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| California's Best #44 RX-7 Race Report |
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 A little over six month's ago I saw the email that said, "IT'S OFFICIAL....The National Auto Sport Association (NASA), announces the creation of the longest endurance road race in the United States." A shiver went up the back of my spine and in the same heartbeat I made up my mind I was going to be part of this even if it was just helping. This was history in the making and I wanted in on it. California's Best had not competed in the last two years when we had become the first team to ever win two 12 hour events at Thunderhill back to back. The word, "Three-peat" seemed to haunt me day and night. I had promised my son Will, that if he did well in school and went to college after I finished watching him set numerous records in both track and football that we would run the next 12 hour at Thunderhill together.
The trailer with the winning car had not even been opened in two years and I was very concerned about the condition of the engine and God knows what else. Besides being the oldest car in the 25 Hours of Thunderhill the car was still dirty, dented, unloved and quite frankly I have seen better looking racing machines at Jenny Craig classes. The work became methodical and organized which is what I love to do. I brought the car into my shop and began looking it over. In doing so I found many things that had fallen loose from the last 12 hour and kept telling myself, "This race is going to be TWICE as hard on the car." All the preparation took 5 months and lots of what I call, "What if" planning. Finally one day I got into the seat for the first time since the last 12 hour win and it all came together. I got a woody sitting there and that's when things began to rock and roll. I checked things and then rechecked them again. Then I would lay in bed at night and start thinking about it again so the next day it would come apart again and it's a good thing I did because a couple of times I found things that were not 125 percent. There finally came that moment when I said, "That car is perfect.." How can you say that about a 1979 RX7 you ask? Because it was true. Several times during that few months my whole team would get together and see how the car felt and talk about improvements and strategies.
We left on the Thursday morning early to get to the track where we found everything perfectly organized. If it would have been any more organized Kunzman could have driven the damn car for me. I walked in JUST LIKE HE PROMISED, picked up my credential packet, walked out and began setting up my pit. Every thing had been planned and prepared down to the last "what if." The car came out of the trailer, and we went on course to see how she'd do. In past years we had always been on pole due to Kirberg's famous "one lap" winning qualifying time. The first year of the 12 hour of Thunderhill our car was the very first car on pole position and makes for an awesome photo as the pace car left the track and the green flag dropped with Butterfield leading the entire field. This year when Kirberg went out for the short half hour qualifying session there was lots of traffic so he took one lap and knowing there was plenty of time we opted to get off the track while taking 4th with only hundredths of a second difference between us and 1st.
The car went back into the trailer and we all went to dinner and rest. Did I say rest? What in the hell is that? I still haven't had a good night's sleep from the adrenaline rush from this event. I don't know if I should kiss Jerry or kick his ass for getting me like this.
Saturday morning I woke up at 5:15 AM and could not sleep so we headed for the track to get things ready. All went perfectly and we had everything we needed for the perfect Thunderhill pit. By now it was time to get the car on grid and prepare for something I had no idea would happen. This is where the hair on the back of my neck began to stand on end and things got electrifying. I can tell you first hand what it feels like to stand on the center podium and bend over to have a gold medal placed around your neck while Old Glory is raised as they play the National Anthem. It has that very same affect as it did when I stood next to my son, holding my cap over my heart as the two fighters flew over and the Air Force Color Guard held the flag at Thunderhill on December 6th & 7th. I was excited for all of us but my crew chief leaned over and said, "This has got just to be Jerry's moment." I was choked up and unable to hold back the tears. I am glad to read other post and find I am not the only sentimental guy that ran. As we were waiting for the formalities to end my crew chief, Lance O'Pry again leaned over and said, "Check it out ... everyone but us is on slicks." Then it happened, I felt a spatter on my bald spot. Then another. As soon as the cheers began California's Best began our rain dance and low and behold the skies began to open up and the writing was on the wall. They were about to drop the flag and all was ready.
 Now being prepared for rain is one thing but what's to keep a car from getting collected when everyone else is on slicks? The first driver in was Marc Kirberg and so I figured he'd take it easy knowing all I had figured out.. So over the radio I asked, "So Marc, you'll probably take it slow at first....... right?" All I got was "Yeah, riiiiight.... and then the laughter began." The green flag started waving as Lance yelled, "GREEN, GO, GO, GO." It looked like that little red #44 RX7 had a bottle of nitrous in it and everyone else had boat anchors. Things could not have been going better as California's Best just kept on moving to the front of the pack. At the end of 12 hours California's Best had moved to as high as 3rd overall but had to settle for 4th overall and first in class (E2) just behind the #26 Gleen Yee Porsche which made the California's Best #44 car the first to three-peat the 12 hours of Thunderhill. (LOL... sorry it's hard to control myself)..
With the 12 hour out of the way we now set out for our original goal of wining the 25 hour. For most of the night we maintained an average lead of 6th overall and stayed consistently 9 laps ahead of our nearest competitor in our class. Then we learned why they call it Thunderhill. Lightning struck. Jon Emerson radioed in, "I have lost all brakes. I have absolutely no brakes." Jon continued driving without brakes until we were prepared in the pits and then he was directed to come in where all was ready. This was just one more "what if" that we were prepared for but what I wasn't prepared for was the fact that I had not once closed my eyes and I was unable to move as fast as I needed to, to repair a blown brake caliper. That's when the Mazda Gods smiled on us and I heard a voice. Bill Coulter told me to get the hell (that's not exactly what Bill said but close) out of the road. The caliper was now done and bled and back onto the track. By now we were down by six laps and there were several cars in close proximity both in front and behind us.. As we did the math and with only 5 hours left things looked grim. Mike Courtney looked at me across the pits where he knew what I was thinking wasn't pretty. He said, "Gary... Wer're gonna win this thing." I will never forget the way he said it and it is very emotional for me to talk about it.
Kurt Wiseman did his thing and was amazing as was every one of the drivers on the team as they drove flawlessly day and night. It was now getting down to the wire and we only had two hours left in the race. We were tired, the tires were wearing thin, parts were everywhere, and the real racing for all the glory had begun. It is now that we had to play catch up and make up three laps in order to get into 1st place. The question I had was, "Do we play it safe and just finish the race or do we take a car that's had the shit stomped out of it for the last 23 hours and go for the win? It didn't take long to answer that question as Kirberg got in the car and lite up the track. I have never seen an RX7 come out of turn 3 and see the right front tires come off the ground but Kirberg did it several times. The tires were sticking so good it's was as if there was a spill of super glue on the track. Then it was Mike Courtney's turn at the wheel. I loved what Mike told me later, "I was either going to be a hero or a zero." Mike managed to get into first place with less than half an hour left and as soon as he went out a Porsche hit him so hard it ripped both bumpers off both cars. We ran to the wall to see the front tires and determine what damage as done. Mike said on the radio, "The car feels wrong. It's hard to drive. I think the watts link is broken." Kirberg gave him sound and reassuring advice that any well groomed racer would give...., "Drive that F'n car or I'm gonna kick your ass." Then the Thunderhill lightning showed it's ugly face again. My crew had been keeping an eye on the pits of the 2nd place car that was really hounding us and then the bad news came." Kirberg radioed Courtney... "Doctor D is getting in the #42 car." No Hurry Racing's car #42 had been our shadow since the 12 hour and now one of the finest drivers I have ever known was getting buckled in and on the track. After Dave was on the track and Courtney kept pouring it on someone behind the pit wall asked, "Aren't you worrying that that guy in the #42 car might block you or worse try to bump you off the track?" If looks could have killed there would have been the first casualty of the 25 hour. My entire pit said, "No way. You can bet your ass Dave won't give us anything. But he is a gentleman and one of the cleanest drivers you'll ever meet." We only had a minute forty-second lead and the once again more bad news on the radio... "We don't have enough gas to make it." That is when we all pulled together as a team to the max and began rehearsing what needed to be a flawless splash and go. We even had a hammer ready for the "what if" the rear hatch would not allow us to get fuel into the car. We waited what we thought would be the longest possible time we could before pitting and I can't begin to tell you the excitement of a single pit stop. THIS WAS FOR ALL THE MARBLES! Mike screeched to a stop, the fuel went in, Mike took off and the crowd that had gathered around knew what was going on and they burst into applause and cheers. Then the call from our trailer... "We did it. We have a minute ten-second lead!" Talk about hair raising excitement! But Dave Brown didn't back off and it was far from over. I swear the clock went into SLOW mode and the last 10 minutes seemed longer that the first 24 hours and 50 minutes as Brown pulled to within 50 seconds of the California's Best #44. I overheard someone behind the pits say, "Sacrifice someone for the team and throw them in front of Dave Brown."
 That last lap was the longest 2:08 seconds in our lives. Everyone went to the wall and it was so crowed I had to fight for a place to get in. The thumbs up and the cheers will be with me always and here came Courtney into the straight to the checkered flag. I flashed back to 6 hours ago when he said, "Gary, we're gonna win this thing." I didn't want anyone to see the tears in my eyes. Not only had we finished 6th overall and first in class but we finished the race in a battle against some of the very best drivers and car on the track. Dave Brown and his guys held their head up high and deservingly so and when Dave said congratulations it meant more to me than any person on the face of the earth at the time. What a class act.
The bad news about these races is everyone is exhausted and needs to get things loaded and get home. I would love to be able to thank personally everyone that was involved in any way with the 25 Hours Of Thunderhill. Thanks to Jerry, NASA, all the workers, and Timing and Scoring and the list goes on. Thanks to all the California's Best team and you know why you're called California's Best. Thanks to all the behind the scenes people that helped us in making this the race of a lifetime. And thanks again to the #42 team for making this victory such a rewarding one. You are also California's Best in my book.
And to my family and especially my son, I am so proud of you. Every time I ask myself can it get any better than this you really amaze me.
Gary Faules
California's Best #44
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