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| Paddock Patter At DIS- Thursday |
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Scott Spencer
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© Andrew S. Hartwell
The day started off with most folks feeling as wet and raw as the contents of a sushi bar here at the Daytona International Speedway. Media and team personnel were setting up shop for the start of the Rolex 24 Hours race weekend, wearing more clothing than one would think required for 'sunny Florida'. But by noon time that famous yellow orb was once again dominating the skies and its rays were soon penetrating the gills and scales of 'fish' like us and we were soon swimming up to the fences to watch the Daytona Prototypes and GT cars lay down rubber.
After shooting a few pictures, and warming up considerably, we wandered the paddock looking for familiar faces from seasons past. This is, after all, the event that opens the new season and it us the first chance many have to catch up with old friends and rivals. And one friendly and familiar face we came upon belonged to Scott Spencer, a young-yet seasoned veteran of vintage racing. This weekend he and his father, Dennis Spencer, along with Rich Grupp, Gary Drummond and Charles Espenlaub will be driving the #63 Team Spencer Mazda RX-8. The car was built by long time Mazda racer and car builder Roger Mandeville and made its world debut at this race one year ago. Mechanical woes put the car out far too soon and the team has worked to build in some endurance so as to see the checkered flag on Sunday.
As we approached Scott, we found his team was a beehive of activity, including one crew member who kept checking Scott's position in the seat. We asked what that particular activity was all about.
"I am getting a new seat poured to match my back end so I fit in more snugly and not slide around. To make it we use two parts of foam and it sets in about 5 minutes. Then we just hammer out the knots and the bumps and put some tape around it and we are good to go. We have everything we need to do this with us here at the track. We call this creature comfort. The more comfortable you are in the car the less you are thinking about the little aches and pains and that lets you focus on your driving and drive faster because you are not thinking about how uncomfortable you are."
Scott has raced quite often in vintage events, driving purpose built race cars. We asked how they differed from the Mazda RX-8 GT cars, from the perspective of driver comfort.
"The vintage cars we drive are a little bit more comfortable because they are a little bit lower, and you sit in a more reclined position. The cars have a different feel altogether. You are in more of a cocoon, so to speak, because you are trying to battle the lateral G's versus this GT car having a more rolling sensation. But you definitely want to keep yourself in the seat in both cases!"
Seat time is what Team Spencer is looking for at this year's 24. And Scott wants to get that time in under green flag conditions. Last year, Scott was in the car for three hours, but most of the time the field was running under yellow flag conditions. He wants his experience here to be a full race workout this time around the Rolex clock.
"I feel better about our chances to finish the race this year because I have a year here (running in the Rolex 24) under my belt and I know the track. I've gotten more familiar with the car through testing in the off season. I have just gotten more comfortable with it. It is a little bit easier now because, after driving it several times, you come to know what to expect.
"I've run here many times in vintage races. We have GTP Group C cars one of which can do about 150 and the other can hit about 201. When you are traveling at those speeds you can't be getting cramps or side aches or something like that, because there is no way you can reach around and massage it or stretch out. And you don't want to be the guy who radios in 'I'm coming in. I've got cramps!"
We couldn't help but notice the embroidery on his driving suit. Just below his name it reads, 'Baby Drive
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