928.org.uk
V8 Porsche

afer a long wait, the season finally kicked off for us today.

The first race was in Spa. This was my third time there, but it was only the first time it wasn't wet, so i would finally be able to feel how the 928 handles on a dry Spa track. Qualifying wasn't bad, but i never got a free lap so i didn't think i'd be in a good starting position. I felt i could go fast, but everytime i was on a flying lap, i got help up by traffic. The car felt great though so i had good hopes for the race.

I was somewhat surprised to find myself in 6th position on the grid, right behind the Camaro (as usual) and right in front of the Escort (as usual). At that time, the Camaro had set a best lap time which was 2.5 seconds faster than mine.

The race itself started with a lot of wheelspin again, so i lost three places before the first corner. I managed to retake two of them right after Raidillon and the third one followed in the double left hander. So i found myself chasing the Camaro and being chased by the Escort again. The Escort however was no match for the 928's HP on a dry track so i managed to shake him off, but the annoying thing about the Camaro is that it has about 400HP on the rear wheels so on the straights, it just pulled away from me. On the twisted sections i always closed in, the 928 felt great, stable, sliding regularly, but always controllable, but i had no chance of ever really attacking the Camaro because of its immense torque and HP. In the end, with two laps to go, the engine starting stuttering everytime i took a right turn, which could only mean fuel shortage (i'll never trust that gauge again!) so i had to back off. In the last lap, the Escort overtook me so i finished (on fumes) 6th overall and 2nd in class (the Camaro being first in class), which is my best result to date.

The things that please me most are the knowledge that there was only 0.4 seconds difference between the Camaro's best race lap and mine, and with the new engine coming (prepped by Paul A), which should have an extra 50HP, things could get very interesting when we visit Spa again in June! Maybe the most pleasing fact of the day is that for the first time since we started racing a 928 in the Historic series, the 928 was the first Porsche over the line! I beat 3 911's and a 924 to the finish, so that makes me the unofficial winner of today's "Porsche Cup"! Very pleased about that one!

Next race is in May, hopefully with the new engine and less some weight.

Cheers

Jerry

www.brass-sports.be