What a great weekend in Mission, British Columbia, racing with SOVREN and VRCBC!
I haven’t raced at Mission Raceway before, but on the advice of Rod “The Oracle” Duncan, I switched from a 4.22 to a 4.55 diff, for Mission’s short, tight, technical track. This turns out to be great advice.
Thanks to the exchange rate and reasonable entry fees, I signed up for the optional Friday practice session. The weather is *hot*, 90F, but getting to follow Rod around the track for a session, and then explore a bit on my own is a great benefit for the Saturday and Sunday race days.
This is my first weekend on Hoosier HOTD-R tires. While it took me a bit to adjust, they feel, for me, much more predictable and consistent than the Toyos I’ve run since 2022. This could be because the Toyos are worn…but the Hoosiers just seem to slide a bit in turns and then GRAB. If you watch the videos you’ll see my confidence in corners increase dramatically through the weekend.
However, the weekend isn’t without issues. For some vexing reason, the car continues to not start if it’s hot. This cost me in Race 1. On top of that, it’s running hot…up to 230F (but stable there) on Friday, when ambient air temp was 90F. I removed the grill on Saturday to try to help it, and that seemed to get me 10-15 degrees. I have a couple more ideas to work this. I also broke the alternator bracket I installed to replace the other one that broke and a brand new WOSP starter failed on Saturday, the first weekend I ran it. Boo.
I miss Race 2 building an alternator bracket from bar stock and replacing the starter. The one I put back in the car failed at Historics in June. I took it apart and added an o-ring to the pinion gear shaft to try to keep oil out of it. THANK YOU, Steve, for helping me flip the lock and snap ring over!!! We’ll see how the o-ring works out.
Race 3 and the SMC race go well. The coolant is still getting hotter than I’d like, but it’s 10-15 degrees better after removing the grill from the car. We finish up an extra-long 25 minute SMC race (thank you, race control!!) and roll into the paddock for laughs, story-telling, and cold beers.
Mission hosts a really nice catered dinner on the Saturday night of this race weekend, so we wander over to the big tent with our cold beverages. To my grateful surprise, the dinner includes a nice selection of vegetarian options.
As if that isn’t enough surprise, little #12 is selected for the annual “Chairman’s Trophy” for the weekend. From the race web site:
“This BCHMR permanent trophy is awarded to the driver/team that made the most outstanding appearance at the event taking into account Canadian racing history and spirited performance.”
*blush*
Just when I think it can’t get much better, Stephen Newby announces that I’ve been selected as the “SOVREN Cup” winner. Again, from the web site:
“SOVREN (Society of Vintage Racing Enthusiasts) is a long time friend of the VRCBC with members regularly attending each other’s race events. This annual award was added this year (2016) to recognize the most significant US-based SOVREN entry at the BCHMR.”
I really don’t know what to say…I race because racing is fun and my fellow racers are quality human beings. Awards or no, I have fun…and it is nice to be recognized. Really nice, after so much struggle, hard work, learning, etc. My many thanks and deep gratitude to BCHMR and the selectors.
So Saturday ends very nicely and I get a bunch of ribbing the rest of the weekend about stealing all the awards. Hah!
Sunday starts wonderfully cool, lightly overcast, and a bit damp. Sprinkles fall as we open up the trailer and head to the driver’s meeting. The racing starts with a warm-up session and then two races. The tires, speed, and track start to click for me in those two races and things slow down and get easier, while the car goes around the track faster than I thought it could. I even hang with a break-away leaders group in the last session. There is an all-closed wheel open race at the end of the day. I’d liked to have gone out for it, but with three more race weekends before the end of September, I opt to rest the car. Gunther and Bill represent for all of us in the Sprite-Midget Challenge group.
On to the videos!
Friday Afternoon Closed Wheel Practice Session 1
My first laps at Mission! Rod “The Oracle” Duncan graciously lets me follow him around to learn the line.
Friday Afternoon Closed Wheel Practice Session 2
A short, tight track and changing to a 4.55 diff has me a bit confused about what gear to be in where, and when to shift. Really glad for some practice.
Saturday Practice and Qualifying
I remember going out and driving around and being very glad for the two sessions on Friday. My shift points and gear selection are still pretty dorked up, but I manage to post some decent lap times. They never posted them, so I didn’t realize until I was editing the videos and looked at the times.
Saturday Race 1
It was going well until it wasn’t. A minor driver error ends the race for me, but afterward I discover a broken alternator bracket that could have caused much bigger problems. A big THANK YOU to the Mission Safety Crew for the push-start!
Saturday Race 2
Due to the broken alternator bracket and hooped starter, this is my Race 2…
Saturday Race 3
Out I go without a grill and with a paddock-made alternator bracket. Spoiler: It works out and I even make a few passes.
Saturday Sprite-Midget Challenge Race
This is a weird race for me. The fast cars drove away from me, and I drove away from the middle of the pack. Aside from passing Brad, who was actively exploring an unpaved area of the track, and Rod, who was having a mechanical issue, I drove much of the race alone. Two years ago this is exactly what I wanted…space to learn. Now I enjoy mixing it up more, though the solo time paid dividends on Sunday.
Sunday Warm-up
This is the first time I’ve raced a weekend with a warm-up session on Sunday. It was flat awesome to try some different lines, shift points, carry a bit more speed into corners here and there, and mostly…to follow and watch several other drivers, including one with decades of race experience. A cool morning with light overcast was also added to my enjoyment.
Sunday Race 4
The one where it started to come together: I somehow start ahead of Stephen Newby and expect him to immediately pass me. It takes him a few laps to get it done and I’m stunned every time I look in the mirror and he’s still in it, instead of zooming by. With the grill off the car and a cooler day, I’m less concerned about water temp. I’m also getting the feel of the track and the new Hoosier TD-R tires, which feel more predictable to me than the Toyos I’ve been running. I finish nine seconds behind the leader, but post a 1:22.5 lap, my best of the weekend so far.
Sunday Race 5
The one where Stephen doesn’t let me hang out in front of him as long, but I am stunned to find myself in a breakaway group of four, hang with them through the race, and get a point from Stephen at the start of the last lap to finish in P3, less than a second behind the winner. I miraculously have the fastest lap of the session and best for me all weekend, at 1:22.4. SO. MUCH. FUN.
A big, big thank you to everyone who has helped, encouraged, nudged, pushed, pulled, restrained, spoken up, bitten their tongue, cleaned paint and dirt off my face (Brin), let me come to bed dirty (also Brin), and otherwise helped me get to this weekend.
