Dear Sponsors, Crew and Firends....

Virginia International Raceway (VIR) November 4-5, 2005. 

Just three seasons young, HeMan Racing has finally realized a level of success, which until this race, was never believed possible. Yes, it's true we drove the entire 10 hours to VIR and did not experience a flat in the racecar trailer! 
And, if that wasn't enough to scream from the highest mountaintops about, we also picked up our very first 1st place finish in this past weekend's 13-hour Enduro race at the famed VIR.

As is typically the case, we all met Patrick and Lynn at their house at 5am Friday morning and headed out to the track (well, most arrived sooner to help out, but there were some slackers). 

This was a special race that required a higher level of expertise so additional crew and drivers were called upon to ensure the cluelessness that typically runs unchecked was hidden by the many talents of people such as Lynn Lancaster (DTR & dietitian), Margaret Untig (timing and food purveyor), Bob Untig (petroleum transporter and windshield management), Ron Kleiman (photographic journalist), and Michael Lo (hired gun).

The trip to VIR was somewhat uneventful (except for that unfortunate squirrel incident) and filled with the requisite dozen or so stops to feed the mighty diesel steed that we've become so reliant upon to see us through the dark of night [note to self: buy that Exxon stock]. 

We arrived at our hotel late afternoon on Friday only to find that one of our ITA competitors had broken down in front of the hotel while attempting to find the racetrack. Glenn and Patrick, (they're givers you know .. almost to a fault), found it necessary to get them rolling again. Although they obviously never fully grasped the concept of natural selection, or pre-race attrition, they were compelled by some higher power to help our limping foes. Secretly, Willie has vowed to enroll them into winter survival school where eating what you kill is all you're permitted to digest.

Friday's track schedule was somewhat truncated which for Willie proved problematic. The evening schedule was arranged to allow for a practice session, which was immediately followed by a qualifying run. Luckily, Michael was able to drive Willie around the track for a 1-lap orientation in Patrick's hot-rod Lincoln streetcar. This is pretty important as most drivers attempt to familiarize themselves with all the sharp hard protruding things that seem to line each track prior to a full-frontal attack of the course.  Immediately following this tour, Willie jumped into the trusty Spec Miata for some practice. Unfortunately, dusk had turned into darkness before the first lap and off-road excursions quickly became the norm. It didn't take too many laps before the sea of 60+ cars possessing no semblance of common road etiquette, and high intensity search lights similar to those used to during WWII forced Willie to sheepishly return to the pits with some lame excuse about having to spend more time praying in the future. Not dissuaded, Michael quickly jumped into the racecar and set a course that would eventually get the team qualified in 43rd position for Saturdays' race.

Saturday morning came quickly, and the team very methodically analyzed each team member's strengths and weaknesses while factoring in the seemingly infinite number of variables to ensure the best possible finish. Well, actually, that would have been ideal, but Willie whined the most so we put him in the car first just to get him out of the pits so we could catch up on some much needed sleep. Although not the best showing, the grounds crew later asked if Willie was available to help them with their lawn mowing chores since he proved so proficient in navigating around in the grassy infield.

13 hours of racing is no small feat. It takes a well choreographed crew, spot-on organizational skills, determined and motivated drivers, and above planning that rivals the skills of those early Egyptians that built those triangle-shaped pointy things in the desert so many years ago. That being said, we simply decided to wing it. Hell, it got us to a season end 3rd place finish in the Enduro series, so why mess with perfection!

After Willie, Michael, a.k.a. the hired gun proved his worth in gas cans. His stint quickly moved the team up about 10 spots. On the heals of Michael's run, Patrick took to the wheel like a newborn calf to a mother's teat .. well, you get the point. True to his legend, Patrick quickly made his presence know by not allowing the much faster [read as expensive] cars intimidate him. In the wild, you sometimes have to take on the biggest bear in the den to scare away all other would-be bullies. Patrick, a little light in the fear arena, quickly disposed of the quickest Porsche in the pack by traversing his hood with a pair of 15 Toyos. Way to go Patrick, one down 59 cars to go! Although this maneuver appeared to alter the aerodynamic efficiencies that Mazda engineers worked so hard to perfect, the upside to this move was that hood finally matched every other panel on the car.

With Patrick's track time coming to an end, Glenn suited up and quickly made his way on to the circuit. Although his first stint didn't last but 18+/- laps due to a severe headache, his racing acumen proved stellar during subsequent runs. His night vision has proven to be so useful, owls routinely perched themselves at our pits wanting Glenn to find moles for them.

The night pretty much followed this same rhythm. Every 90+ minutes, we filled the car up with gas and attempted a driver change. Although we qualified 2nd in class (ITA), the 1st place ITA car quickly drew a line in the sand and at one point moved 7 laps ahead of us. Happily, this was short lived, as towards the end of the race, as is the case with most Enduros, they were visited by those pesky little car gremlins. Yep, it appears a front hub exploded and steering the car was not exactly aligned with driver input. They were able to limp home, but not before the HeMan Racing team put a lap on them and took home 1st place in the ITA class.

This was a great race, one that we didn't have the luxury of finishing last year due to a rear-end gear issue. However, none of the success we've had during the 2005 season could have been realized without the help and support of our sponsors and friends. From Glenn, Patrick and Willie, we thank you for your help over this last year and you should know that you've been well represented if not by talent, then by shear luck that we've been able to capitalize on the misfortunes of others!

We knew this would be our break-out year, and we had hoped to secure at least one top 5 finish; but we've had an amazing year with multiple top 5 finishes, a 3rd place finish in the Enduro series, and a first place finish at VIR's 13-hour race to end the season.
Thank you all for your help throughout the year, none of this could have been realized without your unwavering support. We hope you'll be part of the excitement in 2006 where we expect to be even more competitive! Swing by www.hemanracing.com for the newest pics!

Glenn, Patrick & Willie