Two Class and One Overall Victories at MidOhio

(photo: Christian takes a victory lap after winning at MidOhio, (c) Chris Clark)

I just returned from the National Auto Sport Association (NASA)’s GTS (Thunder) Division races on August 15-16 at MidOhio, where I competed in a field of 47 (Thunder) cars in the GTS field. This is my second year racing with NASA, and as many of you know I have been competing in the 2009 Grand-Am KONI Challenge (with Freedom Autosport).

On Saturday, I had a strong practice and qualied in P3. We hit all our target times in practice and were still making small improvements even in qualifying, so I felt very confident about the race. I had a really great start, moving from third to second in class in the first corner, and I was able to lock onto the lead car in the first few laps. I knew at that point I could pick my moment to take the lead. It was a great feeling!

Once I earned the class lead, my focus shifted to an overall victory. There were a few very fast cars in the field, but one spun and another had a small incident while I was leading in class. After that, I knew if I maintained a good pace and took care of the tires I would take the overall win. It was great to earn first-place finishes both in class and overall!

For Sunday’s race, I aimed for a repeat win, but there was an additional challenge: temperatures in Lexington, OH were up to 92 degrees, putting additional stress on the car and tires. I had hoped I could be gentle on the car, but with the heat, I knew I could easily overheat the car, tires or even me. I managed to quali in P2 (in class and P3 overall) in a field of 52 entrants, posting a 1:35 lap time.

The Sunday race proved to be more eventful, including both contact and a dramatic on-track incident. On the first lap, three turns into the race, I lost a position with a little side to side contact at the bottom of madness, but we were both able to continue the race. I regained the position one lap later, but was initially concerned the toe or camber on my car could have been affected. Luckily it wasn't.

The race was extremely challenging, with a great deal of out-of-class racing going on. I was forced to go toe to toe with a GTS5 car that was really fast in the straights, but defensive in the corners. I thought this would cost me the race, but I was able to reel in the lead car with four laps to go. As I caught him in the keyhole, he lost a wheel, rendering him airborne. Luckily he was ok, and I was able to avoid the incident and finish in first place, and P4 overall.

It was nothing short of a great weekend at MidOhio. The car was great and the competition was strong. I'd long dreamt about winning a race there, and when the moment came it was not at all like what I expected. I look forward to going back and winning again!

I’d like to thank my sponsors, specifically Rennstatt Racing and David Yudowin, who provided on-site support for this weekend’s races. Also PorschePurist.com, Community Auto Wash, Kolossos Printing, Stony Creek Collision, OG Racing and Jim Maloof Realtors. Without their support in 2009, this weekend wouldn’t have been possible!

Next up for me are endurance and GTS races at Gingerman Raceway on September 4-5, 2009. See you there!

Weekend at MidOhio

Last weekend I found myself at MidOhio Sports Car Course in both a supporting and spectating role during the KONI and ROLEX races. Before supporting my teammates with Freedom Autosport in the ST race on Sunday, I enjoyed some racing as a spectator. When one starts driving in a series, one seldomly gets to sit and watch racing – so I was glad to find myself in the perfect spot on a grassy knoll in front of MidOhio’s keyhole before the start.

In racing, the race is not over until the checkered flag flies. I have seen one too many cars that seem to have the race in the bag only to experience challenge during the last few laps and suffer disappointment.

Such was the case for Eric Lux and Dominic Farnbacher in the #86 FarnbacherLoles Porsche. Toward the end of the race, two race battles were happening simultaneously:  In DP, the 01 Telmex Lexus Riley with road racing juggernaut Scott Pruett at the wheel was fighting with the 76 Krohn Racing Ford Lola with former F1 driver Ricardo Zonta at the helm.  They were ripping through the GT cars and other DP cars. 

Simultaneously, Robin Liddell in the 57 Stephenson Motorsport Pontiac GXP-R was catching Farnbacher, who was running second. Liddell had saved some car for the end of the race and was really putting the pressure on the #86.

As the DP leaders came through the GT leading pack, the 76 Krohn car was working hard to stay with the 01 car.  In certain race situations, there is a distinct advantage to having a car in between you and your competitor. In trying to do just that – keep a car between them -- there was contact between the #86 GT and the #76 DP cars.

Zonta, who was looking for his second win this year, had not been willing to be the pawn and made his move. The slight contact cut Farnbacher’s tire, deflating Eric Lux and the #86 crew along with it.  Although the Farnbacher crew and driver had done all in their power to prepare for this race, the 1-2  win would have to wait for another day.

Lesson learned? It’s not over till the lady waves the checkered flag. And for every risky race move, as in life, the driver must always weigh the risks and benefits and cross his or her fingers that the latter prevails!

See you at MidOhio for my NASA race on July 11-12!

(Special thanks to Kathryn Rapier for the beautiful photos! (c) Kathryn Rapier / kathrynrapier.net)

Weekend at Watkins Glen

After a long day of practice on Thursday, the Freedom Autosport #147 car I drive in the KONI Sports Car Challenge felt perfect for race day.

The Glen was rockin' with a packed weekend schedule that included the KONI ST/GS race, the Rolex GP and DP race and even a NASCAR Camping World Series race. The result of a busy weekend was that we were qualified and raced on the same day, with our last practice happening even earlier that morning at an ungodly 8:30 a.m.

We worked really hard during Thursday’s practice, focusing on qualifying and race set-ups. By Friday the team handed me a great car, and I qualified mid-pack (P20) and felt really strong for the race. The car was really solid under me, which gave me the confidence to relax and drive.

There were some challenges: the race started a little late, and although the Weather Channel had promised there would be no rain on race day, rain droplets were on my windshield as soon as we started. Before I entered turn 1 in my first race lap, the Delphi light (an in-car yellow light used as a local caution system in motorsport) started flashing: full course caution. 

Those of you who follow racing know there is no passing during periods of caution, and as soon as I saw the light I did not make any attempts to pass. As a rookie, I tend to obey these cautionary lights to the letter, but I realized after three cars passed me that the loose interpretation of the yellow light is “no passing until you see a yellow flag.” Lesson learned!

Once the track went back to green I was able to work my way up the field, making up 7 positions, but  the "fender moon" must have out the night before because there was a good deal of bumpin' going on between cars. Nearly 40 minutes into the race, there had already been 3 cautions, and my Team Crew Chief made the decision to call the 147 into to the Freedom pits.  

My co-driver Mark White drove beautifully for the remainder of the race. With about 20 minutes left, he made made a quick stop for a splash of fuel. Team Freedom performed a Formula 1-like pit stop with great efficiency and precision, fueling the car and releasing it back to action in less than 10 seconds. (Thanks, Haus!).  Thanks to the team and my co-driver, we were able to secure a 13^th place(field of 53 cars, 27 of which were in class).

I’m looking forward to heading down to MidOhio the weekend of June 20^th for the next KONI race. While I won’t be racing, I truly enjoy the role of support crew—it’s a good opportunity to show my appreciation to the Freedom guys. See you there!

The race car driver is only as strong as the team behind him or her

Last weekend, I went to Lime Rock Park for the KONI Sports Car Challenge ST race, but I did not race. You see, Lime Rock is one of the Grand-Am races I was not scheduled to compete in. I am signed with Team Freedom Autosport for four of the Grand-Am KONI Challenge races. I’ve already raced at Homestead-Miami and Thunderbolt, NJ and have two more races scheduled at Watkins Glen and Virginia International Raceway.

In the remaining KONI races, my co-driver for the Freedom #147 MX-5, Mark White, pairs up with Sarah Cattaneo. When I told my friends I was heading out to Lime Rock to support them, one asked, “won’t that drive you crazy, watching them race and having to sit on pit wall?” Actually, no.

You see, Team Freedom has become a sort of racing family for me. When I first met them at Homestead-Miami, my first Grand-Am race ever, my first time in the MX-5 ever, and my first time at the track ever, they welcomed me and made me feel right at home. Over the last few weeks, I’ve come to know and respect all members of the team and their roles. From Crew Chief Glenn Long, to manager and driver Tom Long, to drivers/owners Derek Whitis and Rhett O’Doski, to polesetter Andrew Carbonell, to mechanics Rob Greenwood and Doug Beckett – and everyone else there – the Freedom guys are an impressive group.

To prepare myself for my first season in professional racing, I have been working hard training in the gym, swimming on off days and studying in-car data. I watch in-car videos over and over. I drive as often as I can and work to refine my skills. I've been lucky to add sponsors, such as OGRacing, to my existing sponsor list. But one hard truth of racing is, it is not all up to you. Sometimes we are so focused on what goes on inside the race car that we take for granted we have a car to race. Despite all of my heroic efforts in the car, without a supporting cast like Team Freedom none of it could be possible.

I arrived at Lime Rock ready to work, and Crew Chief assigned me to monitor the Grand-Am frequency on pit wall. During the race, I worked with data engineer “Fast Freddy” Huscher, providing feedback when needed. This was my first opportunity to have a bird’s eye view of the pit wall and crew, and I was impressed.

One thing that surprised me during my stint at pit wall is that I was significantly more stressed sitting there than when I am in the car at race start. Rather than being in total control of my destiny, I was merely a bystander supporting a huge effort. I needed to do my specific job and leave our three cars out there to succeed.

Another revelation was the crew meetings; I’ve never sat in on those, because we have driver meetings and debriefs. I knew they worked hard, but I had no real grasp of the extent to which they worked. I can’t ever remember hearing them complain about a setup change or the dire need for a last minute fix. Five minutes prior to race start, two of the crew replaced car 146’s internal fuel pump and got the car to grid in time to start. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, during the race the crew replaced 3 out of 4 coils and a rear suspension arm in less than 10 minutes!

While I respected the guys at Team Freedom before, now I really get just to what extent racing is a team effort where each gives 110%. I am really lucky to be on a phenomenal team!

Going Faster

The Porsche turns in much faster then other cars and thanks to the setup that Tim Pott of Rennstatt Racing. This allows higher corner entry speeds and thus higher corning speeds. You can see in these two picture the inside front tire gets air!

Driving a Porsche has its benefits. You must give it respect, but push it and she flies.

Here Comes the P-CAR

I always dreamed of owning a 911 and the 993 was the car of choice. In 2003 I made the leap and bought a 993 RS CS. Time to restart the learning curve!

Christian Goes to Race School

After only one season I had the opportunity to attend the Skip Barber Race School in California. I joined great friend Will Pearson and soon to be great friend Chuck Price for the wagons west.

Good Times!!! There is nothing wrong with Norhtern California, Race Cars and Friends.

Race school proved to be a huge step in my driving development. Once back in the car at home, I was had better vision, control and smoothness.

Later, in 2003, I returned to instruct in the Audi, truly an experience.