Lessons learned from racing in the rain

[itsnotanova]

I spent the last three days watching a World Racing League event held at COTA. WRL has a lot of people defecting from spec and has a growing boxster presence. There were 9 Boxsters at this event and that was the most I've ever seen at one WRL event. The first day was test&tune, but the next two days were 8 hour races in the rain. The rain was slightly heavy but was very constant and didn't really lighten up until about the last two hours on Sunday. It seemed like this was a big learning event for lots of teams as the rain was affecting most if not all the boxsters. The first and most common problem was windshields were fogging up. To save weight, everyone takes the HVAC systems out of these purpose built race cars.

Crews were trying everything to keep the windows clear enough to see through. Some guys carried towels with them and would wipe down the windshield on the straightaways. Then people started using shaving cream or dishwasher soap. One team would swear by soap and the other would swear by cream, but they both had to work on how much to apply. By Sunday some had added tubing and fans to help defog the windshield and no one seem to have any fogging issues on Sunday.

Another problem that started to affect the boxster within about two hours of racing was the MAF getting wet. A handful of guys were having running issues and it dint seem to matter what air filter you had. Stock, K&N, 987, they all had issues. I think constant 6-7000rpm racing in the rain sucked in lots of moisture. Some guys unplugged the MAF while others changed filters. This guy added a shield in front of the intake.

In defense of the boxster. The rain was affecting lots of vehicles MAF sensors. Not just Porsches
One crew also had their immobilizer get wet because it was still under the driver's seat. They got lucky and were able to dry it off and put it back in.

[itsnotanova]

[Racer Boy]

Interesting mix of cars!

Living in the Pacific Northwest, everyone has learned to always leave the stock heater/defrost equipment in the car when building a race car. It usually only weighs a few pounds, but is priceless to have when you need it. It's also useful when it gets really hot in the summer, the heater is an extra radiator to keep the engine temps cooler, although that is tough on the driver!

[BIGJake111]

Thanks for sharing the pics! It's interesting to know how heavy rain affects these cars. We've been in a terrible drought and I got to drive my car in the rain for the first time since the summer yesterday. I'm proud of how the pilot super sports performed.

[BFeller]

I'll swear by shaving cream on mirror when shaving. Wipe it on then wipe it off. Never tried it in a car.

[thstone]

Now that looks like fun!

Great post, good info, and nice pic's - a trifecta!

[itsnotanova]

Thanks guys. It was very fun to be part of it. Most of the guys were super excited to race in the rain but I think they had enough after the first 8 hours. More than half had suffered body damage and the silver car in that pic was totaled on the second day. Everyone there still enjoyed themselves and no one got hurt. Even with all the damage inflicted on their cars, everyone sounded like they are coming back next year with bigger motors and faster cars