Cinco de Mayo Majors +1 @ Blackhawk Farms

My Picks:

 

1. Brown

2. Voytek

3. Bender

4. Brown

5. Sager

 

Which Brown where I do not know.

That Brown kid is a smart young man. Sager was on the pole in Oct. 2017 by a smidgen.  

I'm for Brown all the way!!!

Like the pic, Craig will be driving around catching flies in his hards while whipping the field!  Go getum Buddy!

Maybe on Sunday.

Maybe on Sunday.

Naw, not Sunday either.

I'm sure Tyler will write up the weekend.

Bender had EVERYONE covered at will.

Naw, not Sunday either.

 

I'm sure Tyler will write up the weekend.

 

Bender had EVERYONE covered at will.

Great Weekend at the Farm, with the warmest days we have had up here since the winter!

Test day went alright for Dad and I, we didn't do anything special and really were just were trying to shake some rust off and use up old pads/tires.

Saturday Morning Practice was only 10 mins and basically a good way to scrub some stickers. Qualifying went okay for us, although we were a little off our normal pace (1.22.3/4 compared to 1.21.8s), and qualified 4th and 5th. The race was not super interesting, after things got sorted out after one or two laps, the order was Bender, Voytek, me and then Dad, and then after a couple laps Dad got around me (by then Bender and Voytek checked out) and that is how it stayed for the rest of the race. We were not driving bad, but it just seemed like we couldn't get to the pace that those two had. I also didn't have anything for Dad, as I had him in the twisty bits (where you can't pass unless the person ahead makes a pretty big mistake) and his torque on his VVT was able to keep him away from me on the straight parts of the track where you can pass. There were also a few times that I had to defend from Sager into turn 1 a couple times as that was the one place he could get a run on me due to that dang VVT Torque again!!. My video did not work for that race, but it was not very interesting anyways.

Overnight it rained pretty good, and the 10 minute qualifier in the morning was not worth it to go out. For the race, we started the same way as the day before, although this time I was able to get a good start and into 2nd by turn 3, which then became 3rd after I slightly missed the last turn braking point. From this point on it was Voytek, Bender, me and then Dad for quite a while, although they did not check out today. Our cars seemed to be handling much much better even though I did not make changes to the cars, so we are attributing that to the overnight rain changing track conditions. About midway or so Bender made a pass on Voytek, and then for the next couple laps I was finding the best place to get around him as well, although I was having the same problem I did with Dad yesterday with being down on torque to Voytek, so I did not have a great place to pass unless he made a mistake. That was until Dad came in and was able to give some help on the straights where I was struggling with speed. At this point we had a couple opportunities to get him into 1, but I wanted to wait until we both got a great run out of 7 to be able to drive past him on the straight and not fight into the corner, although it ended up being what I didn't want to happen a couple laps later where Dad and I got an okay run out of 7, making it a later pass attempt into 1. Dad gave me a good bump at about the end of the pitwall and Voytek protected inside, and I went further inside onto the marbles and tried to get him down there, but made the mistake of trying to turn in at the apex and not get it woahed down a little more and turn in later, so I ended up sliding off the track and dropping to 5th. At this point the car had a vibration from a lockup, I tried to get back on it with the 8 laps remaining, and was happy to see a 1.21.4 going on the predictive after turn 6 even with the flat spot on one of the laps, but sadly lost that lap due to carrying to much speed into 7. DOH. Dad did a good job of holding off Voytek till the end of the race and ended up getting a 2nd place finish. (Bender checked out after he got around Voytek). 

So overall a 3rd and 2nd for Dad and a 4th and 5th for me. I definitely wish I played that pass attempt a little different, but I have learned something new and will just have to apply that for next time. I was glad to have run the fastest time I have at Blackhawk with a 1.21.711, and was also glad to keep the pace with Voytek and Bender today. Congratulations to Bender, Voytek, and my Dad for taking all the podium spots both days. Bender was unstoppable all weekend, he was driving very well and that car is on rails!

I have posted my video from today here:

Tech was very poor in my opinion. Saturday the top 3 and 5th were pulled in, all in all they were only weighed, had the battery voltage checked, and a fuel sample tested. Sunday they only checked sway-bar thickness on the top 3. I will be asking around with SCCA as to why it was so light... especially given the compliance fee. (Does Bauer only go to some Majors?)

All in all it was a good weekend, great weather, and some good results. Had a good time meeting Lee Werner and the rest of Dan Goff's gang Saturday night, and it was great to see Tom Sager, David Dewhurst and all the other usual suspects again. Big thank you to Evan Pecore for helping us out this weekend, and to our biggest supporters, Advanced Autosports, East Street Racing, and Winding Road Racing.

Great write up Tyler, and great job this weekend. Awesome to see the progression over the last few years.  As you said my car was terrific and I could just run lap after lap in the mid to upper 1.21's which allowed me to pull away.  Made a slight change on the test day (Thank you Dave Wheeler) and that hooked it up.

Can't wait for the Sprints!!  

Dan, didn't see you after the race but a big thumbs up for your outstanding performance both days.  You and the car are dialed in and I'm sure you'll be tough to beat wherever you race this year.  Best of luck. 

Tyler you're a grown man in the car now and you had a great event even with the mixup on the pass attempt Sunday.  Voytek didn't leave you much room down there to make a clean pass but he did leave you room on the exit in the event that you made it stick.  You might find that the outside pass can actually work there if you get a fender or more advantage coming into the turn.  

Congrats also to Tom and Voytek for podiums both days.

I was happy to finish the weekend with no mysterious electrical problems and no chassis//suspension problems.  First time since I've owned this car that either one or the other wasn't a problem.  The car was pretty good right off the trailer and we changed very little throughout the weekend.  After more DNF's in the past year and a half than I've had in the previous 10, the car was great.  Driver would have benefited from a session or two on Friday but it wasn't in the cards.  Got hung up early in the race Sunday but had it going pretty well after that. 

Thanks to Dave Dewhurst for the help during the weekend and we put that water level to good use.  It's not easy finding flat pavement in the paddock there and in short order he found a spot adequate to get an eye on the ride height. 

Great weather (we've been punished up here most of the spring) outside of Q2 Sunday and always good to see the regulars and some new faces too. 

Congrats to Danny Bender and all the podium finishers, and thanks to Tyler for a great insight into the race weekend, feels like I was there, and thanks for posting the video. The Browns are getting their game on, great to see a father/son team doing so well. You are raising the bar for Skip/Skipper! 

Congrats to Danny Bender and all the podium finishers, and thanks to Tyler for a great insight into the race weekend, feels like I was there, and thanks for posting the video. The Browns are getting their game on, great to see a father/son team doing so well. You are raising the bar for Skip/Skipper! 

The Brock team was on point two weekends ago at Roebling. 1,2 and 1,3 IIRC.

The Brock team was on point two weekends ago at Roebling. 1,2 and 1,3 IIRC.

I think we need to have a Team Brock vs Team Brown contest.

The Brock Brown showdown.

I think we need to have a Team Brock vs Team Brown contest.
The Brock Brown showdown.

My money is on the Browns at ANY track. Reason? Because the apple doesn't fall far from the tree and the Brocks are GREAT at stacking shit up!

We are up for the challenge!