My Racing Roots Part 2 The RX-7 Years
So September 10, 2000, I am ready for racing. We had two cars, Mazda RX-7's. Our numbers were 86 (Alex) and 87(Me). The First year we raced at Firebird International Raceway. I do not remember my first race but I know that I finished just a head of Alex. Our next race was May 5, 2001. I remember it being very hot and that there was about 6 cars in our ITA (Improved Touring A) class. We made it through practice and qualifying with no incidents. I had qualified about 2 second faster than Alex that day, and I was starting a row ahead.
The race started, and I got a pretty good start. I was a head of Alex, but he was nipping at my heals. By about the 5 or 6 lap, I missed a shift point coming out of the tower turn and this allowed Alex to get around me. It took me a lap or two to get back into a good rhythm, and to get Alex in my sights again. As I was going do the front straight I noticed that I had been giving the faster cars are coming up, so let them by. I went into turn one with a BMW passing me on the right. My plan was to follow the BMW through 1 and 2 turns and by that time he would be passing Alex and so would I. But as we came out of turn 2. Alex saw the BMW coming and started to go off track. His car fished tailed a little and it looked like he was going to spin out, but he car hooked and started down the track. I saw what was happening and I moved to the bottom of the track to avoid. My plan did not work. I was hit in the right door. The car moved to the side but I kept control of it and made the turn for turn 3.
All I could think at the moment was, "Damn he just hit me." But I had to process what the car doing. It did not act like a tire was down and all of gauges reading normal. I made around the tower turn and into the pits to my waiting father. By them I think the worker at Black Flag, had told him what had happened. He came to my side and I ask him to check out the damage. He gave the thumbs ups and I went back out to the track.
Our family was watching from an area were they could not see turns 1 thou 4. So I appear with all this damage on the right side and my sister could only think of what I did to her husband.
For me, the track was at full caution. I got around to turn 2 and here was this mangled RX-7 sitting in the middle of the track. I did spot Alex with a worker with his helmet off, which was a good sign. The race remained under caution for a few more laps and we finished up the race. Pulling into inspection was Alex's car. His car was totaled. I came in with car that had the right side door caved in and a broken shock tower. They hand out awards and I had qualified for a four place trophy (a paper weight). This meant that we had a summer of dismantling one car and building a new one.
Fall came and I was back out with a repaired car. We were still working on Alex's car so he was my crew until we got his built. It turned out that again we were the last race off the day. Practice and qualifying went good. But as we broke for lunch, the clouds started rolling in. By the third race of the day it was raining. Dad had brought some wheels and tires that he was going to try to sale that day and we put those tires on. Windshield wipers who needs them on a race car right, well we needed some now. Well we settled for some rain-x. Why we are trying to prepare the car for wet running, I am watching this guy across from us with a Porsche 914, who had slicks on do nothing to prepare his car. I was in a different class by in the same race with me.
Our race came up and had stopped rain, but was still sprinkling. The rain-x was doing it job. We went out and took our warm up lap, and prepared for the start. We took the green and made it down the straight to turn one OK. The track was slick, but with change in tires, I did have a little grip. made it around the track to the very technical tower turn. As I rounded the corner, I see the Porsche spinning in the middle of the track. What to do. I chose to follow our friend Jerry England in his Honda CRX and watch Jerry make it by. But as I started to go into the small lane that I had, the Porsche caught my right finder. I was able to back up and continue. Because there was cars all over the front straight the pulled us into the pits. Dad looked at car and said it was fine to continue the race. The same finder that we had just repaired, was now damaged again. The Porsche did not fair well, because it was totaled in the accident. Finish the race but do not remember where I placed. All I knew was that I had another repair to make.
We did get if fixed and we were back racing in November. Between this time and February we had bought a real race car. We bought a factory built Volkswagen Golf. OK I know you are saying VW and factory built race car. But the car had been built to race in Street Spec C. We took the car out for the February race at Firebird East and during practice the transmission broke. Since we were racing the Golf in the same class as we have been for 2 years (ITA), we loaded the car up on the trailer and headed home to pick up the RX-7. We made it back for our race, was able to get the log books extended and was ready to race the RX-7 from the back. It was a good race and I boiled the brake fluid, I drove the car so hard. I got a second place metal for it. This would be the last time I would race a RX-7.
The next fall my dad rented out my RX-7 for the driving school. On the very last day and the final race that they have to end the class, the guy driving my car spun it out and crashed. He crashed it so hard that he bent the frame. The car was totaled. It was sad to see a good car that I had driven die like that.
The race started, and I got a pretty good start. I was a head of Alex, but he was nipping at my heals. By about the 5 or 6 lap, I missed a shift point coming out of the tower turn and this allowed Alex to get around me. It took me a lap or two to get back into a good rhythm, and to get Alex in my sights again. As I was going do the front straight I noticed that I had been giving the faster cars are coming up, so let them by. I went into turn one with a BMW passing me on the right. My plan was to follow the BMW through 1 and 2 turns and by that time he would be passing Alex and so would I. But as we came out of turn 2. Alex saw the BMW coming and started to go off track. His car fished tailed a little and it looked like he was going to spin out, but he car hooked and started down the track. I saw what was happening and I moved to the bottom of the track to avoid. My plan did not work. I was hit in the right door. The car moved to the side but I kept control of it and made the turn for turn 3.
All I could think at the moment was, "Damn he just hit me." But I had to process what the car doing. It did not act like a tire was down and all of gauges reading normal. I made around the tower turn and into the pits to my waiting father. By them I think the worker at Black Flag, had told him what had happened. He came to my side and I ask him to check out the damage. He gave the thumbs ups and I went back out to the track.
Our family was watching from an area were they could not see turns 1 thou 4. So I appear with all this damage on the right side and my sister could only think of what I did to her husband.
For me, the track was at full caution. I got around to turn 2 and here was this mangled RX-7 sitting in the middle of the track. I did spot Alex with a worker with his helmet off, which was a good sign. The race remained under caution for a few more laps and we finished up the race. Pulling into inspection was Alex's car. His car was totaled. I came in with car that had the right side door caved in and a broken shock tower. They hand out awards and I had qualified for a four place trophy (a paper weight). This meant that we had a summer of dismantling one car and building a new one.
Fall came and I was back out with a repaired car. We were still working on Alex's car so he was my crew until we got his built. It turned out that again we were the last race off the day. Practice and qualifying went good. But as we broke for lunch, the clouds started rolling in. By the third race of the day it was raining. Dad had brought some wheels and tires that he was going to try to sale that day and we put those tires on. Windshield wipers who needs them on a race car right, well we needed some now. Well we settled for some rain-x. Why we are trying to prepare the car for wet running, I am watching this guy across from us with a Porsche 914, who had slicks on do nothing to prepare his car. I was in a different class by in the same race with me.
Our race came up and had stopped rain, but was still sprinkling. The rain-x was doing it job. We went out and took our warm up lap, and prepared for the start. We took the green and made it down the straight to turn one OK. The track was slick, but with change in tires, I did have a little grip. made it around the track to the very technical tower turn. As I rounded the corner, I see the Porsche spinning in the middle of the track. What to do. I chose to follow our friend Jerry England in his Honda CRX and watch Jerry make it by. But as I started to go into the small lane that I had, the Porsche caught my right finder. I was able to back up and continue. Because there was cars all over the front straight the pulled us into the pits. Dad looked at car and said it was fine to continue the race. The same finder that we had just repaired, was now damaged again. The Porsche did not fair well, because it was totaled in the accident. Finish the race but do not remember where I placed. All I knew was that I had another repair to make.
We did get if fixed and we were back racing in November. Between this time and February we had bought a real race car. We bought a factory built Volkswagen Golf. OK I know you are saying VW and factory built race car. But the car had been built to race in Street Spec C. We took the car out for the February race at Firebird East and during practice the transmission broke. Since we were racing the Golf in the same class as we have been for 2 years (ITA), we loaded the car up on the trailer and headed home to pick up the RX-7. We made it back for our race, was able to get the log books extended and was ready to race the RX-7 from the back. It was a good race and I boiled the brake fluid, I drove the car so hard. I got a second place metal for it. This would be the last time I would race a RX-7.
The next fall my dad rented out my RX-7 for the driving school. On the very last day and the final race that they have to end the class, the guy driving my car spun it out and crashed. He crashed it so hard that he bent the frame. The car was totaled. It was sad to see a good car that I had driven die like that.
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