I am maybe one of the few who actually like NHIS.  It’s a technically challenging track—you get very busy very quickly, and if you manage to get the right line it will help you learn the lines on other tracks in the area (Watkins Glen, Lime Rock, Mosport, Calabogie, and Mont Tremblant). The track is hard on brakes, has transitions and elevation changes, has late apexes, and has slow and fast turns. What more can you ask?

On day one I was kept very busy instructing two students. I spent most of the day just making small adjustments to the Alfa and trying improvements in some sectors of the track where I felt I could do better. I was using my Toyo “practice” tires, so recording any form of time was out of the question. At the end of the session, it began to rain and I was the only one on the track. It’s nice to have the NHIS track all to yourself, to push the car on some turns without having to look in your mirrors. I managed a nice spin on Turn 6 (the bowl), but kept the car on the track and moved on.

On event day, I ran a couple of practice sessions, this time using the Nitto NT-01 tires, and noticed that I was faster than my better times in past years. Turning 1:29s consistently was a good sign. On a couple of turns, the 3rd gear kept on popping out (I am seeing this more and more, and wonder if I am beginning to have gearbox issues), so on those critical turns I made sure that I either downshifted earlier or kept one hand on the steering and the other on the shifter, holding it in place.

For the time trials, I was the first one off the mark, setting the pace for the other drivers in SSC class. Since one’s fastest lap is normally the second one, my first lap was slow in preparation for the second. As I was getting into Turn 1, the 3rd gear popped back into neutral and I lost some precious ground. So, on the third lap, I kept my hand on the shifter and got really aggressive in the other turns, thus turning in a good lap time of 1:29.534, consistent with the times I had been doing in the morning session. It’s just that my friendly rival in the Bimmer was a little faster—not by much, but just a little—enough to take first place.

So another second place finish in my collection, and still leading in the points, as my other friendly rival (his brother!) in the same Bimmer took fourth place, thus further distancing us in the points.

• Make sure to click the Giro 5 link below for the Mont Tremblant report.

Showroom Stock C – TT event NHIS results

(Click on the thumbnails below for a larger view,
and then use your browser's Back button)

Home ∙ About AONE ∙ Current Issue ∙ Past Issues ∙ Next Events ∙ Photo Gallery ∙ Our Sponsors
Info Center ∙ Tools For Loan ∙ Classified Ads ∙ Club Store ∙ Search ∙ Forum ∙ Links