Tyler McQuarrie
By now, you've figured out the earlier we run a diary entry, the earlier the driver was knocked out. On that same note, you've probably also figured out that Tyler, despite all his talents, has had 99 problems this season-and no, a bitch ain't one.
I flew into Seattle on Thursday night, ready to kick some ass. The team resolved the problem that kept us from competing in Las Vegas, so I was looking forward to getting out to practice. Our plan was to just shake down the Porsche on Thursday night, and save the hard driving for the weekend. I did a couple of sighting laps and then laid down a couple of runs to see if we had the boost back. Man, did we! It was back up to 1.4 bar and the Porsche was so fast going into the bank, that I had no problem staying up on the wall. We made a couple changes to help me get through the infield better, bolted on a new set of Hankooks, and were all set to call it a night, when the idea came to test out one more change. I left the start line in first gear, grabbed Second, and halfway through the gear I heard a loud bang! "This can't be happening!" I yell to myself and the Porsche. I knew that something in the engine had given way. The JIC Team tore her apart and found a broken valve. It was right then and there that I knew for a fact that we were cursed.
They loaded up the car, and drove an hour to a Porsche shop to rebuild the motor. They worked all night and realized at 4 am that we had also broken a retainer, spring, two other bent valves, and a ton of damage to the cylinder head. Our weekend was over, and I was beyond pissed because I knew the potential of the Porsche. We should be competing for wins in every event, and squarely in the hunt for the championship, but freak mechanical problems have kept us from even attempting to qualify in the past two events. Have you guys seen the movie Groundhog Day? Well I'm stuck in that movie, only this never ending day isn't getting any better.
Next up is my home track, and least favorite stop on the Formula Drift circuit, Infineon Raceway. Great.
Tyler McQuarrie
www.tylermcquarrie.com
Hankook Tire
www.hankooktireusa.com
Vaughn Gittin Jr.
In the last two chapters, mechanical problems with the Mustang have kept JR from running no further than the Top 16 and that much farther from the elusive Formula D title he wants to add to his US D1 victories.
Seattle is one of my favorite stops every year. I finished second there last year and was feeling extremely confident this time around. Our engine builder assured us that he had the motor gremlins fixed, and that she was ready to scream. Falken Tire even brought out my personal demo car just as an emergency backup, in case mechanical failure plagued us again.
Thursday and Friday practice sessions went perfect. Once I nailed my line, I was consistent, fast and real high on the bank. I was feeling really good about the outcome of the weekend going into Saturday's main event. ...But when I woke up Saturday morning to rain and a soaking wet track, I knew victory wouldn't come easy.
My qualifying plan was simply to lay down a good solid first run and guarantee a spot in the Top 16. For the second run, I was gonna go all-out. I initiated my first pass just as I had all weekend, but immediately the car started to understeer. I grabbed a handful of e-brake to save the car from going straight into the wall, but this caused the back end of the car to kiss the wall, which sucked the front end in, breaking a ball joint in the process. I rushed back to the pits, the crew fixed the car, and in less than ten minutes I was lined back up, pissed off, and ready to destroy my second run.