2005 SCCA National Championship Story
FM ran on Thursday and Friday, there were 29 total drivers and 8 2nd drivers. It rained all night Wednesday night but stopped around 6 am. By 8am when the runs started, the North course was starting to get dry. I'd guess 60-70% of the course was dry. All the first drivers got runs under these conditions including Jim (the owner of the car I drove). Jim had a very good first run as last years champion Scott Nardin got two cones. That run would prove to be good enough to move Jim to second place for day one. I was sitting in the car waiting to run (as the other 2nd drivers) while ASP made their first runs. While I'm waiting the rain began to fall. Pretty soon the course was wet again, not standing water, just wet. So I go out and run which I felt was a pretty good run. I cross the line and the timer reads 83.xxx. No way. The run felt great even though it was wet. So I go back to grid and the next driver had the same problem. Come to find out there was a problem and about 3 or 4 of us got re-runs. But by the time we got them, it was really raining and we changed to rain tires. Every run I made was wet. My first run was the 6th fastest (even in the rain) out of everyone, including those who ran in the semi-dry conditions. Once it started raining, Jim and I had the 1st and 2nd fastest runs for both the 2nd and 3rd runs. Jim had the 1st fastest 2nd run (60.449), mine was the 2nd fastest (61.085). Third runs were the same order with Jim running a 59.608 and I had a 60.185. But none of that mattered too much as the fastest run that day was on the first run with a 57.580 by the eventual winner... in the dry. So Jim finished the day in 2nd place and I was in 6th. I feel pretty good about my wet runs because I had never driven Jim's car in the wet before.

The next day was dry... finally. We go again. I had the 4th fastest first run, Jim had the 9th fastest. Run two was a problem for me. After the first run I was coming back to grid when a rock flew up and got in my right eye. Guys said they could see the rock but it wasn't coming loose. We called a mechanical and tried to get it out to no avail. I went ahead and ran but spun. Jim had the 8th fastest run then. The last run I was the 6th fastest with Jim having the 9th fastest. But it wasn't enough for either one to hold on to the positions we held on the first day. Jim moved down to 4th and I moved down to 7th, which was still a trophy position.

So it was fun! We discovered things that others did with their FM cars that we need done to Jim's like softer rear suspension, and different gear ratio. Maybe next year will be the year! I was happy to finish right behind last years champion, Scott Nardin. I just wish I could have had one of those semi-dry runs!!