Page 38 - KCRPCA MarApr2017

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March / April 2017
We were up close and personal, rubbing elbows with fans and drivers, and with cars of all classes in various stages of preparation. It was clearly evident that this event was very important to the manufacturers, as evidenced by the multi car factory backed teams from Cadillac, BMW, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Corvette, Ford, as well as Porsche and newcomers Acura and Lexus. For a motorsport enthusiast, this was nirvana.
It did not take us long to locate the Porsche garages and throngs of fans surrounded the new Porsche RSR’s. As we peered into the pit garage, the initial impression was that the new cars are lower and wider, with some really advanced aero, but the big change was the huge splitter assembly in the rear of the car, where the engine used to be. We walked with the team as the cars headed over to the scrutineering tent for nal inspection and got a chance to eyeball the cars from all four corners. The Porsche crews were amazingly tolerant and friendly given the size of the crowds. Clearly, Porsche Motorsport is serious about putting the RSR back in the winners circle, and on this day in their debut, the Porsche’s quali ed 6th and 10th, placing just behind the turbo charged Ford GT’s which would play out in dramatic fashion later on in the race.
On Saturday afternoon, the atmosphere grew more electric with the anticipation of the commencement ceremonies, and much to our amazement, they let us out onto the track. Imagine an estimated 100,000 people swarming the lawn and heading over to the start nish line, climbing the actual high banks of this storied course. Fred and I even got a chance to sign the start nish line. It was epic.
As the driver introductions began,
the sunny skies turned to gray and the temperatures began to drop, and inevitably, rain was forecast for most of the event. We decided to view the start of the race from the grand stands, just above the ag stand at the start/ nish line.
Television simply does not do the start of this grand event justice. The sound and fury of 55 cars divided up into 4 classes, roaring by the start nish at full throttle and then braking hard into the left hand in eld corner is both amazing and dramatic. The noise is intoxicating, but not as loud as NASCAR. More of a blend of exotic sounds, combining naturally aspirated thunder with the whistles and pop of the turbo charged engines. It did not take long for the classes to sort themselves into running groups.
Fastest were the new Prototypes, followed by the spec series Prototype Challenge cars, followed by GTLM, and lastly the GTD classes. With 55 cars and over 200 drivers, this was quite a spectacle.
As we headed into the in eld to view the race up close from turns 3, 4 and 5, it became apparent that the once common strategy of drivers moderating their pace after the start in the hope of insuring that both car and team were positioned to nish the race, had been abandoned to what now had become a full blown 24 hour sprint race. As the cars exited turn 6, and onto high banked oval, I recall the story of how my step dad told me about how dif cult it was to manage the huge turbo lag in the 935. During his rst stint, as he exited from the in eld onto the oval, he mistimed the throttle at corner exit and when the boost came on two seconds later, he spun the car. That year, his Daytona 24 ended prematurely as the car broke in the middle of the night, but not before