A new web site coming soon!

Early this month, we will be launching thirdwaveracing.com which will highlight our race schedule, results, videos and more. You can like us now at facebook.com/thirdwaveracing and follow us on twitter at #thirdwaveracing.

Because I have a regular job, family and the race team, it is a lot of work to keep up with all of these tools, but it is important especially since it helps promote my amazing sponsor.

So, if you want the latest updates you will be able to find them at thirdwaveracing.com - coming soon.

MARRS 1 was a successful event.

http://youtu.be/bEj-dYTkJ28

Six months ago we had a tub and today we have a car that sat on pole position in class and was .2 seconds from the group's overall pole position.

There were three issues I needed to work on prior to Saturday's qualifying. At a recent test I had an electrical problem that kept me from revving past 6k, so I completely re-wired the ECU including replacing the coil packs. I also had cooling issues, so I pulled the thermostat and taped the grill and lastly I did not have a lot of confidence in the brakes, so I replace the master cylinders.

Saturday morning only netted me three laps as I continued to sort these issues - it is a new car afterall. So Saturday afternoon's qualifying race produced my very first hot laps ever. Immediately I ended up about 3 seconds faster than my fastest time which set me up good for Sunday's race.

My duh moment (and I had a few of them) came when I was talking to a fellow racer about my spin(s). I said, you know in the yellow car I braked at 300 yards, but in this car I have to start braking at 400 yards, because I spun at 300 yards just going in too hot. He said, "yeah, and you are probably carrying a lot more speed now then you were then." Oh ... yeah ... I was carrying a lot more speed.

Sunday's race was about as wet as it gets. The entire east coast was getting drenched as on track I couldn't see squat. There was a ton of water everywhere. In the fast sections you were completely blinded by the spray. A guy flipped on the first lap (In a brand new MX-5) and the emergency vehicles came out. When they did, the lead pack slowed as if it were a yellow (mistake) and Jim Harrison (rightfully so) flew by us all like we were sitting still. My plan in the rain was to take it easy a few laps and find the line, adhesion limits etc and use all 20 of them to chase the leader if he passed me. Well now, I was really screwed, because in the twistys the cars in front of me were just as fast and then on the straight would fan out so they could see, but it blocked me from passing, so I was stuck. It didn't matter, I spun in T2 as I hit the gas and looped it. My class leader also went off in turn three and hit the tire wall, but was able to return to the track and finished a few seconds ahead of me.

So, for the first event, we came home second. MARRS 2 & 3 are May 12 & 13 at Virginia International Raceway. The link above are my first two hot laps ever in the car. It is a blast to drive.

Car completed, dyno'd and tested
A few more tweaks in time for its first race
April 20-22


The car ran pretty good on the dyno in March. It has an intermittent spark issue I am chasing, but I think I solved it by replacing a number of electrical components.

The test day last week also unvelied a cooling issue (I have since replaced the thermostat), as well as a real braking issue - it would not stop.

So, I'm in the middle of swapping out brake master cylinders and have serviced each caliper and replaced the pads.

We'll see, but I think we should have most of the known bugs worked out in time for MARRS 1 at Summit Point April 19-21.

Here's a lap in my Yellow Miata - which was sold - this past September.

Looks fast, even on jack stands

More pictures can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thinkracing/sets/

2012 car getting it's vinyl face lift today!

Going SCCA Production Car Racing

I have always been in love with the SCCA - warts and all - and have been thinking for some time now about racing with the club in something more modern. The MG's days in club racing are behind it and I'm still very young - young enough to learn a new car.

So, a couple of weeks aover the summer, I bought a FP Miata out of Texas and planned to run up here in the DC Region for a while. I raced it in September and finished well placing second in the Labor Day race and overall, enjoying a competitive and maintenance free weekend.

I sold this particular car a few months later, because it was not the best platform for me to use as I launch into another chapter of my racing career. I did sell it to another racer in the area, so I expect to see it again soon. I then bought a roller out of NC owned by David Bryson. This car was a top notch, no expense spared effort, so I'm happy with my foundation.

Jesse Prather Motorsports (http://www.jesseprathermotorsports.com/) has built the motor, transmission and suspension and Third Wave Digital has signed up to sponsor the car in the 2012 SCCA DC Region's Mid-Atlantic Road Racing Series (MARRS).

In the coming weeks and months, I'll post updates of the car, the build and the progress we make as we prepare to embark on what we hope to be a successful 2012 racing series.

Special thanks to my friends at Third Wave Digital (http://www.thirdwavedigital.com/).

Blogger and Blogging

Blogger has not been an easy tool to use. Unlike WordPress, at the time, Google was not putting any resources behind improving the functionality of this tool. WordPress is in constant development.

So, I got tired of trying to make it work. I figured I would give it some time and maybe they would make some changes. A second chance could be in order.

A full race season has passed. The VDCA race at Roebling is a few months away from being a year old and since then I've been to three different race tracks - Road Atlanta, BeaveRun and Summit Point.

I'll post updates over the next few weeks in an attempt to get back into the blogging spirit and provide an update of the racing season and the plans we have in place for next year.