Just as last year the last event before the Fat Lady sings was the endurance race at New Castle Motorsports Park (NCMP). This year instead of being a 3 hour race it became a 200 lap (Right at 200 miles) event making the race nearly 45 minutes longer than last years edition.

Team Rapid Racing has looked forward to this event all year and we were there in force. This years driver lineup included yours truly, year long team mate Pete Gross and a new addition (Sugar) Ray McKelvey. As always pit smarts and pure muscle were supplied by the inimitable Gooseman (?).

An overnight rain left us staring at a cold, wet racetrack and as usual deciding that discretion was the better part of valor we held off practicing until most (not all) the track had dried off. Pete had been a bit under the weather so naturally we chose him to go out the first round and find the wet spots. The rest of practice we alternated between myself as the designated team leader and Sugar Ray who quickly adapted to the Tony/Leopard and just as quickly got up to speed. The track conditions were improving virtually lap by lap and we felt pretty good about the setup.

Qualifying came next and we made our only real tactical error by going out in the first qualifying group so we would have more time to prepare for the race itself. Yours truly hauled the Tony into fourth place in our practice group only to finally realize that the track was still coming in. Result, All the top times were turned in the final qualifying group and we wound up 16th. (DOH!!!)

Not wasting any time the crack staff at NCMP called a quick drivers meeting and the call to the grid was made immediately thereafter. An interesting variation on gridding was announced and the field gridded on the start/finish straight and the call to saddle up was made followed by the playing of the National Anthem. (Horrors! Shades of Pro Racing) A field of 41 cars with grim faced drivers waiting on the call to start engines turned out to be a cool photo opportunity.

“Gentlemen, Start your engines” blared over the PA and the field of 41 began the first of two pace laps. The weaving, tire warming mob slowly circulated the cold NCMP circuit and I have to admit the crowd lining the fences and the large field bobbing and weaving its way created even more atmosphere and anticipation.

“Run fast, run clean” I chanted over and over to myself as we neared the end of the second pace lap.

Green flag! As the mob of 41 streamed into the first turn the two cars in front of me made contact and I pedaled the Tony to avoid them. Of course the driver behind me had no such intentions and delivered a decisive blow to my rear bumper turning me around in the middle of the pack. At this time I did my best imitation of a golf ball being smacked sharply in a tile bathroom and got hit by at least four of the following drivers. Having had just about enough of this action I made a stab at driving into the infield to avoid the rest of the oncoming pack only to get hit again (Hard!) and spinning into the infield wildly before coming to a stop.

So much for “Run Fast, Run clean” and I reentered the race in 41st place. Faced with a long way to go and a short time to get there I put my head down and tried to make up as much time as I could. Smooth, endurance type racing style was out the window, quickly replaced with an aggressive charge back through the pack. Although generally known as a patient driver I didn’t wait to make passes when the opportunity arose but merely passed them when I got to them. By the end of my hour long stint I had somehow worked my way back up to 6th place.

Storming into the pits the ever faithful Gooseman (?) loomed large as I slid into our pit stall. I removed the fuel cap as I exited the car and reset the lap counter and data system while The Gooseman (?) did the refueling. Quickly Sugar Ray climbed in and appropriately stormed back out of the pits immediately getting the Tony up to speed and worked his way from the 8th place that we had dropped to during our stop to 5th before coming in to hand off to Pete.

Again dropping to 8th during our stop Pete despite not feeling 100% physically put in a game effort and hauled the green machine up to 4th before finishing his stint.

At this point everything was going pretty close to plan. We were in 4th place on the same lap as Mark Dismore Sr. and had two laps over 5th.
Looking good, what could possibly go wrong now? As we made the driver change on that last stop we found out. As I slid into the Tony/leopard Pete yells to me that the engine was beginning to cut out at the end of the straight. Not one to worry I fired the engine and hurriedly went out the pit gate, only to back off at the bus stop chicane and when I slapped the gas open again, NOTHING!! Coasting to a stop I tried in vain to refire the engine. Fortunately I rolled to a stop near the track Gator used to pick up disabled karts. Bumping and swerving our way back to the pits I gave Warren the Gator driver instructions amounting to “Get this @$^$#@ thing back to the pits!!!” Loudly.

As it turns out the cool weather had caused the castor to separate from the fuel and a “Big Gulp” of oil was plugging the fuel line. This same thing afflicted at least six other teams as well. Franticly we pulled the fuel line loose from the carb and I thought the Gooseman (?) was going to pass out from blowing on the vent line until the oil blockage cleared itself. Jamming the fuel line back on the #$%$@ engine started right up and I stormed back out of the pits now hopelessly behind and mired in 11th place.

Somehow the Racing Gods saw fit once again to give us the uncanny ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Disappointment not disgust became the order of the day and looking back we still had a great time, ran very well, and our undoing was nothing but bad luck.

I for one can’t wait to give this event another go.

Wait a minute! What’s that noise? Oh Oh! It’s the fat lady singing. Damn! Another season has come and gone already. As the off season looms on the horizon Team Rapid Racing has already gone into planning mode for 2006. There are still races to be run and races to be won. “The race is never over!” cried the illustrious Gooseman (?) as we loaded up the trailer for the last time this season.

But wait again! Racing season begins in about 16 short weeks. That’s not all that much time. We had better get started on our program for next season. This should keep us busy for the next few weeks, in the cold, in the dark.

Gooseman (?) is right! The race is never over!