Well, I didn't want to believe it, but Katie's car does have a mind of her
own. After dropping off Katie at SFO at 7:45 Sunday morning, I thought I
still had plenty of time to change tires and make it over to GGF to go play
with the PAX folks in the first run group. I didn't get back to Alameda
until 8:30AM, and still had to change the tires over before heading out.
I changed the tires as fast as I could and put a splash of fuel in and was
on I-880 by 8:55. By this time I was wondering if I should have just drove
the killerB out to play with my FSP buddies, but just kept driving anyway.
I get to GGF around 9:05 or so and park Luck at the front of gridA and
immediately run over to the fabulous event chairs, ChD & Sherry Grantz, and
question if I'm still okay to run first group and luckily (or unluckily?)
they were running late due to GGF management.
So I walked the course, and dusted off Lucy before putting on MY numbers,
Lucy's nametag and a flower (as part of the agreement I had with Katie). I
was really excited to get to drive the car again after the AAS event last
weekend.
As I sat in the car waiting for my first run, my passenger was Peter Thana's
girlfriend. The course was really dirty and Andy was one of the first cars
out and I think he ran a 55.xxx or some ridiculous time like that (or was
that Teresa?). I went out shortly after that and struggled through with a
58.1. Lucy was just pushing through everything and she just seemed really
soft through the slaloms. So I checked the shocks and they were where they
should have been and I tried it again with no passenger. I blew through the
first slalom and couldn't make it back for the final kink and DNF'd, came
into that left-hander way offline and looped it. The car just didn't want
to do what I wanted it to do.
Thoroughly embarassed by now and just wondering why I was driving like crap,
Maggie Kelly asks me "did you really get a 67.xxx??" And I acknowledged
the fact, that yes, that was indeed me, as I made up more excuses. She
replied with a simple "Lucy's saying that "you're" not my mom!" With that
said, I made a pretty big pressure adjustment for my last run, knowing that
I had to at least get a decent time in. The tire and driving adjustments I
did, did little to improve on my time with a 57.6. I just couldn't figure
it out yesterday. Maybe I was just driving in my "Capri" mindset, but I
didn't think I was. The car just felt so different than it did last week
when I co-drove with Katie. Who knows, maybe Lucy really does miss Katie??
Now that it's over and I got thoroughly stomped on in PAX (thanks guys &
gals!), Lucy is peacefully resting under her cover until her mom gets back
from her Russia.
I look forward to racing at GGF again and thanks to everyone who helped make
it possible to race there, and to the event chairs for another great event
sans the PA. Were there sound limits for cars or was it just the PA we
could not use?
Does anyone have any info they can share about the day/night NASA event on
Saturday July 22nd??
Thanks.
Arie
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