RACE: Mid-Ohio Runoffs Wednesday notes #4

Runoffs Notes - 8 - Wednesday copyright 1996 John P. M. Dillon

The Timing and Scoring crew is having way too much fun. During the busiest sessions they are practicing the macarena dance.

Pete Harrison, a Sports 2000 driver, felt he ran a little slow. "There are a lot of puddles here, and I spun in Turn 2." He doesn't profess to have a race strategy. Harrison prefers dry racing. "I don't mind the rain, but this place has much concrete it's hard to learn the line. I don't trust the weather man or I wouldn't have gone out today."

Dave Gill is another S2 driver that didn't go out today.  "The top 5 or 6 cars
will be real close together.  Downey is the favorite, and it's probably his turn
to win."  Like the other S2 guys, he doesn't like running with the ShelCan
racers.  "They could cost one of the S2's a race.  They're not the easiest cars
to get around."  Gill said regardless of weather he'd be qualifying tomorrow.

David Downey didn't challenge the rain. "I looked at the weather map and decided to try tomorrow instead." Downey said he's raced in the Mid-Ohio rain numerous times. "Besides, drivers have got to be prepared, wet or dry." His strategy is to qualify up front, wet or dry. "I'm going to try to get through Turns 6 through 9 up front; I won't check my mirrors until the front straight." Downey considers his competition to be Gill, Al Fisher, Owen Trinkler, Chris Thomas, and Andrea Kasiewicz. "Kasiewicz knows this track too, and she qualified second a couple of years ago." As for the SCA question, he says "I hope they have their mirrors turned down low so they can see us. I hope they're not close together, because they're real wide like 18-wheelers, but with little Sports Renault mirrors. They shouldn't affect the outcome of the race, though."

The SSA cars have just cleared the course, so we're done today. More notes (lots to catch up on) tomorrow.

John Dillon Mostly SoPac (Hawaii, Las Vegas, San Diego, Cal Club)