77 replies to this topic

[Danny Steyn]

Ya know. Looking back on it, I guess I would have done something differently, but I also wasn't in that battle.  Sorry Danny. Congrats on a dominant weekend and the win! 

 

Thanks for the kind words John, they are very much appreciated. 

[Tom Sager]

There may be some COLLUSION between BSI and OPM because I heard it on CNN news. I think we need to have a special investigation.      

I didn't know that anyone still watched CNN. 

[Jamz14]

I didn't know that anyone still watched CNN.

No, watch BBC news now that American news is waging war on truth, science, and facts. You watching European news now too, or performance artists?

[Erik Hardy]

Do you have a left rear wheel bearing going out? Something else causing all that humming noise? 

 

First off, congrats to Alex on the championship! Well deserved, especially for not having any drop races!

I'm really glad to see this track got a Majors date back on the calendar, add on the summer heat with tire falloff which allowed everyone to deal with unexpected challenges such as tire management. Maybe for future Roebling National events we could discuss the option for a 1 set tire limit rule? I know it would be a hassle but it would be nice to cut the budget a little bit .

Saturday went pretty well for me after qualifying 4th for the the first race. The car drove pretty good and I think I had something for them if I could of stayed in their draft a bit longer. Unfortunately, a lap car spun out trying to get out of our way (10:40) and amazingly everyone missed him.. Luckily everyone avoided him or the results could have ended badly. After the accident, I was able to manage the gap to 4th to grab my first majors podium! I want to thank everyone that congratulated me, it means a lot to get that type of support!

 

[Jim Creighton]

A big Thank You to all of you who raced with us last weekend. It was a hoot to watch the field on the start all charge into turn one. You could have thrown a sheet over the entire 42 car field. Amazing, close racing for all positions. And almost no man drama. Wow!

 

We are already planning for the 2018 event. The ice cream for all at the hospitality tent will definitely be back. If you missed the races this year, you will not want to be left out next year. With the Runoffs headed to the left coast, we are putting to together a SEDiv Majors series that will be concluded at RR in July. And we will bring back awards similar to what we did for the old National race series including jackets for Champions and a bag full of goodies. As soon as we get the details finalized, we will announce the schedule and how it will be structured. 2018 will not be an off season.

 

Good luck to all of you who are headed to Indy and to those of you running the SIC in October.

 

[Danny Steyn]

The SE conference Championship came down to the final weekend at Roebling Road. There were really three drivers in the chase for the title. Selin Rollan, Michael Carter and Alex Bolanos. Bolanos looked to have the best shot as he had not had to discard any bad results; in fact his points total comprised only 6 races with 3 firsts and 3 seconds.  The pressure was on Selin and Carter.

 

Unfortunately Carter threw away his championship shot when he sailed into the woods on the first lap of the first qualifier and had to start from the back of the pack.

 

In Race 1, I worked with Selin the entire race, pushing him to build a gap and waited for the last lap to make my pass, but came up short.

 

As to be expected, I was accused by many, but not to my face, for pushing him to the win, and in so doing securing points away from Bolanos. That was not the case, I mis-timed my pass.

 

In Race 2, anyone that had done the math knew that Selin merely had to finish 2^nd to clinch the championship, and so I was going for the win, and this time I wasn’t going to wait for the last corner.  Fowler had given me the setup to win, the car was fast and manageable and I was able to nurse my tires for the whole race, and the only issue I had was trying to keep water temperatures under 230F

 

I went with one lap to go, and was surprised that Selin didn’t slot in behind me and push me to the win, securing the championship with a 2^nd place finish.

 

In fact it got worse, we touched wheels, we both checked up and Carter shot ahead of Selin.

 

So in hindsight there were plenty of scenarios that could have played out differently

• I could have driven around in 2^nd place again, and deal with the crap that would have come my way on Monday. I didn’t and I went for the win.
• Selin could have slotted in behind me and taken 2^nd place and the championship, but he didn’t.
• And Carter, also running with a Rossini engine could have allowed Selin to stay in 2^nd place but he didn’t.
• Another scenario, after Carter make the move on Selin and put Selin into 3^rd spot, was for me to pull over to the side on the finish straight and let Carter and Selin by me, and that would have given him the championship. But that didn’t cross my mind in the heat of the battle. And I can imagine the crap I would have caught for doing that on Monday.

Of course I am gutted that Mike Rossini missed out on the championship, as he is a close personal friend. I called and apologized to him for the part I played in giving it to Bolanos. I also called Selin and apologized to him as well. At least Mike came away from the weekend with both poles, both fastest race laps, and all six podium positions, but I knew he wanted the championship as well.

 

And for those of you who think that I turned into Selin to secure the win, here is the entire race video. Unfortunately Selin's camera malfunctioned so neither of us knows exactly what happened, but we suspect our tires touched.

 

The last lap with all the scenarios starts at 17:32. 

 

[Caveman-kwebb99]

Danny why are you so worried about what everyone says... You raced hard you won! Leave it at that...

Congrats again for your great weekend!

[Jim Drago]

You are really over thinking this IMO..  Quite simply, unless Selin or Mike are paying your entries and tires.. You race to win, PERIOD!!
 
There are no excuses or explanations needed imo at all.  You should have all three just strapped into your car and run the race with intentions to win.  At the time of this race, you and Carter had nothing to do but go for but the win. Selin,  if worried about the championship could have raced conservatively and slotted into second, no one else should have IMO.  
 
I would NEVER expect any of my guys to give way to me or any other "team mate"  or anyone who uses our equipment.  Our general rule is do our best you can to help one another, but that last few laps it is absolutely every man for himself. In all due respect, Selin has won that Championship before, Mike has won it and the runoffs before.. Alex has won it before... I don't think this is a big deal at all.  
 
Too bad Selin got loose and got into Todd( could have happened to any of us), it happens... but ruined Todds race. Had that not happened.. All of the other stuff may not have even mattered

 

 

And forgot to mention.. congrats to to all who were on the podium!

[Ron Alan]

It would seem Danny has been having to many F1 nightmares!

 

If you aint first your last!...trademark rickybobby inc.

[Jim Creighton]

Kind of reminds me of our Pro Cup very 1st class of fifteen year olds of which Brian Vickers has been the most successful. Brian signed as the low man on the totem pole for Hendricks Motorsports and was just supposed to be the R&R car. Well, he found himself in a last lap battle with his highness, Jimmy Johnson. Brian, being a true race car driver, moved Jimmy out of the way and won the race. Listening to the announcers, you would have thought he had touched the Queen on her private parts. So, when asked about it, Brian simply answered that Mr Hendrick had hired him to win races and that was what he had done.

 

Job well done, Danny

[Danica Davison]

Danny, I agree and disagree with you, Jim, Webb, and others.  I will agree with them, that at the end of the day, your competitive nature took over, and you went for the win. And this is why we enter races ... to win.  I watched your video and it does not appear the contact had any intention or malice behind it. It looked a little different behind, but your wheel didn't move and was an unlucky situation.  I will admit I jumped to a conclusion there and I apologize for that.  I was also a few drinks in on the 4th of July when I made the comment ... so my judgment may not have been so clear LOL. 
 
I also agree with the others that you shouldn't care so much what other people say or think. Especially if I am one of the ones making a comment .  I typically don't let things get to me, but I will give an recent example of that happening and what I learned.  At Daytona in May, I got a bunch of shit from my team about working with Preston in qualifying  after John Carter broke on the out-lap (typical).  Preston and I ran really well, but it put the red valve cover team on pole.   The jokes all day were relentless to say the least. I couldn't tell if they were being a little bit serious or not, because our team talks shit to each other every minute of every day, but I still wasn't sure.  So, I went to Cory and asked if they were being serious at all ... and all he said to me was, "John, leave your f*cking feelings at home!" and then we laughed and we carried on.  My advice to you Danny, if you want to take it, would be the same thing.  Who gives a damn what people say ... if you think you did the right thing, then tell them to kiss your ass, as well with some other expletives, and move on. Shoot, if I was you, I would have told myself to GFY a long time ago lol!
 
Now, in my opinion, I still think that I would have handled the whole second race differently going in to it, which is where I will disagree with the guys above. I think 99.99% of races .. you help your teammates get into good positions for the end of the race ... and then you have at it and go for the win.  I think the second race was one of the very few exceptions (IMO). For example, I miraculously qualified in front of Bolanos for race 1, but I told him before the race that we were going to get him in front of me as early as possible without losing any ground, and then work our way up together and I would stay behind him because I wanted our team to win the championship.  That is the only reason Alex even showed up. The Roebling majors race really didn't matter to anyone except to Selin, Michael, and Alex.  I couldn't control what any of the red valve cover team would do to win the championship ... but I can control helping Alex as much to help him win it. I think I have a more team first mentality, as I have played competitive soccer my entire life, and I almost always am very loyal and put the team first. As good as a Majors win would feel, I would rather finish second to my teammate in a single race ... in order for us to win the season long points championship.  Any other race, I wouldn't expect anyone to hold back, but I think I would have in that situation, but that's just me. I am sure many will disagree with me on this, but I don't care
 
^That was a lot longer than I thought it was going to be.

[Danny Steyn]

Danny, I agree and disagree with you, Jim, Webb, and others.  I will agree with them, that at the end of the day, your competitive nature took over, and you went for the win. And this is why we enter races ... to win.  I watched your video and it does not appear the contact had any intention or malice behind it. It looked a little different behind, but your wheel didn't move and was an unlucky situation.  I will admit I jumped to a conclusion there and I apologize for that.  I was also a few drinks in on the 4th of July when I made the comment ... so my judgment may not have been so clear LOL. 
 
I also agree with the others that you shouldn't care so much what other people say or think. Especially if I am one of the ones making a comment .  I typically don't let things get to me, but I will give an recent example of that happening and what I learned.  At Daytona in May, I got a bunch of shit from my team about working with Preston in qualifying  after John Carter broke on the out-lap (typical).  Preston and I ran really well, but it put the red valve cover team on pole.   The jokes all day were relentless to say the least. I couldn't tell if they were being a little bit serious or not, because our team talks shit to each other every minute of every day, but I still wasn't sure.  So, I went to Cory and asked if they were being serious at all ... and all he said to me was, "John, leave your f*cking feelings at home!" and then we laughed and we carried on.  My advice to you Danny, if you want to take it, would be the same thing.  Who gives a damn what people say ... if you think you did the right thing, then tell them to kiss your ass, as well with some other expletives, and move on. Shoot, if I was you, I would have told myself to GFY a long time ago lol!
 
Now, in my opinion, I still think that I would have handled the whole second race differently going in to it, which is where I will disagree with the guys above. I think 99.99% of races .. you help your teammates get into good positions for the end of the race ... and then you have at it and go for the win.  I think the second race was one of the very few exceptions (IMO). For example, I miraculously qualified in front of Bolanos for race 1, but I told him before the race that we were going to get him in front of me as early as possible without losing any ground, and then work our way up together and I would stay behind him because I wanted our team to win the championship.  That is the only reason Alex even showed up. The Roebling majors race really didn't matter to anyone except to Selin, Michael, and Alex.  I couldn't control what any of the red valve cover team would do to win the championship ... but I can control helping Alex as much to help him win it. I think I have a more team first mentality, as I have played competitive soccer my entire life, and I almost always am very loyal and put the team first. As good as a Majors win would feel, I would rather finish second to my teammate in a single race ... in order for us to win the season long points championship.  Any other race, I wouldn't expect anyone to hold back, but I think I would have in that situation, but that's just me. I am sure many will disagree with me on this, but I don't care
 
^That was a lot longer than I thought it was going to be.

 

John your apology is accepted and appreciated. And thanks for taking the time to write your personal perspective.  

 

And as much as this pains me John - you and I are more alike than we would both like to admit. 

 

This sport is made up of many moving parts, and working well with others is a vital component of our enjoyment of the sport. What we are each able to do to help others is a huge component of the satisfaction we derive from racing. Ultimately, service to others is significantly more rewarding and longer-lasting than any self-serving results we achieve.

 

I feel, and I know, I let Mike Rossini down. He most definitely did not ask me to give the championship to Selin. Neither did Selin. My own disappointment in myself is not related to anything you or anyone else had to say on the matter. This comes purely from within, and I know I messed up. I was going for the win-win result. I just never expected Carter to get in the mix! And then it became a win-lose result that is not nearly as satisfying!

[Alex Bolanos]

Thanks guys!  If I could do it over again I wouldn't have missed NOLA and Road Atlanta so the points race wouldn't have been close  

 

The weekend was frustrating for me, we missed the setup and the car was terrible to drive.  Saturday night I reset it to something different (thanks Pardus and Lamb for letting us bum your scales) and it was worse.  

 

I've been going to Roebling since 2009 or so and I can't remember the surface being that slick; you basically need 3 sets of tires to compete now, I only brought one.  Won't be headed back there any time soon until we have a tire rule.

 

Watching your video Danny, you guys nailed the setup but (be honest) how many sets of tires did you bolt on including the test day?

[Jim Creighton]

I'm not sure we could enact a tire rule for the RR race in 2018. But, if the National office would allow us to do it, I'd be game to do a 6 tire limit. We do this all the time in short track and it does work. Drivers learn to manage their tires early in race and have something left for the second or last segment. We do run several segment races similar to Cup. But, we require drivers to start on their qualifying tires and only have two tires max for damaged tires.

 

I can tell you everyone is every class encountered a slick track on Sunday. The track has almost no grip when it gets rubbered up. Had we had a hard rain Sat night, it would have been better on Sunday. The course track holds the rubber and when it gets hot, it is just plain slick. And it has been that way for years. I remember racing there 20 years ago and going from wheel lock to wheel lock in every turn.

 

If someone wants to explore this and get it approved, I'll certainly write it into the supps for SM & SMSE for 2018.

 

 

[Danny Steyn]

Alex, yup to see you so far back was very unusual. Fowler was around you, and said you were struggling, and we both know you hate a loose car.

 

Regarding tires, for test day we just used old tires. Did not even scrub in stickers like we sometimes do at tracks to get them to harden overnight. RRR track likes fresh sticky stickers. For race day, Selin, Carter and myself qualified on stickers, and then raced on those tires, so two sets of stickers for the weekend. But as you can see from the video, by race two we had settled on a better setup, and we were sliding way less that Rollan or Carter, but being in the lead at the start meant that I controlled the pace and I was very careful not to overheat the tires on those first few laps 

 

I have heard of drivers using more than two sets of stickers at RRR over a race weekend. Some tracks you can get away using only old tires up for the weekend, like Watkins Glen (right now while the pavement is new), Mid Ohio and others. And at others we have used one or two sets of stickers depending on the surface.

[Jim Drago]

Other than Mid Ohio where I used no stickers, Hallett where I used one set and the June Sprints( car problems first and only time that is happening) where I used THREE sets.. All other weekends have been two sets of stickers.   Looking at RRR, it looks like it you could have pitted during the yellows to get tires, you should have.  

[Danica Davison]

Alex, yup to see you so far back was very unusual.

 

If I out qualify Alex at any track besides Daytona ... you know he is having a bad day

[Danny Steyn]

If I out qualify Alex at any track besides Daytona ... you know he is having a bad day

 

And when you run 5 consecutive laps in qualifying, all better than Alex's best, then you know he is really having a bad day!