Where in the One Lap is Nigel?

Final Day - I thought this was supposed to be a DRY Skid Pad

2010-05-09T12:10:00.001-04:00

Last night was relaxing. We arrived to the hotel about 8:45pm, relaxed and took showers. It had been over 4 hours since Nelson Ledges and Greg and I were still talking about how fast Jason took the MINI around the track. We kept the topic going through another good dinner at the hotel and then head off to the Quality Inn. Why they use the term "quality" in the their name escapes me.

After social hour with the other One Lappers we hit the bed and hoped for some rain in the morning. A wet skid pad would even our chances of moving up a bunch of positions in the overall rankings.

Well, wet it was in the morning - and frigid. A cold front came through town and our 80 degree weather was short lived. With the temp topping 42, we bundled up and head over to Tire Rack for the final day picture. We thought for sure that we were on time this morning, but as wel pulled up, everyone else was already there and jockeying for position in the Motor Trend picture. Don't try to find Nigel, instead, look for Greg. That's right, just look for a flourescent yellow dot and that will be Greg. He wore his raincoat today, which puts Paddington Bear to shame. Smart idea though, because the picture is taken from a cherry picker and you wouldn't be able to discern us otherwise. After the picture everyone ran for shelter from the wind and cold while anticipating the skid pad, which was at this point wet. (YEAH!)

They ran the cars in opposite order of overall rank, which meant we got to go early. Nigel did great on the wet Dry Skid Pad. Unfortunately, as more cars went, more cars were able to use their horsepower on the now dry Dry Skid Pad. Which means that we didn't get in front of the IROC or the Civic or the 325i. I guess that there will always be next year.The minivan pulled almost a full 1G average on the skid pad. This helped them get into 1st in SUV/Van class and 15th overall. We took 3rd in the Retro Class.

The awards ceremony was moved to inside because of the weather and we hung around, took pictures, and ate some lunch. It was a great way to end the week. We swaped emails with a bunch of the teams and I am anticipating some pictures from those guys as well. We have a ton of photos and some videos that still need to be posted. Don't stop watching the blog now just because the One Lap is over - I will get the videos from all the tracks up and photos as well.

We are heading home now and can't believe that the week is over. In recapping the event, I would say that it was one of the greatest experiences ever. I wish we had done this sooner, but would not change anything about the people we met this year and the cars that we saw.

The winning car Overall and in SSGT1 BB: Porsche GT-2 with Leh and Doug

Me with Brock Sr before the awards lunch

Its Happy making a final appearance at Tire Rack HQ

Brian and Harry with Brock Sr.

Hanging out at the luncheon

Brock and Brock making closing remarks

Tom and Brian Healy taking 3rd in SUV/Van with their Ford Lightning

The big class win in SUV/Van for Jason and Fish (what a smile!)

The 2 teams: Greg and Me with Richard and Jason

Mike, Chris and me leaving the warehouse

Harry, Brian and Me on the way out.

As we pulled into the driveway the odometer now reads 88318. That comes to 4058 miles in 9 days.

Day 8 - Hitting the Rough Pavement

2010-05-08T15:06:00.004-04:00

Sorry that the posts are running a day late - but the lack of battery power and internet on Friday during the transfer limited this post to be published on time.

We were excited to pack Nigel up in NJ with the idea that there was one road course left on the itinerary. We also were hauling butt to get out of NJ and through Philly before the rush hour set in. Once trough Philly we only sat in traffic from one accident and then it was open road to Nelson Ledges. We stopped for our first really nice sit-down dinner. Jason found us a spot in downtown Pittsburgh that was convenient to the highway, wthin an hour to the hotel in Youngstown, and had amazing food. We couldn't have asked for more. After some drinks and dinner Greg and I split off to the hotel and arrived in around 12:30 am - which seemed to be the norm for the week.

We woke up this morning to cloudy skies and cold in the air. We finally thought we would need our raincoats. To say it was freezing would be an understatement - everyone was layered up in all of the rest of their clothing - clean or dirty. After a week of high 70's to 80 degree weather, this weather sucked - and I really can't say that enough because I hate being cold. Regardless, Greg walked the track while I got my morning jog in. The pavement at Nelson Ledges makes this place famous. There are smooth parts, but there are rough patches in the most unwanted areas. Driving this course at full race speed takes more gall than I have (or Greg for that matter).

The morning session was full of a lot of surprises. A Mustang lost its motor, a Civic took a slight off course, and an HHR SS popped its curtain side air bags. The air bags disaster was an extremely rare event. Amanda took to the curbing in turn 12, something set of the accelerometer and they went pop! She is fine and so is the HHR, minus its side airbags, she cut them out and went back out for her afternoon session. The Mustang wasn't as lucky. He blew something up in the motor, it created a lot of smoke and a little bit of fire. Unfortunately that ended his One Lap for this year.

Greg drove pretty slow in the morning. I busted him about it through lunch, and so did the Mazda boys. We showed him where the gas pedal was and Jason told him how to use it and Greg was off for his afternoon session. He dropped over 13 seconds from morning to afternoon. Knowing the turns of the track made a huge difference and helped up us retain 58th position overall. The only malady of the afternoon came from the Charger. Poor guys - always changing out a part, but what troopers to throw a 6,000+ pound vintage car around the tracks and the country for a week. As Chris pulled into the paddock he blew a brake line and the fluids caught on fire. Luckily Mike had some quick reaction time with the fire extinguisher.

The day ended with open track time at NL - I asked Jason to take me around in Nigel and show me how it's done. I nearly puked on the first lap. Jason was only driving at 80% and we were cooking through turns and straights like I couldn't believe. It was an amazing experience that both Greg and I had the pleasure of - a huge thanks to Jason for the laps, and Richard for waiting while he drove with us.

We are now off to South Bend. This is our last leg of the journey before the dry skid pad tomorrow and awards ceremony after that. We are looking forward to another nice meal with the crew from NY, followed by beers with the One Lappers at the unofficial-official One Lap hotel.

Mileage 87862: 3602 miles

Day 7 - Already?

2010-05-06T17:34:00.002-04:00

Last night was Cinco de Mayo, and in honor of it we ate at Outback...again. The drive into New Jersey was tedious. It is 1 road the entire way. Funny thing is that we will be taking the same road back to Nelson Ledges for the final road course day, but more on that when we get there.

After a slight delay starting this morning, the track session went by quickly. I did a little spinning action on the recon lap - blonde moments while racing are never a good thing. I had a great morning session once the track was hot and I smoked some M3's that were in my run group. Only one got by me on the final lap - can't win them all in a MINI. After a lunch of animal crackers and nut mixes, I took a crash course in shifting with more revs from Jason. If only I knew that on Sunday! I dropped over 10 seconds in the afternoon session and came in a surprising 49th place. This finish catapulted Greg and I ahead of the Vintage Camarro IROC and within striking distance of a BMW 325i and Honda Civic SI.

Lapping sessions were offered today and I almost had Jason throw the MINI around so we could see what Nigel had in him, but the thought of sitting in Philly traffic out-weighed the desure to go fast. Also, the idea of a really nice dinner on our last night traveling on the road was in the back of all of our minds. So, we packed up and hit the road for Ohio - again.

No pictures again, they will have to wait until dinner. This computer may go out the window and I will just have to use the iPhone for the rest of the blogging. I do have some great pictures and some fun video from both sessions today. In fact, today was the first day that the GoPro was set-up and recording for both sessions, successfully! In the morning session, I have the M3 on video with his back end coming loose. He saves the skid and holds fast through the turn. Likewise, the M3 has video of me doing a 180 on the recon lap. We are going to swap out video cards tomorrow so I can eventuall get all of those online!

Here are the pictures as promised...and the videos too! Gary is supposed to upload his from first seesion soon...when he does I will link it here.

Almost like being at home...but 3 hours south.

Brock's transportation for the week.

Wrenching on the GT2

Chillin in the brand new EZ Up tent. Thanks guys!

Our competition taking a nap.

It became a mini MINI reunion!

Classic Camarro!

This is about the only picture we have of being on the track. There isn't too many good spots to take pictures from, unless you walk down to the track. Since Greg wore shorts today, well he wore shorts everyday because he didn't pack any pants, he could only snap pictures from the paddock area.

Greg's driving (again) on our way to Ohio.

Day 6 - Getting Technical in Ohio

2010-05-06T17:03:00.004-04:00

The drive into Ohio wasn't killer. In fact, we had an actual dinner on the road. After stopping at Outback and refueling us and Nigel we rolled into Mansfield about midnight. This track is very hard to learn in just 1 recon lap so Greg and I both agreed that walking the track would help him. We woke up early, drove in early and got "serious". Ok, well as serious as walking out the line, but that's it. I also got some exercise in today with a jog around the 2.4 mile loop. This track is truly what every expert says it to be - technical, fast, and perfect black top.

Just a note: the track is amazing at Mid Ohio, but so are the facilities and the grounds personnel. This is a huge part to being out at the tracks.

Greg came off the morning session wanting more! He ran well, but thought he could go faster and harder. I gave him permission to take Nigel to town around the track. Come the afternoon, all of his studying video, maps, and walking had paid off and he dropped over 10 seconds. We are sitting 57th overall and 3rd in class. We will have some seconds to drop off at NJMP - Lightning course.

Pictures will have to wait to be uploaded because the computer is being tempermental. Unlike Greg and I, the computer and I are no longer getting along. It doesn't want to read my CF card from the camera and it doesn't want to export video - next year I will bring 2 different things. One is a bigger lense for the camera so we can get some up close shots. The other is NOT going to be a net book.

Here are the pictures and video!

The van heading out for its first run.

Starting line for first hot lap.

Howard and Jon - in their replacement cars!

Mileage 86994: 2734 miles

Day 5: Agricultural Excursion at Gateway

2010-05-04T21:42:00.005-04:00

Today was the first day that you felt being tired. Last night's drve was brutally long into the night for most teams. We got in around 1 and made our way to the track around 8:30. On the way I snapped some pictures of the Arch and Busch Stadium.

The "Roval" at Gateway was fast and intimidating. I took the wheel for both sessions and probably should've walked the course before heading out. A misunderstanding of turns 1 & 2 led to a John Deere session on the infield. A quick down shift and realignment put me back on track and on line for the chicanes. Driving an oval at full speed is intimidating. You learn quickly to keep your eyes up and look for that next move. The afternoon session went off without a hitch into the grass and I dropped 15 seconds off of my morning time. We ended today in 55 overall. We are gunning for 50th position...watch out RS and Boxster S!!

Here are some pictures of the track and other cars. I have grea video that I will have to upload later because the internet is too slow for it here.

We are off to Mansfield Ohio to race at Mid Ohio. This drive is short, but we lose an hour as we cross into the eastern time zone for the remainder of the One Lap.

Add one more Bass Pro Shop to the tally for a total of 12.

Day 4: Part 2 - Sssssmokin

2010-05-03T22:25:00.008-04:00

WOW! Drag racing was great. The MINI ran an impressive 16.843....This really was a blast. It was hot in the fire suits, and in the cars, but Chris in the Challenger and I took the line. A veteran Brit in a Classic Vintage American Car - the Dodge Charger, and a rookie American in a Classic Modern British Car - the MINI Cooper S. It was a showdown with smoke (no mirrors) and fanfare for the audience. In the end the British won...in the Dodge Charger.

Here are some picrtures taken by Greg of the event. I went onto bracket and had to rerun do to timing issues against an IROC and broke out - with a time of 16.4. Breaking out is bad, not good. That means you went faster than you said you would. Apparently I used a little too much gas that time! Oops.

The Charger went on to place in the top 16. Our friends Fish and Jason went intoo the top 4 with their demon of a MINIvan. Awesome job guys!

By request of some fellow BMWCCA guys, I am posting more pictures to the blog...

Mileage: 85994. 1734 miles logged so far.

# of Bass Pro Shops: 11

Day 4: Part I - Getting Dirty

2010-05-03T17:12:00.022-04:00

Just a note: My camera lens cracked somewhere between Libertyville and South Bend - so that is the black spot you see in all of the photos. I am limited to the editing while on the road - and I don't have any editing software on this little netbook, so please ignore the black dot. Also, this is just an example of why you don't bring expensive lenses on the road!

This morning started great. My cold is slowly going away and the Nyquil last night was a huge help. We pulled into Hallet on time and ate a casual breakfast while watching the big dogs run their groups. Greg drove at Hallet and did a wonderful job. This track is very tricky with blind turns and lots of elevation changes; or undulating hills as our UK buddy from the Vintage Charger says.

The morning session was tough for everyone around turn 9 - lots of dirt flying as wheels were dropped and spin outs followed. Exciting as it was, thankfully no one was hurt, and no bruises to the cars. Greg consistently dropped time on each lap in the morning, and finished in 60th. The afternoon session flew by and Greg dropped some more time. Thanks goes to Jason from Team ZoomZoom for the pointers. Once the official times are posted we will let you know where we stand!

Here are some pictures from today at Hallet - check out the Alfa in the last 4...

Appalachain Bay on the approach to Hallet. Beautiful Cherokee Country!

Fourth Day, Fourth Track - on schedule and feeling good!

Greg whipping it through turn 9 like a pro.

Almost getting chased down by the RS, but not this time!

Remeber what I said about turn #9, and getting a little dirty....well this is what not to do, but how to save yourself if you do it. Great Job to David for saving himself and his Alfa through that turn.

Dropped a wheel off the curbbage and rooster tailing dirt everywhere

Off the dirt and shooting across track!

Correcting and swerving back on track

And off he goes for turn 10! What an exciting time

We are off to the Drag Strip at Tulsa Park - I am driving this one and then we have a long haul up to St. Louis. Not expecting to get in until 1am - ouch!

Missouri

2010-05-02T16:55:00.000-04:00

Just wanted know to let you you know that Missouri has the largest bugs. Our windshield was covered in them! No worries a short rain shower washed them off, and cleaned up Nigel too! He was getting a little grimy.

We also have seen more One Lappers this time. Here are our friends from Denver:

Day 3 - The Flat of Iowa

2010-05-02T16:42:00.002-04:00

Last night's drive was rough, and that is putting it lightly. Iowa sure has a lot to offer. We drove past the world's largest truck stop, the birthplaces of John Wayne and Ronald Reagan, the presidential museum for Herbert Hoover, and a wind farm.

The wind farm was the highlight of the drive,and it appeared almost majestic. We came up on it late and from far it was just a bunch of red lights blinking, but as we approached it each tall wind turbine had its own light and they flashed in a harmonius pattern. I would've taken pictures if i thought they'd come out, or if I wasn't driving!

This is so cool! Its hard to see, but SUPER is CHEAPER than REGULAR gas in Iowa! Crazy!

When we got to the hotel it was after midnight, Greg and I crashed hard and arrived at the track with perfect timing! As we unloaded, our run group was staging so I suited up and jumped into line. Mid America is a short, flat track with some tricky corners and lots of run off if you mess up in them. Luckily, I didn't need any of the run off today. The morning session was great, I needed to be a little faster though. The afternonn session felt smotther and faster, but we'll know better when the results are posted. Most likely we are some where around 50 overall, and third in the retro class. Greg took pictures today and the GoPro camera was running. I will post pictures below when we have better internet. Video will be up soon - yesterday's and today's, but I am still having problems with You Tube.

We left the track a little after 2 and should be in Tulsa Ok aronud 8. That means a good dinner and night's sleep! We are going to try and hook up with the Mazda 5 Minivan guys, Richard and Jason, too.

Update: Howard in the Cadillac CTS arrived with the new Crossfire today for both sessions. He didn't hit any walls and will be in Tulsa.

Milage Update: 85,361 - 1101 miles down!

Day 2 - 4 unforgetable miles at Road America

2010-05-01T17:16:00.003-04:00

What a day! Greg drove today on both the long and short course at Road America. The day was beautiful and windy, but again no rain. The morning started off with a few bumps in the road, and bruises to a fellow driver. The driver is doing fine, but his Cadillac CTS is another story. He went too hot into the "Canada Corner", through the gravel, through the tire wall and finally through the fence. No worries, rumor has it that Howard already picked up another car and will be ready for the next track!
After the delay to clear the accident, Greg did a great job on the long stretches of Road America. We started the afternoon session in spot #53. The short course was a snap, and we are going to run in the 8th group for the rest of the One Lap.

It truly is beautiful driving through Wisconsin on our way to Iowa. We have 8 hours on the road to our hotel. I will keep everyone updated again tomorrow! I posted pictures of the day and video below. We had a slight technical difficulty with the camera for the long course of Road America - and now computer difficulty uploading - I will get it up when it works.

Our Friends in the "Minivan". The minivan with no minivan left in it!

Day 1 - Tire Rack HQ and Wet Skid Pad

2010-04-30T19:32:00.004-04:00

This morning started with an easy and safe trip down to South Bend. Registration was great - we met a lot of great people in a lot of special cars. The One Lap runners are like one big family.

Nigel is all stickered up and ready for the week. Putting the decals on wasn't an easy task because space is so limited, but he's looking good sporting all his badges prominently. We also supported the SPCA today by purchasing dog bones for Kenai and Athena They are displayed on Brian and Harry's Corvette. To check out their journey around the One Lap go to: One Lap For Dogs

The day ended with a time trial on the wet skid pad. I drove this one, so Greg could rest up for tomorrow. It was tons of fun to get going and be in the racing mood again. We finished the skid pad with a combined G force of .770G - that put us in 41st overall, and 2nd in our class at the end of day 1.

We are already back in the car and only a little over an hour from a good night's sleep! Keep watching and spreading the word about Nigel and One Lap.

Mileage - 84,260

AMEN! We don't have enough cargo space for anything to go wrong! Luckily Car #24 offered services if we need any tools we may have forgotten to pack.

The beautiful state of Indiana.

Final Preparations

2010-04-29T23:24:00.000-04:00

It was a long day of photos with the MINI, cleaning, placing decals - you name it we had to do it. There are no more days left for preping. In fact, Greg and I just finished with a kick-off charity event here in Libertyville, IL at Cafe Pyrennes. I would like to thank all of the support we received from the attendees, the restaurant and Rainbows. I would also like to thank Jeff Mateer of Studio West Photography. He took all the pictures of Nigel and me today, as well as at the charity event. When pictures come back from Jeff , I will post them here.

Nigel is packed for tomorrow. We start at 8am with a trip down to South Bend, IN. It looks like it is going to be warm and windy for our first event. I'm just hoping that the rain stays away for the next 8 days.

Keep watching because it will only get better from here!

Nigel Goes to the Second City

2010-04-07T09:30:00.000-04:00

With new tires, suspension and a much needed ipod connection, Nigel head off to Chicago this weekend. Greg took him the 831 miles from little Central Valley, NY to Libertyville, IL.

Nigel is going to receive new seats and harnesses, a roll bar, and a full detailing before the One Lap begins. Once track prep is done, then its time to hit the road again for the beginning of the One Lap.

As the race is coming closer, Greg and I ask that you tell everyone you know about Nigel and the One Lap. We want to raise awareness for our charity - Rainbows, our sponsors, and of Nigel (of course).

Once the One Lap starts, we will have daily updates and uploads of video from each lapping session. So keep tuned starting April 30th!!!!

-Laura

Cleaning and prepping Nigel. The dogs wanted to go too, but they had to stay home in NY!

Greg and Me taking some last pictures before his drive.

Greg waving "Good Bye" - leaving NY and heading for Chi-Town! The first leg of our One Lap.

Lime Rock Park - SCDA - 10/31/09

2009-10-31T20:52:00.001-04:00

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!!!

2009-10-31T08:51:00.000-04:00

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!

2009-10-25T16:56:00.000-04:00

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

2009-10-25T16:45:00.000-04:00

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.

2009-10-22T21:47:00.002-04:00

BBK!!

2009-10-22T21:44:00.000-04:00

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

2009-10-14T20:04:00.000-04:00

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.