A Study in Contrasts
Different Paths Charted to Championships
2006 was a successful year, but the road to the SCAC Crown and the Central Carolinas Region STS2 Championship took markedly different paths.
The first of the year was about re-learning how to drive without the "crutch" of R Compound racing tires, and the latter part was struggling with car setup issues. Early on, the car was completely stock, but by June I was running on a double-adjustable Koni suspension set-up that included Bump and Rebound shock issues along with the usual suspects in any form of motorsports - tires, tire pressures, and alignment issues. Before this year, I had never had to worry about balance, I was always in a situation where I had no control of it.
With that said, I pretty much had the SCAC to myself in 2006. Marty Bull, a novice from Charleston, SC kept me "honest." As the year progressed and I got faster, so did Marty. As the year wound down, G-Stock competitor Matt Palombi moved into STS2 with his Honda CRX, and was fast "right out of the box."
Matt and Marty will make 2007 very interesting.......but more about that in a later story.
The Central Carolinas Region/SCCA Championship was another story - down to the wire in the last event. Rich Little of Charlotte drove his Miata extremely well this year, and was relentless in his pursuit of the Championship. I really didn't expect the second-year driver to be as fast as he was this year, and I found myself behind in points before we got the year started. Add to that the fact he had a good co-driver in Mike Casino, and the "heat was on."
After two second place finishes and a third-place in the first three events, I found myself "win-less" in three CCR events for the first time since 1976. A badly needed win in CCR #4 and #6 sandwiched a poor showing on the "bear grease" surface of Intimidators Stadium in Kannapolis, NC. This surface has not been kind to me, and I've never really been able to "crack the code" about driving it. I couldn't blame it on the car that day, as Mike Grumbles visited his "home" in CCR, and co-drove my car to a victory.
After that, it was just "hanging on" for the rest of the year. As STS2 started to grow as a class, and as new visitors came to CCR from other regions, it became a battle between Rich and me to see "who can beat whom." The chase was highlighted by a battle in CCR #8 which was won by two one-thousandths of a second by Rich. This closed the point gap to 3 points going to the last event, and even though I had the lead, he would be ahead on tie-breakers if he beat me.
Short story - he struggled in CCR #9, and I was able to hang on to the Championship.
2007 will be an exciting year for STS2 in the Carolinas, and will probably have national implications. Stay turned for the 2007 preview sometime during the Holiday Season.
As always, thanks for coming by. You always mean a lot to me.
