Originally Posted by
glenn cooper
The Coop Chronicles
Formula 1000 Championship Series
Rounds 1 and 2
Mosport/Canadian Tire Motorsports Park
Ontario, Canada
18,19,20 May, 2012
Mosport International Raceway.
Forever known as THE spiritual home of Formula 1 racing in Canada, and one of the last un-neutered real road courses remaining in North America.
It’s a track that makes a few demands of those driving this amazingly undulating roller coaster asphalt ribbon.
Namely:
Bring XL attachments,
Commitment by the metric ton, and
Respect. Aretha Franklin style: R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Say it… (I’ll wait) Thank you.
Mix up that bag of skills anyway you want, dump it on the ground, toss ‘em in a saucepan at medium heat - I don’t care what you do with ‘em, just so long as you bring ‘em with you if you ever make the trek up that way, cause you’ll need the aforementioned Trifecta if you are to have any hope of standing on the rostrum…
When the schedule for the Formula 1000 Championship Series (F1KCS) was announced and Mosport was selected for Round 1,
I was pumped!
This has long been my favorite track, ever since my first time up back in 2001, most likely due to the fact that I had cut my racing teeth at Road Atlanta, and this place is like Rd Atl on aftermarket steroids.
The Japanese have a phrase – “Same, but not same-same”, as if to say “Road Atlanta is wicked fast and blind also, but it ain’ got nothing on this place!”
The name has recently been changed to Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, and along with a host of improvements to the paddock and infrastructure, the naming rights deal seems to be a great idea.
Test Day Friday May 18
I awoke out of a sound sleep at about 4am and my throat was on fire, and “The Sneezing” had commenced. Lovely. I knew what was in store for the next 96 hours or so as I have this whole Summer Cold thing down to a science. It’s a lot like “Where’s Waldo” cause the symptoms move around so fast– Stuffy head, runny nose, scratchy throat, coughing up lung pies with hair on them, teary eyes, muscle aches, and last but not least – fever.
As dawn approached, I was getting ready for our early am track session 1. Oh I felt like hell, and purposefully did not gaze into a mirror for fear that I’d then have that whole mental image to deal with.
Best to just get my ass strapped into the car and turn some laps.
Having never run the series required Goodyear tires here, I was a bit off on my gearing selection, running out of rpm 2/3 the way down the backstraight.
Post session I went up 1 tooth on the front sprocket, and hoped that would make the cut. It didn’t and now needed further corrective measures after session 2.
I eventually got it all sorted and the car was raging righteously by session 3.
Session 4 would be our 1 and only practice session prior to the next day’s Qualifier1 and Race1.
As the F1KCS is one of the only places you’ll find Formula 1 style standing starts, we got to practice them, en masse on the front straight, in mock grid spots.
As a former motorcycle road racer, when this announcement was made I was again super stoked as I had always done real well with launching 2 wheelers; 4 should be same, but not same-same.
We would see…
I am proud to announce that every single driver there did the series and themselves proud. There were predictions from naysayers that the cars were not designed for this, would snap parts, folks would stall, a plague of locusts would descend upon the track with the drop of the green flag – you know, good ol’ teeth gnashing and hand wringing. Not so, my fellow four wheeled formula friends!
At the completion of the test day, standing on top of all 3 sessions was 2010 SCCA Formula 1000 Champ Brandon Dixon/Citation, who had never turned a lap here prior to that morning.
To my knowledge the 40 something computer science professor, husband and father of 2 didn’t even drive the track on any number of video games or sim’s. He did however retain coaching from Brian Graham, who probably has more laps around this place than anyone in attendance.
Smart move from the Prof!
For the uninitiated, topping the time sheets here, with never having turned a wheel is Apollo 13 type stuff.
It’s like hitting Jeb Corliss over the head, stripping him of his flying wingsuit and jumping off Everest – and sticking the landing!
Stuff like this just doesn’t happen. For the most part.
Thankfully my RFR was really close Kid Rock style “straight out tha trailer”, with only a gearing change to be right up there on the time sheets.
Also up there was a young man sharing the Young Racing canopy for the weekend.
15 year old RC Enerson out of New Port Richey, Florida, driving a Stohr, impressed but unfortunately was battling electrical gremlins, which his crew, headed up by Steve Thompson, dealt with.
RC has been running in USF2000, hopeful of getting his feet on the bottom rung of the Mazda ladder system in the US. Judging by the times he turned, he’s well on his way.
I’m trying to remember what I was doing when I was 15, and I’m pretty sure I was riding my ’76 Honda CR125 Elsinore with a flat rear tire because I hadn’t saved up yet for a new tube! (Which in retrospect/hindsight taught me a thing or two about maintaining traction, momentum, and being smooth. Hmmmm…)
Also very quick were JR Osborne/Stohr of Greenwood Village, Colorado, and local shoe Jeremy “The Godfather” Hill of Perry Sound, Ontario, Canada who the whole F1000 paddock is indebted to as it was he who all those years ago dropped a liter bike motorcycle engine in the back of a formula car to show all us fellow North Americans how it was done!
Hill unfortunately came out on the wrong end of a tire failure in one of the worst places you’d care to have one here, the ultra fast Corner 8, which in the RFR is taken flat “oot” at max RPM in top gear – about 140-ish and over 2 G’s. Thankfully and quite miraculously Jeremy walked away from what quite rightfully could have been a really bad scene – there was intrusion into the cockpit by broken suspension pieces - as the car buried itself into the tire wall outside the exit of C8.
Guardian Angels – They have worked for me in the past!
Friday night and there’s just a few things to do to the car – I don’t want to mess with anything as I feel like luke warm sloth puke, and probably don’t look a whole lot better. I’ve not even asked Ana all day “How’s my hair?” It was that bad.
All day long I had been violently sneezing, sometimes 5 or 6 in a row – my helmet balaclava had to be wrung out – and I was told it could be heard from clear across the hot pit, with cars on track!
I was beyond grossing myself out, and just wanted it to end, but knew it first had to make a few rounds yet. Groan…
I hadn’t slept worth a darn the night before flying up, and the next night, and now faced the prospect of a third night of no sleep.
What I needed was ½ an Ambien, cause ya know what a whole one can do to a man – think Sleep Wrenching – but alas none was to be found, but an open bottle of generic Nyquil, “The Big Q”, was available and I damned sure made use of it!
I sequestered myself in the upper bunk area of The Team Young Toterhome, which is like living an old horror movie, buried alive in a coffin, as the ceiling is about 5” from your face.
Claustrophobics need not apply, but the mattress up there is tons better than the fold out vinyl couch/beds in the “living room”.
I managed to get a little sleep, but none of the quality kind.
I didn’t think I could take another night of this, and as the black of night was just starting to turn a lighter shade towards dawn, I was up and out of the bunk, dragging myself to the shower, hopeful that some hot hydro therapy would be just what the Dr ordered.
Strapping into the car it all kind of went away cause it was now time to do the business.
As the phone service up this way for US customers is virtually nonexistent, I had no way of knowing (via live timing and scoring) my laptimes vs the other competitors, so it was really came down to run some laps, come in and park it. I have been here enough to know a good lap, and the prospect of getting out of the car and catching some Z’s had me in after about 7 laps.
As I pull to the wall I look over at Ana and she’s holding her elbow which is all bloodied. I push the radio button and ask what happened.
She relates how she had a little spill on the pit bike as some fellas were heading towards her in a golf cart and she grabbed the front brake while leaned over.
I don’t remember ever feeling that way, belted in, having just previously railed the hell out of this place, happy to know I’m near the top of the list, then suddenly plunging into a bit of a red-misted despair as I wanted to rip some throats out – I just didn’t know who!
She assured me she was OK, and I said meet me back at our paddock spot and we’ll take a trip to the track quack shack.
As we arrived at the excellent infield medical facility, they looked at me and said what’s wrong, you look like hell? I point to Ana’s bleeding elbow and excuse myself to the other room where quickly fall asleep in a plastic chair.
At some point I feel something in my ear and I awake to having my temperature taken. “Huh, it’s 32… not good”. “What’s that in Farenheit? I ask”. “Oh aboot 101 – You have a fever”.
F*****g Wonderful. The hits just keep comin’!
A couple of stitches later and we head back to Critter Central.
The results are in and I’m .043 (!) off the front row in 3rd, behind Dixon and JRO.
Alongside me on Row 2 – Hill
Row 3 - Nicho Vardis/RFR and Enerson
Row 4 – Teammates Richard Franklin/Stohr and Tim Pierce/RFR
Row 5 – Alex Mayer/Elan and 2011 SCCA F1000 Nat Champ Brian Novak/Piper
Row 6 – Nicholas Ortiz/RFR and Jason Slahor/Novak-Van Diemen
Row 7 Ryan Verra/Elan
The race was in a few hours and I hoped to get some rest, but prep and things took over and in typical Coopsport fashion there was juuuuuuuust enough time to get it all done.
To the grid!
Saturday Race 1
The green drops and I get a really good launch, but not nearly as good as Dixon. I tuck in behind him, and have Osborne behind, who stuffs it by on the way into C3, while Dixon is beginning his disappearing act.
Out of C5b and onto the climbing Andretti straight I suck up into the generous wake of Osborne’s Stohr, pull out and go right on by.
Surely he’s having some kind of issue, as I see him getting small in my mirror real quick. It appears he’s out of HP, or hit an aero wall, maybe both?
I lay it into C8, the climbing, off camber, uphill, trying to keep Dixon in sight, as Osborne is fading behind.
It’s kind of funny how the yo-yo works: I leave JRO in C8, and half a lap later he’s right on me trying again, getting by, again – this time into C5a. There’s always a good crowd watching there, and I’m sure they appreciated the outbraking maneuver they just witnessed!
Again onto the backstraight, and again power by, and lay it into C8.
We go like this for awhile, and NO ONE else is in sight – Dixon has “left the building”, and the mirrors are empty behind.
As this series gains popularity, it is hoped that folks who have been on the fence about purchasing, converting, or even building their own car will get off that fence, check for splinters, and join the fun.
All that being said it’s pretty cool to have this many (13) cars at the first event, in a foreign (j/k Canuckians) land!
The race was kind of uneventful and there was some passing of lapped drivers, but nothing particularly of note.
To be honest, (you know - like ALL reporters on TV and the LSM) between the being sick and fully pumped I’m having trouble remembering which race had which action, but not to worry…
In what I believe may be an industry first, Speedcasttv.com will be airing an internet, possibly reality themed show utilizing footage from Go Pro cameras on all the cars, footage taken both trackside and in the paddock, as well as driver interviews.
They will also be highlighting 3 drivers per episode to further assist and hopefully promote the series and drivers, with the goal of securing sponsorship for both.
Look for this to happen within the next few weeks.
Sunday Morning Q
I awoke at dawn and actually felt half human for the first time in 3 days. It must have been the 5 hours of deep sleep I got!
With aboot an hour to go, Nick Belling of Firman Cars West and Geartronics N America informs me he has an update for the electro-pneumatic shifter. Now I’ll admit I’m a bit tech-adverse, no Luddite mind you, and I definitely do not worship at the altar of Ted Kaczinsky, BUT my first response was “OK, so if I don’t like it we can load the original program back in, right”? “Yep, no problem, we’ve done about 10 of these so far, there won’t be any problem”…
I head oot on course and as I come into C3, I go to bang it down two gears and the shifts are just not happening as I need them to.
The new program, the new smoke in the control unit, is not acting anything like the old magic smoke in the secret box.
I now have to start making things up as I go along, raging around this track, trying to keep the traction circle in check, careful not to overstep any boundaries of physics, AND make the car downshift when and where I want.
For some reason I resumed throttle blip-age with my right foot, and that seemed to offer an improvement. I was carrying much more speed into a few corners, and just hoping it would work.
Aboot this time I remembered reading something about 70’s Motocross superstar Bob Hannah training with the seat removed from the bike, forcing him to stand for a whole tank of gas.
The premise of that exercise is that once the seat was reinstalled, he’d be faster as he knew he could do the times sans seat.
Makes sense, eh?
I felt slow, and after maybe 8 or 9 laps I ran low on fuel and came in.
I had not planned on staying oot that long!
Post Q I have Belling check the shifter system oot, and sure enough the RPM wire feeding info from the GSXR ECU to the Geartronics GCU had broken when I removed the secret box to have the reflash done. Belling and Alex made it all mostly good, and it was pronounced fixed – sort of. It turns out I would not have any RPM info, nor shift lights on the steering wheel display.
No biggie, I have been riding motorcycles for 40 years, many without any type of gauges, so I would defer to my posterior – one heck of a sexy ass computer in it’s own right. Don’t kid yourself or sell your rear end short people, as there is a ton of info available from around back and down…
Imagine my surprise when the Q results are posted and I’m on the front row alongside Dixon. I really should get sick more often. Not!
I’ve got to throw out some props to fellow RFR pilot Nicho Vardis who has put up a really good time of 1:22.594, this with gearing way off from mine, so I know he’s got more speed simply by bolting on a different sprocket!
We take our positions on the front straight for the 2nd standing start in as many days, and as the green flys Dixon gets a flyer, I attempt to tuck in but JRO has gotten the mother of all flyers and is underneath Dixon’s rear wing.
I decide to sit back and watch this unfold, and by C3 it’s unfolding!
JR goes deep, and he and Dixon are slide by slide, your reporter comfortably in the cat bird seat (what in the hell is even a cat bird seat? Like a little gilded perch upon which the cat stalks it’s flying prey? Maybe a little kitty cushion, or would that be “kitty kushion” – Yeah, a little golden gilded kitty cushioned festooned with little Hello Kitty hearts and flowers… Oops, sorry…) waiting for a chance to pounce…
HERE IT IS, all silver platter served up as Dixon is wide into the grey, picking up all sorts of schmegma on his tires. It may be awhile before he can resume Dixonating, so I’m with JR on the escape plan – Get Thee Gone, NOW!
Onto the backstraight and up into the Stohr’s wake and bye I go.
The RFR is hooked up, able to take C8 at full chat, topped out in 6th.
Onto the front straight, in the lead to end lap one. 14 more like this and I’ll be one happy WW1 British fighter plane (Fokker).
In the mirrors I see Brandon has gotten by JR, and is chipping away at my lead.
Lap 2, Lap 3, Lap 4, Lap 5 and he’s right on me exiting C5b/Moss Corner.
I can’t believe how long it’s taking the Citation to pull up into my draft, and as he pops out on my right we are at the end of the back (Andretti) straight, fastly approaching C8. Dixon dives for the inside and I give very generous racing room and stay in it. It’s times like this when I have to remind myself that pushing the throttle pedal with about 200 pounds of force is totally unnecessary, as about 5 will do.
Relax, be smooth, try not to think aboot Vienna Sausages and the wonderful broth they come swimming in, not to mention that aroma when you first pop the top, **Sigh**.
Onto the front straight, still leading, the Citation hounding away behind.
Eight corners later – and it’s a carbon copy of the lap before.
I am definitely learning some things here, processing that info at the same time keeping on a pace that only one other car can match.
It’s aboot this time that all hell breaks loose on the downhill plunge that is the front straight as Vardis’ front wing, injured earlier in contact with Hill, finally can’t take the combined abuse of the bumps and the ever-present downforce and comes right off, possibly going under the front tire(s) with predictable results. The Firman is into the C1 tire wall, and thankfully Vardis is OK.
Up ahead I lead Dixon out of the Moss Corners 5a and 5b, and we approach a full course yellow (FCY), to which I get out of it and he goes by, only to slow at the next station. I don’t get all wiggy aboot it as I have had this happen too. The corner workers will radio it in to race control, who will then contact the crew of the offending driver and ask that the info to fall back one position be relayed.
As I love, love, LOVE to have a good time on track, I get right up to Dixon and make some hand gestures – point at him w/ index finger, then motion to “get back” with thumb poked out, kind of “hitching a ride style”…
Race control eventually makes the request and Dixon drops back one position.
OK, we are aboot halfway into this race, everyting is cleaned up and we begin our single file restart. We have been cautioned, in writing and verbally at the driver’s meeting to not accelerate after the pace car has pulled off, and to maintain that speed until the green flag is thrown. I do exactly this, although I would have preferred to go all Tony Kannan style and start hauling the mail about 200 feet from the green, but I follow the instructions and promptly get passed ½ way down the front straight by Dixon.
Into C1, and he’s just off my starboard side and unbeknownst to me – Hill is directly on my left, and we are three wide through C1, at speed.
I’m betting the crowd was digging that move! I say “unbeknownst” as I have all eyes are on Dixon to my right; I’ve got to be able to react lightning quick if he looses traction, or starts to drift towards me.
We start to pull away from Hill and after awhile Dixon is pulling me a tiny scosh here and there.
We finish in that order, no further brawling on my part with anyone, just keeping it clean and bringing it home.
Two 2nd place finishes it is, and the RFR has really proven itself!
Unlike Race 1 from Saturday, this race we would be driving our cars directly to Winners Circle where we would again(!) spray the Hooters girls (3 lovely lasses from the Whitby store just down the pike) with the massive bottles of Glenora Champagne.
The tallest, blondest, loveliest of them turned around, fully aware of what was aboot to happen and says to me “Just don’t spray our hair this time, OK?” To which I reply “Well this has been a fantasy of mine for many years, so yeah, No worries!”
More than a few of the other drivers had a TON of trouble and problems befall them, some self-inflicted. I have been there, and many of the more experienced drivers were dispensing advice all weekend, helping out with parts, and bits whenever we could. We want this thing to grow, and having a cooperative paddock, where the emphasis is on safety, going fast, and having a great time are paramount.
One final hat’s off and salute to the whole F1000 Championship Series crew of Jon Lewis, Jack Kish, George Dean, and Peter Argetsinger – you guys put on a helluva smooth production.
I can’t wait to get to New Jersey in a few weeks for Rd’s 3 and 4!
(That HAS to be the first time anyone has ever said “I can’t wait to get to NJ!!!)
The Coop Chronicles - F1KCS Mosport Rds 1 and 2
