dale
![](images/avatars/1747582731486d7c46d89ff.jpg)
Joined: 22 Aug 1999 Posts: 3087 Location: Seattle, WA USA
|
Posted: Mon May 08, 2006 1:56 pm Post subject: PIR May 2006 |
|
|
This last weekend was our first race of the year at PIR ( www.portlandraceway.org ) in Portland OR. Sat was dry and made for fast qualifying times, Sunday was cold and wet in the morning for slow qualifying times, and damp and drying for the race in the afternoon for fast racing.
I've just now gotten my car back together enough to take it out racing, it looks plain, but it's solid and pretty fast.
Below is my writeup of my weekend:
====
Ted walked away with the Pro3 racing this weekend. He scored fastest times in both Sat and Sun qualifying, and easily took pole. At the start of the race, he chose rain tires over slicks, a much slower option, and still ran away from the pack.
I think I get the award for 'most improved'. I started at the back of the pack, charged up through over 10 cars, ran in 2nd behind Ted for most of the race, and got passed by Paul Fitzgerald in Derek Smith's car on the back straight on the last lap of the race!!!
I didn't arrive in Portland until late on Saturday after working on the car all day Thursday, Friday and Saturday. So I had no dry qualifying time from Saturday's session, and had to make due with a slow rainy quailfying time on Sunday, which put me as the very last car on the grid.
At the drop of the green flag I saw a lane open about 3 inches from the wall on the left of the left lane of cars, and passed many many cars on the start. I got past several Pro3 cars, including Greg Miller, as they had chosen rain tires, and I went for freshly shaved 4/32's tires. I ran hard for a bunch of laps, but saw Paul creeping up behind me. I had started off with too high of air pressure in my tires, expecting the track to be cold, and half way through the race my tires were overheating and getting very greasy. Paul was right on me with about 4 laps to go. I was praying for the "5 minutes" sign, then praying for the "Last Lap" sign, Paul was still behind...
At the end of the straight, I took the defensive inside line for T4, Paul came along side in the braking zone, then backed off before the apex. On the back straight though, I couldn't hold him off, he had a better launch out of the corner and sailed on past. I was right on his tail, but couldn't power around him, and the checkered flag was his for 2nd place in Pro3, putting me in 3rd.
It was a fantastic showing of Pro3 cars, I believe we had 10 Pro3 cars entered this weekend, and around 20 cars or less total in Group 4.
In Seattle in 2 weeks (May 20/21) we should have 12 or 14 Pro3 cars out, I can't wait!! You better believe I'll have enough gas in the car to make weight this time!
Ted 1st
Paul F 2nd
Dale 3rd
Greg 4th
Bruce
Cyril
Fred W
Stan B
Peter => DNF
To see what the car looks like at the moment, check out this link to a pic:
http://thedigitalperspective.exposuremanager.com/p/group_4_050706/csccmayrace2006-05-07135711dsc_316326
http://thedigitalperspective.exposuremanager.com/p/group_4_050706/csccmayrace2006-05-07140010dsc_319913 _________________ http://www.unofficialbmw.com
UnofficialBMW.com Webmaster
dale@unofficialbmw.com
sold in 2016
87 325 5spd eta |
|