Leaping Tiger Racing: Grand Am at Barber Motor Sports

My initial Grand Am race was once the legal brilliant experience at Barber Motor Sports. Mike McGovern who could be the legal legal head Instructor at Bondurant in Phoenix, hooked me up allowing for Karl Thomson at Compass 360 Racing up of the Toronto. They run four automobiles during the Continental Tire Street Tuner Series. They won the championship in 2009 plus feature two cars in the quest for the championship once added about which year. The drivers may gain now not suffer from been more generous with recommendation concerning the track and the final cars. Zach Lutz and Ryan Eversley who drive the #75 were especially supportive and helpful. David Thilenius and Lawson Aschenbach have a tendency to be two great drivers who are currently leading the series and helped much though smartly. Great guys all! FYI, Zach and Ryan won at VIR. Karl runs a great organization - cars are in high condition, crew chiefs and pit crews are excellent and the willingness to percentage information and insights runs throughout. As I said, it had been a great experience. I used to be teamed together with a particularly sensible up and returning Grand Am driving force, Alex Kirby. Alex and that i had a great weekend together, learning the cars, etc. We have a tendency to were given our driver exchange every one the approach down to twenty-five seconds! With assistance from knowledge acquisition and pro drivers' coaching, I dropped my lap times steadily through practices session and qualified Nineteenth of Thirty-four cars. I was lovely pleased with that and that was the team. The race itself was a little more frustrating. My times stayed competitive throughout, passed a couple cars and managed the track with the much faster GS cars. At the beginning a GTI driven by a fellow new to Grand Am and from racing in Australia, was in front of me and lagged thus a lot at the keep at the begin that we were an excellent 1/3 lap back after we got to start-finish (there isn't any or all passing until you pass start-finish in Grand Am) This guy pulls back into the pit simply prior to the front straight - he could have allow united states to all go back purchase after he knew he had vehicle problems, except for a number of folks readily available is not anybody else as to the track less than them. I stayed well into the lead lap and ran a good race. The Honda's are terribly robust on the apex finish so with Barber Motor Sports' shorter straightaway's, the Honda's are disadvantaged. Zach and Ryan pulled off a podium with 3rd and David and Lawton got Fourteenth. The end of my race was very disappointing. An Sixty minutes in and solely Seven minutes before providing the automobile to Alex, the identical guy who held us up at the start punked me off the track exiting Flip Five. He was Four laps down whereas I was on the lead lap. I passed her coming into the turn, was a car duration ahead of him coming out and he got into my left rear about Six inches into the car. Naturally, I spun off and unfortunately into the shelter rail. Car was damage and happily I was not. Alex's father, Gene, had it on video so Karl was ready to go on it to the Series and raise a bunch of cane about the second one driver's conduct.
Karl and I and Alex were really pissed to claim the smallest amount. Some strong words were exchanged after the race and the driving force constructed his apologies. I felt a good amount of badly for Alex who did not locate to drive in the race. Fortunately, Alex has happened to a top ten finish in at VIR.
Great guy, great driver. So what is next? Caught myself on this one and had to laugh. I had really only planned for the single race! Short sited perspective that!
Karl invited me to drive his cars anytime this year or next. Zach and his father continue to own the Mustang Challenge car Zach drove go on year (5th in the Series) and that they have got asked me to drive his or him or her car in the Mustang Challenge this year. So let's expand the horizon on racing! Also more, Karl and Zach have proposed that Zach and I team up to drive the #75 and opt for the Grand Am Street Tuner Championship for 2011. I am all about it!
So the set up, race fans, is to drive in numerous Mustang Challenge
races in 2010 and opt for the championship with Zach and Karl in
2011!