My 2008 Challenge in pictures

Thought I'd post a bunch of pics of my car(s) at the various races this season, starting in Red (which became Gulf Blue) and with White car in the middle. Hope you enjoy! Each race in a separate post.

Homestead:
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Road Atlanta:
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Infineon:
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Montreal (now gulf blue):
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Mont Tremblant:
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Laguna Seca and New Jersey to follow later once I've got 800 pixel versions ready.

 

Thanks. Some more - I only seem to have one from Laguna Seca, but here's another one from the corkscrew showing you really can't run these cars any lower!
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And finally the dust bowl of New Jersey Motorsports Park. Nice track, but needs to be "finished" - they had to build another 100ft of pitlane entrance when we were there after Scott Pruet hit the pit wall entrance in the biggest hit I've ever been at a race track for!
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There are two cars - the White one and the Blue one - the red car from Homestead, was repainted Blue and used from Montreal for the rest of the season. I drove the white car at Atlanta and Infineon since it had a cleaner setup.

The Red/Blue car has a "two seat" roll cage which means you can bring an instructor along during the practice sessions (although your times are discounted with an instructor in the car). The White car has a one seat cage and therefore only a driver's seat and an instructor is not allowed. When we tested both at Atlanta the white car was faster because we were having problems with left/right brake balance on the other car meaning that it was unsettled turning into turn 1. We stuck with it at Infineon while we sorted the other car, and then I stuck the white car into the tire wall at Infineon when I made a pass and totally out braked myself, that necessitated a) writing a rather painful check to fix the white car, and b) running the other car. In the mean time we had fun doing the gulf blue paint scheme on the other car. In response to some requests here's some commentary on the season:->

Pre-season - tested at Homestead and Road Atlanta with the team I was to run with (since I'd already had the 430 CH for a year). I wanted to see if I would be able to vaguely run at a sensible pace and not be embarrassed and find out the general costs involved. I was invited by FNA to the end of season Challenge Awards event in NYC and got to meet all the other drivers and the people that run the series. I figured "you only live once, what the hell!" and jumped in.

Homestead. First challenge race weekend, gradually picking up pace learning the track and trying not to crash. Several other drivers both rookies and non-rookies had big crashes in the practice days and didn't make race one. The big place to crash being turn 9 (or 10 depending if you count the kink onto the back straight as a corner) where you come off the banking back into the last infield section. If you miss the apex you can get very sideways and crash into the wall on the inside. I did get the car completely broadside here during practice, car totally sideways wheels pointing straight forward foot buried on the brake for about 60 yards before it came around and I steered the other way to go off into the grass. It rained for qualification and since there had been no wet practice they ordered the grid in race points from the '07 season putting me at the back of the grid. I started in 31st place. I finished the first race in 21st place having passed a bunch of people plus a bunch having crashed out. I got photographed with my kids and the picture appeared in the 01 issue of the new Ferrari Magazine - very cool. Race 2 started in 21st place finished in 20th, I made a bad start, then passed some people back, then ran out of tires due to some over driving and got passed by one or two guys at the end. A good first event, finished, no damage - great!

Atlanta. Had more time here so was quicker - qualified 15th and made a great start, made more passes and was running 8th when another driver dive-bombed me from about 4 car lengths back spinning me round at turn 10 at the end of the main straight. This was of course just after a restart so all the field was in a big line and I went directly to the back of the field of 30. I then passed a bunch of cars to finish 19th. Race 2 Started 19th, made a worse start, but passed a bunch of people to finish 13th.

Infineon. I don't recall where I qualified, but it was somewhere in the teens again, was running well and passing people until the aforementioned crash. Hard into the tires out of the race, bent the front chassis, no possibility to run in race 2. Gutted - would have happily written a check right there and then to run in race 2, but the rules are no spare car - on the (sensible) basis that this discourages banzai driving simply because you can't use a spare if you crash.

Montreal. Somewhat humbled following the crash, up to race infront of tens of thousands of people including about 40 friends from new england up for the race including my Mother over from England. My objective simple:- DO NOT CRASH. So Montreal a track I have never driven, I have a 45 minute session to learn a 45 minute session to qualify and a 30 minute race.

Practice/Qualification - we are running the Blue (prev Red) car with no shakedown or running since its paint and brake work. Gearbox is completely all over the place, upshifts are super lurchy and downshifts massively delayed - 1 to 1 1/2 seconds for each down shift, such that after the kink at start finish, I'm shifting 5-4-3 and not getting 3 until the Apex of the left hander which gets VERY exciting. FNA diagnoses clutch. My tech is up till 4am taking off the gearbox, changing the clutch and driving up and down the paddock to find this has NOT resolved the problem. Damn! So now we are sitting in the line up behind the stands waiting to qualify and I'm chatting to the driver infront of me in line and he says "we just spend 100 hours debugging this gearbox problem, and it turned out to simply be the ECU connection...". As the 5 minutes to track open warning is issued my tech is upside down in the car unseating and reseating the gearbox ECU (it had been taken out during painting). He is still working while I am getting suited, helmeted and buckled in. He jumps out closes the door and I roll out onto the track - no exaggeration it was ready 10 seconds before the track opened for qualification. So my first time on the track with the car working is in qualification, I'm happy to qualify and be in the field even in 26th place.

Race - what an amazing experience - being in the pits with the F1 mechanics taking pictures, having my friends telling me I featured on the race commentary because of the color scheme, driving in front of 100,000 people. Simply awesome - I gained a few places finishing 22nd, but was happy to be there. The race was stopped after a really big crash which came at just the right time since my left rear tire had just broken its internal structure.

So that's the first half of the season - more to follow later. Back to work for the moment.

 

Hey Mark - looking forward to it. There's a homestead test on Feb 9/10, will you be at that also?