IMS Runoffs
Our 2017 race season finished by running at the SCCA Runoffs at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This race would turn out to be the largest and possibly greatest Runoffs that he SCCA has ever put on. And for a guy originally from Indiana, I was honored to participate at this historic event.
On track activity started with 3 days of testing. With the long main straightaway at Indy, we quickly realized that we were down on power to some of the front runners. We knew that our Honda engine was strong, but for some reason we were not seeing the top speeds needed to be competitive. After reviewing some changes we had made to the car, and digging through data from the early test sessions, we realized that the engine air intake pressures were simply too low. The engine was not getting enough air to produce the power needed at higher revs. We had made some changes to reduce aerodynamic drag, but the resulting smaller air intake was simply not sufficient. Overnight we were able to make a prototype airbox, which solved the intake pressure issues, while still maintaining the reduced aero drag. In the next test session, our airbox changes were validated when we saw top speeds on the man straight increase by over 5 mph from the earlier test sessions.
Qualifying started on Monday. For qualifying sessions we were grouped with F500 cars, meaning we had over 70 cars on track. Even with the challenging traffic, we were able to get a couple of clean laps in Q1 putting us in 17th position. I struggled to find the same clear track in the remaining qualifying sessions. So even though we had made the car better and I felt like I was driving better, I was not able to improve on my Q1 time. So after four qualifying sessions, I would grid for the race from 20th position in a strong 36 car field of FF cars. Not where we wanted to start, but still thrilled to be a part of this race.
Friday was race day. The full BHR fan club was in attendance. It was wonderful to see so many friends and family coming out to support me at the track. And my wife Nan had the whole crew outfitted in new BHR/Piper/Fast Forward t-shirts. For the race, I had my dad on the radio spotting from the south end of the track, and Jeff Kitchen spotting from the north end. As Jeff called the green flag in my ear, I was able to get a decent start and move from my outside staring position down to the inside line for T1. Everyone was well behaved at the start, and we made it through T1 clean. After running steady for the first few laps and holding in P19, I then missed a shift on the critical run on to the front straightaway. That allowed a number of cars to get by down the straight, dropping me to P23 on lap 8. From there my race improved, I was able to re-pass some of the cars that had taken advantage of my missed shift. And I benefitted from some attrition ahead of me. In the end I was able to improve to finish in 16th position.
So in the end, I did not finish as high as I had hoped for. But for the first year back in the car, and running in the strongest FF field in several years, I'll take it. We learned a lot throughout the season. And I was able to fulfill a lifelong dream by competing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Collectively, we have created a solid foundation to build upon for 2018. And as the >>> in our logo indicates, we are looking ahead and moving forward for next season.
Special thanks to my Runoffs crew: Doug Learned Sr, Doug Learned Jr, John Hayes, Jeff Kitchen