That'll Do It

The first round of the Lotus Challenge Series at the Streets of Willow is over. It was an exciting day of racing! The rain stopped long enough to get over three hours of dry track time. Abel and I had a great time meeting all of the drivers and spending the day here at Willow Springs. We have a lot of great pictures that will be posting a little later. If we did it here, it would take forever because of the connection.

Time Trial

The track is totally dry and the time trial is about to begin!

Its Not Race Day Without Grid Girls

Action at the Track!

The track has been wet all day causing quite a few spin outs. A couple of close calls, however everyone is remaining safe and following the rules.

Everyone had to come off the track after this one while the dirt was cleaned up.

Pro Alloy Charge Cooler Update

Randy has been putting the Pro Alloy Charge Cooler to the test today!!! Everything seems to be working great. He has really been pushing his Exige to the limit.

We had a chance to interview him earlier today and will be posting it up on our podcast episode in the coming week. Stay Tuned!!

Now back to the track for more pictures!

The Track is Drying

There's a nice semi-dry racing line forming on the track right now. The pace has really picked up! The faster pace has lead to about a half dozen spins though . Nothing resulting in anything more than a slow lap time fortunately.

...the grid girls will be here in 30 minutes. :)

Having Some Fun at Lunch Time

Some good came of the rain and slick track surface! During the lunch break, some of the guys thought their time would be better spent having some fun on the rain soaked skid pad.

It was awesome seeing these cars pushed like that on a wet skid pad. Its totally amazing how much grip they still have!

Skid Pad Turn

It's still raining on and off. A little water doesn't scare these racers.

Getting Pretty Wet

Its been raining for about one and a half hours. There's still no standing water on the track but conditions are definitely getting worse.

Lap times are obviously way down then if the track was dry, but everyone is still having a great time! All the cars look and sound amazing. Rain or shine, this is a great event!

The Cars

First Group Out

The first group just started their first session of the day. Everyone is still getting warmed up and the track is still damp. No spins so far!

There are some pretty nasty clouds in the distance that, hopefully, will decide to not interfere.

Getting Started

The sun has thankfully showed its face! Jim Navaro, LCS organizer, took a few laps in his MINI Clubman and said the track looked pretty good. There's only a few spots with standing water just off the track.

The driver's meeting just ended and the first group is set to run in a few minutes. The track looks like its slowing drying but the drivers have been advised to stay off the slippery rumble strips.

The 2009 Lotus Challenge Series is on!!!

At The Track

Well, we just arrived at the gate to Willow Springs. Abel and I are sitting in the car listening to the radio in the pouring rain. Sunrise is in about 30 minutes and we are praying that this rain stops! The weather report says it's suppose to rain on and off most of the morning. We really hope thats wrong. Either way, it should be an exciting day.

The track will definitely be wet. The question will be how wet and for how long.

On Our Way!

Abel and I have the MINI packed up with brake pabs, discs, lines, and other small bits and are on the road up to Willow Springs! The 15 freeway is eerily quiet right now. The Garmin estimates we'll be at the track at about 6:15 a.m. That'll give us enough spare time before the driver's meeting. We'll be back here after we get settle in at the track!

Lotus Challenge Series Race #1

Welcome to Sector 111's Events Blog! Tomorrow morning, Abel and I will be heading up to Willow Springs International Raceway for the first Lotus Challenge Series race of 2009. 

We will be constantly updating this blog live from the track throughout the day with pictures, lap times, track conditions, driver interviews, and our accounts of the event. If you can't make it to the track this Friday, this will be a great way to feel apart of the action!