Madness, Chaos, and Family
Two cars, some EDGE rookies, Father and Son win together, and our first trip with our new Motorhome
With little racing this year, all of us feeling antsy and cooped up, the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill being canceled, and 2020 coming to an end, we needed some racing and to test our Endurance skills. We have cars, we have willing drivers albeit 3 of them rookies, and we have a cool new motorhome. Sounds fun right? ROAD TRIP!!!!
It was going to be the first time racing with the World Racing League and only our second time at Circuit of the Americas. After a 48 hour drive with Family on board for the weekend, and cars in tow we arrived at COTA, set up, and got on track.
Eric, in #37, is racing his 3rd race ever and is co-driving with his Dad Kevin. Father and Son racing together… COME ON!
Practice and Qualifying
With almost 100 cars vying for space, practice got a little crazy. Unfortunately, our driver Shaun Webster, in a non-EDGE car (grrrrrrrr), was a victim of a “gentleman driver” in a Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport. The Porsche driver thought a little too highly of their driving skills into a slow corner and almost totaled Shaun’s car. Thankfully, Shaun’s team got the car fixed and were able to podium in their class - way to go Dasboot.
We had the same thing happen to us in Saturday’s race when a GP0 driver in an M4 GT3 didn’t like us, an old BMW GP1 car, passing them. After witnessing so much mayhem, red mist, and many bad choices, our trusting nature had run thin so we kept our eyes on them at the end of the back straight. We were able to avoid their mayhem as they flew by us late in the braking zone and went off track. Also, they tried to pass us on the next little straight knowing that we would catch and pass them again even if they succeeded. Racecar drivers 🤯
We loved that there were so many incredible factory-production race cars and we’re happy to offer them our coaching and race-engineering services.
Qualifying was uneventful and went very well thank goodness. With Eric Moore driving we qualified the #37 E36 M3 1st in GP1. The other car, #661 GP2 E36 M3, was doing well in testing with 2 rookies and qualified 5th in GP2.
We chose Yokohama’s AD052s for our 200 treadwear tire. Although the event was sponsored by Hankook we know the Yokahama is incredibly fast, maybe the fastest 200 tread-wear tire available now. The A052s didn’t disappoint
Saturday Race
#37
After starting in 1st we dropped to 11th! WTF? After a large dose of sarcastic commentary, our driver (name withheld to protect a friend) made sure they wouldn’t have to suffer more of the same and regained 1st place by the end of their stint. Towards the end of the race and during a double yellow flag we chose to pit which allowed us to remain in 1st - mainly due to Eric driving an unplanned double stint. As good as the Yokohamas were, a little rain and bald tires allowed the 2nd place car to pass us with 2 laps to go - 2 LAPS TO GO! We finished 2nd but were able to set the fastest lap in GP1 which qualified us in 1st for Sunday. Not bad.
Aston Martins are cool but not when they’re running into you. Unfortunately, we were hit by an Aston Martin GT3 during the race and it caused some damage. We got away with a trackside alignment and some other minor repairs and were fine for Sunday.
#661
What a great drive! With 2 rookies in a not so competitive car, they were remarkably clean all day. They all drove beautifully and if it wasn’t for some mechanical issues their 13th place could have easily been a podium. Of course, we’re a little biased ;).
Sunday Race
#37
First on the GP1 grid, Tony was in the car for the 1st stint. After a clean start, we quickly had to deal with the GP0 cars in front of us. With their defensive driving, we had to avoid them while passing them and then keep them behind us, all while staying in front of the GP1 field.
It’s past the halfway point and we’re in 1st. Everything is going to plan and then we lost 4th gear. Andre immediately got in the car and was incredible keeping us in 1st place. Towards the end, he was turning some of the fastest laps while double stinting and with that awkward 3rd to 5th shift and sometimes only 5th gear. WHAT A DRIVE ANDRE!
WE WON!!!
#661
There would be no podium as they lost their diff about halfway through the race and were black flagged for excessive smoke. After swapping it out they got back in the race for an 8th place finish. This team achieved hero status with great and consistent driving and an overall effort they can be proud of.
Man and Machine
We can’t say enough about how much Jeremiah Wennermark of Man and Machine Consulting adds to our racing efforts. From race engineering and data analysis to helping with repairs, he’s constantly making everyone’s race and time at the track better. We couldn’t do this without him.
Wrapping Up
Racing has its highs and lows, sometimes in the same weekend and to do as well as we did feels unreal. It’s always amazing to us that our little shop can do this and how everyone on the team helps far beyond expectations. Nobody ever gives up and they’re all so willing to do whatever it takes to keep the race going. #EDGEFAMILYSTRONG
We drove halfway across the country to a track that we don’t know well to race in a series that our cars were not built for. All of the time spent preparing and transporting the cars and dealing with the difficulties races almost always present make the victory even sweeter.
Doing all of this with people that you care about, respect, and hold close to you make it beyond special. In this race a Father and Son raced together and won together, we introduced 3 rookies to endurance racing, and our families were there to support us. How do we top that?
Statistics
- Number of cars: 92
- GP1 cars - 18, GP2 cars - 20
- Car #37:
- Car #661:
- Car: BMW E36 M3 Coupe
- Motor: S52
- Power-weight: 2,990 lbs, 220 WHP
- Suspension: TC Klein coilovers
- Wheels: APEX ARC-8s
- Brakes: BMW OEM, Performance Friction 08
- Tires: Yokohama Advan A052
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Race and Drive with EDGE Trackside
Our trackside support lets you concentrate on driving and racing. EDGE takes care of the rest:
- Car transportation and storage
- Race builds and modifications
- EDGE mechanics take care of your car and prepare your car for every session
- Driver coaching and development
- Setup prior to and during events