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PARTNERS
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News For July 21st, 2007
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Chase Off The Gremlins, It's Autobahn Time |
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Joliet, IL – Co-op Racing traveled to the Autobahn Country Club
in order to compete with the National Auto Sport Association on July 21.
Upon the return from the last race at Mid America Motorplex, the
Eurosport 944 incurred an ailment that resulted in no oil pressure. Co-op Racing spent two weeks of long days and late nights in
order to fix the issue in time for the Autobahn race. Coming off of 45 minutes of sleep the night before, driver Andy Berberich
was able to put down some impressive lap times and perform better than most cars in higher classes.
Upon the return from MAM and during the |
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typical car and equipment unloading process, it was observed that the Eurosport 944 did not have oil pressure when started. The team
preceded to push the car out of the trailer and into the shop in order to trouble shoot the problem. Team members Bryan White and
Berberich checked every sensor, valve, fluid level, and electrical connection possible, but with no avail. Berberich then consulted
the Porsche community by making multiple phone calls to Midwest Eurosport
of Chicago and Kauth and Mayeur of Peoria, IL. Even after late
night phone calls to Matt Hartsfeld and George Weathered of Midwest Eurosport, the phenomenon of completely losing oil pressure after
one week’s time was unheard of. Multiple posts were also made to several web forums and on-line research was performed in order to
gain as much knowledge as possible. When it was all said and done, Berberich and White had the front suspension, oil pan, oil pick
up tube, radiator, timing belt and balance shaft pulleys, and oil pump removed from the car. No obvious root cause was found.
At this time it was less than one week before the Autobahn race. The team was on the verge of declaring defeat. “I have never missed a race that I set out to attend” said Berberich “I am very fortunate that every race I scheduled to attend, I attended. In this situation, I had no root cause and no line of sight for a solution. The advice I got from George was to change the oil pump. It didn’t make sense to put the car back together without making any changes and expecting a different outcome. So we bought some parts, borrowed some supplies, and put a different oil pump on the engine.” After fixing some stripped bolt holes, replacing some typical high maintenance parts, Berberich and White were ready to test for oil pressure late on Thursday before the race weekend. Extra care was taken to ensure the oil pump was primed properly and everything was in order. After a couple deep breaths and a turn of the key, the Eurosport 944 fired up and continued to run without missing a beat. This time however, with oil pressure. With sighs of relief, the team was done for the day. On Friday, Berberich and White continued assembling the Eurosport 944. This included reinstalling the entire front suspension, radiator and lines, timing belt covers, alternator belt, and the rest of the detail items that keep the Eurosport 944 running strong. White called it a night after the major car items were installed in order for him to finish prepping his car and equipment for the race weekend. Berberich spent the rest of the night, and into the morning, buttoning up the car, picking up the tools and loading up the trailer. With minutes to spare, Berberich was able to catch 45 minutes of sleep before meeting up with Bryan and Elaine White at 5:00am in order to head to the track. “Even though I only had 45 minutes of sleep, I was on a high from our accomplishment. I did however have to talk to Bryan on the phone for the last leg of the trip to stay awake” Berberich concluded. Saturday’s practice session was used for shaking down the Eurosport 944. The car was in pieces literally hours before the session. Berberich put the car through its paces and gradually built speed and confidence. After the practice session, the team checked the Eurosport 944 for fluid leaks, loose bolts, and anything else that may cause problems. Short of adding a few extra zip ties in places, the Eurosport 944 was given a clean bill of health. In the approximate thirty car field, Berberich qualified the Eurosport 944 in seventh. Their best qualifying time was 1:41.987. Berberich was able to qualify well because this is his home track. With being less than two hours from home, the team ventures to this track regularly. Also with instructing for Laps Inc, he has recorded hours and hours of seat time. The race started with the Eurosport 944 in 5th position after a couple cars couldn’t make the start. In tight quarters on the start of the race, Berberich and Eurosport Racing customer Eric Cyranski raced two wide through turns 1, 2, and 3 and finally down to single file through turn four. “Race starts for the Eurosport 944 are killers.” Berberich explained. “The car is low horsepower, which means you have to carry the momentum through the turns in order to be fast. On the start, I am held up in traffic and cannot gain distance in the turn. On the straight-aways, the higher horsepower cars get past. Turn 10 leads onto the longest straightaway. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw Eric coming. Instead of totally giving away the inside line for the pass, I hung out in the middle of the track to force Eric further to the inside. I withdrew from this strategy when I noticed there was a third car to the right of Eric as we entered Turn 11 and I was still in the middle of the track. With the third car on the inside line, I was able to brake early and regain my position from Eric as we entered Turn 12. This is a perfect example of how a racing situation could have turned out poorly if it wasn’t for the car control and skills of the drivers involved.” Berberich and the Eurosport 944 started and finished the race in 5th place. His fastest lap time was 1:40.876, which drew the attention of some fellow racers with this comment from the NASA web forum. “Andy Berberich pulled a heroic effort staying up the night before the event to get his oil pump replaced, and turned in some impressive times- see www.mylaps.com.” Also in attendance to support the racing effort was Co-op Racing “data aq guy” Collin Mizeur. As the team grows and start utilizing the data even more, we are expecting great things out of Collin. The following Sunday was the next race for Co-op Racing at the Autobahn Country Club. This time again, Berberich will try his hands behind the wheel of the American Iron Firebird. |
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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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