2002 SEASON ::: Le Mans Gallery MORE RACING NEWS Johnny O's Washington DC Race Report: OK…the losing streak is over !!! Washington was a great event all around. The circuit was perfect for ALMS style racing as it was very wide with good over taking areas. The crowd was unbelievable, and I know that everyone there not only saw a great race but had a great time. I would have to say it was one of the best street circuits I have raced on, and I know the other Corvette drivers would say the same. Our car was pretty good from the outset, but we knew that the grid would be tight. The Saleen particularly likes the slower corners, and the Olive Garden Ferrari was also running very fast. Qualifying was pretty wild in that Ron waited until his last lap to cut one loose, and once again he got the pole. Andy followed him in second with the Saleen third…and the Ferrari close behind. The race started out with Terry Borcheller in the Saleen getting a jump on Andy at the start, but bad luck for him as he passed Andy before the start/finish line. As such, we knew he would get a penalty and I don’t think Ron challenged him much when he made a bid for the lead. He knew Terry would get a stop and go. Once he was gone, the Corvettes once again ran one/two, both cars running good laps. We got a really huge break when Ron got hit by a viper, and cut a tire. Luckily for us at the same time a full course caution came out so that we could pit and do a driver change at the same time. So no time was lost with the tire. Both cars pitted at the same time, and as I got onto the circuit and caught the pace car, I was amazed to see Kelly in front of me as I did not think that they had beaten us out of the pits. As it turned out, they took too long on their stop due to a break problem and got caught out by the pace car. So once again things worked out well for us. When the race restarted, I just kept Kelly in sight, not pushing hard but looking after the brakes and tires. Brakes were a big concern for us as the heat at the circuit was so bad. There was some problems with them, but nothing we couldn’t overcome. I did my stint with no problems, and came in and gave the car to Ron. He did the same as I, keeping out of trouble and looking after the car, and once again we found ourselves winning. It was a great feeling as both of us had felt bad about how things had gone at Elkhart…and were hungry to win again. As long as we both keep driving hard, and the team keeps doing their usual great job, I know that we will continue to have good luck. Finally, one more thing to add. While I was up in Washington at the race, my family was down in Orlando competing in the World Tang Soo Do Championships. Both Robin and my son Canaan competed. I was so bummed out that I didn’t get to be there. Anyway, Canaan did very well and I saw his performance on video later. Unfortunately, the judges didn’t see things the way I did, and he didn’t medal this time. He had a few months earlier won his division in the southeast regionals, and I know that his hopes were high. But lessons are learned from losing and I know that at the next tournament he will do great. Robin…well I am so proud to say that she won the world championship in her division in both sparring and forms. She had trained really hard for them and I am without a doubt proud of her beyond what words can say. But just so that you know…no…she cannot beat me up…yet ! Anway, 3 Rivers is up next, and rest assured we will be pushing hard. Johnny O MORE RACE NEWS & REPORTS...   Site contents © 2002 Johnny O'Connell GM, GM Emblem, Corvette and the Corvette Emblem are registered trademarks of General Motors Corporation and used with permission.