The race at Watkins Glen is one of the premier events on the Grand Am schedule for a number of reasons. It's held at one of the most historic tracks in North America, high upon the rolling Appalachian hills overlooking a burgeoning wine country. The track itself is spectacular, featuring fast, sweeping corners and tight hairpins set amongst a landscape that could very well be a National Park. It's a day's tow from pretty much anywhere on the northeastern seaboard, and well into the midwest; from Toronto it's just five hours (including stops for fuel and food).

So it's no surprise that the WG 250 had the biggest field so far this season, with 63 cars entered. SIXTY-THREE CARS! That's a lot for any road course, even one that takes cars in our series well over two minutes to get around. It's a testament to the good work the folks at Grand Am are doing that so many teams showed up to compete, and we're proud to be among them.

As always with the Compass360/Racing team, the race itself is just one component of an interesting tale, and for the race at the Glen, the story actually starts a week earlier during our test day at Mosport. Co-driver Jody Trudeau and I spent a Friday in the car working out some bugs and tuning. One of the unfortunate realizations was that after the race at Tremblant, the gearbox in the car was damaged. It was usable, but the shifts were so difficult to make, it resulted in a two second disadvantage. BMW trannys are nearly impossible to rebuild, so we had to find another one.

Surprisingly, Crew Chief Ian McQuillan couldn't find any replacements in Canada, but did find a nice, low mileage one in Alabama. There wasn't time to have it shipped to us and get through the two-day importation, so we arranged with our hotel in Painted Post, NY, to have it shipped to them. The plan was that it would arrive mid-afternoon Thursday (just after us) and we'd have it installed in time for dinner, the day before Friday practice.

Of course, the weather on the drive down was appalling, and we arrived at 6pm after driving through torrential rain and a long detour (due to a huge accident on the Interstate). And the tranny didn't arrive until after 7pm. There went dinner! We begged the nice folks at our Econo Lodge to let us work under the portico of their front entrance, and so for the next four hours Ian and I provided entertainment for the hotel's guests and replacing the transmission. It was 11:30pm by the time we finished. Fortunately, a 24-hour Dennys was nearby and the team (including strategist Rob Lavigne who'd arrived mid-evening, Ian's better half Leslie, and my father, Phil) managed to get a very, very late meal. So late, in fact, that some took advantage of the all-day breakfast ;-)

Friday's practice was held under uncertain weather. Very humid and damp, turning rather hot and drippy. The car performed well in early going as Jody and I relearned the track. As expected, he and I turned very similar lap times, and we looked good towards mid-afternoon. Unfortunately, during my last stint, the dreaded RED OIL LIGHT began to flicker during up and downshifts. We had some sort of oil pressure trouble! If you've read about our races at Daytona and Tremblant, then you know how we feel about THAT! And so began the diagnostic.

After dinner the team returned to the track and began the rather long process of removing the oil pan. On our Z3, this is no trivial matter, requiring removal of the entire front suspension. It takes almost two hours just to pull the pan. And when we did, everything was perfect. The oil was clean as new. The pick up was clear. The pump's piston slid smoothly. So while we were thrilled the system was working, it was troubling to see that there was nothing evidently wrong.

Between Ian, Paul Bruch (who once again joined us from Montreal), my dad (with the crew for the first time this year-- and how appropriate for Father's Day) and I, we decided that the oiling system was good and to re-install it, just the way it had come out. That was around 11pm. Ian and Paul finally put the cover over the car at 2am Saturday and headed back to the hotel.

It wasn't an engine swap, but once again we had a lot of work to do under the car before qualifying and the race. As we arrived on Saturday, we obviously had concerns that the oil problem had not been solved. Early practice was dry and Jody reported the red light stayed out for the whole stint. So far, so good! Qualifying, at 11am was held during the end of a rain storm, so we fitted the wet tires.

Both Jody and I are comfortable in the rain, and I was actually hoping for a damp race. In five laps of qualifying Jody turned faster and faster laps, becoming comfortable with the car and the grip, resulting in a 9th place on the grid out of 27 cars entered). An exceptional job! And not a flicker from the oil light.

The race started at 2pm, and by then the conditions were dry, and proved to be for the whole three hours. We readied the car and the pit, got Jody comfortable in the seat and gridded the car. We knew that, in the dry, some of the cars behind us would be a bit faster, and Jody was in a heads-up mode, as endurance racing is not won in the first corner.

When the green flag fell, Jody kept the car out of trouble, especially through the melee in the first corner. In the process, though, he fell back in the field and after a few laps we were pretty much at the back of the pack. That's okay, as we've been there before ;-) and have managed pretty respectable results nonetheless. We had installed a video camera in the car for this race, and if you want to get an idea of how close the racing is, just click on the photo below:



As the race unfolded, it was clear it would be a race filled with yellows. In fact, by the end of the race there were 29 laps under caution spread over eight separate full-course yellows! Jody ran well and got into a groove, turning laps in the 2:17s. A bit off the front-running 2:12s and 2:13s but not too bad, especially as the caution periods allowed the field to bunch up again anyway.

When Jody turned the car over to me during a yellow at the half-way point, the car was in great shape, and keen to go to the end. I was too, and managed to make up a few places in my first half hour at the wheel. In fact, I was locked in a good battle for 11th with the #72 BMW of Steve Olsen when one of the last yellows came out. Eight through 10th were immediately ahead, and when the green flag fell to restart the race I tried to make the most of it.

Olson was left on the outside line into turn one as two faster GS-class cars wailed down the straight, and I dove in after them. Steve's beautifully-prepared 330i has a bunch more horsepower than our Z3, but I managed to stay with him all the way up through the high-speed "esses", flat out to the back straight. I knew I'd be able to out-brake him going into the bus stop! We both went sailing in, Steve knowing if I got by he'd not catch me again, and me knowing this would be the only time I'd have the opportunity to pass. Neither of us braked until the very last minute. I squeezed the brakes and began to turn in, and felt the rear of the car dance; I'd waited too long and with the inside line would not be able to make the corner. So I let off the brakes and took the escape road.

While I'd saved the Z3 and not crashed, all of the cars I'd passed earlier went streaming by as I waited to be directed back onto the track by the officials. "I blew the corner. Sorry guys," was all I could say. It would be hard to get those spots back, and I was now in 16th. As luck had it, on the very next lap a yellow came out for one of the Minis that blew up in spectacular fashion, and the field was bunched up again.

With fifteen minutes left, I had my work cut out for me, and in the first lap I'd passed three cars ahead and was in 13th, chasing a red Supra in 12th. Unfortunately, the final full course yellow of the race was shown before I was able to catch and pass him, so we ended up 13th.

We're pleased with result. A 13th place finish out of 27 cars is a significant improvement over the 13th place we had at Phoenix, where only 18 cars were entered. It goes to show that two similar drivers can have a good finish, and I'm looking forward to driving with Jody again at Mid Ohio in August. We're well-matched and are a great team.

As for the car, we are going to rebuild the original Daytona motor (that I damaged at Tremblant), as it seemed like the best engine we've had so far. We're also going to work on the oiling problem and see about engine management. It's clear -- especially when you watch the videos -- that Ian has done a great job with the suspension, as we're able to hang with everyone (even the winning Turner 330i BMWs) through the corners. We just need to find a bit more power.

Results-wise, I'm now in 15th place in the driver's standings out of 58 competitors, and our team is in 13th. We knew that moving from regional racing to pro was going to be a challenge, and we're really proud of where we're at so far. Mid-Ohio should be even better! As an aside, the Glen is the closest race to Toronto we have this year, and it was nice to see our friends, including Jody's parents, and David (thanks for buying the beer) Ciekiewicz show up to watch us compete.

As ever, thanks to our team: Rob, Paul and Phil, and to Ian McQuillan who continues to amaze everyone who he meets with his tenacious dedication and mechanical aptitude. We would not be racing without you. And to Jody Trudeau, who's a real asset to Compass360/Racing: I'll co-drive with you any time.

-- Karl T

(Thanks to Paul Bruch, Obin and Zoompics for the photos)