COBB Tuning and Brian Lock Take Overall Modified Class Win and Modified Track Record at Autobahn Country Club

6/14/2010

It was another exciting weekend for Brian Lock and the COBB Motorsports crew. After taking the track record at Auto Club Speedway just two short weeks ago the team had high hopes for Round five of Redline Time Attack held at the lush Autobahn Country Club in Joliet, Il. The first session on a new track, Brian took the time to shake down the car after re-installing the stock front differential and installing the new Aeromotions wing. The track presented many challenges for the heavy GT-R. With it's tight chicanes and short straight aways, Brian quickly realized it was going to take more then horsepower to tame this track. Brian, with his car chief Dustin Harris of Surgeline and Eric Bizek from JDM Legends, worked throughout the morning to adapt the chassis to this track. By the afternoon session Brian was breaking into the 1:29's with still more to squeeze out of the car. Announcements over the PA talking of Ryan Gates running a 1:26 in practice on Friday kept the crew on their toes and motivated them to bring the car to it's full potential. But Mother Nature had a different plan, torrential downpours rained down onto the track flooding the entire paddock while lighting struck near by. All activity was brought to a stop as people sought shelter. On Friday lightening had stuck less then 150 yards away from the track severing a railroad track. But as quickly as it came the skies dried up and the sun came out. With quick work from the track crew and a large blower the cars hit the track once again. Brian and crew continued to maximize the track time a made a few final tweaks for the day to come.

Sunday began with only overcast skies but the crew decided to take no chances. After only a few laps in the qualifying session they prepared to take on Ryan Gates in his Evo 10 in the Record assault session. Checking the radar every ten minutes it looked as if the fates were going to be kind and keep the skies dry for the up coming timed session. Watching Brian cross start/finish for the first time the the COBB crew waited on pit wall to find out if the GT-R, weighting 900 pounds heavier, could keep Ryan Gates at bay on his home track. As the first times are called out Ryan is faster by a few tenths. The crowds lined the fences to watch the Modified Class cars make their best attempt at taking on the track record. On the third lap Brian blazed around to set as fast lap of 1:28.1. Brian and the crew knew that it was not time for celebrating yet, there were still one more timed session after lunch. Sitting in the hot pits waiting to be let out for the afternoon time attack session Brian spotted a few drops of rain on his windshield. Within minutes rain poured down and the crowds ran for shelter. The officials quickly made a decision to stop the session and all the cars went back to their pits to await the rain to stop. Unlike the day before the rain continued for over an hour leaving multiple areas of standing water on the track. The Enthusiast class went out shortly before four, but only to practiced their drifting skills. Cars were going sideways through most corners seen from observation deck and the fastest lap was 2:06.0. Brian and the crew finally celebrated the win for the Overall in Modified class and for capturing the track record.

Brian was gridded in the fourth position in the Super Session, the first car behind the SuperModified cars. The race started out exciting when one of the cars spun out on the out lap and the first corner proved to be perilous when an Evo hit a Miada sending it spinning in front of Brian. Avoiding all body contact Brian proceeded with the race with caution, pushing the car when safe to see the handling in the rain. The wheel spin lead the computer to send the car into a rear wheel drive only mode, allowing Tony Wiesenhan driving the Turn-In Concepts STi to pass him on the straight away. The session was black flagged shortly after when a the SuperMod Mini Van (yes you read that right), slide up a wall and marooned himself. Brian brought in the car with the feeling of satisfaction after surviving the Super Session and taking home yet another Track record in the COBB Tuning GT-R.

Check out the weekend's pictures