PCA Mid Ohio Club Race, May 8-9 2004
By Mike Piera
I went to my first club race of 2004 at another new track for me, Mid Ohio. I had recently finished my winter repairs, having some oil leaks repaired, and some brake rebuilds, and it seemed to be running fine. I entered at the last minute, in class D instead of class E which I normally race in. This allows me to remove ballast and not have to compete against my friend Oliver Zitzmann who was also attending from Connecticut. We had a good race in Carolinas last year but we could have won both D and E, so I thought I would try to help that occur by bumping myself to D. Unfortunately they moved D class out of the group 3 E and F group and stuck us in the faster group 2 with B, C, GTC, and GT3 and 4 cars. So there would be some very powerful cars running with us.
I had towed my car out on Friday, a long 9 hour tow from Connecticut which I did in one day. I could not get into the DE event before the race but I didn't want to take that much time away anyway.
You can click on most of the pictures below for a larger version, suitable for printing or large dartboards/voodoo posters.
Here are our cars in the paddock. Nicely paved here, tires
stay clean!
I ran Pagid orange pads the previous week for the first time.
They came with no bedding in prodedure but I did my best to bed them
in on the street, then at a DE at Lime Rock for two days.
The pads were TERRIBLE my first few LRP run groups. Very weak braking
at very high effort. I am used to the Performance Friction 97 pads
which are VERY powerful when hot. I don't have power brakes and the
aluminum S calipers can be a little spongy.
I left them on for this race, and they got progressively better. Very easy to modulate, EXCEPTIONAL in turns where you really dont want to slow down, just need to set the car up. The PF pads would cause over-braking many times, but the PAGIDS would allow me to set the car up nice without over-slowing. For example in the right hand turn which requires some braking before THUNDER VALLEY (turn 11). The PAGIDS lack of power made it tough to brake late at the end of the long straight, but allowed good trail braking into the turn if I overcooked it. The Pagids did not get soft at all, sometimes the PF pads would get soft on the cooldown lap and in the pits (!).
Here is my car before it got all marked up from track debris.
PRACTICE
This was my first time at the track so I knew it would take a while to get up to speed. But I had done well at Carolina last year so I was hoping I could get up to speed by qualifying session. The 1st session was a bit damp and I was heat cycling a new set of Hoosiers, the new RS04 model. They felt GREAT and I started to get a feel for the track but there was a lot to learn... my fastest lap was a 1:50 which put me in 6th place in D out of about ten D cars. Not too bad but I would have to chop off several seconds to be competitive. It looked like an '87 930 turbo and a '95 993 would be the fast cars in the class, they were already running in the 1:46 range.
For the Second practice, I put on my old Carolinas tires, the rears were new at that race but the fronts were 2 races old. They did not seem to stick as well but came in after a while. I was able to chop 3 seconds off, with a 1:47 and move up to 4th in D just behind Ron Tietjen's Rothman's 944Turbo. Ron is another CVR member and lives locally. His wife Mary was running another similar car in D and she was 3 cars behind me.
The Third practice is important as it is used for gridding for the fun race and qualifying. I managed to chop another half second off but moved down to 5th in D behind the leaders and two more 993s and a 944T. Ron was just behind me.
Here is a closeup of the above picture, seems my front roll stiffness may be a little high?
FUN RACE
I was looking forward to the practice starts and fun race, so I could learn how to race on this track. I got a great start on the 1st start, passing the 944T. On the second start, I passed one of the 993s. On the third start I got closer to the leaders and had several fun laps behind the 930 of William Kleinman and black and green 993 of Robert King. I was able to learn from them and it seemed I was faster as I caught up to them pretty easily. I went another second and a half faster, just about as fast as the leaders so I was starting to get confidence.
RACE DAY WARM UP
For Sunday morning, I put my new Hoosiers back on and wanted to get some good times in, preparing for qualifying. I ended up almost 2 seconds faster than the fun race, with a 1:43:6 which was tops in D by nearly a half second. Everything was falling into place and the car felt fine. I was just a tick slower than another friend, Ken Lubell from NYC in his 993 cup car. He and Oliver had helped me learn the course, going over a course map and notes Friday night at dinner. Kenny was running about 3rd in the GTC2 class, and Oliver was having some engine problems but still running well in E, with stiff competition from Mid Ohio regulars in 944Turbos which were flying (even faster than D).
QUALIFYING
I went out for qualifying and immediately passed a few D cars as I knew I would be faster than them. Ron tried the same thing but I must have pissed off one of them as he was blocked a bit. We soon got up to speed and I closely followed the 930 and 993 for a few laps, turning laps in the mid 1:43s as I did in the morning, but they were holding me up. Then the 993 let me pass and I had a few decent laps. Finally I had a clear track and tried to keep the throttle down more and push harder, had a decent but certainly not perfect lap and read a 1:42:7 on my timer which I hoped would be good enough for the pole. After that, I tried running the passing lines in several turns to see how it would feel passing lapped traffic or passing for position (which I hope I would not need to do!) The car felt fine so I pulled in early.
My qualifying time wound up fastest in D by about 4/10ths, with the 993 and 930 2 and 4 cars behind me, and Ron also doing very well, 6 cars back. It was even/odd D cars and GT cars! It would be a VERY interesting start, with the more powerful GT cars between us and all the D cars directly behind me! My buddy Kenny qualified right in front of me so he would be on the inside with me and the row of D cars on the outside.
THE RACE!!!
My car and I were all set for the race, I just needed a clean start, and would try to follow Kenny to get away from the pack of D cars. I got an excellent start, while still in the last turn, but the cars ahead were bunching up badly and I had to drive defensively to avoid getting passed. I managed to stay ahead on the long straight but a car a few cars ahead spun off the track at the end of the straight and made a mess of the field. I still managed to stay ahead but the two fast D cars were right behind me as the fast GT cars between us had passed me on the straight!
There was a full course yellow and the pace car came out... we got hot at these slow speeds but I tried to keep my cool. Coming up to the start finish, I began accelerating in case we got a start and we did, with me leaving a nice gap to the cars behind! But the 930 soon caught up to me on the long straightaway, and started a pass when I noticed a yellow flag at the end of the straight... so I did not fight too hard, hoping someone would see his pass under yellow. I followed him closely for a few laps but no black flags... finally he got loose in the last turn and I passed him. But he repassed the next lap as I got a little loose in the same place... but the following lap his number and a black flag made it clear he was going to be penalized for his unsafe, illegal pass.
The black and green (quite similar green!) 993 as seen above was soon visible behind me. For some reason, I was able to pull away from him coming out of the keyhole and on the main straight! He was fast coming into the keyhole but I was able to keep him a few seconds behind at all times. Also I timed my passes of lapped traffic well, getting him held up a bit more.
I was able to hold on, and finished the race with a win in D, with the 993 in 2nd, and Ron moving up to third when the 930 received what I guess was a stop and go penalty, finishing a few cars behind Ron but with a faster lap time than I had. (Only go as fast as you need to win!)
We stuck around for the awards then I hit the road following Oliver, who has moved up to 3rd place in E with some consistent and fast driving. We stopped a few hundred miles away for some food and gas, then he decided to drive all the way home while I would need a sleep stop soon. I got home well rested on Monday afternoon, ending up a great long weekend at an awesome track!
Thanks to Oliver, Kenny, and other friends on Rennlist who had given me advice : Todd Serota (trackquest), Joe Rothman who I met at the track after having helped years ago on Rennlist, Chris Camadella who also races SCCA and went to college with me, Eric Salem (brown 911), Larry Herman, Bruce Boeder, and many others who emailed me help and kind wishes.
I hope I can return to Mid Ohio and maybe compete there for an SCCA national championship... just need to find the right car!
Group 2 Qualifying
and Race
Results
complete 2004
PCA club race results
I put this here mostly for myself to remember for my next visit, but I think others may want to see this info if they are going to Mid Ohio.
This is a fast turn, 4th gear, brake near the bridge and turn in under the bridge from the far right when you hit the concrete patch. SLOWLY turn in, looking ahead for the left berm at pit out, and the concrete lane. Get in tight on the left berm midway through the turn and go full throttle once you can make out the exit. Track out to the right, then get to the left when possible for the chicane.
Go into the Chicane flat out, brake in the turn and get the car to the left. You can carry a ton of speed through here, leave it in 4th gear, seems to like a double apex while trying to stay left through turn 3 which is the 2nd half of the chicane.
Brake hard at the rise at the turn entry, keep fairly right on the entrance, on the grippy concrete. Downshift to 3rd. Drift out a bit mid turn then slowly get the car back to the inside of the turn at the apex, under full power. Track out then onto the long straight. Turn 5 is a slight kink in the straight, best to stay on the right there unless being passed by cars in a faster class. Get up through 4th and well into 5th gear (5th at the kink).
Entered at high speed in 5th gear, about 125? Brake hard on the left at about the 500 mark (unless someone is trying to pass on the right, then go to 400 or so). Trail brake onto the concrete and carry a lot of speed to the left Ess (turn 7). Brake hard into turn 7, you can try go get to the right before turn 7 to carry a little more speed into it or just brake on the left and hug the turn. Either way, accelerate hard through the turn and let the car track out to the right a bit when the hill crests.
You try to enter from the left, for a large radius, but if someone is trying to pass or you just can't get to the left you can still go fast here from mid track. Trail brake into the turn and carry speed.
Take this flat out, trying to stay on the left at the turn exit and keeping straight over the crest, on the left.
This can be taken flat out if needed, you do not have to nail the apex, just set up to get on the left of the track for Turn 11 which is a critical turn.
Trail brake in T11, from the left, just enough to set up the car to make it to the apex. Carry speed through the apex and keep turning hard until the crest of the hill where you need to relax your cornering as you can lose it easily there. My car can keep full throttle here if not turning too hard. Then get back to turning and head down the straight, shift to 4th. Most people seem to like to run down the left on this straight and turn 12 which is a flat out mild right turn. But I dont see it as necessary, as you want to end up on the right at the end of this "straight" for turn 13 turnin.
This turn is fast with a tricky turn in. Brake somewhere on the right, (# markers? then smoothly get the car in towards the apex. There is plenty of runoff room at the turn exit on the right if you overcook or miss the apex by a car width or more. Leave it in 4th gear, though 3rd can be used it will probably be slower ultimately as more speed can be carried through the turn in 4th, more easily.
Brake on the rise on the right of the entry and downshift to 3rd. Slow down enough that you don't drift wide in the carousel as the marbles have no grip. Look ahead and try to power the car to the right apex, then full throttle through the left-hander exit onto the main straight. Shift into 4th around start/finish.
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