"citizennick" (citizennick)
05/04/2015 at 16:53 • Filed to: None
4
0|
"citizennick" (citizennick)
05/04/2015 at 16:53 • Filed to: None | 4
| 0 |
I had posted awhile ago how I was going to start racing Formula Vee’s this year. Well, my first race was last weekend. First off I had to complete the school which was 2-weeks prior at PPIR in Colorado. After that short 2-day event and smiling ear-to-ear I knew this was going to be an awesome year.
The first race was put on by our local track, and one of the guys who organized the whole thing is the one I race for. There were several classes of cars out there, but the races that were most thoroughly enjoyed were the Formula Vee races thanks to the spec-based platforms.
The first time out on the track was for practice and qualifying. I ended up getting the pole!
Here’s the video of my first race (there were 5 that weekend, more on that after this), and I should mention that there was a lone Formula Ford in our field, so don’t be surprised by how fast the silver car is in front:
As you can see I could probably have done better with my start. After the race one of the guys mentioned that you should go when you see the green flag, not when he starts waving it. Either way, I was happy with my 2nd place finish.
The 2nd race I had another bad start and was never able to catch the draft of the 3 guys in front of me, so I ended up 4th.
Before Sunday’s races we went back to the shop to mount some new tires on a few of the cars. I had cords exposed on my left front. This was the first time I had run new tires on the car, so I didn’t know what to expect. Apparently I expected too much and ended up spinning in the first corner. I went back to the pit after that.
The next race I started last, and that was a good thing, because I lost brakes on my 2nd lap and went off track. After that race we adjusted the drums and bled the brakes and they performed much better.
Now to the final race, the main event. I’m super sore about this, but my GoPro died halfway through. I started 8th, but eventually wound up finishing 3rd in a very dramatic finish. Hopefully I can see the videos from the other cars soon, because it was pretty amazing. The three guys in front took a big lead on the field while I was busy trying to pass the pack. With about 5 laps left I thought I’d be coasting to a 4th place finish, but thanks to some crazy looking racing up front from my point of view, and some fast laps, I was on their bumpers for the remaining 2 laps. I got past 3rd place and got in the draft behind 1st and 2nd. With lapped traffic I wasn’t able to make a big move until the final corner on the final lap. Sadly I had to let up because a lapped car wasn’t giving 2nd place and room to run his line so I crossed the finish line in 3rd.
Overall it was an amazing weekend and am happy with the result. Looking forward to going to High Plains Raceway in two weeks and doing it all over again!
