The amps got turned up to 11 when I caught the leader with two laps to go. The SRT-4 had been smoking the front tires while exiting the corners for several consecutive laps, and now they were overheating. Simmons could no longer get his Dodge down to the apexes. It looked to be understeering both on and off the throttle. He overshot Turn 4 and I took the lead. But then he motored up the inside of me on the next straight. Had it been the last lap, I would have blocked him, but playing dirty for two laps straight would leave him with opportunities for retaliation. Fortunately for me, his car still wouldn't hook up. He shot by me on the inside under braking, allowing me to inside out him and lead into the esses.
At the bottom of the esses I was going to catch a pair of 944's right at the apex of 10. This would kill my momentum and allow the Dodge to blow past me at the following straight. To even things up, I backed off and reeled him in next to me, so we'd both have to slow down to squeeze through the turn side by side. It was my favorite move of the race.
By that point though, things were no longer fair. I was forced to dig deep into my bag of tricks, but only because of the overwhelming tenacity and skill of Simmons. His car was done, but mine was running as strong ever. My last lap was actually faster than my second lap. The car could do this because that's what Spoon Sports builds cars to do. Nothing on the car is at the ragged edge. It is all just carefully balanced and measured to be reliable. That way it can be pushed hard lap after lap.
Pulling into victory lane was awesome. I think the Opak guys were more pumped than I was. Up on the podium, I was given the Top Rookie award along with my First Place trophy. I also received a cool little video camera from GoPro and a box of Nomex cleaning products from Molecule. I thought the rookie thing was somewhat inappropriate. But, just then, the corks popped and I realized I deserved it-I got caught totally unprepared and unarmed-I was blinded by champagne before I could even find my bottle. For those that think the champagne is there for celebration, it's not. It's war. It is there for the Second and Third Place drivers to avenge their loss. Had I managed to locate my bottle I would have broken it and started shanking people.
Fortunately, the bottle was saved for the many people who deserved a taste of victory. The race really came down to the end and everyone's efforts counted. Had the car not worked perfectly, or Romaine not gotten me up to speed, or MaxQData not logged my qualifying time, I'd be writing yet another story on how and why I did not win.
We'll put together highlights from the in car video and load them up at sportcompactcarweb.com. There's also a very entertaining telecast of the race that can be downloaded at FinalDrive.net or on YouTube under "Nitto USTCC Infineon".
Opak Racing/Spoon Sports 2004 Honda Integra Type-R
Engine
Engine Code: K20A (Type R)
Type: 1,998cc DOHC Inline-four, aluminum block and head, iVTEC variable valve timing
Internal Modifications: All components balanced and blueprinted by Spoon Sports Japan, Motul oil
External Modifications: Spoon Sports air filter, header, exhaust, baffled oil pan
Engine Management: Stock ECU, Bosch fuel pump, Spoon Sports spark plugs
Drivetrain
Layout: Transverse front engine, front-wheel drive
Drivetrain Modifications: Spoon Sports clutch, shortened final drive gear and limited-slip differential, Driveshaft Shop axles, Motul fluid
Suspension
Front: Showa dampers, 14 kg/mm Swift springs, Spoon Sports offset pillowball mount-equipped lower control arms
Rear: Showa dampers, 28 kg/mm Swift springs, factory antiroll bar
Brakes
Front: Spoon Sports stainless-steel braided lines and four-piston monoblock aluminum calipers, Endless CC-X pads, Motul RBF 600 fluid
Rear: Spoon Sports stainless-steel braided lines, Endless CC-X pads
External
Wheels: 17x8, AME Tracer, +45mm (F) +35mm(R)
Tires: 225/45/17, Nitto NT01 (spec tire size for USTCC)
Exterior: Paint and collision repair by Absolute Customs
Interior: Custom rollcage (done at Spoon Sports Japan), Spoon Sports steering wheel and carbon bucket seat, Takata harness