dust cloud. In a few seconds it cleared, I smeared the dirt with my wipers (nice) and tried to see the corner station to get waved back on course. No dice...my head and neck restraint restricts how much I can turn my head. I waited for a second, didn't see any cars coming, and headed back on track (I didn't stall the car). Then I tried (mostly in vain) to actually see the course through my window and get the car and myself stable.

before the race

Part of me wanted to just pull into the pits, but as I'm finding out, that isn't really what racing is about for me. I don't care about winning, but I do care about finishing. The car felt ok, and the falling rain was helping to clear the windshield. I got the her back up to a reasonable speed and finished the race. I ended up 8th overall which was fine by me. When we pulled into impound you could see those of us that had adventures. 3 of the cars (mine included) were covered in dirt and mud. A lot of guys were really screwed because they didn't have wipers. But no one was hurt, and the experience was pretty amazing. I have to say that is one of the hardest things I've *ever* done in my life. Once the rain started, you not only had the usual race stress but also car control issues. Kinda like ice skating blindfolded while juggling cats. I was totally drained by the end, but glad I'd stuck it out.

At that point I saw Jim and he said he wasn't sure about running. I said, "no problem" as I had enough fun for the day. There was still another race and another run session before the enduro though, and the skies cleared and the track dried out. A little later I saw Jim fueling the car so I figured we were on. OK, now to tackle this challenge. A track I had never run before today, a car I had never driven at speed, and racing with the big boys. I must be nuts. Jim had total faith in me though. His strategy was for him to go out first. The rules were that for the red group cars (which we were one), there was a 5 minute pit stop that had to be done before the 40 minute mark (65 minute race). We were one of the few 2-driver/1-car teams in the race. The orange group would get the checkered flag at the 26 minute mark and then have to pit, changing drivers or cars. Jim told me to watch the timer and at about the 18 minute mark, wave as he went by. He'd pit the next time around (at about 20 or 21 minutes) and I'd then go out after the 5 minute stop. That would put me on track just when all the orange group guys would be starting to pit. Thus I'd have light traffic for the first few laps while I got used to the car.

The start was determined by a lottery so there were fast cars (like ours) towards the back. We started 23rd. Jim took off at the start and picked off cars one by one. By lap 8 he was up to 8th place. The next lap was at the 19 minute mark, so he came in on lap 10. Then I climbed into the car, got strapped in (with a few adjustment), and waited for our timer to release me. 5 minutes can seem like a short time (when you're trying to get something done that takes longer) or an eternity (like when it only takes about a minute to get strapped in the car. Finally he gave me the signal and I headed out.

Holy crap! This car is FAST. I head out of the pit into turn 2 and am shocked at how quickly it accelerates. And turns. And stops. This is not my SC. Jim was running laps around 2:05. My out lap was a 2:38. But I was trying to figure the car out...the shifter felt a lot different than mine and I had a tough time finding gears. Next lap was a 2:17. I was taking it easy because I didn't want to bend his car. Plus I wanted to ease into things, and I still didn't have parts of the track figured out. Mostly I had no idea what the limits of the car were, and this was not the track or the day to find them out. So I worked my way up in comfort. Towards the end I was getting it right, and went from 22nd place (after the pit stop) back up to 8th place where we were when Jim pitted. I then gave away one place but stayed there and we finished in 9th. Totally respectable. And I managed a couple of 2:09 laps, so I wasn't blazing fast but not an embarrassment either.

Jim was in the pits at impound smoking a cigar and with a beer for him and for me. I had a stupid grin on my face (still do). I guess his faith wasn't misplaced. Yet another lesson there for me. I'm glad I showed up and stuck it out. And can't wait for the next race. Infineon in October...here we come.