2008 One Lap of AmericaFollow the Odyssey...
2008 One Lap Daily Updates:
Saturday, May 10, 2008: Last day of competition
"On May 10th, after travelling back to
South Bend, IN , the night before, we competed at the dry skidpad and placed 20th with a 0.986 G run. In 2007 this number would have given us 12th place in the field. Likewise our 0.863 G(16th) wet skidpad figure from May 3rd would have secured us 7th place in the 2007 field.
Overall we finished 26th (an improvement over the 33rd place finish in 2007) and once again took 1st in our class.
The Odyssey was definitely something everyone watched when it was on the track. It stood out as different; even more so that it was able to compete against the 'vettes, Vipers, BMW's, and Porsches. We received many compliments on the quality of our work, our reliability, our imagination and our performance. People also loved the way the Odyssey sounded; it was one of the loudest vehicles on the track.
People saw how prepared we were (for example: having an extra transmission with us) and felt that they could come to us when they needed help. We helped one team change brake pads and bleed brakes twice, we loaned materials and tools that help others get back on the road. People also came to us when they had questions or needed advice about problems they were having. Even after breaking our transmission at NPR, we helped another team (a fellow Alabamian) diagnose a broken clutch. It was great knowing that we were representing HMA and Honda in this way.
We were quite pleased with the performance of our Odyssey and our team and we are aware that there is plenty of untapped potential."
Friday, May 9, 2008:
"After leaving VIR on May 8th, we travelled to
Pittsburgh, PA.
On May 9th, we arrived at BeaveRun in Wampum, PA. We competed in 2 track sessions where we took 35th and 28th in competition. We also competed in an autocross and took 30th.
Although the engine was tuned for reduced power in 4th gear, it let go for a second time during the competition when leaving the BeaveRun facility. We knew we could finish the competition and get home without 4th gear, but we did change the fluid to prevent further damage to the transmission internals from occurring."
Thursday, May 8, 2008:
Danville, Virginia…
Virginia International Raceway:
There were three time trial sessions Thursday at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) and each session utilized a different track configuration (South, North, and Full). The event started on the South Course, which was still wet and slick from the morning showers. The wet track conditions actually worked to the Odyssey’s advantage as many competitors slipped and spun off the course. The Odyssey tracked true for the first session and managed a 12th place finish.
To avert any windshield fogging in the wet conditions, the team had made a stop at a local CVS store and bought a hair dryer, which was mounted above the driver’s seat. A power converter unit provided juice to the 110-volt appliance during the track run. And it worked well.
Immediately after the first event, the trials moved to the North Course, which was mostly dry. In the second event, the team placed 17th. After a break for lunch, the trials moved to the Full Course, which was reported to be a very fast track by that time.
The Odyssey ran to a 27th place finish for the Full Course and, despite a great day at the track, maintained its 27th place position overall. Between the second and third events, the Odyssey team worked with the crew at Trackgeeks.com to install one of their telemetry units and video cameras on both the cockpit and right side door. The team reports the video is a “must see”…but it’s not available… yet. Once a copy is received, efforts will be made to post it to this site.
On Friday, the One Lap competition pulls double-duty at two tracks in two states. The first events are at BeaveRun in
Koppel, Pennsylvania . The second events of the day are at Design Engineering in
Avon Lake, Ohio .
The 2008 One Lap of America concludes Saturday with a dry skid pad event at Tire Rack in
South Bend, Indiana … where all of this started just a week ago. What a ride!
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From left, Steve Manley, Paul Street and Bradley Buchanan chat with some of the media that showed up for the One Lap of America event Thursday at Virginia International Raceway in Danville, VA.
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The HMA One Lap Odyssey screams along a straightaway at the scenic Virginia International Motorsports Park. Three time trials at the track netted the Ody 12th, 17th and 27th place finishes in wet, drying and dry conditions, respectively.
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HMA on-the-spot engineering-Take Two. Yep, that's Paul tacking up a common hair dryer in the One Lap Odyssey. With the complete HVAC unit removed from the Ody to save weight and add power, the team has battled windshield fogging in wet track conditions. The crude "forced air" duct work system used in Texas on Monday was replaced by this high tech solution on Thursday.
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Built for speed - with seven passenger comfort...ha! Bradley Buchanan takes the HMA One Lap Odyssey into a turn Thursday at the Virginia International Raceway in Danville, Va. After three time trial events, the Ody held steady overall at 27th place in the One Lap of America competition.
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On the road again...After six days of time trial races at some of the nation's premier road courses, the HMA One Lap Odyssey nears the end of the 2008 competition. Friday finds the Odyssey at BeaveRun in Koppel, Pennsylvania, and Design Engineering in Avon Lake, Ohio. The One Lap concludes Saturday at Tire Rack in South Bend, Indiana.
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*Click on image to enlarge
Wednesday, May 7, 2008:
Kershaw, S.C…
Carolina
Motorsports
Park :
With an all-night drive and the transmission trouble behind them, the HMA One Lap Team got back to concentrating on racing Wednesday. The team arrived at their motel at 5:45 a.m. and left for the track at about 7:30am. After only one hour of sleep and a shower, Bradley Buchanan reports, “We were less than refreshed.”
Their strategy for the remainder of the One Lap competition is to let the next day's driver rest in the back seat while the other two team members share the majority of the transit driving. So luckily, Paul Streetwas ready to go in
Carolina .
The first session served as a shakedown run to build familiarity with the new course and resulted in a 34th place finish. The second session allowed for more aggressive acceleration and braking, which led to an improvement from the first run of more than 12 seconds (over three laps) for a 27th place posting. The team was 29th overall after CMP.
Spartanburg , S.C…
BMW
Performance
Center :
The team then traveled about 150 miles Wednesday to
Spartanburg to BMW. Paul continued as the day’s competition driver and posted a 21st place finish. Going into Thursday’s competition, the HMA team of Bradley Buchanan, Paul Street and Steve Manley is in 27th place out of 72 competitors.
The team is now being trailed for two days by Senior Technical Specialist Bob Johnson and Stamping Department Manager Dan Burgess, who are providing management direction for the further development of the HMA Race Team. “The van generates a tremendous amount of interest from the other competitors and spectators who show up at the tracks,” Bob said. “It’s something new – not your usual sports car.”
Bob and Dan have also been impressed by the teamwork evident among the HMA One Lap drive team through the grueling travel schedule. “Wednesday night was the first time since they left that they’ve had the chance to get more than four hours of continuous sleep. The only time they have to breathe is in-between events at the track,” Bob said. “But their teamwork as been impressive. It takes them less than 10 minutes to pull the two passenger seats and all their equipment from the van to get it ready for the track. And then as soon as the event is complete, they put it all back together and get on the road again. They really have the coordination down to a science.”
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The glamorous One Lap of America - Take Two. The HMA One Lap Odyssey parks in the midst of fellow competitors at Carolina Motorsports Park on Wednesday, May 7
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The HMA One Lap Odyssey lines up for a run at Carolina Motorsports Park Wednesday. After the second run, the team trekked 150 miles to the BMW Performance Center near Spartanburg, S.C. for another round of time trials.
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The One Lap of America track ritual repeated at every stop - emptying the van. In less than 10 minutes, the HMA One Lap team can pull two passenger seats, two spare tire and wheel assemblies and all their luggage, tools and essentials from the van to get it track ready.
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Paul Street studies the track layout before making another a charge at the BMW Performance Center. The Odyssey was in 29th place overall going into the time trials at the Spartanburg, S.C. event.
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Bradley Buchanan (left) and Steve Manley make a few checks and do a little touch-up to the engine compartment while at the BMW Performance Center. At the conclusion of Wednesday's events, the HMA One Lap Odyssey was in 27th place overall.
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What's in the box? How 'bout a spare 6-speed transmission for the HMA One Lap Odyssey! Special thanks to Chris and Shelia (above) and all the associates at John Hoover Honda in Danville, VA for being the delivery point of a backup 'mission for the One Lap Odyssey team. Vice President Jonathan Hoover offered to send a service truck to the Virginia International Raceway if the spare tranny didn't get to the dealership before Bob and Dan had to leave Thursday morning, but it showed up...just in time! That's just the kind of delivery we're used to at HMA! Thanks again!
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*click on images to enlarge
Tuesday, May 6, 2008:
Belle
Rose, La. … No Problem Raceway:
As reported on Tuesday, No Problem turned into a Big Problem for the HMA One Lap of America team. A shattered 4th gear in the 6-speed manual transmission set the team on a quest to find a sympathetic Honda dealership where they could swap the broken tranny with a handy spare the team carried as a backup.
The White Knight for the team was found at Royal Honda in
Metairie, La. , about 60 miles from the No Problem track. After posting a 14.66 showing in the quarter mile drag races Tuesday afternoon, the team zipped over to Royal Honda to make the repairs and rejoin the One Lap competition in time for the 8:30 a.m. track call in
South Carolina .
“We could not have asked for a nicer group of Honda associates,” said team member Paul Street. ”They were just great. It seemed like the whole dealership came out to take photos with us and to wish us well. We’re even sporting a Royal Honda bumper sticker on the Odyssey now.”
What was expected to be a 6-to-8 hour ordeal turned out to take a little more than 2.5 hours, thanks to the super crew at Royal Honda. The One Lap leg from No Problem to
Carolina
Motorsports
Park was the second-longest of the event, clicking along at nearly 800 miles. Their overnight route along I-20 took them right by Honda Manufacturing of
Alabama . The crew passed by HMA at about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday.
With the new transmission humming smoothly through the night, the HMA team pulled into their
South Carolina motel at 6 a.m. – enough time for a shower and quick breakfast before the first time trial at the track. “We would have never made it to this event if it hadn’t been for the help and hospitality of the good folks at Royal Honda,” Paul said. “Thanks again to everyone for cheering on the HMA Odyssey.”
Going into Wednesday’s competition, the HMA team of Bradley Buchanan, Paul Street and Steve Manley is in 29th place out of 72 competitors.
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Not quite No Problem. The HMA One Lap Odyssey waits its turn on the track in Belle Rose, La. A broken fourth gear during the day's first run hampered the team's efforts and sent them scrambling to find a place to install a replacement transmission.
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Change is good. Bradley Buchanan (left) gets help replacing the broken six-speed manual transmission with the team's spare. The transmission change was made with the great assistance of the good folks at Royal Honda in Metairie, La.
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Royal Honda associates check under the hood to make sure everything is back in place. Yep, that is a high-output turbocharger in that Odyssey engine, well - just a little add-on to get the kids to soccer practice on time!
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Thanks, again, to everyone at Royal Honda in Metairie, Louisiana for helping get the Honda Manufacturing of Alabama One Lap Odyssey team back on the road and back into competition! You meet the nicest people on a Honda!
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*click on images to enlarge
URGENT UPDATE for Tuesday, May 6, 2008:
HMA One Lap Team Crunches 4th Gear: Will Install Backup Tranny – Drive Overnight to SC
Belle
Rose, Louisiana … No Problem Raceway:
No Problem turned into a Big Problem for the HMA One Lap of America team Tuesday as the Odyssey crunched 4th gear in its 6-speed manual transmission. The 400 horses the Odyssey is putting to the wheels has been giving fourth fits. The gear gave up the ghost in the midst of the first run, but the crippled Ody was still able to post a 28th place finish.
The team also completed the second run – with bits and pieces of the gear still tinkling around in the case. That was supposed to finish out the day’s competition, but since the drag races in
Texas were cancelled due to Monday’s rain, the One Lap officials squeezed in the drags at No Problem on Tuesday afternoon. The HMA team planned to keep running the Odyssey through all the events, then travel about 60 miles to
Metairie, La. to make the repairs.
The HMA crew packed a back-up tranny with them and has made arrangements with Royal Honda in
Metairie, La. to make the swap. It’s expected to be a 6-to-8 hour job, but maybe with help from the top-notch Honda service personnel at Royal Honda, some precious hours will be trimmed. The team has nearly 800 miles ahead of them in the leg from No Problem to
Carolina
Motorsports
Park in Crenshaw,
South Carolina .
“We plan to make the swap, drive all night to South Carolina and pull up at the track in time to compete on Wednesday,” said Paul Street, one of the three members of the HMA One Lap driving team. “We sure want to say thanks to Royal Honda for helping us get the Odyssey back up to speed. And thanks to everyone at HMA for following our Odyssey and giving us encouragement and support.”
Monday, May 5, 2008:
College Station, Texas…Texas World
Speedway :
“Today it rained all day at Texas World
Speedway...sometimes a light rain and sometimes pouring. During the first session, it was a light rain with some standing water on the track. We were able to pull off a 23rd place finish, maintaining our 19th place overall standing. The leaders still managed to place where they normally would.
During the second session, it was pouring! We ran a shortened course to speed things up. This hurt us as there were not as many corners to slow down the rear drive competitors and we finished in 52nd place. There was literally a wave of water coming from the Odyssey the whole time it was coursing through the infield track.
Many cars were experiencing loss of power due to water getting in the intake. We were no exception. Others in our run group experienced similar disappointing finishes. Two GT3's that placed 37th and 38th in the first session only placed 58th and 59th in the second session. We are now in 24th position overall.
Due to the rain, the drag racing event at
Lonestar
Motorsports
Park in Sealy,
Texas was cancelled. So we were able to get on the road and to our hotel in
Gonzales, Louisiana at 9 p.m.
The forecast is for beautiful weather Tuesday at No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, so hopefully we can pull off some good results.”
Click Here for footage from Texas World Speedway
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It was a rainy Monday at Texas World Speedway for the HMA One Lap of America team. Paul Street managed to pull off a 23rd place finish on his first run, which maintained the Odyssey's overall 19th place position.
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After fogging up during the rain at Texas World Speedway, the HMA One Lap Odyssey was aired-out, then prepped for it's second run. A fogged-up windshield hampered the Odyssey's effort to pass a Corvette Z06 during the first run.
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Steve Manley (left) and Bradley Buchanan start to work on a makeshift windshield de-fogger prior to the second run at Texas World Speedway.
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"This just might work!" Paul Street checks out the view as the "on-the-spot" engineered windshield de-fogger begins to take shape.
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HMA engineering! The entire HVAC system was removed from the Odyssey to save weight and increase engine power Back in the pits prior to the second run, the HMA team rigged up this crude - but effective - de-fogging system.
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Who'll stop the rain? Unfortunately, no one. The HMA One Lap Odyssey waits its turn on the track at Texas World Speedway...and the rain kept coming. Despite a clear windshield, the Odyssey couldn't overcome the rain-soaked track. It posted a 52nd place position on the second run, dropping the team to 24th overall.
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Sunday, May 4, 2008:
Pacific Junction, Iowa Mid-America Motorplex:
“After completing the afternoon at Road America, we traveled nearly 600 miles to Pacific Junction,
Iowa , arriving at 4 a.m. On Sunday, May 4, after a little more than two hours of sleep in a real bed, we started the day at Mid-America Motorplex.
In session one, using 100 percent of the car, we managed a 24th place finish in both track sessions. We are currently in 19th place overall.
After the Iowa sessions, we left to make our way to College Station, Texas for our next events on Monday – time trials at the Texas World Speedway, followed by drag races at the Lonestar Motorsports Park in Sealy, Texas, which is about 75 miles from College Station.”
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The Glamorous One Lap of America. Steve Manley and Paul Street fill up the One Lap Odyssey Saturday night somewhere on the road between Wisconsin and Iowa.
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The One Lap Odyssey - with Bradley Buchanan at the wheel - prepares to take the track at the Mid-America Motorplex in Pacific Junction, Iowa. The trip from Wisconsin to Iowa covered more than 600 miles. The team got about 2 hours of sleep in a motel.
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The HMA One Lap Odyssey waits its turn on the track at Mid - America - Motorplex in Pacific Junction, Iowa on Sunday. The Odyssey finished in 24th place at this event.
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Saturday, May3, 2008: Day 1 of events
South Bend, IN Wet Skidpad:
“This morning in
South Bend was much cooler after the rain the day before. The top performer (Porsche Cayman GTR and Grand Am Driver) in the wet skidpad posted a 0.921 g's. The HMA team placed 16th with a figure of 0.863 g's, an improvement of 0.071 g's over 2007's 0.792 g's."
"To setup the car for the wet skidpad, we removed the rear sway bar altogether and set the tire pressures to 30 psi. We will run Road
America this afternoon. If the
Elkhart
Lake weather is rainy, we'll run the same setup as the wet skidpad. If the weather is dry, we'll reinstall the rear sway bar.”
Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI:
"After completing the wet skidpad, we traveled to Elkhart Lake, WI for our session at Road
America . Bradley had experience on this track in the wet, but not the dry. We were excited to see what it was capable of on such a high speed track. The weather was dry so we reinstalled the rear sway bar."
"We started by car number, #61 in our case. This put us in one of the last two run groups. Bradley ran a clean run, passing a Porsche Boxster and the Smart car on the way to 21st finish. We hit 140mph by the end of the front straight with the Odyssey still pulling hard."
"Our 21st place finish combined with our 16th place finished at the wet skidpad moved our overall position to 14th place."
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Before each competition event, the team removes all the excess weight from inside the Odyssey. That includes luggage, seats, spare tires/wheels and the center console
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Bradley Buchanan waits for the first run on the wet skidpad event at Tire Rack headquarters in South Bend, IN
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It was a rough day at Road America Saturday for the Dodge Challenger Prototype. This crew is out of the race after sliding into a tire barrier.
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Steve Manley took a turn driving the One Lap Odyssey from South Bend, Indiana to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin where the team competed on the road course at Road America. The drive covered about 250 miles.
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Find dining-One Lap of America style with fellow a competitor - a Smart car - outside a Taco Bell somewhere between Wisconsin and Iowa
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May 2, 2008: Team leaves Alabama and arrives in South Bend, IN
1st update from the road: 2:43 p.m., Friday, May 2, 2008
"We got to South Bend just fine at about 2 a.m. Friday morning. We arrived at Tire Rack at about 9 a.m. after washing the car and grabbing a bite to eat. We are finished putting our necessary decals on and have tech'd the car. Meeting and greeting other competitors right now as we continue with a few chores in our race preparations." - From the 2008 HMA Race Team
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Washing off the road grime prior to arriving at the check-in site in South Bend, IN
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Putting on the decals in preparation for the start of the race on May 3
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Competitors start arriving in rainy South Bend, IN
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2008 HMA One Lap stats:
Ø 3 associates: Bradley Buchanan, Paul Street and Steve Manley
Ø 1 supped up Odyssey with a new 8lb carbon fiber hood
Ø 11 cities in 9 states
Ø 10 days
Ø Over 4000 miles
Ø An adventure!
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2008 HMA Race Team: Paul Street, Steve Manley and Bradley Buchanan
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President Sasamoto viewing the 2008 One Lap Odyssey
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Leaving for South Bend, IN for the 2008 One Lap of America
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Click Here to see the One Lap Odyssey in motion
2008 One Lap Schedule:
Friday, May 2, Registration and Party at the Tire Rack, South Bend, IN
•Saturday, May 3, Start: Wet Skid Pad at the Tire Rack, South Bend, IN – 9 a.m.
•Saturday, May 3, 1st Time Trial at Road America, Elkhart Lake, WI – 3 p.m. - www.roadamerica.com
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Sunday, May 4, Time Trials at Mid America Motorplex, Junction, Iowa – 8:30 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. - www.midamericamotorplex.com
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Monday, May 5, Time Trials at the Texas World Speedway, College Station, TX – 8:30 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. – www.texasworldspeedway.com
•Monday, May 5, Drag Race at the Lonestar Motorsports Park, Sealy, TX – 5:30 p.m. – www.lonestarmotorsportspark.com
•Monday, May 5, Bracket Drag at the Lonestar Motorsports Park, Sealy, TX – 7:00 pm.
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Tuesday, May 6, Time Trials at the No Problem Raceway, Belle Rose, LA – 8:30 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. – www.noproblemraceway.com
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Wednesday, May 7, Time Trials at the Carolina Motorsports Park, Crenshaw, SC – 8:30 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. – www.carolinamotorsportspark.com
•Wednesday, May 7, Time Trail at BMW Performance Center, Spartanburg, SC – 4:30 p.m.
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Thursday, May 8, Time Trials at Virginia International Raceway, Danville, VA – 8:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m. & 1:00 p.m. – www.virclub.com
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Friday, May 9, Time Trials at Autocross at BeaveRun, Koppel, PA – 9:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m. & 2:00 p.m. – www.beaverun.com
•Friday, May 9, Passage Control at Design Engineering, Avon Lake, OH – 5:00 p.m. - www.designengineering.com
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Saturday, May 10, Dry Skid Pad at Tire Rack, South Bend, IN – 9:00 a.m.
•Saturday, May 10, Awards Banquet at Tire Rack, South Bend, IN – 1:00 p.m.
Total Milage: 4060
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