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basically driving equal cars. The next lap, I hung back in the carousel and made sure to get a good line through the esses leading to the back straight before the last turn. This allowed me to gain some entry speed into the corner, which I kept all the way through onto the front straight. I slipstreamed the yellow car and then pulled out as we approached the braking zone. I ducked to the inside and made the pass, making sure not to slide wide. I didn't want to wreck Larry—not a good way to make friends.

Jol chases down Larry Kessler
Photo: Matt Benedict

There's nothing like making a pass to inspire confidence, and get the heart rate up. My next lap felt even better, but the crew had the "Pit In" sign out so it was time to refuel.

As I came down the pit lane, I could see that Larry had come in as well, so I wanted to get out on time and not lose the position in the pits. The stop went well, and I felt quite good, a testament to the physical training that I'd been doing with Tim. I jumped back in, and at the five minute mark headed out on the track still ahead of the yellow Chevron.

Unfortunately, I arrived at turn one with too much junk on my tires and too much speed for my own good. In what can only be termed a total rookie move, I spun the car into the berm on the inside cranking the car around and up the embankment it went— backwards. I climbed out and made my way to the fence while people ran up and snapped photos. How many times I'd seen this scenario from the other side! Surprisingly, I was met by some guys I knew; Paul, and Mike from PAR Porsche who happened to be there in a golf cart. They offered me a cool drink, and we watched the final laps together.

Once the track was clear, the track workers pulled my car clear and I drove it back to the paddock to assess the damage.

Chuck checks for damage

Lee and the guys seemed confident that things could be put in order easily, so I put my kit away and drove off to the driver's dinner feeling somewhat deflated.

Dinner With
Legends and Lobsters

One of the highlights of Brian Redman's Jefferson 500, is the Saturday night dinner. Participants socialize and look forward to some "Brian Stories" before heading back to their lodgings.

This evening's special dinner guests were Vic Elford and Johnathan Williams, each of whom told a story from their career. Elford told of driving at LeMans in 1970 in the famous Porsche "Longtail" 917. This story, which I'm certain Vic has told many times, was nonetheless wonderful to hear first-hand. The casual way he referred to going 240 mph at night, in the rain still stands up against anything in motorsports.

Later, Williams who was a works Ferrari driver, spoke about his only test in the 917. He had us laughing out loud with his humorous observation of the car's wicked side which made him happy to be employed by Enzo instead.

After dinner, I went out to my car and grabbed my copy of Michael Keyser's The Speed Merchants book hoping to get some autographs, but no luck. The famous guests had already sped off into the night, presumably at a slower pace than at LeMans in 1970.

Sunday's Race

As I arrived in our paddock space, the Chapman guys were already going over my car. Things looked quite positive and the damage appeared to be just superficial. Just then, Paul Flowers announced that he was going home. Apparently he felt that there wasn't enough competition at the head of the field as several of his competetors had either broken down or gone home overnight. Lee Threw his arms up in the air and set about making my car right. This left just me and Bernard Bradpiece in his Formula Ford to fly the Chapman flag.

I put the Chevron on the grid at the back of the field and started off, determined to finish without incident. The car felt good, and there wasn't any vibration as we had rebalanced the wheels in the morning.

After the start I motored around stuck behind an IMSA Monza for a good number of laps. It was very quick in a straight line and quite "wide" in the turns, but I got around and got back up to speed. I was passing a number of slower class cars, but not making much of a dent in my times. Larry Kessler came past me and I followed for a while, but I wasn't capable of keeping with him this time.

After the pit stop, I was sure to go easy on the first lap until all the "pick-up" was cleared off the tires and I could ratchet up to speed. The car was flawless as I continued lapping about one second off my qualifying time until the end of the race. I was extremely happy to come home intact. As it turned out, my neighbor Bob Kullas had finished first in his B16, and Larry Kessler ended up third. Our congratulations go out to both of them.

Many thanks to the Summit Point and Redman Organizations for putting on such a great event, and to all the racers who make the Jefferson 500 a warm and friendly weekend. Brian and James... see you next year.

To Lee and the guys, thanks for all the effort. you're the best!

Back home safely, to race again!

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