Physics 101

In March I went down to Portland for what would become one of my all-time favorite track weekends. At the end of the first day, I was spent. I’d driven faster and more confidently than I ever had before. This was largely due to my coach for the day who pushed me at every step of the way to go deeper into corners, get on the gas sooner, and in one corner intentionally put the car into a four wheel slide.

After the track sessions were complete, I had taken my time chatting up some of the other drivers and coaches. Little did I know they were closing up the infield to prepare for the drag races that night. As I was loading the car onto the trailer, one of the track officials came by and gave me a stern talking to.  He told me I needed to pack it up pronto so I kicked things into high gear to avoid getting detained.

I started ratcheting the car down and on the third wheel… CLANK!!! pssssshhhhhhh… the tire deflated in seconds, beaten only by my simultaneously deflating ego. What the? It turns out I had fed the tie down strap through the slot in the wheel where the valve stem was. Crap. It’s 5pm on a Saturday and I need a high performance wheel shop to get my car ready for Sunday’s event.  The odds were stacked against me. Double Crap.

Looong story short, I was able to buy 4 different valve stems at a local parts store, find a tire shop that was already open beyond closing to stay open for another hour to help me, and in the end, get the tire to hold air. However it took much of what I had learned in my High School Physics 101 class to find a creative way to safely jack up my car to (un)safely remove the deflated tire. Since it was on the trailer, I couldn’t fit the jack under the car and I also couldn’t take the car off the trailer. So I setup a complex series of levers to get the wheel off, fixed, and back on.

The best part about it was the looks I got from passerby’s. The second best part was that it all worked out and I ended the night with four fully inflated wheels ready to rock.  The third best part was all the people that helped me make the night go right.  I could have easily been SOL for the rest of the weekend.  But thanks to a half dozen random acts of kindness, I was able to spend day two on the track.  Thank you Racing Gods... again.