Dj's 1999 M3 Project

[D_Eclipse9916]

Okay, back from the dead, I will finish up my nationals experience.

Quick Recap:
Nationals 2011 - TTC Class
2 days of rain, run off, destroy splitter but in process get current TTC record and in 1st place
Create new Splitter, drink away the day.

Friday night is also the night for NASA dinner at the jail that they filmed the Shawshank Redemption. We also got to tour around. Going deep in, there were no lights, and to be honest, was creepier than any "spooky house" I have ever been.

Saturday Morning - Day 3 (3 session day)

Weather is clearing up, but there was still plenty of moisture on the ground. At least I could finally see where I was going! I intended to make these count, but was hoping the second session would dry out enough to get really good laps. I may have won (too soon?), but I might as well go out there and throw some laps in.

With a damp track, I only managed to meet my last time of a 1:37.7XX. This didnt put me any further ahead. However, second place had dropped a bit of time and was now in the 1:38.3. Making me sweat a little, but hey, it was still damp. I knew I had lots more time out there, and it was only my first time at the track. I would go for it in the second session.

Saturday afternoon: 2nd Session - dry track, dry skies!

Amazing!! Dry skies and dry track. I was super excited to go show these locals what I was there to do. Warmup Lap comes as I scrub in as much heat into those hoosiers for that first fly-by. Your 1st and 2nd laps are typically the fastest before you catch other traffic and your tires tend to wash away.
1st Hot lap: get stuck behind a class-ahead of mine E46 m3 and 240sx, crap. 1:40.188. GET OUTTTA THE WAYYYY!


2nd Hot lap: I manage to work traffic, but this consumes time! 1:40.764.
3rd Lap: I have a clean lap ahead of me. Time to do this! 1st 3 corners get dispatched:





Great time out of the first 3 corners, according to my datalogger. Push through China Beach, Madness. Line up for Thunder Valley, and PING!!
Ping? Ping? What is Ping? Now the car is shuddering and shaking. I pull over quickly and limp her into the pits. Only to discover this:


3 Brand New GLS Top Studs had broken. Scary imagery if that had happened entering China Beach off the long straight.....
As I pull into the paddock to try to fix my issue, I park the car down near pits, and start walking back to the paddock. A guy goes, "Hey! You need wheel studs?" "Yes of course, I just had mine break on track". The man proceeds to say "Our studs simply don't break". I proceed to ask him what brand. "GLS Top Studs"..... DOT DOT DOT...Umm. I show him my studs, and explain: "Those are the GLS Top Studs".

Man is shocked and proceeds to inspect.





After careful inspection, it turns out my spacers have a small .5mm lip that barely "rockers" the wheel under torque. Well great, sunuva bitch. The owner of GLS Top Studs is great and helps me out with 3 new wheel studs and nuts right there at the track. I proceed to install, unaware of the bad news that would strike me after fixing the car....

Who says pliers aren't great for everything? ahaah


The bad news. My competition had managed to pull out a 1:37.335. A whopping 1 second improvement, and .5 seconds ahead of me. Shit!!!!! Dry track and I had to break, leaving me behind. I was now solidy in 2nd place. Time to kick some ass in the 3rd session of Saturday.

The second bad news. It started raining, and when I say rain; I mean torrential downpour. A downpour that was not even worth going out in. I was complete, destroyed, and morale kicked for the day. Saturday was not a good omen for my first Nationals. I had one day to go. 2 sessions, make it or break it time.