Targa Florio Race #3 Results

The third round of the Targa Florio series was the best attended round to date with ten racers taking part in the 216 laps around the track race.

The last rounds had some close racing in both A and B groups with some of the B group runners giving the A group racers a run for their money. Marty had a very slight lead on A Group and Jordan had the lead of the B Group going into this round of the series with the fast lap to date being a 3.995 in the intense heat of the first round of the series.  Only two rounds in there was still plenty of time for the overall standings to get turned upside down.  Let’s take a look at the field and see who came to race.

A GROUP

Ary, Slot It Ford GT40, 68gr, 12gr downforce

Shawn, Slot It Ford GT40, 67gr, 14gr downforce

Steve, Slot It Ferrari 312PB, 63gr, 10gr downforce

Marty, Slot It Ford GT40, 68gr, 17gr downforce

Russell, Fly Lola T70 MkIII w/Slot It HRS Chassis, 96gr, 21gr downforce

 

B GROUP

Jordan, Slot It Alfa T33/3, 65gr, 17gr downforce

David, Slot It Alfa T33/3, 68gr, 15gr downforce

Austin, Slot It Ferrari 312PB, 65gr, 9gr downforce

Mark, Slot It Ford GT40, 70gr, 9gr downforce

Rich, Slot It Ferrari 312PB, 74gr, 8gr downforce

Track conditions were great considering the temperatures had cooled and there was rain outside and high humidity inside. The ambient temperature was 85 degrees with a track temperature of 88 degrees and a humidity level of 58%.  Great conditions for some fast laps.  Let’s see who took advantage of the great conditions.

Heat 1

Jordan in yellow, Shawn in green and Rich in blue – Great run by everyone with Shawn setting a fast pace with a time of 299.832 and a fast lap of 4.066. Jordan was close behind with a time of 320.898 and Rich was 13.16 seconds behind with a time of 334.061.

 

Heat 2

Austin in yellow, Jordan in green and Shawn in blue – Austin had run some real fast times in the first race of the series and it will be interesting to see if he still has that same pace in this round.

Shawn once again had the fastest time with a 300.856 and a new fast lap time of 4.017. Austin was second with a time of 315.417 and a Group B fast lap of 4.101.  Jordan was only 6.30 behind in third.

 

Heat 3

Marty in yellow, Austin in green and Jordan in blue – Marty took the heat but was off the pace of fellow A Group racer Shawn. It didn’t help that Marty’s GT40 experience a mechanical during the heat with the exhaust pipes coming off of the car and logging themselves between the crown and pinion resulting in the car coming to a quick stop.  Similar situation to the final race scene in Grand Prix (gods speed James Garner) without the terrible consequences.

Jordan was second with a good finishing run with a time of 319.477. Austin had some de-slots that cost him in this heat and he finished with a time of 326.796.

 

Heat 4

Ary in yellow, Marty in green and Austin in blue – Ary was, wait for it……….the fastest in this heat. No surprise here but he did have some issues with his controller that put him off Shawn’s fast early pace.  He finished with a time of 306.461 to Marty’s 308.241.  Austin had a great run with a time of 313.622 and the B Group fastest lap time of 4.028 that was also the fastest lap of the heat.  Way to go Austin!

 

Heat 5

Stephen in yellow, Ary in green and Marty in blue – Stephen was flying in this heat. He obviously had some actual sleep the night before the race and was so focused he was damn near unbeatable.  He finished with a time of 298.146 and a new fast lap for the round of 3.967.  Ary was only two one hundredths off of Stephen.  That is less time than it takes to blink.  Can the racing get any closer than that?  Marty was third with a time of 304.982.

 

Heat 6

Russell in yellow, Stephen in green and Ary in blue – This looked like the race of the day with the three consistently fast guys running together. Any de-slot would find you at the back of this group.  Ary obviously figured out his controller and put down a very fast run with a total time of 294.333 and a fast lap of 3.995.  Not to be outdone, Russell ran a time of 298.001 with an incredible fast lap time of 3.889!  The first 3.8 lap of the series.  The big difference between both of these fast racers was Ary’s consistency.  Ary’s average lap time was 4.088 to Russell’s 4.139.  Stephen was third with a total of 307.047 and a nice fast lap time of 3.951.

 

Heat 7

Mark in yellow, Russell in green and Stephen in blue – If Stephen wanted to make a run at the top of the podium he would need a great run in this heat to make it happen and that’s exactly what he did. Stephen finished in front with a total time of 300.688.  Russell had some issues with his F22 tires going away in the middle of the heat.  He was flying right up to the point his tires went off.  He finished with a time of 314.177.  Mark had his GT40 running much better than the last round and managed a time of 408.07.

 

Heat 8

David in yellow, Mark in green and Russell in blue – The pressure was now on Russell to put in a good run to grab the top of the podium. Everyone knew what time Ary had set with the wild card being Shawn and his final heat.  Russell pushed hard but his tires were done for the day.  The F22’s were making it difficult for Russell to run at the pace he needed.  He finished with a time of 303.175.  David and Mark had a good battle with David finishing with a time of 353.866 to Mark’s 379.967.

There was the smell of burning motor during this heat and it was thought the smell was coming from the V12 motor in the Alfa T33/3 of David. Let’s hope this doesn’t give him any issues in the next two heats.

 

Heat 9

Rich in yellow, David in green and Mark in blue – Rich comes back after running the first heat to battle the two other B Group racers in what could be one of the best B Group races of the day.  Rich was obviously rested after waiting 8 heats.  He took the heat with a time of 346.531 while David came in second with a total time of 368.749.   Mark was very close behind with a time of 373.537.

 

Heat 10 – The Final Heat

Shawn in yellow, Rich in green and David in blue – This was put up or shut up time for Shawn. Could he put in the run of the day and pass Ary for the top spot on the podium?  Would his tires last?  Would he keep his cool?  Would he

He did it. Shawn had one of the most focused runs this author has ever seen.  He was focused and consistent  and finished with a time of 295.556 to take the heat and the win.  David had a great run with his best time ever of 339.966 and Rich finished with a total time of 349.784.

The Final Results

A GROUP

As you can see from the spreadsheets it was a very close race with Shawn taking the top spot and Ary only 2.72 seconds behind in second. Stephen had a great run and took the last podium spot.  Russell finished in fourth with tires that were declared scrap by the end of the second heat.  Marty finished fifth and has an appointment at Midas to get his muffler repaired.

B GROUP

Congratulations to Austin for taking the top spot and having the fastest lap of the group. Jordan had a good run finishing in second with Rich picking up third.  David had a good run for fourth and Mark was getting better every heat and finished fifth overall.

Next Round

The next round of the series will take place on October 18^th.  With over a month to work on the cars and cooler track temperatures the next round should see more of the same close racing we have already seen.  Good luck getting your cars ready.