The car looks pretty good considering how quick it went together. I really wish the paint had been finished, but I can't complain with the short time we did it all. Enjuku hadn't arrived yet so my vinyls were still MIA. I can't help anything and its time to go to practice.
Remember, I didn't sleep at all the night before this and the night before that was only 4 hours. Remarkably, I was so pumped on adrenaline I was able to function still. We get to the top of the hill and its my first time asking this motor to go above 2000 RPM as I do some warm-up donuts and maneuvers. I get in line with the confidence of a dead lizard on an ant hill.
I dive into my first run, slam back on the KSport hydro brake and !!!!! it doesn't lock and I get really squirrley trying to compensate for grip when I expected to be sideways. I pull it together and start feeling out the power and grip of the car. I'm all sloppy and can't believe how bad the run is. I'm always one to take the blame over the car, so I get back in line. After about 4 runs of similar results, I figure its got to be the car. We make some tire pressure adjustments, and some suspension tweaks. Nothing I can do for the handbrake, its simply can't grab hard enough to lock 265 Nexen N3000's on my 18x9.5 XXRs with the pads/calipers I'm using (full stock style). This is a HUGE issue as the entry is all handbrake here and the downhill section can need corrections with the handbrake at times. I finally just start doing a huge sway into the entry and the handbrake does just barely enough to start my slide. After that I have to be really perfect or it gets REALLY ugly.
Practice ends and I had 2 solid runs out of about 10. I was feeling ok as I went to the pits. My vinyls were here now so we took the 30 minutes to finish up putting logos on the car. Unfortunately the door was the only section that would work. I had expected the car to be yellow so I ordered black logos so they would pop. The unpainted kit is black so it really limited my space. I apologize to those of you with specific spots, I had to do what I could with what I had. I also apologize as K&N, ED, E^3 were not cut at all, they didn't have enough time. We put everything on and its already time to qualify.
We only got 2 runs, and my first I was going for speed and over shot into the dirt! So I pulled back up and played it smart- put together my best run of the day!! I felt I could easily be in top 5 after that. Results meeting came back and somehow I was only 9th, but I was in the top16 still, with all the obstacles I'd overcome I was still excited.
First battle for me was against the legendary, half-human half-god, Andy Sapp. He got to lead first and though I gave him and his sub-200hp BMW a gap, I still caught him on entry and got me all out of shape. We both had bad runs, me fighting to regain my sloppy entry and him fighting his low power. Next run when I lead, I did just like my qualifying run and laid it down really nice while Andy still fighting his power didn't put up enough for a OMT, and I took the win. Pumped from that victory, I quickly didn't like my position as I was up against Dan Willie, who qualified number 1, and has driven the track more than anyone else there.
First run, I know Dan's got a fast car, I don't give him much, enter before him and WHAT THE #### he is slowing down still going straight, I'm about to slam him rear end and I start to apply brakes to avoid (this all happened in less than 2 seconds!). He then kicks it in gear and takes off, straight up choking me with this entry game and I fall off line and try to make it up. As I work up the hill my speed is still low and I annihilate a clipping point, which takes my front kit off and under my car, exploding in glorious fashion. I stay in it, but I'm so offline that the downhill really is an issue and without the handbrake working for adjustments, its all over. I gave up when the car headed short of the clip and dipped off road. I was pretty mad by the entry he just did, knowing full well he has more power and ability. My turn to lead, I blast off and leave him, enter, and I never see him again. OMT is called and I'm in it to win it. Again I enter RIGHT on him, again he plays a game (this is where I felt the judges could have docked him for sandbagging). This time I hold together much better, but still tipped the clipping point over. My lead run again, I dust him and keep a big gap and he has an issue on the downhill getting really slow, then slams rev limiter to make it up. The judges felt that I was out driven, and it was over for me.
I really felt like I could have taken it to the top of the podium even with all the difficulties I was having. Still, I learned a lot in my "test session" here at Road Atlanta, and though taking the win would have been pure amazing, I have to be happy with how hard we worked, and how much we had to overcome to do what I had just accomplished.
Only 4 hours later, and a total of about 42 hours with no sleep, I finally got some rest.
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