Racing this Friday - NASA @ Autobahn 4.5 hr Enduro!

It's hard to believe I haven't been racing since June!  There have been several opportunities out there but either pricing or scheduling have been the hiccups.  But this race has been on my radar for awhile and I've got a seat! 

The race is a 4.5hr NASA Enduro on the FULL course at Autobahn Country Club outside Chicago, IL.  It is scheduled to run from 5pm - 9:30pm and with sunset around 7:10pm, we'll definitely have some dark racing!  I actually had a line on about 3-4 different rides for this one, and was trying to work stints in multiple cars at one point! 
The car is my friend Dave's and the pics are below.  The Mustang was tested at the same exact track on Monday on old tires and came through just find in multiple 30min stints so we're feeling confident.  Starts are about 310whp @ 3300 lbs and the class will be E0.

We are planning on a 3-driver strategy and I believe I'm tagged for the middle stint which should start in the sunlight and end in the dark!   
Stint #2:  est 6:30 - 8pm but could change.  This will be my first ever time running in the dark, and first time since 2008 running the FULL course at Autobahn!  Dave has solicited some pitlane help for fuel stops and we've got multiple guys working on strategy.  We'd love to win, but the car will not be maxxed out for the E0 class - however with a good pit strategy and good racing, everyone has a chance!  We are working on multiple fuel mileage and tire wear strategies; plus some radio mis-match issues!

Spectating weekend! Road America Aug 8-11. Friday...

After CTSCC qualifying we walked through the pits.  We also later caught Rolex GT & DP qualifying.  Rounding out the rest of the afternoon was ALMS practice.  We also spent some time watching cars go through tech, and a few drivers get their gear teched just like the much much lower weekend racing we do!  I would estimate we covered 5-8 miles criss-crossing around Road America. 

Races scheduled to start Sat morning!!!!!!

Here's a few additional shots of cars from Friday going through tech and a wreck of a very expensive ALMS LMP car:

Spectating weekend! Road America Aug 8-11

Could not pass up this opportunity to visit Road America as a spectator.  A combined weekend of the newly formed GRAND-AM / ALMS Series takes over Road America's 4-mile circuit.  Not being much of an ALMS (American Le Mans Series) fan, I was much more interested in the Grand Am and Continental Tire Sport Car Challenge (CTSCC) races. 
We showed up early Friday morning for CTSCC qualifyin g.  First up was the ST class and directly after was the bigger bore GS class.  Some pics of those specific car classes are below.  Tons more pics and short vids coming.  It was a super cool weekend and we had full access everywhere around Road America including the pics.  So cool!

#929Evo Projects - Pics and Press

Recently, I took some time putting together a group of pictures sort of detailing the 6+ years I had with the #929Evo.  As I purchased the car brand new, it went through quite a transformation to a weekend track car, to adding sponsors, to eventually being trailored and at the end being completely gutted and caged.  Below are the pics that work down from top-left.  It's a 16x20 framed photo.
Pics:

Project #2 was an effort to capture a magazine article for the #929Evo from mid-2012.  Many thanks to Evolution Magazine.  This was a long work in progress from the time the written interviews were taken until publishing over in Europe, then eventually I received a copy.  I eventually tracked down a few additional copies and was able to cut everything out and fancy it up with some additional pictures to round out the mount. 
Evolution Magazine article:

July --> Races planned = 0

Ah, the Midwest in July.  It's definitely not the funnest time to get into a hot racecar and I have no plans to do so in 2013.  Given I am renting this year and I can pick and choose; I pretty much planned to opt-out of the dreadful summer months.

When it's 90-105 degrees with a heat index ranging from 95-115, and you're in out in the sun all day, on even hotter blacktop, in a 2 or 3-layer fire suit, driving a car with insanely hot operating temps, and many times running the vent or heater toward warm to help out the engine... etc...  It sucks.  And that's the good scenario when you're not laying underneath the car sweating and trying to hastily fix something!
Oh, there's people with crew members, in-car helmet blowers, fancy cool suits with icewater circulating through them and rigs with A/C to cooldown between sessions - but I've never been that special!

 Btw; never been worse than the July weekend in 2009 I spent at VIR for the UTCC where I was getting dizzy in the TT grid (not even 100% full firesafety setup).

I did try a little to find a seat in the 4.5 hr NASA MW Enduro at Autobahn mid-month that goes into the night.  I did not try real hard though, as we had some tentative plans throughout July.  I had another 2 'feeler' offers that timing simply did not line up for.  All-in-all this looks to be an 'off' month.