race June 18, 1994 at Laguna:
(or, BETTER A SLOW CAR THAN NO CAR)
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It became clear that doing major suspension fabrication
between races in the middle of the season was not consistant
with the work load at one of our leading west coast shops, so
the owner and I agreed we would pospone the process 'til winter.
If I picked the car up right away I might still make the race
that weekend at Laguna. Thursday afternoon I took off a little
early and drove to Sears point to pick up the car. Traffic was
bad and the trip up, which normally takes two hours at most, turned
into 3 plus. When I got home Geoff Miller came over to help get
it off the trailer and look it over. The car still needed a bit
of reassembly but less then I had feared.
Friday night Geoff came over again as did Larry Colen. We finished
getting the car together, and gathered up the tools and spares we
might need at the track while Rochelle made dinner and loaded the
camping gear.
Rather than get up at 4 or 5 in the morning to drive to the track,
I like to wake up at the track, so after dinner Rochelle and I took
off for Laguna Seca. We pulled in around midnight and found a good
spot in the paddock. The big bore run group qualifying was later
in the morning, so for once we had plenty of time for admin and
tech and for breakfast too. About then Larry came by to act as pit
crew.
There were about 7 GT3 cars; the usual cast of suspects were entered.
I qualified in the middle. The front two cars were very fast Mazdas.
Usually the people in GT1,2,3 and super production are agressive
but fairly together drivers. Saturday for some reason there seemed
to be more brain fade than usual.
Turn 1 is a sweeper that is between two straights. It is taken
flat-out. In qualifying a mid engine V8 powered Porche
(superproduction car) had rocketed past me in T1. Half way down the
short straight leading to T2 he made a 90 degree left turn across
my bow and shot off track driver's left. He then spin through the
dirt parallel to the track until turn 2 (a hairpin) came around and
picked him up. There he came to rest at 90 degrees to the racing
line while others of us tried to drive around him. That night over
a beer I asked him if it was a mechanical failure. He said "No, it
just got light and went away."
Later in the qualifying session a GT1 Corvette left a tire mark on my
fender at the apex of turn 9 (at the bottom of the downhill leaving
the corkscrew.) At lunch I walked over to his pit to tell him my
car was OK (more or less) and to make sure he had no damage. He
didn't realize it had happened.
The race was in the afternoon. On the pregrid I was grided next to
Fred Michael from Dixon in a GT3 car that had qualified just a bit
faster then me. Just in front of me was a Mustang. Behind me was
Andy Grau in a GT3 (a fairly fast Capri) and another GT3 car.
We pulled onto the track and the cars were directed into two columns.
Suddenly the front of my column stopped and cars went in all directions
trying to avoid each other. It looked like 4:30 an the Santa Monica
Freeway. The other column kept going. When our column got sorted out
and moving the GT3 car that I had been grided next to was 8 or so cars
ahead. The front runners got back in place but some of the drivers in
the middle didn't seem to get the idea. As the parade lap ended and we
came by start finish they didn't give us the green flag. Around we
went again to get sorted out. Our column moved up one or two cars but
I still had about 4 cars between me and the guy I was trying to race
when we passed the starter's stand the second time. This time the
green flag came out anyway. In the confusion the GT3 Capri that was
behind me got past me too. As things sorted out I tried to play
catch-up. I was chasing the Capri. There were several cars between
us and Fred. We got past some of them and some of them passed Fred,
so after a lap two or the three of us were in a row, with Fred still in
front. Then he took an agricultural line exiting turn 4 and it was
his turn to try catchup. I got past Andy Grau entering a turn and he
got me back on the exit. A couple of turns later I got past him again
and this time made it stick. For a few laps I just motored on. Several
cars had dropped out including Jack Skibo's GT2 Z-car which was in
a bad spot on the edge of the road at turn 7. Out came the yellow flags.
The yellow flags had been out for for or five turns. I was going uphill
headed for Turn 8 (the corkscrew). As I passed the apex of turn 7, I
Raised my hand to acknowlege the flag. At that instant Frank Emit the
front runner in a superproduction Corvette, rocketted by me in the half
a car width to my left. The car that had been chasing him dropped in
behind me and a couple of turns later we all caught up with the pace
car. If Frank had not lapped me under the yellow when the pace-car
picked him up I would have been in front of it and had two laps of
yellow to run full speed, trying to catch the cars in front of me and
put distance on those behind me. As it was the shoe was on the other
foot, I was behind behind Frank and so behind the pace-car. Everyone
had time to catch up with me.
As the pace car pulled off track and the green flag came back out
I could see half a dozen GT1 cars right behind me then Fred's GT3 and
The two Mazda that were leading GT3. As the green came out an avalanche
of GT1 cars passed, laping me. As we came out onto the start-finish
straight the Mazdas had laped Fred and were out-dragging me. The lead
GT3 got past me about turn 1 but I was able to stay hot on his tail
through the next 5 turns. At turn 6 his line was better then mine and
he finally put a few car lengths between us. The second place Mazda
was not able to pass me before the checker, so we crossed the finnish
1,3,2. I was in third place a lap down from the first place car in my
class.
Being on the "wrong" side of the pace-car had worked out for the best.
if I had been on the right side of it I would have made up at least
half a lap, never been caught by the first place car and never had a
chance to dice with him. I learned a bit, I had a good time and gave
him a run for his money for a while. Either way I would have ended up
in third place.
As we came off track I was waved into tech. The Chief Steward said he
had a report that The first place superproduction car had passed a
couple of us under the full course yellow. I've got a lot of respect
for Frank Emit. Although I suspect he was already commited to the pass
when I put my hand up, I told the steward that if Emit claimed he had
taken that as a passing signal that I would have to give him the benifit
of the doubt. I didn't hear anything more and Emits first overall stood.
My car is probably the lowest tech car running GT3 in the San Francisco
region but I had a great time and got a third. If and when I get a new
engine and trick suspension it could be faster........ but for now,
better a slow car then no car.
Thank you Geoff for the help getting going and Larry for the help both
at home and at the track. And Rochelle for things too numerous to
mention.
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Dick Nyquist
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