Hey hey hey everybody! We’re back with one hell of an episode for you. You’ve seen the NASA Utah coverage we’ve provided, maybe you’ve come out to an event or two, but do you know how we got a NASA region? Or what goes into running a NASA region? Well, we have Matt Guiver here to answer those questions, and more!
You can stream the episode via the player above, or download it here. Or if iTunes is more your thing, we’ve got you covered. Whichever avenue you choose, please rate, comment, subscribe, and share these episodes around! If you like it, then you probably know some other people who’d enjoy this stuff.
Oliver Gavin in the #4 C7.R nosed ahead of the #3 C7.R driven by Antonio Garcia by .034 seconds to take the GTLM win at the Rolex 24! We don’t have a photo of either of them, but here’s George Smith in his equally yellow C5. Like Oli and Antonio, George has won his fare share of races and championships.
In August we’ll see the return of Pirelli World Challenge, thanks to Tooele County choosing to let Utah Motorsports Campus manage the facility formerly known as Miller Motorsports Park. New for this season is Sprint X, which are a series of extended sprint races and have mandatory driver changes. UMC will be playing host to rounds 3 & 4 of the inaugural Sprint X season, in addition to GT/GTA, GTS, GT Cup, and TC/TCA/TCB racing.
The Utah Drift scene has been well, lacking. Many people have stepped up and tried to make it successful, but for one reason or another, it hasn’t thrived. This is the year we sincerely hope that changes. Brandon Wicknick is now competing in Formula D, and this first event of the season went remarkably well.
This is thanks in no small part to the guys who put it together. Jason Smith, Mike Fulkerson, Brent Cheney, and more behind the scenes all helped bring this event together and solicited the help of the drift community to see what works and doesn’t work.
This made the event fun and a great place to shake off the cobwebs.
Take a look at the pics and see what you can look forward to this year from the Utah drifting scene.
Words by Trent Bray, Photos by Michael Chandler and Trent Bray, Video by Trent Bray
*Article, photos and video are copyright of CAMautoMag.com and their respective owners. Images and words may not be re-posted, re-distributed, modified or copied without expressed written consent from CAMautoMag.com
A few weeks ago, we got the call that went something like this, “How would you like to ride around in a Ford Raptor on a snow covered track?” An emphatic yes was our response!
Jason Smith from Innovative Garage was on the other end of this call, and he happens to also be an instructor for the Ford Racing School, Raptor Assault, and Boss Track Attack at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, UT. The Ford Racing School allows you to get as little as 10 laps in a race-prepared Mustang up to a 4-day intensive course that nets you a competition racing license. Everyone wants to go fast, and we don’t always have the vehicle that allows us to do so. These Mustangs are nothing short of a competition car with a stripped-out interior, roll cage, racing seat with harness, and only a window net separating you from the thrilling action.
While the cars themselves are currently tucked away in garages at the track, they are getting upgraded and re-tuned for the 2013 season. And this season delivers no shortage of excitement as seat time is filling up already.
For most of us, we don’t have a race-prepped car ready to hit the track. We might have our daily driver ready for auto-x action with a suspension adjustment and different wheels and tires, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but a full-blown race car experience on a road course is hard to match. Miller Motorsports Park fortunately provides this experience with their Mustangs. The days start in the classroom where you are greeted with a Mustang Challenge car, and a searing orange Mustang that was used as the development mule for the Mustang Challenge car. The wall is littered with Mustang memorabilia and magazine covers. Not a bad sight in the house.
Moving on to the Raptors. Late last year, the Raptor Assault program was launched. The Raptor Assault program allows you to experience the off-road prowess of a Ford Raptor with skilled instructors helping improve yours skills. This can start with the Raptor Experience that lasts either a morning or afternoon where you can tackle different terrain from rock-crawling to desert racing. This is further enhanced when the instructor takes the wheel and shows you what it’s really capable of.
The One-Day Raptor Assault furthers this with more instruction and more freedom to tackle 900 acres of open desert. We are seriously hoping to get more involved in this over the coming season. Our short time in the Raptor pushed itself up near the top of vehicles I “Must Own”.
Again, a special thanks goes out to Jason at Innovative Garage for making this happen. Check out Miller Motorsports Park for your chance to drive these vehicles.
Words by Trent Bray, Photos by Michael Chandler and Trent Bray
*Article, photos and video are copyright of CAMautoMag.com and their respective owners. Images and words may not be re-posted, re-distributed, modified or copied without expressed written consent from CAMautoMag.com
In conjunction with Lap Battle, Miller Motorsports Park held their own racing series called MPRA. Last weekend was their 5th round this year and we went out to capture it with both pictures and video. Check it out below.
Photos by Michael Chandler and Trent Bray, Video by Trent Bray
*Article and Photos are copyright of CAMautoMag.Com and their respective owners. Images and words may not be re-posted, re-distributed, modified, or copied without expressed written consent from CAMautoMag.Com.
The LapBattle.Com Time Attack Series returned to Miller Motorsports Park this weekend and it was filled with thrills. It was another eventful weekend out at Miller Motorsports Park.
There was the first vehicle on vehicle wreck. Jason Smith, of Innovative Garage and one of our sponsored drivers, collided with Sally McNulty, who came down and was driving in her blue Hawkeye WRX, after she lost control. Everyone was fine, and Sally put her car back together and went back out for the following sessions. She was a trooper!
Other notes:
Zane Miller brought out his STi swapped 2.5RS coupe. It was very quick and loud.
Hands down the quickest car was an orange Evo with a sock monkey tied to one of the supports for its spoiler.
4 M3’s were running: an E92 coupe, an E92 sedan, an E46 coupe and an E36 coupe. There was also an E36 sedan running around, but I can’t remember if it was an M3. Either way, the Bavarian machines made their presence felt.
Normally Mike is the one to cover these events as I always tend to be out of town on the weekend that this happens, but this time I was fortunate enough to come see the event again and record some video. Check it out the pics and video below.
Words and Photos by Trent Bray and Michael Chandler, Video by Trent Bray
*Article and Photos are copyright of CAMautoMag.Com and their respective owners. Images and words may not be re-posted, re-distributed, modified, or copied without expressed written consent from CAMautoMag.Com.
LapBattle.com has been kind enough to host a drift event during the weekend of Lap Battle events, and this last event was no exception. It was the same as its always been, with one big exception… (more…)
The weekend of July 16 marked the 4th round for the LapBattle.com Time Attack series at Miller Motorsports Park. And it was an interesting weekend all around. How interesting was it? Well find out after the jump! (more…)
In addition to hosting a event out on the track, LapBattle.com threw a little drift party in the paddock at Miller Motorsports Park this past weekend. There’s a mini gallery of sideways awesome after the jump. (more…)
