Leaving the fabulous Best Western Braddock Inn Sunday morning, we made our way to the airport through a steady cold drizzle. The dim morning light reflected off a shiny film of standing water on the tarmac, constantly refilled by steady falling raindrops. Driving would be more a search for the limits of available traction than a test of the absolute outer edge of the cars’ performance envelopes. The unexpected excitement generated by Saturday’s surprising lack of precipitation was replaced with an ominous sense of resignation. We were going to get wet.
Soggy Mountain BoysEarly on, perhaps groggy from his rude awakening by Elder’s prank the night before, perhaps punished by the Fates for his many automotive transgressions, the Mud Hen succumbed to the malaise. First, he required assistance from Hubbell to operate the zipper on his raincoat, his ancient digits unable to connect with his sodden brain to make the simple device function. Then, he promptly locked his keys in his Z06. Gary cut a forlorn and sorry figure, shoulders slumped in the rain, wiping away the mist from his VIN number, numbly begging OnStar on his cellphone to just please pop the freaking lock and stop the torment of endless inane “identifying” questions. When we took the field to work, he was still there, arms outstretched, wet face turned skyward, importuning a cruel indifferent GM satellite for mercy. Perhaps he will take heed, return to driving his FIA, and stop dallying with Snot Rockets and trailered Corvettes.
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"Well, Yes, it Was on a Trailer, but What's that got to do with anything?"But one man’s misfortune is another’s opportunity. The suboptimal conditions thinned the herd considerably, including several of the bull moose. Gone were Becker, Karwan, and Felten. After we went to the trouble of unrolling Elder’s canopy and placing our chairs under it, we returned from breakfast to find Elder’s truck hitched up, his trailer buttoned down, and my chair flung unceremoniously out in the rain. Pappy had had enough excitement for one weekend. Zimmy and most of the Smiths, too. Only die-hard Doug hung in. We watched as the craven caravan of fair weather racers left the paddock. In a parting shot, Chipper tied the infamous kid’s undies to the tow hook of Pappy’s truck, a silent symbol of wussiness.
I went to Cumberland, and All I got Was this Lousy Pair of Kid's UnderpantsI had previously told Pinky that if it was raining, I would likely run the Pontiac, so he, too, decided to get a jump on the wet ride home. Why not? My performance the day before was so miserable I had already written off the weekend as one of my Cobra Cup drops.
In the end, about with half the field winnowed away, about 50 cars posted timed runs Sunday. While many of the brave few lingered over breakfast in the cozy shelter of the Airport Inn, the organizers announced that they would run only two heats.
Several drivers came prepared. Doug Smith brought (but did not use) a brand new set of Kumho XS tires. Larry Casey and Jeff Duncan had packed a set each of Toyo R888s. Smooth Jim Harris, unhappy with his performance Saturday, looked for sweet, wet redemption on his Nitto NT-01s. These recently introduced tires represent the latest generation of treaded near-R compounds. All were reputed to be excellent rain shoes. They were to prove decisive in the day’s events. Those who had come to the dance with AWD – the Morans, the Brus, Doug Macy (who brought more than one?) and even Native Bearer in his R32 -- were licking their chops at the swampy prospect.
Boggs deferred to the difficult weather and laid out a mercifully simple, straightforward, but slightly less open course. It began an even sharper left hander out of the start, a couple of offset gates opening to a straightaway close by the hanger side, down to a 180 at the hanger end, back down a slalom on the far side of the taxiway, to an S turn crossover, through a chute opening onto another slalom, around the horn on the terminal end, through the slalom again, an S turn in front of the spectator area, ending with a little left hand hook (nastier than it looked) into the finish.
Downrange . . .The organizers picked a rainstorm to try out a brainstorm --pop up shelters for the course workers. Unfortunately, Wade and I drew Station 4, on the far hanger end, the only station out there with no shelter. The doubled up heat was long and soggy for us, but everyone else looked quite comfy out of the rain.
Good launches were tough because there was a sheet of water almost one inch deep at the start. But despite miserable conditions, the course had a surprising amount of grip for all the standing water on it, but only in certain places, and those not the ones you’d expect. Other places, like the final hook right before the finish, were slicker than whale snot, and many a hanging out tail clipped that cone and ruined a solid run.
Anybody Bring a Snorkel?Good times in the first combined heat were in the low 50s, and o/cs were rare on the relatively simple course. Notable performances included Ken Bane’s, who nursed his fire breathing torque monster RWD Mustang through the spray to a 50.8, decisively shutting out friendly rival Karl Loper for the S Mod class victory, and good for the seventh slot of a top ten finish. Brothers Jake and Mike Moran ran SuxAss in the first heat. Jake broke through the 50 second mark on his last run, to a 50.49, which put him in 5th overall at day’s end. Francois Bru went after it hard in his WRX, shaking off early run cones to finish with his last and best lap of 50.67, good for BSP class win (both days), and a solid sixth place overall finish. But Wade and I just shook our heads in disbelief out at Station 4 as we watched brother Mike push the wailing all wheel Subie, hooking up on wet pavement through turns that looked impossible. Mike ended the heat at the top: with a 49.6. Few expected anyone in the RWD horsepower heavy second heat to better that. So Moran went into the second with a double XP class win for the weekend, and FTD Sunday on the line.
In the combined second heat, it was a mixed wet bag. Drivers' face were etched in grim determination as they waited in their cars to be waved to the line. Last ditch holdout Cobra drivers, Wade, Larry, Al, John, Doug, Wayne, and Steve Marsh sat on the grid in open cockpits, some under umbrellas. These ranged from Wade’s fancy windproof golf special, to Al Paca’s battered folder, which looked like he mugged a clown for it.
Hey Al, The Clown Wants His Umbrella BackChipper finally made it to the grid in his Z06. Jeff Duncan in the Ultralight. Tink in his Daytona, Jim Harris in his Mustang, Jen Moran in the family Subie, Matt in his R38, me in my Solstice, and a host of others. Mark Boggs tasted his own medicine in his green Porsche. The steady rain tapered to an intermittent drizzle.
Sunday's GridJim Harris ran smoothly, sinking his time down to 49.9, earning an ESP class win and 4th overall. Mr. Personality Casey, from the point and shoot school, has not taken to wet weather driving in the past. But he surprised himself and everyone else with a first pass of 50.9. Wade, who’s first lap was a full five seconds away, said he’d believe it if Larry backed it up on the second run. So he did: logging a clean 49.9 run, dashing Moran hopes for a shoo-in doubleheader Icebreaker XP victory. Duncan answered that with a 49.18. Now the battle for the rainsoaked FTD crown was on. Larry shot right back with a 49.125 on his fourth run, but not before Jeff posted a 48.7 on his fourth. Larry stuck his final run with an incredible 48.93, clinching XP honors, but Jeff’s 2 tenths landed him FTD, and Larry took second. Was it an accident that Jeff and Larry, the 1-2 finishers, each were running new R888s, or just a sponsorship fantasy waiting to come true?
One -Two FinishersWade, wistfully running on smooth A6s, was off that pace, but managed to beat his times down to a 50.8, taking 4th in XP and a top ten overall finish. Then, out of nowhere, Cinderella kid Jen Moran found the sweet spot, after some ridealongs with Steve Wilson. On her last, solo run, she streaked through a 51.6 clean pass, netting 4th in the rough, tough XP class and 9th overall. Oh God. Not another one.
Cinderella KidDoug Smith's wound up with a 52.7, even though he left the Kumho rains in the trailer. Native Bearer did quite well, finishing with a 53.6, second in his class. Gary’s ill-starred Vette posted a best clean time of 53.4, with Hubbell right behind with a 53.5. My Solstice pulled a 54.6.
The conditions made Sunday a toss up. Experience, top driving skills, and good rain tires seemed to be the common elements to victory. Except for that Cinderella story, out of nowhere. . . . . It could happen to you, too.
