Nothing abnormal about the pitstop that I saw. It was not the quickest we have done but it was pretty good. I wasn't watching the live feed so I can't comment about what you saw.

There was an incident about 7 or 8 laps after the driver change where Owen was called for 'unnecessary contact' and given a drive thru penalty. That cost him +/- 30 seconds. That may be what you saw.

Incidently, the penalty was uncalled for. There were two Kensai Acuras with Owen in between . . . The front car 'brake checked' him to allow his teammate thru . . Owen tagged him on the left rear tire . . . no damage . . . and GA called the penalty. The official either couldn't see the brake lights or simply didn't understand what was going on.

Owen got the last laugh as that was the Acura he put the great pass on, right at the end.

. . . and YES, Alain will drive at Three Rivers again. We are looking forward to having him back at the wheel.

Randy

 

Randy, thanks for confirming what I thought I "saw" from the data. I was watching the time deltas like a hawk every lap. That penalty would explain it. There was no such commentary from the announcer, so one is left to speculate...

Awesome that it was the same Acura that he passed on the last lap!!!

Thanks for addressing the question Randy. Part of me feels that by asking, I'm being too critical, and with that, unsatisfied with the results. Hope it's not taken that way as I'm really excited about the progress the team is making! That penalty was costly though, probably at least a couple of spots. A yellow would have helped to correct that snafu, but oh well...

Glad to hear that Alain is back with you guys! With a month until then, I'm sure it's nice to have some breathing room, and no car to fix this time...

 

I'm sure Tim and Frank are happy about that, those guys don't get the credit they deserve.

Great job all round this weekend, having been at Trois Riveres last year I know these cars will fly around that track and I have high expectations of another top 10 finish (for both cars).

 

Just a few thoughts on the weekend.

At speed, Barber is not an easy place to figure out. It is fast and blind, not two combinations which make going fast in a hurry an easy thing to do. There was lots of grass in the drivers seat after the race !!

It must be said that Randy is doing a great job with the team, both cars continue to improve and this weekends addition of two pro drivers, (both are x Andretti Green development drivers) shows Randy's commitment to move the MINI program along as fast as possible. It is hard to describe how fast, consistant, and NICE Owen and B.J. are. They have both commented that the MINI's are the funnest race cars they have ever driven. The grins on their faces say it all, so does mine and Randy's.

I think once we receive the new wheels for the 198 (which are still in production) it too will be closer to the front. Having driven both cars, it is clear lighter wheels will really help with corner exit speeds. The MINI's are starting to be noticed by other ST teams as well as GA officials, not to mention pro drivers who would love a seat. I think that says volumes as to how things are coming along.

Barber was a great weekend, despite the opressive heat and humidity. We like to meet the MINI owners and although we may look busy we always enjoy meeting fellow NAM'ers. Stop us and introduce yourself, we are all in this together !!

Good luck to Alain and Randy in 3 Rivers, sorry I will have to miss the race.

Mark

 

Well here after the long wait is the Videos from the Race itself. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWbWboaJbNs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6ALJNen94I

 

Thanks for the videos. It is a great way to break up Monday at work

 

This is fantastic news. It is such a thrill to watch the progress RSR has made.

 

Didn’t make the race this year because it fell on my Dragon trip weekend. Good race footage of the MINIs.

 

very cool

 

Starting a new thread for Three Rivers . . . August 17th

I have registered both cars for the 3R Grand Prix.

I expect to have 3 experenced French Canadian drivers. I am waiting for a final confirmation. One of them is Alain Lauziere, who drove at Mosport, is a definate. Alain is the point leader in the Canadian Touring Championship in his familiar orange Mini. He knows 3R very well and we look forward to having him back.

Here is the schedule:

http://www.grand-am.com/Events/Event.asp?ID=198

Cruise Canada RV rentals will be the lead sponsor for the event.

I will annouce the other two drivers and a secondary Canadian sponsor soon!

Hope to see you there!!!!!!

Randy

 

 

http://groups.google.com/group/rsrmo...ts/files?hl=en (click on the word 'GRID' for easy viewing of all the pictures)

A link to Pictures from Mid Ohio and Barber*

Enjoy!

Randy

*Courtesy of . . . www.wesduenkel.com

 

Thought I would login in...and say hello.
I had a blast and am gald to see the mini is going to get some help with the rules. The entire RSR team are a great bunch of guys.
Looking forward to working with everyone again in the future.
best of luck at 3 Rivers!

BJZ

 

Hey BJ, welcome to NAM!

 

BJ ....... If you are on this forum then I know you have fun driving the MINI.

Welcome and see you at Miller.

Mark

 

 

Miller is AWESOME , I was there in May .... BEAUTIFUL TRACK and the FACILTY is 2nd to none

 

After lobbying Grand Am for months, we finally got some performance concessions from them this week.

1) Approval to run the larger JCW factory rotors and calipers. Unfortunately, there are no racing pads for this setup yet. However, our friends at HAWK are working on it as we speak.

If any of you are running JCW brakes and need performance pads, drop me a PM with your email and I will ask Hawk to contact you.

2) Reduction in the minimum weight to 2250 . . . -50lbs. It doesn't sound like much but with the Mini's relatively low HP to weight ratio, this worth is more than you would think. It will help acceleration, turning, braking, tire wear, fuel economy, etc.

3) We have the approval to test an improved hood scoop. If we document that it works, it is also approved. As I have said many times . . . inner cooler heat is the #1 problem plaguing the car. We are hopeful this will help with that problem.

The cars are prepped for 3 rivers and we are ready to go 10 days in advance! The cars came back from Barber with no damage and mechanically perfect. A season's worth of effort is paying off in setup and prep.

Drivers for 3R . .

Randall Smalley
Alain Lauziere
Owen Trinkler
4th driver TBD

As always. . . thanks for you interest and support.

Randy

 

Good luck guys!

 

Great news about the concessions Randy!

Best of luck at Trois-Rivieres.

 

Randy

Great news about Grand Am's assistance. I know you have been working very hard on these issues, I think this is another indicator that RSR is getting things done with Grand Am.

Good luck at 3R, I will be watching with others online at www.grand-am.com

Wish I could be there

Mark

 

Hey Randy

Has Alain asked Mandeville to drive. I know they split driving enduro runs in Ca.

 

I don't know . . . I have a driver lined up and am waiting for his confirmation on Monday. If he does not commit, I have an excellent standby who is on the 'wait' list.

Either way, we will field a top notch driving group. With the exception of myself, everyone has 3R experience.

Randy

 

Hope everything works out. Alain is a top notch driver and his crew are all dedicated great people.

Good luck

 

With the help your getting from Grand Am and the steady progression you've made with the cars every event....Don't make any mistakes and I think it could be a great race!