June 12 - NASA @ BlackHawk Farms

Sat morning I setup the car, got a practice session in, got a rain session in then went to mount up new Hoosiers. At about 11am I discovered a stripped front wheel stud. With my extra ARP extended studs at home... I seeked out all the other Evo's at the track along with calling parts stores in both IL and Wisconsin for parts - notta. I was able to locate 2 stock length studs in Wisconsin and thought I could make one work, so I sent my finance' on a parts run. While she was out, I sourced an old stock stud off a 2G Eclipse. I dismantled everything (sweating profusely) and although the old stud didn't fit tightly at all, I figured I could make it work with some luck and pressure.

Missing only 1 session, I got in the car to hit the 4th session and it felt like the brakes were stuck on. So I hopped out and tore back into it finding that I had put the spacer on the wrong side of the caliper bolt (spacer for front air cooling ducts). So while apart, I switched out the old stud (which simply fell out w/o force) for a new shiny one and tightened everything down. With only 1 session left and my only official laps in a slight rain I was sitting in 3rd of 3 cars in class.

I lined up about 15min early for the last session of the day (anxious). My warmup lap I hammered the throttle and popped an intercooler hose clamp that I had borrowed from a friend thinking it would be a better clamp - but no dice. Knowing the session is just 15min long I feverishly limped into the pits and switched back in a hose clamp and prayed I could get just 1 clean lap in. Turns out I had time for 2! With fresh R6's I got last November and no time to heatcycle then I drove about 7/10's and took 1st place and the track record with my first hot lap! My 2nd lap was about the same but with some traffic so I backed off looking for space to get another run at a good one - but the checkered was out and the day was done.
Crazy! Afterwards I checked my tire temps and I had 44/45 in the fronts so I was waaay off. All-in-all I suppose the end result was what I had planned. Tons of peole had brake issues as this track is torture on them - no problems for me with my setup! I did get to test a new tire/rim combination that I might use later in the year or in 2011 when I upclass so that was beneficial. Although I didn't even run as fast as I did last year here in a lower class. I didn't get to run my 100octane tune and I was about 130lbs over minimum weight. So, I left a LOT of time out on the track. But, nothing was broke, the car was running great (thanks to my AMS Performance tune and AMSOIL fluids), and I had another event on Sunday to head to!