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PARTNERS
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News For July 19th, 2008
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Excellent Team Work Delivered a 2nd Place in Team’s First 3 Hour Enduro |
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Joliet, IL – Co-op Racing competed in their first NASA Mid-America Endurance Championship at
Autobahn Country Club (ACC). Andy Berberich and Bryan White piloted
the Eurosport 944 for the three hour race. The team accomplished a 2nd place finish out of the class of nine competitors. Their
finish was also 4th place out of the field of 17. The team was very pleased with their performance and delighted with having a large
and competitive class.
The three hour race started at approximately 5:00pm on Saturday, July 19th. Bryan White started the race in the Eurosport 944. Earlier |
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showers produced very humid conditions. When the sun came out, the weather was almost unbearable. Due to the nature of
endurance racing, it is difficult to tell what position the Eurosport 944 was in when White came in for the pit stop and driver
change. It is estimated that in lap 27, White brought the Eurosport 944 into the pits 4th in class.
Eurosport Racing performed the refueling of the Eurosport 944 while Berberich and White worked at the driver change. The Eurosport guys did an excellent job conducting the pit stop. Pit boss George Weathered called the shots as he was responsible for supporting four cars in the race. With the Eurosport 944 fueled and Berberich behind the wheel, they re-entered the race 5th in class. The three hour endurance race was held on ACC’s 3.56 mile, 22 turn combined road course. The race started with 17 and several had dropped out due to attrition. The relatively low numbers and large track added another challenge to the race. This created a mental challenge because there was no “rabbit” to chase. Co-op Racing addressed this challenge by utilizing two way radio communications between the pit and the driver. Fresh behind the wheel, Berberich was in constant radio communication with Shawn Clary. Shawn, who is engaged to Berberich, is continually making significant contributions to the team. In this instance, she would communicate real time track position from the NASA trailer. For the endurance race, NASA had real-time timing and scoring in order for everyone to keep track of the action. For Co-op Racing, it was an opportunity to track the competition and keep the pressure on Berberich. Currently sitting in 5th position, Shawn informed Berberich that the next car in class was one minute ahead. With an hour and a half of racing left, Berberich set his sights on closing the gap and gaining the position. “Continuous updates from Shawn helped tremendously.” Berberich pondered. “I heard a 60 second gap, and then a 48 second gap a lap later, and then 20 seconds, I knew I was making significant gains. Endurance racing is great because you have time to make up ground.” Berberich eventually passed for 4th place then set his sights on third. Shawn again came across the radio with the news of a sixty six second gap. With about an hour left in the race, Berberich honed in on third place. As time passed, Berberich eventually passed for third place. Similar situation again, only this time Shawn came across with a 50 second gap. With just over a half hour of racing left, Berberich pedaled the Eurosport 944 to within striking distance of 2nd place. With about 15 minutes of racing left, Berberich passed for second place. By this time, the gap to first place was two minutes. Even though there wasn’t enough time left, Berberich was gaining 3 to 4 seconds per lap on the leader. In lap 54, Berberich brought the Eurosport 944 across the finish line in second place. “The enduro was amazing.” expounded Berberich. “I think we did very well for our first endurance race with NASA. George Weathered, George Jr, Nick, and Joe did an outstanding job during the pit stop. Bryan did great by keeping up the pace and enduring the miserable heat. I am especially proud of and grateful for Shawn. I don’t think anyone will deny that I have found my racing and life soul mate.” |
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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. |
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