Mid – Ohio had 7 sidecar teams’ show up plus 1 team in the making.
On Friday Tom Herlihy took delivery of a right handed rig with a BMW engine.
After working on it Friday and part of Saturday he was able to go out in the last round of practice to give the grid 8 rigs.
All three days were scorchers and then to add humidity and rain on Saturday, ugh!
During Saturday’s practices we would see all 8 rigs on track at some point.
Saturday’s race however was missing 2 rigs. Erik Green & wife decided not to run due to a spun bearing but would run on Sunday. Doug Donelan & Kat Collins thought the better of it after going out on the hot lap only to discover how slippery Mid-O is in the rain and spun. The rest of us…, let’s us just say we race sidecars.
This would be very interesting for all due to the slippery conditions. Tom Herlihy is the one who took delivery of the sidecar and had never driven until the last round of practice let alone in the rain and I was his passenger. We looped it 3 times before coming to a stop in the center of the track at the entrance to Thunder Valley. Refired the engine and finished the race in 5th.
The stats for the race are track 2.5 miles winners time 2:50.10 conditions rain.
Fairbank/Richmond
Messina/??
Phllips/??
Sexton/Mathews
Herlihy/Preston
Lavender/??
Green/Green DNS
Donelan/Collings DNS
Sundays practice was just 1 round.
I didn’t go out since immediately after practice racing would start.
Herlihy would take out Mathews and Sexton would take out Mathew’s boyfriend.
Herlihy and Mathews would do some agricultural racing and Sexton ran into Lavenders passenger in a turn. This caused some very hard feelings and left Mathews a little afraid to ride with Sexton. By the time the race came around Mathews and I would trade places. I had a long talk with Sexton prior to the race and he seemed to understand and behave.
The stats for the race are track 2.5 miles winners time 2:02.75 conditions dry.
Donelan/Collins
Green/Green
Messina/??
Sexton/Preston
Phillips/??
Richmond/Fairbank (gravel trap)
Herlihy/Mathews
Lavender/?? DNS
Since this was a National Championship event Messina & passenger hold the #1 plate until next year for the AMA.
