26 replies to this topic

[Joe (dad) Jordan]

Qualifying coming up, but 18 B-spec (TC- set times in practice at COTA and only 14 touring cars.  I know their are a lot of B-spec haters, but 18 cars is significant progress.

 

In practice spec miata drivers E. Francis Jr,Charlie James, Mike Asselta 1-2-3.

 

Will be interesting!

 

 

1

TCB

1

98

Ernie Francis_Jr®
Davie/FL

Mazda 2
Hydraulic Jeans/Mazda2

2:02.141

67.790

2

TCB

2

0

Charlie James®
Joplin/MO

Mini Cooper
SafeRacer

2:03.529

67.028

3

TCB

3

7

Mike Asselta®
Overland Park/KS

Mini Cooper
SafeRacer

2:03.800

66.882

4

TCB

4

37

Robbie Davis
Dallas/TX

Mini Cooper
MINI Financial Services

2:03.896

66.830

5

TCB

5

01

Johan Schwartz
Denmark/

Mini Cooper
Endurancekarting.com

2:04.370

66.575

6

TCB

6

2

Ernie Francis®
Davis/FL

Mazda 2
Hydraulic Jeans/Mazda2

2:04.504

66.503

7

TCB

7

09

Branden Miller®
Salt Lake City/UT

Ford Fiesta
 

2:04.608

66.448

8

TCB

8

48

ED Magner
Portage/MI

Mini Cooper
 

2:05.060

66.208

9

TCB

9

67

Shea Holbrook
Groveland/FL

Honda Fit
TrueCar/Lucas Oil

2:05.407

66.025

10

TCB

10

95

Steve Taake®
Houston/TX

Mazda 2
Mazdaspeed

2:06.251

65.583

11

TCB

11

24

Scott Kuhne
Fort Wayne/IN

BMW Mini Cooper
Hawk

2:06.854

65.271

12

TCB

12

66

P J Groenke
Toronto/ON

Honda Fit
 

2:06.975

65.209

13

TCB

13

77

Fernando Seferlis®
Panama/

Mazda2
Compulab

2:07.332

65.026

14

TCB

14

99

David Alejandro®
Pembrook Pines/FL

Mazda2
Claims Support Inc.com

2:07.636

64.872

15

TCB

15

00

Brianne Corn®
San Marcos/TX

Mazda2
Mazda

2:08.000

64.687

16

TCB

16

55

Chip Howell®
Chapel Hill/SC

Mini Cooper
QSR Magazine

2:09.227

64.073

17

TCB

17

32

Jonathan Baker®
Hollywood/MD

Honda
32 Racing

2:10.650

63.375

18

TCB

18

11

Jack Murray®
Montgomery/TX

Fiat 500
Fiat of Austin/Wild Bubbas

2:23.855

57.558

19

TCB

19

22

Chris Capaldi®
Armada/MI

Ford Fiesta
Wolverine Bronze Company

no time

 

20

TCB

20

78

Jim Cleveland®
Queensland Australia/

Fiat 500
Fiat of Austin/Wild Bubbas

no time

 

21

TCB

21

81

Joel Lipperini
Pittston/PA

Honda Fit
RaceLabz/Honda/HPD/BESTBrakes

no t

 

[Derrick Ambrose]

That is a pretty wide gap in times for a spec class.  I guess qualifying will see if this changes.

 

-Derrick

[Joe (dad) Jordan]

Still spread out.  Spec miata guys are 1, 3,4  Davis 2nd...  Other interesting things Shea Holbrook is 3.2 off the pace and Lipperrini in 8th 2.5 back.  Will the top car pass tech?  

[Joe (dad) Jordan]

http://www.world-cha....php?story=3007  Still provisional

[Caveman-kwebb99]

Question is will the WC racers forum crash after the 20 page 3rd person write up about how a 16 year old is the greatest driver since Ernhart Sr.

[Rob Burgoon]

That is a pretty wide gap in times for a spec class.  I guess qualifying will see if this changes.

 

-Derrick

 

 

"pro" racing

[Derrick Ambrose]

"pro" racing

 

Yeah I guess so....

 

-Derrick

[Jim Drago]

this just in.. 15 plus seconds slower than Sm is really slow All relative I guess, but wow


Opps..They are running different config and we were 2:40+ .. was too late/early for me to be posting

[Bench Racer]

How about we use scale speed to make everyone feel better.   All cars would be faster and but there would continue to be the speed differential.

 

 

IMHJ the speed differential is to date causing the reduced number of cars at the Runoffs, along with the 4 mile track.

[Jim Drago]

IMHJ the speed differential is to date causing the reduced number of cars at the Runoffs, along with the 4 mile track.

probably a very true statement, but pretty silly opinion to have as a racer IMO. What is the difference if you finish 26 seconds behind the winner after 13 laps or 26 seconds behind the leader after 21 laps? That's 2 seconds at Road America. We hear that argument all the time. but the same 10-15 guys are winning regardless of the track we race at from Sebring, Barber, Road America, Road Atlanta,VIR, Hallet, Cota, TWS, TMS and everywhere else. The only time these same people don't win is when the events are smaller and they don't show up or only 1-2 show up against very good local crowd. Like Mid Ohio in a few weeks, perfect example.

[Joe (dad) Jordan]

Looked like good racing in TCB!  Congrats to Francis Jr. In my opinion It doesn't matter how slow the cars as along as they are all slow.  If you have never driven these cars they are really fun to drive.  The initial cost is cumbersome, but the TV package and prize money goes a long way!

[jedd fahnestock]

The b spec race was entertaining. Weird how ernies dad was a lap or so down but got into the mix with the lead pack and kind of shuffled them up in the second race.

.

[Caveman-kwebb99]

sounds almost as weird as having a 7500 rev limit LOLOLOLOL

[Derrick Ambrose]

The b spec race was entertaining. Weird how ernies dad was a lap or so down but got into the mix with the lead pack and kind of shuffled them up in the second race.

.

I was wondering the same thing, the lead pack caught up to him.  On the first race his pace was enough that it didn't happen.

 

Derrick

[Bench Racer]

probably a very true statement, but pretty silly opinion to have as a racer IMO.

Maybe yes, maybe no, on the opinion. Remember when a guy your close with said be carefull what you wish for (Spec Miata going national). Oh crap, that may have been before your time.     That was a during the time when Spec Miatas doing the Pro Spec Miata series cost $15,000.00 for a top car.  

[Jim Drago]

Hopefully the stories of Ernie Sr pitting for four laps and coming back on in lead pack between Jr and the rest of the field and mixing it up are exaggerated. I guess we will see when the race airs in June

Jim

[Joe (dad) Jordan]

FYI... ALL WC series races are streamed live.  You can watch the replay here http://www.world-cha...com/#/races/653  It airs on NBC sports, but you can watch online any time.

 

Ernie Francis won $3000 in Mazda contingency money.  Combine that with prixe money and I have no doubt you can pay for your weekend if you run up front!

[Michael Colangelo]

What's up with the same Fiat 500 rolling TWICE this weekend?

Is the new Fiat 500 the spiritual successor to the 70's-era Renault Le Car (which apparently had a habit of rolling and losing wheels)?

[john mueller]

What's up with the same Fiat 500 rolling TWICE this weekend?

Is the new Fiat 500 the spiritual successor to the 70's-era Renault Le Car (which apparently had a habit of rolling and losing wheels)?

 

A Fiat 500 Arbath rolled on it own (no help) during practice for the 2012 25hr...  Not a stable car at speed IMO. (notice I didn't say HIGH speed).

[Mike Asselta]

World Challenge B-Spec Report - got home last night after hanging around Texas for an extra day (ran up on Moore, Oklahoma about an hour after the tornado went through....horrible).

 

Here are my impressions, and can confirm a few stories you guys have already mentioned.

 

First the format:  we qualified Friday, then tires were marked and we were set for the first race on Saturday morning.  We were grateful for the early start time, as Texas heats up fast during the day.  25 minute first race set the start order for the second race which followed after a 15 minute pit stop.  During the pit stop, we were allowed to rotate the four marked tires on the car, and add one additional tire to the mix if desired.  Not allowed to fuel or touch the car in any way that might change set-up, ride heights, etc....no changes.   So two races back to back, with an impound in between.  We really needed that extra tire because the front wheel drive B-Specs just crush that right front.  Sunday morning we ran the third race, a 40 minute sprint with a standing start (F1 style lighting system).

 

Charlie did a great job getting to second place each day.  We chased the set-up all weekend and are still working through issues...the Pirelli tires are a different animal.  We were experiencing a few magic laps rather than consistent performance, but that had a lot to do with our set-up.  We got that close on Sunday, and Charlie was much better than me at caring for the right front tire on a front wheel drive.  I often found myself lapsing into SM mode...which doesn't work on a FWD with 98 hp.  Mid and late in the race, I tried to keep my head down, but the set-up had gone away.

 

The B-Spec cars, with unprepared motors were very close on track.  Big differences in where each car was good, i.e. Mini's braked well, others had better gearing for COTA, others had better straight line speed, some cornered well...there was an element of managing the race to your own strengths.

 

Fiat - the same Fiat did flip twice.  Once without help and once with help from his teammate, which took out both cars.  Both times the car slid/spun and "trip" flipped...which is different than just turning over from G-forces.  If you go to WC website you will see lots of B-Specs on two wheels, but there is a story behind that.  Unlike the BFG Super Tour event in March, the orange penalty gators were unbolted and replaced with asphalt "hot dogs" inside the red and white apex gators.  They are painted red, so you can't see them on TV very well.  The "hot dog" ran along the inside of the apex with smooth edges rising to about a 6 inch hump.  This is part of the show for the Aussie V8 Super Cars that ran in support of the BSpec race.     Anyway, just as it gets the V8's up in the air...it does a wonderful job of tossing any B-Specs that wander too deep across an apex....which many of us did while trying to keep momentum up.

 

There was an incident where a Mazda2 sat in the pits for four laps, then returned in front of the leaders and diced with them for the final laps of the second race.  That driver can post his own explanation here if inclined.

 

Lap times - the front of the pack was much closer to the right set-up by Sunday's race (although we never quite got it right) so fast laps for the top 7-8 cars were within about 1 second of each other.  We ran a shortened course which eliminated the back straight by adding a very tight cross over/autocross section (replete with hot dogs and an apex jump).  We entered the cross over with brush of the brakes and a downshift from fourth to third and did everything you could to keep RPM from bogging on exit...so lots of cars were getting tossed through there.

 

World Challenge tech was somewhat forgiving, as it was the first race.  People were caught and busted hard, but given a chance to repent and continue racing.  Only one driver failed to yield to the steward's mercy and got himself tossed.  "Pride goes before the fall."  Some of the "anomalies" with hard contact, beeg motas, illegal camber and other antics are to be cleaned up before the next race.  The only hammer that fell was the order to "stay on the marked course" so you will see very different racing lines in Sunday's race from Saturday's race.  (Hey!  It was paved!).  All cars submitted RaceKeeper ODBII data with integrated video at the completion of every official practice, qualifying and race session.  WC Tech can see everything your ECU sees....tach, throttle, shift points, exit speeds....everything.

 

We started with a 21 car field, which was very cool.  The biggest differences at a WC Pro event is the atmosphere.  When you have down time between thrashing on the car, you can watch a V8 Supercar race or settle in for a GT battle. Our driver and crew credentials gave us access to almost any view we wanted.  Porsche GT3 Trophy Cup was there also.  At night, we chatted it up with the Aussie teams...I think it was noon Sydney time...so they worked all night.  Oh...and the fans.  Not only were there tens of thousands of fans in the stands and lining the course each day, but they swarmed the paddock.  We were parked to create a single lane "fan walk" between team transports and there were thousands of fans oogling and photographing the cars.  Many asked questions and wanted their pictures taken with cars, uniformed crew and drivers.  Fans crowded around the Mini Coopers while $250,000 Porsche's sat across the lane.  I think the B-Specs are very approachable for fans.  The Audi R8's got huge attention, of course, but they were roped off a bit.

 

Paddock security was very tight, and there were no problems with gear or any incidents.  Coming off track or driving to the grid was an exercise in pedestrian management, while they snapped photos as you went by.  A cool atmosphere and a great opportunity for manufacturers and sponsors.

 

No need for me to give a play by play of the races, because they are posted on World Challenge TV with Greg Kreamer announcing.  Thanks go out to JD for coaching Team SafeRacer on the RaceKeeper data between his Racing Insider TV and announcer duties. Also, crew chief Derek hustled all week managing the crew and two cars, pit stops, load ins, whining drivers, and unfamiliar tires.