The Mission Raceway Experance

Randy

Very nice video!! And, I really like those tear-off thingies, too! LOL

If I was in Mike's seat, I'd have two broken thumbs and a car that looked like a crushed Molson's can! Nice recovery, dude (oh, wait, that's some sort of PC gaff now isn't it?)

LOL
 
What a wonderful experience!!!

Last weekend's race at Mission was, without a doubt, one of the most gratifying experiences I've had since I began racing.

First of all, for all who believe that going North to Canada is a ........ cumbersome and painful experience, ............ YOU ARE ALL WRONG!!

The Canadian Customs agents could not have been friendlier. I was asked only one question, .......... Why are you coming to Canada? I responded; ....... to race and feed the mosquitoes in Mission, B.C. The agent smiled and said, .... welcome to Canada!!

My return to the U.S. was equally pleasant. I suspect the U.S. Custom agent must have gotten lucky the previous night. He was very cordial as well.

I arrived at Mission and found the friendliest bunch I could ever hope for.

My weekend was difficult. My clutch disintegrated on the third lap of practice on Saturday. I thought my racing weekend was over. Not so!! With the encouragement of my Canadian friends, Michael Lensen and Tim Brausser, I was able to replace the entire clutch assembly and qualify and race on Sunday. Sunday morning, my car was literally in two large pieces. Sunday afternoon I was racing with the "big boys" and improved my qualifying time substantially.

I learned many things last weekend in Mission. I learned a lot about my race car. Most importantly, I learned about the generosity and good will of my fellow racers. Yes, racing cars is exciting and a great privilege but experiencing such incredible generosity from my fellow racers is gratifying beyond description.

I am indeed, very grateful to all my Canadian friends and all who were responsible for making the race at Mission a wonderful experience.

J.C.
 
trout_roberts said:
Randy

Very nice video!! And, I really like those tear-off thingies, too! LOL

If I was in Mike's seat, I'd have two broken thumbs and a car that looked like a crushed Molson's can! Nice recovery, dude (oh, wait, that's some sort of PC gaff now isn't it?)

LOL
Click to expand...

Dude is perfectly ok with me. Below are some thoughts on the Mission expereince that I already shared with some.

First race at Mission - in the rain - gotta love that.
For G1, yes it was quite a ride there for a bit. For the most part I had decent grip for being on cold, wet, DOT slicks. I thought it would be much worse.
If figured Randy would not fight for the lead much on the first lap so he could see how slick the turns were by watching me and respond accordingly. I did not appreciate that point of view at the time and figured if it stayed wet, I could maybe get a gap and at least make Randy work for it.
As far as the tank slapper goes, it felt much worse in the car than it looks on the video. I really did wait until everything was pointed straight before I gave it some throttle. Obviously I did not notice or realize the pavement change and the slight bump or rise in the track that slightly un-weighted the rear - so slip siding I went. I saw concrete on my right, then my left, then again to my right. I got lucky. Lesson learned.
What was worse for me is that I was running behind Randy for a while all by myself in 2nd overall with no one around and the track was drying a little. Then the motor goes burrrr and it feels like I lost multiple cylinders. I look at the gauges and no oil pressure. Now I am really concerned. I pull into pits. My race is done and my engine maybe too - great.
However, thanks to the local guys (Bullet racing and Rocky's BMW crew) the faulty ignition coil connection was discovered and fixed quickly. Gerald Lowe installed a new oil pressure gauge that confirmed only a faulty gauge. So, I was back out for the G4 race an hour later which went marginally better. Again, dry until the warm up lap and then a down poor. Here we go again. This time, however, we were all bested by an Acura Integra because he could apparently see where he was going with a functioning defroster and wipers. Welcome to Mission!

Oh, by the way, a big thanks to the many who helped me out over the weekend: Gerald and Sierra, Randy, Bullet Guys, Rocky's BMW guys, Mark Lovitt, Mario (a guy that I did not know, was not affiliated with ICSCC, but offered me a coil form his e46 m3 at the track to get some practice in), my dad and wife's family, and I am sure there are others that I am forgetting. My wife said that on one occasion there were 10 people around helping with the car issues. Very cool. Lots of people helped out to ensure I could provide brief entertainment for Randy's camera!
 
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