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"There are always those early indicators that foretell whether the path you&amp;#039;re headed down is headed for success or doom. Back in the days when sailing was the main mode of international transportation, an albatross appearing near your vessel was a sign that you should probably turn around and head for safer waters. In my last outing at the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill, bad omens abounded (i.e., a phantom oil leak during practice and a rear wheel mysteriously coming off during the early part of the race), yet our team still managed to overcome most of these challenges. However, well past the 24-hour mark, with only eight minutes to go to the checkered flag, a short circuit killed the engine and ended our hopes of finishing.   The albatross had won.   A few months ago, Tatsuru Ichishima, the president and founder of Spoon Sports, asked me to again join his team to run in the 25 Hours of Thunderhill. I jumped at the opportunity, intent on making it to the end this time. It was a chance to wipe that bitter taste from my mouth from two years ago. However, as race day drew near, there were a few disturbing signs that could be interpreted as bad omens. First, it was the timing of the Los Angeles Auto Show. Press days were pushed back to early December (they were in November the previous year), only two days before the start of the big race. This meant that I had to take a flight at 6 a.m. Friday morning to Oakland, drive my rental Mitsubishi Lancer two hours to Willows, Calif., and try to squeeze in a few practice runs before nightfall. Then somehow try to be ready for the 11 a.m. start of the race the following day. With some careful planning and only a couple hours of sleep, I made it to the track. Once there I was greeted by Ichishima, and my other teammates, Naoki Hattori (former CART driver) and Kazunori Yamauchi (creator of the Gran Turismo driving simulator). Talk about an all-star cast! I was also greeted by Spoon team director Mr. Yamada and crew chief Mr. Yoshida, who remembered me from two years ago (I was in the car when it broke down the final time). He flashed a subtle smile, but his eyes gleamed with disdain. I bowed my head in respect and said, &amp;quot;Don&amp;#039;t worry, there won&amp;#039;t be any incidents when I&amp;#039;m behind the wheel this year. I&amp;#039;m on a mission to finish.&amp;quot;   He didn&amp;#039;t seem convinced.   The Japan-market 2007 Honda Civic Type R was in excellent shape when I jumped into the driver&amp;#039;s seat for the final practice session. I spent my entire 30-minute stint reacquainting myself with the course and practicing shifting with my left hand. It had been two years since I was in a right-hand-drive race car.   Thunderhill Raceway Park is one of the most challenging and fun tracks in the world. There are a number of elevation changes, with several blind corners that&amp;#039;ll bite the most seasoned driver. Long straights invite high speeds, so to say that this track is dangerous would be an understatement. In total there are 15 corners on this 3.0-mile track. NASA (National Auto Sport Association) organizes the 25 Hours of Thunderhill, billing it as the longest race in North America. This year, there were 66 entries, divided in several classes. The cars ranged from a Norma M20 prototype racer to Honda Civics. What I couldn&amp;#039;t figure out is why our particular Civic was classified in E0, running with the much more powerful BMW M3s. My guess is that because the Civic Type R was not marketed in the U.S., NASA officials threw us in the fastest group. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/motorsports/news/a15326/running-in-the-7th-annual-25-hours-of-thunderhill/>