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| Mid-Atlantic 944 Racers Make LeMonade, with a Side Order of Cup |
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Photo of the Team 44 Cup in the Le Mons Endurance Series, behind the "oil spill racecar."
Article by Patti Mascone
"How many spectacles can you cram into one weekend?" asked Steve Randolph, as the Mid-Atlantic 944 Cup points leader surveyed the horizon at Summit Point Motorsports Park, June 19-20, for Round 4 of the 2010 season. The facility's three tracks were hosting Hyperfest, a swirling circus of drifting, side shows, rollover contests, golf cart racing and other paddock games, huge crowds - and, of course, some 944 Cup racing.
One team of Porsche racers, with the simple name "Team 44 Cup" also took advantage of Summit's third circuit, Shenandoah, to get in a little more racing - let's say 14 more hours of racing, as they joined the 84-car "Capitol Offense" enduro in blistering heat, part of the 24 Hours of Le Mons series. "With our six drivers and three crew, we had a good combination of Cup and non-Cup drivers. Jerard Sweetwine, Mike Routt and Robert Srery drove while the Cup races were ongoing and 'Big Joe' Boschulte, myself, and Dave [Derecola] drove before and after Cup driving stints," explains Randolph.
As you can tell by the name, this is a rather sarcastic series aimed at pure fun, in which racers take a $500 racecar, add safety equipment, and stir in some long stints by teams of 4-6 drivers. The teams, heavily reliant on wrench turners, race at venues around the country (or for as long as the car lasts). It's also rather democratic, as entrants, based on a blind ballot, can request that a particular car that's not up to snuff be destroyed. In fact, this weekend, the organizers carted one such racecar over to Summit Point's firearms range - where government officers train on weekdays - for target practice. This event not only offers a less serious environment for pro or experienced racers, it offers an entry point for rookie racers, many fresh off drivers' education (in NASA, it's called High Performance Driving Education, and in Porsche Club, Drivers' Education). At least 12 teams in the event fielded line-ups with had little or no racing experience. Whether one is a rookie or not, there are also some very informative rules against "lousy driving" (see http://www.24hoursoflemons.com/pricesandrules.aspx).
But make no mistake, once the racing Gloves are on, Le Mons is still a contest on the track. Derecola, who is the 944 Cup National Director, adds, "The 944 has enough handling and braking to allow it to pass a lot of cars ... once again, what else is any better in racing?" According to Boschulte, the team was variously hampered by a bent tie rod, a faulty brake line, and a leaky radiator, which is not too bad, all things considered, such as the car's price tag. Along with teams sporting names like " Duct Tape Motorsports" and "Volvo ElCowMino," Team 44 Cup made the full distance; the affectionately ugly 944 (flaunting a "camo" look that paid homage to oil leaks of the BP and 944 kind) covered 249 laps and finished 38th overall and 17th in class. Team 44 Cup's average speed of over 63 miles per hour was only three miles per hour slower than the winning team of "Sgt. Schultz Zwei," who were aptly driving a Mercedes Benz. Who says you can't find affordable racing involving German cars?
Oh yes, there were also 944 Cup races running on the main circuit. The 944-only competitors may have had less on their plates, but it was still 95 degrees in the shade, plus the distractions of the Hyperfest fans lining the stands remained. Rookie Dave Gibson, from Fredericksburg, Virginia, focused on what he could do from his prepared 1989 944's cockpit, aiming to "see how fast you can go in a slow car," while not being afraid to "pass anywhere" if the opportunity arose, using those Turbo Brakes if need be. This calmness comes from being a former karting driver whose first exposure to 944 Cup racing was the 2009 Nationals. He improved a ninth-place on Saturday to a seventh on Sunday, an example of the competiveness to be found throughout the grids.
Another way to reduce racing expenses is to run the 944 Cup series in a shared Porsche. Because there are two sprints at each event, Dave Derecola alternates driving duties with his son in their #24, both driving under the moniker "Team Derecola." After Chris Derecola took the wheel on Saturday in a tight battle with Kenneth Smith for eighth, Dave dropped in for a ninth-place drive on Sunday.
Up front, the 944 of Case Crowell, a Southeast Region visitor, faced overheating problems that dropped him out of the lead on Saturday, after he posted the race's fastest lap of 1.27.3. His older brother Joe kept the sprint honors in the family, by taking two wins, leaving Summit with 80 Mid-Atlantic points for the season. Meanwhile, the current points leader, Steve Randolph, finished a solid second as Matthew Marks closed in. Randolph finished the weekend with 274 points over Joe Boschulte's count of 270.
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