ECS Race #4 was held this past weekend at Road Atlanta with 11 FFR Challenge cars. In attendance was Eric Kostamaa, Paul Arnold, Rafe Baskin, Carl Thompson, Marty Howard, Tom Lavell, Scott McKay, Paul Kaiser, Mike Tuck, Jim Schenck and I. Mike Tuck was running #60 in HPDE.
Here is Carl Thompson’s report from NJMP May 25-27, 2012:
George & Thompson win 3 Hour Enduro at NJMP – George wins Saturday and Sunday races
The FFR challenge cars were at Summit Point, WV for the second east coast race of the season this past weekend. In attendance were Jim Schenck, Wayne Patterson, Carl Thompson, Paul Kaiser and I all running the 2012 rules package. Warmup was in the AM, followed by qualifying around noon, then the race in the afternoon. Qualifying saw me first of the FFRs, followed by Jim, Paul (too lazy to change his rain tires still on from VIR) Carl and Wayne.
Factory Five made a very nice video on our adventures at VIR March 2012!
Sebring, they have been racing there for 60 years! an old runway converted into a road course, ALMS does a 12hr race every year attracting the best of the best from around the world. It just happened that NASA-FL has an event there the week after VIR! I’ve been there before with Ed Boothman’s #85 back in 2008, loved it and cannot wait to run it in my car with all the new HP that the 2012 rules allow.
2012 brings big changes to the rules book, over the off-season FFR#48 got upgrades in front suspension, 3.27 rear end gears, and a whopping 110HP bump in power from the Trickflow engine upgrades. Needless to say the first race of the 2012 season at VIR March 23-25 will be a learning experience.
Finished the dyno tune, new engine rips!
327hp / 318tq, Minimum weight at 2512lb
pics: http://www.johngeorgeracing.com/gallery/index.php?/category/52
Video of dyno run: http://vimeo.com/38694520
Prep for the 2012 racing season pictures are here: http://www.johngeorgeracing.com/gallery/index.php?/category/68
Road America at 4.05 miles long is one of these racetracks that has been on my ‘want to drive’ list for quite some time, me having run countless laps on it online in Forza racing game on Xbox360. Greg Wellinghoff tried to get me to come out with my car to drive it but it being in Wisconsin, really far from home and with my broken engine, that was not going to happen this year. After talking with him some more, he suggested for me to fly in and co-drive his FFR#77, I took him up on the offer. Flew out of Boston Sat at 6am, and was on the racetrack for qualifying for 11:15am. At the track Greg and I were met by fellow Challenge Series racers Brian Sanders, Lyle Riggen, Paul Arnold with his son Rafe, and new this year Eric Kostamaa.
The NASA Nationals 2011 was held back at MidOhio. It did not go as I had hoped, a crash early in the rain on Wednesday practice had me fixing the car instead of practicing. Getting the car fixed, was back on track Thursday for the first of the qualifier races doing well battling for the lead saw me finishing 3rd (where I started) but not all was well with the car.. ran hot most of the race even with temperatures outside being on the cool side. I decided to try a new radiator cap to see if that would fix the problem.
Friday’s race started great, loads of fun in the front of the pact except my car, running 230+deg decided to dump all of the engine water in turn one (later to find out the lower radiator hose split) causing me, Scott and Paul A. who were right on my tail to spin. Luckily no contact was made and all of us continued the race. I ended up pulling off after 1 lap due to overheated engine. Getting towed back in meant a long night ahead changing headgaskets. Rafe Arnold and fellow FFR racers gave me a hand with the engine changing both headgaskets hoping that will fix my overheating.
Saturday, the big FFR Nationals race day saw me starting the 40min race in 6th, with me quickly moving into the battle for the lead as the green flag flew until on lap 6 my engine puked out water again, seeing me pull off.. race done.
Paul Kaiser finished 1st with a stellar drive, running a bunch of 1:38’s in a row with Scott McKay shadowing his every move in 2nd and newcomer Paul Arnold 3rd.