July 22nd, 2008
This past weekend the koni challenge series raced in the Alabama heat at Barber Motorsports park. We rolled off the trailer with a good car and only made some small changes to the car over the course of the weekend. However, the 95-100 degree heat took its toll on our cars. We were constantly fighting heat related issues with our motors. The whole TRG crew did a good job diagnosing these issues which payed off in the race. Peter qualified the car 17th out of 31 and in the race he managed to gain some positions early on up until lap 8 when another competitor hit us in the left front which lead to a flat. Steve, Derek, and all the crew did a good job making a quick tire change and got him back out there. Peter stayed in the car for 44 laps (1hr 13min) and then I got in to finish the job. I got in the car in 16th spot and started gaining positions up to 9th. After roughly 25 - 30 min in the car I realized that my rear tires were loosing more and more grip every lap. This was the result of 100 degree weather and an all green flag race with not one caution. Although 9th is obviously not what we want i’ll take a top 10. In the race we had the 4th fastest car overall with a best lap time of 1:39:7 only 2 tenths of a second off the best.
The next race is at Iowa speed way where I will have Andy Lally as my co-driver. Andy and I drove with each-other at this years first race at daytona, and I look forward to driving with him again.
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July 9th, 2008
This past 4th of July weekend the TRG Koni challenge team was at Watkin’s Glen in upstate New York. Peter and I both very much like Watkin’s Glen and knew that our Porsche was going to be strong here.
We arrived at the track on Thursday afternoon under the rain. Even-though some teams made the call to not go out under the rain and risk damage, we thought it would be a valuable experience for both peter and I. The 2hr session started out with full rain; however, it did eventually start to dry. It never got dry enough to go to slick tires but the track did dry out considerably. During the session we were always in the top 5 and ended up in 4th overall.
Friday was a different story. The rain was gone and we focused our attention on setting up the car for peters friday afternoon qualifying session and for the saturday race. Unfortunately within a couple laps peter reported that the car was smoking and the crew realized it was a bad high pressure power steering line. The work required to fix this issue included taking the motor and transmission out of the car. The crew once again worked extremely hard as they only had 2 hours to take the motor and transmission out put the new power-steering line in the car and then put the motor and trans back in. Once again the crew came through and had the car ready for Peter to qualify. Peter was at a bit of a disadvantage because he never got a chance to drive the car in the dry before qualifying. However, he managed to find a nice gap and ended up 14th with a time of 2.07.6.
On Saturday we had a final practice and the race in the evening. I still had not been in the car since the Thursday rain session and needed at least a couple laps to learn at least the brake points and the proper gears. However, when It was my turn to get in the car there was a big wreak which lead to me never getting a lap. At this point I was frustrated due to the fact that I had not had one lap in the dry and I was about to jump in the car in the middle of a 2hr 30min race with guys who are already up to speed. During the race we stretched Peters stint to almost the 1hr 20min mark. Our car along with 4 others took a unique strategy call. We took a gamble and wanted it to stay green for the last hour and as a result the others would have to pit for gas while we would just stay out and gain positions as a result. During my stint I worked my way from 50th overall to as high as 17th until a crash caused a full course yellow to come up. This bunched up the pack and was not what we wanted for strategy. On the restart our porsches just get eaten up by the more powerful bmw’s and mustangs and as result a bmw that restarted directly behind me made a late move on the inside of turn 1 and contacted me and an ST car. The contact was bad enough to cut both of my front tires and I would have to loose a lap and pit to fix the car.
I have some good in-car video of my run, the contact, and the revenge. If you would like a copy of it please email me your address at Scott510@gmail.com and I will send you a copy on DVD.
-scott
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June 20th, 2008
This past weekend the Koni Challenge series went up to Canada’s Mosport raceway. This was the 3rd year in a row for me to race at Mosport and It has always been one of my favorite tracks. However, I would also go to add that it is one of the most challenging ones as well. Peter, my teammate, had not been there before but got up to speed quickly as the weekend started.
Mosport is know for its very high speed corners and its long back up-hill straight. Unfortunately, over the years Mosport has shown to not favor the Porsche platform as well as it dose for the other makes like the Mustangs and BMW M3’s.
In the practices I worked hard with the team to get a good set up on the car. I knew we would not have a super fast car, so we focused on getting a nice predictable and consistent car that would be good over the course of the 2.5hr race.
In qualifying Peter struggled with an ill handling car which resulted in a 19th place starting position for the race. After qualifying we did not have anymore chances to test any changes to the car because the next time the car would be on track was for the race. We made some set changes after long deliberation.
In the race peter once again was doing great. He only went up in the ranks. The Mustangs were really frustrating to get behind because they would be slow and out of control in the corners but then pull a huge gap on the straights. Peter got up to 16th when a poor driven Mustang started getting in his way, although Peter was far faster in the corners the mustang would block, hit, and then pull away on the straights. This is one of the hardest things in this series and I have learned just to deal with it.
Up untill about 1 hr into the race it looked like it was going to stay green with no crashes or anything. However, at the 1hr mark there was a crash and a full course yellow came out. This is when things get interesting. Grand-Am sent out the pace car who only job is to pick up the overall race leader and/or wave cars by until the race leader is directly behind them. However, Grand-Am never did any wave by’s to speak of and the leader was never behind the pace car. As a result many teams did not know when to pit or even if they were allowed to pit. It was all very unprofessional of grand-am and it is sad to see one of the most competitive racing series being so unorganized and poorly ran. When it was time for peter to come in and pit during our designated pit time there was another car in our pit area. This lead to further confusion in the pit area as the other team somehow managed to get their jack stuck under the front bumper of their Chevy Cobalt.
Once we actually got around to our pit stop things went well. The guys did a good job and there were no mistakes. I got in the car and did not really know what had just happened or even if we were on the lead lap still. I got in and had some good battles but the Mustangs along with our added 100LBS of “rewards weight” made it hard to get some moves done. We ended up finishing a respectable 12th, yet it was not what we were looking for. We should have moved up a couple spots due to cars that pitted illegally during the confusion; however, grand am did not take action or blame for their mistakes.
Our next track we go to is at Watkins Glen in New York on 4th of July weekend. We have been strong there in the past and both peter and I have good experience there which will pay off.
Keep you posted,
-scott
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May 27th, 2008
After a 3 month break the series is starting up again. This time we were at Lime Rock Park . This year I will be driving with a new co-driver named Peter Ludwig. Peter is not new to the Koni Challenge series as he raced in 2 races last year which both resulted in a podium finish.
We arrived at limerock friday for 2 short 30min practice sessions. These sessions are important for not only re-learning the track but also important for setting up the car. Both Peter and I got up to speed quickly; however, the set - up on the car was just not there. We were struggling with some new suspension components which resulted in a poor handling car. However, for Saturday the team had the car figured out and we were back on track. On Saturday I would only drive for a total of 10 +/- min so it was important to get a good feel for the car. Luckily the car was real good and I managed to slip in a time good enough for 2nd in the final practice session and 3rd fastest time of the weekend. Saturday was also the day for qualifying. Peter in the 15min qualifying session managed a lap good enough to place him 7th.
Come race time I things were looking good. Peter did a great job in the opening laps and got up to 4th place. However, on lap 37 Peter reported hearing a loud noise and there after the handling of the car went away.
Peter held 4th till a full course yellow at the 1 hr mark of the race. At this point It was my time to get in the car. The crew did a good job and got me out in the same position I came in (4th). However, the driver chance went wrong and as a result I did not have radio, a drink bottle, or a cool suit. It was hard to get a feel for the ill handling car during the full course yellows mainly due to the fact that i was playing with my radio cords trying to get it figured out. Because of this I lost a couple positions when it went green before I got used to the car. Things were looking alright considering the situations. However, about 30 min in to my stint things got even worse. Going down the front straight I got hit side to side by a BMW. As a result my front right wheel was knocked a bit out of alignment,,, which now made the car even worse to drive. At the end of the day we did not get nearly the result that we wanted or that it looked like we were going to get and ended up 16th.
I now head up to Watkins Glen to do some private coaching at a PCA weekend. Then I have about 10 days at home before heading to Mosport in Toronto.
-scott
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February 1st, 2008
24 hours is a long time to do anything let alone drive a 175mph race car around one of the worlds most famous race tracks. The practice sessions went smoothly as I jumped back and forth between the koni challenge car and the Rolex car. I knew we weren’t going to have the fastest car due to the fact that we were racing the best of the best in the world. My teammate John Mayes qualified the car 35th out of the 40 or so GT cars. Starting at the back of the field on the start, John just played it safe and actually picked up some spots due to other competitors crashing. John went smooth up until spinning while trying to pass another competitor in the bus stop which resulted in a damaged front bumper and radiators. The crew worked hard, at what would be a familiar repair, and got the car back out within about 20 laps. Out of the running of the race ( but still with over 21 hours of racing to go) we just cycled through our driver line up so that every one got their seat team. I got in the car around 4:30pm on saturday afternoon and drove until about 5:30. During that time I set a lap time of 1:53.6 which would be the fastest lap for all the drivers in the car. I was then done up until my 3:30 - 5:30 AM stint. So I went back to the hotel to TRY to sleep. I called down to the hotel lobby for a wake up call of 1:45 AM ( the lady thought I was nuts) Upon arriving to the track at 2:30 AM I found that our car and been back in the garage AGAIN for the same damage yet with another of my teammates. The conditions when I got in the car are the worst conditions you can race in. Not only was this the first time that I raced under the stars, but also the track was cold and wet. I started my 2 hour stint on rain tires, yet knew they would not last long because the track was drying up. I then opted to come in to get slicks. The next 5 - 7 laps were extremely tough, fighting the car and trying to get heat in the tires. The temperature was in the mid 40s with still some drizzle in the air which only made it even harder to get heat in the tires. Every corner I would approach would be the same…. Hit the brakes and the rears would lock up ( no Anti-lock brakes on this car) then once I finally got the car slowed down I would turn in for the corner. The car would just wash out all the way to the edge of the road and just did not want to turn. Then went I would go to pick up the gas to exit the corner the rears would just rev up like they were on ice. However, after a couple of laps the heat got in the tires and every lap the car felt better and better. Just as the sun was rising I came in to the pits to turn it over to one of my teammates. At this point my job was done for the weekend, and I could sit back and watch. Although, our car may have not had the best of success TRG cars overall did. The 66,67,62 TRG cars finished 2nd,3rd, and 4th in the GT class standings. This was a great experience for me and look forward to going back and doing it again.
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February 1st, 2008
Our koni Challenge team this past weekend had many highs and lows. We rolled off the trailer for the first practice on thursday morning and within 3 minuets on the track we lost severe oil pressure in our motor. Although, the motor did not blow up or even loose fluid, we knew it would not last much longer. The crew then worked for hours preparing another motor to be up into the car. During this time I missed another valuable practice session. After the new motor was almost in the car, they realized that the motor had an issue and that it would not work! Now it was on to ANOTHER motor that was just recently delivered to the track thursday afternoon. By this time we knew we were not going to make the afternoon qualifying session for the race. The crew worked real hard to make sure that this motor was 100% and did not over look any detail ( knowing that we are not going to have any real time to test it) Since we did not put in 1 lap during the Thursday qualifying session I would be forced to start at the back of a 43 car field ( 97 car field total counting the ST cars)
Friday morning I show up to the track and the car is running and looking good. Perhaps the weekend wont be so bad after all. We only had 1 practice session friday morning before the race in the early afternoon. Although, optimistic as to how the car was going to do due to the lack of practice time practice went well. During practice my teammate Andy Lally put the car in 2nd overall. About half way through the session I got back in the car and within a couple laps put it P1 with a time of 2:01.4. After that lap I knew we had a good car so we decided to park the car and not put the added minuets of practice on the car.
In the race I started 43rd in class and with nearly 100 cars on the track I knew this was going to be tricky. However, slowly but surely I worked my way up to the top 10 within a little of an hour of racing. I then turned it over to my teammate Andy Lally who came out of the pits in about 20th. He worked his way to the top 10 before pitting again for gas and left side tires. On the last race re-start, the officials sent a string of ST cars out of the pits right in front of Andy in the GS field. This separated him from the other GS cars ahead of him. After getting around the slower ST cars andy worked his way up to 8th place. So considering we did not get any practice on thursday and the circumstances of the weekend we were happy with this result and look forward to LimeRock Park.
-scott
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January 24th, 2008
It has been a year since we have been at daytona, and since then the car, drivers, and team have all improved. I am racing in Fresh From Florida 3hr Koni Challenge race. For this race I will be paired up with multiple champion winning driver Andy Lally. The race is Friday afternoon so check back here for an update as to our result.
In addition, this year I will be driving in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. This will be my first time doing this race and also first time doing a 24hr race. I will be driving the #68 TRG porsche. This will be valuable experience and seat time for me and hope to do well.
Keep posted for updates,
-scott
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October 16th, 2007
The last race of the year happened at Virginia International Raceway. This race was different than the others in that it was more than twice the average distance. We had a strong car from the first time we rolled of the trailer. I knew we would have a strong race car. We ran inside the top 10 during the practices with a high of a 3rd. For this race I qualified due to the change in race strategy since the race was 6hrs. I didn’t get a good clear lap in during qualifying and thus qualified 16th. In the first stint of the race I managed to get up to 8th before pitting for gas and tires. I stayed in the car and got up to 5th before pitting again and getting john in the car. John did a great job and the cool suit did not work so he got hot quickly. Because he got so hot he fell back to 12th before I got back in the car. I got back in and got up to 5th quickly yet without the cool suite working I got too hot and we made the call to get john back in the car. John did some of his best laps of the whole weekend and held his own in 13th. I got back in for about an hour to finish 11th overall. At the end of the race both john and I were exhausted. I drove for a total of 4hr and 15min and john for a total of 1hr 45min.
-scott
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September 26th, 2007
The past two races have not gone so well for John and I. At Three Rivers up in canada, John got hit from behind in the opening laps of the race, which resulted in having to go behind the was to do repairs. The crew did a fantastic job fixing the car and getting it back on the track.
This past race took place at Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City. We tested here a month ago and it payed off due to the fact this track is 4.5miles long with nearly 25 turns. We were fighting to find a good set-up as the car was rather loose coming out of the corners. We worked hard in practice sessions trying to fine tune the car to work better and better. John had trouble getting used to the set-up we were running and struggled in qualifying. John, starting 30th, got hit early by another car, yet managed to resume on track and deliver the car to me on the lead lap. Once I got in the car I slowly worked my way though the pack. However, this progression was suddenly halted when (once up to 14th position) a mustang who I had been racing with nose to tail spun out and came right across the track. To avoid head on contact with the mustang I braked; however, the car directly behind me did not realized what was going on and got into the back of me pushing me forward into the mustang. The damage was enough to prevent me from continuing in the race… The next event is the 6 hours of VIR. Both John and I have never been to VIR before but look forward to learning a new track.
-scott
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July 25th, 2007
This past weekend John and I raced at the hot and humid barber motor sports park in Alabama. Both John and I had never been on this track before which made us have a small disadvantage. However, we learned the track quickly and set lap times in many of the practice sessions in the top 10. John qualified the car 32nd out of the almost 40 cars entered in the race. Sunday morning at 8:30AM the race started. Although the race was early in the morning it was nice to not have to race in the heat of the day. John picked up many positions and handed the car over to me around the 25th position. However, early in the race john reported that 4th gear was going bad and that he sometimes had trouble getting it into gear. Once I got in 4th gear worked for a handful of laps but then it eventually totally went out. This made me have to upshift directly from 3rd to 5th gear. Because of this I was a sitting duck on some of the early race re-starts loosing 1 or 2 positions. On top of not having a 4th gear the car also had an electrical issue. Every other lap or so the car would turn off which meant I lost valuable seconds as I tried to re-start the car. I managed to get the car as high at 8th before having to come in and pit for gas. When the race was over I was just glad the car finished and that we did not have to retire the car early. At the end of the day we finished a disappointing 17th, although with all the bad luck we had it was a alright finish.
-scott
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