Rain had threatened the TLMC Autocross event all Saturday afternoon, but the roof was still down on the Miata as Monet-like skies cleared and the sun began to set. The Gamebridge Go-Kart track has full lighting around the circuit, so the event was scheduled to continue until near midnight.
As with the early sessions, Daniel went out first in the No. 999 Miata and explored the limits of grip. While plenty of rubber had been laid down on track, the dropping temperature made for slippery conditions. Each lap Daniel turned was under darker and darker conditions.
The event remained drama-free for the most part. A red flag was shown when one driver threw the car off track in the darkness, but he quickly recovered and finished his lap a little bit red-faced, but without any damage.
After turning over the number plate, Chris ventured out in the darkness in the No. 666 Mazda Miata.
Conditions were’t as bad as Demaras had worried they’d be, so lap times remained reasonably stable. Since this weekend was just a fun-run, there was no point risking the equipment as Daniel still had to drive the Mazda back to Toronto, more than 120 km away.
Visibility not grip turned out to be Chris’ biggest challenge as the old halogen bulbs on the Miata only gave a dim yellow light, even with the high-beams on. Maybe the next step is to switch to LED headlight bulbs and some proper fog lights for further night racing. Maybe remember to bring the clear visor next time, too!
But it didn’t matter; the event was a blast. Father and son got to compete for fastest laps in the same vehicle. The family rivalry reminded them of the old days when they’d race against each other in go-karts. In the beginning, Chris would let Daniel win to boost up his ego, but pretty soon dad was unable to keep up with the lad as Daniel’s skills improved.
Good times. That’s what weekends at the track were always about.
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