I would definitely like to come check out MC3. Its been about 12 years since I last raced with Shawn and some of the guys when they came down to an Atomic race down around me... I know they are plenty quick up there, and loads of setup info and tips. I chat with some of the guys from there pretty regularly when I can. I am pretty busy for the next month or two, probably wont get any track time until our next regional event June 1st in Delaware (East Coast Championships).
In Pan car, I made some bad setup changes for A2 after a DNF in A1. Reverted back to the original setup for A3 which worked out well for me.
I am generally very patient when lapping people, I usually do not expect them to pull over and park it, but show some courtesy if they see that I am making a move. I know that there may be multiple battles on track, and unless I am in a battle, or trying to extend/close a gap, I have concern about impeding other racers by overtaking at inopportune times. The best place is pulling on to the straight, because a slight lift while being passed on the straight is often safer than trying to pass in a corner. It allows the person being passed to continue to take their own line through the corner or complex, which keeps both parties safe. There is an art to passing, and also one for being passed. I stress this a lot with the newer racers that we race with. I tell them that in practice, stay on the race line, the faster guys should work their way around you. If you see them make an inside move, give space, but to focus on the line and keep speed up. There is nothing worse than the feeling of parking it every few corners to let people by. This is a race, not a charity, and despite the fact that you are not battling for position, both parties should work together to reduce time lost for both of them. Often, for the one being passed, it is to let the faster guy by at a point that is convenient for both of them, waiting too long, could result in the faster guy just driving through the slower car... but too early and it is costing too much time.
I am typically pretty strong in traffic, and is usually where I can gain a lot of ground. Riding a bike in NYC really helps out in that regard
We typically race on a very tight track locally, which means a lot of close door to door racing, and I often value car placement in setup over having the outright fastest car because it allows me to make more daring passes which I wouldnt feel comfortable doing with an aggressive setup. It is funny how years ago, I was always pushing for the fastest laps, but would often make errors, and now I am the guy that mostly chugs along at a more comfortable pace focusing more on being error free than outright fastest. I know that on a large track such as the one for this event, one mistake can eat up 5-10s, and make the difference between a strong finishing position or being well down the order.
I am one of those racers that cannot speak while racing... Standing next to Tim in stock, we are polar opposites, where he is very communicative and lets you know he is coming with pace if looking to make a move. I appreciate it, and would love to be the same way... but I have quite a disconnect between my brain and mouth when I race. If I talk while I race, I often crash or lose time. My buddy loves to tell stories on the drivers stand, and it cracks me up each time he does it... I just think, how can he do that while driving!!!
In stock, I didnt think that I would have much pace to catch Thiago, and actually let Tim and Tommy by early on so I could just follow and get my bearings. I had planned to focus most on consistency, and pressure from behind. In the end, this strategy paid off for me. I made no unforced errors in A1, and only one in A2. Thiago had bad luck with a wheel after I had collided with a backmarker taking me out of the lead. I had setup to take the backmarker around the outside around the first horseshoe, so I could have the inside line into the tight left hander into the chicane. He had seen me coming at the last second, and moved outside to give me the inside, which resulted in the collision and let Thiago through. Fortunately for me, and unfortunately for him, he lost a wheel a lap later. You could say that he was really driving his wheels off to go for the win!!! The next race, he had issues in traffic, I didnt see the incident, but got by him and just stayed clean while underdriving the car to keep it clean. He had much more pace than I had, but also had some inconsistency in the setup because of it. I know that if I come race him again, I need to step up my game because he will be out for vengeance!