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NASA Mid-Atlantic’s Triple Lindy

An early start to the Mid-Atlantic Season took place at VIR over the weekend with great racing and cold and blustery weather – before it started to rain.

Qualifying for Saturday’s sprint race saw everyone on the new TOYO RA-1 tires.  I think there was the general feeling that they felt pretty good.  Jim Schenck flew around the cold track laying down the fastest lap at 2:14.683.   Team Boothman/Eves – consisting of Ed Boothman and Kevin Eves and Charles Burkett were in the 2:19s. I just got into the 2:20’s and Peter LaRose was close behind. 

The race brought some interesting situations.  When they took out 5 CMC cars for their own start (all rolling starts this weekend) it saw Jim up front only separated from the Eves, Burkett, Thompson gaggle by 6 cars, and Peter right behind.  And, little did we know, but Brian Cates decided to come back in Paul Kaiser’s car starting at the back of the grid (his ST-2 car had problems).  When the green flag dropped, Kevin made a run on Jim and eventually caught and passed him.  While Jim and Kevin were battling it out, Carl was trying to stick on Charles’s tail and Peter was fighting his way up the pack.  Carl pressed Charles and got by after he trimmed the grass at the “Oak Tree”.  Brian came up through the pack and passed Jim and Kevin.  All three had led the race at one time or another.  Then Jim got by both Brian and Kevin.  The fans went wild with all the close racing.  Charles worked his way back up and pressed me at “Oak Tree” and went by after I missed a shift.  So, after all the swaps, Jim came away with the win.  Kevin was second and set the new TOYO track record with a 2:14.511, Brian was next followed by Charles, Carl and Peter.  Carl subsequently got DQ’ed for allegedly passing under a yellow.  Oh well, live and learn.

Sunday greeted us with the usual 7:15 am “All Hands” meeting where we were reminded that it was going to rain – probably all day.  It started as they announced the prediction.  Well, nobody had bothered to get rain tires – Ed bought them but didn’t have them on.  Carl doesn’t like racing in the rain and didn’t have TOYO rain tires – so it was “should I or shouldn’t I?”

The rain slacked off by grid time so “why not?”  So, Kevin was gridded up in front because of his time in the Saturday race, Jim second, Carl third (Charles decided not to start) and Peter 4th.  We all tippy-toed around for the warm up lap and the got on it slowly as the green flag dropped.  Jim just ran away with the race.  Carl spun and Peter got by, Kevin was in hot pursuit of Jim and lost it going into the esses and banged up the right front.  Carl managed to catch Peter and get by and we stayed that way until the end.  So, it was Jim first, Carl second and Peter 3rd.

I didn’t stay for the Enduro but when I called back to check and see how Jim did – he said “it was a monsoon – I did one lap and quit – I couldn’t see”.  Kevin Eves hydroplaned on the front straight and tore up the car a little more. Then, we all were treated to snow & freezing rain on the drive home.  Maybe this is just a little early in the season.

The first race weekend for the Mid-Atlantic racers is in the books and we are hoping for a warm, dry next race which is back at VIR for March 30, 31st and the 1st of April.  If you live close by, please come and join us and cheer on the FFR Challenge Series drivers.

 

--- Carl Thompson

 

 

 
Page last updated: 07/02/2008

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