tcoon
03-13-2012, 05:38 PM
The “unofficial” start of the West Coast racing season began this weekend as two Factory Five Challenge Series racers met at Infineon Raceway. Robert Walter and Tom Coon decided to test out the new brake, suspension and rear gear package even though the engine upgrade parts were unavailable (turns out the heads showed up at out doors as we were leaving the driveway Friday night!).
WOW! What a pleasant surprise greeted the drivers! In the past these cars were notorious for early am, cold tire skittishness…we were greeted by good rear end grip even on the cold damp Infineon Raceway. Even the notorious Carousel could be attacked with confidence. The transfer of grip from front to rear is progressive and easily modulated with the throttle, making both drivers really excited to complete the upgrade with that extra 100 HP. Put the power to the pavement! Congratulations Factory Five and Jim Schenck on a long overdue and well-executed upgrade!
The brakes are likewise a huge and unexpected improvement. The added bite allows much later braking and there was never a hint of fade with the Carbotech 10 pads front and rear. Both drivers spent the weekend playing with the brake bias controls, as the added front whoa demanded a corresponding large increase in rear bias.
Additionally, big improvements were noted with the RPM range difference of the new gearset. Almost the entire track can now be negotiated in third and fourth gear, with just a quick downshift into second for the tight hairpin at turn 11. That should greatly improve transmission life from the breakage inducing 2-3 gear shift of the T5 tranny. As you might imagine, with all these dramatic changes in handling, braking, and shifting of the cars the drivers spent all their track time just relearning the timing…this is a completely different machine! I love this car!
Saturday’s qualifying session showed times somewhat slower than past years, with all the technique adjustments taking their toll on the time clock. Robert qualified with a 2:02.248, and Tom 2:06.859, both drivers about 5-6 seconds off their usual pace.
For the race Robert took the pole with Tom alongside. At the green flag both drivers sprinted into the field of CMC cars and were caught right in the middle of the ensuing turn 2 melee, which found 2 CMC cars spinning off the track with body contact and a scattered field of competitors. Robert battled valiantly on with a mixed crowd of CMC, CMC2, and AIX cars. Continued dialing in of the braking and shift points led to the winning time of 1:59.673. Tom took the second battling through an encroaching field of Legend racers and Thunder Roadsters with a time of 2:02.425.
Sunday brought a big change in the weather and a long day of waiting for NASA’s four hour enduro opener to be completed. Tom took the opportunity to replace a cranky starter solenoid and both racers debated the use of rain tires, finally deciding to make the leap as a cold rain began spitting down during the last half of the enduro.
With the lateness of the hour and poor conditions, it was decided as a group to forego warmup and run only two sessions for the day, doing first a qual race then the trophy race to follow. Both Robert and Tom suited up after the long delay with yet more challenges to deal with, ready to try the new suspension on the cold, rain dampened surface of Infineon Raceway.
Tom took the pole, following the Sunday am inverted start tradition. When time came to enter the track, Robert was nowhere to be seen, having had an urgent call of nature and subsequent harness snafu leading to a late arrival at pre-grid.
Tom continued on, staying with the faster CMC cars as long as possible and well ahead of Robert, who started about half a lap back. Tom managed to stay ahead and took the Sunday qual race win with a time of 2:03.148. Robert pushed on through the cold, damp track conditions and improved his time to 1:58.291.
The Sunday trophy race showed better conditions with the sun peeking through and temperatures finally in the low 50’s. Both drivers arrived at pre-grid ready to mix it up and looking for a chance at best times of the weekend. While sitting at pre-grid with only one minute to go, there was a loud KABOOM from under the hood of Tom’s car with an explosion of steam and water! The lower radiator hose separated from the radiator, dislodging both hose clamps. A rapid return to the pits followed by reclamping the hose and a quick water fill was to no avail, as the first half lap showed persistent overheating and Tom was forced to retire with no points earned. Robert went on to post his best time of the weekend for the win, 1:56.366.
The West Coast racers have now headed home and new engines are finding their way into the Challenge cars. Two more cars are likewise undergoing the needed upgrades, so four combatants should take the grid at the next event. The next installment should be very interesting, indeed!
-T
WOW! What a pleasant surprise greeted the drivers! In the past these cars were notorious for early am, cold tire skittishness…we were greeted by good rear end grip even on the cold damp Infineon Raceway. Even the notorious Carousel could be attacked with confidence. The transfer of grip from front to rear is progressive and easily modulated with the throttle, making both drivers really excited to complete the upgrade with that extra 100 HP. Put the power to the pavement! Congratulations Factory Five and Jim Schenck on a long overdue and well-executed upgrade!
The brakes are likewise a huge and unexpected improvement. The added bite allows much later braking and there was never a hint of fade with the Carbotech 10 pads front and rear. Both drivers spent the weekend playing with the brake bias controls, as the added front whoa demanded a corresponding large increase in rear bias.
Additionally, big improvements were noted with the RPM range difference of the new gearset. Almost the entire track can now be negotiated in third and fourth gear, with just a quick downshift into second for the tight hairpin at turn 11. That should greatly improve transmission life from the breakage inducing 2-3 gear shift of the T5 tranny. As you might imagine, with all these dramatic changes in handling, braking, and shifting of the cars the drivers spent all their track time just relearning the timing…this is a completely different machine! I love this car!
Saturday’s qualifying session showed times somewhat slower than past years, with all the technique adjustments taking their toll on the time clock. Robert qualified with a 2:02.248, and Tom 2:06.859, both drivers about 5-6 seconds off their usual pace.
For the race Robert took the pole with Tom alongside. At the green flag both drivers sprinted into the field of CMC cars and were caught right in the middle of the ensuing turn 2 melee, which found 2 CMC cars spinning off the track with body contact and a scattered field of competitors. Robert battled valiantly on with a mixed crowd of CMC, CMC2, and AIX cars. Continued dialing in of the braking and shift points led to the winning time of 1:59.673. Tom took the second battling through an encroaching field of Legend racers and Thunder Roadsters with a time of 2:02.425.
Sunday brought a big change in the weather and a long day of waiting for NASA’s four hour enduro opener to be completed. Tom took the opportunity to replace a cranky starter solenoid and both racers debated the use of rain tires, finally deciding to make the leap as a cold rain began spitting down during the last half of the enduro.
With the lateness of the hour and poor conditions, it was decided as a group to forego warmup and run only two sessions for the day, doing first a qual race then the trophy race to follow. Both Robert and Tom suited up after the long delay with yet more challenges to deal with, ready to try the new suspension on the cold, rain dampened surface of Infineon Raceway.
Tom took the pole, following the Sunday am inverted start tradition. When time came to enter the track, Robert was nowhere to be seen, having had an urgent call of nature and subsequent harness snafu leading to a late arrival at pre-grid.
Tom continued on, staying with the faster CMC cars as long as possible and well ahead of Robert, who started about half a lap back. Tom managed to stay ahead and took the Sunday qual race win with a time of 2:03.148. Robert pushed on through the cold, damp track conditions and improved his time to 1:58.291.
The Sunday trophy race showed better conditions with the sun peeking through and temperatures finally in the low 50’s. Both drivers arrived at pre-grid ready to mix it up and looking for a chance at best times of the weekend. While sitting at pre-grid with only one minute to go, there was a loud KABOOM from under the hood of Tom’s car with an explosion of steam and water! The lower radiator hose separated from the radiator, dislodging both hose clamps. A rapid return to the pits followed by reclamping the hose and a quick water fill was to no avail, as the first half lap showed persistent overheating and Tom was forced to retire with no points earned. Robert went on to post his best time of the weekend for the win, 1:56.366.
The West Coast racers have now headed home and new engines are finding their way into the Challenge cars. Two more cars are likewise undergoing the needed upgrades, so four combatants should take the grid at the next event. The next installment should be very interesting, indeed!
-T