Moving Up And Breaking Down At Road Atlanta

It was a beautiful morning for the 1st session on Sunday at Road Atlanta. About half the cars from Saturday decided the track wasn’t for them so the grid was lite. I also got out early to make sure I was the first car and had plenty of clear track to enjoy. It didn’t take long to get back into the grove and put what I practiced on Saturday to good use. I could get fast laps in the 1:50 range but really wanted to break into the 1:49s.

The “quiet” hours on Sunday at Road Atlanta provided the C Group with a nice long session and an empty track. Some of the track prepped cars couldn’t run because they are too loud. Between the light traffic and a good starting spot at the front of the grid, I was finally able to string together some great sectors into my fastest lap of the weekend at 1:49.427.

After lunch my instructor came by my paddock spot to give me some good news, I had been moved up to the B group! For BMW CCA driving schools this not only means running with faster cars, but you can pass anywhere on the track with a point-by. I was excited and nervous to run with the B group for the first time. The big difference is that I am getting passed as often as I am passing others so you really have to pay attention to your mirrors and not just look down track. Despite the added traffic I managed to break the 1:50 barrier again and got plenty of practice driving off “the” driving line.

Towards the end of the session I worked my way through some traffic and headed down the back straight when my car lost power. This meant the traffic I just passed through was now hot on my tail going into turn 10. What was a hair raising moment on track, provided me with good practice in staying calm when something goes wrong. I managed to stay out of the way and get my car back into the pits.

It turns out that my charge pipe cracked, a common problem with the N55 engine and already on my list of upgrades. Now it is on top of the list!