Day 3 - NOLA Motorsports Park

Well it's been 3 days since One Lap started and Amanda has completed the blog entirely on her own. I figure I should chip in and do some as well - besides she's driving and I'm not.

Today started with breakfast at the Holiday Inn just across the bridge (south east) from downtown New Orleans. A reasonable selection - we kept it healthy with some cereal, eggs, and yogurt. Bananas and apples were acquired for the road.

NOLA was a fantastic track. It was nearly brand new and quite fast - certainly favoring high horsepower cars due to its open layout.

After a longer than expected track walk (2.75 miles), I pulled two of my wheels off to inspect my brake pad thickness before setting off on the first run. I determined I should be good for at least today and likely the rest of the week - but I'll keep checking.

The first run went well overall - as best that can be expected without more knowledge of the track.
I ended up passing a Corvette - which was exciting - slowed me up a bit overall but definitely a confidence booster.

 

Then there was lunch. It was quite good offering chili dogs and pulled pork sandwiches. Also on the menu was alligator and sausage gumbo.  After all, we were in the Big Easy.  Amanda almost ordered it, but the thought of something that warm on an 80 degree sounded a bit revolting at the time.  We were even able to catch a little shuteye before the afternoon session.

The afternoon run was better than the first and I felt more confident overall. I even got a little loose on one of the turns! No worries though... I ended up beating both my in-class competitors. I couldn't believe it!

On to Daytona! Today's trek is about 650 miles and we plan to arrive between 2-3 am.  (Hence why this blog was posted a bit late... sorry)

Once we packed up and got on the road, we were greeted by significant traffic forecasts. While there might have been a better route, we spent a solid hour and a half trying to get out of the city. The car performed flawlessly and was likely less annoyed than those sitting behind the dashboard. (Keep in mind, no AC) :). Unfortunately the traffic wasn't the only mishap...Amanda had a rough first hour of driving between spilling red Gatorade in her lap and nailing a pebble from a nearby truck adding a star to KC's windshield. But, she's a trooper and shook it off by driving the first 5 hours.

So, last night we had trouble picking between soft and firm pillows (labeled on the bed)... Tonight we'll be glad if we see a bed for more than a few hours. Hence, I'm signing off to nap between transit driver changes so we get there ASAP!

Gnight all,

Dave