 |
|
 |
||||
| 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
|
| 24/31
|
25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30
|
|
PARTNERS
|
News For May 30th, 2009
|
Honeymoon at the Glen |
|
|
Watkins Glen, NY – For the conclusion to Andy and Shawn Berberich’s honeymoon season, Co-op Racing headed
out east to historic and widely know Watkins Glen. The purpose
of the trip was to celebrate the Berberich’s marriage and to give both of them a golden opportunity and a honeymoon
of a lifetime. With the Porsche Club of America, Shawn drove the
Eurosport 944 for two days of drivers’ education and Andy raced in the PCA SP2(944Cup) class. Both were very
successful in their driving goals as well as celebrating their nuptials.
The rainy fourteen hour drive from Co-op Racing’s Central Illinois headquarters was well |
|
worth the effort. The
Eurosport 944 was well prepared for Shawn’s on track experience. Upon arrival in Watkins Glen, friends of Co-op Racing
Tom Collins and Dennis Hiffman offered their personal driving instructor up for a few sessions as a wedding present.
Internationally accomplished professional race car driver and Skip Barber instructor Peter Argetsinger gave Shawn
personal instruction during her two days of driving at The Glen. “Peter was an excellent coach.” Shawn remembered.
“He was very patient and affirming and he made me feel very comfortable. The entire experience was amazing.” Shawn
had three instructors over the two days and they were all very impressed with her abilities behind the wheel. The
weather was outstanding for her first day of driving. She had the most fun when she was “bird dogging” a 944 turbo
through the turns. “The last time I saw her smile that big was on our wedding day”. Andy had to say. Day two’s rain
cut Shawn’s driving short as driving in the rain is very risky with very little reward. Overall, Shawn’s experience
at The Glen was nothing short of amazing.
The Eurosport 944 was relinquished back to regular driver Andy Berberich for the rest of the weekend. Throughout Friday, Shawn had more laps at The Glen than Andy had. “With the help of Shawn and Peter, I was able to come up to speed quickly.” Andy commented. “I discussed driving technique with Shawn who was just instructed by one of the best instructors in the business. I reviewed her driving video and she reviewed mine. It was truly a team effort and it paid off.” The third session on Friday determined Saturday’s first sprint race starting order. Andy qualified second in the 10 car field with a time of 2:22.931 behind accomplished SP2 (944Cup) driver Bill Comat with 2:21.166. The first sprint races started with split start. The traditional PCA classes started together with a gap for the PCA SP (1,2&3). Berberich did not start well and was passed by Rodrigo Herrera before turn one. Starting in the back and making a run to the front was late comer Ernie Jakubowski who jumped into the lead and held onto if for the remainder of the race. Berberich had a good race with Herrera and was able to pass for position about three laps into the twelve lap race. He then set his sites in on Comat. “I caught Bill but was never able to pass”. Replied Berberich “My best chance came in turn one where Bill was held up by a lapped Boxster. Bill went to the inside and I went to the outside of the Boxster. I was hoping that the Boxster would give way to our in class race, but he didn’t. I quickly ran out of track and was not able to monopolize on Bill’s loss of momentum due to the traffic.” Berberich settled for a well deserved third out of ten cars. Comat and Jakubowski are known in the 944Cup circle as being very fast and highly successful. The second sprint race starting order was determined from the first sprint races lap times. This put Jakubowski on the pole, followed by Comat, and then Berberich. The Eurosport 944 got off to a great start and move from third to first through turn one and through the famous Watkins Glen esses. The lead was short lived as Jakubowski motored by to take over the lead. Berberich held onto second place for several laps until Comat was able to make his move at the end of the longest straight heading into the inner-loop. “I knew where Bill’s strength and my weakness would come into play.” Berberich rationalized. “A combination of power and configuration gave Bill the edge he needed to make the pass.” Not content with third, Berberich drove hard until several close calls forced him to settle down and focus on finishing the race. Another third place was the conclusion of the second sprint race. With sprint races over, it was time to focus on the next days 90 minute enduro. Unbeknown to most, Berberich was fighting the Eurosport 944 with some peculiar handling problems. A major benefit of racing with the Porsche Club is the opportunity to work with title partner Eurosport Racing. A quick conversation with co-owner Bryan Weathered revealed a fundamental setup issue. Significant shock adjustments were made in preparation for the enduro. A mechanical gremlin caused Berberich to miss the early morning warm up, but the both car and driver were prepared for the mid morning 90 minute enduro. “I was hoping that the shock changes would allow me to close the half second gap I consistently had behind Bill. Another split SP group start resulted in Ernie, Bill, and I running up front with a couple SP3 cars intermixed. I could tell within the first couple laps that the shock changes were right on. I knew that I would be able to give Bill a run towards the end after I got into a groove and started to utilize the new found handling.” As Berberich recalled, his demeanor changed. “As I was trying to get every bit of performance out of the Eurosport 944, I overdrove the inner-loop and backed the car into the outside tire wall. I have had my share of incidences, but this by far the worst yet.” Berberich limped the Eurosport 944 into the pits with the rear fender rubbing on the tire. Bryan Weathered was at the wall and assessed the situation. Due to the amount of damage and tire rub, the race was over for the Eurosport 944. Thankfully, no one was physically hurt in the incident. Not the best way to end a honeymoon, but the highlights are definitely the focal point. Shawn Berberich experienced a world famous track from behind that wheel of a racecar. Andy Berberich drove the Eurosport 944 to two respectable third place finishes in a highly competitive field of drivers. Overall, the fond memories will last a lifetime. |
|
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. |
|