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PARTNERS
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News For Sept. 3rd, 2006
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Eurosport 944 Places 2nd in Road America Challenge After Amazing Pit Work |
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Elkhart Lake, WI – Co-op Racing ventured north on August 31st to compete in The Road America Challenge hosted by the Chicago Region of the Porsche Club of America. The weekend started off well for driver Andy Berberich and the Eurosport 944 until a mechanical failure resulted in a two-car accident. Fortunately no one was injured. The damage was significant enough to question the team’s ability to repair the car in time for the 90-minute enduro scheduled for the next day. With some luck, several spare parts, and a lot of hard work; the Eurosport 944 was able to start and finish the enduro on the four-mile, 14 |
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turn road course.
Due to missing qualifying, Berberich started last in the field of 64 cars and finished 37th in run group and second in class.
Expectations were high for Co-op Racing as Berberich and the Eurosport 944 was second fastest in class after the first practice session of the day. The team had just started to tune the car when the accident happened in the second lap of the third practice session. Berberich reflects on the incident. “I was amazed at how much faster the car was over last year. I was excited about bringing the lap times down and making a run for first in class. Preceding the incident, I was following the number 144 silver 911 into Turn 14. As I prepared to make a pass on the 144, I went to brake, heard a pop, and then the brake pedal went to the floor. I tried to slow the car by shifting to a lower gear, but it was too late. I slid through the inside of Turn 14 and ran into the side of the 144. We both slid off the track and ended up in the gravel trap. The flag station was quick to bring out the yellow flag to inform the other cars on track to proceed with caution. Safety crews were fast on the scene to ensure that everyone was safe. Fortunately, the speed was low enough to where no one got hurt. As I stepped out of the car to look at the damage, I thought to myself …I can fix that”. It is standard procedure for drivers to report to medical after an incident that requires the car to be hauled in from the track. As Berberich approached the on-site medical center, he was greeted with a hand shake by Dave Gross the driver of the 144 silver 911. Gross’ attitude and understanding speaks volumes about his character. “The last thing you want to do is wreck your car.” Berberich commented. “Even worse is causing damage to someone else’s car. Dave was very understanding because he had been in that situation before. I offered him a heart-felt apology and offered to help fix his car if needed. Luckily there was less damage to Gross’ car and he was back up and running in no time”. The Porsche Club of America has a rule that if the driver is the cause of vehicle damage, they are not allowed to race the rest of the weekend and are on probation for 13 months. This is referred to as the 13/13 Rule. Since the cause of the accident was due to mechanical reasons, Berberich was allowed to race the rest of the weekend. Now the question was if the Eurosport 944 was reparable. The damage to the Eurosport 944 was to the left front corner. The accident was caused by a left front strut failure. This caused the strut to knock off the brake line, which caused the brakes to fail. The resulting damage was a broken strut, bent control arm, mangled steering tie rod and tie rod end, broken brake line, smashed up fender, broken coil wire, and broken engine mount. Kacey Berberich, supporting Co-op Racing for the weekend, began removing damaged parts as Andy Berberich began finding parts. Co-op Racing had most of the parts on hand that were being kept as spares. The hardest to find part was the lower control are, which luckily Auto Edge Performance Tuning and Repair had a spare with them. The remaining parts needed were replacement struts that were brought to Road America Sunday morning from the Co-op Racing headquarters in Washington, IL by Steve Berberich. With a little creative engineering, component reconfiguration, and plenty of friendly persuasion to the wrinkled fender, the Eurosport 944 was repaired with little time to spare. Throughout the repair process, racers and fans took an interest in the team’s progress and continually inquired whether the Eurosport 944 would make the race. “I didn’t realize we had such a fan club” Kacey Berberich commented. “In a short period of time, at least seven people asked if we were going to have it fixed. I told them of course we would.” After the final parts were installed on the car, Bryan White and Andy Berberich performed a quick alignment to ensure the car was setup correctly. While Berberich was strapping himself into the car, the rest of the team was still setting tire pressures and checking the oil. Berberich and the Eurosport 944 pulled onto grid right before the start of the 90-minute enduro. Standing at the pit wall waiting for the start of the race, Brian Weathered of Eurosport Racing was surprised to the see the Eurosport 944 in the lineup. Luckily for Co-op Racing, the 90 minute enduro was delayed for twenty minutes after another car had dumped oil on portions of the track. With multiple warm up laps, Berberich was able to “shake-down” the Eurosport 944 prior to the start of the race. With renewed confidence in the car, Berberich made up two positions in class on the start of the race and the position for second within a couple laps. The Eurosport 944 finished 37 in the group of 64 cars and second in the class of five cars. A surprising finish to most who were present for activities preceding the race. The ability to start and finish the race was a major accomplishment for the team. Without the support of Eurosport Racing, White, multiple Berberichs, being prepared, and a lot of luck, the Eurosport 944 would not have had a chance. Special thanks from Co-op Racing to everyone who took an interest in the team and supported them to the end. |
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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. Maui Jim, Inc. was established in 1996 and continues to be the fastest growing premium polarized sunglass manufacturer in the world today. With more than 50 styles to choose from and easy online browsing at their website, www.mauijim.com Maui Jim are the sunglasses of choice for Co-op Racing, which provide excellent clarity and protection when used behind the wheel or behind the wall. |
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