tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-194258402011-07-27T08:42:09.933-07:00Mazdaspeed Motorsports @ The 25 Hours of ThunderhillJohnnyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405630340043344850noreply@blogger.comBlogger111100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19425840.post-1133764012654145902005-12-04T22:07:00.000-08:002005-12-06T12:30:08.853-08:00First off, we appologize for the lack of updates from the 17 hour mark on, but things for the Mazdaspeed team changed, BIG time...<br /><br />After Dobson pulled a double-stint, I (Johnny) was back in the car. We had recently changed over to the Hawk-blue brake pads, which made a big difference (from the Blacks). I had a new right rear tire and the car was feeling good. Then...<br /><br />> At about 7:15 am, while cresting over the top of the very steep Turn-5a, aka "the jump", I approached a Factory Five Cobra that was being overtaken by others and going a bit slower than normal. As my car came over the hill, I went to the outside of the Cobra, into the slight right-hand bend before turn-6. The car just settled up and I was on the throttle hard for the approach into 6, side by side with the Cobra. Then, all of a sudden, the Cobra turned to the left... We collided and both went airborn... I was told I rolled maybe 4 or 5 times and the Cobra went over 3 times. All I know is that the initial impact was HARD and I didn't realize I was in the air until the first landing. The car then tumbled hard a few times and eventually settled on sideways on the driver's side, with my left hand pinched under the rollbar and the ground. Lucky for me there were two photogrpahers nearby taking photos for our team who saw me waving to them for help, came over and pushed the car off my hand. I eventually climbed out the passenger window and was attended to by the EMTs. Eventually, I was sent to the hospital for some x-rays and ended up with only a sore neck and broken thumb. The driver of the Cobra never saw me and made the left turn for an access road that was off to the left side of the track. Both of us were ok, which is the most important thing. Not something I'd like to experience again anytime soon...<br /><br />This was unfortunate for the #19 team as we were on a charge back to a podium spot. We were sitting in 5th and making up lots of time.<br /><br />The 55 car did finish the race, with Andy Bornhop limping her home in 6th gear ONLY... Sorry, but I don't know the finishing position off hand at this time.<br /><br />AWR built some VERY safe cars, I can truly attest to that, so thanks. Thanks to Mazda for the opportunity and to all the crew that worked their butts off and my co-drivers that drove their's off.<br />It was fun while it lasted.<br /><br />=================================<br /><br />UPDATE 12/6: photos of wreck at: <a href="http://www.kanavaskompetition.com/images/photos/wreck/">http://www.kanavaskompetition.com/images/photos/wreck/</a><br /><br />=================================<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/19425840-113376401265414590?l=jkana.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>JohnnyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405630340043344850noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19425840.post-1133699829570410392005-12-04T04:32:00.000-08:002005-12-04T04:37:09.580-08:00Espenlaub finished up a triple-stint about an hour or so ago and Dobson is now in #19. We are now up to 20th overall, 6th in class.<br /><br />Daniels just took over from Kaluza in the 55 car, which is still stuck in 6th gear. They sit in 36th right now.<br /><br />It's cold, but we're not complaining. We're still out there and working our way up...<br /><br /><br />stay tuned...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/19425840-113369982957041039?l=jkana.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>JohnnyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405630340043344850noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19425840.post-1133683214745394222005-12-03T23:50:00.000-08:002005-12-04T00:19:51.996-08:00After a tranny change to the 19 car (was stuck in 3rd), I (Johnny) got back in the car for a double-stint... WE had two full course yellows during my stint(s). One was the result of a Porsche going onto its roof on the back straight. We were able to make up 4 spots on that stint. For the second half of my stint I was asked to go into conservative mode, which meant use ONLY 4th gear for the entire track. This didn't hurt us much as the mx-5 has TONS of torque and you can easily run the track in that gear. After a 7 minute pitstop for a brake change and fuel, Espenlaub is now in the car...<br /><br />The 55 car was brought in immediately after the 19 came in with tranny problems. 55 suffered the same exact problem. THe crew was able to get the gearbox into 5th gear and send them back out. Jeremy Barnes was at the helm for the first stint back out and Tim Buck just took over about 30 mins ago.<br /><br />we are currently:<br />19 = 27th<br />55 = 40th<br /><br />Endurance racing at its best!--- so they say...<br /><br /><br />Thanks for all the comments, especially you Mr. Davis... we're glad your reading...<br />more to come...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/19425840-113368321474539422?l=jkana.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>JohnnyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405630340043344850noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19425840.post-1133668931697882272005-12-03T19:56:00.000-08:002005-12-03T20:07:35.420-08:00As of right now car 19 is still being worked on. I have to say though, I have never been to such an incredible race as here today, tonight oh wait, and today again. Seeing all of these amazingly talented drivers for 25 hours astonishes me. It takes some talented men to do such an enduring race, and here I have seen it. Good luck to all of you and keep up the great racing!<br /><br />- Katie K<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/19425840-113366893169788227?l=jkana.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>JohnnyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405630340043344850noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19425840.post-1133665517832229622005-12-03T18:57:00.000-08:002005-12-03T19:05:17.846-08:007 hours 48 min...<br /><br />JD brought the car back in for with a dead battery that wasn't charging, resulting in a car that wouldn't pull high RPMs . Right now the team is looking at the alternator.<br /><br />In car 19, Gilles is back in for what Dobson calls winter-like conditions. We are still leading E1.<br /><br />more to come...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/19425840-113366551783222962?l=jkana.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>JohnnyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405630340043344850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19425840.post-1133660054569771492005-12-03T17:31:00.000-08:002005-12-03T18:13:34.246-08:00Car 55 just came in with a with a smoking diff... Daniels was driving. We are replacing it right now and will have JD back out asap....<br /><br />car 19 just pitted. Dobson stayed in the car for a double stint. Still in first place...<br /><br />stay tuned...<br /><br /><br />P/S: JD ran a 2:05.4 in that last stint... flyin...<br /><br />----------<br />update: 7 hours, 3 mins: JD back on track. change took approx. 40 mins....<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/19425840-113366005456977149?l=jkana.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>JohnnyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405630340043344850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19425840.post-1133656246652784672005-12-03T16:24:00.000-08:002005-12-03T16:30:46.683-08:005 hours and 15 minutes in...<br /><br />I (Johnny) finished my first stint about an hour ago. We went out in 2nd and came back in 1st place. Espenlaub took over the car and kept us in the lead. Dobson is now in the car.<br /><br />For car #55, Kaluza is now in the car and Daniels is on deck. Car 55 is in 2nd spot, one lap down from the 19 car.<br /><br />Car 19 is "evil" to drive right now. We are fighting a very ill handling car with a brake pedal that is getting longer and longer. We have all concluded that we must just find a comfortable pace for the car and run it there, no pushing. The track is getting greasy and the temp is dropping. During my stint the #6 Honda came togethere with a Cobra forcing them to pit. This is good news for team Mazda... The Honda is back on track but 4 laps down to the 19 car...<br /><br />Car 55 is pitting now, Daniels is about to step in...<br /><br /><br />Stay tuned...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/19425840-113365624665278467?l=jkana.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>JohnnyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405630340043344850noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19425840.post-1133640490356122462005-12-03T11:29:00.000-08:002005-12-03T12:08:10.413-08:00Well, the race has begun... To make a correction, we qualified the two MX-5's 1st and 2nd in class. The 19 car was 1st, 55 second.<br /><br /> 56 minutes into the race: Dobson started the car and is currently running 3rd in the E1 class.<br />One bit of good info is that Ken radioed in and said the car is better than it has been since we arrived...<br /><br />Mark Gilles is preparing to enter the 19 car next and I (Johnny) will be third, followed by Espenlaub. Tim Buck is up next in the 55 car...<br /><br />Stay tuned, more to come...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/19425840-113364049035612246?l=jkana.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>JohnnyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405630340043344850noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19425840.post-1133592689014623012005-12-02T22:35:00.000-08:002005-12-02T22:51:29.026-08:00Well, today was a busy day for the Mazda Motorsports team. Both cars hit the track this morning and were compeltely opposite... The 55 car was loose (lots of oversteer), while the 19 car was tight with a wicked high speed push... Dobson, Espenlaub and I worked all day on the car, making several changes, trying to make the car better. We made some progress, but are still fighting something we cannot change (shocks). <br /><br />Qualifying went failry well. We qualified the cars 1st and 3rd on the grid for the E1 class... The guys in the 55 car were able to get their car to work well for them but we are still struggling with the 19.<br /><br />Our pace is good and the cars are good, for the most part. These things make tons of torque. You can almost run the entire course in 4th gear... Brakes are good too and the cars are fun to drive. This push in the 19 car has us a little worried about tire consumption, but we will just have to do what we can...<br /><br />Driver lineup is:<br />19 car: Dobson, Espenlaub, Kanavas, Gilles (not in that particular order)<br />55 car: Buck, Kaluza, Daniels, Bornhop, Barnes<br /><br />After a few hours of building an improved lighting system for each car, we all enjoyed a nice group (35 people on this team) dinner and are now off to bed... we're tired...<br /><br />...stay tuned<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/19425840-113359268901462301?l=jkana.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>JohnnyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405630340043344850noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19425840.post-1133493238295066612005-12-01T19:11:00.000-08:002005-12-01T19:13:58.306-08:00Well, we just rolled into the hotel after an 8 hour drive. We are getting some rest in preparation for a full test-day tomorrow. <br /><br />Stay tuned... more tomorrow...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/19425840-113349323829506661?l=jkana.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>JohnnyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405630340043344850noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19425840.post-1133291218847031442005-11-29T11:05:00.000-08:002005-11-30T22:55:38.346-08:00Hey all! We will attempt to update this page throughout the 25-Hours of Thunderhill race.<br /><br />Practice starts on Friday, Dec. 2. The race starts at 11:00am on Saturday, Dec. 3.<br /><br />Stay tuned, post comments, enjoy...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/19425840-113329121884703144?l=jkana.blogspot.com' alt='' /></div>JohnnyKhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08405630340043344850noreply@blogger.com14