07/21/2020
Last weekend was our endurance debut this year with the TireRack Endurance Series. The “Campout at Nelson” was full of unknowns for FSR with Neslon Ledges being a completely new track for the team, a new engine for the year and a new driver on board.
Friday testing saw some good times and team rookie Michael Vladiff taking the first laps. The car showed its speed as every team member completed a handful of competitive practice laps.
Saturday’s green flag saw Forrest S. Foster take the green with a strong first stint, starting from the rear of the field. Max Frohnen took over for stint two with another strong running. The Mighty 190 reached 13th place overall before a jam in the shifter linkage resulted in a spin and broken clutch hydraulics.
The team rallied to bring the car back to the track for Sunday’s green flag. Max fabricated a new clutch master cylinder using a BMW master cylinder and a handful of hardware store components along with Nick Shirrell.
Dusty Michael took the green flag on Sunday for an aggressively fast first stint. Starting seventh and working his way up to fourth, Dusty was on a charge through the top of the field. A broken radiator brought the Mercedes back into the pits. Michael V jumped into the driver’s seat while the team swapped the radiator. After a few laps of limping the Merc around the narrow track, it was obvious that a blown head gasket was the final blow for the team.
The team learned many lessons this weekend and we have a short two weeks to be prepared for ’s Midsummer Meet at Mid-Ohio SportsCar Course. Before the mechanical issues, the was running stronger and more competitive than ever before thanks to Michael Weaver and Erin Weaver . The entire team is excited to get the engine back together and attack the rest of the 2020 season!