We got to Moody, AL and our Super 8 at a relatively early 10:30pm. I thought about writing a post, pushing pictures up, etc. I even thought about taking a shower. Instead, I made sure my alarms were set, changed into sleep gear and fell asleep on top of the covers. That was something of a relief. Robert and I had stopped for Waffle House on the way... just to change it up from chicken sandwiches, hamburgers, and Subway. I made the mistake of ordering coffee, and about 30mins out from the hotel I got a bit "jumpy", with the caffeine settling in the joints of my legs and calf muscles. In part exacerbated by having the helmet right in front of the passenger seat. So, finally getting rid of that feeling and "crashing" was quite nice. Plus I've relearned my lesson about coffee and the long road.
We got up about 7.30 and got to the track around 8.30 after getting a scenic tour of Leeds. Barber Motorsports Park is... beautiful. In a pretentious, "Judge Elihu Smails" kind of way. You definitely get a feeling that they're looking down their noses at other tracks. And that doesn't sit too well with me. There's just one thing that really spoils it all:
The track itself is awesome!
Man I had a lot of fun driving it. Driving it iRacing beforehand definitely helped. I watched some videos and all, but I could really tell the difference in my comfort in knowing what I should be doing with the car at Barber compared to Grand Circuit Bayou. So that made it very fun. However, iRacing really fails to convey the impact of the elevation change. It's better than a lot of things... but my basement doesn't have a motion system, my logitech g25 is too loose, and only have one monitor. A lot of this is my fault. But, I've realized I'd rather go drive the real thing.
Now, again, I wasn't able to extract it all out. I was still braking a bit more than I should for the turn 7-8 combo... but I made a lot of time up on the 911 in front me even running that section slightly below max. I was over braking turn 1, 4, and another (can't remember the number). Also there was another turn I couldn't take another flat even though I should be able to. However, there were a number of combinations that I managed to link up, and I finally figured out the corner combination leading onto the front straight, all of which was very gratifying. I also managed to almost catch Theo's 911 in both sessions. We managed to pull about 40points out of our next closest "all remaining cars" competitor (Jack in the 944T). Shaving the distance to 55points. We might be able to pull it off... but it's not going to be a cake walk. Funny, though, what I'm really saying is that I'm trying not to win the award. Believe it or not, there is a slight competition for not being last... although I'm not sure Jack is very much aware of it. So, ya know... don't let him know I said anything.
We pulled out of Barber at 3.15, and stopped at a Radio Shack in Cullman to get our "stereo" working, and get some more Mobil1 5w30. The car's been burning about a 1/4qt a day. But, it does have 183kmi on it now, and we've been flogging it mightily. We ended up meeting up with the guys in the VW TDI as we got back on I-65 and rode with them for a while. Until we say Jim and Frances (our SSGT2 competitors in the M-roadster) on the side of the road. I executed a quick 'ditch the highway and stop, then reverse' manoeuvre to see how they were doing. Meanwhile, Robert cleaned up his soldering... no really, Robert was soldering in the car. We have video proof too. The M-roadster's trailer had a axel that got loose and smoked the rear tire. There was a local already stopped and giving a hand. Robert crawled under and a gave a hand. I stood back and entertained the local and Jim. After a certain amount of cursing, and prodding the axle was forced back into a fixed position. Then we were all on our way.
Funny from the road for the night. On I-65, near Upton KY, there is an Adult shop with a large lighted sign (note, why are their signs always yellow?); while on the other side of the highway and directly across there was a sign that read "Hell is Real". Only in America? Only in Kentucky? Maybe both?
Anyhow, it's now about 11pm. We've had dinner, the car is running smooth, and we've got pretty good ways to go still.
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