Limerock

[KIERAN A. LAVIN]

Some of us never learn... Joe, David, David's friend John (?), Chris,
Matt, Mike, and myself went to Limerock yesterday for all the racing.
Unfortunately, the only racing we saw was the Touring Cars in the World
Challenge.  Joe, David, and I should've known this from being in DC last
year.  The GT guys are a bunch of pussies!  They 'race' single file and
two cars getting within a carlength of each other would be risque!  Same
thing with the Trans Am idiots.  I can understand that you'd want to be
careful with 650HP under your foot but lap times around 1:11 or so when
Joe does it (in the dry but still...) around 1:05!  Trans Am was so
exciting Chris, David, and I each fell asleep and we all decided to bail
after about 15-20 of their 66 laps.  BORING!

Our biggest problem (aside from Joe and I going WAY out of our way because
we were too busy talking... and Chris having to find a detour because of a
downed tree on Route 7) was the cold and the rain!  I swear it wasn't much
more than 50 degrees with a slight wind but torrential downpours much of
the day.  The forcast was for 30% chance of rain on Saturday.  Sunday
night they were saying heavy rain overnight with rain off and on all day
Monday.  I considered bailing but figured off and on can't be all that
bad.  Next time there's a chance for off and on rain and/or even a 5%
chance of rain, I would not go!  We all sat there all day with our "Scary
Movie" ponchos (thanks Chris!) and umbrellas in our chairs on the hill and
got wet and cold.  I heard there were bets on who would get a cold first?
Memorial Day and we're freezing our butts off!

As I said, the Touring race was best.  There were 51 cars in the field and
it was pouring for the race.  Made for lots of excitement.  We were
situation right atop the esses and had a fairly good view of Big Bend and
the esses.  Everyone was talking about how many cars would wreck or go off
in Big Bend at the start.  We heard all the cars coming down the front
straight and the announcer said "... and the Audi finds traction on the
grass down the inside of turn 1"  We all laughed and then we saw a
demolition derby come flying around the turn.  Cars banging and smoke and
pieces of cars going everywhere.  There must've been 15-20 cars went off.
Cars got stuck in mud but kept the wheels going and got out.  There was
only one BMW that got stuck (which we later saw had lost his tire off the
rim!)  Someone said they even saw a car going backwards through the field
trying to get themself turned back around and facing the right direction!
Throughout the course of the race there were tons of cars that went off
into the grass and eventually mud.  We all cheered the cars that went off
and kept the wheels moving to get back on track.  There were other cars
(an Si in particular) that came around the left-hander sideways rally
style.  There was contact every now and then too.  Everything seemed to
happen slow motion (with the exception of Cunningham's crash) and you
could see it coming.  Everyone was cheering all the carnage and cars off.
There was a rather large puddle way off to the side below where we were
sitting.  David commented that he'd love to see a car go into that.  I
mentioned that there'd be no way someone would be going so fast to get
that far off.  Guess what?  About halfway through the race, a Civic comes
plowing through the turn and right off the track.  The guy (like everyone
else) kept the wheels moving.  Somehow I guess he didn't see the puddle
and SPLASH!  Right into about 2 feet of water.  It was great!  Hope they
catch that on tv this weekend when they broadcast it!  It happened right
under a camera so I hope so.

As for Cunningham in the Spec, he did quite well.  I think he qualified
7th and quickly moved up to 4th.  I forget who was ahead of him but Turner
was 2nd and got black-flagged for something. Cunningham took another lap
or two to take 2nd.  Unfortunately Kleinknubing (sp?) was way out ahead
and out of reach... even after a full course yellow.  The Spec changed
exhaust tone about halfway through the race as he exited the esses.  He
also seemed to be losing ground (doing 1:15-16's as opposed to the RSX's
1:13-14's).  He had several laps of a fight with DuPont in his BMW but
eventually went offline down the noname straight *AND* hit his brakes to
let DuPont by... wtf!?!  A few laps later, he was coming through the
left-hander of the esses and Dobson decided to take him out.  Smacked his
right rear pretty hard and spun him into the mud off the track.  It looked
like he was done.  But he kept trying to get himself loose.  We kept
screaming for him to back up as it seemed like his front splitter was
getting stuck in the mud but it turned out the crash bent the bodywork
preventing his right rear tire from moving!  So after sitting there trying
to get out for 2 or so laps, he pulled in.  :(

The other races sucked and were slow.  Trans Am cars putting out 650HP (as
opposed to the Touring cars at, what, 200?) doing 1:11s in the rain.  Paul
Newman set fast lap early on at 1:11.xxx but it might've changed after we
left.  For reference, the Touring Car leader (Kleinknubing in an RSX) was
doing 1:13s!!!  So the Trans Am guys are real pussies!

If it weren't for the cold and rain we all would've had fun.  But, if it
weren't raining, some of us would've gotten sunburns most likely.  You can
never win I guess!

kieran