Race Day 2: Hard Rain’s a Gonna Fall

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Back at the track on Sunday morning. Skies bleak and grey, with steady rain falling. Daniel Demaras’ fist pole position in F1200 came at Mosport in the rain last year, and it’s just the kind of driving conditions that he excels in.

The team did everything they could to correct the engine issue from Saturday, but until the cars head out on track, there’s no way to be sure the problems are solved. But with the rainy conditions, grip and not power is what drivers need.

In the VMS paddock before the race, Demaras was focused on the challenge ahead. He couldn’t control the piston rings or exhaust valves, but he could control power application and smooth inputs to maximize his pace.

Several drivers in faster race cars chose not to compete in the morning race. F4 and FC90 cars can reach 225 km/h (140 mph) on the long Andretti Straight, and there was some concern that the fog and rain could impact visibility. If the marshals on the flag stands cannot see each other, its a serious problem.

When the green flag flew, Demaras took off. From P5 he made a daring outside pass on Turn 1 where he trusted there would be enough grip. By Turn 2, Daniel was up to second place, right on the tail of No. 173 driven by Phil Wang.

By lap 3, it all went wrong; The track announcer exclaimed that Demaras was being shown the black flag, and had pulled into the pits. This could be disastrous! A pit lane reporter rushed to the scene for a live update.

Track officials informed Demaras that the rain-light on the back of the No. 12 wasn’t illuminated. No time to point the finger of blame, Daniel flipped the switch, popped the car into 1st gear and took off. Before the roving pit-reporter could arrive on scene, the announcer bellowed that Demaras was back on track, but had lost multiple positions with the unscheduled pit stop.

Turning laps 6 to 8 seconds a lap faster than other F1200 cars, Daniel started picking off his rivals. He even managed to pass a more powerful F1600 car struggling in slippery conditions. With two laps to go, Daniel nearly threw the car off track at Turn 1! He caught the slide, drove through the grass and got back on track; even got a thumbs up from the Turn 2 flag man!

A pass for second place on the next lap, and Demaras had regained all the positions he’d lost. It was a truly champions drive.

That truly was the highlight of the weekend, as young Daniel managed to keep his cool, focus on the race and put in an excellent performance.

Unfortunately, when the track dried up in time for the final, he could not duplicate the same performance. Engine issues that plagued the No. 12 car on Saturday got progressively worse, but there simply wasn’t time to change the motor in time for the final. Demaras soldiered on to a P5 finishing position.

It’s easy to write off the weekend as a failure because Demaras didn’t take the win, or even put the car on the podium. But that’s all wrong. The true measure of a driver is how well they handle adversity. This was a tough weekend, but Daniel can hold his head high for a strong result in the worst driving conditions of the weekend.

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