8.30.14 – “PARTNER ENDURANCE RACING IN MY ACCORD RACING MACHINE”

Skip all this reading and jump to the VIDEO if all these words are overwhelming!

Normally I run this car in “skid plate” races at Irwindale.  However, several times a year the track holds a “Night of Destruction” featuring the same or similar cars that normally compete with skid plates running with all 4 tires.

If I’m honest – the main reason I put together a skid plate car was really to have a car for these “enduro” races.  It is really one of the cheapest way to get into wheel to wheel racing.

The race would consist of two 15 lap races, with each half driven by a different driver.  This meant I would need a co-driver – a friend and all around goofy guy named Alex Miller helps me out a ton with the car.  He helps me repair it when I break it and he helps me at the races with the car and cameras.  I felt like he should get to drive it also.  Now, Alex has never driven this car in anger let alone any car in a racing environment.  What could go wrong?

As for the car – it would remain unchanged, aside from getting 4 tires instead of two.  For more info on the car – see the full post of the car build here.

PRACTICE/ QUALIFYING

I was planning to compete in two events.  First the partner enduro followed by a skid plate race.  I really wanted a good result for the endurance race and so our qualifying strategy was designed around that.  The running order of the endurance race would be decided randomly.  Because of this I decided to skip qualifying for the skid plate race to make sure the car would be in good shape for the enduro.  This also gave us much needed time to prep the car with all of its cameras and other odds and ends . . .

AUTOGRAPH SESSION

Before we knew it, it was time for the autograph session.  There was a big turn out and many thanks to my friends and family that came out to watch!

THE RACE

I took the first stint in the car.  To be honest, I didn’t really care for the track layout this time around.  I found it too tight, with limited room to pass cleanly.  The course was also poorly marked so I think we all really struggled to know where we were going half the time.  They went yellow after several laps to help re-sort the course as well as give us a few more laps to learn it.

I did not get away well in both the start and restart of the race.  My strategy was to try and run a clean race that brought the car home in decent shape.   I did fairly well and had I had a lap or two more, I think I could have completed a pass right at the end.  Other than a small mistake where the car stepped out on me, it was a good stint.

Before I knew it, it was time to hand the car over to Alex.  The car was running well except the brakes were totally cooked.  Alex did a great job, eventually finishing us in 7th and using the handbrake to try and slow the car down!

 

 

Thank you to TrakkTape – Great product for protecting my car on track!