FORMULA D PRO-AM // O'CONNELL UPDATE

O'CONNELL UPDATE -

Live from 2008 Formula D ProAm West Coast Finals

The weather was was in the 80's with nothing but sun and clear skies all day. The track - An unforgiving concrete rail lined course, where competitors must charge up the straight reaching 70 to 90 mph and start drifting inches away from a concrete wall. The first corner is a sweeping 270 degree with the judges requiring drivers to follow a line that has their rear bumper close to the concrete wall. The dusty track and the ProAm competitors unfamiliarity with this type of course with no runoff resulted in a ton of wrecks. One driver of a red RX7 shorted the back of his car by 2 feet on the first run putting an early end to his licensing hopes and setting the tone for the session.

Many drivers spun and hit the wall at high speed. By my count 9 cars were totaled and hauled off on the wrecker. Several drivers spun and slid backwards slamming their rear end into the wall sending their back windshield glass flying some 20 feet. The high attrition cut into practice time.

Victor Moore was piloting an essentially new car with only one shakedown session in the rain prior to today. The UP Garage car on Les Schwab tires was running strong and Victor was trying to adapt to the new car and the unforgiving course. He was showing fast entry speeds and cautiously improving while avoiding the killer walls.

Qualifying

With only 5 practice runs, the qualifying session begun. Each driver had 2 runs to make it happen. A spin or loss of drift means a zero score for the run. The carnage continued with 5 drivers hitting the wall and several of them getting towed off. Several of the previously licensed drivers who failed to place high enough to keep their license were putting down solid runs with high speed entries scraping the walls at high speed, with tons of smoke and a difficult line required by the judges.

Victor's first run saw a fast entry speed but was inside the line and he straighted slightly on the second corner resulting in a zero score. His second and final run was strong on the initiation, with lots of smoke. But in his effort to follow the difficult outside line on corner run and the setting sun glaring directly at him at the exit of the corner, Victor was thrown off balance for the second corner and he fought too much angle, just managing not to spin, though he lost speed and straighted out. It was not enough to get a qualifying pass from the judges but it was a great effort showing tremendous skill and adaptability on a tough course and in a new car.

In all, 14 drivers made the qualifications which is lower than the usual 16. Vancouver Island BC local Reo Baird qualified 9th and is the only northwest local to make it to tomorrow's final event. Saturday is the ProAm finals, where they will compete in tandem eliminations to determine the West Coast champion and impress the judges enough to earn a license.

RedBull World Championship

The pros practiced early in the morning getting used to the course and a chance to tandem with new competitors from all over the world. Saturday is Qualifying for Sundays grand finale.

Stay tuned for more coverage from the RedBull WDC, as our photographers will be prowling the pits snapping the crazy machinery, as well as on track for some up close shots of the action. Photos come courtesy of Wrecked Magazine // 11.14.2008