Shifting issue

[seningen]

Was flogging my 2000 Boxster S around COTA this weekend.
A slightly prepared drive to the track car.
A proverbial blunt pocket knife in a sharpshooters contest.

I was wheeling hard and still loosing 30+ seconds a lap.


On to my question/issue:

At the start of one of the sessions yesterday -- I went to grab 4th gear
and the shifter would not budge to the even gears -- in fact i had
either 3rd or neutral. It acted like it had a hard stop at the 1/2 way mark.

I figured i had run out of good luck with the car == packed up and limped to
my buddies garage.

Jacked it up -- checked the shift linkage and it seemed intact.
Popped them off -- both the tranny and shifter seemed to operate
properly once independent. Then popped the cables back on
and everything seemed to work fine -- drove back to the track
finished the day -- drove home -- out to dinner -- back to the
track and did 2 more sessions.

On my way home today I couldn't get into 4th gear again -- this time
the shifter didn't seem to have any restrictions. I pulled over, jacked
it up and it seems I could maneuver the selectors, but I didn't have
anything to pop them back off. I even managed to get it in reverse at one
point and I it seems I was either had only 1st or i think I could
get only 3rd gears but no neutral this time.

Again I limped to the shop, but I just left it there and took one of my
other cars that happened to be there and drove home.


Bottom line -- anyone else every come across this?

The fulcrum bolts seem to be fine. Popping them on and off bought me
4 more sessions and a drive to/from the track.

Would like to have an idea of what I might be up against before I toss
parts at an obvious intermittent issue.

thanks,

Mike