The July VIR race weekend is historically a hot one, and this year was no exception. With temperatures reaching into the upper 90s, both cars and drivers alike were finding it difficult to stay cool. Luckily, David Rhodes was in attendance in his Taj Ma-Motorhome and the oasis of air conditioning was a life saver.

After losing the engine at the July 3rd Lowes race (also due to heat!) I was apprehensive about really turning up the wick on the new motor right away. The practice session was more of a shake-down to check the new motor and oil cooler for issues, while the qualifying session served as a practice. The new motor and oil cooler did fine, although water temps were obviously going to be an issue.  I made the call to replace the aging radiator with a new one prior to the race, which luckily is a quick 10 minute swap; all was ready for the saturday race.

I was gridded behind Jamie Lane, a former student of mine, in his red Legends car. I was looking forward to having some fun with him in his first-ever road course race after completing the SuperComp school the day prior. We took the green flag and had a close match on our hands. His car had more speed on the straightaways but I could make up the ground in the next braking zone and turn. After an exciting first lap we came flying down the front straight into turn 1, at which point things got quite a bit more exciting. As I got on the brakes to shed some of the 125+ mph we had earned on the straight the front right brake line failed, dropping the brake pedal to the floor. Instantly I pulled the emergency brake, a recent addition thanks to parts supplied by Jason Peck. I thanked him as I spun through the grass, wondering if I was going to make it to the tire wall or the Dan River. As it turned out, I made it to neither and stopped in the grass without a scratch. I limped the car back to the pits and began sourcing a brake line. James Chase came to the rescue, donating a line from his Integra which fit perfectly.

Sunday qualifying was another confidence builder. The car performed well and all systems were go: oil and water temps were good, brakes were firm and the motor was smooth. I qualified just 0.133s behind Jamie, which set us up for another fun race. At the start of the race I gained several spots, moving past Jamie as we went into turn 1. I managed to hold him off for the first couple laps, although it soon became evident that his straightaway speed was to overcome my braking and handling. As we exited the oak tree turn on lap two and headed down the back straight, he easily pulled past the CRX. As we dove onto the brakes for turn 14 I pulled along side him and we held side by side from the top of the hill all the way down through 17a, a grin on both our faces as we knew the other would play nice. As we swept onto the front straight his horsepower again had the advantage and he pulled away, not to be caught this time. Through the 30 minute race the July heat began to rear it’s head; tires and coolant temp were both running a little hot. A little care kept them in check, and as the race drew to a close it was evident that fuel was to be the real limitation. The race finished without incident, marking another class win for Evil Twin Motorsports.