This weekend I helped some friends out with their endurance racing team at the 12 hours at the Point at Summit Point in WV. They fielded two C5 Z06 Corvettes. It was a great experience and tons of fun.

Without further delay here are the pictures.

Friday

The paddock
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6121186.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6121190.jpg

The red cars are the race cars. The yellow car was used for practice on Friday and was there in case we needed extra parts :)

Lots of tires
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6121192.jpg

Each car went used three sets for the race (1 set new, 2 sets scrubs from qualifying/practice). Realistically they probably could have each used 2 sets. The left rear was the only tire that was worn down to the wear indicators, and there is still 2/32 left at that point.

On the track for qualifying
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6121207.jpg

The cars qualified 1st (28) and 4th (03).

Saturday

Wake up at 6 (I camped at the track so others were up earlier). Race starts at 9.

Pit Setup

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131272.jpg

Our “Tower”

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6121235.jpg

Cars actually got to start 1-2 because the 2nd place car wouldn’t start on grid (at least that’s what I heard).

And the race is on!!! Only 12 hours to go.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131240.jpg

Car 28 spun about 40 minutes into the race, and made contact with the tire wall. Brought it in for a quick check, but everything was ok. Just a little bit of time lost.

Car 03 comes in for first fuel and driver change. One problem with the cars is that they still have stock fuel tanks so fuel stops come every 75 minutes or so.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131289.jpg

Car 28 does the same.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131293.jpg

Sounds good….
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/th_P6131296.jpg (http://s254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/?action=view&current=P6131296.flv)

Time to settle into a rhythm. It’s a long race.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131303.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131299.jpg

All is going well until during the 3rd stint the driver of the 28 hits a pot hole, and comes in because of the vibration.

Turns out it broke two wheel studs. While the car is being serviced brake pads and tires are changed.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131310.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131311.jpg

24 minutes later the car is back on track (dropped from top 5 to 18th place).

Everything went smoothly for the next 4 stints .

It did rain a bit, but not too bad.
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131312.jpg

Brake change on Car 03

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131371.jpg

Drivers of Car 28 had worked their way back up to 6th , and Car 03 remained in 5th (as it did most of the race).

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131328.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131356.jpg

(Sorry for lack of variety of pictures. Only so many angles you can get from pit lane.)

Time for another tire change. When the lug nuts were tightened on the left front of car 28 another stud breaks. Probably cracked during the first incident, but didn’t break.

Anyway lost another 25 or so minutes and the car is back out in 14th place.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131433.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131434.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131438.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131449.jpg

Cars had incredible closing speed, as should be expected

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/th_P6131456.jpg (http://s254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/?action=view&current=P6131456.flv)

From then on out everything was business as usual. Driver changes and fuel stops. One more set of tires for each car.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131472.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131476.jpg

About 2 hours from the finish mother nature throws something more into the mix, a torrential downpour/thunderstorm. The race is black flagged and all the cars are brought to the pits. The rain isn’t a problem, but it isn’t safe for course workers to be out in the lightning.

It rained….
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131479.jpg

hard…
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131483.jpg

for a good 30 minutes.
http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131485.jpg

Then the sun came out and the race was restarted, with a little over an hour to go.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131504.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131524.jpg

At this point it was beginning to get dark.

Last picture of the race (kind of cool with both cars)

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131571.jpg

Both cars finished the race. Car 03 finished 5th (3rd in class), and Car 28 finished 10th (only in class).

Sunday

Pack up and go home.

12 hours of racing makes cars dirty, but looks cool.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6141575.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6141574.jpg

I will make another post with the other cars of the race.

Ok for the rest of the field.

Overall winner Bimmerworld, car 39

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131379.jpg

They were fast, consistent, and reliable, but weren’t without their troubles.

First stint off

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131278.jpg

Easy fix

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131284.jpg

Pit stops were very fast. Even had the lug nuts glued to the wheels, NASCAR style haha.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131412.jpg

Piper Motorsports, car 56. 2nd overall

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131410.jpg

Also very fast. No time to be held up by slower cars :D

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131369.jpg

At the end of the race I was walking up pit lane to get to the cars and who should be in front of me? None other than Jackass’ Ryan Dunn, driver/co-owner of the Bimmerworks 335, car 99.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131452.jpg

The car was quick, and from what I’ve heard was nearly brand new before the race, only a couple hundred miles on it.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131459.jpg

Made a weird noise going down the straight

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/th_P6131457.jpg (http://s254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/?action=view&current=P6131457.flv)

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131502.jpg

The Bimmersport (I know enough of the Bimmerxxxx already :D) car, 57, was also quick, but suffered from some reliability problems.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131243.jpg

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131448.jpg

Interesting car, a Plymouth Arrow.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131355.jpg

It rolled at one point in the race, but the team got it all back together and you could barely even tell.

This guy wasn’t so lucky.

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131321.jpg

At the end of every rainbow there’s a ….Golden BMW

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/P6131488.jpg

More pictures and videos here (http://s254.photobucket.com/albums/hh87/camaroz1985/2009%2012%20Hours%20at%20the%20Point/)

Thats great! Thanks for sharing!

Sweet. Lately I have had an extreme urge to racing, and this post didn't help me much! lol

Those are some great picks. Man it sucks when it rains during a race or riding for that matter.

Thanks guys (and girl)

You should give into your urge Mark. You won't regret it (at least until you look at your bank account :D)