Homestead Race Weekend

[Gerardo]

Hi All,

I just wanted to begin a new thread for everyone participating in the Homestead Skippy race weekend. Here are a few things I saw during the Wednesday and Thursday lapping days.

Jets jets jets!!!
It's so awesome to have the Air Force base just a few miles away and watch the fighters taking off and landing so close by. Definitely one of the "if I weren't a race driver..." occupations.

No GripATol
That's right, as is normally the case, Homestead is a very low grip track. Maybe its the humidity. Drivers are dealing with very low grip conditions in turn 2, 3, 4, 6, 8.... oh... all the turns. Additionally, the brake zones at 6 and 8 are yielding lots of lockup with the conditions. Drivers who are used to a certain level of pedal pressure are re-learning. Lots of drivers went off at Turn 2, a combination of the car bouncing over the bump at the apex of Turn 1, braking while settling the car after the bump, then mistakely trusting their eyes when they see the open radius of Turn 2 and drive it way over what the surface grip will support. So much fun!

Then it bites!
Poor Ralf Trebbing got the stability part all wrong as he tried to brake for Turn 2, hooking his MX5 hard left into the tires just before the Turn 2 apex. The spritely Trebbing jumped out of his mangled car smiling and jumping about, so we knew he was okay. Jonatan Jorge suggested to Ralf pay for the damage with his son Dennis Trebbing's racing funds. Ouch!

Draft Draft Draft? It's only a lapping day!
That's what the instructors keep telling the knuckleheads, but sure enough the JJRD fast kids and other advanced drivers got past the technical learnings and went straight into their draft practice for qualifying and the races. While its only lapping, these guys know there's rarely enough time to learn what strategies work best. What can happen in the race? Reference this photo finish 6-wide for the March 2010 Skip Barber National opener, won by Spencer Pigot. Look closely and you'll see three fists pumping the air, but two of them did not win! http://www.flickr.com/photos/skipbar...8912/lightbox/

Faces in the Crowd
It was great to see Matt Franc and Scott Bassinder appear at the end of the day. Apparently those two plus Craig Duerson are returning tomorrow for a weekend of fun. It's been a long while since the three raced together. For those that have been here long enough, you'll remember lots of duels where the three dominated. Duerson finished 3rd in points in the Skip Barber Nationals one year, and has won multiple regional championships. He also won the Fast Lap Challenge at Sebring years ago, where drivers donated $125 to the mechanics fund to do a single timed lap in the computer car. The fastest driver got a percentage of the pot (and usually donated it to the mechanics fund). Craig won by over a second. Matt Franc cried. ------ John Pew also made a surprise appearance. He had spent his day training at the kart track just outside the speedway. He looks like he's in the best shape of his life. Good luck at Daytona, John!

Practice sessions begin tomorrow, which means more draft games, posturing, and intimidation. Won't it be fun?

Wish you all were here.