I appreciate the irony of naming the annual summer pilgrimage to Barber Motorsports Park, ‘Winter in July.’ And just like in previous years, the weather did not disappoint. The heat index was 101 degrees, with clear and brutally intense skies. But with a racetrack as iconic as Barber, this weekend is always a highlight of the season despite the conditions.
I would once again run the Super Touring 6 Miata. And with a lower racer entry than in years past, this event would mix all racecars into a single field. Placing Porsche GT and Rush SR racecars with their ridiculous power-to-weight ratios and high levels of aero-assisted grip, with the Spec Miata’s, 944 Spec’s, and me. Even with the added chaos of throwing cars with wildly differing capabilities on the track together, there was still plenty of close, clean racing.
Race 1
I would grid behind Spec Miata and ST5 at the front of ST6 for race 1. After a clean start, I quickly dispatched most of the Spec Miata’s and ST5 drivers on the first lap, settling behind the front-running Spec Miata driven by Seth Corbin as he tracked down the number 2 ST5 CRX driven by Daniel Yee. A ‘Baby Grand’ racecar would come into the mix early, running ridiculously fast on the straights and ridiculously slow in the turns, repeatedly breaking my momentum. (In my honest opinion, the Baby Grand is a silly car, but to each their own.)
Yee would take an early grass-cutting expedition, letting myself and Corbin by quickly. Corbin would slowly slip away until a spun Rush SR caused a full-course yellow. Upon restart, I would catch the three drivers ahead off guard, easily passing Corbin in the process. He would proceed to chase me down until I went drift mode in the hairpin on the last lap, forcing me to concede position. I made a last-minute run to repass on the last turn and missed the opportunity to reclaim my position.
Overall, the race was very exciting. I ran through most of the Spec Miata and ST5 fields before finding competition with the lead Spec Miata. Below is the video for race 1. Time stamps of relevant events are in the video comments on YouTube.
Race 2
Race 2 would start where race 1 ended, gridding all the cars in their finish positions. This led to a relatively uneventful race. With lap times almost one second faster, I would watch Corbin slowly slip away with little action during the sprint race. I still had a blast working the ST6 Miata to quick and consistent lap times. And there is no video for race 2 as there was minimal action.
Race 3
Race 3 started Sunday morning in slightly cooler conditions. The grid would continue to follow the finishing order, but this time, the start would be wonky. A leading car pulled off the track without signaling, leaving half the pack separated from the front. The result was a single-file start.
However, there would be a red flag that bunched the field back up for a restart. This would put me back in contact with Seth Corbin for more close racing. I managed to shave our differential to a half second and was able to put a little pressure on until I locked up in the museum. The video for race 3 is just the footage from the restart to the checker, as the early race is uneventful aside from the bad start.
Race 4
This would be my highlight race for the weekend. I found more pace in the car and passed the number 1 Spec Miata at the start. This led to a close battle for the first seven laps. Eventually, Corbin closed the gap enough to make passing attempts not once but twice in the museum section. He would succeed on the second attempt. (And yes, that is a thumbs up I give him out the window on attempt 1)
Once again, time stamps of relevant events are in the video comments on YouTube.
Next
In closing, I have a couple of things to add. We finally have a second event at Barber Motorsports Park scheduled for November. With the intense weather in July, I suspect the lighter (but not light by any means) turnout is due to this second event, as some drivers are not as hardcore as others. (If you are interested in driving the second event, sign up here.) Also, I used my ice pack driver cooling method this weekend as an ‘ultimate’ test of its effectiveness. It worked flawlessly, keeping me cool throughout each race with the need for a cool shirt. (Driver Cooling and How to Stay Cool in the Racecar.) And finally, my rear camera was set to time lapse by accident, and there is no rear footage in the videos this time. However, I did get some cool shots of the fancy race equipment that I am posting in the gallery below.
