A fine group of Kentucky Boys attacked the track at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio on May 15- 17 2009. They drove rain or shine in the Mid Ohio Region PCA Club Race and Advanced Driver Education events. Jack Strifling (#87 Red) and Chris Martin (#17 White) came from Lexington, KY and drove their excellent “E” Class 1987 and 1982 911s in the Club Races. Chris had a minor engine electrical problem but with a borrowed ignition coil he was back burning up the track. The Lexington boys were very fast and provided plenty of competition for the other 42 cars in the Red Group.

Larry Schmidt (#57) from Elizabethtown and Carl Baker of Prospect came to the track to do some Advance Driver Education training on the mighty Mid-Ohio. At this level of DE the drivers are required to have extensive track time and be capable of driving the course without an instructor. I watched them on track and they were flying around the circuit in excellent form. Many of the racers should have such nice driving lines. Larry brought out his 911 with its newly transplanted 3.6 liter engine. After the first few sessions I asked him how his machine was doing…Larry’s comments were, “I like it…it’s very fast” and he certainly was. Carl drove his beautiful Boxster S. This lowered and suspension modified beast is a perfect blend of form and function and Carl was letting the track know who was the boss. These guys are well on their way to perfecting the skills necessary for club racing events.

I came in from Louisville and I drove the old faithful (#88) 1969 911E in the Club Sprint Races in “A” class. We had a very interesting time in the Red Group Sprint Races since it was dicey as to whether to run the rain or dry tires. Eventually we all chose to go out on the dry tires. Well half way through the first race the rain started in the “Keyhole” section of the track. You see, in its 2.4 mile length, the Mid-Ohio track can have rain in one section and be dry in the other sections. It makes for a very challenging race on one of the most difficult race courses in all of the United States. So you go as fast as you can in the dry and then look out in the wet. We were told in the driver’s pre-race meeting that Mid-Ohio had repaved the old concrete corner sections with new asphalt and put a sealer on it. And that the chief instructor of the Mid-Ohio Drivers School said it was very, very slick when wet. I think he would know since he conducts classes there year round.

Yes it was VERY slick! During the next few laps the rain had progressed to cover the full track. In an interesting bit of brain fade a 944 Spec driver was now going to pass me in turn #9. Had he not noticed the other 944 off course in the retaining wall between corner #9 and #10? It had been there since the second lap of the race. (The driver was OK, the car not so). So here he comes down from “Madness” turn #8 (racers like to name the nasty corners) to take the corner away from me in the braking zone on my inside right….I thought to myself, Hey fellow racer….”do you see the slick patch they talked about in the pre race meeting?”….”do you see the standing water and mud in the corner apex?”

...my next thoughts were about trying to avoid contact with a spinning 944 making loops on my right and how to get through the corner which was to the right. Well luckily no contact and another 944 passed….you see, in an early 2.0L 911, you don’t get to pass many cars and when you do it’s a great day. Sorry my 944 brother, but to win you have to finish the race and not spin off the track. …. My next project is to build a new engine to kick up my speed. No problems in the curves but just need a little more power in the straights.