Civic of Doom: Honda Challenge Recycling

[Kaan]

quick recap...

Saturday the car felt great. In warmup i was right back where was i was with a 2:16.5... in qualifying i dropped down to a 2:15.5 and i still knew i had time left (dont we all?!?!). The 2:15.5 means i'm qualified 7th out of 10 and MUCH closer to the mid pack.

Shine and Line (honda challenge regional sponsor) pays out 3 spots on a random number generator... $200, $150, $100... random numbers are 7, 1, 6... i'm thinking "heck yeah, run away from the guys behind you and maybe pick up a spot and i'll have some cash for all the crap i need to do over the winter"...

On the pace lap, 3rd place (Mike Young, Shine and Line boss man) pulls off with smoke from under the hood... now i'm 6th... we are reshuffling to grid up for the standing start. the start is normal... everyone stays put. the race is pretty uneventful... my AIM would predict a low 2:14 and i'd run down the back of the miatas or E30s...

on the second to last lap, i start to pull on 5th place in areas i dont normally... and i know i kill him in the esses and south bend... apparently so did he. he said he saw me coming and pushed too hard in oak tree... he spun and i got around him for a 5th place finish.

Sundays BOTE i was the lead car in the 3rd group... i think spot 13. I was able to win my group and sit under the bumper of the guy that spun on saturday (one group ahead of me) and finished 10th over all. BOTE caused some drama as the guy ahead of me was DQed for weight and the first placed HC car was DQed for being 11hp over... yes 11hp over (i think there is something to this sunday tune BS)

All the BOTE qualifying runs impact grid for the sunday race. i'm now 5th in the order... i know i can run where i am... maybe get bumped back to 6th... but stay up front as long as i can to learn. Mark got a hell of a start and moved unchecked around the outside from 10th to 6th... where i shut the door on him so i could out run him up the esses.

I make my run up the esses... i'm pulling on the guys in front of me and closing the gap. I get checked by them going through south bend... i get as close as i can in oak tree... we make the run down the back straight and as i shift to 5th i check my gauges and see the 6th place car come around oak tree... we start lining up to run hard off the back straight and my axle snaps (again), the front has locked up, it wont slow down or turn, and i'm looking like i'm about to collect the leaders (not a good look for me)... i get it slowed down, i put it back in gear, it revs and wont move... i know its just an axle... i coast down to the hot pits in defeat for the day.

BONUS... the cool suit was the JAM sitting in the hot pits waiting for a tow. it actually made me COLD.