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GRAND-AM
IN THE COCKPIT: Jeff Segal, Detroit
Sure, the last few races have been very good for us, but nobody was talking about momentum this weekend. Instead, the operative word for the weekend was most definitely survival...
Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato battled the tricky conditions on Friday to score another top-five in Saturday's dry Detroit 200. (Photo: Brian Cleary/GRAND-AM)
As the GRAND-AM Rolex Series rolled into the Motor City for the Chevrolet GRAND-AM Detroit 200, I think every single member of AIM Autosport Team FXDD was sweating nervously.
We may have been smiling on the outside, but inside we were fingers and toes crossed, contemplating the magnitude of the challenge ahead. Sure, the last few races have been very good for us, but nobody was talking about momentum this weekend. Instead, the operative word for the weekend was most definitely survival.
The 14-turn ‘street circuit’ on Detroit’s Belle Isle would have been daunting enough by itself, but it also happened to be the first of four races that will take place in the span of five weeks, making this an incredibly delicate stage of the season. With so little time between events, any significant damage could have a devastating impact on the following race or even races.
Like many of the GT entries in the Rolex Series we only have one race car to work with, so we can’t just bank on rolling out a spare car in the event of an accident. Detroit may have been just a two-hour sprint race, but the reality is that it was more like the first of four stints in a much bigger endurance race.
The racing surface at Belle Isle is comprised mainly of public roads and features many of the road hazards that you might find on a drive through downtown Detroit. Potholes, bumps, curbs, manhole covers, and numerous surface changes make this one of the most punishing tracks I have ever experienced. The track has a real character that makes it loads of fun to drive when you’re right at the limit. There are no gravel traps or runoffs—a harmless error or slightly misjudged corner is likely to end in an impact with a concrete wall and lots of damage to the car.
Aware of the high stakes and championship implications, we ventured onto the course for practice. In the rain. Lots of rain! Our pit box was submerged in several inches of standing water, and there was literally a lake on pit lane.
With minimal practice time available to learn the track we couldn’t be deterred by the rain, and we proceeded to spend our time slipping and sliding around the track with just inches to spare from the looming concrete walls. Our car was quick and I felt good in the rain, but it was impossible to judge how our setup would be in the dry.
By the time qualifying had arrived the track had finally dried, and with zero dry-running under our belt Emil was left with a difficult challenge of learning the limits of the track at the same time that he tried to post a quick time to determine our grid position.
Unfortunately the setup that seemed to work well in the wet didn’t work so well for Emil in the dry, and we would qualify a bit further back than we had hoped. Passing on a narrow street circuit like Belle Isle is very difficult, so starting at the back had everyone concerned for the race.
I got just a handful of dry laps for myself in the morning warm up, and then it was time for the race. Plenty of question marks and a lot of nervousness, then, as the green flag flew. Emil held his own at the start, and slowly began to improve his times with each passing lap.
The car seemed to be handling well enough, but track position was still a problem for us. Emil was making inroads on the cars ahead, but passing wasn’t easy. A timely yellow arrived just at the 30-minute mark and we pitted for tires, fuel, and a driver change. We jumped a few cars with a slick pit stop by the AIM boys, and when the race restarted I was admittedly still learning the nuances of the track but right in the thick of the battle.
I immediately found myself in a ferocious scrum of GT cars, everyone bumping and banging and trying desperately to improve their position whenever a hole opened. Before too long I felt a bit more settled with the track, and focused on our game plan for the day: survival.
I made a few dicey passes as circumstances allowed, had some minor contacts and plenty of very close calls (as is often the case in street racing) but when all was said and done we found ourselves in fourth place as the checkered flag flew.
We knew that the GM contingent would be tough to beat in their home race, and they occupied the podium with two strong Camaro race cars. Whenever we go racing we want to win, but on this day we were very happy to just survive. Fortunately we also took a solid points haul and we have a healthy race car to tackle Mid-Ohio in just one week. I can’t wait…
~Jeff
Follow Jeff Segal at www.jeffreysegal.com and the Jeff Segal Fan Page on Facebook.
We may have been smiling on the outside, but inside we were fingers and toes crossed, contemplating the magnitude of the challenge ahead. Sure, the last few races have been very good for us, but nobody was talking about momentum this weekend. Instead, the operative word for the weekend was most definitely survival.
The 14-turn ‘street circuit’ on Detroit’s Belle Isle would have been daunting enough by itself, but it also happened to be the first of four races that will take place in the span of five weeks, making this an incredibly delicate stage of the season. With so little time between events, any significant damage could have a devastating impact on the following race or even races.
Like many of the GT entries in the Rolex Series we only have one race car to work with, so we can’t just bank on rolling out a spare car in the event of an accident. Detroit may have been just a two-hour sprint race, but the reality is that it was more like the first of four stints in a much bigger endurance race.
The racing surface at Belle Isle is comprised mainly of public roads and features many of the road hazards that you might find on a drive through downtown Detroit. Potholes, bumps, curbs, manhole covers, and numerous surface changes make this one of the most punishing tracks I have ever experienced. The track has a real character that makes it loads of fun to drive when you’re right at the limit. There are no gravel traps or runoffs—a harmless error or slightly misjudged corner is likely to end in an impact with a concrete wall and lots of damage to the car.
Aware of the high stakes and championship implications, we ventured onto the course for practice. In the rain. Lots of rain! Our pit box was submerged in several inches of standing water, and there was literally a lake on pit lane.
With minimal practice time available to learn the track we couldn’t be deterred by the rain, and we proceeded to spend our time slipping and sliding around the track with just inches to spare from the looming concrete walls. Our car was quick and I felt good in the rain, but it was impossible to judge how our setup would be in the dry.
By the time qualifying had arrived the track had finally dried, and with zero dry-running under our belt Emil was left with a difficult challenge of learning the limits of the track at the same time that he tried to post a quick time to determine our grid position.
Unfortunately the setup that seemed to work well in the wet didn’t work so well for Emil in the dry, and we would qualify a bit further back than we had hoped. Passing on a narrow street circuit like Belle Isle is very difficult, so starting at the back had everyone concerned for the race.
I got just a handful of dry laps for myself in the morning warm up, and then it was time for the race. Plenty of question marks and a lot of nervousness, then, as the green flag flew. Emil held his own at the start, and slowly began to improve his times with each passing lap.
The car seemed to be handling well enough, but track position was still a problem for us. Emil was making inroads on the cars ahead, but passing wasn’t easy. A timely yellow arrived just at the 30-minute mark and we pitted for tires, fuel, and a driver change. We jumped a few cars with a slick pit stop by the AIM boys, and when the race restarted I was admittedly still learning the nuances of the track but right in the thick of the battle.
I immediately found myself in a ferocious scrum of GT cars, everyone bumping and banging and trying desperately to improve their position whenever a hole opened. Before too long I felt a bit more settled with the track, and focused on our game plan for the day: survival.
I made a few dicey passes as circumstances allowed, had some minor contacts and plenty of very close calls (as is often the case in street racing) but when all was said and done we found ourselves in fourth place as the checkered flag flew.
We knew that the GM contingent would be tough to beat in their home race, and they occupied the podium with two strong Camaro race cars. Whenever we go racing we want to win, but on this day we were very happy to just survive. Fortunately we also took a solid points haul and we have a healthy race car to tackle Mid-Ohio in just one week. I can’t wait…
~Jeff
Follow Jeff Segal at www.jeffreysegal.com and the Jeff Segal Fan Page on Facebook.
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