We had a practice session that evening. They
were running behind schedule, so we did not get out on track until almost
sunset. For anyone that has ever driven Sebring, you know how bad the
sun can be going into the hairpin and 17 at that time of day. Knowing
that, I wore my sunglasses. Well, after a few laps, the sun set, and
it was getting dark pretty quick. Being prescription glasses, I was
stuck. I did as many laps as possible before coming in.
Thursday had one of the highlights of the week, the escorted
tour into downtown Sebring. this has become an annual tradition to
re-create the original drive into town for tech. After arriving downtown
and parking around the circle, the downtown merchants have a "Taste of Sebring"
for all the local restaurants to showcase their food.
On Sunday we had the 60 minute enduro. Tom
started the race and I was going to get in during the mandatory 5 minute
pit stop. The car does not have a big enough fuel cell to to for an
hour, so we had to add fuel anyway. Everything was going well. We
came in and made the stop and we headed out. It was a lot harder to
get into the car and get up to speed then I thought it would be. I
have new found respect for the pro's that do this all the time. Jumping
into a car that has already been running, I had to quickly adapt to changes
in the brake pedal, how much grip the track and tires were providing, and
what the traffic situation was. In trying to keep us in the position
we were in, I spun the car on the out lap. After that I was able to
get into a rhythm that was comfortable for me and the car. As the laps
were winding down, I could see that I was catching a Corvette. After
a couple of laps I finally caught him. He must of known I was faster
then he was, because he moved over to let me go by in turn 15. I made
a bad decision trying to make the pass there. He got caught up in the
marbles on the outside of the corner, and I got into the corner a little
hot. Needless to say we both were fighting to keep control and we bumped.
I felt like a huge hit from inside the car. I got spun around,
and stalled the car. I got it started and came into the pits. The
crew checked the car to see if everything was OK and I headed back out again.
I was more then a little discouraged about what happened, so the last few
laps were way off pace and we fell out of the top three. The damage
was not nearly as bad as I expected when I finally saw the car. In
fact all I've done to the car since then is to get new numbers, cleanup the
marks, and I ran the rest of the season. After the race I tracked down
the driver of that car and told him I was sorry about what happened. He
was an very nice man and we have since become acquaintances at thr track.
The damage to his car was even less then mine. It seems his right
rear wheel and tire took the blunt of the blow. All in all, it was
a fantastic week.
