 |
|
 |
||||
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
| 1
|
2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8
|
9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15
|
16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22
|
23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28
|
29
|
30 | |||||
|
PARTNERS
|
News For April 29th, 2007
|
First Race for Berberich in American Iron Firebird at Iowa Speedway |
|
 |
Newton, IA – Co-op Racing driver Andy Berberich hopped into the driver’s seat of teammate Bryan White’s
1984 American Iron Pontiac Firebird. Berberich and White plan to co-drive at each NASA regional race throughout
the season. The Eurosport 944 and AI Firebird are two completely different cars and require distinct driving
techniques. The Eurosport 944 is a low horsepower, highly handling momentum car that requires smoothness with
handling inputs. The AI Firebird is a high horsepower, heavier handling car that requires smoothness with throttle
inputs. The diversity in driving styles between the two cars will help Berberich and White further develop their
driving skills.
|
|
Prior to the second day of racing, Berberich and White prepped each car for the other driver. “With Bryan behind
the wheel of my car, I wanted to make sure everything was perfect” Commented Berberich “I am more willing to take
chances with me driving, but when someone else is at risk, it’s a whole new ball game. This is especially the case
at Iowa with the speeds on the banking and the concrete wall so close.” During the pre race inspection, Berberich
found that all the bolts holding on both rear axles were lose. “I double and triple checked all the suspension and
brake hardware front and rear before Iowa. For some reason, I never thought to check these bolts.” With the axle
bolts torqued to spec, the Eurosport 944 was ready for action. To prepare the AI Firebird, White replaced a cracked
front left brake rotor.
Berberich spent the early morning warm up session transitioning from the lower speed Eurosport 944 to the higher speed AI Firebird. The most challenging part was in Iowa 1&2 where the speeds are high and the track is relatively featureless. A new feature to the Co-op Racing fleet of cars is the Traqmate data acquisition systems. Data Acquisition is another driver development tool and will play a critical part in aiding the Co-op Racing drivers. New to the Co-op Racing team for 2007 is Collin Mizeur. As a performance driver and computer expert, Mizeur’s primary team responsibility is to aid in analyzing the track data and to help the team driver’s optimize their driving. The most useful data is generated with the same car and different drivers. After the warm up session, Mizeur pinpointed spots where Berberich could drop tenths of seconds in certain parts of the track. The data also showed signs of partial throttle during certain full throttle locations. Already, Mizeur and Traqmate have shown to be good additions to the team. During qualifying, Berberich concentrated on improving car control and consistency. These improvements qualified the AI Firebird fourth in class and eighth in run group. On the start, Berberich was able to advance one spot to third in class. He was able to hold off a pursuing AI Mustang for approximately half of the race. “I was faster than the Mustang in most of the track, except he would gain ground on me coming into the infield” remarked Berberich. “We were coming upon some lap traffic and I wanted to put them between me and the Mustang. I tried to make this move when we came off the oval. Unfortunately, I made this move on two Mustangs that were battling for position. As I tried to pass them both, the second Mustang tried to make a pass on the first and I ended up off the track.” Berberich was able to maintain control of the AI Firebird, but lost position to the pursuing AI Mustang. Berberich tried to regain the position, but the AI Firebird was experiencing understeer in the infield portion of the track and would hinder progress. Berberich and the AI Firebird finished a respectful fourth in class. The first event of any season is always the most hectic. Leading up to the Iowa Speedway race was a lot of work and several obstacles. Coming away from the race however, the team had a lot of fun and has made many advances over the 2006 season. With the first race behind them, Co-op Racing is looking forward to continually improving both car and driver for the 2007 season. The next race for driver Andy Berberich and the Eurosport 944 will be at Mid Ohio in Lexington, OH on May 18-20. This will be Berberich’s first race at Mid Ohio and will provide excellent practice for the upcoming NASA National race. The next race for driver Bryan White and the AI Firebird will be at Putnam Park in Mt Meridian, IN on May 19-20. White has raced at Putnam several times and this will help satisfy the requirements for qualifying for the NASA National race. |
|
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR RACING PARTNERSEurosport Racing is a premiere Midwest Porsche street and race specialist. They specialize in Porsche service, track support and transport, engine design and rebuilding, dyno tuning, and suspension setup and alignment. They also offer a full line of OEM, aftermarket, and high performance parts and accessories. More information on Eurosport Racing can be found at www.midwesteurosport.comKauth and Mayeur provides the finest import services in Peoria, IL. They offer a wide range of maintenance and repair services for import cars. Specializing in high performance streetcars. Kauth and Mayeur can be reached at (309) 673-1412 or http://www.kauthmayeur.com. |
|