Write-up coming… Eventually? In the meantime, here are the photos from Sunday. Enjoy the gallery, buy stuff so I can keep coming out and covering the races (also so I can replace the pants I ripped hopping fences this last round), and stay tuned for the write-up.
Here are 236 photos from last Saturday. As soon as I get out of work (shockingly, I have a day job), I’ll get through the Sunday photos, and do the write up. In the meantime, enjoy these photos. Also, buy some prints so I can buy better equipment to take better photos with more pants.
With a total time of 7:24.302, Max Dufford claimed a big TTC win. Having to drive three different tracks in one day, including one that nobody has driven on in a couple of years, is a test for anyone. Max rose to the occasion, and drove his Boxster to the limits set forth by the modifications allowed in the rulebook!
Taking home a shiny piece of silver neck wear was Rod Kujaczynski. Still rocking a RaceCo decal, but sans cowboy hat, Rod’s total time was an impressive 7:29.662!
Bringing home the bronze was Joe Evers, with a total time of 7:30.852. Three medals went to three people who drive German cars. Coincidence? I THINK NOT!
Time Trial D
Trever “with an E” Pope managed a combined time of 7:53.343, not too bad for running around in a more practical Miata. Trever is one of the many drivers who helps out, and instructs the HPDE drivers. The young up and comers, or older up and comers, can learn some things from Trever. He may be alone in TTD, but he’s consistent and he doesn’t get caught up trying to run down someone in a faster class.
Time Trial E
Piloting his trusty Mazderati, Tyler Nisonger threw down a total time of 7:41.375. As you can see in this photo, Tyler saves weight by only having one door mirror. These are the little things that separate the winners from the “also ran” crowd.
Erick Gerday also ran, but wasn’t an “also ran”. His combined time of 8:02.322, while not stellar, is nothing to sneeze at. Explore the limits of the rulebook a little bit, and get some more seat time, and Erick should start knocking seconds out of that time.
Time Trial B
Darin Beaudoin, the goofy fella in the best Miata ever, took home the TTB gold. How? NO CLUE! But I do know he waved at me on one of his out laps. Did I get a picture of it? NOPE! Blame Andy Moench. He was ahead of Darin on track, and waved at me first. Quick PSA: If you’re going to wave at a photographer do it on an out lap, a pace lap, or a cool down lap. Don’t do it when you’re trying to set a flyer, or mid race. It’s one of those things that’s cool for the two of us, but will be infinitely embarassing if I have to write “and as they waved at me, the accidentally dropped two tires off track, which caused them to spin, which got them stuck in the sand trap”. Ok, with that out of the way we can move on.
Jan Gerday, running both TT and Spec Z, had a combined time of 7:32.775. Running six total session in the same car is quite the feat, and it’s validated when you get a medal at the end of the night.
Another Z getting a medal. The 350Z is a useful tool in a racing situation, if you know how to use it. And Justin Jones knows how to use it. His 7:38.607 was six seconds off the pace of the Spec Z driver Jan Gerday, but eight seconds ahead of fourth place finisher David Muskovitz.
Time Trial 3
James Pasquier was back, after some noticeable absences in the recent past. The lack of a doctor’s note notwithstanding, James’s combined time of 7:06.328 got him another gold medal to add to the sizable pile. I assume it’s a pile. What I’m trying to say is James wins a lot.
In a stunning upset, Mechanic Mike Bratsch beat out Andy Moench! This after Mike helped Andy fix his car between sessions. Sponsored by crippling instruments of debt, AMEX credit cards, Mike pounded out a 7:08.188. You can’t drive fast enough to out run your debts Mike. You just can’t. Sounds cryptic, but really is absolutely meaningless.
Andy Moench, with a car fixed by the skilled hands of Mechanic Mike, drove slower than Mechanic Mike. He did drive all of the sessions, and he wasn’t that much slower than Mike. His total time was 7:09.727.
Time Trial 2
Shawn Murphy continued to set records. He reset his record on the Outer Loop, and took over the East and Full track records. His car still has a full interior, and he drives it around on the streets. His total time was 6:37.029. It was the fastest of the TT drivers. His car, and how fast it is, hurts my brain. I don’t understand it, I never will understand it, and I’m ok with that.
Finishing in second place was Jenn Wolthoff in the Makes & Models Porsche 911 GT3. Her total time was 7:09.621. I understand that time, and how fast that car is. There is no witchcraft involved in it. Just good, clean, wholesome, pure, unadulterated speed.
Time Trial 1
TT1 had two drivers who drove in all three races AND all three TT sessions. And they did it in different cars. David Gilliland hopped out of his Spec Z and into his Viper T/A. His 6:58.015 was deserving of a gold medal at the barbecue. I agree with the decision to give him a gold medal.
David Bradshaw was a nother Spec Z driver who was jumping between cars all day. He would jump out of his Spec Z, get some feedback on his race, then hop into his 996 Cup car for a TT session. Then out of the Cup car, feedback, into the Z, and race. His game of musical cars didn’t hurt his times, as he ended up with a 7:03.08.
Time Trial Unlimited
Mike Kresser got himself a gold medal, after playing musical cars like his Lyfe teammate David Bradshaw. Mike drove like a man possessed and posted a total time of 6:48.304. Not too bad for a guy with a bad back and another race car to drive.
Greg Warnock, and his widebody M3, came up just short against Mike’s 997 Cup car. His total time was 6:58.414. Again, not bad for someone who was pulling double duty all day. And if you’re someone who says “I hate flares!”, then you haven’t seen this car turning laps. It needs those flares to cover the massive slicks it uses to grip the tarmac. You don’t hate flares, you just hate useless and/or ugly flares.
Rounding out the top three is James “1000% not Jordan” Collier. Less than two seconds separated him from Greg. James’s total time in his Viper ACR was 7:00.335. Notice how a lot of the photos are with the headlights on? That’s because they got way behind schedule at some point. So far, in fact, that the final TT session got underway AFTER sunset. I made the most of it, and got some very cool pictures. The corner worker at Tooele Turn had a brief, but loud meltdown. We were all out of our comfort zone, corner worker. But we survived.
And there it is, at least for TT. Looking for Thunder and/or Lightning coverage? I’ve got them in separate posts.
*Article and Photos are copyright of CAMautoMag.Com and their respective owners.
Five cars took the grid for GTS2, not a bad number. We had some familiar faces show up back on track, and another 911. Never a bad thing. Unfortunately my favorite Porsche model didn’t take the top spot, BUT my favorite Boxster did. Adam Heller in the 09 Emotive Boxster took home the win in all three races, and walked away with some shiny hardware.
In second place is Tom Rogers, in his E30 3 Series. The old #160 was dead reliable, as far as I could tell, and finished each race on the podium. Quick side note: I don’t know why I want to, but I have this strong desire to spell Tom’s name with an H. Thom instead of Tom. No reason why, but I just really want to do it. Anywell, Tom ran well all day, and all season.
Getting himself the only medal that is man-made (gold and silver are naturally occurring, mankind had to figure out how to make bronze), was Chris Haunold. I’m pretty sure he keeps chatting me up at the events, but I’m not 100% sure. If it is, you’re a pleasant fellow. If it isn’t, then there’s a pleasant fellow roaming the paddock and making small talk. Neither is a bad thing.
Pro Touring E
The sky is blue, the sun rises in the east, and Todd Green (aka Poppa Smurf, aka the unofficially official corrections department of this fair website) won himself another PTE medal. It wasn’t easy, the blue car was willing to go fast, but it made Todd work for it. The hard work paid off, and Todd got himself some more hardware.
Troy Duffin in his Datsun 510 (still packing an L series engine and drum brakes in the rear) was your second place finisher in the class. It’s good to be shooting photos of Troy again, takes me back to when there was NASA sanctioned open wheel racing at our weekends. Good times.
Rounding out the podium was Team Slap Hands in the #158… car? I shot 4600 photos over two days, and I don’t have a #158, which (according to MyLaps) only took part in the first race. I do have some photos of a #58, which was around the cars that the Team Slap Hands car supposedly did. Who is the #58?
PAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUULLLLLLL MITTTCCCCCCHHHHHHHEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL. Speaking of MyLaps, guess who didn’t run the race that produced this photo opportunity? Yeah, so good ole Paul (who had a rotating cast throughout the weekend) either took home third, or fifth. Regardless, Smilin Joe Sims is listed in 4th. UPDATE: Yeah, it was all Paul Mitchell. The 158 and 58 are one and the same. The Timing and Scoring system doesn’t like having the same number with multiple drivers in a class, hence this whole confusion.
Spec Boxster
Spec Boxster is still a thing, and it’s still occupied by one man. One hero: Mark Boschert. He wasn’t all by himself though. His pace on two of the three races kept him close to either the GTS2 cars, or the PTE field. On East he outran the Spec Miatas by a few seconds, but trailed the slowest Spec Z by over four seconds. Boxsters are cheap, people! Come on! Someone else grab one, and get in on some spec racing!
Spec Miata
It was Williamson and Bond vying for the class win. By taking the first two races, and finishing second in the third, Chris Bond earned himself a much deserved martini. It was close though, Matt Williamson kept close in those first two races, just like he did all season. The TresDuro was a microcosm of the entire Spec Miata season, and it was awesome to watch.
Matt Williamson was knocking on the door all season, but he couldn’t get over the hump. I’m telling you, next season he’s going to clear that hump. Spec Miata is an old class, but it always breeds great drivers and good racing. Next season, spend some time watching Matt Williamson fight for the crown.
Craig Shane finished the day in third. He’s a grinder, he was the only Spec Miata driver to start every race this season! That’s sixteen races! Craig is a lot like the Miata he races: dead reliable. Craig deserves some sort of award for his reliability.
Spec Z
You guys remember when Spec Z was just three cars? I do. You know how many cars took to the tarmac for this year’s TresDuro? 16. Man how this ridiculousness has grown.
Topping this ridiculousness was Arthur Golebiowski, one of the OG Spec Z drivers. Doing this for two and a half years gives you some skills and insight, and Arthur has all of those things rolling around his head. His average margin of victory was over six and a half seconds in the TresDuro, which begs another question: what does he think about while he’s all by himself at the front? Is he like Kimi Raikonen, dreaming of his next nap? Kittens? Arthur is a mystery, wrapped in an enigma, strapped into a silver 350Z.
Not an OG, but definitely a long time Spec Z driver, Chad Aalders took home second place! Chad spent most of his day battling another OG, and looking longingly at Arthur’s taillights. Well, I’m not so sure about that last part, but he spent a fair amount of time looking at the back of Arthur’s car.
Rounding out the top three is Tom Kaminski. He spent plenty of time in his retro liveried Z battling Chad, and chasing down Arthur. Tom and Arthur having been battling it out with each other since 2014, and I hope they keep it up for years to come.
Speaking of blasts from the past, we had a Thunder Roadster field! JD Stull came out swinging, and took the win in all three races. Normally I’d stop the Thunder Roadster writing at that, BUT THERE WAS ANOTHER THUNDER ROADSTER!
Yes, there was another! Jihn Han, coming out of nowhere, took home some hardware.
And there it is, the round up of the Lightning group. Looking for the Thunder and/or Time Trial write ups? I’ve got separate posts for them.
*Article and Photos are copyright of CAMautoMag.Com and their respective owners.
It was the beginning of the best ten days on this year’s calendar. Acting as the meat in a sandwich where the delicious bread is a Salt City Drift event and Pirelli World Challenge, and the condiments are a NASA Utah weekend, was the annual Utah 6 Hour. Now a staple on the NASA Utah calendar, the Western Endurance Racing Championship stop provides a unique opportunity for the drivers and fans to drive into the night, and see nothing but lights piercing the dark Tooele night. And if you were out around turn 5 around 10:30-11, you would’ve seen me with a string of LED lights strewn about my torso. I was easily identifiable, for safety! Anywell, let’s talk about who took home a trophy!
E0
Lyfe Motorsport was out with one of their own Spec Z’s (the Towne Storage Z) and supporting the #99 DLG Racing Z. Showing that 350Z is life, the Lyfe backed teams finished 1-2 in E0! The Towne Storage Z completed 147 laps in the 6 hours, with the DLG Z four laps behind them.
E1
In E1, completing 153 laps in the allotted time, was the #65 E46 BMW of Strom Motorsports. It was the teams second win of the day, having taken the win in the GTS5 class during the Lightning sprint race earlier.
E2
The Fit is fucking go! The #12 Honda Fit of Honda Performance Development completed 143 laps in 6:01:09.257, and probably had to stop for fuel once.
E3
It was a battle of the Miatas in E3: the mighty and legendary Paul Mitchell versus the bug-eyed RJ Racing Miata. I mean bug-eyed in the nicest way. Look at those lights! Those lights lit the way for 147 laps, and lit their way to victory.
ENP
The ENP had one entrant, the Valkyrie Autosport Elan NP01. Despite the teams best efforst, the little prototype went behind the wall after 29 laps.
ES
This was a battle: the TruSpeed Autosport 997 Cup car versus the Makes & Models Huracan Super Trofeo. A tried and true chassis versus a sprint race car. WERC class leaders one win away from clinching their championship versus a team with multiple regional championships under their belt? If you’ve been paying any attention to how these posts go, you know that by seeing the picture of the TruSpeed car that they won. Not only did they win the Utah 6 Hour, they locked up the ES Class championship. Congratulations to them!
ESR
Now we arrive at the car I was most excited to see running. Toby Crawford, driver of the Pink Ribbon Racing/Makes & Models Subaru BRZ, told me that there was a Ginetta G57 at UMC and that it was racing in the enduro. It was the Ryno Racing team, sponsored by Design Masonry. The G57 is based on Ginetta’s LMP3 design, and is probably a lot the same.* The big difference is that the LMP3 spec Nissan engine, rated at 420bhp, has been replaced with a Chevrolet LS3, which makes 150 more horsepower than the LMP3 engine. I was excited to see and hear the 900kg prototype tearing through the night, but unfortunately the car was retired after just 72 laps.
And there it is, another six hour race in the books! I’m already looking forward to next year. A tremendous shout out to all the race officials, corner workers, and safety crew for sticking it out until midnight. A big thank you to the family, friends, and well wishers who came out and watched the race and cheered the teams on. And all of the congratulations to all of the drivers and crew members for racing in the longest race on the NASA Utah calendar! There were over thirty cars entered in the race, and they all took the green flag. It was, as always, an amazing experience.
We can’t wait for next year.
*Article and Photos are copyright of CAMautoMag.Com and their respective owners.
Ahh yes, it was that glorious time of year. As the sun was setting, the green flag would be dropping on the annual six hour endurance race. That would come later. Earlier in the day we had the regular slew of NASA Utah races and TT sessions. Because I have poor time management skills, and knowing that I wouldn’t be leaving Utah Motorsports Campus until the wee hours of Sunday morning, I showed up at lunch time. That was a mistake…
Time Trial
It was a mistake because I missed Shawn Murphy’s sessions. More importantly, I missed his record setting session. The one where he ran a 1:59.566, becoming the fastest Subaru to run the Outer Loop and setting a TT2 record. How does Shawn’s time compare? How fast did he push that full interior street car? Well…
Well, Brendon Stewart in the Makes & Models Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo, a purpose built racecar running in the Unlimited class, ran a 1:59.464. The V10 powered monster was less than a quarter of a second faster than Shawn’s ridiculous “street car”. HOWEVA, Shawn only needed to run one good lap. Brendon needed to run one good lap, and keep the car intact so it could run the Thunder race AND the enduro that same day.
Another local boy pulling double duty on the day was David Gilliland. Later in the day he’d be hoping in his Spec Z and running in the enduro, but before that he was in his bright orange Viper T/A for TT1 duty. He did pretty good in TT, winning TT1 with a best time of 2:06.270.
The enduro brought out a lot of driver’s from out of state. One such driver was Erik Davis. He brought out his gorgeous E36 M3, and was running in both TT and the Thunder race. He did very well in TT, taking home the TT3 win. His best time was 2:08.681.
Despite breaking his shifter, Darin Beaudoin laid down some fast TTB laps. He claimed another class win with a 2:15.318.
Todd Green got the win in TTE. He was not in Paul Mitchell, but the Smurf! Papa Smurf laid down a 2:17.629.
Another guy I missed because I don’t know how to sleep was Max Dufford. Max picked up another TTC win in his white Boxster, with a best time of 2:18.1.66
And finally, Trever “With an E” Pope banged out his umpteenth TTD win with a 2:22.819. Speaking of guys who just win a lot…
Lightning
Arthur Golebiowski was back in his old form, taking home the Spec Z win. Tom Kaminski and Chad Aalders battled it out for second place, with Tom and his HKS lookin Z taking home second place.
Toting the SCR Performance banner in GTS2 was, and probably still is, Doug Young. He came out, and went home with the GTS2 win over Mark Boschert.
Joseph DePillo was out and about in Spec E46, a class we don’t see much of in these parts. That’s a shame, we need more inline sixes wailing out there. Anyway, he picked up the win in class.
David DePillo, maybe related, in another E46 3-Series took home a win in GTS5.
Through a shrubbery came your PTB winner: Nathan Rohner. Still waiting on someone to challenge him…
Papa Smurf is wise, and had a charged battery this time around. Todd Green was back in his dominant form, and took home another PTE win. Fun fact: Todd’s and Nathan’s total race times and best lap times were nearly identical.
Are you guys watching Spec Miata like I told you to? You better have been, because this was another good one. Chris Bond beat out Mike Ferrara and Matt Williamson for the class win. The gap from first to third was only four seconds.
So this little M3 Compact, driven by Michael Schmitt, claimed the… GTSU win? Huh… Well, it’s on MyLaps and Race Hero… You know what? If this changes, we’ll update this post, but until then REVEL IN THE GLORY OF THIS TINY BMW!!!
PTD saw another SCR Performance car driven by another Schmitt: Mikey was at the helm of the Subaru BRZ, and took home an impressive win.
JF Martin turned some laps in PTC before taking the RSX into the night for the enduro. He took home the win.
And finally: OTTO SILVA LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! He’s out there, soldiering on in 944 Spec, by his lonesome.
Thunder
We’ve arrived at the Thunder race, where we saw a legend appear. A mythical creature, the stuff of folk tales. Swamp Thing, the chop top C4 Corvette that makes crazy power and doesn’t know what to do with it. James Miller harnessed the beast’s rage, and rode it to a class in Super Unlimited AND the overall race win.
The Makes & Models Huracan Super Trofeo had been through a day of testing, practice and qualifying sessions for this race, and some TT sessions. It qualified on the pole for the Thunder race, but Derek could not hold off a mythical beast. He did take home the GTSU win, which is nothing to sneeze at.
Bob Evans, Mr. Enchantment himself, ran over all the kerbs in the Attitudes. Our gentle giant climbed to the top of the podium in ST1.
Brett Strom, in the first M4 racer I’ve seen in person, took home the win in GTS5. Look at the exhaust: it’s not just a side exit, it’s coming out of the door!
Coming straight out of wherever the hell he lives now, and straight to the tippy top of ST2 is Travis Tidball! He lost a wing, but got it back on there for the race.
Dan McKeever was out in Old Blue for some ST3 laps. He took home the win for the Ford Performance Racing School.
Gregory Dell, and his metallic blue Porsche Cayman, picked up a win in the GTS4 class. Need legal counsel? From the looks of his car, he might know someone…
The American Iron class was won by on Mr. Garth Yettick, who did some sight seeing during the race…
That’s it for the NASA Utah coverage, but not the coverage from Utah Motorsports Campus. We’ll have coverage of the Utah 6 Hour coming up later this week!
*Article and Photos are copyright of CAMautoMag.Com and their respective owners.
It was hot. Very hot. So hot, in fact, that some competitors ended up being less than competitive because of it. Andy Moench’s and Mike Bratsch’s TT3 cars were feeling the heat, as were some of the Spec Z cars. Greg Warnock’s E92 M3 racecar succumbed to overheating issues, but he just hopped into his Cayman GT4 Clubsport and got some more laps in. I mean, who doesn’t have a back up race car in this day and age? Speaking of Greg’s race…
THUNDER
That’s where we start our coverage. Surprisingly, it was pretty drama free. At least from where I was. We had one GTS3 competitor, and that was Mayor McCheese himself: Blake Troester!
Byron Smith was back! Unfortunately for him, Darrell Troester was still there. He finished a lap up on Byron, and claimed another GTS4 win.
Despite going spin cycle early in the race, Gerry Shear (who gets it) got everything straightened out and took home a GTS5 win.
NASA Utah’s own BFG, Bob Evans, took the Snickers Ford Fusion NASCAR Sprint Cup High Downforce Prototype to the top of the podium in ST1.
J.R. Smith, proving that good things can be made better with the addition of an LSx, claimed another ST2 win.
Benevolent Overlord Matt Guiver hopped in the Minion (or banana mobile) and out drove five of the Ford Performance Racing School Mustangs. Five! That’s a lot of Mustangs to beat out.
In the Super Unlimited class, Pirate Supreme Les Long threw down some blistering laps and took home the class win. Could he take home the overall win?
Well, no. Makes & Modesl had their Huracan Super Trofeo back on track, and Derek was a man on a mission. Despite rising temperatures setting off alarms, he managed to claim the GTSU win AND the overall race group win. Speaking of that white, German/Italian super-weapon…
TIME TRIAL
Brendon Stewart hopped in the driver’s seat for the TT sessions and threw down a best time of 1:35.580 to take the TTU win.
TT1 saw a few Vipers. Definitely not a bad thing, especially given the news that FCA will be killing the big snake after 2017. Topping the podium was one of those snakes, the one driven by David Gilliland. He slithered around the East course of UMC in 1:41.8.44
Shawn Murphy wasn’t there that long on Saturday. He had a wedding to go to. I suggested someone Facetime him in, but that one didn’t fly. My brilliant idea didn’t fly, but Shawn did. And in the crowded combined session to boot. His best time in his “street car” was 1:40.988.
As mentioned earlier, Andy and Mike’s cars were feeling the effects of the heat. The heat didn’t seem to be a problem for James Pasquier, and his reliable as the sunrise 993 911. He set his best time in the last session of the day! Clearly we should all get 911’s, and be immune from heat.
Darin Beaudoin barely escaped the day with a win in TTB. He had Stephen Martin hot on his heels. Stephen posted a best time of 1:47.795, which was so close to Darin’s time. Darin, in his Honda Miata, posted a 1:47.760.
For those keeping score at home, Porsches have claimed five wins on the day so far. After this, they will have claimed six. Max Dufford, in his Boxster, ran a 1:48.977 in TTC.
Todd Green, listed in the #60 which I don’t have a picture of nor even see, took home the win in TTE. He posted a best time of 1:47.335 in the second TT Storm session. I don’t have a photo of that car, but I do have a photo of the mythical beast that is L’oreal! I MEAN PAUL MITCHELL!!! Speaking of things that you could hear about later…
LIGHTNING
Things got a little spooky, then kinda violent. Some Spec Miata drivers got too close coming out of Release, and one spun. Later in the race: a couple of Spec Z drivers got together, sending one into the dirt. Aside from those events, and another Spec Z losing an engine over the course of the race which left the car stranded at pit in, the race was fairly straightforward. Let’s start with Spec Miata, where Chris Bond returned! He took home with win, and managed to stay clear of any sort of shenanigans.
Otto Silva wasn’t the only 944 Spec driver this weekend! He was still the winner, but he wasn’t alone!
We haven’t had any open wheel races this season, which has meant that the usual drivers have been doing other things to occupy their time. Apparently one of those “other things” for Troy Duffin is getting a hold of a Datsun 510 racer. He brought it out this weekend, and took home the win in PTE.
Here we see the GTS2, PTB, and Thunder Roadster winners, all at once! Tom Rogers got himself a win in GTS2, Nathan Rohner in his RX7 (which was originally built as an autocross car) got another PTB win, and JD Stull took the win in Thunder Roadster. This was JD’s first race, and it was great seeing him out in competition.
We had one, lone GTS1 competitor: Steve Burns. He and Chris Bond had a solid battle all race, which was great to watch.
And in Spec Z, we had the #42 DXDT car, driven by David Askew, atop the podium.
PHEW! What a day! On to some miscellaneous stuff:
Todd Green usually dominates PTE, except this race. Why? Because he had a dead battery. He got a push start, but ended up being two laps down. Wouldn’t know it by the way he drove.
The Spec Z that lost an engine was the #46 DXDT car, driven by James Burke. It was smoking on every downshift from what I heard from some of the other drivers
It was Kyle Schick who wound up in the dirt. Can’t quite remember who hit him though, but I do have footage of the contact!
I ran around and slapped some CAM stickers on to some competitors cars. If you’d like one, shoot me an email and have some space on the passenger side of your car clear.
For those of you who want to purchase photos: go to here
And that is that! We’ll be back for Round 6, and the 6 Hour Enduro on August 6.
*Article and Photos are copyright of CAMautoMag.Com and their respective owners.
The rains fell on the Lightning race, which made for a very interesting session. The race began with banging doors and rooster tails, but thankfully no incidents to speak of.
There were multiple 944 Spec racers! Unfortunately only one of them remembered to bring rain tires. That lucky, prepared driver was none other than Otto Silva! He took home another class win in the trying conditions, and did so without any spooky events.
The normally robust Spec Miata field dwindled to a mere three cars. Sad, considering that weather like this levels out the field and gives the little Mazdas plenty of opportunities to harass some of the faster competitors. Carving a path through the puddles and onto the podium was Carter James.
At some point in the day Tom Rogers broke something on his BMW. All was looking lost. A trip to BMW of Murray was taken, and the part was acquired! Now it was a matter of getting back to the track, the part on the car, and the car on track. It was a break neck run, for all of the afore mentioned activities. Tom got the car back together, and out of the garage just in time to be released onto the track for the race. He fought mightily, and caught up with the pack. Unfortunately he couldn’t make up all the time, and he finished second to Chris Haunold, but that was a hell of a story wasn’t it?
The race saw quite the duel between a pair of unlikely foes: Todd Green in the blue car (his PTE Miata) and Joe Sim in… Well it was an Escort, and it was in PTF. Todd Chased down Joe, and held him off. The whole thing was… Ok, it was pretty ridiculous to see Joe’s Escort try and run down Todd’s Miata. In the end, Joe was DQ’d for reasons I don’t know, and Todd is on his way to another PTE title.
Spec Z was a bit interesting. Chad Aalders blew his motor, so he was borrowing Kyle Schick’s car. That didn’t go ideally, but Chad made it work. I saw Arthur, normally someone who does great in the rain, get incredibly slidey. He slid through turn one like he was trying to qualify for a Formula D round. It was insanity, lunacy, ridiculousness. And out of the madness was came one car. That car was the #46 DXDT Racing Z. And out of that car climbed James Burke. He earned that win.
And there it is, a race where the rain fell on the lightning.
*Article and Photos are copyright of CAMautoMag.Com and their respective owners.
We spent Saturday at the track! AND IT RAINED! Not enough to stop us from bringing you some sweet write ups and photos though. We’ve got coverage of the Thunder race, and play the game “Wait, when did you get bumped up?”
People played musical cars in Lightning, and ponder who has the gnarliest looking Z in Spec Z. HINT: It’s probably Tom.
And finally, we’ll be talking about TT: Shawn’s woes, me not strapping a camera to Alex’s car, swallowed cats, and track records (it’s not what you think).
All of that, and probably some galleries to flesh out the week. Check back, starting tomorrow at 10AM!
Two rounds down, and a third quickly approaching, now is a good time to take a look at the points standings. Today we’re going to look at the Thunder and Lightning groups, and we’re going to start in GTS2. In the above photo, we have the class leader Chris Haunold. He’s currently 90 points ahead of Ed Mineau, and 110 ahead the other guy in the picture: Tom Rogers.
Consistency is key, and in GTS3 Mark Reichman has consistently finished in second place in both of the races he’s run this season. Fortunately for him, he’s the only driver to run both races. With 180 points, he’s 80 points ahead of both Jeff Burton and Doug Turnquist.
Nathan Rohner is still the only PTB driver.
PTE is a very tight race, with Ben Lamberson nipping at the heels of Todd Green. Only 35 points separate the two, but I wouldn’t count out Randy Cummings. He’s a late comer to the class, but he had some solid finishes at the last race weekend. He’s 205 points down, BUT if Todd and Ben have a few missteps he could be right in this thing.
Spec Boxster is a thing, and Mark Boschert is in the lead. He’s also the only driver in class. But just look at that Boxster! Sharp.
Spec Miata is looking to be a hotly contested class. Currently less than 100 points separates the class leader, Chris Bond, from 4th place, Craig Shane. Call the cars whatever you want, but this class is going to be one to watch all season. Don’t be surprised if we see the top of the class get shuffled several times.
Spec Z is the tightest race in the Lightning group, with Arthur Golebiowski a mere 10 points ahead of Tom Kaminski. The gap from first to 5th place is 43 points! That means everyone in the top 5 has to be on their game every race to have a chance at knocking Arthur off the top spot.
Russ Timmons is by his lonesome in GTS5. Someone buy a 997 911 and join him.
Darrell Troester is barely holding off Byron Smith in GTS4. The gap was cut from 110 to 10 last race weekend when Darrell no-showed, which let Byron claim an easy class win. How will this shake out? Only time will tell!
Us Against One Racing, comprised by any number of your favorites (Todd Ainsworth, Alex Whetman, Grimace), is clinging to a 5 point lead in ST3. 5 points!!! That’s currently the tightest race in any of the race group classes! Figuratively glued to the banana yellow bumper of the M3 is Frank Gannett in the #93 Ford Performance Racing School BOSS 3o2RS, and James Harrell is right behind him in the #87 FPRS Mustang! This is ridiculous, and also fun. So let’s keep this up.
J.R. Smith is the lone ST2 driver. Someone buy a… something and join him.
Bob Evans is atop the ST1 ladder in the Snickers Ford Fusion. We gotta come up with some more sponsors for him. I want to put at least three back slashes in when I write about his car. Let’s figure this out, people!
Super Unlimited is being dominated by the Air Power GT3R’s. They currently have a 225 point lead, and four consecutive wins in class.
And we finally arrive at GTSU, where McKay Snow (smile damnit!) is atop the field that includes a few Super Trofeo spec Lamborghini Huracans and a the other 911 GT3R. He’s 30 points ahead of the Makes & Models Huracan ST, which may or may not last. The Makes & Models team is figuring out that Lamborghini, and McKay may get called up for a ride this season. He’s got the talent, and people need drivers. Either way, prepare to watch a battle in the unlimited class of the German Touring Series.
CORRECTION: Arthur Golebiowski is currently leading the Spec Z championship, not Chad Aalders. The article has been changed to show Arthur in the lead.
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