Baucom Road America recap, Denver preivew

Baucom scores another top 10 at Road America, focuses on Denver

With 3 new partners involved and guests in the stands, John Baucom piloted his #86 MAP Quality Engineering/Bullydog Technologies Jaguar XK-R to another solid top 10 performance. John's strategy paid dividends as he climbed from 10th on the grid to finish 7th. "I knew that tires could be an issue today, and that we had to be prepared for a quick turnaround for the Denver event this coming weekend" says John. "Our strategy was to run consistent laps as fast as we could without burning up the softer compound tires we elected to run". Alan Culpepper, crew chief, explains "We had probably the best car we' ve had in a few races. We had no mechanical issues the entire weekend and it allowed us to really focus on setting the car up properly". " We were 6th fastest after afternoon practice on Saturday, so we went into the Sunday race with some confidence".

The Baucom Motorsports crew had a busy weekend none-the-less as they were played host to guests from MAP Quality Engineering. "We really wanted to plan a special weekend for the MAP guests, something more 'behind the scenes ' than your normal corporate function" says Scott Matre. "Working together with Chris Lemp form MAP, we put together an outstanding program that included a thorough pit tour, lunch with the crew, and an explanation of our telemetry studies with John Snook and Chris Lemp." "I'd also like to formally thank Johnny Miller, Cutler-Hammer, and the Rocketsports crew for being gracious hosts during our paddock walk-through"

While John left Elkhart Lake late Sunday afternoon to fly home and care for the family business, the rest of the crew prepared for a Monday work-athon before departing for destinations west. "The whole setup of the car has to be changed between a track like Road America and a street circuit like Denver. Gearing, spring rates, wing angle, shocks--. These are all items we will be addressing in addition to the general maintenance that needs to be done between events" says Culpepper. "We have been working with MAP on applying statistical methods to help us better understand the interrelated cause/effect properties of some of these adjustments"

With round #8 of the Trans-Am series for the BFGoodrich tires cup behind the team today, all eyes are presently focused on the Rocky Mountains and the upcoming Shell Grand Prix of Denver. "If we can come off the trailer as strong and trouble-free as we did in Elkhart Lake, I know that we have a really good change of bringing home our first top 5" says Baucom. "I've become a lot more acclimated and comfortable on the temporary circuits in the last year, and the team is ready for the challenge in Denver."

MAP Quality Engineering is a specialized consulting, integration, and training firm focused on process improvement. MAP serves their clients with a unique blend of expertise in: Process Improvement (Six Sigma, data analysis, process modeling, and quality management systems), Systems Design, Development, and Integration (SPC/SQC, database, HMI/SCADA, and performance measurement systems), and Training (Six Sigma Black Belt, SPC, problem solving, and related software). For more information, please visit MAP on the web at www.spcdata.com or call 1-877-SPC-By-MAP

Northwest Analytical, Inc. (NWA) is a software development company dedicated to providing essential analytical tools for understanding processes and improving quality. NWA software is known for its power, flexibility, and ease-of-use in the areas of statistical process control (SPC) and laboratory information management. To enhance delivery of integrated solutions, NWA has established formal Business Partnerships with major developers of enterprise, manufacturing, and laboratory automation software. The NWA family of software is used by more than 4,500 corporate sites worldwide. They can be reached via the internet at www.nwasoft.com, or at 888-NWA-SOFT.

Software Toolbox is the place where the automation industry turns for software tools and components from project conception to completion. Their full service approach to helping our clients find the right tool for the job and support them with product and application support to see them through their project completion has served thousands of clients from around the world. Software Toolbox can be reached via the web at www.softwaretoolbox.com

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