Slipstream - December 2001

The Club Race: View From The “Tower”
By Tom Snodgrass
As the Steward’s Assistant, preparation consisted of attending
a few pre-race meetings to make sure I knew who was in charge in
each area, and generally how the weekend was being organized.
Having worked with Alan Friedman, the race steward before, I had
a pretty good idea of what his expectations were this time.
The main task of the Steward’s Assistant is to write down all
radio transmissions from the corner worker stations to race control.
The corner workers call in things like cars spinning, 2 wheels
off, or 4 wheels off, contact between cars, and any smells, sounds,
or parts loose or missing on the car. It is amazing what these guys
can diagnose as a car blasts by them at 100 mph! They also call in
when there are foreign objects lying on the track that the racers
wouldn't want to run over. This included cones, car numbers, and
oil. The reason all this is written down is to have a record of what
went on in case there is a dispute later.
The "tower" at TMS is really the lower level suite right above
the start-finish line. It is a fabulous viewpoint of the entire track
and from there, you can see all the action. The majority of the
action occurred at the chicane, which is situated just before the
entry to NASCAR corner 1 and the steep banking. The goal of the
chicane was to slow the cars down. It worked, but it caused several
problems for racers throughout the weekend. The other place for
excitement was at the end of NASCAR corner 1. The cars have to
slow down for a 180 degree turn onto the infield part of the track.
Racers liked to pass at that point and pushed the limits of their cars.
Some went over those limits and ended up off the track.
Timing and scoring were also in the tower. Those in charge
kept Alan Friedman up to date on where we were in the race and
who was winning. They were busy throughout the weekend timing
the practice sessions and qualifying so the racers would know how
fast they were and grid would know how to place the cars.
Announcements were also broadcast from the tower. Bob
Glowacki and Linda Bambina shared the duties of calling racers to
grid, thanking our sponsors, and reminding everybody of the
schedule.
When not in the tower, other Steward’s Assistant duties
included helping find particular racers the Steward wanted to talk
to, and making sure changes he wanted made were communicated
to the right person to make them happen. This is where going to
the pre-race meetings paid off!
All in all, it was a fun weekend. The racing was fast, the food
was very good, it only rained at night, and the camaraderie was
what really made it a memorable event.
Jan Mayo calling car numbers to Alan Bambina for ‘Scoring’.
Getting ready for the Charity Lap.
Thank You, Autobahn:
Premiere Sponsor of the
2001 Maverick Region Club Race!
Exclusive Porsche Dealer in Tarrant County
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