Laguna Seca
March 16-18, 2018
BHR brought two Piper DL7s to the San Francisco regional races at Laguna Seca. Brad Hayes was behind the wheel of the #7 car, while Daniel Guenther took his first FF laps in the #4 car.
Friday saw heavy rain, and the #7 car spent the day staying dry in the Laguna Seca garages. Daniel took the #4 car out for some initial familiarization laps. But the rainy weather limited any significant learning. Of the six FF class cars entered for the weekend, only three turned laps on Friday.
First up on Saturday was Race #1. Prior to the race, the rain had stopped and much of the track had dried. But as the field took to grid, the rain returned. With everyone on slick tires, and portions of the track ranging from dry, to damp, to standing water, Race 1 was a challenge for everyone. In the ever changing conditions, Ethan Shippert would drive away from the field and take an impressive win. Brad finished second, and Daniel third in the two BHR Pipers.
Later Saturday afternoon, the rain had once again stopped, and the field took to the track to qualify for Race #2. Track conditions had improved, but there was still significant water standing on sections of the track. Ethan Shippert went out and set a fast lap of 1:41.995 early in the session. As the session wound down, Brad Hayes chipped away at Ethan's P1 time. On the final lap of the session, Brad just nipped Ethan with a lap of 1:41.836 to take pole position for Sunday's Race #2.
Sunday morning brought clear sunny skies and cool temperatures. The track was dry, except for the lingering water in Turn 3. As the green flag fell, Brad Hayes got a good start from the pole. But under braking for Turn 2, Ethan Shippert was able to charge to the outside, putting him in the lead as they raced to the wet and slippery Turn 3. Ethan and Brad would stay close as both drivers turned similar lap times throughout the race. Then on the next to last lap, Brad made a mistake braking a bit too late in Turn 2, and losing any chance at pressuring Ethan for the win. Ethan would go on to take his second win of the weekend, while Brad finished second, followed by Paul Richins, Daniel Guenther, and Manuel Leonardo rounding out the top 5.
While BHR did not bring home the wins this weekend, the team still performed well. Brad Hayes was able to turn personal best lap times, even with the mixed track conditions. And after the challenges of Friday and Saturday, Daniel was able to put the coaching of Doug Learned to use, and make significant strides toward competitive lap times by the end of the weekend. The team has also made some small changes to the cars since the Fontana Major. Even though the final results may not show it, a deeper review of data from the weekend shows that Doug and Doug Jr have the cars performing better than ever.
We now turn our focus to the upcoming Thunderhill Major in April. Nicky Hays will be back in the #4 car, and Brad Hayes will be in the #7 at Thunderhill.