The Vallis Motor Sport team really had to thrash on the No. 12 early on Saturday morning. Adjustments to the race car based on Friday’s test day had to be implemented before the first session of the morning..
Monsieur Yves and the Vallis Junior Team got to work inside the nosecone, adjusting the position of the dead pedal, and even setting up the GoPro for a creative view of qualifying. Master mechanic Bill Davis checked throttle cables and front end alignment to make sure the car could extract all the speed the racing gods had bestowed upon it.
Daniel knew that his race car wouldn’t be perfect, but by driving smoothly and staying in the draft of the lead pack, he could extract the maximum results possible. He drove the No. 12 to a respectable P4 in qualifying, outside lane, row two. Plenty to gain from that starting position.
There was a big field of cars at the BARC Touring Trophy race, which was great to see at this late stage of the season. By this point, sometimes racers run out of funding, or run into mechanical issues they can’t handle. The grid size was encouraging.
Late on Saturday afternoon, Daniel Demaras’ No. 12 Can-Jam Motorsports sponsored Formula 1200 car headed out on track for the first race.
What an exciting start! Using Paul Subject’s advice on taking wider lines through the corners, Daniel was able to take the lead in Formula 1200 at the exit of Turn 1 and nearly executed a pass on a higher-powered Formula Ford on Turn 2.
Mechanical issues continue to pester the No, 12 this season. As long as it is in the draft, the car has some speed, but once it is out in the lead, it doesn’t have the power to maintain position. At least Subject’s observations assured Demaras that he was executing his duties behind the wheel. Sometimes P4 is just the best finish one can achieve on the day.
Back for one more day of racing on Sunday.