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Despite being one of slowest road racing classes in the SCCA, B-Spec builds its appeal on close racing and affordable prep.
But “slowness” is relative, and they say rain can be a great equalizer, and we see evidence of that when Zach Introne puts on a wet driving clinic is his B-Spec Mini at a recent SCCA event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
B-Spec employs a spec Goodyear Eagle RS-R, and their rain tire is a similar Goodyear with grooves cut for water shedding. B-Spec drivers have spoken highly of these R-comp Goodyears, with racers getting four or more competitive weekends out of a set while the rains are said to be grippy and drivable.
We certainly believe the latter after watching the video Introne posted on his social media, where he passes HIS ENTIRE STARTING GROUP by the third turn like they’re tethered to a pier. Introne then goes on to nonchalantly dominate most of the race, before being passed by his teammate in another B-Spec Mini in the closing laps.
There’s a lot to like here, and a lot to learn. First, Introne does a great job of finding the rain line at New Hampshire. The “rain line” is not always a single concept, but can vary highly from track to track depending on the pavement’s age, composition, races hosted and tendency to puddle.
The only real rule in finding the rain line is to “drive where there’s grip.” Sometimes that means staying on the traditional racing line, sometimes that means following the outside radius of a corner where the surface is less polished and possibly more banked, and sometimes that means just hunting around for grip like a motocross racer during the final moto at the end of a long weekend when the track is all tore up.
Introne, who probably gets some help from the fact that this is his home track, does a great job of always seeming to find grip, even when the wet stuff starts coming down Caddyshack-style in the closing laps.
The Goodyears don’t get all the credit, though. Watch the driver cam: You can see Introne’s hands and eyes always working. He’s doing a great job keeping his eyes ahead of the car, which is tricky in the rain because visibility is drastically reduced, but he’s doing a truly exceptional job with his hands.
Remember, every time you make an input with the steering wheel, you’re forcing the front tires to deal with some sort of friction. In a low-horsepower car, using the minimal steering input necessary is critical because any tire capacity being used for cornering is friction that is hampering acceleration. And in the wet, these factors are critically important because the tire’s overall grip envelope is reduced, meaning it can do way less of everything.
So, watching the calmness of Introne’s hands is a master class in making a slow car fast in the rain. Smooth, steady inputs that lock into a max turn amount then calmly unwind, corner after corner. It’s no wonder he shot to the front in what was likely the lowest-powered car on the grid.
We’d encourage you to watch the whole video as it’s weirdly calming, despite the high-stakes, low-friction situation, which is a testament to Introne’s chill hands.
Comments
I love racing in the rain. At least… in slower cars.
Speaking of rain… it’s now raining here, at this mall I’m at, and I’m getting wet. And I’m inside. So that stinks.
confuZion3 said:
I love racing in the rain. At least… in slower cars.
Speaking of rain… it’s now raining here, at this mall I’m at, and I’m getting wet. And I’m inside. So that stinks.
I don’t think that mall is working correctly.
Racing in the rain sucks, especially in an open car, although a fogging up coupe is little better (I’ve done both).
I once won one race in the rain – I was running just to validate my license as I hadn’t run at all that season, so what happens but I ended up winning the class because I was better at it than the other cars who were all running hard for points in the last race of the season – the four other cars in the running for the championship all ‘fell off’ the track and DNF’d. I figured that wasn’t fair so I went to the race steward and asked him to disqualify me so their point standings would be whatever they would have been if I hadn’t run in the class, as long as I still got race credit for my license. He did it but said it was the first time anyone had asked to be disqualified….
I do well in the rain but I can’t say it’s something ever look forward to.
It rains so infrequently here that very few of us have rain tires or set ups that are anything more than compromises.
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