The weekend's threatening rain and classically fickle Thunderhill weather had all the paddock's drivers ready with full-tread Toyo RA1, but Saturday looked to be overcast and nothing more. Se30 qualifying looked good for the BTM Team, with Andy and Brad posting the 3rd and 4th fastest times. However, heartbreak befell the new 19 car when the 19 car came in underweight - a side effect of the changed weight requirement from the Round 6 enduro. Andy took his place at the back of the grid.
At the start, Brad in the 91 car came alive, blasted off with one of his signature 'BTM Power' starts and quickly began pressuring Greg P for 2nd place. He made his move and began chasing Mike C down for the lead.
Back at the back, Andy found himself starting in 26th in nearly ideal cool dry conditions. Like his drive in round 1 where he gained 24 positions he had his work cut out for him, but it was even more difficult than the wet race as the entire field
had their cars working well, and there were many personal best laptimes in the field. He got a good start as well, and moved steadily up through the field passing individual cars until he caught up with a 5 car train comprised of Dan G, Derek W, Scott N, Brian M and Jeff L.
Andy first got by Team Roadrunner's Jeff when he made a minor mistake in turn 2, and got a run on Brian M on Thunderhill's long front straight. Pulling up behind the series director Scott, Andy now found himself with two cars right on his bumper, and three ahead, all vying for position. As Andy began to put pressure on Scott, he also found a little more speed and motivation in the 44 car and pushed inside Derek W on the inside of T2. Andy followed him through as well, finally passing Derek on the outside of T3, the hairy off-camber turn typically only used single file. In the same lap, Andy also managed to get a good bounce exiting T8 and got inside Scott in T9. However, Derek, Brian and Jeff were all waiting to pounce, and as Andy and Scott went down the hill at compromised speed, Derek and Brian both pounced, bracketing Andy. Andy got on the brakes first in the four car wide mess, Brian sailed around wide and touched Scott's rear bumper, and Derek made it by on the inside. Scott spun from the contact, Derek went by safely on the inside, and Brian made it through, but Andy found the 44 car sideways in his direct path, leaving only the well-used grass on the outside of T10 as his exit. After a short stint as a high-speed Bavarian weed-whacker, Andy re-entered at T11 and continued the chase.
Brian's line around the spinning Scott also compromised his speed, and Andy was able to repass him going into 14, leaving only Derek ahead of him from the original train of 6 cars. As the 19 car charged down the front straight, the white flag flew - if Andy was going to make it up further than his current 9th place, then he'd have just one chance. Indeed, Andy managed to throw the car into the first two turns with such force, that he got alongside Derek going into T3 again, however, he strayed just an inch or two too far into the marbles, and T3 bit back. The result was more of an audition for the next 'Fast and the Furious' film than a great passing maneuver. In spite of the slide / drift / ass-clownery Andy was able to keep the 19 car pointed forward, but his already suffering RA-1s weren't in any shape for right hand turns for a while. Derek got away, while Brian repassed exiting 6 and Jeff repassed exiting 14. Andy nearly got back by Jeff at the finish line, but the new #5 Team Roadrunner car edged out the 19 by a little less than half a second. Though running as high as 8th from his 26th place start, he'd have to settle for 11th.
Back at the front, Brad ruthlessly chased down the #10 Team Courtney-Olivier car setting a new lap record at 2:05.8. While neither car was able to either pass or make much time on the other the drama was no less than Andy got in the midfield, the 10 and 91 cars touched several times, but in the end Mike C managed to hold off the hard-charging McClure.
Earlier in the day, Chittum also ran the GTS Challenge race. Caught in some traffic, he fell to 2nd in the first lap, but retook the lead on the 2nd lap, and sailed to an easy victory, giving the 19 its first top-step result just three weekends after tightening the last bolt on the new car.
Team BTM Motorwerks then came away from the first day of the weekend with a 1st, a 2nd, and a hard-fought 11th as well as a new Thunderhill lap record for Spec e30s.
Stand by for Part Two of Thunder Strikes Twice!
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