LCR Race Reports - Savannah

TEAM-LCR REPORTS
		The webmaster's Bonaventure fantasy... (click to enlarge) SVRA SPRING FLING Roebling Road Raceway Savannah, GA April 3 - 6, 2003 Ah, Savannah..... - Photo by Lori Pilati (click to enlarge)
Springtime in Savannah was the backdrop for our third race of the 2003 Racing Season. The lush beauty of the azaleas, wisteria and dogwood in full bloom, combined with almost steamy spring warmth, did nothing to slow down our drivers. In fact, Paul Flowers, Pete Gulick and Bill Pedersen all posted fastest laps during the weekend - Pete in the Enduro, Paul and Bill in their Sprint races on Sunday - continuing the superb performance they had all begun in Sebring. Also this weekend, we had the distinct pleasure of welcoming Robert Allred to our group as he joined us to shake-down and race his freshly-restored (by us) Lotus Super 7.

Paul Flowers - driving the wheels off his '63 Elva Mk7S at Roebling Road, 4-6-03 - Photo by Bob Harrington
Paul Flowers in his Elva simply decimated the opposition at Roebling Road. He was determined and fast from the first session on test day. His focus never wavered all weekend, particularly in Sunday's Sprint race, where starting 4th on the grid he emerged in second place before the end of the first lap. He pressed on with steely determination, even harrying the usually much faster Porsche Longtail of Henry Paine down the front straight. The positions were the same at the end of the 11 laps, but Paul was so close. He even set the fastest lap of the race. We think that on a tighter circuit without such a long straight, he'll get the outright win. The day before, the same determination was displayed by Paul in the Enduro. This race started during a torrential downpour (the only rain of the weekend). Paul started strongly and immediately asserted himself, quickly taking the lead. His drive in the rain was spectacular, hardly putting a foot wrong, and his first pitstop was excellent, down to the second. The second pitstop (quite close to the end of the 1-1/2 hour race) was our downfall. Somehow, we let Paul back into the fray one minute early, for which he was black-flagged and held in pit lane as a penalty. While he still finished fifth and accrued almost maximum points, the overall win eluded him for the second time in two races. Surely it won't be long before he prevails, as his performance in the Elva just gets stronger and stronger. It's worth noting here that Paul put in a similar steely performance in his '70 Merlyn Mk17 F/Ford immediately prior to the Enduro race, winning the F/Ford class of Group 2 after a very close battle with Frank Hammette and Deane Tank. He never lost the lead for the entire 11 laps. Quite an effort - two hours racing with little or no break!
Flowers rocks at Roebling Road!		Flowers maneuvers his Merlyn Mk17 F/Ford (right) (prepared by Mike Gorley) through the traffic at Roebling Road before jumping into his Elva (prepared by us) for a 1-1/2 Hour Enduro. Whew! (click to enlarge) Paul Flowers in his Elva Mk7 (center) at the start of the Vintage Enduro, (which in all likelihood he would have won, but for a pesky pitstop penalty.....) - Photos by Bob Harrington (click to enlarge)

Our newest addition to LCR - Robert Allred - had a somewhat frustrating beginning with us at Roebling Road in his just-restored Group 8 Lotus Super 7. Whilst most of our restorations run "right out of the box," the newly-racerized Lotus suffered from overheating no matter what we did to try to cure the problem. Needless to say, it was a real drawback for Robert as he cut through traffic in a charge after Jim Woods and Ross Bremer, since he was obliged to back off to allow his engine to cool down. With the failure of a new fuel pump on the second session and a water-pump failure just before Sunday's warm-up, Robert persevered with a smile in the face of adversity. He actually finished the Sunday Sprint race, although again having to back off whilst in contention for third spot. Nevertheless, Robert's best lap was just over a second off winner Jim Woods' times, and would have been in contention with second place winner Ross Bremmer. As both Robert and his lovely wife Carol allowed, things will get better - and we know we'll soon get to the root of the problem. The car was a beautiful addition under our tent, and Robert and Carol were notably patient during this unanticipated sorting process. A test day will allow us to finish the shake-down on the car, and we look forward to much better results in our next outing.
Robert Allred in his stunning, freshly-restored but overheating Lotus Super 7 at Roebling Road - Photo by Bob Harrington

Pete Gulick had an interesting weekend, arriving to find both of his entered Chevrons in the same race group. In an effort to resolve the problem, the powers-that-be allowed him to practice in Group 5 with the B23 (the race group that Group 7 is normally attached to if either of the two groups have a "light" entry). Pete made the best of the time allowed him with the Group 4 & 5 cars to get back in the groove, easily setting the fastest times. Things proved a little tougher in Group 9 with the open wheel cars, but Pete's '78 B42 proved competitive with Bobby Brown's B27 F2 and Joe Blacker's F2 March. Unfortunately, the race weekend for the B42 was cut short because of a cylinder-head gasket failure. However, this did make the decision of which car to use for the remainder of the weekend much easier!
Van-the-Man Gulick in his Chevron B42 at Roebling Road
The B23 had an unhealthy appetite for tires - particularly left fronts. So perhaps the heavy downpour preceding and during the start of the Endurance race, although slowing things down, actually ensured a strong finish that otherwise may have had us nursing blistered tires to the finish. It was our newly recruited co-driver, Bobby Brown, who gave our two slick-shod cars a fighting chance with his spontaneous and ingenious tactics. He pitted on the first lap of the race - making it virtually a one-stop event and effectively giving us an additional five minutes of dry track time. Bobby took the first 40-minute stint and put in a stunning performance on a track that was still completely awash with deep, standing water. Pete took over in drying conditions, piling on the pressure to try and make up the deficit sustained during the second pitstop when Bobby brought the car in unexpectedly (during Paul Flowers first scheduled stop). The car had flooded spark-plug wells, causing a misfire. The extended pitstop - some 9 minutes - resolved the problem, but put the overall win just out of Pete's grasp. As hard as he tried, we were still just over half a lap behind when the checker came out. Almost maximum points were accrued, however, and the team had the satisfaction of the fastest Enduro lap, at 1.15:086.		The winners take a breath after a long, hot and wet Enduro. From left to right: Travis Engen, Jack Lewis, and Enduro Team of Pete Gulick and Bobby Brown on the podium after finishing third in the Historic Enduro in Pete's ''73 Chevron B23 - Photo by Bob Harrington (click to enlarge)
Pete Gulick in his Chevron B23 (left) taking Travis Engen in Turn 1 during the Group 7-9 Sprint Race - Photos by Bob Harrington (click to enlarge)	Sunday's Sprint Race was carefully orchestrated on Pete's part to drive, but not to race so as "to spoil the open-wheelers' race" - as requested by the powers-that-be. Pete put in a great performance after cars fell by the wayside, eventually giving him an opportunity to try to race for position. Even with his hands so tied, Pete put in a really respectable time.

Our Wonder-Boy, Bill Pedersen, put in his usual unruffled, formidable drive in our Tiga. Having never been to the track before, he immediately posted best S2000 time each session; that is, apart from the qualifying race, when we removed the wicker in search of straight-line speed, only to discover that the car didn't want to stick in the corners. This little "aero-experiment" relegated Bill to the back of the grid for the Sprint race.
Bill Pedersen (left) dives down the inside on Turn 1 in our Tiga - Photo by Bob Harrington (click to enlarge)		- Photo by Bob Harrington Again, determination prevailed and Billy moved through the field from the drop of the flag, almost grasping an S2 first place. In the closing minutes, his closest adversaries were again in much newer, more sophisticated cars. He came away with fastest lap and a first in the Historic S2 class, 7th overall, behind a string of F2, FA and 2-litre Sports Racers.
The Enduro was as daunting for Bill as it was for Pete in the Chevron. With the torrential rain and slick tires, Bill also took advantage of an early pitstop on the first lap to allow the track to dry. He then drove the next 40 minutes on a slowly drying track before handing the Tiga over to another new Enduro recruit: Lee Brahin. Lee had only just sat in the car the day before, having never started or driven it until we strapped him in for his stint in the Enduro. He soon got up to speed, however, bringing the car home a very creditable 9th overall and setting the second quickest time of the race: 1.21:413 - bettered only by Pete Gulick in his B23 (shades of Sebring two weeks earlier).		Starting at the back of the pack, Wonder-Boy Bill (left) takes the green flag in our Tiga & charges down the front straight. He took second in class in the Historic Enduro. - Photo by Bob Harrington (click to enlarge)
Bill now leads the historic division of the S2000 championship, and must be doing well with Enduro points, as must Paul Flowers in Vintage Enduro points and Pete Gulick in the Historic Enduro. All in all, another great weekend for our LCR Allstars!