Just got back,and you are right fantastic weekend.
Great party also!
This posting made me chuckle. For a man who self-proclaimed to me on Saturday night that he didn't know anyone who was so full of crap as him, he's very economical with the written word....
Seth and I arrived at the track around 8.30pm Friday night, after a pretty late decision to make the trip up from O'town. The party was already at an advanced phase. Messrs Self, Prewitt, Carr. Mi, and Phil (Canada). made us welcome at the temporary Turn 10 basecamp.
Seth impressed with his Jekyll and Hyde shots and our American friends offered to poison us with a particularly dangerous smelling moonshine that was (classily) dispensed from an old pickle jar. A strict no-smoking policy was observed during it's service. I stuck to Guinness.
Friday night and Saturday morning kinda blurred together, so by the time the race started my hangover was just stepping up to the plate to deliver a homer of Barry Bonds-like chemical inducement. After 40 minutes of hard-and-fast racing, we decided to fire-up the ol' Suburban and relocate to the hillside above the esses, wher Fax was patiently awaiting our arrival. During the journey the first incident of a truly chaotic Petit occurred. Our radio came alive with Hindy's excited announcement that Magnussen was in the wall above the esses and definately out of the race. A review of the "jumbotron" showed Herta punting Jan off the track, at a spot that was designated a no-passing zone in that mornings drivers meeting.
The worrying prospect of GM merely racing themselves (the Lista Maserati not really being considered serious competition) was eased slightly by this incident - however, the talk around Road Atlanta was, "How much longer will GM continue to run a program with nobody to race against?" - Not long, is my guess.
The weather stayed fine (Fax tells me it's never rained on the Petit) but the safety car was a familiar sight during the day. The 'Excorcist Vomit Green' Krohn Racing Ferrari had at least five off-track excursions and even the usually faultless Alan McNish T-boned a spinning P2 in a carbon fibre shreading melee in turn 1.
As weve come to notice on this side of the Atlantic, the Porsche Spyders were agile, fast and loud, compared to the whooshing, but otherwise unspectacular R10's. As the race played-out, the Porsche would get itself into position to upset the applecart in Ingoldstadt - only to have its substantial lead evaporate during yet another late race caution.
The Audi nicked-it at the death.
Aside from the lack of a GT1 field (made up for, by a very stout P2 grid) it was the usual, relaxing, friendly and event-filled weekend. It's not as crazy as Sebring, or as much as an endurance (for the fan) as Le Mans, but it has qualities all of it's own.
The circuit is a spectator/photographers dream, the atmosphere, bolstered by the biggest crowd I've seen in my 5 attendances at Road Atlanta, was fantastic - and the race, hard-fought.
Nice to see a strong and enthused Dutch contingent - and I'd just like to say thanks to Randy, Lee, MiCarr, Phil, Fax and a bunch of others who helped me stay unfocused for the duration.
I've siad it before - and I'll say it again, if there's any chance you can make it happen, this is one of the USA's great motorsport events, give it a try, you won't regret it.
