Opening a thread for Watkins Glen.

Last year the 196 was the OVERALL LEADER at Watkins for awhile, ahead of all the GS cars too . . . This should be an interesting race.

196 Randy Smalley and Owen Trinkler
197 Sarah Cattaneo and VJ Mirzayan
198 Craig Conway and BJ Zacharias

We will be at the track on Thursday for practice. We race on Saturday.

Schedule: http://www.grand-am.com/assets/2010G...alSchedv2b.pdf

 

Have fun, good luck and kick butt! Get those big *** bumpers installed?

 

Good luck!

 

Good luck team RSR. You have the speed! Now go buy some rabbit's feet & hang them from your rearview mirrors.

 

Good luck guy's!! Don't let that RX8 get near ya....

 

GOOD LUCK GUYS/GAL!!!

[Wish I was there ... ]

 

I ran a NASA HPDE there last October, the first time I'd ever seen Watkins Glen, let alone drive on it - what a thrill!

That track is well suited to MINIs I'd think, I know I had a blast on it!

Good luck guys and gals!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79VqwfXVaMA

Enjoy..

 

Good luck!

 

Good luck at the Glen! Give 'em hell out there!

 

Ha! He was feathering the throttle in the SSSS, I was flat thru there!

However, he had a better line coming out of the boot than I - he was quicker there for some reason...

 

Huh?? That's flat my friend.... Now if your talking T's 5,6,and 10 then yes, I'm feathering.

Besides...it's a MINI so it's easy flat thru the esses especially on Hoosiers. Speed is only about 100mph entering the esses, marginally quicker at the exit of 4... there is a 4-5 shift before I enter T2 because I'll run out of gear before I get to T3 if I don't. I hate doing it because I know it's early but the alternative is feathering coming out of 2 before I can get to the chute between 3 & 4. I run 15" track rims so I get up to speed quicker but run out of it sooner...

Anyway...it's all fun!!

 

5&6 are the bus stop, right?

I thought it sounded like you lifted slightly going thru the apex in the middle of the S - my mistake. I know I was flat from the exit of turn 1 till I had to lift for the bus stop.

You definitely looked quicker in the toe of the boot than I was, don't know why, and I was slower coming into the short chute which left me flat all the way till I had to lift some coming onto the main straight.

Like you said tho - it was all fun!

 

The "Bus Stop" has no turn #'s.....it's just the bus stop. T5 is the "Outer loop" or "Carousel" (just prior to where you would continue right onto Nascar straight). T6 is the "ankle" of the boot.

I just need a bit more curage to get thru T10 without lifting... Not really a problem on new R6's but I haven't gotten myself to do it yet. And I have soom severe understeer coming out of the Toe (T7) as you can see from the vid...but I like where I end up. I could do better in T6 as well but I'm not there yet either. I need a better suspension...

I LOVE Watkins Glen!! Ton's of commitment needed for a good lap time in a street MINI..

But man, have we hyjacked this thread??

 

combined Q

196 - 6th ~1.3 sec off pole.

196 - 36th ~10 sec down, obviously a rough session.

Here's to the racing gods smiling on RSR at the Glen!

 

duh, the race is well underway and things do not look bright.

197 just dropped from 5th to 19th and 196 sits in 36th.

 

a full course caution has just caught them up

 

I report what LT says, but you are probably there!

 

VJ is behind Trevor Hopwood in a Kia. Oh the irony.

 

VJ just passed Trevor. Yeah!

 

About a 1/2 hour left...looks to not be a MINI day.

 

Gotta admire the commitment that RSR has made to racing R53s cause it sure is not easy.

 

 

Especially when ^^^ is involved.

 

UH?

Considering the results before and since his departure, I'd have to say you have that bassackwards..