Rincon Motorsports - Spec Boxster Racing

2012 Highlights

2013-01-17T15:55:00.003-05:00

2012 Highlights

Official NASA Mid Atlantic TTD new lap record

2011-12-07T10:49:00.000-05:00

It is officially on the books :)
http://www.nasaracing.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/NASA-LAP-RECORDS.xls

Next year we will explore a little NASA PTD wheel to wheel racing. Looks very promising based on the TTD test.

Summit Point NASA Time Trials: new lap record for TTD

2011-11-16T18:25:00.001-05:00

This past weekend Nov 5-6, I ventured out to Summit Point with NASA for one last day of fun this season with my Spec Boxster.

Since there was no wheel to wheel racing and I wanted to capture some lap times to refine my driving I signed up in the TT division in TTD where the Spec Boxster fit perfectly.

On Sat, not being 100% sure on how the TT points worked I erred on the side of caution and ballasted my car to 2850 lbs (min was 2822 lbs) and gave myself about 10 + points of wiggle room in case there were questions about my classification in TTD.

Ran the day without issues, went to the scales and checked my weight (2850+), managed to turn a 1:25.0 in the very first session out but that time didn't count because on my last lap of that session I spun in T10 and beached the car in the gravel. For those that didn't know if you go off in TT your entire session is DQ'ed.

No biggie, went back out and backed it down a notch and posted a string of tidy laps, the best one recorded at 1:25.4s. The existing lap record for TTD was a 1:27.2 set back in 2008. The lap record was mine !

Overall, I had an excellent day. Hit my marks consistently and moved up my game considerably in T3, 9 and 10 running about 10mph higher than normal. Thank you Mr. Hoosier. My only challenge was a Hoosier that was leaking about 10psi in an hour and since I had 2 students and my session was wedged in between them, I had to stage the car on the hot pit and overinflate my left rear tire and "hope" that when it came time to do my timed session I could just bleed out a little and hit the track.

Now understanding the rules a whole lot better, I reduced my running weight for Sun using up some of the points to take a weigh reduction down from 2822 lbs but still being conservative to leave myself some wiggle room.

Again on my first session out for the day I set my best laps for the day and posted a 1:24.5 with a string if 1.24.x laps around it. Hopefully that lap record will stand for a while or not either way I had a blast

Here is a video for some entertainment from Sun's fast run. (Thanks to Mark Francis/OG racing for setting up a nifty roof mounted camera for another perspective.)

The 3rd lap out is the fast one but the 5th isn't too shabby either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv0-tk1C4lo

I highly recommend the NASA Time Trials for anyone that wants to step it up from DE. The requirements work very nicely for a street car and you get 5 timed sessions per day and open passing.

NJMP Thunderbolt w/ chicane new track record

2011-08-10T09:20:00.000-04:00

During race 2 on Sunday I set a new track record during the race for the Spec Boxster class.

Set a new track record of 1:38.709 besting the prior record by 2.05 seconds.

NJMP Rolex/Grand AM support race with Porsche Club

2011-07-27T14:39:00.000-04:00

Attended the Rolex and Grand AM support races with PCA Club Racing.

The theme for the weekend was that it was HOT HOT HOT, saw 106 F on the thermometer a few times. The track was very greasy likely due to the extreme heat.

Friday Practice 1:
Never saw the track before prior to Friday's morning practice session. Went out to do recon for a few laps and latched onto someone with a decent pace. Started exploring T1, T2 and the chicane. By the 3rd lap I was taking the entry to T2 with just a lift and go, unfortunately the course was greasy and misjudged the entry of the chicane and usefullness of the curbing to rotate the car and ended up with a big slide that took me off into the tire wall with a glancing impact. Damage to car-none. Quickly checked my front and rear toe with some toe plates borrowed from the racer parked next to me. Set a lap of 1:42.480.

Friday Practice 2:
Had to make this practice count! Went out determined to learn the course and take my time getting up to speed. I never listen to myself :). After a few laps I latched onto a Porsche 993 in H Class and chased him around most of the session and got a really good foundation for the course. Set a lap of 1:40.294.

Sat Qualifying 1:
Now that I new which turn was coming and which way it headed it was time to find a little speed. The rear end of the car was still very loose in several of the turns so I had to be careful as I found myself counter steering the car mid corner. Found an F Class 911 to chase driven by Paolo Incampo. Began to close in on him and was trying to tighten up the gap behind him into T7 to allow me to stay close to him for a passing attempt in the braking zone of T1 and lost the rear and slid in the grass. One of the bumps unseated my drivers door from the hinges and I had to hold the front side of the door from dragging. Went right to the pits and called it for the session. Set a lap of 1:38.680 only 0.08 seconds behind Paolo.

Sat Race 1:
Pretty clean start of the race although cars did bunch up quite a bit into T2. I took advantage of the situation and choose a line in the center of the track with Paolo Incampo to my right and Hugh McNenly just ahead of him. Later I learned that Hunt McMahon #611 and fellow Spec Boxster driver was also on my left. Paolo was trying to get out from behind Hugh and moving my way at the last second all the other cars went for the brake pedal and I stayed on the gas and shot into the chicane ahead of all 3 cars. Whew.

I ended up following Joe Mansfield in a blue 968 Firehawk car for a good portion of the race until he passed an orange/red 964 which held me up for several laps and let Joe run away from me. I finally got around the 964 and finished 1st in class and 30th overall out of 48 cars. Set a lap of 1:39.385.

Sun Qualifying 2:
Uneventful session where I chased Joe Mansfield around. The rear of the car was still loose but I had a better handle on where it was happening. On my flyer lap I ended up catching traffic going into T6 and lost time behind them for the next few turns. Kind of unfortunate. Set a lap of 1:38.490.

Sun Race 2:
This one was pretty exciting. The grand stands were filling up with spectators as the Rolex race started right after us. The start of this race was chaotic. When the green flag dropped and I came across the start/finish line there was a bunch of smoke and a lot of dust everywhere hurting visibility. I saw Joe Mansfield in the blue 968 dart to the right as I saw a black 911 come into view moving slowing as we closed in at over 115mph. I followed his lead. As we approached T1 cars were diving left and right, apparently 3 of them jumped over the curbing onto the pit exit road. As we approached T2 into the chicane the cars bunched up even more. I again was taking the middle line and certain that I was about to get squeezed in from both sides. Somehow I managed to sneak through the chicane and was in the middle of a 4 car drag race to T4 right hander from the left edge. I was certain that I would be the odd man out but somehow the 3 alongside me overcompensated for one another vying for the apex and I snuck through on the outside ahead of everyone.

I tried to settle into a comfortable pace but was fighting the car more than I wanted to in T6 and T7, the rear end was really dancing around on me and I was sure I was hearing weird rubbing sounds from the left rear suspension. I ran a pretty good race keeping some higher hp cars behind me by opening up a generous gap from T1 to T5. I was following Harry Kintzi in the black 993 for a good portion of the race and was starting to catch up to him. On the last three or four laps my tires were really losing their grip and my advantage in T1-5 was gone. By the last lap I had a GTB2 997S on my rear bumper and he was looking for a way around me. I did my best to keep him there charging through the turns as fast I could muster. I took the apex to T4 at 90mph and lost the rear end and spun the car into the grass. This allowed the 997S car past as well as Joe Mansfield in the 968 and one more. I finished behind them in 31st position overall out of 42 cars and first in my class. Set a lap time of 1:38.709

And now for some pictures from the race...

NASA Hyperfest 2011 @ Summit Point

2011-06-19T14:42:00.000-04:00

Place Holder

PCA Club Race at Watkins Glen

2011-05-28T14:41:00.000-04:00

Place holder

Results of first race with PCA Potomac Region

2010-10-19T10:09:00.000-04:00

Sprint Race 1

Finsihed the race in 4th but set the fastest race lap of 1:25.9.
http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=1719251&perclass=1

Sprint Race 2

Started 1st, was passed at the start of the race and made contact with the first place car early on which required me to return to the pits after contact (per PCA racing rules). Officially a DNF
http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=1719252&perclass=1

Sprint Race 3

The highlight of the weekend; I started last and worked my way past 15 cars all the way up to 2nd and lost two places on the last lap finishing 4th. Set the 2nd fastest time of the weekend with a 1:25.8.
http://www.mylaps.com/results/showrun.jsp?id=1719253&perclass=1

So now a long winter break, need to replace the left fender and make a few more improvements to the car. I still have the stock rear sway bar which will get replaced as well as a few more things.

Best part of the weekend is that I ended up being the 2nd fastest Spec Boxster with a 1:25.8. That gives me something to work towards improving upon.

Now to find a sponsor..... :)

First Race: Porsche Club Potomac Region Club Race, Summit Point

2010-10-04T09:22:00.006-04:00

Had a great weekend at my rookie PCA race at Summit Point Raceway. I was joined by my crew; Brad Roberts from California and Virginia local Matthew Yip. Their experience and patience helped me to be ready to run each time and to listen to my rants about what I thought the car was doing and what really needed to be done. Brad was able to take my input and make pretty effective changes that I was able to immediately take advantage of each practice or qualifying session. Over the course of the entire weekend we made a lot changes on the car to dial it in making it progressively quicker, also actually learning the car (2nd time ever driving it) and learning to dial back the driver. A lot of self reflection afterword about what I could have done differently.

Paul Alexandre

I had the opportunity to meet a good bunch of fellow Spec Boxster drivers from NJ, MA, CT, etc. We had some great runs together in the practice sessions and during the races.

Progressed through the day making changes on the car, progressively going faster each session. Put on my race tires for what would be qualifying and only managed to go .1 seconds faster than I did on street tires. Hmmm? This proved to be a temporary hold up as things improved further the rest of the weekend

Sprint Race 1, I started in 4th got all the way up to 2nd place. Had a nice gentlemanly battle going with Charlie Boyer #28 who was in 2nd, I got ahead of him and then coming into T1 I got behind Hunt and Charlie took advantage and slid up the inside ahead of me. I then settled in and was holding 3rd the rest of the race. Then a momentary distraction inside the car caused me to turn into T9 early causing a huge spin flat spotting both fronts with 2 laps to go. Came back onto the track in P4 and didn't find a clean opportunity to pass so I ended up finishing 4th. (I had flipped my visor up for some air and it crashed down right at the entry set for T9 both startling me and slightly changing the viewing angle) DOH!

Sprint Race 2 qualified 1st and lost the position right at the start due inexperience in timing the start of the race. I waited about 2 laps exploring where I had more speed and challenge back for P1 going into T1 and the lead car and I made contact in T1. My crew and I spent a worrisome night expecting to be assigned partial fault and learned in the morning that I was cleared and fault was put onto the other driver. Just a dented fender and the front tire was cut, fixed those items and we were back in the game.

Sprint Race 3 was a particular highlight with a downfall at the end. Started 2nd from last with Scott Bresnahan due to the DNF in prior Race. Worked up through the field to P2 in Spec Boxster and held it the entire race. On the last lap I was the first car through debris in T5 and put 2 wheels off going into T6 letting two Spec Boxsters past me. Finished 4th.

As for the Enduro.... sorry everyone about the massive smoke screen I caused from T3 to T4. My air-oil separator let go. I thought the motor let go and moved over into the grass but didn't seeing any fluids as I rolled down the hill to T5 into the midfield so I returned to the pits and packed it up.

A lot of fun, a lot of work, lots of ups, lots of downs. Looking forward to honing my craft and being dialed in as a driver and consistent lap after lap.

Preparing for 1st race

2010-09-30T09:55:00.001-04:00

The list of things that need to be finished keeps growing and new surprises keep popping up.

I had a chance to test the car out at the SCCA PDX held on Sunday, September 26th. (Thank you Matt for the tracktime). I ran the car for the first time at Summit Point and used street tires to practice and ran without anti-sway bars.

The goal for the day was to do a full sweep of the shock settings and also put a few heat cycles into the car. The first session was with the shocks set full hard. Car felt fairly responsive but had terminal understeer from turn in to track out.

The second session was with the shocks set at full soft. The car was much more responsive and a lot of the understeer was gone but it still had understeer from apex to track out.

After the second session, two surprises awaited me. The drivers side brand new wheel liner was torn out and hanging under the car completely destroyed. There was also a water leak somewhere under the car and fairly significant. I parked the car on top of the trailer and got to work removing the undertrays to discover a good sized hole shooting water from one of the hard water lines running down the center of the car. Got some rescue tape from the OG Racing track store and was ready to try again.

I went out for what was to be my third and final session only to discover that half way through that I was having trouble engaging 3rd gear. I tried a few more laps at a reduced pace but getting into 3rd gear was hit or miss. Hoping for the best, I put the car back on the trailer and finished up my instructing obligations for the day.

Fortunately the transmission was fine and the shifter cables had worked themselves loose on the back of the transmission. The water lead actually turned out to be over 8 leaks on both hard water lines. Apparently the aluminum lines had corroded from the inside out and needed to be replaced. I found a replacement set and had them shipped overnight and installed them with Brad on Thursday just before leaving for the PCA Club Race.

We just made it to the track during a torrential downpour and was only a few minutes late for my mandatory Rookie Racer meeting.

2010-07-20T17:00:00.000-04:00

Wow, I really should update this. Only major activity has been Comp school and the 24 hours of Lemons. Story coming soon.

NASA announces the new Porsche Boxster 986 Series

2010-02-24T19:14:00.000-05:00

NASA announces the new Porsche Boxster 986 Series

February 24, 2010 6:51 AM — The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) is pleased to announce a new racing series for Porsche Boxster 986 chassis cars. NASA has secured the rights to the already successful Boxster Spec series created and managed by Bill Bodine, a long time Porsche racer from Southern California. Bodine will continue his involvement with the series as the National Director.
“We’re very excited to be working with Bill to take the Boxster Spec program to the next level”, said Ryan Flaherty, NASA’s National Chairman. “This is a great platform to work with and we hope to combine our national presence with Bill’s proven leadership to get more folks involved with the series”
Bill Bodine added that “NASA’s high quality nationwide events will not only provide our current Boxster Spec drivers with more and better racing opportunities, but will encourage those in the Midwest, East and South to jump onto the Boxster Spec party-wagon. This couldn’t be better timing for the growth and continued success of Boxster Spec Racing.”
More information on the Boxster Spec series can be found at www.boxsterspecracing.org.

Nifty in-car camera coming out soon

2010-01-27T19:49:00.001-05:00

Came across the Re-Play XD by StableImaging. Intro price at $189 looks very promising. I hope to get my hands on one to give it a try. It is a self contained Chapstick sized mini DVR that records DVD quality video onto a microSDHC Memory card. A little bird tells me that OG Racing will be carrying these as soon as they are released in mid February.

The 2010 NASA Mid Atlantic Schedule

2010-01-27T11:38:00.002-05:00

Ok, here is the schedule for NASA. I'll be running the Spec Boxster in GTS-2. I hope to be ready for March 26th!

The plan is to do a few races in Porsche Club (PCA) against other Spec Boxster, but for that I will have to run on the Toyo R888 tire instead of the Hoosier R6.


Date	Track
Feb 19-20-21	VIRginia International Raceway (Full Course) HPDE 1-4, Sprint Races, Time Trials SuperComp School, Instructor Clinic, Test and Tune, Open Practice, Enduro Karting, CircuitCross
March 26-27-28	VIRginia International Raceway (Full Course) HPDE 1-4, Sprint Races, Time Trials SuperComp School, Instructor Clinic, Test and Tune, Open Practice
April 17-18	Summit Point Raceway (Main Course) HPDE 1-4, Sprint Races, Time Trials
June 19-20	HYPERFEST™ '10 Summit Point Raceway (Main Course) HPDE 1-4, Sprint Races, Time Trials
July 23-24-25	VIRginia International Raceway (Full Course) HPDE 1-4, Sprint Races, Time Trials SuperComp School, Instructor Clinic, Test and Tune, Open Practice,Grassroots Motorsports Ultimate Track Car Challenge
August 21-22	Summit Point Raceway (Main Course) HPDE 1-4, Sprint Races, Time Trials
October 8-9-10	OKTOBERFAST VIRginia International Raceway (Full Course) HPDE 1-4, Sprint Races, SuperComp School, Instructor Clinic, Test and Tune, Open Practice
November 6-7	Summit Point Raceway (Main Course) HPDE 1-4, Time Trials

Personal Safety Gear

2010-01-19T11:40:00.000-05:00

Stopped by OG Racing to see Brian and to test fit a racing suit one more time.

I ended up going with a Sparco Sprint Suit, SFI 3.2A/5 rating.

Hopefully this will serve me well and hold up fairly well.

Gaining Headroom

2010-01-11T11:17:00.000-05:00

One would think that building a race car you will fit in it pretty much the same as when it is a street car.

But no, it is not to be so simple. It seems that unless you want the top of your helmet banging around on some of the safety cage tubes you need to seriously lower your seating position. I am 5'9" tall and didn't think it would even be an issue for me.

Thankfully, Kent at PCW has run into this before and has a solution ready to go. He unwelds the factory seat pan which is over 2 inches high and custom makes a new low profile seat pan.

Before: Factory Seat Pan with stock seat sliders

Side profile of Factory Seat Pan, OEM sliders add considerable height as well

After: custom seat pan that lowers seat to the floor and provides multiple attachment points

At the end it is good for an additional 3+ inches above your head

Finished Cage

2010-01-05T11:07:00.000-05:00

Kent has been busy working on my Boxster over the holidays.
After a lot of measuring, cutting and welding....

Transforming a street car into a race car

2009-11-20T11:02:00.000-05:00

Kent at Precision Chassis Works in AZ has my Boxster and started by stripping out the entire interior to prep for fabricating a custom safety cage.

Step 1: take out everything from the interior

Step 2: Next, Kent starts fabricating a safety cage

A cage fabricator is found

2009-11-15T11:20:00.000-05:00

In trying to learn more about Spec Boxsters, I have have been reading a lot of the posts at Brad Robert's website dedicated to BoxsterSpec.com specifically under the Build section where folks from around the country are posting about their respective build process.

One of the builder's who does some extraordinary work with exceptional attention to detail is a guy named Kent Porter out of Gilbert, AZ who runs Precision Chassis Works. The detailed pictures of his Boxster builds as well as the numerous endorsements of his work by other builders sold me.

It ends up working out that Kent is able to drive over to check out my Boxster for me during my buying process to validate for me exactly what I am getting. After the purchase was made, Kent picked up my new car in his enclosed trailer and took it over to his shop to begin the process.

A donor car is found

2009-11-14T11:10:00.000-05:00

After much consideration to alternatives...

I found a 1997 Porsche Boxster perfect for gutting and transforming into a Spec Boxster eligble to compete in Porsche Club of America Club Racing, NASA GTS-2 and SCCA ITR.

The car is currently in Phoenix, Arizona. Need to determine my next move on bringing it home or I have an idea on a great AZ resource for a cage.

This car has a very worn out interior and the engine is not currently running. I am assuming the worst that the engine is toast. The price reflects the interior condition and need for replacement motor.

The search for a new track car/ race car

2009-11-04T11:05:00.000-05:00

A few key criteria:

Ability to compete in wheel to wheel racing
Handling, no doubt above and beyond what I already have
Ability to take a passenger so that I can still use it when instructing
Raw speed, ??? hmmm this one gets expensive to buy and maintain, will likely downgrade here

Options:

Transform my 996 into race car: emotional attachment keeps me from tearing it apart and the fact that it is a hybrid already
Different 996 C2 race car eligible for Spec996??

maybe further down the road

C5 Z06 race car
Radical SR3 or SR4

extremely fast :)
incredible handling
the running costs for one of these ends up being much much higher than I initially thought

Spec Boxster

it is a relatively new series that is well positioned to grow
cars will handle extremely well
power will be down by 100HP at the wheels vs my current track car
I won't be racing with my wallet :)

A change in focus

2009-11-01T10:59:00.000-05:00

After spending a few years developing my 1999 Porsche 996 into a pretty decent track toy, I decided to give the red car a rest instead of transforming it into a race car. I'll quiet it down a bit and primarily use it as an occasional weekend car and perhaps sell it. :(

Part of the logic behind this is that the car has been upgraded with a 2003 3.6L motor when my original motor broke a connecting rod. This change makes the car a bit of a hybrid as far as to where it could possibly fit in a race series and for now I'll go in a different direction.