Photography Blog

It's been awhile since I've done anything worthy of a blog entry so now seems like the perfect time to share some of the highlights and excitement of my most recent ChumpCar race! Instead of the usual "Double-7" race format with two 7 hour races in a weekend, this time we just had one long 14 hour race at Brainerd Int'l Raceway. From 9am to 11pm, we'd be struggling to keep the car running and on track, just hoping to make it to the finish line without too many problems or getting eaten alive by the vicious mosquitoes.

We spent most of Friday prepping the '01 Ford Escort ZX2. We installed a Sparco Pro2000 seat, window net, harnesses, and kill switch. This was a car that Three Sheets Racing campaigned in their first two races last year and we figured it was actually better suited to the twisty BIR track than our Contour had been. The plan was to get out there, run good, clean laps, hit our two hour time limit between fuel stops, and finish the race. Ideally in first place...

We got to the track, went through tech inspection (without penalty laps this time!) and started setting up our pit box for the race. Once we were all set up, we cleaned off the car a little bit and decided it was tiem to check into the hotel and grab some dinner. Following dinner, we picked up a last few necessities at the local Walmart (Gatorade, Twizzlers, ice cream, etc) and went to bed early.

The next morning we awoke to a very misty and overcast sky, not ideal for racing but at least it would keep the 90+ degree heat at bay for awhile. After a light breakfast, we got to the track early to check tire pressures and other last minute bits with the car before the start of the race.

After a quick safety meeting, we went back to working on the car and were ready to hit the track!

Shortly after our first pit stop, Tow Mater came in on the back of the tow truck after making contact with another car and fatally wounding their truck. That was the end of the race for them, unfortunately they only managed 1 stint before the accident.

Within the first couple of stints, we managed to work our way up to 4th place, and we were beginning to catch up to the #41 VW Golf in 3rd which was 3 laps ahead of us but running 2-3 sec/lap slower. Just after our 3rd pit stop, the Golf came into the pits and we passed them, reaching 3rd place! A few laps later, the Golf came back into the pits with problems which dropped them another lap behind us. Meanwhile, we had to make another pit stop because the right front wheel had begun to come loose. We tightened it back up and sent our driver back out, still in 3rd.

Despite having much less power than the Contour, our little Escort was an absolute monster under braking and through corners. We were reeling in more powerful and better balanced cars all day!

One of the neat features about BIR is all of the wildlife in the area. I was lucky enough to catch this Osprey bringing a fish back to its nest atop one of the light stands.

Despite battling overheating issues that kept it in the pits most of the day, I did manage to catch a few shots of the Fart-Hinder Saab. You couldn't help but cheer for these guys every time you saw them re-enter pit lane to make their way back on track!

Turn 12 was a great place to divebomb slower cars with late braking.

Nick, up to his usual antics as our car pulled in for another fuel stop and driver change.

Meanwhile, Tubby Butterman Racing had piloted their E36 BMW from a 16 lap deficit up into the lead. They were running pretty consistent 1:56 laps which meant it was unlikely for us to catch them running 2:01's.

After spending most of the beginning of the race in the pits changing out a water pump and head gasket, the School of Mayhem Honda Civic was back out on track and running some fantastic lap times and dicing it up with the some of the faster cars.

Meanwhile, things weren't going so well for the #37 Honda Prelude whose drivers couldn't quite keep the car on the track...

Just as the sun was starting to set, it was my turn to get into the car for my second stint of the day. After a fast and consistent first stint, I was eager to have another go in the car but I knew I had to take care of the tires and not let the glare from the setting sun affect me. I ended up swapping positions with the #1 Brain Nerds Porsche 944 several times over the course of 6 or 7 laps, despite their car being 2-3 sec/lap faster earlier in the day. Eventually I started to wear myself out and was running closer to 2:04-2:05s by the end of my session in the car, despite recording a fast 2:00 flat when I was still feeling fresh. When I came in at the end of my stint the decision was made to install the headlights that would take us into the night for the last few hours of the race.

By the time Nick came in at the end of his second stint, the sun had set and it was just a Hail Mary, balls to the wall sprint to the finish line with less than 2 hours left in the race. Unfortunately, Nick had used up just about all of the front brake pads so James had to be very careful and use the engine to slow the car down. That, coupled with the poor lighting must have been a pretty hair-raising experience for him!

James did his best to keep us in 3rd place but it quickly became evident that we'd be fighting an uphill battle against the #24 Lexus SC400 of Team Bear Patrol who was gaining 10 sec/lap on us in the dark. Unfortunately, with about 30 min left in the race, an axle failed and we lost all drive. We didn't bring any spares, nor did we attempt to fix the car. We just pulled it back into the paddock and waited for the end of the race, hoping we wouldn't lose too many spots. The #41 Vw Golf that we'd been racing so closely earlier in the day had retired to the paddock as well having lost 3rd and 5th gear, but somehow they managed to get back on track just as we were being pulled into the pits and rack up a few more laps to take 5th place which left us in 6th.

With the moon rising over the tire smoke on the horizon, the race came to an end. Those that finished the race celebrated, while those who broke down packed up and cursed their misfortune. It was heartbraking to drop off from the podium in the last little bit of the race but you've got to take the good times with the bad. From every failure, you learn a new way to succeed the next time. With the Chumpionship just around the corner in September, I have no doubt that we can rebuild the Escort and come back faster and stronger than ever.