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PARTNERS
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News For September 15th, 2007
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Impromptu Repairs Lead To On Track Excitement |
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Lexington, OH – After a 6th place finish in the first qualifying race of the
NASA Nationals, Co-op Racing was looking to improve their position or at a minimum, maintain it. The team devised and implemented a plan
which included a spare transaxle, parts from Chicago, and an evening trip to a welder in order to make improvements. These efforts proved to be
promising, but a spin, during the second qualifying race, placed driver Andy Berberich and the Eurosport 944 in 11th out of the 19 car field.
After the first qualifying race of the competition weekend, the team was disappointed with the 6th place finish and the less than ideal race |
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car. After consulting with the Porsche racing community, it was determined that modifying the spare transaxle would be better than running
the existing transaxle in its current condition. In order to implement the strategy, it required teamwork, tenacity, risk acceptance, and luck.
Co-op Racing consulted with Brian Weathered and Matt Hartsfeld of Midwest Eurosport regarding how to disassemble and reassemble the spare transaxle. Hartsfeld’s expertise is in Porsche transmissions, and his knowledge was greatly appreciated by the team. Luckily, Andre Nischan of Midwest Eurosport had planned to venture to Mid Ohio in order to spectate for the weekend. Knowing exactly what parts are required for the rework, Hartsfeld put together a care package, which Nischan delivered. The plan was to modify the open differential that was currently installed in the transaxle by welding it solid. This modification would lock both rear tires together and would force both tires to spin at the same rate and thus propel the car equally. This, however, would significantly change the handling characteristics of the car. In order to make the modification, the differential would need to be removed from the transaxle, welded, and then reinstalled. Significant time and tools are required for such a job. Luckily for Co-op Racing, their pit area was right next to that of local racer Keith Wise. Wise is a true ambassador of the sport and was more than willing to help in any way possible. Wise put the team in touch with Matt Carson, who works for a well known motorsport and cage shop in North Central Ohio. With the differential removed from the spare transaxle, Carson welded the differential late Friday night. Saturday morning started early with transaxle reassembly and faulty transaxle removal. By this time, Nischan had arrived with the necessary parts and plenty of know how. Berberich removed the faulty transaxle as Nischan reassembled the spare. The two installed the “new” transaxle with 20 minutes to spare before the second qualifying race qualifying session. “You are crazy” Proclaimed Shawn Clary regarding the decision to make the at track modification. The decision and modification was risky, but the team wanted to eliminate all excuses and improve performance at any cost. If the transaxle did not hold up, the team would leave knowing that they tried their best to be competitive. The modification was the right decision, as it produced an immediate one second per lap improvement. This improvement was enough to qualify the Eurosport 944 in 6th for the second qualifying race of the weekend. The modification, which resulted in a locked rear end, made the Eurosport 944 more challenging to drive. The car was faster, but was much less forgiving when being pushed to the limit. Due to the new configuration, Berberich was thus forced to drive different than his normal style. As time went on, Berberich became more comfortable with the car. The second qualifying racing started with the Eurosport 944 in 6th on grid. As the race progressed, Berberich was battling for 6th place. Coming out of the storied Mid Ohio key hole, Berberich was able to get a run on the 6th place car. Both cars went into the braking zone, where the Eurosport 944 had the inside line. As Berberich had done many times before, he threw the Eurosport 944 into the turn in order to complete the pass. Unfortunately, the new setup and handling characteristic did not allow this type of maneuver. The rear tires of the Eurosport 944 locked up and cause it to spin-out on track. Luckily, the car never fully left the racing surface, but this incident caused the Eurosport 944 to drop back to its finishing position of 11th place. The final result of the 2nd qualifying race was disappointing for the team, but it was proven that the hard work of Berberich and Nischan had paid off. The 6th place and 11th place finishes of the Eurosport 944 place it 8th on the grid of the Championship race to follow the next day. |
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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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