Petter Roffeberg, or Aero works!

George Roffe geo3@earthlink.net
Sun, 23 Nov 2003 07:47:26 -0600


Well, I'm getting ready to go to a football game so I'll have to make this
brief.  More to follow.

Yesterday I had a race at Texas World Speedway on the long course.  Once
again I had no qualifying time, this time due to being mired in the tech
line, but I made a good start and passed a couple of cars by the first two
corners.  Going into three I made a testing move in a CRX and all of a
sudden I was doing WRC.  Three right opens into three right
cut......  MASSIVE tank slapper.  The car must have rotated at least 60
degrees.  In fact it was so massive I though someone may have touched me
(no one did).

I caught the initial slide and it came back on me (this with about 5 cars
directly behind me at this point).  I caught reverse fish tail and though I
had it, but it stepped back the other way and I decided with everyone
behind me the wise choice was to just take it off the track and so began my
WRC adventure.  Strangely enough, once it went straight off the car
straightened out and I was able to rejoin at the tail having not dropped
too far back.

The set-up on the car was exactly the same as what we had at
Birmingham.  The car was *SO* different.  TWS is a much faster track.  I
think the splitter works even better than we dreamed.  I could have been
old tires too, but we've run old tires before and never experienced
anything like this.  We have to work to do to make sure it wasn't anything
else, but I think the splitter is incredibly effective.

To finish the story, I gathered it all up and started passing cars.  A
Cobra replica spun and I held him off for a lap or so and if the car was
behaving I could have probably held him off indefinitely.  But, since I was
worried about the back end stepping out, when he pulled out to test me, I
just pointed him by.  Lastly and sadly, on the 9th of 10 laps at the end of
the front straight at around 120 mph I picked up a sudden vibration and
strong pull to the right.  I thought about parking it, but decided at that
point if I could eliminate the vibration I would finish the race.  And so I
crept around at about 50 mph.  I was worried I was losing a wheel or
something.  Upon inspection back in the pits we found our brand-new Raxle
lasted 9 laps.  It also cost me a podium as I was passed a few corners from
the end by another ITS car.  Grrrr.  Still a great day.  God I love this
racing thing. :-)

George Petter Roffeberg