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Photo from the Facebook page for Lime Rock Historic Festival 35.
I did better on the second qualifying, but ran one lap close to top of my game. Now you won't think this much - I qualified 32 out of a field of 38. But I qualified ahead of my Nemesis - even though I couldn't pass him. Go figure.
As the first race started, I caught a ’59 Lancia D24 (Peter Giddings, so this is probably a car with very significant race history) and managed to pass him in the Uphill.
Photo - Ed Hyan
But he clearly had more horses and passed me on the back straight. I fell behind as he passed Paul Cendron’s ’58 Alfa Romeo Guilietta Sprint.
Photo - Robert Rightmyer, Valley Vision Photography
In the meanwhile, the ’66 midget of Derek Chima blows by me on the front straight, and then after a lap or so works his way past the Alfa and the Lancia. Now we’re strung out, separated by about 30 car lengths. Over several laps, Paul and I gradually close the gaps. The Lancia is faster than us both on the straights, but tentative in the corners, and we get quite close. Through the esses, I’m close on Paul’s tail, he’s close on the Lancia and I’m counting on Paul finding gap that we can both go through. On the straights, they both pull away, but then we are back on each other in Turn 1. This goes on for 5 laps with us running in the 1:12s and 1:13s. On the 10th lap, a four car group is bearing down on me, and I go wide in West Bend, as they pass me on the inside – like I’m standing still!. And I’ve lost momentum. So did Paul, as he get lapped in the Downhill corner. But the Lancia gets passed on the front straight without giving up speed. So we are scattered. I go to work to reel in Paul, and I’m sure he is doing the same to catch the Lancia. Although I never quite catch them before the checker, I feel great about the run. Everything felt right! When I came in, I learn that I ran that last lap at 1:11.909 - my best time ever! I’m pumped!
Afterwards, Storm Field and Butch O’Connor congratulated me for being the first MGA to finish (Dave Nicholas had gone out with a broken half shaft). It just goes to show that attrition is my friend. -D
Race 2 started with a Bad Start. I’m not sure what the pace car was doing, but I was “racing” almost as soon as I left pit lane and got past the splitter. Never did catch up to the pack until turn 5 (the Uphill) after the race had started and where there still were quite a few cars running side by side. Now I settled behind the’59 Lancia D24 and Butch O’Connor’s ’59 MGA. Butch had always been faster than me and was running Hoosiers, so I felt he had both the talent and tire advantages over me! I tried to take Butch on the front straight, but Derek Chima blew past us both approaching Turn 1 and I “conceded” the corner to Butch. Just ahead, Paul Cedron had spun his ’58 Alfa Romeo Guilietta Sprint coming out of Turn 1. By Turn 3, Butch and I are pressing the Lancia. On the second lap, I pass Butch coming down the Front Straight, and as I approach Big Bend, I see that a second car has spun coming out of Turn 1. I hadn’t seen a yellow, but thought that I probably passed Butch under a yellow flag (it turned out to be not the case). Now I was behind the Lancia, clawing him back by the Downhill Corner. But then he pulled away briefly on the Front Straight only to be caught again in the Left Hander. Butch on my tail. Butch makes a move on me in West Bend. I go wide and he passes on the inside. On the Front Straight, Jackie Amorosa passes me in her ’59 Triumph TR3 (her new 2,600 cc motor moves the car with alacrity!) and takes Butch the next time around. Meanwhile, we’re running lap times in the 1:14 to 1:15 range. While she’s setting up to pass the Lancia, I’m setting up to pass Butch, and as we come around onto the Front Straight, we both make our moves. But as I pull out to swing by Butch, we are also being lapped by Rich Maloumain in his ’56 Austin Healey 100-4. As we are reaching the brake zone three wide, Butch pulls up and concedes the corner (I learned later that he blew his engine!). Meanwhile, Maloumain passes the Lancia on the inside through Turn 1. Now I’m pressing the Lancia through Turns 3 and 4 and notice a flash of yellow in my mirror. My line through Turn 4 is not ideal, and I exit wide as Norm Burke in a ’59 Elva Courier is trying to pass me on the outside. I nearly put him two wheels off, but he pulls up and I waive him by on the inside. I’ve lost ground on the Lancia as I go wide through West bend as three more lapping cars pass me. By Turn 3 and 4, however, I once again have the Lancia in my sights, only to lose ground on the back straight. It takes me another full lap to catch the Lancia – at his weakest point – Turn 3 and 4. We’re slowed down by a ’59 Ferrari 250 GT Interim, whose driver points us by on the No-Name Straight. The Lancia has opened up a substantial gap as we pass the Start Finish line where I see the signal for “last lap”. If I’m going to make a move, I have to do it now. Once again I catch the Lancia in Turn 3 and 4, and stay close on the back side of the track. But I just don’t have enough to catch him and he pulls away on the front straight. To add insult to injury, just as the flag flies, Roger Cassin laps me in his ’56 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider. I finished in 25th place, with my best lap times being a couple of 1:12.99s.
Despite the somewhat slower lap times in Race 2, I was still quite happy, as I consider anything under a 1:15 to be a successful run. I had a lot of fun and look forward to more racing on Monday.
So Mr. Osprey - how did yesterday go? I meant to check in earlier but got caught up in tasks I needed to complete. Please do tell when you have a moment.
So Mr. Osprey - how did yesterday go? I meant to check in earlier but got caught up in tasks I needed to complete. Please do tell when you have a moment.
A few days before I can post a report, but it went fine. Slower. And when I lowered tire pressure, I was slower still.
Dave Nicholas looked at the times and said the leaders were about 1 second per lap slower. Said it was the track
09-01-2017, 09:05 AM
Go figure.
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Post 424
-D
