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October 15-16, 2005” Watkins Glen International Raceway
It was yet another successful weekend of racing at the famed Watkins Glen International racetrack in the great state of NY. And, not unlike Moses parting that little pond a couple years back, we experienced nothing short of a miracle ourselves. Although you’ll need to keep this to yourselves because men are not supposed to posses the planning gene, we decided after the last New Hampshire race that getting up at midnight to drive all night for a same-day race was simply meant for younger racers. In short, the savings in hotel expenses by driving all night is not worth the pain associated with the lingering effects of sleep deprivation. This becomes most evident while cruising at 120 mph.
So, on Friday, October 14th following a full day of work, Glenn, Patrick, Willie and the pit crew [read as pit chicks] of Chris, Lynn and Debbie headed North for the 3.5 hour trek in two separate trucks to the Landmark Inn for a relaxing night of dinner and socializing…..so we thought.
You might recall that Friday night was raining just about as hard as it possibly could without the DOT requiring floaties for all those who were willing to brave the elements. In racing school, they tell you that the tire contact patch with the pavement is nothing more than something a little larger than a dollar bill. Throw some water on the road with highway speeds north of 75 mph, and you’ve got yourself a fist-full of good ‘ol American steel that despite your best efforts, and not unlike Salmon returning to their birthplace, wants to impale itself against hard immovable objects because deep down steel is fully aware that death is part of the life cycle.
Well, the fact that this update is being written would no doubt suggest we survived the ride…some might even suggest we dodged a bullet.
On Saturday morning, we headed towards the track and had breakfast at the legendary Blue Ribbon Dinner - it’s practically and institution you know. For most folks, the sound of banjos and the all-too present Deliverance posters would have most people just about as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a rocking chair company. However, we continually flock to the old place like moths to the flame. Don’t really know why, but the locals seem to always find it important point out that “you’re not from around here are you? Or, “geez, you sure have a pretty mouth.”
Following our little meal, we headed off to the races. Saturday included a 3-hour enduro on the 3.4 mile long course. No need to qualify, as we pick our starting position from a hat. Lynn, our DTR (not sure I’ll ever know what this means), picked 27th position. Not bad considering there were 65+/- cars starting. The race was nothing less than spectacular as Watkins Glenn has many elevation changes and the usual dips and roles to keep you fully engaged. Although we fully expected rain, the track remained dry for just about the entire event. Many teams chose to enter this race with just two drives, but we figured if two were good, then three would be outstanding. And, not to disappoint, the HeMan Racing team finished 10th in class. If you’re interested in looking at the results, simply log onto www.nescca.com.
On Sunday, Patrick entered a regional race under the ITA designation. Again, not sure what this means, but the cars are a lot faster than the class we typically race in. In fact, they typically eat Mazda Miatas just for sport while waiting on the green flag. Patrick, not intimidated one bit, took to the wheel and was able to squeeze out a 6th place finish! Pretty impressive for a car that wasn’t set up to compete in this category. Oh, should you happen to speak to Patrick, please say something about his 2:26.683 best lap time. He’s got this competitive thing going on…no one really cares, but it seems to mean a lot to him.
In two weeks, we’re off to a 13-hour race in Virginia to end the season. We’ll fill you in once we’ve landed.
Thanks for your support,
Glenn, Patrick, Willie & the Pit Chicks.
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