MARRS I - 2007 - Summit Point Race Report
The entire race video is on YouTube in three parts at:
The first race of the year is always an unknown. Who will be fast? Who will move up the ranks? Who will drop down? How did the track weather the winter? Will we have the speed we had last year? Will we be able to keep up with the progress of the pack? How will we fit in with our new running mates?
Over the long winter layoff, a few changes occurred to the operation of the race group. Over the past few years, our Improved Touring A (ITA) class has run on the track with ITB so we always were the faster of the cars on track. This year we will be running with ITR and ITS. ITR is completely new but should be the fastest of the IT classes, followed by ITS, then ITA, ITB, and ITC. ITA usually garners the largest participation numbers of all of the IT classes and some of the best competition throughout the class for all positions - the first race of the year would be no exception.
The 2006 season would be hard to follow-up. The Team Sisu Nissan 240sx and driver Kirk Dohne won the Mid Atlantic Road Racing Series (MARRS) Championship. Taking the win in more than half of the competed races and cruising to the Championship. We won the first three races to jump out to an early lead that we would never relinquish.
There is some new competition at the front of the field. Our main competition from 2006 returns - Jon Kofod and the Hankook Tire 3rd generation Acura Integra. Added to the attack of Integras is Rick Benazic, Bryan Pritt, and Chris Perera in a 2nd generation cars. Rick has been very fast when he has visited as a non-MARRS competitor for one race per year, but he may be able to join the series for the season.
As in the past, there are two qualifying sessions and then a race that is gridded based on the fast time of each car from either of the two sessions. We needed to bed in new brakes and rotors, while giving the new tires a good break-in, so we decided to use that first session to do this preparatory work and the second to set a time. We would do 4 laps in the first session building our speed for one fast lap and then a cool down lap. Unfortunately, our one fast lap was more than 5 seconds off the pace due to traffic that would make the beltway jealous. We were preliminarily 10th on the ITA grid and would need a good time in the second session to move up the starting grid. Then a bad thing happened - it started to rain. Then a good thing happened - the rain stopped and the skies cleared. Old tires and good brakes allowed us to capture the third qualifying spot in ITA for the race, seventh overall with one ITS car separating the Team Sisu 240sx from the front running duo of Integras driven by Kofod and Benazic.
Race day had clear skies and was un(race)seasonably warm for the first race of the year. The first row of the grid were two ITR cars, an ITS Datsun 240Z (Marty Jeter) and Kofod's ITA Acura Integra were on the second row, Benazic's ITA Acura Integra and a second ITS car (Mark Lapos in a Mazda RX7) were in the third row, and the Team Sisu Nissan 240sx was on the inside of the fourth row. Getting a good start would be difficult from this position unless the seas opened up and provided a hole. No hole. Lapos was filling the middle as the green flag dropped. We decided to attempt to move ahead of Kofod by pushing the inside line - a slight 'unintentional' bump of Benazic moved us both forward. The plan was working until Jeter braked early for Turn 1 and allowed the outside line to gain position. Then Jeter got loose under acceleration and slowed the inside line a little more. Kofod retained the first position in ITA as we entered turn 3. We slotted in behind Benazic with Lapos hot on out heels and wanting to get by to fight for the ITS lead. Lapos worked his way by in the faster ITS car on the second lap and got between Kofod and Benazic. Kofod pulled away ever so slightly as we battled Banazic and slowed both cars down. Kofod's car slowed with mechanical issues on the 4th race lap; Benazic and Dohne's Team Sisu Nissan continued battling but now for the lead in ITA. That battle would turn into a classic. Never more than 3 car lengths separation, fast race lap separated by only 0.03 seconds; we tried at least two times per lap to pass the Acura - thwarted by the clean driving and extremely similar capabilities of the Acura. We continually pushed and showed our nose, getting side-by-side a handful of times. It would come down to the last lap of the race. We had noted that we could get on the brakes later than the Acura going into turn 5 and that would be where we made our move. Braking to the inside, very slight brake lock-up and we moved along side the Acura. The Acura turned in and we turned in more, we were close - maybe too close. Up on the curb on the inside as the Acura finally sees us. Slight contact as we move by. Acura drops back a few car lengths as we race to the flag. Margin of victory was 0.325 seconds. A great way to start off the season in defense of our Championship. Another race win for the Team Sisu Nissan 240sx and driver Kirk Dohne.
Our next race is at Virginia International Raceway on Mother’s Day Weekend.
Finishing Position Name Car Laps Fast-Lap 1 Kirk Dohne Nissan 240sx 16 1:29.339 2 Rick Benazic Acura Integra 16 1:29.309 3 Bryan Pritt Acura Integra 16 1:31.075 4 Chris Perera Acura Integra 16 1:28.927 5 Brent Simonson Mazda Miata 16 1:30.885 6 Bill Hutchins Mazda Miata 16 1:31.239 7 Brad Barnhouse Honda Civic 15 1:32.259 8 Matthew Yip Volkswagen GTI 15 1:32.835 9 Mark Johnston Nissan 240sx 15 1:32.002 10 Matthew Rowe Dodge Shelby 15 1:33.352 11 Andrew Johnston Acura Integra 15 1:33.403 12 Art Jaso Toyota MR2 15 1:33.917 13 Sam Shaver Mazda Miata 15 1:33.638 14 Mark Schechter Mazda RX7 15 1:33.751 15 George Starkey Mazda Miata 15 1:34.586 16 Thomas Thompson Chrysler Neon 14 1:38.203 17 Thomas Arnold Honda Civic EX 14 1:38.055 18 Carlos Schooler Toyota MR2 14 1:37.921 19 Dick Hummel Toyota MR2 14 1:40.362 20 Jason Fields Nissan 240sx 11 1:31.432 21 Jeffrey Exter Honda CRX Si 9 1:33.135 22 Douglas Kinser Toyota MR2 DNF 1:31.178 23 Jon Kofod Acura Integra DNF 1:29.148