Lane's SCA - 2005 SPC Rally (12)

Blowing steam.

It was race day #2 - Sunday, July 31.

This morning's practice & qualifying section presented us with yet another leak to be taken care of - but this time it was coolant. A cap which blocks off the recirculation port on the intake next to the throttle body had worked itself loose. It was identified and fixed and coolant was topped off with time to spare. The car was back out on the track before the practice session was over.

With all the mechanical gremlins that were showing themselves this weekend, crew member Tapp put in some extra effort in the time we had between the practice session and the race. His job in real life is a Saturn tech, and he's clearly the best choice for turning wrenches on the race car.

Here he is checking out stuff under the dash. We don't know what's there, but if Tapp has looked at it, we know it's in good shape.

The car was buttoned up as our group was called to grid for the race.

Tapp is in his happy place.

Here's a video of the SC2 through turns one and two, and a group of spectators watching that area of the track. Click HERE to see the video clip (1 mb).

Video requires DIVX 5 codec to play - info/download HERE. Be sure to turn up your sound.

Above you can see the SC2 entering turn 1 (click HERE for a larger high-resolution photo). Next to that is in-car video for one complete lap which about 6 mb in size. Click HERE to see the video.

Video requires DIVX 5 codec to play - info/download HERE. Be sure to turn up your sound.

Tapp holding the flag for the victory lap.

The car performed flawlessly, and Chris also improved his lap times over those of the previous day's race.

Everything came together and it was good for another first place finish.

Kevin K, Chris B, and John L pose in front of the team's trailer with the weekend's two first-place trophies. Great job guys!

Next came the long process of loading the car and parts back into the trailer. Many people said their goodbyes and got on their way home. What a perfect way to end the week, and the Saturn Performance Club's eighth annual Rally. It was great getting to see everyone once again, as well as being able to meet the new members who had only previously been known by their e-mail addresses. Let the countdown start for next year's rally...

Let's take a look at some of the people who joined us for the week's activities -