Page 34 - KCRPCA MarApr2017

MEMBER ADVENTURE
34
March / April 2017
Ric Smith
older, my tolerance for the shorter days and the cold, gray weather is waning and I nd myself getting impatient as motor racing in general goes on hiatus. However, just when it appears that winter will never end, we begin to see the initial signals of a new racing season. The press speculation increases, and social media crackle with gossip about new drivers, new teams and the new season. But the best part is the reveal of the new cars, and this year Porsche would be launching something special.
At the end of the 2016 IMSA season, rumors began circulating that Porsche would be making some signi cant changes to the legendary 911 RSR platform. Thanks to the recently implemented BOP (balance of power) rule changes, the previous generation 911 RSR had struggled to stay competitive against newer platforms from Ford, Chevrolet, Aston Martin and Ferrari. Typically, year over year changes are evolutionary, but for Porsche, 2017 was going to be a revolution. The new 911 RSR was moving to a mid engine design. And they would launch it at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.
As passionate Porsche people, we are fortunate to have a long and storied racing heritage that is intrinsically connected with brand, and the opportunity to attend my rst race at the historic Daytona Motor speedway to see the launch of the new 911 RSR
genuine Porsche 935 K3 in the Daytona 24 hour race in a low budget privateer effort. (More about that later).
So the stage was set and Fred Quintana and I packed our bags and headed for Daytona. This would be a rst for both of us; and I for one was looking forward to a nice break from the cold Kansas City winter. Watching the new RSR race at Daytona in January seemed like an excellent idea; Warm temps, blue skies and lots of racecars at the greatest Motorsport complex in racing. What could possibly go wrong?
Arriving late into Orlando on a Friday night, we jumped in our rental car and headed off to our hotel, some 25 minutes from the track. All of the choice hotels near the track were sold out months in advance, but we found a reasonably priced Hampton Inn about 25 minutes away from the track, which worked out just ne. Free breakfast too. (Lots of bacon included).
On a sunny, albeit cool Saturday AM, we headed off to the track, excited about seeing Daytona for the rst time. About 10 minutes down the road, the TPMS sensor on my rental car ashed on. Terri c. We pulled over only to discover that there was a shiny screw imbedded in the left rear tire. We found a gas station, pumped it up and continued onward, with Fred being his usual calm and analytic self. I was cussing under my breath, hoping that
Photos by Ric Smith and Fred Quintana
Up Close & Personal
RAOLEX 24 AT DAYTONA
s a true fan of Motorsport, winter seemed both appropriate and timely, if is not really one of the things I not somewhat nostalgic. You see, back look forward to. In fact, as I get in the mid 1980’s, my stepfather raced a