The Coop Chronicles Rd Atl National 5/23/10
[FONT=Times New Roman]The Coop Chronicles[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]SCCA National[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Road Atlanta[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]May 23, 2010[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Man, I’ve got scratches on my back, actually more like gouges, all up and down, but I couldn’t be happier.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Ya see, I finally got a monkey offa there. Little bastard has been climbing all over me since Homestead in January and really needed to find a new home…[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]I’ve kinda been getting my ass handed to me this season, although 1 month ago at VIR things took a turn and I actually had the leader in sight for the first several laps, and came pretty close to matching the times put up by 2010 F1000 Championship Presented by George Dean Racing Engines points leader Brandon Dixon in his Citation/GSXR. [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Things were starting to come together with the new RFR Formula 1000. It’s just the fact that I am one impatient dude, coupled with a burning desire to be first to the checker.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]After such massive success in 2009, wining and/or qualifying first, and setting lap records at almost every track visited, winning the June Sprints for the 2nd year in a row, and wining the 2009 F1000 Championship, 2010 was none-the-less shaping up to be a “Bridesmaid” year with my new car, full of 2nd and 3rd place finishes, and not even close to my form from last year.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]How could this be? My new RFR 009 Formula 1000 chassis had been designed with the latest thinking in chassis technology, yet I was struggling to match my pace from last year. [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]That is until such time as I embarked on my 3 Step Program to Racing:[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Step 1 – Admitting you have a problem. I couldn’t get the car to do what I wanted, when I wanted. That’s kind of huge right there.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Step 2 – Seek Professional Help - Help in the form of some professional chassis tending, in this case the able hands of James Lee out of Miami, Florida.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Step 3 – Strap into car, push start button, and start railing with confidence![/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Wow, what a difference 35 minutes on a scale platform can make.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Last month at Road Atlanta, my car was absolutely diabolical in Turn 1, twisting itself into knots. Things that I had never experienced before, and therefore did not know exactly how to go about exorcising.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Things that had folks coming up to me and saying things like “Coop, your car is looking pretty scary out there”. Or “Hey Coop, What are you doing out there, whatever it is, it’s not looking real smooth?”[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Yeah, thanks for the news flash, fellas. I had no idea…[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Fast forward 30 days and it’s like I’ve got a new car under me, after James worked his magic. [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]It was actually something I saw almost immediately upon pushing the car onto the scale platform, and doing some rudimentary measurements with a $2.00 tape measure. I brought this to James’ attention, his eyes got pretty big, and he said, “Get your gear on and sit in the car. Give me an hour and we’ll make it all good”.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]All good ain’t halfway there – try so incredibly different as to be a whole new car! This thing had undergone a transformation not seen since the mid 70’s when pre Eddie Van Halen bride Valerie Bertinelli came back for season 3 of “One Day at a Time”, and everyone’s jaw hit the floor at the sight of TV’s latest sex kitten all grown up and in bloom, was that ever epic…[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Ya see, somewhere along the way I took a wrong turn chassis adjustment wise, and evidently must’a been out of bread crumbs to mark my way, and got so lost that every time I was on the verge of finding the right trail, just around the next corner mind you, I kept finding myself in yet another setup quandary cul-de-sac.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]A quandary that saw an understeer condition so massive I was calling it “Delayed Steering”. You’d turn the wheel, but would have to wait a scosh for anything to happen. Not nearly as scary as it sounds, but absolutely NO WAY to try and race a car. OK, it was a little scary…[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]The first of 2 Saturday qualifiers was in slightly wet/misty conditions, and I ended up on provisional pole, with a 1:24 something. [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Funny considering the last time we were here at Road Atlanta, THAT was about all I could wring outta this thing, and that was with very nice weather, umm except for race day in torrential rain and that little smackup in the wet that set me back more than a few thou… Groan…[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Hey! Snap out of it, it’s all good now Baby Boy! Like I mentioned previously, the car is now absolutely an animal, clawing it’s way through the incredibly daunting Turn One at Road Atlanta. A turn that since the day the track opened has separated the men from the trans-gendered.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]To quote one David Hobbs, he of much racing success in various cars and formula, known to most as one of the incredibly insightful color commentators on SPEED TV’s US Formula 1 broadcasts: “It takes a rather large set of attachments to do T1 at Road Atlanta at 100%”.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]In my previous car, I thought I had T1 dialed: a short sharp brake, a throttle blip, down change from 6th to 5th, mat the throttle pedal and turn in towards the apex. The operative word being “thought”… [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Let’s just say that I have exploited something on the RFR that was not available on my last car, namely insane cornering traction.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Qualifier 2 ends and I end up Q1, Formula B pole, with a 1:22.6. The current lap record that still stands from November 2008 is a 1:21.4, set at the ARRC in November, in my previous car, in much more conducive lap record attempt weather.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]As the weather today is in the upper 80’s, I know I am fully on the pace, and it is a good feeling. Shook that damn primate right offa me.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]There are a total of 6 FB’s entered in the race and get this – WE are the 2nd largest class in attendance, with only Spec Miata ahead in car count.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Let that sink in for a sec, the newest class to SCCA National competition, out numbering all but one class. [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Sounds sweet, doanit?[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]It was good to see so many “B’s”, and even a new car to the Southeast, a Phoenix F1k 10/GSXR (Q2) in the very capable hands of Southeastern shoe Keith Roberts, Double SCCA FM National Champion, all around good guy and “Once Upon a Time” a mentor to this reporter in my early days of Formula Mazda…[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Making the trip up from FL is Tom Beattie in his Elan DP04/GSXR (Q3).[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]The 2010 Sebring Rd 3 winner had not been to Road Atlanta in several years and looked to be enjoying himself immensely. [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]David Clark (Q4) in another RFR F1000.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]He has raced it only a few times and is still getting it sorted, it’s also powered by the newest generation GSXR (K9), and is equipped with a RFR drysump system and some rather zoomy looking electric paddle shift, w/ auto blip (!). Makes ya wonder what they’ll come out with next.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Also making it out for the last Southeast National is one of the original “F-1000 Gang of 4”, (Hill, O’Connell, Beauchamp, McBride) Russ McBride (Q5), with his Kawasaki Green ZX10 powered self converted Van Diemen.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]After having more than a few “character building episodes” at a few previous races (Man – Do I ever know what that’s about!) it was GREAT to see Russ get this thing out in National competition. [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Jerry Freeman had his self-designed GSXR Suzuki powered JF1 (Q6) (which by the way does NOT have a body made from aluminum panels; it was only painted that color originally to match the nose which WAS made from ally sheet. Just trying to clear up, what according to Jerry has been a common misconception). [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]In any event the car is now mostly red, and is looking pretty sharp.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Sunday morning, at a track less than 1 hour from my house we are Group 1, and will take the green flag at 9:45. What I wouldn’t do to be Group 1 when we are at Sebring (10 hours away), or VIR (7) I couldn’t tell you, but it might border on mildly criminal, or possibly deviant in behavior, but only the teensiest bit…[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Any-Ol-Hew, there has been a change in the order as Roberts in the Phoenix has discovered a problem in the 10 minute warm-up that unfortunately could not be resolved by race time. [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]I’m actually very bummed for him, as I had been looking forward to seeing what he could do with a track tested and proven ride that has already been pretty developed.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]The sister chassis to his car had been seen last fall at the ARRC when 16 yr old Phil De La O took a fine 2nd place finish, with the front wing barely attached to the car after considerable contact caused by another competitor.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]We are now down to 5 FB’s in the race, but judging from Q times, I’d be running solo, maybe dicing it up with a few DSR’s, mindful to stay out of any race 2 or more of them might have amongst themselves, but with a field this slim (14 TOTAL cars in the whole run group), it looked like another race of Coop vs. clock, and that was fine with me.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Remember this is the first time I will be able to really rail in my new ride, so it was gonna take a whole lot more than a low car count to bum me out![/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]We take the green and get hauling down into T1. The pair of Dr.’s ahead in a pair of WF1 Stohr’s are busy pulling away when the CSR West of Vassian also pulls by. It was my intent to try and holeshot all of ‘em (Just because I LOVE **** like that), but my GSXR street bike stocker just doesn’t have quite enough stonk to get it done.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]However just prior to turn in for T1, one of the DSR’s and the CSR checkup just enough to prompt me to swing left, maintain my momentum and make a double outside pass, fly up the hill and tuck under the rear wing of Dempsey in the Stohr DSR. [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]We are really pulling away thru the downhill esses and onto the backstraight I figure it’ll all be for naught as the D and CSR’s will surely be blowing by with their typical obscene speed, but we have built quite a gap, so it’s back to plan A – Attempt to break existing lap record by utilizing the draft provided by the DSR.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]I’m not getting lap times over the radio and am now starting to regret not putting my AIM beacon up on the pit straight so I can be apprised of the situation. I do get radio transmission from Ana, just not all of it. Maybe it’s time to upgrade my 10 yr old radios?[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]In no time at all we are up into lapped traffic, and it’s now time to ditch any lap record attempts and concentrate on getting by traffic with out getting taken out by traffic![/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]The laps wear down and in no time at all a checker is thrown and I’ve notched my first National win of the year.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]If not for the extremely competitive lap time (1/10th off of my Q time – a 1:22.7) I would not be so happy due to the fact that current points leader Brandon Dixon was absent from Road Atlanta, instead choosing to get valuable run time and data up at the other Road A(merica) in Wisconsin.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]Things are really looking up for Team Coopsport now, and I can’t wait to get up to The June Sprints at Road America next month.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]I’ll be going for the hat trick there, having won the past two Formula B races in ’08 and ’09. [/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]This year the competition will be damn fierce, even more so than last year when I would have used the term fierce.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]There will be a couple of Citations, a whole slew of Stohr’s, more than a few Firmans, and a covey of Conversions all battling it out.[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman]For sure I will have a race to write about there![/FONT]
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Might be different now that you have a real race car.
Originally Posted by glenn cooper
