Lime Rock Park - SCDA - 10/31/09

Starting out the day at LRP a little damp...

Ready to go racing...

The new brakes

The whole fleet of MINIs.  Its safer to travel in groups.

And we're off from Pit Row

It was a great day with some rain thrown in to the mix. I want to thank all my fellow MINI drivers sharing in the excitement of the day. I also want to thank Bob for taking pictures for me, and Glen for catching some video (which will be up in a few weeks).  This is the end of the race season for 2009, and it was a pleasure to meet all of you at Monticello and again to drive with you at Lime Rock. I can't wait until the 2010 season and of course the One Lap, but more importantly bringing all the MINIs back together again. Thank you for a great few track days, and best of luck over the winter!

It's time for Nigel to go into the garage for the winter, and time for me to work on the suspension. Updates to come when he is ready to race again!

TRACK DAY!!!

Where: Limerock Park (Conn)
When: TODAY!! 1-5
Weather: Overcast with a slight mist in the air - got love a wet track!
Who: SCDA

I'll post pictures and comments when I get back. Today will be a great time to test out the new brakes!

Schedule Change!

News today that the One Lap has altered its track schedule. My beloved Monticello Motorsports Club is OUT - and the new hot-spot for speed in Jersey, New Jersey Motorsports Park is IN!!

I was so excited to have a chance to race at one of the newest and most exclusive private tracks of the northeast. I tracked Nigel there (as a birthday gift) and it was amazing. There 3.5 mile set-up is perfect for a MINI that likes to turn tight, and still get up to speed! I am sad to see it go, but it just means that I will need another track dat at NJMP before the One Lap - Darn.

This will be good though. By the spring I will have Nigel tuned perfectly for the One Lap and all of the  safety equipment will be installed. An early track day will be a good test run.

Back to parts shopping, more news to come after Nigel comes back with his new brakes - thanks to STOPTECH!

Install

Nigel left today after a bath and full interior detail to get his new brakes! Berto - my trusty, handy mechanic picked him up and karted him off.  Also, this week Nigel will get a new 15% pulley. This will be the final modification to the engine/performance side.

These new additions will be put to the test on Halloween! We're heading up to Limerock Park in Connecticut for a final track day with the SCDA group.

The only step to go is the suspension. I have a few of the parts stored in the garage, but I am anxiously waiting for someone at KONI to respond to my sponsorship request. Response or not, the suspension must be retuned for the One Lap, so I am going to focus on this next month. And if you are keeping track, that would be in 2 weeks.

BBK!!

So...about 2 weeks ago I heard back from STOPTECH about a big brake kit. They offered me a discount in return for sponsorship placement on the MINI. My jaw dropped when they offered it to me and so did Greg's when I told him the news. Seriously, I could hear his jaw hit the floor all the way from Chicago.

The BBK arrived today!!  After a rough day at work there is nothing like having a stack of boxes waiting for you. Better yet is that they are filled with goodies like rotors, pads, stainless steel lines, and HUGE RED CALIPERS!!

I took some pictures while in a stage of delight, but will post some more when Berto gets around to installing them onto Nigel this weekend.

The Background

The One Lap of America is an 8 day race with a street legal car driven from racetrack to racetrack. Notably, this is not one of the easiest races - in fact it is the toughest out there. For 10 years this race has haunted my stepdad and me.

During the next few months I am going to post about the exciting times - getting in a day at the track; the exhausting times - writing sponsor letters; the stressful times - when something breaks; and everything in between.

I hope that you can find us amusing and support us through the entire race. After all, not every car makes it through to the end. Our goal is to bring recognition to the racing community and to our charity: Rainbows - Guiding kids and families through storms of loss.