Track Life in the Summertime!
- John Santiago
- Jun 21
- 2 min read
We headed to Gingerman Raceway last weekend for our traditional mid-summer event, bringing along a host of excited kids. The Community Garage sponsored two drivers as well as a grid volunteer, and we welcomed a special guest, Hamza, to his very first track day ever!
Hamza is the long-time friend of Jano, our SI Mustang driver. So Jano stepped up to help get his car ready for the track.
Jerry is back! After helping us get the Jano's car on its feet, Jerry got back behind the wheel of Zsa Zsa for another go at the first track he had driven. HINT: Gingerman is a great track to start your driving career. Dr. John was lucky enough to be his instructor this time.
Jesse moved into a new role at this event – not driver, not crew, not spectator – now our newest track volunteer! Jesse is a natural…
…and a bit of a clown when he gets in the groove. =)
Of course, no event is complete without a bit of drama. Our new-to-us SI Mustang had minor contact on track that led to some front end damage. We also had an electrical gremlin plague our timing transponder. So while Dr. John was fiddling with wires, the boys were up late at night fixing the front end.
This is part of the game in wheel-to-wheel racing. On the school-side, Zsa Zsa and Hamza’s Camaro were spared from this hazard.
Moving into wheel-to-wheel racing in the Spec Iron class has been a great step for the kids. They are learning a new level of preparation as well as how to respond to life’s ups and downs.
We still have work to do in tuning the car’s handling, but we’ve made great progress to date.
UP NEXT: Pittsburgh International Racing Complex!
Until Pitt, the kids are going to learn how to wrap a car! We have to do something about the looks of our ugly girl.
It's good to have friends...
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