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On to
New York We're closing in on the starting line, and the Saturn One Lap of America Team has made final preparations for the grueling nine-day event. With luck, they'll get a good night's sleep. There were a lot of last-minute preparations made to the cars, and it doesn't seem like Ken Wasmer's slept much lately. "It's Thursday, right?" he asks. Yes Ken. It's Thursday. It's time to hit the road, and head out to the starting line in Rochester, New York. You would think that the veteran Saturn drivers would be questioning their decision to run again, right? But they're not -- yet. These questions will probably start to surface somewhere near Hubcap, New Mexico, at 3:00 a.m. Right now the team is just experiencing excited anticipation. Wasmer (hereafter referred to as "The Wazz") will be driving the toreador red L200, and doubling as the team captain. Before leaving the Saturn Design Center, he thanked many of his teammates who won't be traveling with the team. Each member received a One Lap polo shirt and the chance to sign their names on the door panel of the car. As he passed around the pen, The Wazz stated, "We're gonna take you all with us." Meanwhile, the Wilmington media group, Kevin Lane, Kevin Frazier and Rick Ruffing left Wilmington this morning for Rochester, New York, in a brand-new 2003 pewter LW300 wagon. Pewter is the new 2003 exterior color...very sharp. Anyway, it's a five-hour drive, but they didn't seem fazed at all. Maybe it's because they're a little crazy. Or maybe it's because they get a car equipped with a V-6 engine, OnStar®, a built-in DVD player and the six-CD audio package. The coupe race team, Chris Berube and Mike Stimac, followed the L200 team out of Michigan, bound for New York in a streamlined 2002 black SC1 race car. Like the rest of the team, they're running on adrenaline. Okay, maybe it's caffeine. To top it off, they stripped the car's interior to be more barren than rural Siberia. A radio would've added weight. And more weight means less speed. Let's hope they're good conversationalists. Joe Troilo joins The Wazz in the L200 race-modified car. Red is another new 2003 L-series exterior color. The car is equipped with a sound system and a DVD player. According to The Wazz, they need the sound system because they need to have OnStar. But, of course, we know it's actually because The Wazz wants the sedan team to have tunes and movies to stay awake. Troilo, the team's new racer, admits that AC/DC is one of his fixes. Mike Kramer, an accomplished driver, is also on the sedan team. He's flying from Spring Hill, Tennessee, to upstate New York where he'll meet up with the team. Dale Fair is nice enough to pick up Mike Kramer at the airport. A New York State Police Investigator who's active in the Racing Against Drugs program, Fair met the Saturn team at last year's One Lap. Racing Against Drugs is a great cause which encourages kids to stay in school and to stay away from drugs and alcohol. The Saturn One Lap Race Team wants to thank so many individuals at Saturn who helped with the race cars. The team at Wilmington Car Assembly built and prepped the sedan. Specifically, the car final team, service group, vehicle implementation team and materials handling group pitched in with their time and various expertise. The team even got help from friends at Saturn of Newark, Delaware. Saturn of Newark, like all Saturn retailers, is known for having that incredible urge to pitch in whenever help is needed. The thank-yous just wouldn't be complete without mentioning the Saturn Madison Heights, Michigan Experimental Development Team. They put in a lot of hard days making the cars race worthy. They were also there for the mad rush this week putting the finishing touches on everything before the big show. Let's hope one of them tells The Wazz what day it is... Day 1 -
The Race Is On It was the culmination of a yearlong effort for the Saturn One Lap Race Team today at the Sheridan Four Points in Rochester, New York. Before the race began, the team had to pass inspection. The racecars successfully passed through tech inspection. The race sponsors are very safety conscious. That's okay with the Saturn Team. Saturn is focused on safety too. After everyone qualified, there was a driver's meeting at 4:00 p.m. The road race followed at 7:00 p.m. at the Platt Street Bridge in High Falls, New York. Brock Yates, editor of Car and Driver and world-renowned car buff, dropped the green flag to start the race. From there the teams made history as the first vehicles to cross the historical pedestrian bridge. Don't worry, they cleared all the pedestrians off the bridge before the race started. The race vehicles crossed the bridge in racecar order. Numbers were assigned by class. The L200 is number 39. The SC1 is number 85. They may be number 39 and 85 in the program, but they're #1 in our hearts. It's a 600-mile drive from there to Indianapolis Raceway Park and there's a checkpoint at the Tire Rack in South Bend, Indiana. The team is still upbeat because their tireless preparation is starting to pay off. Get it? The Tire Rack? TIREless preparation? Hey, no one's getting a lot of sleep from this thing, okay? Prior to the start, the cars were on display at Saturn of West Ridge in Spencerport, New York. Again, our Saturn retailers just couldn't keep themselves from getting involved. They didn't just show off the cars, they did a tune-up! Joe and Nate, the service technicians, changed the oil, balanced the tires, tweaked in the alignment, looked at the fuel delivery and, no doubt, drooled at the thought of driving a Saturn that puts out so much horsepower. According to the drivers, the real treat was driving over the bridge. Saturn fans came to see the new L-Series body changes for 2003. Saturn has really stepped it up in style this year. You can check out the new L-Series by visiting www.SaturnLSeries.com. As they crossed the bridge, the team was overwhelmed with the fan support. "I feel like a rock star," said Joe Toilo, riding in along in the L200. You might recall that Joe is a die-hard AC/DC fan. There's a good chance he'd been waiting his whole life to say those words. It's going to be a long, mostly sleepless night for the team. We'll catch up with them again in Indianapolis. Day 2 -
Rochester, New York to Indianapolis, Indiana On Saturday, May 4, the Saturn Team finally had a taste of the real 2002 Tire Rack Cannonball One Lap of America presented by High Falls Brewing and Car and Driver magazine. This year's route isn't for the faint of heart. Friday night the team traveled 600 miles from Rochester, New York, to Indianapolis, Indiana, with a checkpoint stop at the Tire Rack in South Bend, Indiana. The Tire Rack, one of the race sponsors, provided tech support. They remounted and balanced all four tires on the coupe from 4:30 to 5:15 a.m. You can't imagine how grateful everyone was. The Tire Rack crew presented the team with yellow jackets and added their signatures to the car's door panels. On the road trip, the sedan team watched classic 80s movies on DVD. The track races started Saturday, and the team hasn't seen a bed since Thursday night. Okay, they got to see a bed, but not touch it, smell it or lie down in it. They stopped at a hotel for a half hour Saturday morning to take quick showers. No one wanted to be gamey for the first races of the day. They saw the beds, laid their clothes on the beds, took showers and left. No time for a nap. The race day was eventful too. On its first run, the sedan finished 38th in a field of 83. It was a solid start, but the team was looking for better. So, they went to Saturn of Indianapolis for help. The retailer and Saturn Service Engineers, Mike Howard and Troy Coffee, tracked down some key parts. Joe, sporting a new nickname, "The Wrench," Troilo and the service techs worked on the L200's engine. On its second run, the car did much better. In fact, it even beat one of the Corvettes! In the afternoon, the team met Saturn Performance Club members from chapters in Saint Louis and Chicago. They were a Saturn-savvy group that spotted even the subtlest of 2003 L-Series changes without prompting. The L200 racer is actually about 500 lbs. lighter than an assembly line model. Next up was the drag race, new for this year's One Lap. Both Saturns flew out of the blocks and posted impressive times. At the end of the day, the coupe was first out of six in the economy class and 24th out of 83 overall. The sedan was fourth of 18 in the fiercely competitive midsize class and jumped to 27th out of 83 overall. The media group is truly amazed by all the attention they are receiving from dedicated fans. Kevin Frazier said, "I feel like the Grateful Dead!" No word on whether this caused tension with The Wrench, who prefers the metal music of AC/DC. Sunday's race is in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and to get there on time will take another 600-mile overnight trip. You might recall that the SC1 doesn't even have a radio. Wonder what the guys will be talking about tonight.... Be sure to check back again for an update from Tulsa. Day
3 - Saturn Team: Tired, Dusty, and Ready for More It had to happen eventually. The newness of the event has officially worn off. The team has settled into a routine. And this routine, as we've said before, doesn't involve much in the way of sleep. How much sleep did you get on Saturday? Eight hours? Ten? Well, our team racing around the country got three hours and felt lucky. To sleep this much in one day is a gift from the One Lap gods. Brock Yates and the rest of the crew at Car and Driver really outdid themselves when they worked out the route this year. Saturday night -- okay, actually it was probably 2 a.m. Sunday morning, the Media Team was first on the scene of a traffic accident outside Saint Louis. No One Lap vehicles were involved. The Media Team checked the scene for victims and used OnStar® to call 911 and local authorities. OnStar® was great to have in that situation, because it can help authorities locate your car. The Media Team did a great job and is happy to report that there were no serious injuries at the scene. Sunday's first stop was the much-anticipated dirt oval track at the Tulsa Speedway. The L200 sedan started early on the fresh dirt and ran the 3/8-mile track in a record 22 seconds. This placed it 12th overall in the event. As the day progressed, the dirt track deteriorated faster than the XFL. The SC1 coupe had a tough draw, ran later in the day and finished 50th overall in the event. Next were two time trials at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit. Hallett is a 1.8-mile, 10-turn road-racing course with over 80 feet of elevation change. It's tougher than airline Salisbury steak. The SC1 coupe was staged in front of a Porsche 944 and outpaced it to remain in front at the finish. The L200 sedan started behind a Jaguar S-TYPE which it caught and passed. On this day, the L-Series driver felt his car was nimble and easy to control. Hallett's shorter track favored the L200 racecar's balance and handling. At the day's end the L200 was 23rd overall and 4th in class. The SC1 finished out the day 25th overall and 2nd in class by a very narrow margin. Monday's events are at Pike's Peak International Speedway. It's a 660-mile overnight trip. Things are only going to heat up from here. We're talking about both the competition and the weather. Stay tuned... DAY 4 -
Pikes Peak International Raceway, Fountain Colorado It was another grueling night as Team One Lap passed through the mountains of Colorado. Along the way, the team found a new way to add a little extra horsepower. Literally. At 3:00 a.m. the team came upon a pack of wild horses. The Wazz, driving the L200, and Mike Stimac, at the wheel of the SC1, showed catlike reflexes to avoid collision. Racing today was at the Pikes Peak International Raceway, a professional NASCAR track that features a one-mile D-shaped oval and a 1.34-mile road course. Mike Berube and Mike Stimac were pleased with the improvement in the SC1. It moved ahead to take first place in its class. The L200 sedan had some small issues with the turbo and finished the day in fourth place for its class. There's still plenty of time to move up. The day's main event was the arrival of Mike Stimac's mom, who lives in Denver. Mom brought lunch for the whole team. The fruit, pitas, bagel sandwiches and mountain of potato salad were a great change from fast food. We have no quotes from Mrs. Stimac regarding her thoughts on watching her baby drive so fast. They grow up quick, Mom...they grow up quick. The team received another warm welcome upon arriving at Saturn of Albuquerque. The Wazz & Co. had a list of things they wanted the Saturn crew to check out. Karan Parsley, Saturn Field Service Engineer, and Larry Altergott, Saturn of Albuquerque Field Operations Manager, responded with a team of techs that would've made any race car driver jealous. Meanwhile, the race team was invited to sit down, relax and partake in a Southwest barbecue. Okay, maybe this wasn't like an Indy pit stop after all. So, in one day, they had food from Mike's mom and a barbecue. Is anyone else not feeling sorry for these guys anymore? Well, they do still use a roll bar as a pillow… maybe the moral of today's story is that Southern hospitality is the best. The team just didn't know how to thank everyone. The Albuquerque group signed the race cars, adding their names to a growing list. At the end of the day, Mike Kramer said, "The entire effort has been a showcase for Saturn people, Saturn product and most certainly the determination of Saturn folks to succeed. When you consider the people who built the race cars and the innumerable people who helped along the way, there are 15,000 people who've had a hand in what we're doing. Saturn is the biggest team in the world!" Despite revealing his sensitive side, Mike Kramer still has not been nicknamed. We expect that to change soon. The drive to New Mexico was shorter so the team is hoping to get six hours sleep tonight. Let's see how things go tomorrow at Sandia Motorsports Park. Day
5 - Sandia Motorsports Park, Albuquerque New Mexico The Saturn One Lap Team had a great day at the Sandia Motor Speedway. The L200 sedan, with Mike Kramer at the wheel, maintained its fourth-in-class position. Mike narrowed the margin between the L200 and the third-place Volvo 740 to a mere 45 points -- well within striking distance. The engine work done by Saturn of Albuquerque paid off. Chris Berube piloted the SC1 coupe into a solid first place in class by a margin of 15 points over the Ford Festiva. He dropped the hammer and passed a Mercedes on the last speed lap. Open auditions are being held for a nickname for Chris. Our ideas: "The Hammer," "The Anvil," "The Iceman" or "Scoobie Berube." Between heats the team presented Mark, the One Lap Starter, with a Saturn jacket. Mark wore the jacket to start the next race. Doubtful that the Saturn Team got a little extra boost off the starting line for its efforts, but it was nice of Mark to wear it. The Who-Saw-This-One-Coming Surprise of the Day was the arrival of Ken Wasmer's cousin Roger at the race. The Wazz had never met The Rodge, who lives in Albuquerque. Making new One Lap friends is one thing, but finding new relatives? The Saturn media boys had an eventful day too. We used OnStar® to catch up with them driving on historic Route 66. Kevin Lane commented, "We're still standing." The truth is they're still sitting. After all, if they were standing, they would be walking…and if they were walking they would be...you get the idea. The team onboard the Media Car injects comedy like it's a flu shot. Earlier the group had exited a convenience store to find the Vivian family, part of the Pontiac Trans Am team, adding a Canadian flag sticker to their LW300 wagon. The group gave the Vivians shirts, which read, "Property of Saturn" and prompted Kevin Lane to sinisterly declare, "Now we own you!" We have not received word on how many other persons or objects across America Kevin has given shirts to and consequently now owns. Kevin Frazier pointed out that everyone's noticed how Saturn has sent the guys who build cars to cover the race. Where else can you find a group of guys who will volunteer to drive all night and work all day? These guys could have stayed home, built cars and slept each night for the same price. The Media Team is also very impressed with Brock Yates. Yates takes his turn each night driving his team's Jaguar like everybody else. Pretty amazing that driving a Jaguar can classify him as an ordinary guy, but One Lap isn't your Aunt Mildred's car race. Since he was the man responsible for setting up the grueling course, he might as well suffer through it like everyone else, right? The 2003 L-Series production vehicles are getting great reviews. The new body of the new 2003 L-Series production vehicle looks sharp. Rick Ruffing said, "People are screaming for this car! This is a credit to the efforts of the people at Saturn's Wilmington Assembly." Tonight's drive is 880 miles to the Texas World Speedway in College Station, Texas. With 880 miles to cover the team will be lucky to make it in time for the eight o'clock morning start time if they drive nonstop. Sleeping and showering are not part of the plan. Anyone with a spare tube of deodorant is encouraged to FedEx it to the Texas World Speedway immediately. Be sure to check back for the latest updates... DAY 6
- Texas World Speedway, College Station, Texas The race team made it to Texas with two hours to spare, meaning two hours to sleep. Texas, for those of you not up on your geography, is a very big state. The media team arrived at the hotel just in time to leave for the race. So what was the holdup? The group maintains that the media team simply left later. Other possibilities for the delay include: media team can't resist stopping at junkyards along the way, race team drives faster, or media team is too busy giving out T-shirts and claiming ownership of various persons and objects. So what would you do if you were stuck with one buddy in a car riding across America with no radio, no OnStar®, no DVD, and only each other to talk to? Well, Mike Stimac and Chris Berube are growing goatees. They say it's because The Different Kind of Car Company values diversity. We all know it's because they'd rather sleep than shave. And the goatees provide a form of entertainment. When the guys arrive back in New York, we may have the rebirth of ZZ Top on our hands. Currently, they might be starting to crack; while rolling down the highway last night, the sedan team caught them trying to watch their DVD through the car windows. It was a great day of racing at Texas World Speedway. The temperature reached 95 degrees, which was almost as hot as our drivers. The coupe maintained first in class and strengthened its 28th overall position with a strong showing. The L200 sedan had two very strong finishes and strengthened its hold on 23rd overall. They're closing in on the 22nd-place Porsche 930 and hope to pass it tomorrow. Tomorrow's race is at Road Atlanta and Mike "Mr. Somebody" Kramer is driving. Mike races his own showroom stock coupe class C Saturn SC2 quite regularly at Road Atlanta. Previously, he's been a track record holder. The team is hoping that having a cagey veteran like Mr. Somebody on the team will pay off. The big event at the track today was the arrival of the Plymouth Valiant 100. Number 13 hit the wall and scored an unlucky DNF yesterday at Sandia. Today they were back, good as new, with replacement fenders, a new grille and a repaired undercarriage. How did they pull that off and drive 950 miles overnight? They arrived this morning, unceremoniously stopped to unload right by the paddock, and pulled into the pit lane amid cheers from all of the other race teams. Tomorrow's big event is the much-anticipated nuptials of Porsche 944 Turbo team number 28's Matt Hubbard and Gwen Butler. If they can get through One Lap -- 8 straight days cooped up in a Porsche with only one another to talk to -- then this marriage should last forever. The nickname contest for Chris Berube is off. We've been informed that he already has a nickname, but nobody will tell us what it is. They're afraid we'll print it on the Web site. What would make them think that? We know that Mike Kramer is "Mr. Somebody" and we only printed that, what, three times today? See you at Road Atlanta. DAY 7 -
Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia Sleep continues to be as precious as cotton in Dixie, albeit much more rare. The team got two hours sleep last night from 5:40 to 7:40 a.m. Night owls get more winks than that. Not to worry though, the guys are running on adrenaline now. As promised, Mike Kramer shredded the field in the L200 sedan at his home track, Road Atlanta. Joe Troilo said, "He just took a line around the turns like he'd been doing it all his life." The car beat both the 911 and 930 Porsche turbos in today's race. Mike mentally prepared himself by watching action movies on the optional DVD the night before. You could say the results were explosive. The sedan moved up to 21st in the overall standings. The SC1 coupe has first in class just about locked up. Today it finished 26th in the overall standings. People at these events love what they're doing and some really show it. The main event at the track was the wedding of Porsche 944 Turbo team number 28's Matt Hubbard and Gwen Butler. The bride and groom arrived at the hotel at 5:00 a.m., so much for not seeing the bride before the wedding. She arrived at the track in a traditional long, white bridal gown. He raced in the morning heats, showered at the track and changed into a tuxedo. The Lamborghini Diablo boys chauffeured her to the pit where her dad escorted her down the aisle in the grandstand. After the ceremony the couple ran to their Porsche in pit lane. They drove behind the grandstand and returned with their window sticker changed from "Racing to the Altar" to "Just Married." All the One Lap-ers and their friends attended the reception. Speaking of friends, there were plenty of them at the track today. Tom Brandlehner of 2001 One Lap fame arrived with brother John. Since he's not on One Lap this year, Tommy was awake, alert and ready to race. But fresh drivers are not allowed on One Lap. Exhausted, delirious drivers are required at this point. Michael Beckett and Steve Foust of the Saturn Spring Hill Media Team came and interviewed Brock Yates, Sr., the man behind the infamous Cannonball Run. The Spring Hill Media Team was at the race while, ironically, the Wilmington Media Team visited the Spring Hill manufacturing facility. Mark Glen gave them the grand tour. They even previewed the new 2003 Saturn ION™, which is expected to be available later this year. After visiting the plant they visited Saturn of Cool Springs, Tennessee. The team at Cool Springs serviced the 2003 L300 wagon. The vehicle has 5,000 One Lap miles on it already...pretty good for a vehicle that isn't yet in production. Now, take me home, country road. Our next stop tomorrow is Summit Point, West Virginia. DAY 8 -
Summit Point Raceway, Summit Point, West Virginia It was an absolutely beautiful day at the Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia, and the nice weather is icing on the cake for the Saturn coupe team. The SC1 coupe posted a strong finish today on Summit Point's challenging 10-turn, two-mile, asphalt road racing circuit. The coupe has first-in-class position locked with the drop-out of both #86 Ford Festiva Sho and #88 Honda Civic Si. Both vehicles had engines blown yesterday and did not return today. The Saturn coupe team was sorry to lose the Festiva Sho. The two teams have traded the first-place title several times in the nine-day event. Racers love a good, um, ah...race. After all, it's what they do. And it keeps everyone sharp and makes it more fun. The coupe finished 27th overall for the day. The L200 sedan team dropped to 22nd overall and maintained its fourth-in-class position. The engine blew a piston on the last lap but it's still running. So goes the life of a race car. At least the team will be able to complete the race. Some race fans from the Saturn Wilmington Plant dropped by to see their work in action. Eric Andes, Linda Carapellucci, Mark Johnson, Scott Moxley, Dave Poor, Brent Roberts and Russ Villarini arrived in two L300s, a silver 2002 and a blue 2003. The group blew their cover when Saturn fans [Saturn Performance Club member] Jeff Putnam, Denise Beyer and Humphrey Liu spied the new 2003 (which will be available this summer). The plant team had a great time taking in the races. There hasn't been that much hooting and hollering in West Virginia since, well, we can't remember when. Tomorrow's race is at the Lancaster Dragway near Rochester, New York. The team plans to make another evening stop at Saturn of West Ridge. Meeting them there will be Dale Fair, Nate Cookinham, Alan Edmiston and others. Racing certainly draws a crowd. The team has made plenty of new friends at every retailer they've visited so far. The group plans to fine-tune the L200's engine some more. It must be that "we can make it better" Saturn spirit! With the end in sight, the team is starting to reflect on their experiences this year. Mike Stimac who raced in the 2000 One Lap and then returned this year said, "I came along because I knew the cars would be well prepared and have a good chance to win. The team has good experience. This is our third year. Experience makes a difference in One Lap." He's right folks; he and Chris Berube will be standing on the podium tomorrow. The team was upbeat anticipating the final race day. Joe Troilo commented "I'm trying to figure a way to stay awake twenty-two hours a day because I miss too much when I sleep." Ken Wasmer added, "One Lap is a short cure to insomnia. You're alseep within seconds of your head hitting the pillow." Meanwhile Mike Kramer was trying to sleep in the back seat. The guys in the coupe shaved off their new beards. Are they just wrapping up the week or is it because Mike Stimac's wife Tracy and Chris Berube's parents are all coming to New York tomorrow? Don't worry, guys, your performance has already made a great impression on all of us. DAY 9 -
Victorious End! Rochester, New York The Saturn Race Team arrived at Saturn of West Ridge at 11:00 p.m. last night. Waiting for them were Dale Fair, Nate Cookinham, Alan Edmiston and the incredible group of Saturn West Ridge service technicians. The West Ridge Team rebuilt the L200 engine from 12:00 to 8:00 a.m. The L200 Race Team took, in their opinions, one of the greatest naps in the history of mankind in Dale Fair's motorhome. It was a heck of a sight when the two Saturn vehicles arrived proudly at the Lancaster Dragway. The day before, the sedan came off the track with piston trouble. The Saturn Team persevered with the help of Saturn's retailers. Saturn of West Ridge, New York, exemplified the innumerable people who helped along the way and made the final repairs that got the team to the finish line. The SC1 coupe finished first in class and 27th overall with a total of 4,500 points. This put it in front of a Jaguar S-TYPE by a narrow 35-point margin. The L200 sedan finished fourth in class and 22nd overall with a total of 4,915 points. The team attended the final ceremonies and packed up to leave. The Media Team took the LW300 home to Delaware. Joe "The Wrench" Troilo departed for Delaware in the L200 race car. Chris Berube was behind the wheel of the SC1 coupe headed for Michigan. Mike Stimac caught a ride back to Michigan with his wife Tracy. Mike "Mr. Somebody" Kramer boarded a plane headed for Tennessee. The Wazz departed for Michigan in a new 2003 L300 sedan. Even as the team dispersed, Mike Kramer summed it up when he said, "I learned an awful lot. I'm always amazed at the way the Saturn Team manages to succeed. We'll be back next year with a bigger hammer!" There are many people who helped the team along the way, and without them, this victory would not have been possible. See you next year at One Lap of America!
Thank You There are many individuals whose hard work and dedication made this possible. In recognition of their hard work, the Saturn One Lap of America Team would like to thank the following:
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