Let’s file this one under: I know I know, this prep stuff isn’t super exciting, but hey, it’s part of the experience.
I’m signed up for SuperLap Battle at COTA. I’m signed up with Edge Addicts at COTA the weekend before SLB. I’m signed up at Chuckwalla for testing/break-in before leaving CA. EAS has been sorting out a number of tech things with the car. I believe most of my travel logistics are sorted out which involves a surprising number of moving parts.
-Speaking of COTA: I was not aware of it until recently that they are repaving significant portions of the track as we speak. From Turns 2-10, and from Turns 12-15. In 2020, they had just repaved some other sections of the track and they felt great. Looking forward to seeing the new pavement.
-I’ve been setting up my calendar for Texas. Here’s what I’ve put together:
-Mon Feb 7 - Fly to CA and pick up the car from EAS. Drive to Chuckwalla and sleep in a cabin at the track.
-Tues Feb 8 - Drive Chuckwalla to test and break-in clutches.
-Wed/Thurs Feb 9-10 - Drive to Austin, TX.
-Friday-Sunday - Feb 11-13 - Participate in the Edge Addicts 3-day COTA event. Fly home Sunday night.
-Thurs Feb 17 - (my birthday) Fly back to Austin.
-Fri Feb 18 - SLB practice day at COTA.
-Sat/Sun Feb 19-20 - SuperLap Battle competition.
-Mon/Tues Feb 21-22 - Leave Austin and drive the rig to——I don’t know where yet……CO? CA? TBD.
-Edge Addicts event - I was hoping to do an HPDE at COTA before SLB to get back into the flow of the track. Since last year was a bust with my steering issues, it’s basically been 2 years since I’ve driven there. The Chin event was sold out and the timing wasn’t really the best for me.
I’ve never driven with Edge Addicts before. I talked to them on the phone and they seemed quite nice. For this event, they have the track for half the day each of the 3 days. And they’re running two groups. I believe we’ll have 4x30 minutes sessions from 8AM-1PM each day……something like that. The two groups are Advanced and Track Rats. Advanced was sold out. And you couldn’t sign up for Track Rats without talking to EA and being vetted first. Track Rats is limited to 25 cars and the cars have to be able to do at least 2:20. Wow ok.
I was on the phone with them and the EA guy says, “Look, there are going to be some $4 million cars out there in that group. DO NOT DIVE BOMB A $4 MILLION CAR. There are going to be Ex-F1 cars out there. There are going to be…” I said, “I get it. No diving bombing the crazy expensive cars.” I said, “Time Trial is my thing and I’ve spent my life staying away from other cars. So you don’t gotta worry about me doing crap like that.” He continued, “Even if you are on the best lap of your life and you catch someone at Turn 19, you gotta give it up.” haha I said “I understand.” So, after telling them about my various experiences, they let me into the Track Rats group. Very curious to see how that goes. Can someone even name a $4 million car?…….that you would track????…….maybe he was exaggerating, but still…..will be interesting! Anyway, hoping I can get into the flow of COTA over those three days.
-EAS continues to work through a laundry list of items. I did commit to the SSP clutches. They will arrive in early Feb. After the high voltage error that locked up a wheel and flatspotted at least one tire, we have been hunting around the car looking for trouble. Want to thank the EAS guys for diving into this. I know these tasks are not fun. We have been looking at grounding and have replaced some ground straps. We have replaced the wheel speed sensors. We are replacing the Voltphreaks battery with probably an AntiGravity battery because the VoltPhreaks is pulling 15+ volts from the alternator at start up, which is not good (and my VoltPhreaks model is not available due to supply shortages). We are replacing the alternator and voltage regulator with a new genuine BMW alternator and voltage regulator. Unfortunately, this task is really a pain because the supercharger bracket is in the way. Once the SSP clutches go in the car, there needs to be some break in.
-Chuckwalla day - I wanted to be able to run the car around a track before leaving CA to make sure it was good to go. Chuckwalla is on the way to TX, so I’m glad I was able to book time there. The SSP clutches need some kind of break in, so Chuckwalla should be good for that. I will not be trying to set any lap times at Chuckwalla.
-Tires: I have purchased 2 sets of new Pirelli DH. I will run scrubs for most of the Edge Addicts event, but if the EA event has open track and the conditions are right, I will probably run a new set at least once to see what kind of time I can get. As I’ve said before, I think the DH are the fastest tire for my car. Normally, we would need to run Yokohama at SLB, but due to supply shortages, we are allowed to run other brands. I’m hoping this temporary change in rules results in a good lap time. What do I consider a good time? I’m hoping to go under 2:20…..beyond that….no idea.
-OG Shark Motorsport will be doing track/tech support for me again this year at SLB. I hope they are bored off their asses this time, instead of the craziness they had to deal with last year. If something significant goes wrong with the car at Chuckwalla or Edge Addicts, the OG Shark guys have said they’re ready to jump on it to be ready for SLB.
Sponsors/Support: I’ve mentioned before that Titan-7 and Sparco have supported me. I just want to thank them again for their continued support in the new year. If you told me 10 years ago that relationships like this were possible for a guy like me, I would have seriously doubted it. The SLB event marks almost exactly 10 years for me in motorsport.
After SuperLap is over, I have not decided where I am taking the rig. I would like to take it back to CA and try for a full pace hot lap at Buttonwillow 13CW. My tech problems have prevented me from being able to put down a full pace hot lap at Buttonwillow this Winter. But, in the last couple days, a number of things have been put on the family calendar in March, and I don’t think I can get to CA in March at all…..By April, it’s starting to warm up again, and the cherry lap times aren’t really possible, which means I’ll have to wait until Nov/Dec to take a crack at 13CW again. So——I may just return the rig back to Colorado for the summer. We’ll see.
If anyone is interested in checking out SLB and is local to COTA, come out and say hi! They’re selling tickets online—$12 for the weekend ($20 at the gate).
SuperLap Tickets In 2020, the event occurred right before covid hit, and it was a really social time. 2021 was a bit less social, plus I was having problems, so I was distracted. Not sure what to expect from 2022, but I’m hoping it can be social! Hey, at least it’s outside!
