derBayerische November December 2022 - 29

T E A M D A N G E R A N D T H E 2 4 - H O U R C H A M P C A R E N D U R O
■ (From the Left) A 24-hour race consumes a LOT of gas. The team conversing with competitor James Clay (background) of Bimmerworld.
the setting sun is right in your eyes.
You're sitting low in the car, and there
is no windshield visor to pull down.
As you're coming around turn 2, raise
your right hand to block out the sun.
Run the engine up to 6,000 rpm, drop
your hand to shift gears, grab the
steering wheel with your right hand
and raise your left hand to block out
the sun, since the approach to turn
three has placed the sun more to the
left in your windshield. Finally, the
sun dips below the tree line and
visibility improves. Next time, wear
your sunglasses.
In short order, the transmission
starts acting up; the shifter doesn't
want to go into fifth gear. Sometimes
it'll go into fifth and stay there, sometimes
it'll go into fifth and then pop
out, causing the motor to over-rev,
and sometimes it'll just grind as you
try to shift into fifth and release the
clutch. Apparently, the linkage has
gotten hinky, and there wasn't time to
replace it before the race began. The
car can't reach its top speed on the
straightaways, and therefore its lowest
lap times, without fifth gear. However,
the imperative is to preserve the
equipment and keep turning laps,
even if the lap times are slower. Give
up on fifth gear and treat fourth as the
top gear. Don't exceed 6,200 rpm,
which is a little over 100 mph in
fourth gear.
The rest of the two-hour session
goes by without incident. Just before
8 p.m., the pit crew holds the large
yellow and red " DR " (Danger Racing)
sign out above the pit wall. Time to
come in. Complete that last lap, up
the climbing esses, down the hill,
around Oak Tree, along the back
straight, through the " rollercoaster "
and " hog pen " corners, then stay right
to enter pit in. Stop at the pit-in
checkpoint for the race organizers to
put the egg timer on the roof, proceed
to Team Danger's spot in the hot pits,
and stop the car. Unbuckle, lower the
window net, climb out, and help the
next driver get into the car, then climb
back over the jersey barrier. Take the
helmet, balaclava, and gloves off, then
peel off the sweaty firesuit. I had
survived my first two-hour stint, my
longest continuous racing session
ever! The thoughtful crew had
brought some grilled shish kebab
down to the pits; have a few mouthfuls
of food and wash it down with a
bottle of water.
At this point I was still pumped
up, so I hung out for a bit to help out
and decompress. Kiran showed me
how to siphon gas from the storage
jugs to the quick-pour jugs that the pit
■ (From the Left) Tom Shirron relaxing in the pits before his turn behind the wheel. Ryan Stokes was having a blast!
November I December
29

derBayerische November December 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of derBayerische November December 2022

derBayerische November December 2022 - Intro
derBayerische November December 2022 - Cover1
derBayerische November December 2022 - Cover2
derBayerische November December 2022 - 1
derBayerische November December 2022 - 2
derBayerische November December 2022 - 3
derBayerische November December 2022 - 4
derBayerische November December 2022 - 5
derBayerische November December 2022 - 6
derBayerische November December 2022 - 7
derBayerische November December 2022 - 8
derBayerische November December 2022 - 9
derBayerische November December 2022 - 10
derBayerische November December 2022 - 11
derBayerische November December 2022 - 12
derBayerische November December 2022 - 13
derBayerische November December 2022 - 14
derBayerische November December 2022 - 15
derBayerische November December 2022 - 16
derBayerische November December 2022 - 17
derBayerische November December 2022 - 18
derBayerische November December 2022 - 19
derBayerische November December 2022 - 20
derBayerische November December 2022 - 21
derBayerische November December 2022 - 22
derBayerische November December 2022 - 23
derBayerische November December 2022 - 24
derBayerische November December 2022 - 25
derBayerische November December 2022 - 26
derBayerische November December 2022 - 27
derBayerische November December 2022 - 28
derBayerische November December 2022 - 29
derBayerische November December 2022 - 30
derBayerische November December 2022 - 31
derBayerische November December 2022 - 32
derBayerische November December 2022 - 33
derBayerische November December 2022 - 34
derBayerische November December 2022 - 35
derBayerische November December 2022 - 36
derBayerische November December 2022 - 37
derBayerische November December 2022 - 38
derBayerische November December 2022 - 39
derBayerische November December 2022 - 40
derBayerische November December 2022 - Cover3
derBayerische November December 2022 - Cover4
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