Random highlights and sidelights of the Eastern Series Finale at Lime Rock Park. - Team Juicy Racing's Racing School and Race Series Forums

dalyduo · #1 10-18-2005

• Jim Craige’s extrication from Lake Lime Rock in turn three with engine wailing, rooster tails flying, steam rising and the car just barely inching backward. Everyone watched and no one expected the car to make it out of there. Jim gets the cleanest, slowest and wettest getaway of the weekend. Not to mention his hard fought win in the second Championship race beating all the fastest drivers of the weekend. Woof! Great guy, beautiful family, terrific driver and competitor… I think I speak for everyone when I say we all hate you desperately!

• Lee Englebardt’s water attenuated crash near the pit-in berm during the group one sportsman race #2. His water stop produced a spectacular geyser for spectators and limited what would have been serious crash damage to some cracked side-pod fiberglass and a skid-plate. (How lucky is that!) Best of all was Lee’s summing up the moment with a perfect swan dive from his waterlogged RT into the not so briny deep. Indomitable good spirit and humor in the face of adversity was the order of the day and the weekend. And Lee’s better half Jane with supportive conversation and warm smile always made pit life more pleasant.

• Michael Auriemma gets the “Sybil” award for more up’s & downs than Courtney Love on a bender. It started low with the west bend booty crash giving him a black & blue broken big toe. Then moved high to a thrilling drive in the pouring rain that looked like a shot at the championship, quickly followed by the agony of hydroplaning those hopes and the uncontested lead into the uphill guardrail. If that wasn’t enough, on Saturday Michael had more problems in his Championship race working his way up to 4th before falling back at the end, then things brightened again as he held P1 in the Masters race for 22 laps before relinquishing to RJ Smith on laps 23 & 24, setting up an insanely dramatic draft pass photo finish giving him the victory by (gulp) .037 seconds. Whew! What are you going to do for an encore? Thanks for the memories Michael. (Favorite moment with Sue & the kids watching dad as the first race played out… Sue spits out about 5 different points variations that would keep Michael in the hunt and then hears herself talking and stops cold… “ Can you believe I know all this? (With a resigned smile)… When we’re together its all he talks about...”

• Charles Anti’s quiet perseverance through a season of successes, disappointments and above all learning proved to be the winning formula. His thoughtful poise and demeanor looked and sounded more mature than any moment this year as he graciously accepted the championship trophy and gave a heartfelt thanks to his competitors, the instructors and his family. Bravo Charles. Well done.

• Dom Bastien, for soldiering on during race #1 after knocking the nose off his car (On Bill Hammer’s magnetic rear crush box) in torrential rain on lap one. Having endured open exposure to 100+ mph wind and rain for the entire race he emerged from the car looking like a wide-eyed hurricane Katrina survivor freshly plucked from a tree. I asked him what it was like driving without the nose? “I don’t know… I was concentrating so hard that I didn’t notice!” Safe to say Dom’s recent bypass surgery was a life altering experience that hasn’t altered Dom in the least.

We love you Dom!

• 8 or 10 inches of rain over four days that gave us all an intense education on the ever tricky wet line at Lime Rock. And Lime Rock was still hauntingly beautiful with its extra lakes and puddles, autumn color, low clouds and the front straight stream turned river that floated the downhill tire-wall out of position!

• Tip of the cap to Julia Landauer who at age 13 with several years of karting experience showed up at LRP for her first Skippy race weekend. She managed a very respectable 7th place in the hardest rain of the weekend. Julia plans to return to the karting series where she placed fourth this year and seriously compete for a title next year while running 3 or 4 Skippy events to broaden her car control and competition skills.

• Michael Kratz, who if he didn’t have bad luck wouldn’t have no luck at all, was on his way to Lime Rock when he crossed paths with a deer that failed to leap over his car and instead punched a hole in his windshield and did cosmetic damage to the roof before disappearing into the woods.

• After crashing out of both May LRP races, yours truly had a less than spectacular start on Friday while throwing away a 3rd place qualifying effort by going 4 off in big bend. Starting p10 for the first race we made steady progress until a new trip down the escape road on lap 16 brought further progress to a halt at P5. In race two we started p5 and did our best to keep it on the track. We got p4 early on and then almost threw it all away by going 3 off on big bend. I was able to keep that front right wheel on the pavement with Phil Lombardi as my witness and soldier on. Then I watched as Jared took himself off course racing with Ari and, after a restart Ari went two off trying to run the high line around Chris Brassard through big bend, allowing me to pass. I gained some ground on Chris but we ran into back markers and laps ran out. This was very exciting for me as it was my first ever podium finish. Great fun celebrating with Sy, Jim Craige, Lee Englebardt, and the Skippy instructors and others who have been so supportive along the way. It took 6 race weekends and 8 inches of steady rain to reach that first podium. And Chris Brassard had even better news to celebrate as it was his first win! Congratulations Lime Rock Racer. Well done!

Great weekend, great people, the mechanics and Skippy coordinators were on top of everything. That those cars worked as well as they did through the non-stop rain, and were repaired as fast as they were after being crashed is a special tribute and bow-down to them. Stephan as Race Control. Rob as Pit Lane Coordinator, Todd, Divi, all the mechanics, instructors and corner workers made our lives as good as they could have been given the conditions. Hard to believe the weather was as bad as it was and we still had as much fun as we usually do. I had even more fun running in the masters race but enough already!

Adios,
Pat

rgreist · #2 10-18-2005

And best of all, Daly Duo standing on the second place box in the final picture. Well done and thanks for the wonderful commentary.

John

dalyduo · #3 10-18-2005

John,

Thanks for you kindness regarding the podium finish. It was a thrill.

I also wanted to thank you for your eloquence in the Divi tribute and elsewhere in Dougs videos. Doug's editing is masterful and your thoughtful observations are touchstones that ground each piece you speak in.

Good stuff!
Pat

Quote:

Originally Posted by rgreist

And best of all, Daly Duo standing on the second place box in the final picture. Well done and thanks for the wonderful commentary.

John

arig · #4 10-18-2005

Nice job Pat, but I went 4 off because I couldn't see anything from behind you and just missed getting stuck in the lake outside of Turn 3.

LimeRockRacer · #5 10-18-2005

Congrats Pat on your first Podium! And awesome job as the "Voice of the Eastern Series" on the banquet video!

Chris Brassard...notice the "a" not "e"...Believe me I have been butchered worse!

Great Job this weekend..and thank you for the floatation devices!

dalyduo · #6 10-18-2005

Didn't you go at least two off before that at big bend trying to hold Chris off on the restart? Otherwise how would I have passed and been in front of you?

(I've changed your mention to 2 off in big bend...) Let me know if further clarification is needed.

Thanks Ari,
Pat

Quote:

Originally Posted by arig

Nice job Pat, but I went 4 off because I couldn't see anything from behind you and just missed getting stuck in the lake outside of Turn 3.

dalyduo · #7 10-18-2005

Chris,

Opps, your name is now restored to its other spelling. That is the correct way to spell it in Cleveland however... :-)

An honor standing next to you on your first winning podium and with Adrian who is such a strong competitor.

In hindsight, Lee was the one who ultimately could have used some floatation and a paddle but it all worked out for the best. :-)

The banquet intros were labors of love. Doug did the heavy lifting by shooting and editing it all. I was a garnish to Doug's 12 course meal, but glad I could add some flavor.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LimeRockRacer

Congrats Pat on your first Podium! And awesome job as the "Voice of the Eastern Series" on the banquet video!

Chris Brassard...notice the "a" not "e"...Believe me I have been butchered worse!

Great Job this weekend..and thank you for the floatation devices!

arig · #8 10-18-2005

Pat,

Chris passed me before we got to start/finish. I tried to go around him on the outside and couldn't get the car slowed down and had to use all the road and that's how you got passed me. Very nice drive!! I didn't realize it was your first podium, Congrats on 1st podium! Also, very nice job on the video narration.