Petit Le Mans - who's crossing the pond?

[Coach Ep]

Petit test, er, power boat testing at Road Atlanta

Hey, all, just thought I'd give you a short report on the Saturday testing of ALMS cars for Petit LeMans:

Day started damp, then light rain thru the morning. Saw six cars on track, two Lizards, one BMW, one Panoz, one GT40 and one Oreca P1, none for very long at any time. Broke for lunch 12-1.

About 12:40 the Gulf of Mexico arrived over RA. Heavy rain to torrential downpour for about an hour. I was at T-1 (but we never went back on station following lunch) and at one point had deep water completely across track at the apex, completely across pro pit lane and a pond about 100 ft in diameter in the paddock right behind 1 where the paddock road comes down the hill into the paddock. I had to leave my car where I parked near the (rising) pond to retrieve the land line equip at one point, watched a whirlpool black hole in the middle of this pond where the storm drain is about 75 ft from my car, and when I returned I had to wade in over ankle deep to get into my car so I could save it. After about 45 min of this, they called it a day. Maintenance people were out in the pouring rain trying to keep this and other drains open or reopen them and control the runoff as much as they could. The definition of "a losing battle"!

Tomorrow promises to be more of the same.

Audi, Peugeot, Drayson, Acura (de Ferran & Highcroft, I think, but didn't see Hernandez), are here but never got out of the "garages". Several others are here, but didn't see the Jag or Pickett's Porsche P2 or Dyson or the factory Corvettes yet. And no sign of the Corsa Zytek.

Hoping the later week weather will cooperate, long range forecast is changing slightly for the better.

Rod Kramer

[andy_b]

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