Lime Rock Park Dodge Dealers 28/05/2001   Friday Odds & Ends   ©Andrew S. Hartwell Over a beautiful green park we have nothing but gray skies. And it is especially dark over the Doran-Lista tent as Didier Theys spun the Ferrari-Judd entering No Name Straight doing an extensive amount of damage. So much so that Kevin Doran has three people working the phone lines trying to find someone in the area that owns an old Ferrari and would be willing to transport it to the track. Upon arrival the parts Doran does not have on hand would be “borrowed” from the donor car to put the damaged car back together. Just in case the phone calls go unanswered, Doran has pulled the Crawford SSC2K out of the transporter and it sits idly by while the mechanics try to pull a magic trick and put the wrecked car back together. Kevin Doran: “It’s pretty bad. It took off the front, both radiators, the splitter, the nose are all crushed. The left rear suspension is completely ruined. The tub looks OK. It was a straight on hit. The problem is we know what we need but we have to locate some parts. We sold nine or ten cars to the collector market so we are trying to figure out how to get what we need.” “If we can’t get it fixed, we will run the Crawford for the guests from Lista. They have a lot of guests here and they have expectations of a competitive car so we will have to run the Crawford and do the best we can. The rain doesn’t help either because, when you are down on downforce you need the best conditions possible.” Practice was a very wet affair with some teams not even going out. Intersport was not one of those teams. Jon Field took to the wet like a duck at home and sent up rooster tails half the length of the front straightaway while on his way to setting second fastest time. James Weaver and Butch Leitzinger were able to pull down a time about a second and a half faster. Jon Field: “We are struggling a little bit with the car. Weaver was here on Tuesday so we expected him to be ahead of us a bit. We were just finding some time at the end of the session so we will keep chopping at it.” Field is becoming comfortable with the Lola and that helps his confidence. “What it does (having faith in the set up) is it allows you to drive at the level that is right on the edge a lot easier. If the car isn’t set up just right, then it can be a disaster waiting to happen.” “One of the things we have learned in the last three races is that we were setting the car up for Oliver Gavin and I am now considerably quicker than him in the racecar. Now we are setting it up for me and he is struggling a little bit. He was a second slower than me at the Glen. We have compromised now where the car is set for me. We have to work things out but your confidence does improve as the car gets better. Another note of dismay comes with the realization that, once again, Clint Field is not old enough to compete. Clint Field: “It looks like we won’t get in again but we are trying all we can to run here. It’s pretty hard to get by a state law but we are trying. Team Manager Martin Dixon is looking into it. But if we can’t pull it off then we just wait until Mid-Ohio.” Jon Field sees his son Clint’s future in open wheel racing. “We are going to try to run a few IRL events next season. We will probably test with a high level team first to see if he likes it.” Quotes from around the paddock: Jon Field was ahead of Didier Theys when Theys spun out. “I was ahead of him and I was looking in my mirrors. It was the out lap and no one was racing yet. I think he just got on it and it looped. It was a pretty significant hit. I saw it happen and I thought Sheesh!” Didier Theys: “I was not even flat out in third gear and I lost it on the straight. The front nose and the rear suspension are damaged. I hit the guardrail on the left side of no-name straight. I am OK.” Didier was seen to be helping the mechanics by cleaning up various bits of the car. Kevin Doran told me this car was one Fredy Lienhard had on display in Switzerland and it was brought over to replace the Crawford. It could be that now the Crawford will replace it. Howard Katz (Archangel Nissan-Lola SRPII): “The car is fine I just need some time in the dry. This track is close to home and I have had some good luck here. I think Lime Rock with the chicane has become less of a momentum track than it used to be. I think it changed the character of the track and I’m not sure in a positive way but this is still a great track. I just hope it starts to dry out.” Tom Papadopoulos (Autosport Race Team Porsche GT): “Everything was good until the throwout bearing blew up. We are replacing it now and then go out and qualify. Lime Rock is my home track. I won the Ferrari Challenge in ‘97 & ‘98. Our car is a 2000 GT3R Porsche.” Frank Richard (CrewMember with the Morrison-Mosler MT900R GT): “Everything has been great. We have a new driver in the car (Jeff Beck) who has never driven the car or driven here but we have no problems.” Greg Fordahl (Team Manager Fordahl Motorsports Porsche GT and Saleen GTS): “We are pretty satisfied with where we practiced at. We worked hard to put the car back together after Kim’s shunt at Watkins Glen. We are happy with both cars. The conditions have been treacherous and Chris (Bingham) and Ron (Johnson) are just being cautious because we don’t have a lot of spare parts for the car.” Randy Pobst (Fordahl Motorsports Porsche): “I have been out two times today. The car is completely rebuilt. This morning, when it was dry, I just wanted to go and go and go. In the wet, well, Lime Rock is always tricky. It is a challenge because the car breaks loose instantly. It feels pretty good up to a point and then you are sliding for a long time. It is difficult to sense the limit. “The track switches from asphalt to concrete and it can be treacherous in the wet. But the rain always seems to help me. We just finished winning in the rain at Phoenix. I just seem to finish better in the wet. I think driving in the rain requires even more skill and experience and a relatively conservative approach. There is not enough traction to make up for going over the limit in the wet. “Normally, if you run within ten seconds of your dry time you are considered to be going very well. This track is shorter so it might be less but then again; this track is treacherous in the wet so it might be more. We were about 14 seconds off the dry times but we are limited in our choices. We used up all our spare parts just putting the car back together.” Kim Hiskey went out in the rain and was spotted walking around the paddock while her crutches were spotted resting under the team tent. Chris Bingham (Saleen S7R GTS): “We are doing OK. This was my first time on the track so I was still learning the track. This afternoon’s practice was just wet and miserable. We are pretty happy with where we are (fourth overall). I like the track, it is short and not too technical to learn.” Ron Johnson (Bingham’s Co-driver): “I went out in the first session to bed rotors in. We sent Chris out in the rain and I told him I would be waiting for him in the tent with a drink in my hand.” On the Porsche GT1-98 of Schumacher / Jeanette: “It is amazing how they have rebuilt that body work with bondo. The rear of the car was crashed pretty badly at the Glen. It is a real fast car and had some trouble in the rain with the turbos. I am glad to see them out here. I can’t wait to go up against them at Road America.” Darren Law (G&W Motorsports Porsche GT): “I had very limited practice in the dry but it was so wet the second time so we didn’t even go out. We have a pretty good wet set up so we decided not to run. Lime Rock is such a short tight track and it is real hard to pass.” Spencer Pumpelly (Zip Pumpelly Racing Porsche GT): “We never really got a clear lap in the wet practice but we did OK. (They set fastest time.) If this rain keeps up we might have to change the name of the series to the Grand American Rain Racing Association. We don’t have a great rain set up but we don’t have dry set up so we want it to rain. “We feel good about this race because half of my laps in racing were run here and we have the car sorted out at the Glen. Now I think we are up to speed and not worry about it crashing on every corner.” “There are so many good drivers and cars here so it will be interesting. We expect to have Rick DiLorio with us to replace Steve Ivankovich. We are going to have a driver change and that may put us at a disadvantage.” Top Qualifiers in GTS: #99 Schumacher Racing Porsche GT1 #5 Saleen S7R #07 G & W Motorsports Porsche GT2 Top Qualifiers in GT: #34 Zip Pumpelly Racing Porsche GT3R #15 Fordahl Motorsports Porsche GT3RS #81 G & W Motorsports Porsche GT3R #66 Racers Group Porsche GT3RS #71 Jack Lewis Enterprises Porsche GT3 Cup #02 Morrison – Mosler MT900R Top Qualifiers AGT: #18 Comer Racing Corvette #11 Hamilton Safe Motorsports Camaro #41 Fariss Racing Camaro #00 Orion Motorsports Mustang #09 Team X-1R Corvette SRPs qualify on Saturday. Copyright ©2000-©2023 TotalMotorSport