2021 Button Willow Endurance Race

[crash]

Well, we didn't have a very good showing this last weekend at Buttonwillow. I qualified okay with a faster time than I had ever had at BW, but like I said in the other thread, the competition has gotten much faster over the last couple of years. I qualified 5th, but felt like I could stay with the other cars and we would be able to beat them based upon pit strategy. Namely we would make one stop while the others needed to make two during the 3 hour race. Turns out that would likely have been correct but we had an oiling system problem and Richard, the owner of the FFR PDG GTM, pulled the car from the race.

One of the things with the WERC series is that it is only 6 races, so if one misses a race there is basically no chance of competing for the year end championship. We are now in that position.

We have discussed as a team and it looks like instead of wasting money on running every event this year we will use those funds to improve the FFR PDG GTM with some much needed horsepower gains in preparation for the 2021 25 Hours of Thunderhill, which we are planning to run this December. I believe the Utah 6 hour is also on the list as we want to run a longer event to test both the car and crew. Probably will run a couple of others as well.

Very disappointing weekend, but racing can be this way.

Having a plan is good, but things rarely go according to plan.

Now we adjust our plans.

[beeman]

Sounds like your team has a great game plan, run with it.

[Shoeless]

Sorry to hear about the issues at the race.

What are you guys planning for the HP gains you mention? Are there any class limitations you have to fall within?

[acmikee]

when is the 6hr in utah i might cruise up

[crash]

Sorry to hear about the issues at the race.

What are you guys planning for the HP gains you mention? Are there any class limitations you have to fall within?

We are looking at a cam change. Not a huge HP gainer, but every little bit should help.

We explored the LS7 route but that is a big jump in cost and we already have a brand new LS3 sitting in the shop, so for a very modest cost of a cam we are going to see what we can get out of it.

We will possibly also run race gas more consistently. Up until now we have been running 91 pump gas unless a series required a particular fuel per the rules.

[crash]

when is the 6hr in utah i might cruise up

July 30-31.

[Shoeless]

Awesome, thanks for sharing!!

[Presto51]

We are looking at a cam change. Not a huge HP gainer, but every little bit should help.

We explored the LS7 route but that is a big jump in cost and we already have a brand new LS3 sitting in the shop, so for a very modest cost of a cam we are going to see what we can get out of it.

We will possibly also run race gas more consistently. Up until now we have been running 91 pump gas unless a series required a particular fuel per the rules.

Have you given thought to mosey on over to that "vacuum cleaner" guy, Jim Hall, and see what creative ideas he might have for today's world?

Don't shoot me, I can see myself out.

Ron

[crash]

Have you given thought to mosey on over to that "vacuum cleaner" guy, Jim Hall, and see what creative ideas he might have for today's world?

Don't shoot me, I can see myself out.

Ron

There are a number of avenues we could take.

The rules say that if a car comes into the series and is from another racing series then that car has to meet the series rules it came from. Our competitors are not following this rule as they are removing any HP limiting devices that were required on their cars that were certified for other series'.

We could get all butt hurt about this and try and protest what we feel is not correct, or we can see the competition as upping the overall game and us "rising to the occasion" by upping our game in response.

We have chosen the latter because we enjoy when others force us to go faster and be better.

Not winning races isn't fun, but everyone innovating and going faster is why we chose a racing venue with very limited to no rules.

As to the Jim Hall path...the craziness has possibly just begun...although the Ligier LMP car gauntlet is going to be pretty difficult to get past even with an innovator like Jim Hall working with us.

For those that don't understand the above statement, one of our competitors went with the nuclear option and purchased a used Ligier LMP 3 prototype car and is running it in our class. They are 8-10 seconds a lap faster than anyone else, but have had issues with reliability.

A prototype style car is definitely different from a modified road going car and we would still be in our old class if the rules hadn't changed there and a horsepower to weight rule added. That forced all us teams with "touring cars" to bump up into the unlimited class that was actually created for cars like the Ligier that have no other purpose than as a race car.

As I said in other posts, sometimes the rules determine whether we win or lose as much as our efforts at the shop and on the track.