Good Morning, Race Fans!
Welcome back to Florida! This week we are at Sebring International Raceway for Round 2 of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. During this week, it seems like the population of Sebring doubles with so many fans coming into town. Hotels are full and campers abound.
Wednesday, 10:30 AM
The storms blowing through the mid-west and east coast most of Monday created travel difficulties for crew and drivers alike. Many had to find alternate transport to get here due to air travel disruption. We were fortunate enough to arrive a few days early and missed the brunt of it. By now, everyone is here and ready to play. Despite the bad travel weather, I really cannot complain about the chilly temperatures we have today.
We start at 50 F, the coolest this event may ever have been. While the people all wear extra layers, the cars and drivers are at their happiest. Add in overcast skies and it gets even better. Engines like cooler air temps and the tires like cooler track temps. You'd be surprised how fast that can change when a cloud moves to obscure or reveal the sun.
For load-in day and the track walk yesterday, conditions were pretty much the same. That makes the work of setting up the paddock, laying out the flooring, raising the canopy, setting up tables, and rolling out the tool boxes much easier work. With the winds gusting over the wide open flat spaces around Sebring, that meant the track walk needed jackets. They are looking for those places where the bumps or transitions are tricky and noting which parts of which curbs can be used to help the car rotate through the corner. Curbs should always be respected, especially those with big holes on the back side.
It may be flat here in the middle of Florida, but that only means the challenges of racing here are different than those found in other places. This 3.74 mile long track is laid out at an Army Air Force training base built ahead of WWII and includes both concrete and asphalt portions. Legend has it that the airport runways were laid down quickly and put into use before the concrete was fully cured. Many of the B-17 pilots training here came from jobs as crop dusters, a very big change in the kind of aircraft they flew. They say the bumpiness that Sebring is known for comes from the landing the big bombers crop duster style (long and slow vs. short and fast landings) that caused the concrete to shift and ripple before being fully set. The transitions between the concrete blocks are rarely even and the big wavy bumps where the course goes across runways are challenging, especially in the final Turn 17, Sunset Bend, leading onto the front straight. The result is that the driver needs to learn quickly where the bumps are and how to handle them. That requires precise placement and timing of brakes, turning, and throttle application to get the best speed from the lap. It also affects how and when to execute a pass.
We know Sebring really brings out the fans, partly because it’s spring break week, but also because of the history of this track - Sebring just had its 75th birthday. Even so, when arriving yesterday, we were surprised at the enormous number of campers already queued and waiting to be let into their infield slots for the weekend. To avoid desperate traffic congestion, lots of them were let into the facility a day early. This morning they are already making rounds of the paddock to find their favorite teams. Their enthusiasm is wonderful!
Morgan and Gordon have the #2 green/black/white CSM Porsche in fine shape and ready to go! They have only one session today, Wednesday - 11:25-12:25. Thursday, 8:00-9:00, we have Practice 2 and then qualifying for our class (GS) 2:30-2:45. Friday is race day with the green flag at 2:00 to start a 2-hour race.
The weather is good. The vibe is good. We are hopeful. Watch along on live timing.
Wednesday, 2:15 PM
So, that went well. In Practice 1, Morgan went out on new tires and set a rather quick lap on the 3rd circuit. His time stood at the top for a long time after he handed the wheel over to Gordon. Ultimately, one other driver went a mere 0.06 seconds quicker in the session. At the end, Porsches had 3 of the 4 fastest times today. Remember when I said cool weather makes the cars happier?
While both Morgan and Gordon are in a happy place with the car, they are drivers. They always have some little thing to tweak. Engineers are the same way. The debrief and speculation session is ongoing.
In the spectator areas, construction and festivities are well underway. Yes - construction. There is a group of regulars who build a saloon and, yes - there is alcohol, not for sale, just for tips. These folks come for a serious party and, oh by the way, there are cars too!
We are essentially done for the day and the crew are down to polishing. The drivers and engineers are studying and planning for tomorrow morning. We are back well before sun up for our 8:00 am Practice 2.
Thursday, 10:00 AM
I hope your Thursday is off to as pleasant a start as ours is! Even though it is a very pre-dawn beginning, the paddock is bustling in the dark. Tents glow with their interior lights and some crew have extra headlamps to illuminate their tasks. It isn’t long before engines begin their warm up cycles ahead of Practice 2.
It’s still barely above 50 F, but the winds are tolerable with a jacket. Up in the shady pit lane canyon between the building and the stalls, the wind seems to gain speed. The rising sun makes the overcast sky glow, but it doesn’t make much heat yet.
Morgan, Gordon and the crew are all set to go play. Gordon goes first with yesterday’s tires to get himself warmed up and check out the surface this morning. About 15 minutes in, he comes in for a set of fresh tires. He does a great job this morning, putting in a 2:10.4! That bodes really well for qualifying this afternoon.
When Morgan gets his turn, he launches down the lane into the fully risen sun, thrilled to be in the seat. His times are good today on the older tires, with his best (2:09.9) only 0.3 off yesterday. We land in P5 for the session. Everyone is smiling and happy!
We have several hours before it’s time for qualifying at 2:30. We praise and encourage and pet the race car, and give it a little scratch behind the mirrors. You have to talk to it and make it feel appreciated so it keeps going fast. See you this afternoon!
Thursday, 3:30 PM
You’ve heard it before - the time to get that best lap in qualifying is all too short. It’s warmer, sunnier and windier, too, all things that can slow down the car. Even so, we knew we should have decent pace this afternoon.
If you hang around a paddock long enough you’ll hear someone say, “The traffic giveth and the traffic taketh.” It is one of the truest things said. Today, the traffic is not our friend. We try to release the car into the battle in a space with lots of room to other cars. It lets the driver focus and keeps distance to the errors of others. Usually.
Sometimes your gap is invaded by another car coming out of the pits who is slow getting up to speed. Sometimes the guy who spun ahead of you takes too long to get out of the way. If those things happen on a lap when you are going for it, it really mucks up the plan. And when there are only 15 minutes, you don’t get more than a couple tries at it.
So, the upshot is that we will start tomorrow in 16th spot, smack in the middle of the GS field. Gordon tends to race well, so we will just see what the race brings us when the green flag flies. Each session is brand new.
We race tomorrow at 2:00. Check it out on YouTube and wish us lots of luck!
Friday, 6:00 PM
It is a slightly unusual morning for race day as we are still at the house at 9:00 am. It’s not a problem; the first thing to do at the track isn’t until 10:30 and we are quite close by. Still, it feels odd not to be there at the crack of dawn. When we do get there, the cars are ready and waiting to go to pre-grid already and the pack up of non-essentials has begun.
Time seems to creep and fly simultaneously somehow as we wait for the time to go to pit lane. We nibble some and chat some. Eventually, we grab a golf cart and go to the parking lot to meet Melanie and bring lunch for the team back to the paddock. We eat a little early, before moving all the tires, fuel, tools, and equipment up to the pit lane and get the car to the pre-grid. Once the previous race group is clear, the cars move onto the pit lane to grid up and have the fan walk. It is more crowded than ever, filled with fans. Our crew and drivers are jovial and prepared. Even at 2 pm, it’s not baking hot and that is very helpful.
When the green flag flies, there is a collective gasp from the whole pit lane. In the blink of an eye, the back half of the field erupts in the chaos of a crash. In it, 11 cars were involved, with 8 unable to continue, but no driver injuries. Our car was just ahead of the mess, but CSM’s #3 car was one of those retired. It was a terrible start.
After a half hour of yellow, we try the green again, but it is brief. A large chuck of debris has to be cleaned up. During this yellow, 40 minutes elapse, so we come in to top up the fuel, put on fresh tires, and put Morgan in the car. We are in 17th.
Once we go green again, Morgan has a little over an hour to do his thing. He is motivated to advance as much as he can. Perhaps too keen. In an aggressive pass attempt, there is contact with the other car. It does enough damage that after only 17 laps, he has to pull over. The race is done in an hour and 8 minutes. To say that we are disappointed is an understatement. But sometimes that is the way racing goes.
When it’s all over, Morgan and the other driver talk about it and come to an understanding. Later on, there is more conversation within the team about the situation to look for ways to avoid a similar situation. In the end we keep the lessons and let the disappointment go. We have eight more races to run after all, right? Laguna Seca comes next in early May and we will be ready to go again!
Check out the Schedules.
Photo credits to Sasha Guinot, Jason Ramirez, John Burkhard, Beth Burkhard.
