Mid Ohio Sprint Vintage Grand Prix

[Russell Roach]

Hey guys,

Just recovered enough to put down the events of this last weekend..man Mid O is a blast. I can see clearly why it's the Holy Grail of sportscar racing. Got to the track on Wed. just in time to see the new Caddy CTS doing hot laps timed him at 1:30 sure looked good.

We unloaded the car and during our first session on Thurs. put down a 1:56 first time around the track. Sure was nice to be in a place where the car draws attention. Racing here in Texas I usually get the " I didn't knowDatsun made a car like that" at Mid O the little car and I didn't know what to do with all the attention. One of my friends quiped after my interview with Victory Lane that the New York Times would be coming by and would like to do an front page feature...one in every crowd.

Fridays practices were spent working on consistency I turned mid 53's and low 54's.

Saturday during qualifying put down my best lap of 1:53 good enough for fourth on the grid behind Gregg Rodgers in a MG Midget( 1:50), Keith Burnett in a Turner Mk1(1:52) and Ross Bremer in a Ford Anglia(1:52.5)
At the start Joe Tierno got a fantastic start(jumped) and sent me back to fifth and ended up qualifying 5th, best part of the day other than the 53 was meeting Chris Luers and his better half Diane.

Sundays feature race was a nine lapper gota bad start and was shuffled from fourth to 7th Got sucked up by a midget, a MGA and a Lotus seven yikes! second lap I got the midget at the bottom of madness left the door open on the inside by the honda bridge I was in the clear, next the lotus got him on the last sharp right hander before the back straight...yea for datsun brakes!!! ran there for the next two laps.

While sitting on the false grid I had noticed that the MGA was on Hoosier Td's having run those before I new if I could keep the pressure on they might get pretty greasy on such a heavy car so for the next two laps I kept my front bumper/air dam in his rearview, pretty soon little tale tell signs of tire smoke made me smile, athe the left hand kink on the back straight we were side by side me on the inside going to the last tight right before the front straight hard on the brakes I saw him light up all four, I apexed that corner probably the best all weekend and zoom I was gone finished the race back in Fourth overall and 3rd in class. Man what a blast! For the First time at a track I didn't feel like the Datsun whipping boy. Can't wait til the next outing.

Russell

[spl310]

GO, MAN, GO!!!!

[S Allen]

Sounds like you had a ball Russ. Thanks for sharing.

Steve

[hport]

Russ,

Great report, sounds like fun ! Have you done a lap with a camera mounted in the car yet ? Would make for great viewing.

Whipping boy my ass, anyone who is out there doing what you do in a Roadster, is first rate in my book !

Drive hard, brake late.

JC