Final event of the 2010 season. Following the dismal results of the previous event, I wasn't expecting much. My traction issues would still be prevalent due to tire age and ambient temperatures, but it would still be a fun course as it was setup on a 2.5km (1.6 mile) 11 turn road circuit.

This time temperatures were even colder... Like 9°C (48°F) cold and windy to boot. I had on a long sleeve shirt, fleece jacket, and rain coat over top and I still froze. Brrrr.... Needless to say, it wasn't exactly V710 tire weather. But I ran them anyway.

Here's the course layout:




Run 01

Knowing that the tires would have no grip, my goal this first run was to slide the car around a little bit to hopefully build up some heat in the tires for later runs. So I started with a big studder box launch and had at it.

It wasn't long before the lack of grip caught me out. Only a few transitions into the run, the rear of the car stepped out and caused me to hit a cone. Then mid-course in a high speed (138kph/85mph) braking zone, my rear wheels locked up (no ABS) forcing me to release and reapply the brakes, which in-turn lengthened my braking zone into the next transition and resulted in a 180° spin. Oops.

Then heading into the finish I ran out of gear and hit the rev limiter a fair distance before the timing beam.

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Run 02

So I had a few things to correct this run. The screw-up near the start, the big braking zone in the middle, and up-shifting into the finish. Piece of cake, right?

Well, I messed up the start in the exact same place again, this time missing a transition completely. But as it was happening, I realized the problem... The entry into that slalom was deceivingly tight, and I just needed to slow down my entry next time around.

I got through the mid-course braking zone without drama, and finished the run in the proper gear this time. Two out of three ain't bad, right? And I was starting to notice more grip in the tires, especially later in the run.

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Run 03

Ok, Now I got it all figured out. Just gotta put it all together for a clean run.

Got through that first section clean. Yay! Now for the next... Oops! Another 180° spin in an entirely different section. Where'd that come from?!?!

Get back on the course, finish out the run. A couple more hairy moments but make it through without messing up the other two problem sections. Two out of three ain't bad, right?

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Run 04

Fourth and final run. Every preceding run up to this point had at least one major mistake, so this was my last chance to get a clean run.

Cleared the first section. Yay! Made it past the previous spin section. Yippee! Oh no... oh no... Got sideways but saved it without cone penalty. Phew! On to the straight. Big braking zone. Hit my braking mark. Yes! What the...? Rear locks up. Off the brakes / back on the brakes. Oh no, running out of space! Car spins 45°. Down to 1st gear from 3rd. Gather it up and squeak through with no cones! Miraculously finished the run clean! lol

Oddly enough, despite spinning and nearly coming to a complete stop on-course, this was my best time of the day because there were no cone penalties. It was far from pretty, but it was enough for me to win my class and place 7th overall.

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So that's it for 2010. Not exactly my best season, but not my worst neither. I won my class championship and place 5th overall for the whole Atlantic region. Next year I hope to make great strides with a fresh new set of V710s, and with the car built for better reliability. Looking forward to it!

Here's some photos of the event. More can be found HERE.

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