LIQUID LUNCH

After the heads-up cars completed their first round of qualifying, the bracket cars swarmed the staging lanes and started round two of qualifying. Some unique rides like an R32 Skyline GT-R and the PFISPEED pivot-frame Civic kept the mix of bracket cars interesting. At 12:30pm, racing was stopped as a drizzle turned to drops. As the IDRC and Bandimere Speedway entered the war room to look at the latest radar images, it appeared the storm was going to be a one-and-done affair. It appeared that 30-45 minutes of rain would be followed by a break with no new storms on the horizon.

HERE COMES THE SUN

The prediction was spot on and 35 minutes later the rain stopped. The Bandimere track staff had blowers, sweepers and an even a jet dryer fast at work to dry the track as the sun made a much welcomed appearance. By 1:50pm, the second round of qualifying for the bracket cars was back underway. It looked like Mother Nature was going to cooperate.

BLINDSIDED

As focus shifted away from the weather and back to racing, a new storm was forming and getting ready to unload on Bandimere Speedway. By 3:15pm a light sprinkle at the top end of the track stopped the action. A review of the radar, showed a new system that was slightly larger than the first but moving a bit faster. With the heads-up cars loaded in the lanes for the second round of qualifying, everyone was anxious to see the top cars run again. But could it be done? With this storm appearing to want to hang around anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours, a decision had to be made. No one wanted the event called if the rain was going to let up, but no one wanted to wait much longer if the weather wasn’t going to allow more racing. The call was to wait until 4pm. If there was no rain at that time, the track would be dried and racing would resume. If there were still rain, the event would be called. By 4pm, the rain had not stopped so the event was called. The decision proved to be the right one as storms continued to pound the track late into the night.

FINISH LINE

If actions speak louder than words, Colorado’s import performance enthusiasts have much love for DSPORT and the IDRC. While everyone would have loved to see cooperative weather to allow the event to be completed, the rain revealed the incredible die-hard level of dedication shared by Colorado’s racers and fans. While we were continually being thanked for our support by the racers and fans at every opportunity, we reciprocated the appreciation and knew that we were the ones lucky to have the love. Thank you.