Good morning from sunny Road America in Wisconsin, Race Fans!
This week brings us to the SCCA National Championship Runoffs. This event is the culmination of the SCCA season and is the final one of the year. With just over 400 total entries, Morgan is in the Spec Racer Ford 3 field of about 40 cars.
To begin the journey westward, it was quite a foggy ride until rising above it into bright sunshine to look down on the valleys filled with a thick and fluffy blanket. By the time we get to Wisconsin, we expect beautiful clear, sunny and cool weather all week.
TEST DAYS:
We arrive early on the first test day ahead of the event so that Morgan can do some coaching. Monday provides each group with four track sessions, so it's a very busy day for him. Tuesday, the groups get three sessions and Wednesday only two. On the second two days, Morgan continues the coaching while adding seat time for himself in his Dog Gone Racing Apple Motorsports Spec Racer Ford #02 (red on top and black on the sides).
With each of the testing sessions, small adjustments are made to the car to get the set up as close to ideal as possible. Road America is a big track - 4.048 miles around and most of it very high speed. It has some good braking and passing zones, some steep uphill grades, a very long right hand carousel, and several long (mostly) straights. Getting the best exit out of the turns is quite important with so many long, fast sections. In the SRF3, the best lap time is made with good drafting partners. In addition to set up work, test days are for practicing the draft and working with other cars.
Each evening brings the delightfully enjoyable dinner time with friends, some old, and some new. You can be certain that we eat really well at the Runoffs, between what we bring for lunches and the restaurants in the area for dinner. It is one of the nicest things about this event - getting to spend time and share stories with some really cool people. Some of these we only get to see once or twice a year making this extra special.
THURSDAY QUALIFYING:
Qualifying sessions have a YouTube broadcast and his session starts here. There isn't a camera feed, but you do get a track map with a numbered pip for each car circulating around (the "marching ants" view) and the announcers commentary.
Finally on Thursday, after three days of testing, the official event really gets going with the first of two qualifying days. Qualifying lasts all day long with the schedule having each of 18 groups getting one 21-minute session apiece. Morgan goes out as the last group before lunch. That’s group 8 both today and tomorrow, which is helpful because his race on Saturday is at the same time of day. There's at least some chance that weather conditions in one of the qualifying sessions may be similar to the race.
The SRF3 is the largest group this year, with just over 40 entries. Strategy for qualifying is, naturally, different from racing. Today, you need to get with your partners, sometimes, several different ones in a single lap, who can work together. Two cars running close together can go notably faster than a single car can go alone. And fast is what qualifying is for. They'll get about seven laps to get it done. Six of those laps won't matter in the end, it's just that one beautiful, perfect lap they seek. Nobody ever gets the ideal lap laid down, of course, but they all give it their best shot.
The weather today begins bright and breezy with a few high thin clouds. It’s only 63 as we arrive and barely 70 when it’s time to go out. It’s quite lovely and practically perfect! With the car and its pilot, all seems to be in good order for today’s single session.
At the end of Q1, Morgan is placed 10th. He spent some of the session with buddies and some on his own. There are always challenges with perfect placement and working the traffic the best you can. On his best lap, he got some good drafting and some of the lap alone and he’s reasonably happy with the result. We estimate that today is the best day for good qualifying times, with good air, sun and wind.
The end of day brought the always enjoyable Block Party. Various race teams, SCCA regions, and other organizations gather for food, drink and camaraderie for all participants to share. It’s a great time to wander among friends old and new and across the conversation spectrum - ok, it's mostly about racing really.
It culminates in the tennis ball race at the end of the night. $10 gets you an entry. Spectators and entrants gather on the pit side of the pedestrian tunnel under the front straight and the bin of balls (101 tonight) is released at the top of the opposite side. Cheering and jeering ensue as the flood of tennis balls bounce through the tunnel. At the end of the race, half the pot goes to the worker fund. The owner of the ball that travels furthest gets $250, 2nd gets $150 and 3rd gets $100. The ball with the shortest run gets his money back. It’s silly fun. You know racers will race anything they can, anywhere they can, any time they can.
FRIDAY QUALIFYING:
Welcome back to day 2 of Runoffs qualifying! Yesterday’s weather was perfectly glorious! Today’s is probably less so. It’s quite a warm day, but pleasantly breezy and with low humidity here in the Kettle Moraine region around Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The biggest effects on power and tire performance come from the temperature. We shall just wait and see what the qualifying session brings this morning. He goes around 11:00 CDT (ish). Go YouTube!
As anticipated, very few drivers turn laps quicker than yesterday. That includes Morgan too. The good news is that nobody goes faster today than Morgan’s time from yesterday. That means that he will start in 10th for tomorrow’s race. The other good news is that his time today is in the top 5 and today’s weather conditions are roughly equal to the predictions for tomorrow. In other words, the car is strong and the pace is good for the weather we probably will have. Morgan races well and there are high hopes for a good result tomorrow.
SATURDAY RACE DAY:
The SRF3 race is scheduled to start at 11:15 am Central, last before lunch. The YouTube feed will show video of actual racing all day Saturday and Sunday so pull up the feed and just let it run. I suppose the marching ants view of the race is nice, but with packs clumped together, specifically picking out our boy isn’t happening easily. Video is much better! Tune in and keep fingers crossed!
Bright sunshine and warm temps, but low humidity, set up the day. We join the Start crew for their morning meeting. This is the first year after our dear friend Dave Sterling, long time DC Region member, flagger and Starter, passed away and we all wanted to be there to remember him together.
Before the race days begin and during lunchtimes, the "Inside the SCCA" podcast gives you insights to the different classes, grids for their races and interviews with drivers (the most especially interesting part). Brian Bielanski is the host and he came by the paddock to visit for a bit with Morgan. His interview can be found about 15 minutes into the Saturday morning broadcast and again during the Sunday lunch break.
With Morgan’s race at 11:15, we spend most of the morning watching the first three races of the day on TV in the paddock. The car needed only an air pressure adjustment in the tires for the car to be ready to go to the grid so it was a relaxing time.
One of the great things about this group is the joviality they share off the track. It's good to see them laugh together before they strap into their cars to do battle. SRF3 racing is always super close and today is no exception. Morgan gets a good start from 10th and by the end of the first lap, he's up to 7th, a most excellent beginning. Gradually, over the next few laps, he moves up some more, and eventually, the top 6-7 cars separated from the rest of the pack.
I must say that having to wait the two and a half minutes that it takes them to complete a lap feels like an eternity. Oddly though, your brain develops an internal clock that makes you look upstream a few seconds before your car comes into view under the bridge. When he doesn't show up on schedule, you look at the timing screen to check your internal clock. Of course, we on the pit lane also have the YouTube, so we watch that after the pack slips out of sight rounding Turn 1. That gives us some idea of what's really going on in the 3.5 miles we can't see him. But it only works when the cameras are looking at our guy! And it's on the tiny phone screen so there is much squinting. The worst though is that feed is several seconds behind real time.
Drafting is supremely important and frequently the 2nd and 3rd cars hook up together and sweep past the 1st in the clump. The trick is getting the timing just right so you get to the highest spot while leaving no chance for the others to pass back.
Morgan ran as high as 3rd briefly, but 4th squeaked past him by the next lap. During the mid-race, Morgan alternated between positions 4 and 5 frequently. On the penultimate lap, Morgan was in 5th. He made it up to 4th at the beginning of the last lap, but without enough time to grab one more spot, there he stayed at the checkered flag. The car was really good all week and this is the best Runoffs finish yet, if a little disappointing to be so close to the podium without being on it.
We are SO grateful for and appreciative of Dog Gone Racing and Apple Motorsports for all their support, encouragement, enthusiasm, and great friendship throughout this whole year. We simply could not do this without them, nor would it be anywhere near as much fun! THANK YOU!!!
With the Runoffs over now, most everyone has dispersed back to their regular lives, counting the days until we get to do it together again. Many of us, however, have more races to attend. Both workers and drivers here have opportunities for a few more races to attend, including us!
NEXT UP:
Right away, we are Road Atlanta bound! The final round of the Michelin Pilot Challenge season takes place on Friday with the Fox Factory 120 at 12:40 Eastern. With load-in on Tuesday, we will take a couple days to make the drive. See you there!
