End of the 2012 race season!!
First off, the starter replacement and the oil issues. Last week I pulled the starter, again, and replaced it in about 20 minutes now that I have the process down. Checked the oil and it was fouled but glitter free, so I left the filters alone and topped it off with fresh oil. It seems like a waste to just run the oil for 1 race but oh well. She fired right up and sounded fine. Oil pressure was good but oil temps stayed cold so I'd have to wait for the race to see if she over heated again. As a precaution, I reconnected the oil cooler fan just in case.
On race day it was cold, very cold for California any way. It was 29F when I rolled out of the driveway at 6AM and was 35F when I rolled into Marina, CA after 7AM. It was raining on Saturday and I was expecting it to be damp Sunday morning but it was dry and cold. The course was designed to be a wet one, which means it was open, but in the dry it was fast. I got up to almost 70mph down the straight mid-course. The cold air was great for a power boost, but did not help the tires at all. My tire pressures stayed about 14-14.5psi in front and 15-15.5 out back. I found it better to bog the car at the bottom of the power band than to rev it out and make her nervous on cold tires. I had top time of day for while in the morning and it felt so good. I'm hoping I finally broke into the top 10 this event, if not I was very close.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nwl7-Vi-mRQ
At the end of the day I had 1st in OSP by .6 seconds, but my nemesis squeaks by with the OSP championship this year by 9 points. I finished 2nd in OSP and 9th in the overall standings, and my co-driver finished 4th in OSP which is not too shabby. Even though it was a 2nd place finish, this has been one of the most rewarding and fun racing seasons I've had. Lucy has proven to be a great bug and with a little more development she will be a serious force to be reckoned with.
I'd like to thank: Sean my co-driver for helping out, ferrying parts, and warming tires. CB Performance for supplying much of the motor, fuel injection and turbo, as well as Pat for his thoughts on the motor build. Bugformance San Jose for helping me with the odds and ends, and Jeff for being a sounding board for my crazy ideas. Rancho for building a fantastic race tranny that won't quit that has done over 3000 race miles now. Mendeola for helping give me the edge back with a suspension brace that performs awesome.