Day 10 - The Checkered Flag + 1100 Miles

All is hazy and the after effects of adult beverages has taken its toll.

I'll have to come back and finish this entry later.......I feel like poo.



Sunday 6:45pm MST:
Back in Evergreen and this is a retropspective of the drive back as well as the entire week. Starting with yesterday morning, we had one final event with the dry skidpad. If you recall from the first event exactly 7 days prior, we had the same event in the wet skidpad. In all reality this event was a smiple formality for us as our standing would change little, and more importantly for the gentleman's inside bet, our standing vs. Team Iran & Team Canada would remain the same. The day was windy, cold, & damp so after the event, no one wanted to stick around for the awards ceremony.

Sebastian and I said some quick goodbyes and we were off for our 13 hour trek back to beautiful Colorado. I think it may have been mentioned before in this blog, but I'm a terrible transfer driver as my stamina in the driver's seat extends about 3 hours (if that) before I start to fall asleep at the wheel. Luckily, the cumulative fatigue from the week's festivities had me sleep quite soundly for 4 hour stretches while Sebastian plugged away mile after mile.

The short stints that actually had me in a waking state we talked about the incredible experiences and the fantastic people we met during the week. Within that conversation we also discussed the details for next year's event. This event has entered the bloodstream and I have a feeling that it will continue to be an annual highlight for years to come.

With all we've seen and done this week, we'll be back to our 'normal' lives by weekdays' start, which now seems more foreign than normal, but I'm looking forward to the routine as well as getting reunited with my bikes, couch, & local friends.

Thanks to all that helped us through the week, thanks to my co-driver Sebastian, thanks to Ric & Loye for the great laughs, & thanks to 1 Lap for an incredible event.

Happy roads and we'll see y'all next year!

Tony

Day 9 – Thankful & Fortunate

I was told this morning that Anthony Sloan from Yeti Cycles passed away yesterday evening. I met him only a handful of times, but he was always courteous, smiling, and full of cheer. I’m sorry to hear that he didn’t have more time to enjoy his passions and my condolences go out to his family, friends, and colleagues at Yeti.

The news of Anthony’s passing took me to a bit of introspection as I thought about how fleeting life can be. As I hear the background music of screaming motors going around the track, I’m feeling both grateful for the unbelievable experience that 1 Lap provides as well as (oddly for the first time this week) the fear of dying. As morbid as it was, it was also quite eye-opening to really think it could all be over in a flash.

This week has been an eye opener in the sense that I’ve experienced things that so few will ever have the opportunity to do, much less see. I’ve met people from all walks of life with such a diversity of experience that it’s hard to relate to their daily lives, but at the same time we have so much in common. 1 Lap, it turns out, has such a rich history and such a diverse slice of the social spectrum, it’s hard to believe it nurtures so much comraderie. Yet every “lapper” seems to understand why the others are there. It spans much more than just fast cars and race tracks……..it encompasses competition, friendship, and conflict in such an intensely short period of time, the event becomes more than just the sum of it parts.

Today’s events had us in Pennsylvnia for our last road course. I was up first and still very skittish from the experience at CMP, I was content to just roll around the track at 7/10ths. It’s a short circuit, but challenging due to its many blind corners and hilly terrain. My run was mediocre as I came in 43rd, but I was happy just to keep the tires on the track! Sebastian was up in the afternoon and he came in with a much more competitive 33rd.

With the event coming to a close, I’m definitely looking forward to going home to see Diana, eat some home cooked food, and sleep in my own bed. This evening we’re headed back to South Bend, IN where it all started. The word has it that there is an informal gathering at the hotel where most of the 1 Lappers will share stories of the week and throw back a few adult beverages.

A toast to Anthony.

Day 8 - The Semantics of Crashing

Having an “off” as it’s known in the motorsports world is somewhere between crashing and simply placing a wheel off the track. What occurred today had more spectacular offs than we had seen all week.

Our agenda placed us at Carolina Motorsports Park in South Carolina at 8am where we were scheduled for two runs on the road course. The morning’s showers left the track quite slick. The slightly adverse conditions made one particular fast corner (taken by the fast guys around 100+ mph) quite precarious. An interesting problem in that the corner could be taken quite quickly, but a slight hump at the apex would unsettle the cars by unweighting the right rear and in combination with the track going slightly to the right would have the cars spinning before the driver knew it.

In the morning sessions there were three spectacular “offs”……a C5 Corvette, a blazingly fast GTI, and a 425hp Dodge Magnum SRT8. Luckily, each came away mostly unscathed…….though egos certainly bruised. Each car spinning and skidding sideways for at least 600 feet……..quite a scary deal going close to 100mph.

Also fortuituous was Sebastian’s first run, as the sun peeked out and the track was able to dry before he rolled on. Fast laps by the front runners were in the mid 5 minute range and Sebastian came in at 6:03……….good enough for our best finish yet at 19th!!

With our friendly rivalry still intact with Team Iran, it was important that we continue pressing. Nick has steadily improved from his earlier efforts and kept up with the middle of the pack with a 6:16. We’re in a commanding lead, but anything can happen.

Second run of the day and it was my turn to buckle in. All day as I studied the race line, I was particularly aware of the bump in the track that sent several racers spinning. In speaking with a few that had run earlier, I was convinced that the Lotus could handle it at full bore……….I couldn’t have been more wrong. Foot to the floor after a long straight and I was in 4th looking at 100mph as I crested the bump and absolutely lost the car. Spinning like a top and STANDING on the brake I saw the crash barrier once…….spin………twice……….spin…………thrice (bracing for impact)……..and a miraculous resting point about 30 feet from the barrier. Crap……..in my pants.

It was a near miracle that the car came out mostly unscathed and I had the one wit remaining to restart the car and get back on the track. I finished with a dismal 6:19, but I was happy to get a time and more importantly, not seeing the car ride away on a flatbed.

Not having much time to even recount the events, Sebastian and I packed up and departed for Spartanburg, SC (about 2.5 hours away) where the next event at the BMW Performance Driving School was being held. A very quick stop with a surprisingly large spectator turnout, this stop had one run and off for a 9 hour drive to Pennsylvania (our 16th state of the event). Sebastian did his usual thing and turned a good time netting us 29th for the event padding our lead a bit more, leaving Team Poland/Korea with an almost insurmountable lead over Team Iran.

It’s now 10pm and we’re still in this pillbox of a car; Sebastian’s hairy backed Polack ass is starting to stink again……….5 more hours to our destination where we’ll have 4 hours of sleep and off the track for our last road course at the famous BeaveRun.

Tony smokes them in Daytona

We show up in Daytona Beach late yesterday evening, and as we drive by the Daytona International Speed way, we can can't help but be amazed at the sheer size of the complex.   The imposing structure helps to grow our anticipation of what awaits us in the morning.   As soon as you cross the tunnel and exit out into the infield of the speedway, you are in awe, its as if you we in the middle of the Coliseum.   Now, let me assure you that neither Tony or I are fans of the backwood redneck sport (wait, that might actually be a game, as one can do it while drinking a beer, but more on that in a minute) of NASCAR racing, but holy shit is that holy grail of stock car racing ever impressive.    It is extremely rare for the general public, let alone hacks like us to drive at Daytona, so this was the first time anyone in our overall group got to drive at the track.   Most were intimidated by the long, FAST straights, and the steep banking of the ovals, but all were excited to be present.   Tony was up against some steep odds as we eyed the course an the big bore power of most of the machinery at the event.  As quick and nimble as the Lotus is, it just doesn't have the horsepower necessary to generate the high speeds the others had in spades.   The course had only a short section of technical, tight radius turns, otherwise its a pedal to the metal kind of a race.   As he took off chasing after a BMW M-3 driven by team Iran,  I was not giving him much of a chance.   Much to my dismay, he was gaining on the M-3 (spaced 15 seconds apart at the start) by the middle of lap 1, by lap 3 he gained 13 seconds on the M-3, nearly passing it.   The time may be trivial, but when you see it in person, its a true triumph of David over Goliath.   Tony finished in 37th position overall!   Over lunch, Tony proclaims: "Im not driving anymore today, Im going to treat myself to a delicious beer"......shortly after lunch tough we hopped in the car to do some "victory" laps around the track, before the afternoon race sessions.   This was a last minute treat, where we could drive around the track with two people in the car with no helmets or race suits.  



As we got to the car, it was decided he should drive and show the details of the track.  Little did we know we would actually be following pace cars, and would be allowed to run HOT laps at top speeds.   As we entered the first oval, I realized that this was no walk in the park.  The oval gets to about three stories high, and is pitched steeply enough that you could not stand on the track.  The low windshield of the Lotus makes it impossible to look around the track, so the racing rule of "look where you want to go" does you no good,  as you have no clue as to where you are going.   To add to all that, the track seems to get smaller as you are going around it, faster and faster and faster......all the while Im shitting a brick, Tony is giggling like a little school girl......I close my eyes, I think Im going to throw up, he's laughing.....I want to pull over and walk back......I go into a complete metal breakdown, while Tony is having the time of his life.   We go around six or seven times, reaching speeds of 130-135mph, which feels like a 1000.    The ride felt like the most terrifying roller coaster of my life.   I announce quickly that there is no way in hell Im driving that course.   Disappointing, yes, but self-preservation is more important, and besides we need the points.  I'll drive on a flat track tomorrow.    Tony gets out there for heat 2, again behind the M-3 from team Iran, and battle two ensues.   By lap three, Tony is on the tail of the M-3, Nick not willing to move over is holding onto the lead, but right after they come off the banking at 145mph, Nick hits the brakes early to come into the technical section of the course, while Tony whips around him, holding onto his speed for the crucial extra .5-1 second and passes on his left immediately prior to going into a sharp bend.   It was a brilliant move on Tony's part, who drives like he rides a bike (for those of you who dont know him well, he is one of the best).   He not only beat the time of a car carrying a 250hp advantage, but he actually passed it.....on a track where the Lotus should have come in the back of the pack.   Tony managed a 31st overall position with that incredible win!!!   Our team moves into 36th overall position in the standings, thanks to the incredible driving skills and fearless attitude of my driving partner.   Now, back to that game/sport discussion.....it dawned on us as we were leaving the track at the end of the day, that he did all of this after drinking over lunch......NASCAR=game

The day at Sebring exceeded the lofty expectations Tony and I had set for it.  The moment you pull up to the paddock, you see the names of the famous drivers that have made the track what it is, a world famous endurance racing facility.   Nothing like looking forward to racing on a track that has turns and bends named after Fangio, Gurney and Cunningham.......especially given our skill set.

Tony, for all of his self deprecating comments, smoked it today.   He made me a little nervous shortly after the start of lap 2, as all I could see in the distance was a cloud of flying sand, the exact place that I was having a hard time with during my morning race session.  Thankfully, the sand cloud parted and out came a little blue Lotus.   Tony, in all his madness, slid off the track into the sand, but did the exact opposite of what your are supposed to do, and kept in the throttle, steering and powering his way out of a sand trap.   Of course, he did it again, though to a slighly lesser degree on lap 3.......then went on to finish the race in a fantastic time.

The fine showing at the track was celebrated by Tony by eating an entire bag of Fried Onion snacks, which may have been fried, but there was nothing organic in that bag.   Unlike his previous near hear attack from overeating McDonalds hamburgers, this might have just slightly increased his heart rate.   This was of course right after the car's A/C stopped working in the mid-day Florida heat.   That may explain why Tony felt compelled to cruise at over 100mph on the public highways.....the air buffeting into the cabin would have felt cool, had it not first been super heated by the exhaust coming off the super heated bullet we were riding in.




The other super storied track of the One Lap, Dayota is coming up tomorrow.   The thought of the banked ovals of that raceway alone, conjure horror thoughts in my mind.   I may need a trick from the Tony book of driving......have a drink, better yet several to calm the nerves.

Day 5 - Fatigue Has Set In

Deprivation from sleep, friends, loved ones, good food, sex, daily routine, & bikes has made both Sebastian and me quite cantankerous at times.  Throw in the fact that we've driven 2500 miles in an obnoxiously loud tin can of a car, and one can understand that I'm ready to set Sebastian on fire and he's ready to kill me in my sleep.

Fortunately for us both, the driving events have been phantasmagorical and continue to whet our appetites for the next day's events.  This morning had us at the Talladega GP Speedway road course where both of us had the opportunity to run.  I was up first and as I sat in the pit's staging area, the rain's sprinkles turned to droplets turned to outright rain.  Regardless of the rain, officials sent us out and I had, what I thought was a great run for my very limited abilities.  A lap and a half in, my windshield wiper quit working and without Sebastian's brilliant move to Rain-X the windshield I would have surely stuffed the car.  The bigger highlight for me however, was the fact that I actually passed a car that had started 15sec ahead.  Ecstatic, I handed the keys to the tall Polack for his run a couple hours later.  

Sebastian's run was a bit less wet, but the conditions were still far from perfect.  As I've stated in the past, from first glance he looks awkward &  buffoonish, but the man can drive!!  He lopped a massive 16 seconds from my time and we ended the day just 4 spots down from where we stood at the start of the day.

Tomorrow brings us to an internationally reknowned track in Sebring, FL.   Hopefully we can hold our spot at 40th.

Day 4 - Back On Track

As much as I like to complain about my co-pilot's idiosyncrasies, I have to give him credit for being able to drive.  Our agenda today held an a.m. autocross in Kentucky and an oval event in Tenessee in the p.m.  It was our hope that we'd regain a few of the positions that I had lost the afternoon before and position ourselves midpack.  

The morning started out with much anticipation and as the top runners attacked the course, we were all really able to see what very good drivers can do with very fast cars.  Most impressive were the predictably fast front running GTR & 911 GT2, but the most memorable for me was the Impreza WRX that seemed like it was tuned to within a centimeter of its life.  Sounding like a small jet, it burped and whooshed its way through the course to come in an unbelievable 2nd in the autocross.  Considering the seriously fast and exotic machinery littering the lineup, the very ordinary looking Subie more than held its own in this very tough crowd.  

With the fast guys having gone through their first of three runs, Sebastian eventually came through the lineup and did our team proud as he pulled a very respectable time just 4 seconds behind the leaders.  Of course there were two more laps to go and with the first run likely being a recon lap for the fast guys, the times were sure to drop.  And drop they did, as by the end of the event, the winning time was 38 seconds and change.  Sebastian finished with a very respectable 44.46 seconds that netted an impressive 24th for the event.  

Ric/Loye also posted a very fast time (for hacks) of 45.26 seconds which left them in 31st for the event.  Nick also posted a very good time of 47.23 that was good for 46th.

Pumped and looking forward to the next event, we quickly packed and headed the ~250 miles south to the oval.  Unfortunately, weather did not cooperate and the event was cancelled as we showed up at the track.  On the bright side, much of the field gathered at a nearby gas station for a couple hours til the official cancellation word came from the track officials.........the comraderie was fantastic as most of the drivers mingled and shared stories of how they arrived at this year's 1 Lap.

So the end of the day had us driving another 250 miles to Alabama where we laid up for the night in prep for the event at Talladega.

The day's overall standings had Ric/Loye overtake Nick/Farid, and Sebastian/Tony regaining a bit of ground.  The day's end also had Ric, Loye, Sebastian and me going over the day's events over dinner.............as you can see from the pic below, Ric is obviously recounting a very tall tale of lurid powerslides with a supermodel cheering section (Loye and I are listening, albeit incredulously:)

End of day standings...

1) Team Poland/Korea - 37th (445pts)

2) Team Canada/Oh Canada - 54th (230pts)

3) Team Iran - 57th (170pts)

Day 3 - Stuffing is for turkeys

Two events, two drivers, one unscathed car.  I awoke this morning with the hopes of simply making it through the day without either of us crashing the car.  Considering my past endeavors at race tracks and some shortened track days due to unfortunate mishaps, I did my best to stem myopic tendencies and understand crashing today would mean watching from the sidelines for the remainder of the week.  

The morning was full of anticipation as we started the day with the wet skidpad event.  For those unfamiliar, it's a discipline that tests how many g forces one can pull around a wet circular "track"; picture driving as fast as possible in a wet round-about.  With Sebastian in the driver's seat, I was confident we'd be off to a good start.  He didn't disappoint as we left South Bend in 36th place.  And as lame as that may sound, considering we were shooting for 58th, it was a fantastic finish.

By 11am, we were off to Joliet, Il where we'd experience the first road course.  At this point, I began to feel the pressure as it was my turn to show my mettle (or lack thereof).  As it turns out, the 2 hour wait to get on the track was more difficult than the 5 minutes and 58 seconds it took for me to complete three laps of this stellar track.  Times proved that I wasn't quite as good as Sebastian's placing but we lost only 4 spots to end the day in 40th place.  

A quick farewell to Ric/Loy & Nick/Farid and we were Audi 5000 (an interesting 80's American colloquialism denoting departure according to Tony's Urban Dictionary) and off to Cincinati, OH.

At the end of the day, we all made it through with no more damage than some slightly bruised egos and the anticipation of 7 more days of racing.  

With egos & sidebets on the line, the scorecard reads:

1. Team Poland/Korea - 40th overall

2. Team Iran - 56th overall

3. Team Canada/Oh Canada - 58th overall

It's too early to tell who'll end where, but we're off to an early lead!  

Day 2 - RAGE...

...as defined by Merriam-Webster is "violent and uncontrolled anger".   Such was the theme of the remainder of our drive from Iowa to Indiana this morning.  To preface, I can understand how irksome poor driving ettiquette can be........we have all experienced the offenders; left lane lingerers, tailgaters, agressive drivers, lack of consideration is rampant.  We also all seem to take these experiences in stride as there's really little to do and in all reality getting somewhere a few minutes earlier is hardly worth the angst of road rage.  

Oddly enough, my lovely co-driver Sebastian, as collected he may be in everyday life, turns into a road-rager of epic proportion.  Suffice it to say..........I may have to insist on driving the public legs of the remainder of the race to keep sanity intact for us both.

With all that said, we did eventually make it to South Bend where we re-united with our Evergreen nemeses Ric & Loye in their Porsche Boxster and Nick & Farhid in their BMW M3.  The sheer amount of crazy machinery was something to see.........everything from old school Porsche 930's to high tech Cadillac CTS-V's & Nissan GTR's with the most unique possibly being a 1948 Plymouth Coupe with the gnarliest exhaust note I've heard in some time.  (You can see all the cars at Motor Trend's site dedicated to the race at motortrend.com/onelap)

Some good natured jabs were batted back and forth over lunch with our buddies after we went through registration, tech inspection, and receiving our packet of car stickers that makes our car even more conspicuous.  Hopefully we can duck the local constabularies, but my hopes are pretty low on that one.

 

Tomorrow the event officially starts with the Wet Skid Pad Challenge here in South Bend.  We've decided that with Sebastian's superior driving skills (note the emphasis on driving and driving only:) he'll be in the saddle for this event.  Shortly after our run, we'll be on the open road, backtracking a bit to Joliet, IL (Autobahn Country Club) for our first road course event later in the dat at which point we'll turn around and be on our way to Kentucky for the following day's autocross event.  So the race starts in earnest tomorrow and there's much to anticipate........we're giddy like school girls.........without the pigtails.

Objects Are Closer Than They May Appear Goddamnit

Day 1

I love my car.

I love driving.

I love road trips.

I love the anticipation of what's to come.

I hate discomfort.

I hate smelly gas station bathrooms.

I hate Sebastian (sometimes).

I hate objects that are closer than they appear.

I'm sure all can understand the majority of points above, but the one item 

that really stuck me today was the object.  In specific, the object that may 

be closer than it appears.  Yesterday I sat looking at the map 

thinking.......Indiana........just a mere 18 hours away.  It turns out that 18 

hours in a Lotus Elise is not pleasurable; even less so with a tall, hairy, 

loquacious, fermenting Polack as co-pilot.  Suffice it to say, we made it as 

far as Iowa and we have 5 hours remaining as I write this.

A mostly uneventful day with most of the time cruising along at 90mph 

(averaging an unbelievable 28mpg) and passing the time by trying to 

tally the near endless number of late 90's Mercury Sables......almost all 

of them in gold.

Spirits are still good and ambitions still high.  For those we didn't tell 

prior to leaving, we have a gentlemen's bet amongst the three teams 

from Evergreen.  The short of it has the two losing teams hanging a 

picture (of the winning team in full race regalia) in their respective living 

rooms for an entire year!

Cheers to coming third from last!!!

A bit of background on our mode of transport:

• 2005 Lotus Elise
• Next to no storage
• Passenger seat is 2/3 the size of the driver's seat
• Radio sucks
• Heater sucks
• A/C sucks
• Great track car.......terrible commuter

I would have liked to take the station wagon, but outside influences forced me to take this car:/

1 Lap Eve

Here I sit.  The night before the most ridiculous event that I have had the pleasure to participate.  While I sit here and contemplate the possibilities, let me preface by stating that I have, for many years, wanted to participate in what is known to most as the Cannonball Run.  Made infamous via the movie of the same name, its current incarnation is titled the One Lap of America.  Just a brief history, but the original "Cannonball Baker Sea to Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash" was an outlaw race from NYC to Redondo Beach, CA; held four times during the 70's.  As most could probably imagine, this literal cross country race threw caution and prudence to the wind, so with law enforcement's eventual gentle nudge and the desire for the spirit of the race to continue, the event evolved into a timed endurance rally in which teams drive from race track to race track.  Each track hosts a time trial with teams driving for the lowest cumulative time.  

With all that said, in the fall of '08, amongst a few friends and a few more beers I suggested that we register for the One Lap.  Knowing that all agreements made whilst drinking are null and void the next day, I was confident that no one would hold me to the suggestion.  Needless to say, here we are...........to my dismay, registered and hardly ready to go.

Our route takes us from our homes in Evergreen, CO to:

1. Joliet, IL - Autobahn Country Club
2. Florence, KY - Turfway Park
3. Greenbrier, TN - Highland Rim Raceway
4. Talladega, AL - Talladega Grand Prix Raceway
5. Sebring, FL - Sebring International Raceway
6. Gainesville, FL - Gainesville Raceway
7. Daytona Beach, FL - Daytona International Speedway
8. Kershaw, SC - Carolina Motorsports Park

8 days, more than 4000 miles and a lot of time in the saddle.  I'll be updating hopefully on a daily basis assuming I don't kill my co-driver, Sebastian.

Good luck to our comrades from Evergreen..........Ric, Loy, & Nick.