HKYStormFront

Challenges for Brian Kleeman and the rest of the #07 World Challenge 370z continued this weekend but things are looking more promising than ever. Our car is running stronger than ever and we are dialing in a setup that we think will get us to the head of the GTS class in the upcoming races. This makes the third year in a row Brian has competed at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course in this Z and it remains one of his favorite tracks. The Z is pretty good here compared to the race before at Road America where you really need the big V8 torque of the Mustangs and Camaros in the class to compete due to the long straightaways. Mid Ohio is very technical with lots of elevation change, famously around Turn 5 aka "Madness". This turn also happens to be one of my favorite places to shoot since the action is so dramatic and you can see almost half the track from the top of the hill.

This year we had a great start in race 1 of the weekend on Saturday. We were doing well but then it started to rain. Race control became dreadfully silent, no one knew whether to continue the race or not. Brian made the decision to come in and switch from slicks to rain tires but he was one of only a few who made this call. We dropped way back in the lineup because of it. Upon rejoining the field the race was immediately red flagged and then checkered. We had gambled that switching to rains would give us an advantage over those who didn't when the race went back green but we were never given that opportunity, unfortunately. Sunday's race started off pretty good as well but late in the race we lost one of the two fuel pumps and started having the troublesome, and infamous, 370z fuel starvation issue during cornering. We had to retire for the safety of not only our car but the other competitors since we were significantly slower than the rest of the field.

The good news is the car is honestly running great and we have continued to dial in a good suspension setup that Brian feels comfortable with. Sonoma is our next race and we are on the cusp of a top 5 finish, mark my words! Now, on to the pics!

Album:

PWC Mid Ohio Grand Prix '14 - JPMcG Photography

Fav's:

1. Our new pit crew member, Bob, fit right in with our ragtag bunch of misfits


2. Brian continues to add more Z/G/GTR clubs to the car to represent all of our great club supporters out there!


3. Mid-afternoon Friday we found a potential issue with our differential while trying to adjust the preload on it. Instead of going back out for practice we decided to tear it down to ensure it was assembled correctly and would not fail in the future.


4. The car's new livery gleamed in the early morning sunlight during qualifying on Saturday


5. Race 1 started off great, if only the rain could have held off another half hour!


6. When I say it rained, I mean it was to the point even Noah would raise an eyebrow...


7. As we prepped for race 2 on Sunday, Brian got strapped in for battle


8. Brian cresting Turn 5 as the crowd watches the race


Thanks for looking! Questions and comments welcome as always! Plenty more to see in the album so take a minute and check it out!