Today, I am a Racer! February 28
It was supposed to be an ice race, but the recent stretch of warm weather meant it was more of a slush/snow/ice/water/gravel race. Regardless, it was an absolutely amazing time!
During the morning, Protege2886, Aero, and I piloted Caboose (#33) through three single-car practice sessions around the snow-x track at Capital City Speedway. Caboose was riding on brand spanking new Continental Extreme WinterContact tires and the difference was remarkable — we actually had some control!
Each of us faced vastly different track conditions as snow, ice, and water on the track started to give way to hard ice and bare spots. We didn’t see as much water as the early runners (those cars seemed to vanish into a lake of mud), but it was pretty clear that running with the T-Top open, as Protege2886 jokingly suggested, wasn’t going to happen.
After the lunch break, we moved to practice sessions with all cars on track. I drove in the first session and discovered that with all the cars streaming through the first corner, we discovered that despite the reduced water levels, there was enough to completely blind the driver in a thick muddy mess. Windshield wipers FTW!
Protege2886 drove the second and last “all competitors” practice, leaving Aero to rely on the two ride-alongs. Since he’s the most talented among us, we figured he’d be fine… and he was.
With me spotting for him from the passenger seat, Aero drove well through the first heat, keeping our nose clean and nabbing a few spots without losing any laps. Unfortunately, as we got out of the car, we heard a hissing noise from the right front tire. It was leaking air very quickly. A quick canvas of folks in the paddock indicated that there was no tire slime to be had so we pumped it up with air and crossed our fingers as Protege2886 hit the track with me once again as spotter. Unfortunately, we missed the start on account of the tire drama, started from the pit lane, and lost about a lap on the field.
Again, we did well making some good overtaking manoeuvres, staying out of trouble, and staying on the lead lap. We actually kept ahead of AWD cars! Exiting the track, the tire seemed to be OK, but we added air and got more hissing, which quickly subsided. All was well… or so we thought.
I drove in the final heat, with Protege2886 spotting. We started at the back of the pack, but found a gap in the pack and moved to mid-pack off the start. Unfortunately, a huge splash of mud blinded me in turn 1, resulting in my putting the inside wheels in the snow, which cost us some places. Who cares though as fighting to get those places back was a ton of fun and once we got clear of that traffic, including that hard-to-pass red Honda Civic, we took off. That’s when the tire came back to haunt us. It had lost too much pressure and finally popped from the rim, leaving us crippled on track. I tried to limp forward, but it was no use… we needed a tow.
We’re awaiting the final results, but no matter where we finished, we had a great time. If MCO runs events like this next winter, we’ll be there with Caboose for sure. Now to get that rim and tire looked at.
Photos: Pat McDermott