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Grand Am
BURROWS: Winding Down
As we arrived at New Jersey Motorsports Park, it struck me how quickly the Continental Tire Series season has gone by.
Adam Burrows  |  Posted July 29, 2010  
Burrows and the Kia were quick again in a toasty New Jersey. (Wes Duenkel)
As we arrived at New Jersey Motorsports Park, it struck me how quickly this season has gone by. At the checkered flag this weekend, we will have completed eight of ten races . . . and all by mid-July! It shows how a busy schedule and the rapid development of the Forte Koup has really captured our attention. Now, after a short trip to Trois Rivieres in Quebec next month, and the long journey out to Miller Motorsports Park in early September, 2010 will be in the record books. Ironically, it still feels like we’re just getting started with this program.

Both Trev and I had pretty high hopes for NJMP’s tight and twisty Thunderbolt course. Many of you are probably familiar with this new racecourse tucked away in southern New Jersey. Just a few years old, Grand-Am was actually the first series to christen the track in 2008. It’s been cool to see the track evolve and improve since then . . . it is really quite a facility.

In the interim since out Mid-Ohio race, the team had worked hard to improve our engine cooling situation. This was of particular importance since July in southern New Jersey means heat of equatorial proportions outside the car . . . not to mention in the cockpit. And also of personal significance since our manager won’t allow us to wear shorts at the track….Gold Bond, anyone? Fortunately, the team had definitely done their homework because, in all practice sessions, the Koup ran at the correct operating temperatures.

Trev and I were both pretty pleased with the handling of our car. Throughout the year, we’ve been getting closer and closer to its “sweet spot,” which means less time making major adjustments with the suspension between sessions. No doubt aided by the high track temperatures and the slightly dusty conditions, the Koup was moving around nicely and tending more towards oversteer, rather than understeer . . . a definite plus for us. We were still having a little trouble getting off the corners, which we think can be solved with an adjustment to the diff, and our usual horsepower challenges handicapping us down the straight.

Everything was going smoothly until we discovered that we were dumping and excessive amount of oil into our catchtank . . . actually, it had made beyond the catchtank and had coated the engine compartment, resulting in a bounty of smoke once we stopped in pit lane. Unfortunately, the terminal nature of our problem meant that, once again, we would be looking at an engine transplant . . . and thus, another late night for Lee and Joey. Trev and I ducked out for dinner, but retuned to the track around 9:30 to check on progress. Under lights, they had the #12 dismantled to the firewall and were positioning the new motor for installation. I know I’ve said before how hard these guys work for us but, truly, they have been exceptional this year . . . not to mention being pretty proficient in switching out engines in the Koup.

Qualifying and race day brought the highest temps of the weekend and, we did everything we could to keep cool and hydrated. Our morning was also highlighted by another paddock tour with some folks from Continental Tire. It was a very cool group to work with because most of them had never been to a race. We gave them an inside took at both the Rolex and Continental Tire paddocks and closed the tour with an opportunity for each of the guests to sit behind the wheel of our #12 Forte.
With the massive heat and humidity to deal with, drivers made a point to let their helmets dry between sessions. (Wes Duenkel)

Unique to this event, we actually had qualifying the morning prior to the race so, keeping with our alternating qualifying schedule, I hopped in the car for the session. From a handling standpoint, the car felt awesome but, the new motor felt a little flat. Hustling around the track and using plenty of curbing, I was able to crack off a lap that was about a half second quicker than we’d gone all weekend . . . unfortunately, this was only good for 18th on the grid . . . admittedly, a little frustrating. Back in the paddock, a data download confirmed that a cam sensor wasn’t working correctly, thus inducing the engine flatness. Fortunately, it was an easy fix before the race.

We took the green flag without much drama and the first part of my stint went smoothly, though punctuated by a few full course cautions. Unfortunately, light contact with a competitor going into the quick turn two bent a tie rod and put our steering askew. I limped the car back to the pits where the crew did an awesome job of getting the car repaired . . . though we were stationary for four agonizing green flag laps. It was frustrating because Trev and I pride ourselves on racing hard but clean. This was just one of those racing deals that put us back.

Because of the time in the pits, Trev and I conducted our driver change as well. This would have Trev in the car for nearly two hours, a feat of endurance under normal conditions, but in the heat of the weekend he was really going to be put to the test. Fortunately, with the repairs completed, the car was back to handling as it should but, being so many laps down, our primary focus was just getting to the checkered flag.

Our efforts would be challenged further as, with fifty minutes left in the race, the power steering on the #12 failed. Trev truly earned ironman status as he muscled our car around the track until the checkered, finishing in 16th position. Needless to say, Trev didn’t exactly “spring” out of the car when he returned to the pits, and some quality recovery time was spent on pit wall dousing himself with water. He did an amazing job considering everything we were up against and continued our strong record of consistency . . . taking us to the finish for the eighth time this season.

I can comfortably say that the results weren’t everything that we had anticipated. The car was definitely good and the course was fairly well suited to its strong points. We have to chalk it up to the old “that’s racing” adage and look forward to our next two events. I think we’ll show some good speed at Three Rivers, a street course that is a favorite for both Trev and me. And after that, it’s off to our final race at Miller, where the high altitude plays favorites with the turbocharged cars in our class. Regardless, we are excited about both and hope we can keep our consistency rolling.

Until next time . . .

~Adam

Adam Burrows won the Continental Tire Sports Car Championship with co-driver Trevor Hopwood in his rookie season. After making the move to front wheel drive machinery in 2008, his race wins made him a threat in the championship battle as he closed out the year second in the year-end standings. The 2010 season will see him once again partner with Hopwood at Kinetic Motorsports in ST competition as part of the factory Kia Forte Koup campaign.

When he is not at the track racing, Burrows is an avid bicyclist, recently riding from New York City to Washington DC to raise money and awareness for charity. He also is a skilled guitar player, snowboarder and active traveler. In addition to working as a driver coach and representing iRacing.com, Burrows career as a consultant in the automotive marketing industry has seen him working with scores of manufacturers through the last decade.

Learn more about Adam at http://konichamps.wordpress.com/

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