Won HPDE

GREEN FL AG
I Won HPDE
Dave Royce
Chief Divisional Director
Walking though a jam-packed
paddock at a NASA event, I saw
a driver wearing a T-shirt that
had printed on the back, “I Won
HPDE.” It made me smile a bit
because it revealed a driver
who is so competitive that no
matter what he drives or where
he is, he is trying to win.
HPDE, DE, open track,
track days and even driving
school are all terms used to
describe an event that enables
drivers to bring their street
car to a road course and
enjoy the thrills of speed and
g forces in an environment
with no speed limits.
Having participated in a
variety of track events, from
private track days to corporate
ride-and-drives and vehicle
launches, I’ve seen this
competitive gleam in the eyes
of just about everyone who
dons a helmet. Is this a survival
instinct carried through from
Neanderthals and suppressed by
our civil society? Isn’t survival a
form of winning a competition?
The stakes may be higher, but
it just might be that HPDE is an
essential part of our sanity as
primates looking to do what we
are designed to do — survive or
win! I often hear people referring
to success with the phrase
“killing it” as an expression
of winning, which also could
apply to driving well in HPDE.
HPDE is not a competition with
timing and scoring, but drivers
are trying to improve, and that
requires a scorecard. To become
a better driver, you must measure
your current skill set. If you
don’t, noticeable improvement is
elusive and frustrating. Although
a driver is not competing for a
lap time or going door to door
into the braking zone, learning
to be a better driver requires
a competitive instinct. This
competitive nature, combined
with a high tolerance for risk is
what drives folks to the track
to learn how to be a better
driver, a tougher competitor
and even a better person,
especially at the HPDE levels.
I would imagine that most
HAVING
PARTICIPATED IN
A VARIETY OF
TRACK EVENTS,
... I’VE SEEN THIS
COMPETITIVE
GLEAM IN
THE EYES OF
JUST ABOUT
EVERYONE WHO
DONS A HELMET.
HPDE drivers — TT drivers and
racers too — are a few of, if not
the only people, at their work or
at home who have experienced
the thrill of a track event. I also
imagine that each HPDE driver
has a difficult time explaining
to their co-workers, what track
driving is about and why they
do it. If that’s the case, being
the only person in the work
environment that tracks their
car, they are most likely the best
driver around. They are probably
seen as the “doer,” the person
who makes things happen. They
are, in the eyes of those around
them, a competitor, and a person
who achieves their goals.
Make no mistake about it, if
you are in HPDE, I am talking
about you. Taking your car to the
track and running the engine
rpm up to the limit, precisely
changing gears and even
finding the perfectly matched
downshift heading into the
corner at threshold braking is
something most people never
do. To perform the perfect scan
of gauges and mirrors to ensure
situational awareness just as you
apply the pressure on the wheel
for turn-in, is a hard-earned skill.
The next time you take
your car to the track, know
that you are a rare individual
who is doing what others only
dream about. Accomplishing
your goals to be a better driver
does, in fact, afford you the
bragging rights of winning
HPDE. To the person who was
wearing that shirt, bravo! SN
3
FIRST GE AR
Even Outlaws
Serve A Purpose
Gary Faules
NASA Director of Mentoring
As a fan of NASCAR, I watched
the ending of this year’s regular
season at Richmond, Va.,
which set the top qualifiers
up for The Chase, erupt in
controversy. Adding more pins
and needles, my favorite driver,
Jeff Gordon, was left just one
point shy of making The Chase.
Anyone following the week’s
aftermath of controversy knows
that because of a less-thanethical split-second decision
to help a teammate make his
way into The Chase, the overall
outcome of the championship
field was put at stake, and by
doing so allowed NASCAR’s
reputation to be questioned.
There will always be those
times when someone on a team
needs to make a split-second
decision, and because the desire
to win is elevated, sometimes the
decisions don’t turn out exactly
the way we had hoped. But that’s
the way it is in racing, and the
truth is it’s that same desire that
makes auto racing so exciting.
Do I make the diving pass
now? Do I stop for fuel, or hope
for a yellow? Should I lift or floor
it? Folks, auto racing is nothing
4
but split-second decisions.
Some split-second decisions
win races while others keep
teams from achieving their goal.
These make-or-break moments
will continue to be part of auto
racing, so it’s paramount to the
integrity of our sport that high
ethics are the cornerstone set
forth to ensure a level playing
field for all competitors.
It’s not easy to make calls
without experience, and
everybody involved with helping
create and enforce NASA’s
rules came from an active
racing involvement. Helping
create a level playing field for
all competitors is not an easy
task and one that requires the
need to understand, appreciate
and respect how some splitsecond decisions come to be.
I recall a day on the Rogue
River in Oregon in which I
had the pleasure of fishing
with the local game warden
for an afternoon. I asked him
how it came to be that he was
elected game warden in such a
highly sought-after territory.
He said, “Well, Gary, it’s
like this … there had been a
lot of concern by the locals
as well as other government
agencies involved, and they
were frustrated that there was
far too much illegal activity
with respect to the local sport
fishing. They were concerned
not only about the future of
quality sport fishing, but also
the need to create a place
where everyone could come
and enjoy the love and respect
that everyone expects of such
an amazing place and sport.”
I felt a great respect for a man
of such compassion for the office
and responsibilities he held.
When I asked what best suited
him for such responsibilities,
his reply almost knocked me
off the rock I was sitting on.
“That’s simple,” he said.
“Having grown up here on The
Rogue as a youngster, I had
broken just about every law
with regards to fishing there
was. If there’s anyone best
suited to catch an outlaw, who
better than someone who had
been there and done that?”
Not all race car drivers
are outlaws, but someone
will always have to write and
enforce the rules, then the
integrity of the sport will find
a level playing field for all.
In an interview, Jeff Gordon
said, “We have a strong
desire and we are fierce
competitors who will try to
win a race, to battle, and
to help their team win.”
In the end, Jeff Gordon will
be joining The Chase due to
NASCAR’s desire not to allow its
integrity to be questioned. I am
proud to report it’s those same
ethics that NASA chooses, thus
making it the finest grassroots
auto racing organization found
in America today. SN
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PERFORMANCE ELECTRONICS
SPEED RE ADING
90 Percent of Life
Brett Becker
Editor
A funny thing happened to me
last time I was at the racetrack.
I found myself on the podium.
It was last event on our
region’s calendar and a weekend
of firsts for me. First, let’s
account for the elephant in the
room. No, none of fastest guys
in our region were there. If they
had been there, I wouldn’t have
been on the podium. If they had
been there, I still would have had
fun — but maybe not as much.
There is an old adage I
never used to give much
credence to, but I now find a
lot of truth in, and that’s “90
percent of life is showing up.”
If I hadn’t gone to that trade
show in Chicago, I wouldn’t
have met my wife. If I hadn’t
volunteered to be the SoCal
Spec Miata series leader, I
wouldn’t have had to write race
reports. If I hadn’t written race
reports, NASA National Chairman
Ryan Flaherty would not have
known my background was
journalism — and I wouldn’t
be editing this magazine.
The obvious point is that
showing up makes a difference.
6
I never imagined what would
happen just by showing up that
weekend, but I can tell you what
would have happened if I didn’t.
Nothing.
That was a weekend of two
key “firsts” for me. It was the
first time my son came to the
track with me by himself. Sure,
I had brought my wife, daughter
and son to the track a couple
of times. Not surprisingly, both
those times happened to be at
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
near Monterey. That track has the
best weather in the country and
it’s close to a really nice town
if mama and the kids want to
leave and go do something else
— which they did. Both times.
This time, though, it was
just the guys, which was pretty
cool. He’s just 8 years old, and
I thought he’d be bored out of
his mind while I was on track or
tending to the car. But he wasn’t.
He walked around with my
camera, taking pictures of the
kart track next door and of
some cars on track. He enjoyed
“camping” in the trailer despite
the cold, and he’s already
asking when he can go again.
As a dad, I thought that
felt pretty good, because it
was nice to have his company
that weekend. Plus, the kids
I’ve met who grew up going
to the racetrack seem like
pretty grounded people,
which is the goal of raising
kids in the first place, right?
The other first from that
weekend was the podium finish,
getting second in Spec Miata.
As I mentioned, the genuinely
fast guys weren’t there, but
that doesn’t mean the race was
easy, and I’m glad for that. I
had to battle with my usual
competitors and fight through
out-of-class traffic to keep my
position. I had to let cars through
without losing too much time.
I made some mistakes and
I could see the guy behind me
get closer as the race neared
its end, so I had to push the
whole time. But here’s the
cool part. The whole time, I
thought I was fighting to keep
third, a podium spot I would
have been glad to get.
However, one of the guys
up front suffered a mechanical
failure, which was unfortunate
because he is a friend. But
that bumped me up one.
So, at the podium ceremony,
when they announced third
place, it was the guy behind
me, so I thought timing and
scoring had made a mistake.
Then they called out my name
as the second place finisher.
Wow, that was a surprise.
Standing up there on the
podium felt great. I didn’t want
to step down, and having my
son there with me to share the
moment was great. Well, it would
have been nice if he were there
to see it. He was actually back in
the trailer, playing Minecraft on
the iPad. Oh, well. You can’t have
everything. Maybe next time.
That weekend demonstrated
the importance of showing
up, which is wisdom I’ll
never dismiss again. SN
IN THIS ISSUE
22
28
DEPARTMENTS
3
GREEN FLAG
4
FIRST GEAR
6
SPEED READING
12 NEWS
20 IN GEAR
24 TOOLSHED
ENGINEER
72 MEMBER
SPOTLIGHT
FEATURES
28
How to Make the Most of Race Starts.
36
42
SOUTHERN HARMONY
NASA Southeast and NASA Florida converge at Road Atlanta for
some fast laps, new friendships and great racing.
REGIONS
8
THE PART Y PLANNER
The key to staging a successful race lies in all the
details.
74 AROUND THE
Mention of a product or service in an advertisement
or text does not necessarily mean that it has
been tested or approved by NASA or Speed
News. Official NASA and Speed News positions
are expressed only in statements designated
as such. All technical data in this publication
reflects the limited experience of individuals
using tools, products equipment and components
under specific conditions and circumstances not
necessarily reported in the article, and over which
NASA or Speed News has no control. The data has
not otherwise been tested or verified by NASA or
Speed News magazine. NASA and Speed News,
its agents, office employees, affiliates and parent
corporation accept no responsibility for the results
obtained by persons using such data and disclaim
all liability for any consequential injuries or
damages. Speed News is published 11 times a year
by the National Auto Sport Association, P.O. Box
2366, Napa Valley, CA 94558, 510-232-6272. Cover
and contents are protected by copyright and must
not be reproduced in any form or in part, without
the prior written consent of the publisher.
LEAP OF FAITH
36
NATIONAL AUTO
SPORT ASSOCIATION
Executive Director
Jerry Kunzman
42
National Chairman
Ryan Flaherty
General Counsel
John Lindsey
Chief Divisional Director
David Royce
Director of Sponsorship
Jeremy Croiset
.
50
READY FOR YOUR CLOSE-UP
Showcase Your Race Team in Your Own Documentary.
58
PIECEMEAL EFFORT
Joel Vandiver’s 2008 Dodge Challenger is something of an oddity in
American Iron. The story behind it, and the four cars it took to piece it
together, is even odder.
Business Operations Manager
Dave Ho
National Event Manager
Will Faules
Medical Director
Greg Greenbaum
IT Director
Brian Sauls
COVER PHOTO
Cover photo by
Brett Becker
SPEED NEWS
Editor
Brett Becker
SpeedNewsEditor@
DriveNASA.com
Art Director
Ashley Horne - C2C Media
58
Contributing Writers
Don Alexander
Rob Krider
Gregg Mansfield
Contributing Photographers
John Hiatt IV
Tom HItzeman
HeadonPhotos.net
Shelby Knick
VanHap Photography
9
[
10
SHU T T ER SPEED
]
Turn 3
The Southeast is a pioneer
among NASA Regions,
with four classes of Outlaw
Vintage Racing available to
competitors with the taste
for a different kind of vintage
racecar. They don’t tread
lightly around the track,
either. In fact, the two fastest
V1 cars are often the fastest
cars at a given event. The V2
cars, such as Keith Campbell’s
1965 Mustang fastback, have
lower horsepower-to-weight
ratios than V1, but they race
just as hard. NASA Southeast
recently held a combined
event with the Florida Region
at Road Atlanta, and Speed
News was there to cover it. For
all the action from Braselton,
Ga., turn to Page 42 and check
out “Southern Harmony.”
_______________________
Photo by Brett Becker
11
NE WS
25 Hours of Thunderhill
Attracting Top Teams
challenge. I view the 25 Hours
of Thunderhill as one of the
ultimate tests in North America,
particularly given the weather
and variety of cars and drivers.”
James Sofronas, owner
GMG Motorsports, is looking
to capitalize on a great
season in the Pirelli World
Challenge Championship and
carry that momentum to the
Thunderhill 25 Hour. Sofronas
is currently planning to bring
two of his potent Audi R8 LMS
race cars to Thunderhill.
“We have always looked at
the 25 Hours of Thunderhill as
a proving ground for our team
and our cars,” Sofronas said.
“To run the 25 is like running
any professional 24 hour race.
Eric Green
The 2013 United States Air
Force National Auto Sport
Association 25 Hours of
Thunderhill race to run Dec.
6-8 at Thunderhill Raceway
Park in Willows, Calif. is
attracting top entries.
Black Swan Racing headed
by Tim Pappas will bring its
Mercedes SLS AMG with an
international team of drivers.
Joining Pappas, to date, will be
multi-time sports car champion
Jereon Bleekemolen.
“Black Swan Racing has
participated in endurance racing
since its inception in mid-2008,”
Pappas said. “We have won two
ALMS Drivers Championships
and two team championships,
so we are always looking for a
Our team driver Alex Welch ran
the race last year and didn’t
get the result he was looking
for. We talked about it and he
wanted to put together a serious
effort for the 2013 race.”
Jeff Shafer and Factory 48
Motorsports is rebuilding and
fine tuning their fast Radical
SR3 for the 25 and teaming with
Radical West to run a second car.
“We are bringing the same
spec Radical SR3 back with some
minor adjustments,” Shafer said.
“As we learned last year, being
fast doesn’t necessarily mean
winning the race. There were
some engine reliability problems
that cost us the overall win. We
will be changing the engine to a
slightly more conservative spec.
Other than that we will have
the same drivers as last year,
including John Falb, George Kurtz,
Lee Alexander and myself.”
12
On Mixed-Class Racing
Often we are on track together
with cars on different classes,
different speeds and different
handling characteristics. Some
scenarios come up from time to
time in which — although you
have your own race to contend
with — you should take into
consideration what’s going on
around you in the other classes.
It’s important to do mixedclass racing well, because it
happens in all NASA regions.
There is nothing more boring
than being out on track and
the cars in your class have
either checked out, or you have
checked out on them and you
are now seemingly the only car
14
on track with nobody to play
with. This does not mean you
should go into defensive mode
when faster out-of-class cars
catch you on track. They have
their own race to manage.
By engaging them, you are
likely not making any friends. I
have seen on several occasions
a pack of cars catching a back
marker, only to have the back
marker drive defensively,
interfering with their respective
race and in some worst case
scenarios, get involved in a crash
because they had “the right
to be there” mentality. Words
I live by out on track are right
from the CCR, section 25.4.2:
“Lastly, remember that, even
though you have the “right of
way” it may not be smart to insist
upon it. You may be involved in a
collision that was not your fault,
but you may end up crashing your
car, sustaining damage, getting
hurt, or at the very least being
punted out of the race. The other
driver may get penalties, but that
will not help you fix your car, get
your position back, or get you
out of the hospital any faster.”
Working to help the other
classes get by you will benefit you
later when you are in the pack of
cars trying to work past a back
marker. Everybody wins when we
work together. — Shawn Meze
Brett Becker
NE WS
15
NE WS
Toyo Support Available at 2013 25
Hours of Thunderhill
All qualified participants and
their qualifying support team
members will have access to
free meals at the Toyo Tires
hospitality area on Friday,
Saturday and Sunday during the
race event. During practice on
Friday, guests are welcome to
a morning breakfast, and can
dine on snacks, lunch, dinner
and beverages. Saturday’s
race day will have all meals
available from breakfast to
dinner while Sunday morning
guests will receive breakfast.
“While Toyo Tires supports
all NASA endurance racing
throughout the year with an
excellent contingency program,
the 25 Hours of Thunderhill
represents the culmination of
the efforts made by all racing
competitors throughout the
year,” said Marc Sanzenbacher,
senior manager, Competition
Performance Products Division,
Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. “Toyo Tires
continues its efforts to give back
to the dedicated NASA racers who
compete on Toyo Proxes tires.”
Registration for this special
program is limited. All purchases
must be made through
Thunderhill AIM Tire at (530)
934 5588 ext. 118 or http://www.
thunderhillaimtire.com/, or AIM
Tire at (707) 938-9193 or www.
aimtire.com by November 25th.
Photo Courtesy of Toyo Tires
Toyo Tires returns to the
25-Hours of Thunderhill on
December 6-8 to once again
offer VIP treatment for racers
competing exclusively on the Toyo
Proxes line of tires. The program
applies to racers using the Toyo
Proxes RS1, Proxes RR, Proxes
R888, Proxes RA1 and Proxes R1R.
The Official Tire of NASA,
Toyo Tires once again will roll
out the red carpet for loyal
Toyo Tires racers. Registered
participants will receive free
mounting and balancing services
from Thunderhill AIM Tire on
all preorders and via trackside
service at Thunderhill Raceway
Park from December 6-8.
16
Correction
line in third place, but was
disqualified following the postrace technical inspection. Third
place was then awarded to Brett
Westcott, driving the No. 58
Nissan Sentra, shown here.
HeadOnPhotos.net
In our October National
Championships issue, we
listed No. 20 Bruce Pendleton
as the third-place finisher
in Performance Touring E.
Pendleton did cross the finish
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17
NE WS
Ask National
:Why do aluminum seats
require a back brace but
composite seats do not?
Q
A
: All seats require a back
brace, except those that are
current with FIA regulations.
Those seats, specified by FIA,
were designed to operate
differently in that they would
flex in a crash, thus lessening
the stresses on the driver. While
aluminum may flex, it’s not likely to
spring back to its original position
during the crash. That is why none
of the aluminum seats are listed
or have the FIA certification.
: Why engine coolant not
permitted in race cars?
Q
A
: Engine coolant is permitted.
In fact, unless it’s an aircooled engine you won’t
get very far without coolant.
Coolant can be various
materials such as water or a mixture
of water and Water Wetter®, a
product of Redline. However, use of
ethylene glycol based coolant, either
all or in part, is prohibited because
if dumped on the racing surface it’s
very slippery. With the recent advent
of some new products, we expect
the wording of this rule to change for
next year to be even more restrictive.
Do you have a question for
the NASA National staff? Send
them to SpeedNewsEditor@
drivenasa.com. SN
18
NASA SoCal
Welcomes USC
Researchers
Researchers from the
University of Southern
California sat in on the last
event of the NASA SoCal’s
race season at Buttonwillow
Raceway Park to begin
gathering data on the effects
of motor racing on the human
body. Dr. Patrick Wiita and
Dr. David Baron of the USC
Keck School of Medicine are
heading the study. Dr. Baron,
who has done previous
research with the National
Hot Rod Association as that
organization’s medical review
officer, is keying in on the
environmental effects of racing
There is no Click to Win
winner this month. Look
for this month’s Click to
on not only drivers but also
crew and support people within
reach of the sound waves.
“I’ve always had this
interest in motorsports,”
Baron said. “One of the things
we’re interested in looking
at, and I have an interest in
safety in all sports, and Pat,
with his involvement as one
of our psychiatric residents
here but also being a racecar
driver himself, is there an
effect to being exposed
to these very loud noises
on an ongoing basis?”
Wiita and Baron are just
getting started with their
data gathering. They hope
to publish the study in a
scholarly journal in the interest
of enhancing safety in motor
racing. Speed News will follow
the story as it develops. We
hope to deliver a feature on it
when the study has concluded.
Win contest on the “In
Gear” pages, which have
a number of great new
products you can use on
racecars and street cars.
We’ll pick the next
winner at random and
announce it in the February
2014 issue of Speed News.
19
IN GE AR
1 > > ClampTite Tool
The ClampTite tool provides a way of
tightening wires wrapped around an object
and then locking it in place. It eliminates
space as well as strength issues, often
encountered with worm gear clamps.
ClampTite makes temporary or permanent
clamping mechanisms formed from
stainless-steel safety wire. Clamps formed
using ClampTite seal a full 360 degrees
with no flat spots and can be used to band
any type or size material. There’s a neat
instructional video here: $70 to $130.
www.clamptitetools.com
1
2 > > ProCharger i-1 Variable
Boost Supercharger
With an intelligent control system and an
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switch between three factory supplied
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the heat transfer associated with enginetop mounting or an exhaust interface.
Personalized display screens and data
logging are also available. $8,565.
www.procharger.com
2
3 > > RaceCapture/Pro
Autosport Labs has introduced
RaceCapture/Pro, a data acquisition and
telemetry system. NASA rules for the 25
Hours of Thunderhill now allow live car-topit telemetry. RaceCapture/Pro with real
time telemetry streams racecar data live
to www.race-capture.com, so crew in the
pits and fans worldwide can follow a race
team’s data. Loaded with features such as
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and high-speed sampling for sensors,
it also features a Bluetooth-connected
real-time dash app, turning a phone or
tablet into a cost-effective dashboard
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$528, with Bluetooth add-on, $577.
www.autosportlabs.com
20
3
IN GE AR
4 > > ACT Flywheel
4
Advanced Clutch Technology just released
its new Streetlite flywheel, the for the
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The Streetlite is a lightweight, single-mass
upgrade from the dual-mass OE flywheel
for these applications. Each ACT flywheel
is certified to meet SFI Specification
1.1 standards, making them legal for
competition where SFI 1.1 certification is
required or recommended. It weighs 18.75
pounds, which is 37.9 percent lighter than
the stock flywheel, resulting in quicker
engine response and acceleration. $730.
www.advancedclutch.com
5 > > Mr. Gasket Micro Electric
Fuel Pump
Mr. Gasket’s Micro Electric Fuel Pumps are
compatible with all fuels and additives,
and feature solid-state, worry-free
electronics. The pumps eliminate vapor
lock and flooding. It works well as a
fuel transfer pump and makes a great
stand-alone or booster pump. Rated for
35 gallons per hour, the pump works on
12-volt negative ground systems only.
Includes fittings and mounting hardware
along with easy to follow instructions. $47
www.mrgasket.com
5
6 > > Borg Warner EFR Turbos
With a range of units supporting 225
to 1,000 horsepower per turbocharger,
BorgWarner’s EFR Series offers an
unprecedented combination of advanced
technologies designed to boost the
performance of smaller engines. They
feature low-weight, race-proven GammaTi turbine wheels and shaft assemblies
for quick boost response. Patent-pending
ceramic ball bearings increase thrust
capacity and durability while improving
turbine efficiency at low expansion ratios.
Prices range from about $2,100 to $3,850.
The B2 8374 model shown is $3,483.47.
www.turbodriven.com
22
6
[
GOPRO MOVE OF THE MONTH
Simon Pavlick was dicing with
another car in Honda Challenge,
trying to sneak past him when
he had to make a few corrections
to avoid his competitor and a
spinning out-of-class Porsche 911.
“I had made a move similar to
this a few laps prior, undercutting
the Civic’s line, and made a
mistake myself and couldn’t
make it stick,” Pavlick said. “I
set it up again hoping that the
Porsche would take a tighter
line and entice the Civic to stay
more midtrack, allowing me to
undercut his line to the apex
]
and hopefully get it to stick,
side-by-side from there.”
Well, sometimes even the
best-laid plans change, as did
Pavlick’s. When the Porsche spun,
Pavlick steered to avoid it and
his competitor, dropped down a
gear and resumed the chase.
Do you have video of some great driving, crash footage, or awesome racing moves? Edit them down to less
than a minute, upload them to YouTube and send the link to us. We’ll pick the best of the best and publish
it in Speed News for all your NASA friends to see. Email links to: [email protected]
23
TOOLSHED ENGINEER
PIT WAGON
— Story and photos by Rob Krider
E
very good race team has
some sort of pit wagon. They
have them because they are
very handy when it comes to
moving things around the
paddock. Formula 1 teams
use custom gas-powered wagons
assembled with big screen TVs,
nitrogen tanks and latte machines.
NASA racers usually just roll with a
kid’s wagon from Toys-R-Us and an
aluminum jack from Harbor Freight.
In either case, or with either
budget, a pit wagon is a must.
If you have kids, there’s a pretty
good chance you have a wagon
somewhere at your house that isn’t
being used anymore. Who wants to
play with a boring old wagon when
Grand Theft Auto V just came out
on Playstation and Xbox? It turns
out, nobody. So with that rusting
unused child’s toy, you can create
a handy pit cart without spending a
ton of money. All you need is some
sandpaper, some spray paint,
some stickers and you are in
business.
I stole my kids’ wagon — they
didn’t even notice — and decided
to put something together to help
our team move gas cans around
the paddock. Understanding
NASA’s rules for endurance racing
in the E3, E2 and E1 classes, you
know you must use approved fivegallon jugs for fueling. The rules
also indicate you aren’t allowed to
store fifty of these jugs in the
paddock. Nobody wants that much
flammable material lying around for
a spark. That means after each pit
stop, somebody has to make a run
to the fuel pumps to get more gas
24
before the next pit stop. A team
member has to get the empty cans
all the way across the large
paddock and then get the filled and
heavy cans back to the pits for the
next stop. A kid’s wagon is the
perfect thing to make this job easy.
Fill up the gas and start pulling.
I can tell you from experience
that plastic wheels are not what
you’re looking for. They are noisy
and they don’t provide any
suspension for the load — the
teetering 10 gallons of flammable
liquid. We have found that wagons
with pneumatic tires are better.
Well, they’re better until the
pneumatic tire goes flat — and they
do — and then they suck. To
combat this issue, we mounted a
spare tire to the bottom of our
wagon just in case. To trick the
wagon out a bit more, we painted
the bed of the wagon with a spray
can of generic Line-X. We also
replaced all of the nuts and bolts
with stainless steel materials
because we knew the pit wagon
would end up in rainy weather and
have all sorts of corrosive materials
spilled all over it.
To really make our pit wagon a
part of our team, we sanded it
down and spray painted it to match
our race car. We slapped some
stickers on it and turned a useless
child’s toy into a sharp-looking and
useful tool for the pit crew during
the race. And after the race, a bag
of ice and some cold beers make
this pit wagon very popular at the
track. SN
Before > > If you have kids, chances are you have a rusting old unused wagon
sitting beside your toolshed. Without spending any real money, you can take
this beat up old toy and create a handy tool for the pit crew.
25
Gas Cans > > This is where the pit
cart will earn its money, running
fuel cans to the pumps for race
gas. This will save your back,
keep you from spilling gas all over
yourself while trying to carry 10
gallons of fuel and also make you
look like a professional.
Gas Cans > >
The problem with
pneumatic tires is
they are filled with
air, which means
they like to go
flat. We fixed that
problem with a
spare tire mounted
to the bottom of the
pit cart.
Storage > > By drilling two holes in the
leading edge of the wagon pan, we
found a way to hang the wagon from
the wall of the trailer on two large
hooks. This keeps the wagon out of the
way until it’s needed.
After > > A little
sanding (OK, a lot of
sanding), some spray
paint, new tires, and
some vinyl stickers
and you have yourself
a cool pit wagon. The
bed of the wagon was
sprayed with generic
Line-X
26
27
LEAPOF
FAITH
Story by Don Alexander
Photos by Brett Becker
HOW TO MAKE THE
MOST OF RACE STARTS
28
For restarts, it usually pays to stay in line (for aerodynamic benefits)
until entering Turn 1, where you may be able to out-brake the car ahead.
“Races are not won at the start,
but many are lost.” This old adage
is technically correct, since all
races are won when the leader
takes the checker on the last lap.
A driver certainly can throw away
a race at the start, but a smart
driver also can gain a significant
advantage with heads-up driving
when the green flag waves.
Say you qualified fifth in your
spec class, so you will start from
the inside of row three when the
field rolls down the front straight
for the green flag. Starting on
the inside has some advantages,
but when the flag waves and you
accelerate, you notice a couple
of competitors coming down the
inside from behind. You are forced
to move to the inside to defend
against an inside pass, which,
in turn, causes the car on the
inside of row two to move to the
inside to defend against you.
There is no room to the
outside since the outside line
is moving to the inside as the
first turn approaches. You are
boxed in. You reach the braking
point for Turn 1 and you are
forced to brake since the cars
in front are braking and you
have nowhere to go. But as you
slow, two cars from the outside
of rows four and five flash past
on the outside, gaining several
positions. Your first thought is,
“Where did they come from?”
Let’s take a ride in the car
starting from the outside of row
five. This driver was a little off
the pace in qualifying, managing
only the 10th fastest time. As
he approaches the start/finish
line before the green, the driver
moves slightly to the outside. The
pace is fairly slow for the start,
Turn 1 is fairly fast and this driver
knows that there is no reason
to brake going into Turn 1 since
the entry speed will be below
that of a normal flying lap.
When the green flag waves
and the field accelerates, the
driver in 10th qualifying spot
moves to the outside. This driver
plans to find a path into Turn 1
that will allow him a clear path
ahead so that braking will not be
necessary. The car in front has a
similar plan. But when the normal
braking point is reached, most
cars begin applying the brakes.
When the turn-in point is reached,
most of the cars in front turn in,
attempting to take the ideal line.
The car starting on the outside
of row four does not brake, but
turns in at the normal spot. Since
everyone in front is trying for the
optimum line and several cars are
braking at the entry, there is a big
bottleneck and the eighth qualifier
must slow. The 10th qualifier has
stay off line to the outside, has
a clear path in front at the entry,
does not slow and gains five
positions, only slowing when the
front two rows exit on the optimum
line to the outside of the turn. The
10th place starter is now in fifth,
and has the entire race to work
on the cars in front. Without the
bold move at the start, he would
never have had an opportunity
to shoot for a podium finish.
The point of this is simple. It
is rare to have a start on a road
course where you reach top
speed before entering Turn 1
on a start, or even on a restart.
Braking points change, more
lines through the corner become
possible and opportunities are
present if you look for them. Most
drivers do not, and get caught
up in the resulting traffic jam,
which can result in a melee.
29
IT HELPS TO
KNOW THE
FOLLOWING ABOUT
STARTS AT THE
TRACK WHERE
YOU ARE RACING,
ABOUT YOUR
CAR AND ABOUT
THE STARTER:
t What is the likely speed on
the pace lap?
t Where will the starter wave
the green flag relative to the
front row position on the track?
t What will the drivers around
you likely do at the start?
t Do you need to brake into the
first turn from the likely
starting speed?
t What is the best position to
take in Turn 1 for the best entry
into Turn 2?
t Can you take Turn 1 flat out
at the likely entry speed based
on the starting speed?
t If on the inside row, will you
likely have the option to move
to the outside?
WHAT TO LOOK
FOR AS YOU COME
DOWN FOR THE
GREEN FLAG, OR
RIGHT AFTER THE
GREEN WAVES ON
A STANDING START:
t Are the cars in front or behind
moving laterally?
t Can they gain position on you
under acceleration?
t Could wheel spin be a factor?
t Will you need to defend to the
inside?
t Can you get a good run to the
outside, even if you are on the
inside row?
t Is anyone coming up the inside
too fast, which may cause a
spin to the outside?
Before we go too far analyzing
techniques and scenarios, it
would be a good idea to look at
the NASA rules covering race
starts. So, before we continue,
click here read Section 20.5
THE ROLLING
START
This is by far the most common
method used to start a road race.
Normally, but certainly not always,
a pace car leads the field around
for a pace lap, dives into the pit
lane before the green flag waves
and the car on pole maintains that
pace until the green flag flies and
the race is officially under way. I
say officially under way because
the real race started at least
half a lap ago. That’s when each
competitor should be analyzing the
competition, positions on the track,
who is around you and what you
are going to try as the race begins.
Let’s look at several considerations
based on your starting position.
If you can watch the starter
wave other race groups,
you might learn something
about his or her quirks or
body language that you
can’t see from behind the
wheel.
30
Knowing the acceleration capabilities of the cars around is helpful at the
start, particularly in endurance races like the 25 Hours of Thunderhill.
FROM THE POLE
Starting from the pole position
offers several advantages. The
most obvious is an advantage
going into the first turn. But there
are others that are lesser known
and may be more important.
In NASA races, there are most
often mixed classes and it is not
unusual to have very different
types of cars on the front row.
Lap times may be close, but how
each car achieved those times can
vary. One car may have superior
acceleration and top speed, while
the other car has better handling
and higher cornering speeds.
If you happen to be in the car
with better acceleration and on
the pole, you have a significant
advantage at the start. You should
easily win the drag race to Turn 1. If
you have the better handling car on
the pole, and your front row mate
has the acceleration edge, you
are at a disadvantage. What can
you do? You want to minimize that
disadvantage, of course. But how?
The first thing is to have a clue
about where the real advantage
lies with your car and the outside
front row car. You know your are
at an acceleration disadvantage,
but how about under braking? You
likely can reverse the disadvantage
when you reach the first braking
zone. But if the starting pace is
slow, the first braking zone may not
be Turn 1. If that is case, and you
are in the slower accelerating car
on the pole, it is to your advantage
to have the starting pace as fast
as possible so that the outside car
must brake for Turn 1 and you may
not need to slow due to superior
handling and higher cornering
speeds. Even if you must brake,
you gain back the advantage.
But there is another element
just as important, and this would
apply to either car in the previous
scenario. You want a pace that
takes advantage of your car’s
characteristics. The slowest pace
is best for the car with good
acceleration. A fast pace is best
for the car with superior handling.
But for both competitors, you
want a pace that puts your engine
rpm at peak torque. Peak torque
in any gear will give you the
best acceleration. For the higher
powered car, wheel spin may be
an issue, but that is somewhat
unusual. And the hope is that
your ideal rpm is not good for
the other front-row car. Of course
in a spec class, this makes no
difference at all, since both
cars are theoretically equal.
The next factor, which can be
the most important depending on
track layout, is how the pole car
positions itself laterally for the
green flag. What is not stated in
the rules is that the pole position
driver can choose where to place
the pole car laterally on the
track, of course leaving racing
room for the outside car. We will
examine this more a little later.
“RACES ARE NOT WON AT THE
START, BUT MANY ARE LOST.”
31
FROM THE
OUTSIDE
FRONT ROW
This can be a great place to
start, limited only by the pace set
by the pole driver and the lateral
placement of the pole car. In most
cases, staying to the outside
entering Turn 1 is desirable, but the
situation will dictate tactics. The
biggest danger here is not lining up
evenly next to the pole car. If you
move ahead, you risk a black flag
or an aborted start. Drop back and
you lose the opportunity to attack
for the lead and you become more
vulnerable to attacks from behind.
FROM THE
INSIDE ROW
Here you have two big decisions
as the green flag waves. First
is whether to attack or defend.
Second is whether to move to
the inside or outside. It is almost
always better to move to the
outside, but you are at the mercy
of the car to your outside as to if,
when and how far you can move
to the outside. Move to the inside
if you cannot go outside early, or
if you can either out-accelerate
or get a jump on the car in front,
or if you know you can out-brake
the car in front and the car in front
is not moving to the inside. The
most crowded spot on the track
is the apex of Turn 1 after the race
start, so be aware! The inside
can be a risky spot at the start.
FROM THE
OUTSIDE ROW
The biggest advantage for the
outside row is plenty of room to
32
move to the outside. Moving to the
outside is often the most desirable
tactic at the start. You have a
better line, less traffic, more room
and usually less risk. But you also
leave yourself more open to inside
attacks from behind. However,
if the car in front does not move
outside, or moves to the inside, you
have a very good chance of gaining
tactical position on that car either
entering Turn 1, or more likely at the
exit. And if that car is on the inside,
it will act as a pick for you, blocking
inside attacks from behind. This is
especially good if the next turn is
the opposite direction from Turn 1.
In either scenario, inside or
outside, a race start is a dynamic,
fluid time on the race track,
filled with opportunities and
risks. Situational awareness is
crucial and something worth
practicing. You must know what
is happening around you to gain
position at the start of the race.
You can also set yourself up for
failure at the start by relinquishing
the advantage to other drivers.
Which leads us directly to the two
biggest mistakes most drivers,
regardless of grid position,
make at the start of a race.
THE BIG MISTAKES
NO. 1: LATERAL
POSITIONING
If you are the pole car, you want
to be sure to exit the last turn on
to the starting straight as far to
the outside of the straight leading
into Turn 1. In other words, if Turn
1 is a left turn, you want to stay
to the right as much as possible.
For some reason, most drivers,
when starting from the pole, exit
the last turn so they approach the
start from near the middle of the
track. Unless the outside front
row car moves over, the pole car
is stuck off of the optimum line. In
some cases, this is not an issue,
especially if the pole car does not
need to reduce speed into Turn 1.
The rules are very clear on
alignment of rows, but there is
nothing in the rules about lateral
positioning on the track. The
pole car has free reign for lateral
positioning, as long as he allows
racing room for the outside car.
Conversely, if the pole car stays to
the inside for Turn 1 approaching
the green flag, there is nothing to
stop the outside car from staying
close laterally to the pole car,
effectively forcing the pole car onto
a less desirable line into Turn 1.
There is nothing in the rules that
says the outside car must stay
to the outside of the track. The
outside car only needs to leave
racing room for the inside car.
Another case occurs when the
last turn and the first turn are the
same direction. If the outside front
row driver holds a tight line through
the last turn, then the inside driver
may be forced to stay farther to
the inside than is desirable. One
trick for the pole car is to jump
slightly ahead of the outside car
so that the pole position driver can
control the exit line for optimum
lateral positioning. It doesn’t take
much to maintain the controlling
position here. And technically,
the outside driver is the one who
must maintain lateral position next
to the pole car. The risk is that if
the acceleration to get ahead of
the outside car is significant, the
pole car may be caught out for
acceleration prior to the green flag,
which is not legal. But then racing
is really about managing risks
In this start, you can see the
pole driver is on the inside for
the first turn, but he could have
positioned himself a bit farther to
the outside on the front straight
and still left room for the P2 car.
NO. 2: TURN
1 SPEED
Entry speed going into Turn 1
at the start of a race is the area
nearly all drivers botch. Many
positions can be gained by astute
drivers based on the simple fact
that nearly all drivers, use the
same braking point, even if off
line, approaching Turn 1 even
though the entry speed can be
many mph slower. If the start/
finish line is close to Turn 1, if
Turn 1 is fairly fast, and if the
pace is slow enough, you often
do not even need to brake for
Turn 1 after the green flag.
However, you may have to
brake to avoid other cars slowing
for Turn 1. While this may seem
to be thinking “outside the box,”
it’s really just knowing your car
and exercising good judgment
in traffic. Here is an example.
Willow Springs International
Raceway near Rosamond, Calif.,
has a long start/finish straight.
Turn 9 is a decreasing radius, but
very fast right-hander leading
onto the straight. Turn 1 is a quick
90-degree left. I’ve made dozens
of starts there and was the chief
instructor of a racing school there
for a time. In most cars, under
racing conditions, Turn 1 requires
heavy braking. But for race starts,
since the start/finish line is closer
to Turn 1 than Turn 9, and pace
lap speeds are usually on the
slow side, it is unusual to need
to brake, except for very fast race
cars, entering Turn 1 after the
green flag. But most drivers do.
This creates many opportunities
for passing, but also presents
some degree of risk. For the
same reason many drivers brake
unnecessarily, most drivers
attempt to follow the “proper”
racing line. That also is not
necessary in most cases.
So how do you take
advantage of this slower
corner entry situation?
First, having a predetermined
strategy rarely works, unless
you are on the pole and have at
least a little knowledge of the
driver and car starting to the
outside. The situation is too
dynamic and fluid for plans to
be effective. So the best plan
is an open mind. Situational
awareness is very important.
Know what you and your car
can do, watch everything around
you and look for openings. Take
decisive action based on the input
you receive and how you see the
situation developing. It’s a good
idea to have some sort of escape
route planned as well. Keep in
mind that aggressive race starts
come with significant risks. And
most times, someone around you
will do something unexpected,
forcing you to trash your plan
and devise a new one quickly.
33
THE STANDING
START
The big difference is the launch.
If you have drag racing experience,
you are ahead of the game. If not,
practice the launch. Know the best
rpm range for the launch, then be
decisive when the race goes green.
Do not slip the clutch, especially if
you have a competition clutch. A
little tire spin in the first few feet is
good. That helps keep the engine
from bogging down and losing
power. Once the track goes green,
everything previously discussed
about rolling starts applies.
RESTARTS
The restart looks easier than a
race start, but rarely are in reality.
For road racing, restarts are
somewhat unusual and generally
in single file. There is usually more
leeway for speed approaching the
starter stand, the starter will often
throw the green earlier than for a
race start, and it usually pays to
stay in line until entering Turn 1
(for aerodynamic benefits) where
you may be able to out-brake the
car ahead. The biggest mistake is
not staying close enough to the
car ahead and failing to accelerate
when the green flies. Do not wait
for the car ahead to accelerate.
This is a good time to rely more on
radio communication than visual
input, especially if you are not
near the front of the restart line. A
restart is treated more like a racing
situation than the start of a race.
If you are aggressive on the
start, be prepared to abort your
plan and hold position. Waiting
for another passing opportunity
is better than a spin or crash.
Keep in mind that racing,
especially race starts, unlike
34
In a previous GoPro move of the month, we see how taking a
heads-up approach to Turn 1 can be advantageous. Planning
goes out the window based on conditions on the ground.
Once you get the car off and running during a standing start,
everything previously discussed about rolling starts applies.
most other sports, require you
to play offense and defense
simultaneously. If you do not,
you are setting yourself up for
lost opportunities, for attack and
lost positions. And that is what
makes the start of a road race
one of the most challenging and
exciting events in all of sport.
Race drivers typically fall
into three categories, at least
for race starts. There are the
overly aggressive drivers lacking
excellent situational awareness.
They often fall off the track, hit
other cars, spin or crash. But they
also often have good car control
skills. And as we used to say
to racing students, “It’s a good
thing they have good car control
skills, because they need them.”
Then there are the conservative
drivers who really do not like
the race start. They usually
do not cause problems, but
sometimes do, usually by being
too slow at the entry to Turn 1.
This causes other drivers to take
evasive action and probably
causes others drivers to ditch
there brilliant start strategy.
And finally, there are the
aggressive drivers with excellent
situational awareness and car
control skills, possessing a high
level of confidence who relish
race starts. They often move up a
few spots, or if starting from the
front, gain a second or two on the
field on the first lap. They also
occasionally end up like the first
group, off the track backwards
or in the fence! The first group is
the wild card, while the second
is much more predictable and
therefore, easier to cope with.
The last group either wins or
goes from hero to zero quickly.
But then again, if it were
easy, anyone could do it.SN
THINGS TO
REMEMBER
In the heat of battle, which
is much hotter at the start of a
race, here are some important
items to remember:
tBe in the right gear for maximum
acceleration.
tShift before you hit the rev limiter.
tUnless otherwise stated in the
driver’s meeting, when the track
goes green, you are free to pass
and choose whatever line is available to you without running into
someone or something. Sometimes
you cannot pass until the crossing
the start/finish line.
tWill you need to brake for
Turn 1?
t What is the “new” braking point
for Turn 1 with a lower car speed
and on different lines?
t Know who is around you, especially to the rear.
tWatch the starter for the green –
do not rely solely on radio communications.
tClean and heat your tires on the
pace lap! Remember that lateral
scrubbing mostly cleans debris
from the tread while hard acceleration and especially braking generates the most heat.
It’s good to have an escape route in mind when going
through the first turn after a crowded start.
tWatch your pace lap line and
avoid areas of the track that are
dirty or debris-laden.
35
THEPARTY
PLANNER
By Gregg Mansfield
Sam Wang
THE KEY TO
STAGING A
SUCCESSFUL
RACE LIES IN
ALL THE
DETAILS.
36
When slipping past a car
on a tight turn at your favorite
track, it’s easy to overlook
what made it all possible.
Part of it stems from your
driving ability — naturally — but
NASA regional directors, who
spend hours sweating the small
details, make a fun weekend at
the track possible. Sure, you pay
an entry fee for the privilege, but
ask anyone who has had to stage
an event, whether it’s a wedding
or a car show, and they will tell
you how much work it can be.
“It’s like throwing a party at your
house,” said Chris Cobetto, director
of the NASA Mid-Atlantic Region
and HyperFest event. “You have to
have good food, good drink, things
to entertain people, and make
sure people are moving around.”
Now multiply that by a hundred.
Chances are if the race weekend
went smoothly—beyond how
well you finished—the organizers
did their job. NASA’s 16 regions
put on more than 150 events
during a year and organizing
those races is no small task,
so we wanted to go behind the
scenes to see what it’s like.
SIGN UP
From the comforts of home,
the process of signing up for an
event seems simple. Fill out an
online registration form, check the
correct boxes, pay the fee with a
credit card and a few weeks later
show up to the track to race.
Behind the scenes the process
is more involved, especially if
the racer signs up for an HPDE1
event. It requires organizers to
find a qualified instructor and
pair them with the right student.
Additionally the organizer has to
make sure paperwork is correctly
filled out and gets to the track.
“We’re planning every single
part of the participant’s day ahead
of time,” said Will Faules, national
event manager for NASA. “When
you are a racer you might not
realize all that goes into an event
until you are on the other side,
whether working it or organizing it.”
Technology has helped
streamline the process from
registration to tracking
lap times. NASA has spent
more than $500,000 on its
electronic capabilities over
the past decade, said Ryan
Flaherty, national chairman.
“That was done so the
member could spend the most
amount of personal time at the
racetrack,” Flaherty said. “They
no longer have to stand in line
to go through registration and
us asking for their emergency
contact information and to show
us their license. We can do all of
that electronically and not have
to bother the member for that.”
NASA members enjoy consistency from
region to region. Tech stickers are good
nationwide and events are run the same
way regardless of region.
Whether a NASA member
decides to race in the Great
Lakes region and then trailer
the car to the Florida region for
a competition, they’ll notice
many similarities between the
events. The national organization
felt it was important to use a
Brett Becker
COMMON
EXPERIENCE
37
common registration system as
well as one tech sticker that is
good across all the regions.
But the one-size-fits-all
template doesn’t work at all
tracks, especially facilities with
noise laws or ordinances that
restrict racing on Sunday.
“We have to design our schedule
and design the curriculum to fit
within those parameters,” Flaherty
38
said. “There is definitely a degree
where each track offers different
nuances. But in terms of running
the HPDE program, we’re going
to have X number of sessions
during the day and we want to
follow this particular curriculum.”
Some regions may choose to
add elements such as live music,
but the core racing elements
remain the same. Concerts or
barbecues add to the festival
element during the weekend.
Cobetto said that festival
element is important, especially
at events like HyperFest, the
annual July event that attracts
upward of 15,000 people.
“I remember a long time ago
where you’d go to a race, and
it was a race that was the main
thing. It wasn’t the stuff all around
Brett Becker
When a NASA member signs up
for HPDE1, a regional director
needs to be sure there are enough
instructors to go around.
seen on more than one occasion
where a vendor helped a driver
get parts late at night.
Regional directors like Cobetto
know that time is crucial to
staging a successful event. The
earlier details can be taken care
of, the more time they have to
deal with unexpected issues or
answer last-minute questions.
Cobetto likes to have most of
the operational details completed
about 20 days prior to an event.
“I’m by nature more of a wing it
type of person,” he said. “(But) if I
can have most of it prepared ahead
of time, I won’t have as much at
the event that I have to wing.”
it that was important,” Cobetto
said. “Now people’s attention
spans are relatively short and
people are used to having instant
gratification and their minds
stimulated all of the time.
“You have to take that into
consideration when doing one of
these events. That’s one of the
reasons (HyperFest) has been so
successful, honestly, because
there is so much going on and
we keep throwing more at it.”
PLANNING AHEAD
Just after the cars left the track
at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in
early July, NASA NorCal and SoCal
officials already were preparing for
the 2014 event at the track near
Monterey, Calif. While that might
seem like overkill, preparations
start a year or more in advance.
Tracks have to be booked,
schedules need to be set and
sponsors have to be rounded up to
make a weekend of racing possible.
“After I finish an event, I’m
already looking ahead to next
year,” Cobetto said. “Besides
picking a date, I’m working on
my marketing materials to get
sponsors interested in the event.
A lot of sponsors are making
decisions now (September
and October) on what they
are going to do next year.”
Sponsors are the key to keeping
costs down for the racers. Not
only do companies such as Toyo
Tires or Hawk Performance offer
great contingency programs for the
racers, their sponsorship dollars
help offset track expenses.
“Our partners are a huge
part of our success,” Faules
said. “They help keep the
cost of the event down.”
Faules said the support of
vendors and sponsors goes
beyond writing a check. He’s
STAGING AN
EVENT
Putting together an event is
like having a never-ending list of
chores. By the time the first car
gets out on the track, hundreds
of tasks already have been
completed. The list includes
major items such as booking
the safety team, securing the
timing crew and organizing tech
inspection. (And that doesn’t
even include sponsors and
vendors that must be tended to.)
Equipment such as scales,
flashlights, cones, timing
systems, radios and tools for
the inspection process all have
to be trailered to the race site.
Each region generally has enough
equipment to take up about half
a garage. That’s why organizers
maintain lengthy checklists to
make sure nothing is overlooked.
Flaherty points to the
tech process at the National
Championships and how
complicated the process can be.
“We might have cylinder heads
and oil pans coming off the cars
39
Brett Becker
Sam Wang
A regional event with 200 participants will have a
staff of approximately 50 officials, the majority of
which are volunteers.
for inspection of various parts,”
he said. “That’s a very in-depth,
intrusive process that takes a
lot of time, a lot of custody and
monitoring of the various parts
coming off the car. You have to
track and measure the parts
to quantify they are legal.”
A regional event with 200
participants will have a staff of
approximately 50 officials, the
majority of which are volunteers.
A HyperFest event with 700
participants can require a staff
of 175 or greater, Cobetto said.
All of the race organizers are
quick to credit the staff for the
success. Without a dedicated group
of individuals, the 160 events
staged across the various regions
wouldn’t be possible. Or at least at
the high quality that NASA delivers.
John Lindsey, general
counsel for NASA, recalls how
different race weekends are now
compared to 20 years ago.
“I tended to get yelled at a
lot,” Lindsey said. “I took a lot of
that to my role as an official and
40
NASA Mid-Atlantic Regional Director Chris Cobetto said staging a big
event is like being a good drummer. Make things as smooth as possible
and keep things rolling.
I remember how crummy it made
me feel. So I really remember what
it’s like to be on the other side of
the visor. We try to be very kind
and welcoming and always try
to see it from the other side.”
That professionalism extends
to running events and staying
true to the schedule down to
the minute. Staying true to
the schedule, barring a major
incident, is important to the
racers. And if there is a delay,
keeping the racers informed is
equally as important, Faules said
“In a perfect world we’re to the
second on the atomic clocks,”
Faules said. “For example, if a guy
breaks a part in qualifying, he’s
going to want to know how much
time he has to get his car fixed.”
A SUCCESSFUL
EVENT
At the basic level, the definition
of a successful event is one
where no one got hurt and the
participants had fun. On the
business side, hopefully sponsors
and vendors made some sales and
the promoter walked away with a
profit. For the organizer, the best
backhanded compliment they can
receive is how easy it appears to
stage a race. Cobetto compares his
role to playing drums in the band.
“You don’t know he’s a good
drummer for the most part because
his job is to keep things rolling
and be invisible,” Cobetto said.
“A bad drummer you’ll know right
away. The same goes for events.
The idea is to try and make it
as smooth as possible at least
from outward appearances.”
Having run events, Lindsey
knows that organizers are often
up before sunrise and are still
working long after the last car
has left the track for the night.
“The analogy I always use is
that of a duck,” Lindsey said.
“Hopefully all everybody sees is
that duck on the surface making
stately progress when below
the surface its two little legs are
paddling like hell to keep moving.”
DO IT YOURSELF
CAR SHOW
USEFUL TIPS FOR
STAGING YOUR
OWN CAR SHOW.
We spoke with promoters who
are responsible for organizing
dozens of events each year to
get their advice on staging a car
show. They suggest attending
various events from car shows
to triathlons to gather general
impressions of what is being
done right or can be improved.
TIMING IS
EVERYTHING
A three-day holiday weekend
seems like a great time to put on
a car show, but it can be less than
ideal. There’s lots of competition
for the entertainment dollar (think
concerts and street fairs), plus
people often leave town for a long
weekend. Since most events take
place during the summer, consider
late spring or early fall to separate
your car show from the crowd.
PERMITS
Whether the car show takes
place at the local park or the local
shopping center, chances are it’s
going to require a permit from
the local jurisdiction. The agency
will spell out the requirements for
insurance, security, restrooms and
trash. Some municipalities require
that the batteries be removed
from cars in static displays.
Event insurance is a must and
don’t even think of putting on
a car show without it. Consider
policy limits of at least $1 million
or more and go with a reputable
insurance company for coverage.
COVERING COSTS
How are you going to pay for the
car show—car entry fees, sponsors,
admission tickets or vendors?
Set a realistic budget for a firstyear show. Sponsors and vendors
aren’t going to pay big bucks,
especially for an event without
a proven attendance record. Set
reasonable rates because you
want those vendors and sponsors
to come back for a second year.
Charging admission comes
with its own set of challenges.
This usually requires fencing to
keep non-paying customers out
and a worker/security guard at
the front gate to collect money.
The better route might be making
the event open to the public and
creating a charity component.
Charity benefits often get reduced
fees and some charity groups
provide volunteers to help. Plus,
some car owners might be more
likely to participate for a cause
and a potential tax deduction.
ENTERTAINMENT
Thanks to smartphones and
tablets, America’s attention span is
pretty short. While the cars are the
main draw, it’s the entertainment
that will keep attendees around.
Consider hiring local bands to
play, even though it will require
renting a stage and a quality
sound system. Give the kids
something to do such as carnival
games, jumpers or contests.
MARKETING
Crucial to the success is getting
the word out to car enthusiasts
and the general public. A mix
of traditional advertising such
as newspaper ads or radio
commercials combined with a
social media campaign will help
raise awareness. Some car shows
create high-quality posters and
distribute them to area businesses.
Write up press releases and
send them to area publications,
especially if it has a charity
component. There are also free PR
websites that will distribute the
release, albeit on a limited scale.
BE AN
AMBASSADOR
As the event gets closer, the
number of emails and phone
calls increase dramatically. Be
prompt in returning calls or
responding to requests. Not only
might you lose out on a potential
sale, it’s important to have
goodwill going into an event.
That’s why it’s good practice
to complete most of the
organizational tasks at least
two weeks prior to the show. It
allows you to focus on marketing
and responding to inquiries.
Organizing a car show can be
a lot of stress but take time to
have some fun. — G.M. SN
41
REGION SPOTLIGHT
Story and photos by Brett Becker
SOUTHERN
HARMONY
NASA SOUTHEAST AND NASA FLORIDA
CONVERGE AT ROAD ATLANTA FOR
SOME FAST LAPS, NEW FRIENDSHIPS
AND GREAT RACING.
When the University of Georgia
plays the University of Florida
each year in Jacksonville, the
closest to midway you can get
between the schools, it’s anything
but collegial — on the field
and off. They take their college
football seriously in the South.
They take their NASA racing
42
seriously, too, but off the track, it’s
like a gathering of old friends. As
the day’s racing comes to a close,
you can smell wood smoke from
the barbecue and hear the telltale
cracking of beers throughout
the paddock. NASA Southeast
and NASA Florida joined forces
at Road Atlanta in September —
the weekend after the National
Championships — for a combined
event of HPDE and racing.
You know you’re in the South
because the waitresses all call you
darlin’ and there are Waffle Houses
on both sides of the freeway exit
to the track. You come home with
red Georgia clay clinging to your
shoes and you have to look up
what “kudzu” is in the dictionary.
You also can tell you’re in the
South because of the number
of old Sprint Cup cars on track.
Atlanta is just four hours from
Mooresville, N.C., where you can
pick up used stock cars for a song,
Google Earth Image
and they often live long second
lives in amateur motorsports.
The draw is the racing, of course,
and Road Atlanta is something
special unto itself. Billed as one of
Car and Driver magazine’s six top
road courses in the United States,
Road Atlanta is a spectacular
facility, with a 2.54-mile ribbon
of asphalt and 12 turns making
excellent use of the rolling north
Georgia landscape. One of the
signature stretches of track is “The
Esses,” which winds downhill and
back up, and it’s one of American
motorsports’ most enduring images.
Built in 1970, Road Atlanta is a
fast track. In fact, there are really
only two slow corners. Turn 7, which
leads onto the long, high-speed
back straight. The straight is so
long, it reportedly was used as a
landing strip for drug smugglers’
planes in the 1980s. That’s another
story altogether, but yes, the back
straight really is that long. Then
there is the 10A and 10B chicane
that lead under the bridge, over
the blind Turn 11 and into the fast
downhill Turn 12.
Road Atlanta is a take-noprisoners track. Get it right and
you feel like a superhero. Get it
wrong and the consequences can
be grim. Of the nearly 300 cars
that set a wheel on the track that
September weekend, we counted
seven that left on a flatbed.
NASA Southeast Regional
Director Jim Pantas and Florida
Regional Director Jon Felton had
no trouble filling the paddock of
this bucket-list track, and they put
on a huge Carolina-style barbecue
Saturday night as the two regions
celebrated a weekend of fantastic
racing. Our thanks go out to Jim and
Jon and the racers in the Southeast
and Florida regions for the warm
welcome and the spectacular
racing.
We hope readers in all regions
enjoy this spotlight as much as we
enjoyed putting it together. SN
43
1
5
2
7
3
4
44
6
1 > Werner Stark puts on a
4 > One of the American Iron
7 > One of the fastest cars
clinic of how to get through Road
Atlanta’s Turn 3 the fast way.
cars featred a Lightning McQueen
theme. Look for a full story
on this car in a later issue.
on track is Joe Freda’s Outlaw
Vintage Camaro, which had a
significant tire rub in Turn 1 in one
of Saturday’s morning sessions.
2 > NASA Florida’s Chris
Wells trailered his TTE Miata
to Road Atlanta from Orlando,
an eight-hour tow.
3 > These cars are quick with
four cylinder engines. The
addition of an aluminum LS V8
made this HPDE car even faster.
5 > They have lots of old Sprint
Cup cars in NASA Southeast,
but this Daytona Prototype
was a show-stopper.
6 > American Iron and
Outlaw Vintage cars head
down into “Gravity’s Cavity,”
the downhill portion of the
esses at Road Atlanta.
45
The Saturday evening party consisted of Carolina-style pulledpork barbecue, which you could either wash down with beer or
some of the Southeast’s finest sweet tea. The lines were long,
but the pig was worth the wait
46
Start them out young.
Start them out right.
Some guys have all the luck. Paddock life at Road Atlanta.
Come race time, spectators drive up to the hilltop overlooking the esses for one of the best seats in the house at Road Atlanta.
47
Before
&After
Early in the day, this
Honda Civic was chasing
Thunder Roadsters in Turn 1.
By the end of the day, Road
Atlanta had claimed it.
Team Patton’s Checker
Cab-themed Spec E30 was
punted into a wall heading
into the 10A chicane. This
one likely won’t buff out.
Road Atlanta is just four hours from Mooresville,
N.C., where you can pick up used Sprint Cup cars
from NASCAR teams for less than you might think.
48
Thunder Roadster is a growing class in
NASA Southeast. It also showcased some
of the closest racing of the weekend.
An ocean and a whole country away
from home, this right-hand-drive Nissan
Silvia was a rare find in Georgia.
We have yet to see a car that doesn’t look good in
Gulf livery. This SN95 TTS Mustang is no exception.
49
READY
FOR YOUR
Story and photos by Rob Krider
CLOSEUP
SHOWCASE YOUR RACE TEAM IN
YOUR OWN DOCUMENTARY
As NASA racers, we’ve all had that moment
where we’re talking to a nonracer about our racing
team, and they get that blank look on their face.
They have absolutely no concept about what you
are talking about. Inevitably they will ask you, “Is it
like NASCAR?” You answer, “Sort of, but not really.”
Sometimes it’s frustrating when people just
can’t grasp how exciting and dynamic our sport
is. And they certainly can’t grasp the sport being
about speed when you tell them you race a car
like a Nissan Sentra or a Mazda Miata. “Aren’t
those the cars 16-year-old girls drive to high
school?” Sadly the truth is, “Yes, 16-year-old
girls do cruise around in these cars. However, we
have removed the stereo with the Justin Beiber
CD and replaced it with the soundtrack of Toyo
Tires squealing as they slide sideways at 100
mph just inches from another car.” Even with that
explanation, unfortunately, the blank look remains.
I have the solution to this problem. The next
time someone doesn’t understand what our racing
is about, stick a DVD in their hand and tell them,
50
You can’t
make a movie
if you don’t
have footage.
Film, film and
film some
more. You
can’t have
the cameras
on enough
if you want
to capture
the “golden
moments” that
help to tell a
story. Shown
here is Evan
Commins,
who filmed
everything he
could during
the entire
25 Hours of
Thunderhill.
To make this whole thing come together, there is no
more important component than having a good editor.
The editor can make or break a production. Shown
here is Adam Haas, film buff and Adobe Premiere
master, who spent probably about 150 hours putting
together a 77 minute film.
The star of “Double Down” without a doubt was the GoPro camera.
These little cameras are so tough and versatile it is amazing what you
can capture with them. We had two cars, both with three cameras
(dashboard, windshield and rear bumper) running during the entire 25
Hours of Thunderhill, amounting to 150 hours worth of footage.
51
Adobe Premiere editing
software was used to
create the documentary
film “Double Down.” The
program allows you to
view a timeline of video or
sound segments and has
multiple tracks to allow you
the ability to have inset
screens or multiple tracks
of voice and music at the
same time.
Like any commercially available product, the
packaging of your DVD says a lot about the amount
of professionalism your video has to offer. If you have
a friend who is a whiz at Photoshop, buy him a case
of beer and get him to work on it. This DVD cover was
created by my friend, Jeff Balliet in trade for pizza,
beer and fame.
To get your video out to your friends, family and
sponsors you will need to package it in a way that
appears professional. You can purchase DVD cases,
adhesive labels and print your own DVD case covers
which can make your package look sharp.
“Watch this movie and all of your
questions will be answered.”
Which DVD should it be? “Days
of Thunder”? Nope, that’s about
NASCAR. “Senna”? Nope, he
didn’t race a Miata. The “Fast and
The Furious 12”? Please. The only
way to have someone understand
what your race team is about is
to have a film that shows exactly
what your race team is about.
Every race is interesting and every
team has a story. It could be about
a last-minute run to the salvage
yard to get that part you needed
to start the race or about a lastsecond pass for the win. Most
52
Once you have your masterpiece completed and the packaging done,
you need to get it out there for people to see it. You can use Amazon.com
or just mail a copy to your friends and sponsors. Spoiler Alert: Everyone
in my family is getting “Double Down” for Christmas.
teams already have GoPro cameras
in their cars, which means a lot
of footage is already captured.
All that is left to do is edit it all
together and tell the story.
The best way to put together
your own team’s documentary is
to start with a plan. Know what
you want to accomplish and what
you want the final version of the
film to look like, and then execute
a plan to achieve your goal. First
set up your GoPro cameras so
you can capture the best footage
possible. The technical aspects
of in-car filming during races with
hard-wired GoPro Cameras and I/O
Port Racing Supplies’ TVC 15 RadioCamera Interface was covered in
detail in the Toolshed Engineer
column of the June 2013 Speed
News. Using that same setup will
allow for endless in-car filming,
which isn’t hindered by camera
battery life and captures the
audio drama of the conversations
between the crew and drivers. This
audio is what helps tell the story.
Telling the story is probably
the hardest part of making a
film about racing. Just ask Steve
McQueen who made “LeMans”
without an actual script. As much
as watching in-car racing video
is interesting to you and me, the
general public gets bored with
this sort of footage. There has to
be more to the story. Racing has
a lot of drama, but a lot of that
drama is not on the track. Ensure
you have cameras capturing your
guys working and talking behind
the scenes, in the trailer, in the
motorhome and in the paddock.
You’ll be surprised how much of
this is pretty interesting. The rule of
thumb is to film, film and then film
some more. You need hours and
hours of footage about nothing to
ensure the camera is on when that
three second moment of something
interesting goes down. You will be
happy you captured that shot.
Once you have hours and
hours of footage your next task
will be to edit the footage down
to a watchable length. Shorter
is better. As much as you might
think so, you’re not J.J. Abrams yet,
therefore you don’t get to make
a three-hour racing epic. Most
computers come with some version
of film-editing software. The most
simplistic would be Windows
Movie Maker with the most
complicated being Adobe Premiere.
Mac nerds will be huffing
and puffing about their favorite
software here, but I am talking
about making this film on a
reasonable budget. If you’re not a
computer guru or a creative genius
then go find one to help you put
the film together. You are looking
for a film student or an aspiring
director who needs a project to
complete for his or her resumé.
These sorts of people can be found
still living with their parents.
As you create your racing
masterpiece, besides cool shots
TELLING THE STORY IS
PROBABLY THE HARDEST
PART OF MAKING A FILM
53
ENSURE YOUR
FILM TAKES
CARE OF THE
PEOPLE WHO
TAKE CARE
OF YOU
of cars spinning off of the track,
ensure your film takes care of
the people who take care of you,
your sponsors and your crew.
Handing a completed DVD of your
racing team showing product
placement to a sponsor will go
a long way to ensuring you get
another case of Royal Purple Oil.
Letting your crew star in your
film will make sure they come
back to the track to freeze their
butts off and bust their knuckles
YouTube is a great place to distribute and share
your video or a trailer of your video. However, be
careful which music you decide to add because
licensing issues could result in your video being
pulled offline.
54
at 3 o’clock in the morning to
help you finish the race.
Once you have filmed a hundred
hours worth of stuff, ensured
your editor spelled your sponsor’s
name correctly in the credits and
then shortened the film down to a
watchable length, you need to get
the film out to the public. In the
digital age we live in, it is simple
to distribute video footage with
YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.
If you’re not sure where to start,
Once you have
created your
masterpiece of
racing film, create
a short trailer
for the video to
go on YouTube.
This way you can
spread the word
about your little
creation and reach
as many people as
possible.
just ask your teenager what they are
looking at on their iPhone and make
sure your video hits those targets.
One of the complications with
YouTube is licensing issues. If
you use the song “Battery,” by
Metallica during a cool crash
montage in your YouTube video,
chances are the video won’t be
up on YouTube for very long. The
guys in Metallica want their money
and you haven’t paid to use their
song. Therefore the video gets
dropped. So you need to make a
careful decision about the music
you choose for the film, or skip
YouTube altogether and make a
DVD you can hand to your friends
that circumvents the licensing
issue. Just make sure nobody
gives Lars Ulrich from Metallica a
copy, because I guarantee you his
lawyer will be calling very soon.
If you do decide to go the
DVD route, then you will need
to create packaging for the disc.
This includes a cover for the
DVD case and a label for the
disc. Blank printable versions
of all this stuff are commercially
available. This added component
will help your DVD to stand out
from just a blank rewritable disc
labeled by scribbling in Sharpie
“Nationals Race.” If you have a
friend or co-worker who is skilled in
Photoshop, have him or her create
a professional cover for the DVD.
The more time you spend making
the production look professional in
terms of editing and packaging, the
more you will get out of the hard
work. Create something you would
be proud to hand to a prospective
new sponsor. Show them you are a
team they want to be a part of. Even
if that doesn’t come to fruition,
you’ll have a DVD you can give to
your cousin who just can’t seem to
understand, no matter how many
times you explain it to him, what
kind of racing you are involved in.
During the 2012 running of the
25 Hours of Thunderhill, we put the
above plan into action. We chose
to film everything we could and
then created our own documentary
about the 25 Hour experience. The
end result was a film titled “Double
Down.” This production was not
done with a $30,000 budget or a
professional film crew, although, in
my opinion, the end result appears
like a lot of money was spent. In
reality, “Double Down” was created
with six GoPro Hero cameras, an
aspiring film maker (yes, he still
lives with his parents), and a guy
who is awesome at Photoshop.
The process was time consuming
— 10 months to be exact — but
when it was done, we created a
77-minute documentary film to
help explain to the world what
The 25 Hours of Thunderhill is all
about. We had a crew appreciation
party and showed the film to our
friends, and then we put it on DVD
and made it available on Amazon.
com. It was a lot of hard work,
but no matter what happens with
racing in the future, we will always
have the film to remind us of the
longest night of our lives. SN
55
56
[
SHU T T ER SPEED
]
Air Time
Aaron Braverman goes fouroff — the ground — in his
Spec Miata at Thunderhill
Raceway Park in August. Site
of the annual 25 Hours of
Thunderhill presented by the
U.S. Air Force, the racetrack is
nestled in the foothills west
of Willows, in California’s
northern San Joaquin Valley.
The race, and racetrack,
always has surprises in
store for drivers and crew,
and it takes place Dec. 6-8
this year. It’s the longest
closed-course endurance
race in North America, and
teams need to be ready
for anything, including the
possibility of air time.
_______________________
Photos by HeadOnPhotos.net
57
PIECEMEAL
Joel Vandiver’s
2008 Dodge
Challenger is
something of
an oddity in
American Iron.
The story behind
it, and the four
cars it took to
piece it together,
is even odder.
58
You are looking at one of two
Dodge Challengers in American
Iron in the nation. Joel Vandiver
built the car after he decided to
get out of Time Trials and into
American Iron racing. His Time
Trial car was a Dodge Charger
he built from an old police car,
so he wanted a racecar he was
not only familiar with, but also
something that would accept
the powertrain he already had.
The only car that suited his
needs, really, was a Dodge
Challenger, but he was trying
to source a car for cheap back
when that particular model
had only recently returned
to dealer showrooms.
“Dodge wouldn’t sell me a
body,” said Vandiver a firefighter
from Cornelia, Ga. “So I looked
and there was a body listed on
RacingJunk.com. The guy was
from Canada and he said it was
rescued from a junkyard up there
and didn’t get put through the
shredder. So I assumed it had
some kind of defect where they
never finished the assembly on
it. It never had any seam sealer.
It just had whatever they dip
it in after they spot weld it.”
After he bought it, he
EFFORT
Story and photos by Brett Becker
JOEL VANDIVER’S 2008 DODGE CHALLENGER
WEIGHT: 3,800 lbs. with driver and fuel
ENGINE: 7.0-liter Hemi, 465 whp
SUSPENSION:
Front: Eibach multi pro R2 springs and dampers, Razorsedge upper control arms
Rear: Eibach multi pro R2 springs and dampers , Razorsedge control arms
TIRES: 305-645-18 whatever used brand I can find that I can afford
Front: Stock SRT-8 Brembo calipers with Carbotech XP 20 pads
BRAKES: Rear: Stock SRT-8 Brembo calipers with Carbotech XP 10 pads
DATA SYSTEM: none
SPONSORS: Razorsedge Motorsports, Injected Engineering
59
60
discovered the sheet metal on
it was brittle in places, leading
him to believe that was why it
was in the salvage yard to begin
with. Vandiver doesn’t know
why it’s brittle, but can point
to a half dozen places where
the sheet metal has split. He
said the manufacturer might
have been doing some testing
with different metals before
sending it to the salvage yard.
He had the powertrain to go
under it, and he now had a chassis.
He still needed a lot more parts to
complete the project, so he bought
a wrecked — destroyed is probably
a better word — Challenger to
salvage other pieces he needed.
Even then, he still needed a lot
of other parts, which he sourced
from Craigslist and eBay, but
he had enough to get started.
“I bought a 2008 Challenger
61
that had been rolled end over
end and side over side and was
tore all to hell,” Vandiver said.
“I took that car and basically
built it out in the parking lot of
my little business in town.”
When he had the body sitting
out front of his business in
town before he installed a roll
cage, some paint and body guys
suggested he put some selfetching primer on it. Otherwise
whatever paint he tried to
apply wasn’t going to stick.
“So we went and bought
some self etching primer and
it just happened to be green,”
he said. “People kept coming
by, saying, ‘What color is that? I
like that.’ So we ended up just
spraying clear over the primer.
The car actually has no paint.”
The transmission at that time
was a five-speed automatic, which
was all the Challenger came
with initially. Vandiver raced it in
62
American Iron with an automatic
a couple of times, but he realized
that wasn’t going to get him far.
“With a stock motor, and with
the weight of the car, it wasn’t
really going to work well for
American Iron,” he said. “I knew
that I needed to change to a sixspeed because the automatic
was kind of holding me back.”
He found a brand-new six-speed
manual transmission and pedal
box from a guy on an online forum
who had bought it all to convert
his Dodge Charger to stick shift.
When he learned how much work
would be required to the engine
management system, he sold the
lot to Vandiver and went out and
bought a new Challenger with a
manual transmission, which was
just becoming available from
the factory at the time. Vandiver
discovered firsthand how difficult
it is to do the conversion.
“Trying to trick the computer
into not seeing the German fivespeed automatic transmission
was fun,” Vandiver said with
a chuckle. “I ended up having
to change almost everything
out to put the six speed in it.”
He’s still having some issues
with the ABS system, but he’s
racing the car regularly and is
currently second in points in
American Iron in NASA Southeast.
His Challenger challenges,
however, were not over.
The engine he built, which came
from yet another car, a Dodge
Charger SRT8, had been crashed
into two trees at 120 mph, which
nearly split the car length wise.
After installing a 7.0-liter stroker
kit in the engine he got from that
car, and installing in the Challenger,
he discovered that the engine
leaked oil. Apparently the crash
had cracked the block near an oil
galley and it began to leak as soon
as he started it for the first time. He
fixed it by pumping JB Weld
into the oil galley with air
pressure, forcing the mix out
through the crack, which held.
He also blew up several
harmonic balancers and nearly
smoked a differential. An
aftermarket dampener and a
homemade differential cooling
system did the trick, and he’s
been racing it in American
Iron since 2011. And in a
class dominated by Mustangs
and Camaros, Vandiver’s
Challenger is a refreshing
change. The car’s unique
build history is a bonus.
“For the parts that were
too damaged to use from the
wrecked donor car, I just went
on Craigslist and wherever I
could find parts,” Vandiver
said. “This car was built on
such a cheap budget that most
people would flip out over
some of the things we did.” SN
63
NASA REGIONS
ARIZONA
Tage Evanson
7014 N. 55th Ave.
Glendale, AZ 85301
Ph. 623-628-8997
[email protected]
www.nasaaz.com
YOUR
NATIONAL
STAFF
64
CALIFORNIA-NORTH
Jerry Kunzman
P.O. Box 2366
Napa Valley, CA 94558
Ph. 510-232-6272
Fax: 510-277-0657
[email protected]
www.nasaproracing.com/norcal
Executive Director:
Jerry Kunzman
National Chairman:
Ryan Flaherty
CALIFORNIA-SOUTH
Ryan Flaherty
2750 Hidden Hills Way
Corona, CA 92882
Ph. and Fax 310-943-7793
[email protected]
http://socal.drivenasa.com/
General Counsel
John Lindsey
Director of
Sponsorship:
Jeremy Croiset
UTAH
FLORIDA
Jon Felton
P.O. Box 2366
Napa Valley, CA 94558
Ph. 386-227-7795
[email protected]
www.drivenasafl.com
Dan McKeever
2901 N. Sheep Lane
Tooele, UT 84074
Ph. 801 613-2781
[email protected]
www.nasautah.com
MID-ATLANTIC
NORTHEAST
Chris Cobetto
14461 Cedar Creek Farm Lane
Montpelier, VA 23192
Ph. 804-883-7669
[email protected]
www.nasaracing.net
RALLY SPORT - WEST
Ray Hocker
P.O. Box 1388
Ridgecrest, CA 93556-1388
Ph. 760-446-4002
[email protected]
TEXAS
Dave and Revkah Balingit
P.O. Box 460442
Aurora, CO 80046-0442
Ph. 972-584-9375
[email protected]
www.nasatx.com
CENTRAL
Matt Rivard
P.O. Box 46797
Kansas City, MO 64188
Ph. 816-754-NASA (6272)
[email protected]
www.drivenasacentral.com
Business Ops.
Manager:
Dave Ho
Joe Casella
P.O. Box 433
Pompton Plains, NJ 07444
Ph. 973-900-7272
[email protected]
www.nasanortheast.com
ROCKY MOUNTAIN
Dave and Revkah Balingit
P.O. Box 460442
Aurora CO 80046-0442
Ph. 303-539-9363
[email protected]
www.nasarockymountain.com
MIDWEST
SOUTHEAST
Jim Pantas
P.O. Box 1483
2150 Hahn Road
Mt. Pleasant, NC 28124
Ph. 704-436-8211
[email protected]
www.nasa-southeast.com
RALLY SPORT - EAST
Amy Feistel
217 Caniff Lane
Cary, NC 27519
Ph. 919-434-3267
[email protected]
www.nasarallysport.com
MID SOUTH
Shawn Taylor
3760 Beaver Road
Munford, TN 38058
Ph. 901-837-0659
[email protected]
http://midsouth.drivenasa.com
Jay Andrew
11321 Friendsville Rd.
Creston, OH 44217
Ph. 847-574-9090
Fax: 847-574-8032
[email protected]
www.nasamidwest.com
NEW ORLEANS
GREAT LAKES
Andy Tencati
P.O. Box 302
Chico, CA 95927
Ph: 855-NASA-PNW (627-2769)
[email protected]
www.nasanorthwest.com
Jay Andrew
11321 Friendsville Rd.
Creston, OH 44217
Ph. 847-574-9090
Fax: 847-574-8032
[email protected]
http://racenasa.nasamidwest.com
National Event
Manager:
Will Faules
Medical Director:
Greg Greenbaum
Kelly Warrick
11075 Nicolle Blvd.
Avondale, LA 70094
Ph. 504-273-4572
[email protected]
NORTHWEST
IT Director:
Brian Sauls
Chief Divisional
Director
David Royce
65
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66
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69
contingency
ALCON CONTINGENCY PROGRAM
JONGBLOED CONTINGENCY PROGRAM
2013 Alcon Regional Racing Contingency Info
2013 Jongbloed Racing Wheels Contingency Program
BFGOODRICH TIRES
CONTINGENCY PROGRAM
NISSAN CONTINGENCY PROGRAMS
2013 BFGoodrich Tires Regional Racing
Spec Z Contingency Program
2013 Nissan Contingency Program
2013 BFGoodrich Tires Regional Racing
Open Tire Contingency Program
2013 BFGoodrich Tires NASA Championships
Open Tire Contingency Program
MAZDASPEED CONTINGENCY PROGRAM
2013 Mazda Contingency Program
2013 BFGoodrich NASA Championships
Spec Z Contingency Program
TOYO TIRES CONTINGENCY PROGRAM
FORD RACING CONTINGENCY PROGRAM
2013 Ford Racing Spec Iron Regional
Racing Contingency Program Info
2013 Ford Racing Regional Championship
Contingency Program Info
2013 Ford Racing NASA Championship
Contingency Program Info
2013 Toyo Tires Regional Racing Spec
Tire Contingency Program
2013 Toyo Tires Regional Racing Open
Tire Contingency Program
2013 Toyo Tires Regional Racing
RS1 Contingency Program
2013 Toyo Tires Regional Championship
Contingency Info
2013 Toyo Tires NASA Championships
Spec Tire Contingency Program
HAWK CONTINGENCY PROGRAM
2013 Toyo Tires NASA Championships
Open Tire Contingency Program
2013 Hawk Regional Contingency Program
2013 Toyo Tires NASA Championships
RS1 Contingency Program
2013 Toyo Tires NASA Championships
Time Trial Contingency Program
HOOSIER TIRE CONTINGENCY PROGRAM
2013 Hoosier Regional Racing Contingency Program
2013 Hoosier NASA Championship
Contingency Program
HPD CONTINGENCY PROGRAM
2013 HPD NASA Championship Contingency Program
2013 HPD Regional Racing Contingency Program
2013 HPD Regional Championship
Contingency Program
70
YOKOHAMA CONTINGENCY PROGRAM
2013 Yokohama Regional Racing Contingency Program
benefits
APR PERFORMANCE
NASA members can receive up to
30 percent off retail prices through
an exclusive sponsorship program.
AVIS
With great discounts and
the highest levels of service,
there’s never been a better
reason to rent with Avis!
NASA Members can receive
special rates using the NASA
members discount code. Your
discount code is S016800.
CRUISE AMERICA
NASA members receive a 15
percent discount on time and
mileage toward a rental. To receive
your discount, you must log in to
view the promo code. Offer subject
to availability and is not valid with
any other promotional rates or
offers.
EIBACH
Purchase any new Pro Kit,
Sportline, Pro-Damper, AntiRoll-Kit, Pro-System or Eibach
Motorsport springs and get a 10
percent rebate with your proof of
purchase and NASA membership.
FASTBRAKES
For all license holders, Fastbrakes
will provide 15 percent off list
pricing for all Hawk Race pad
applications as well as 23 percent
off list price for any nonrace pads.
FORD RACING SCHOOL
NASA Members Referral Program
— For each person you refer to our
school and presents your name
as a referral source, you will earn
a 10 percent credit toward any
future school you attend. These
credits can accumulate for up to 50
percent off any Ford Racing School.
FUEL SAFE
NASA members get a 10
percent discount on any of
our standard fuel cells.
JONGBLOED RACING
Jongbloed Racing is proud to
offer NASA HPDE participants a
special membership benefit. Any
NASA member who takes part in
a weekend of HPDE activity with
NASA during 2013 will qualify
for a $500 discount toward the
purchase of a complete set of
4 three piece wheels, or a $250
discount toward the purchase of
a set of 4 one piece wheels from
Jongbloed Racing wheels. Simply
email a copy of your NASA receipt
to Jongbloed Racing and you’ll be
granted your discount immediately.
KONIG
Any NASA member is available
to apply for special Sponsorship
pricing through the Konig NASA
Memberships benefit program.
MOLECULE
NASA members save 10 percent
on all online purchases.
Promo code: NASA10
MOTEL 6
As a NASA member, you’ll
automatically save 10 percent
on your Motel 6 reservation.
OG RACING
Any NASA racer that incurs
damage to his competition
vehicle during a NASA event that
renders the current competition
seat of any brand unfit for use
will be eligible to purchase
a new Sparco seat from OG
Racing at 50 percent off retail.
TORCO
NASA members receive a
20 percent discount on all
Torco Brand Lubricants.
TPIS
NASA members can browse the
TPIS website or catalog for highquality, made in the USA parts
for their GM vehicle. Current
NASA members will receive a
10 percent discount on machine
shop services and parts.
VEHIPORT
Mention your membership
before confirming an order and
receive an instant $25 discount
on Standard level car-shipping
service, $35 on Gold level
service, and a $50 discount on
our Platinum level service.
YAVAY
Whether it’s professional or
amateur sports, motorsports,
concert tours or venues, we
put properties on the desks of
sponsorship decision makers
when they’re making sponsorship
decisions. Think of us as an
online dating service for the
sponsorship industry. YAVAY.net.
NASA has brokered a special deal
so you pay only $300 for your first
year’s subscription - that’s 60% off
the standard rate! The subscription
includes your branded YAVAY page,
a custom site you can share with
the world. Group code NASA13
PORTERFIELD
NASA members receive 20 percent
off retail prices for Porterfield
and Hawk brand pads, and 10
percent off retail for Raybestos
and Performance Friction pads.
THE MID-OHIO SCHOOL
Reach the top of your game
by enrolling in a driving
program at the prestigious
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
71
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
BRAD COLEMAN
Age: 25
Region: Texas Region
Hometown: Houston, TX
Racing Class: NASCAR
Sponsors: Retired
Day Job: CDO: Chief Driving
Officer/SafeWay Driving
Favorite Food: Bluebell Mint
Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Favorite TV Show:
“Game of Thrones”
Favorite Movie: “Rush”
Favorite Book: “The Case For
A Creator,” by Lee Strobel
Favorite Track: Circuit Gilles
Villeneuve
Dream Racecar: Audi R18
At 12 years-old, Brad was
discovered at a Houston
indoor karting center by a
professional race team owner,
and within a year he won
three different major kart
racing titles while competing
across North America.
He moved up to big cars,
and thanks to NASA and World
Speed Motorsports, became the
youngest professionally licensed
racecar driver in history. NASA
was the first professional license
Coleman ever held and NASA’s
Executive Director Jerry Kunzman
remembers the moment well.
72
“Brad had just turned 14 and
looked like he was only 12, but we
watched him run some laps in a
Formula Fran Am car and he was
really impressive, so I agreed to
put him in a race and that ended
up jump-starting his career,”
Kunzman said. “Brad raced all over
California with us and was always
a polite and respectful young man
that NASA drivers enjoyed racing
with, regardless of his age.”
While he continued running
sports cars in Grand Am, he was
intrigued by the opportunity stock
cars presented at that time. Brad
climbed the stock car ladder and
won his first ARCA race at Kentucky
Speedway at age 18. Soon after,
he was signed to a contract on
live radio at the Waldorf-Astoria
in New York City by Joe Gibbs
Racing to compete in NASCAR.
To commemorate his first
NASCAR race in his home
state, Texas Governor Rick
Perry summoned Brad and his
racecar to the state Capitol in
Austin and officially proclaimed
it “Brad Coleman Day” on
April 10, 2007, noting it was
probably the first day in Texas
ever named after a teenager.
He followed that notable
start with one of the best rookie
seasons ever logged by a NASCAR
Nationwide driver, and a year
later, raced in his first Sprint Cup
race for Roger Staubach and Troy
Aikman’s Hall of Fame Racing
Team. Brad had now raced on
every major race track in North
America and Mexico, held several
driving records and was on top of
his racing career all by age 20.
In 2009, Coleman came off the
track following a race at Nashville,
removed his helmet and asked
his dad, “What am I going to do
one day when I am not driving
racecars?” Bewildered by the
question, his father, Brandon
Coleman, asked what his passion
was, other than driving racecars.
Turns out it was helping
people become better drivers.
Later that year, when he flew
home to Houston to visit family
and friends for the holidays, he
visited SafeWay Driving Centers
where he got his Texas driver
license. Brad, Brandon and the
school’s original founder, Gene
Walker, talked about the future
of the business. Brad’s passion
and his favorite driving school
owner’s need for a retirement
plan collided at a fortunate
time for both parties, and the
Coleman’s acquired SafeWay
Driving Centers in early 2010.
Now in the driving school
business and back living in
Charlotte, N.C., on the race circuit,
Brad had two opportunities
working, both involving his
love for cars. Led by teammate
Kyle Busch, Brad went on that
year to help drive his Joe Gibbs
Racing Team to the 2010 NASCAR
Nationwide Team Championship.
One would think a NASCAR
Championship ring, the fame and
the money would have satisfied
any 22 year-old young man’s
desires, but Brad knew there
was more to life than racing.
“I knew God had other plans
for my life,” noted Coleman. “I
enjoyed racing and feel I really
have a talent for wheeling fast
cars, but I was never genuinely
happy living in the world of
motorsports. Sure, I had a lot of
great friends in racing and enjoyed
the travel and the perks, but it
just never really felt right to me.”
That nagging feeling became
reality, when following the
NASCAR Championship Banquet,
Coleman signed a new sponsor
for the upcoming race season,
only to have them cancel their
sponsorship just days before
the big press conference.
While economic conditions
in the country took its toll on
many NASCAR sponsorships
during that time, Coleman felt
like God was sending him a
clear personal message.
“Losing that big sponsor was a
huge disappointment and big relief
at the same time,” said Coleman.
“While I love racing, I had been
carrying that nagging feeling for a
couple of years that God had other
plans for my life, and boy did he!”
Without a sponsor for the
upcoming race season, Coleman’s
agents were seeking racing money
while Brad was having other
thoughts. Staying in touch with
his father through emails and
phone conferences, his passion
for the driver education and
training business was growing.
He resigned from his
professional racing career and
moved back to Texas in the
summer of 2012 with one mission
in mind, to save the lives of as
many Texas drivers as possible
by providing the best available
training in the business.
In the first three years, SafeWay
Driving Centers has implemented
many major initiatives to
modernize the driver training
business and bring a higher
quality of training to today’s
drivers. Witnessing the early
value the Coleman’s added to
SafeWay and discovering the
long range potential to help all
Texas drivers, additional new
investors teamed up to drive
the company even further.
SafeWay is now poised
to expand it’s reach beyond
the Houston market through
franchising and Brad is thankful
to be a part of an organization
that is truly making a difference
in the lives of others.
When asked of his NASA
experience, Coleman remembered
it with a smile, noting, “I will
never forget my first race in a real
racecar on a real track. Thanks to
Jerry Kunzman and the support of
the NASA nation, I was provided
the opportunity of a lifetime that I
will always be grateful for.” SN
73
CENTR AL REGION
NASA Central Returns to Mid
America Motorplex for Round 7
After a five week layoff, NASA
Central drivers reconvened
at Mid-America Motorplex on
September 21-22 for Round 7 of
the Central Region Championship.
Time Trials saw a new TTU lap
record of 1:31.620 set on Saturday
by John Boos. The previous
weekend, Boos set a new TTU
lap record at Autobahn Country
Club. On Sunday, Mark Kirby, who
often runs ST1 and TT1 decided
to give Boos some competition
in TTU and won the class. Times
were slower Sunday, with Boos
complaining his tires had gone off.
The track was fast all weekend
with four other TT drivers setting
lap records on the way to winning
their class: Chris Kopitski, TT2,
1:38.999; Chris Mayfield, TT3,
1:35.164; Greg Hagopian, TTD,
1:47.970; and Mark Milligan, TTE,
1:51.150. Other victors in TT were
74
Ron Nolan in TT1 Saturday/Mark
Kirby TT1 Sunday, Terry Bouge
TT2 Saturday, Jim Lipari TTB both
days, Mark Melchor TTC both
days, Joel Karns TTE Sunday.
Rookie American Iron driver
Cody Burt, part of Team Nemo,
won Saturday’s Pursuit race and
Sunday’s points race and a new
lap record in his first weekend
of racing. Look out fellow AI
drivers, there is a new bad ass
in town and his name is Cody
Burt! Ted Johnson took pole
and the AI win on Saturday.
Brett Westcott, fresh off a thirdplace finish at the NASA National
Championships, took the PTE win
both days, closing the gap on
points leader Team Cohn, again
with Bryan Cohn at the wheel,
who took second Saturday and
fifth Sunday. Newcomer Jason
Whitney took third Saturday and
second Sunday, with Justin Kaup
nabbing third Sunday, improving
on his fifth in Saturday’s race.
Team Pistora’s Steve finished
Saturday’s race a blind fourth with
his windshield covered in mud,
thanks to a spin from Team Cohn
early in the race. Teresa Pistora
did her best to avenge husband
Steve’s mud bath, holding off
Team Cohn on Sunday for several
laps, finishing up with another
fourth. Rookie Chris Kopitski
broke rocker arms in his Infiniti,
saw his fellow competitors loan
tools, parts and time to help get it
back on track for Saturday’s race
only to spin away a solid 3rd mid
race to end up 5th on Saturday.
PTF saw three new drivers in
brothers Paul and Eric Gregory
and David Webb in their VW Golfs/
Rabbits. They had a great time
duking it out with the finishing
John Hiatt IV
No. 21 Ted Johnson
took pole and the
American Iron win
on Saturday at MidAmerica Motorplex
John Hiatt IV
Fresh from a
third-place finish
at the National
Championships, Brett
Westcott won PTE
Saturday and Sunday
at Mid-America.
order of Paul, David and Eric
both days. Brother Eric might
not have won, but he was
fast, setting a lap record on
Saturday with a 1:55.366!
Mark Kirby dominated ST1
both days, sitting on pole and
winning both days over Matt
Miller and Gary Pennington.
Kirby set a new lap record on
Sunday with a 1:35.874.
ST3 was split with L.J. Foster
taking Saturday’s win and Ron
Smith of Team STi Guys taking
Sunday’s win and setting a
new lap record in the process
with a quick 1:41.180.
Steve Myers and Sam
Mangiameli took STR1 and SU
both days in their Panoz and
Diasio respectively. Mangiameli
set a new SU lap record at
1:34.527. Hank Arth took the PTD
win and set a lap record of 1:55.117
on Saturday in his BMW 325. John
Pennington won Spec E30 and set
a new lap record at 1:52.129 on
Saturday. John suffered a brake
problem in the paddock Saturday
afternoon and was unable to fix
the car for Sunday’s racing.
PTC was all Warren Dexter
both days with Tech Staffer
and Honda Del Sol pilot Tim
Oehlerking finishing second.
Warren also set a new PTC
lap record with a 1:45.091.
Spec Miata was a wild one
on Saturday, with Joel Karns
grabbing the lead early on and
holding it till about five laps to go
when his car started to overheat.
Nursing it a few more laps while
holding the lead, Karns finally
had to pit when he started to lose
power and heard a major hissing
sound. With a used radiator cap,
he was back the next day. Zane
Dexter brought home the bacon,
followed by Nicholas Duncan
and Darren Hoffman. Sunday
saw Karns car fixed and ready,
but it also saw the appearance
of Dillon Dexter, fresh off his
17th place Nationals finish in
SM. Sunday’s race saw Dexter
win over father Zane, followed by
Karns, Duncan and Hoffmann.
Check out how you and
your friends are doing in the
2013 NASA Central Points With
one event to go the Region
Championships are closer
than ever! — Bryan Cohn
75
SOCAL REGION
VanHap Photography
Allan Hauser
scored two wins
in Spec E30 at
Buttonwillow
in October, but
it was Steve
Stepanian who
took the Regional
Championship by
just five points.
Spec E30 Delivers a Fantastic
Finish at Buttonwillow
Steffen Thompson came to the
last event with a comfortable lead,
headed to his first SoCal Spec E30
Championship. However, 13 other
teams showed up ready to fight.
Ken Pearson claimed the pole for
the first race. Steve Stepanian was
.2 seconds behind Pearson with
Allan Hauser only .2 seconds behind
Stepanian. The top 11 cars were
within 2 seconds of one another!
Stepanian, Pearson and Hauser
circled the track nose to tail for
the first four laps. Unfortunately,
Pearson got into the back of
Stepanian early on, shooting
Stepanian into a lapped-traffic car
and then off track. The other car
spun and collected Pearson, ending
his race. Hauser then assumed
the lead. Somehow, Stepanian got
back on track and not only reeled in
Hauser, but passed him for the lead.
At the checkers, Hauser passed
Stepanian to take the win in a photo
76
finish in what had to be one of the
most dramatic finishes SoCal has
had to date. Nick Steel grabbed
the third podium spot. This was
Steel’s first podium finish in Spec
E30 in only his second season.
The top six finishers were inverted
on the starting grid for the qualifying
race Sunday, placing Erick Strong
on pole with Thompson in P2.
Entering Turn 1, Strong, Thompson
and Mitch Pepper ran three wide.
Pepper was in the middle and
tried to stay off of Thompson but
collected him in the door causing
Thompson to drop back to 13th as
the entire field drove past him.
Through Turn 1 of the final race of
the season, Stepanian held the lead
and Thompson had already made
up three spots. However, three laps
into the race, Thompson’s throttle
cable broke. Ironically, Stepanian
was passed by Hauser for the lead,
then Pearson for second. To make
matters worse, Stepanian then was
forced off track in the sweeper by
another vehicle and lost two more
positions to Strong and Steel putting
him back to fifth. Nobody knew at
the time that Stepanian would need
to finish fifth to tie with Thompson
or fourth to win the Championship!
Hauser and Pearson gapped the
field and stay bumper to bumper for
the remainder of the race. Strong,
Steel and Stepanian engaged one
another for five laps until Stepanian
got past Steel in the bus stop turn
to move into fourth place. The final
race of the 2013 season ended with
Hauser taking his second win of
the weekend and Pearson claiming
second. Erick Strong battled with
Stepanian for the last two laps
and squeaked out the last podium
position. Stepanian held off Steel
for fourth place, clinching his
first Spec E30 Championship by a
mere five points! — Shawn Meze
Varco Scores Two Wins and
Championship at Buttonwillow
When the field converged on
Buttonwillow Raceway Park for
the last race of the 2013 season,
rookie Brett Becker had nearly
100 points over Nova Brown
and more than 200 than David
Varco, who was in sixth.
But that was before any of
them had dropped their five
lowest scoring races. By the
time the weekend was over, and
the scores had been adjusted,
David Varco had staged a huge
comeback to take the SoCal
Regional Championship.
For Saturday’s race, Spec
Miata was grouped as usual
with Spec E30 and 944 Spec, but
also with Performance Touring
cars. Those conditions made
for a crowded start, especially
considering the single wave green
flag. Turn 1 was crowded and
busy, but there was no contact.
“I went from first to last in that
first corner, especially starting
that close behind the 944 Spec
field,” said Wilson Steele, who
finished third on Saturday and
Sunday. “There was the potential
for going into Turn 1 and three
people coming out instead of 40.”
Brown made the most of the
start conditions and put a few PT
cars between himself and Varco,
who had been fighting radiator
problems all morning. Not long
into the race, a PT car went fouroff in front of Brown and he too
left the racing surface, which was
all Varco needed to get by, but
Brown wasn’t done fighting.
“I’d gap him. He’d gap me,”
Brown said afterward. “I’d go off.
He’d go off. I’d go off again. It was
crazy racing, trying to deal with all
the traffic from PTE, especially.”
Late in the race, as Brown
was leading, he went four-off,
letting Varco by once again.
Varco went on to win.
“I was very concerned about
the temperature because of
the radiator, so that occupied
some of my attention, but the
race was good, generally,” Varco
said. “Not the best race in the
world, but it worked out to my
advantage, but there were some
quirky things that happened
out there that weren’t great.”
For Sunday’s race, Varco again
battled with Brown, who was
leading late in the race when his
car ran out of fuel due to a leak
under the hood. With Brown
out of the race, Varco took the
lead and kept it till the end, with
Becker taking his first podium in
second and Steele again in third.
“I got third,” Steele said,
“which is the best I’ve ever done
and I brought home working
equipment, which is always the
high standard.” — Brett Becker
VanHap Photography
David Varco took two wins in Spec
Miata at Buttonwillow and snared the
regional Championship as a bonus.
77
VanHap Photography
SOCAL REGION
No. 908 Charlie Buzzetti took home
two wins in 944 Spec at Buttonwillow
Raceway in October.
Buzzetti on Top Again in 944 Spec
at Buttonwillow
One lap and a cloud of dust!
That pretty much sums up racing
the weekend of October 12-13 at
Buttonwillow Raceway as 944
Spec, Spec Miata, Spec E30 and
an alphabet soup of PT classes
shared the track in Race Group B.
Saturday saw six racers
in 944 Spec, two more in Driving
Concepts competition school
and another in HPDE. It was a
busy day on track. Eddie Hillard
and Ian McIntyre were busy on
track and in the classroom all
weekend, honing their race craft
and practicing race starts.
At race time every class but
Spec E30 took the same green flag,
which made for tons of excitement
from the first turn on. Charlie
Buzzetti took off at the start and
never looked back, setting a new
track record on his Toyo RRs at
2:05.021, leading every lap and
winning the race. Jim Foxx didn’t
have much trouble holding onto
78
second, and Jim Hicks finished
third. The intense racing was
farther back in the pack, where
Jim Richmond, Tom Atteberry
and Everett DeLano were busy
battling with Spec Miata and
various PT racers throughout.
Dust clouds rose repeatedly,
even when just one wheel got
off track. That evening the racers
watched dust-filled race videos
on Jim Hicks’ big screen TV.
Sunday morning saw another
inverted start in the qualifying
session and it, once again, proved
to be great fun. Foxx got a great
launch at the start and drove
three-wide into the start of the
esses. Buzzetti gave chase, but
Foxx held onto first, meaning he
had pole position for Sunday’s
race. And what a race it was!
Foxx stayed ahead of Buzzetti
for almost the entire race, but
behind those two, there was
a lot of excitement. DeLano
was behind Richmond when
Richmond went off in the Bus
Stop, came back on the track
and spun off the other side,
then, as DeLano passed him,
Richmond came back on again
and spun off the other side. Then
DeLano caught up with the back
of Atteberry’s car and was there
until Atteberry spun off track and
damaged his car. Meanwhile,
Foxx was experiencing car
trouble of his own up front. And
on the final lap of the race, Foxx
had to slow and Buzzetti got by
him in Sunset. At the checkered
flag, it was Buzzetti in first, Foxx
in second, and Hicks in third.
And though it was the last
race of the season for NASA
SoCal, the 944 Spec gang
was busy planning what other
NASA events they might tackle
before year’s end, and looking
forward to more local races
in 2014. — Everett DeLano
GRE AT L AKES REGION
Neal Agran Seals the
Deal at Autobahn
In a wild, 40-car qualifying
session in which open track was
at a premium, Eric Kuhns earned
the pole over Neal Agran by .2
seconds, followed closely by Ray
Freundt. At the start, Kuhns led the
pack through the opening corners
with Agran on his bumper, while
Sam Grant lunged to fourth after
gaining two places before the line.
Agran gained the lead with a
pass into Turn 4 on lap eight after
forcing Kuhns to run defensive
through turns 1, 2, and 3. Kuhns
took it back in the same lap when
Agran ran deep into Turn 11. Game
on. Three laps later, Agran drove
under Kuhns in turns 1 and 2 to
retake the lead. The following
four laps to the checker were
classic spec racing: nose to tail
Tom Hitzeman
Neal Agran leads the field at the
start at Autobahn Country Club
Sept. 14-15 on his way to two
victories, and the Championship
through slower traffic; splitting
cars; two wheels in the grass;
fighting for every last hundredth.
When the dust settled, Agran
took the victory, followed by Kuhns
on his bumper and, ironically,
Sudhir Chhikara in third after Grant
pitted to have a vibration checked
and Freundt was repositioned
to the rear for minor contact.
Agran earned the pole again
with a sub lap-record flier,
followed by Kuhns .5 seconds
behind, Grant and Freundt who
were within .4 seconds of each
other, Chhikara, and Ken Frey
and Brewster separated by
0.05 seconds. Then it rained.
At race time the course
remained wet and showers
threatened to return. Grant chose
to run dries while the rest of
the field opted for rain tires.
Kuhns got the jump at the
flag, but Agran was able to
press his positional advantage
on the grippier inside of the wet
track to emerge with the lead in
Turn 2. Grant ran wide onto the
grass at the exit of Turn 3, losing
third position to Freundt. Agran
pushed hard in the tricky, drying
conditions, opening a gap through
turns 4 and 5. Unknown to the
field, at the entrance to Turn 6 sat
a treacherous slick spot of sealer.
Agran slid across and gathered
the slide. Kuhns was perhaps too
eager with the throttle, pirouetting
into the grass and rejoining at
the tail of the field. Game on.
While Agran and Freundt
checked out at the front, Grant and
Kuhns engaged in the battle of
the race, swapping third multiple
times. Kuhns took the position
from Grant on lap three, only to see
Grant slip back by with four laps
to go on a drying track with the
fast lap of the race. At the checker,
Agran took the victory and sealed
the championship, followed by
Freundt at a three-second gap.
In a fantastic drive, Grant held
off Kuhns eight seconds behind,
with the pair finishing nose to tail.
— Neal Agran and Brad Raum
79
GRE AT L AKES REGION
Tom Hitzeman
Jeremy Lucas won both Spec E30 races
in October at Putnam Park and snagged
the Regional Points Championship.
Jeremy Lucas on
Top in Spec E30 at
Putnam Park
Ten Spec E30 drivers descended
on Putnam Park on a rainy October
day for the last event of the NASA
Great Lakes/Midwest season.
The battle for second in Great
Lakes regional points was up for
grabs as Michael Osborne, Denny
Barker, and Mason Meredith were
separated by just a few points.
Qualifying started off dry but
as soon as the tires got up to
temp, the heavens opened and
soaked the track. Most racers
didn’t get a chance to run a clean
lap, but nonetheless the grid was
set, with Jeremy Lucas leading
the field on the rolling start.
At race time, it had stopped
raining, but the track was still
wet. Most of the field decided to
run on dry tires, but a few chose
wets. The race was all about
survival as everyone was doing
80
their best Ken Block power slides!
By the time the water spray had
settled, Lucas took home the
victory for race one followed by
Kyle Smith and Jeff Niswander.
The grid for the second race
of the day was set by fastest
lap of race one. That put rookie
Niswander on pole, followed by
Kyle Smith, Meredith, and Dennis
Barker. A traffic jam quickly
developed in Turn 1 mixing up the
order. Barker came out in front
followed by Lucas, but the order
flipped as they entered Turn 9.
As the field crossed the stripe,
Lucas had the lead followed by
Barker, Smith and Meredith.
As the race progressed, Lucas
bobbled coming out of Turn 4.
Seeing that, Barker and Smith
tried to push to make up ground.
Both exited Turn 5 a bit too wide
and got on the wet curb. Smith
was able to gather it back up, but
Barker again put his car in the
spin cycle with two wheels on the
wet grass. That put him back in
fifth behind Osborne. As Smith,
Meredith and Osborne began
battling for second, Barker started
putting down fast, clean laps and
eventually caught the trio. He and
Osborne went wheel to wheel for a
half lap before Barker took fourth,
but the checkered flag flew before
he could advance any further.
Lucas took his second win that
weekend as well as the Regional
Championship with his co-driver
Sean Louisin. Smith finished
second followed by Meredith.
Meredith’s strong performance
at Putnam secured him second
in Great Lakes regional points
with Barker taking third. Ryan
CieChanski took home the Midwest
Regional Championship followed
by Rob Rhodes and Rich Friman.
Niswander took home rookie of
the year honors for the Midwest
region. — Michael Osborne
Rain Plays a Role in
Spec E30 at Autobahn
Seven racers faced mixed
weather for the penultimate Spec
E30 event at Autobahn Country
Club. Saturday brought cool air
and sunny skies — track records
were in the racers’ sights. Ryan
CieChanski took his usual spot in
the pole position with a qualifying
time of 1:41.032. He was followed
by rookie Jeff Niswander. Kieran
Gobey of Team Big Hearts Racing
improved on his performance in
July by setting the third fastest
lap. Kyle Burkhardt, Great Lakes
regular Denny Barker and Rich
Friman rounded out the field.
In Saturday’s race, Burkhardt
made a move from P4 to P2 by
Turn 4. While Burkhardt fended
off charges from Gobey and
Niswander, CieChanski cruised to
a victory and fast lap of the day
at 1:41.197. Barker finally found
the line and worked his way
through Gobey and Niswander,
and then was able to nip Burkhardt
for the second spot on the
podium with two laps to go.
Weather rolled in Sunday
morning, but the qualifying times
continued to drop. CieChanski
took another pole with a 1:40.578
— almost a second faster than
Barker. Niswander and Burkhardt
rounded out row two followed
by Rob Rhodes, Rich Friman and
Chris Ferguson, who took over
the Big Hearts car from Gobey.
Rain fell before the race, but
the track was drying by grid time.
CieChanski and Barker gambled
that the rain would return, but
Niswander went out on dries —
he didn’t own wets. At the start,
CieChanski stumbled and Barker,
Niswander and Rhodes took
advantage. Rhodes found himself
leading a lap for the first time in his
career before Barker, Niswander
and CieChanski caught him around
Turn 11. Barker, Niswander and
Ciechanski were embroiled in an
epic battle for two-thirds of the
race. Barker and CieChanski’s
prayers for rain went unanswered
and Niswander was eventually
able to get the lead on the drying
track. CieChanski was disqualified
after a last-ditch effort to pass
Barker in T1 resulted in minor
contact. The rookie Niswander
took his first career win with
Barker and Rhodes rounding out
the podium. — Kyle Burkhardt
Tom Hitzeman
Rookie Jeff
Niswander took
his first win in
Spec E30 at
Autobahn on
Sunday after
CieChanski was
disqualified for
minor contact.
81
Tom Hitzeman
GRE AT L AKES REGION
Bob Denton beat region standouts Derek Wright and Kent Owens to take the
win in the wet on Sunday at Autobahn Country Club. Wright won on Saturday.
Wright and Denton Split
CMC Wins at Autobahn
Ten cars were in the CMC field
from the Great Lakes and Midwest
regions at Autobahn. The south
course configuration was used in
the Lightning group’s race, which
included Spec Miatas, Spec E30s
and Spec 944. With temperatures
bordering on crisp, qualifying
times were fast. The track record
is 1:37.707 and Derek Wright
captured the pole with a 1:37.011
followed by Kent Owens at 1:37.582
and Bob Denton’s 1:37.695.
The CMC group was the fastest
group on track, but since CMC
does a standing start, this put us
in the back of the field. This set
the stage for an exercise in traffic
management. With a clean start
Wright, Owens, Bob Denton and
Tim Bennett had a slight lead on
the rest of the field. Owens was
holding station with Wright while
on lap three Denton made an
attempt on Owens and ran side
82
by side through turns 1, 2 and 3,
but could not make the pass stick.
Opportunities were scarce, and
after the halfway point, traffic was
thick and gaps formed between the
top five cars that the competitors
were not able to overcome. The
finishing order was Wright, Owens,
Denton, Bennett and White.
Sunday morning came and with
it came scattered showers that
get things wet enough to make
tire choice difficult. Earlier in the
week, the group decided to invert
the start based on Saturday’s
race results. This made qualifying
a race for the lone pole point or
another test session for others.
Derek Wright went for the point
and won it with a 1.37.452.
The standing-start race was
clean yet slow, with everyone
struggling on a slick track. Denton
showed there was traction by
passing four cars, jumping from
eighth to fourth using the outer
ring of turns 4 and 5. Having a great
start, Robert Salus jumped out to
an early lead and maintained a
healthy pace. Salus was going to be
hard to catch. Unfortunately, with
four laps to go, Salus began having
ignition issues, then dropped four
wheels in the grass, which allowed
Denton, Wright, and Owens to pass
for the lead. This was especially
heartbreaking because it would
have been that elusive first win for
Salus, who was on a pace where he
was not going to be caught. Salus
would have to settle for a fourthplace finish. Denton managed
to hold on for the victory, but
not without worry as Wright and
Owens were closing fast. Owens
ran the fast lap of the race--a full
second faster than his closest
competitor and two seconds faster
than the winner. — Bob Denton
Hille and Price Split
Wins at Putnam Park
of the wet-but-drying race.
As the track dried, George Clos
Jr. and Ken Brinkman fought for
third, while Price kept an eye on
his rearview mirror, negotiated
traffic and kept Hille at bay.
Ultimately Price was able to keep
the charging car at bay, finishing
first with Hille just .213 seconds
behind him at the line. After the
yellow flag adjustments, George
Clos Jr. took the last podium spot.
The second race of the double
header had a grid determined
by fast lap of the earlier race.
Hille again started on pole,
followed by Brinkman in
second. Keller placed third.
As the pack led by Hille and
Brinkman headed out of Turn 10
to take the green, the track was
almost completely dry. When the
Justin Hille (left) and Chris Price lead the
field on a wet-but-drying track at Putnam
Park. Hille and Price each went home with
one victory from the last weekend of the
Great Lakes/Midwest racing season.
Tom Hitzeman
NASA Great Lakes and Midwest
set u camp one last time in 2013
at Putnam Park. Spec Miata group
was represented by 14 drivers.
Saturday warm-up was a very
wet race surface, but the track was
quick for qualifying, and Justin
Hille continued his front-running
ways, taking pole for the first
race. Chris Price took P2, while
Bruce Myrehn snagged third.
As the lunch hour came, it
rained hard! But just as race time
neared, the rain stopped and
smart phone apps indicated dry
tires were the right call, all except
Keller who decided on rain-tires
and disconnected sway bars.
When the green flag flew, cars slid
around the track. Hille and Price
jumped out to a quick lead with
Price pulling Hille for a majority
green dropped, shuffling began
instantly. By the time the group
had cleared Turn 4, Hille was in
the lead, Price was in second
and Brinkman held third.
Price and Hille began to battle
for first while managing out-ofclass traffic, that often wanted
to race in Spec Miata. Bob Keller
and Chris Williams got around
Brinkman, but Keller, who had
forgotten to reconnect sway bars
from the previous race, gave up
third to Williams early in the race.
Hille was able to control the
traffic and Price, winning the
final race of the year just .312
seconds over Price. Williams
took third, after failing to
negotiate out of class traffic as
proficiently as Hille and Price.
Price took home fast lap
of the race at 1:22.738, while
Williams and Jamie Clos shared
the hard charger award both
improving four slots during
the race. — Chris Williams
83
SOUTHE AST REGION
The calendar said it was fall,
but the heat index said it was
still summer as the German
Touring Series racers gathered
at Road Atlanta September 14
and 15 with NASA Southeast.
On Saturday in the Lightning
race, John Mock set a fast lap time
in GTS1, but retired in lap three. As
such, Thomas Crookston in his VW
GTI kept a solid pace and finished
the race to win the GTS1 class.
GTS2 saw John Torgerson’s
Porsche 944 take the checkered
less than a second ahead of
Thomas Logan’s BMW in one of
the best one-on-one matchups
84
of the day. Chuck Ellis brought
his Mercedes-Benz 190 out of
mothballs to race to a mechanically
plagued third. Team Fire Engine
still couldn’t find a dyno shop
and ran alone in GTSU.
In the Thunder race, it was
all GTS3 cars and all BMWs.
Cawley Motorsports came in first
and Werner Stark in second in
another incredibly close finish.
Ross Poole was coming on strong
when he had to retire in lap six
and settle for third place.
Sunday’s results in Lightning
had the same winners as Saturday
with the exception of the Unlimited
class which saw a new entry, the
BMW of A.R. Hoshmandy set fire to
the little fire engine. In Thunder, Mr.
Stark got revenge for Saturday and
took the checkered flag in GTS3.
NASA Southeast and the GTS
series will finish out the year at
VIRginia International Raceway,
Carolina Motorsports Park and
our final event at Road Atlanta
in December. — Josh Hoffman
Werner Stark came in second on
Saturday GTS3 and pulled out the
win on Sunday at the Fall Fling at
Road Atlanta.
Brett Becker
GTS Storms Road Atlanta
Popovic on Top in Honda
Challenge at Road Atlanta
three laps. Oxford, Lovely, and
Reamer put on a show, changing
positions almost every lap.
A double yellow was thrown late
in the race for a spin by one of the
other cars running in the Lightning
race, bunching up the field allowing
Kondor to close on Popovic. Once
more, Popovic got a great restart
and pulled away from Kondor. York
had caught the two front runners
late in the race but dropped a
wheel off in Turn 11, causing him
to spin, making contact with the
inside wall and ending his day.
The race ended with Popovic
getting the overall win and
fastest lap time of 1:40.568,
followed by Kondor, Reamer,
Oxford, Lovely and Yorks.
Popovic qualified on pole
Sunday, followed by Kondor,
Lovely, Reamer, and Oxford. This
time the HPD Honda Challenge
cars were in the third wave of a
split start behind 20 SpecE30s
and 12 Thunder Roadsters. Once
more Popovic took off, followed
closely by Kondor and the rest
of the HC cars. These guys really
put on a show. It was not long
before Popovic and Kondor had
worked their way through the
SpecE30s and into the group of
Thunder Roadsters when a double
caution came out from a crash
in turn 10A by a SpecE30 car,
bunching the field up for a restart.
Popovic took advantage of the
restart to become the overall leader
and had the fastest lap time for the
race of a 1:40.254. He finished first,
followed by Kondor, Oxford, Lovely
and Reamer. Oxford extended
his points lead by more than
100 for the NASA Southeast HPD
Honda Challenge championship
series. — Ron Rigdon
Brett Becker
With only six cars racing at Road
Atlanta in the Honda Challenge
Presented by Honda Performance
Development, qualifying was close
for Saturday’s race. Kris Popovic
earned pole with a 1:41.320,
followed by Karl Kondor with a
1:41:516. The next three cars were
Shane Lovely with a 1:45.410,
Rob Oxford at 1:45.860, and John
Reamer with a 1:45.910. Brian Yorks
failed to turn on his transponder
and started in the back of the pack.
When the green flag dropped
for the Honda Challenge cars,
Popovic got a great start followed
closely by Kondor along with
the rest of the pack. Soon the
HC cars caught the Thunder
Roadsters, allowing Kondor to
close in on Popovic’s bumper.
Yorks in his S2000 was quick to
advance to the front, passing
several of the HC cars in the first
No. 9 Kris Popovic took two
poles and two wins in Honda
Challenge Presented by Honda
Performance Development at
Road Atlanta in September.
85
SOUTHE AST REGION
No. 190 Julio Palacio and Ryan Whitinger battled fiercely
all weekend in Spec E30 at Road Atlanta. Palacio won
Saturday and Whitinger took the win Sunday.
A great turnout, a lot of help
from our friends from Florida, and
some new faces straight out of
comp school made the Fall Fling
event at Road Atlanta another
memorable weekend for Spec E30.
The 20-car field saw close, tough
racing throughout the pack, with
the temperate weather making for
some good lap times. Saturday’s
race saw the veteran Southeast
racers joined by Friday comp
school graduates, John Banai and
Chris Harkins, with Hector Rainey
joining the field in Sunday’s race.
But the Southeast crew also
was supplemented by a sizable
contingent from the NASA Florida
region, who made the long trek
north to join the fun. In addition
to familiar faces Scott McKay and
Shawn Waggoner, NASA Southeast
was happy to have Carlos
Mendez, Jay Greene and Diego
Gonzalez join us at Road Atlanta.
86
A number of Southeast racers
noted that they hope to return
the favor next year at Daytona.
Ryan Whitinger put his copper
and white Spec E30 on the pole
on Saturday, but the battle for
the lead began immediately, with
Julio Palacio passing Whitinger by
the end of lap one. Palacio and
Whitinger set the pace for the field,
with Robert Patton and Sandro
Espinosa contending for the third
spot on the podium. The rest of the
field saw almost constant action
throughout the race, with nearly
every position contested and lots
of position changes through the
race. A lengthy midrace full-course
caution closed all the gaps, and
when the green flag dropped
again, Whitinger got past Palacio
for first. But Palacio was able to
retake the lead on the next lap,
manage troublesome out-ofclass traffic, and hold on for the
win. Steve Lako fought through
the field from his sixth-place
qualifying spot to get past hardcharging Mike Harness for third.
Sunday’s race saw Whitinger
again snagging pole position. As
in Saturday’s race, the front of
the pack was busy throughout
the race, as was the rest of the
field. The race featured several
lead changes and lots of close
racing between Whitinger and
Palacio, while the rest of the pack
kept the pressure on. Cautions
kept the pack bunched up and
the subsequent restarts shuffled
the order even further. Working
through traffic was the order of
the day but Whitinger wasn’t
to be denied as he navigated
traffic and an increasingly greasy
racetrack to take the top step and
his first Spec E30 win. Palacio
and Espinosa rounded out the
Sunday podium for the second
and third places. — Fred Switzer
Brett Becker
Large Spec E30 Field
Lights Up Road Atlanta
Gordon Slingerland didn’t realize he had taken the win in
V2 at Road Atlanta. He had been battling Keith Campbell,
who ran out of fuel before the finish.
Brett Becker
Traffic and Strategy Play Out in
Outlaw Vintage at Road Atlanta
In Saturday’s Thunder race on a
picture perfect Georgia afternoon,
it was Matt Isbell, in his MTI Racing
240Z up against Joe Freda in his
bright red 1971 Camaro in V1.
Isbell qualified on pole with
a blistering 1:28.4, with Joe not
far behind. The race started with
Isbell out in front and Freda’s
Camaro hot on his heels the
entire race, with both cars running
race laps in the 1:29s. At Road
Atlanta, that’s a fast time. The
lead changed several times, with
traffic and tire management being
key factors. Isbell was able to
fend off multiple challenges from
Freda using slower cars as picks
and taking away the passing line,
Isbell took the checkered flag for
the V1 class victory and the overall
Thunder race victory as well.
In V2, we had Keith Campbell’s
1965 Mustang and Gordon
Slingerland’s 1968 Firebird.
In qualifying, Campbell took the
10th overall spot while Slingerland
was in the 12th spot with a GTS3
car between them. At the start,
Slingerland couldn’t clear the GTS
car and got boxed in, allowing a
Spec Z to get around, and letting
Campbell to put some distance
between them right away.
Once clear of the Spec Z,
the race progressed nicely, but
Slingerland couldn’t cut into
Campbell’s lead as both drivers
put in consistent lap times.
With no cautions, the overall
leaders eventually came around to
lap Slingerland, getting between
him and Campbell, and as luck
would have it, a full- course
caution came out shortly after.
This allowed Campbell to go all
the way around Road Atlanta’s 2.5mile length to be at the tail end of
the line for the restart. Slingerland
was up front behind the leaders
but now his strategy shifted from
catching Campbell to keeping
from getting lapped in class.
On the restart, Slingerland kept
Campbell behind him, as the rest
of the race went green with only
a few laps to go. Slingerland’s
car started sputtering down the
front straight running out of fuel.
On the white flag lap, he
was able to wiggle the car to
get enough fuel back into the
pickup and make it around to
take the checkered flag.
Only after he pulled in did he
realize he’d won V2. Campbell had
run out of fuel just a couple of laps
sooner and coasted into the pits.
Qualifying played a huge part,
as well as racing luck, but those
long green-flag races require fuel
strategy in these big V8-powered
Outlaw Vintage cars, proving there
is often more to winning than just
being fast. — Gordon Slingerland
87
SOUTHE AST REGION
Tight
Roadster
Racing
at Road
Atlanta
Two new Spec Thunder
Roadster drivers, Will Miller and
Scott Lanford from Tennessee,
passed comp school and became
the newest Roadster rookies.
Saturday morning qualifying
put Randy Suddreth on pole,
Jordan Anderson second, Darrel
Hamilton third. The top three were
separated by less than .3 seconds.
At the start, Jordan Anderson
got by Randy Suddreth and led
until the back stretch where
Suddreth drafted by to lead lap
one. Anderson passed Suddreth
and led the next three laps. Darrel
Hamilton and Suddreth swapped
second several different times
88
before Suddreth spun on lap four
in Turn 7 and lost four positions.
Hamilton was able to get back
by Anderson and they exchanged
the lead numerous times before
a full-course caution came out
with Anderson in the lead. On
the restart Robert Summers,
Brandon Pantas and Suddreth had
joined Anderson and Hamilton
in the battle for the lead. When
the white flag came out, it was
Anderson leading, followed by
Suddreth, Hamilton and Summers.
Anderson got loose in Turn 7,
which allowed Suddreth, Hamilton
and Summers to get by. Summers
pushed Hamilton by Suddreth
to the lead on the back straight.
With Hamilton in the lead, it was
three wide behind him for second
coming to Turn 10A. Anderson
ran off and Suddreth got by.
The finishing order was Darrel
Hamilton first, Randy Suddreth
second, Jordan Anderson third.
Sunday qualifying had Jordan
Anderson first with Brandon
Pantas second, Darrel Hamilton
third. The race was every bit as
exciting as Saturday’s race. At
the start Anderson, Pantas and
Randy Suddreth jumped out to
an early lead and ran nose to
tail for the first six laps. A fullcourse caution came out for a
Spec E30 in the gravel trap in Turn
5. On the restart, it was again
Anderson, Pantas and Suddreth
up front with Hamilton and
Robert Summers giving chase.
Suddreth and Pantas drafted by
Anderson on lap 10. Suddreth
spun in Turn 5 and lost positions.
Pantas and Anderson battling
for the lead allowed Hamilton
and Summers to join the fight
for first. A second full-course
caution came out for an incident
in Turn 10A. It was a green, white,
checker finish. Jordan Anderson
won with Brandon Pantas beating
Darrel Hamilton by a nose at
the stripe for second, Robert
Summers fourth and Randy
Suddreth fifth. — Darrel Hamilton
Brett Becker
No. 61 Darrel Hamilton took the
win Saturday. Pantas made a lastgasp pass on Hamilton in Turn 11
at Road Atlanta to take second in
Thunder Roadster on Sunday.
Record Comp School
Attendance at Road
Atlanta
NASA Southeast welcomed 15 racers to its competition school at Road Atlanta in
September.
Ron Rigdon
NASA Southeast had a record
number of racers for its second
Competition School of 2013 at Road
Atlanta. Fifteen students attended
the classes and took to the track in
efforts to get their NASA Provisional Racing License. The class was
taught by Randy Suddreth, lead
instructor and Darrel Hamilton,
instructor and Thunder Roadsters
director.
Suddreth and Hamilton are
seasoned veterans, great drivers,
and they brought a high level of
professionalism and knowledge
to the anxious attendees. Ron
Rigdon, instructor and Honda
Challenge Director and Carl Eckert
2012 Thunder Roadster Champion
assisted them in the classroom
and track exercises.
There were also several instructors and drivers that assisted
with the mock races. The on-track
instructors placed the student
in race-simulated situations like
three wide, drafting and close
door to door racing making sure
they were competent driver and
ready for racing.
It was a full day for everyone,
with six classroom sessions, three
on-track exercises plus two mock
races. Some of the demanding
track exercises included running
off line and a wheel-to-wheel
switch at every corner, preparing
them to become competent racers.
Each of the drivers were strategically gridded for the each of the
mock races experiencing a double
file standing start and rolling start
plus a single file restart. It was a
very demanding day that came off
without a single incident in perfect
fall weather, a great start to the
weekend of racing.
“It was one of the best classes
ever,” Suddreth said. “This group
of students had lots of previous
experience and seat time.”
It was one of the largest classes where everybody passed
and received their provisional
license. In attendance were: Hector Rainey – BMW E30; John Gutleber – Chevrolet Corvette; David
Isabel – Honda Civic; David Lee
Serrano – Honda S2000; Casey
Hooper – Porsche 944; Danny Parkhurst – BMW 325; John
Banai – BMW M3; Devin Cazin
– Nissan 350Z; Reginald Dodd –
Mustang Boss302; Roger Spittle
– Mazda Miata; Jeff Whitney –
Factory Five; John Putnam – BMW
325; Scott Lanford – Thunder
Roadster; William Miller – Thunder Roadster; and Chris Harkins
– BMW 325. Congratulations for
a job well done and welcome to
NASA Pro Racing. — Ron Rigdon
89
NASA 2013 REGIONALCALENDAR
ARIZONA REGION
Nov. 23-24
Arizona Motorsports Park, AZ
CALIFORNIA - NORTHERN REGION
Nov. 9-10
Sonoma Raceway, CA
Dec. 7-8
Thunderhill Raceway, CA
MID-ATLANTIC REGION
Nov. 2-3
Summit Point Raceway, WV
TEXAS
Nov. 2-3
Eagles Canyon Raceway, TX
MIDSOUTH
Memphis International
Nov. 9-10
Raceway, TN
Millington Regional
Nov. 23-24
Jetport, TN
SOUTHEAST
Carolina Motorsports
Nov. 2-3
Park, SC
Dec. 6-8
Road Atlanta, GA
NEW ORLEANS
Nov. 2-3
NOLA Motorsports Park, LA
Here’s a small preview of what it takes to Survive the 25 Hours of
Thunderhill. Do you have what it takes?
TRACK PHOTOGRAPHERS BY NASA REGION
Arizona
Rally
Northern California
www.headonphotos.net
Texas
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http://redlinephoto.com/
Southern California
Midsouth
*Open
Great Lakes
www.caliphotography.com
www.vanhap.com
Central
http://john4kc.smugmug.com
Florida
www.photosbyjuha.com
www.hendricksportsphoto.com
Mid-Atlantic
www.facebook.com/
samwangphoto
www.facebook.com/
90
PDMurphyPhoto
http://action.
photographybyselina.com
http://photos.nasarallysport.com
Utah
*Open
Northeast
www.tracktimephotos.com/
Midwest
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http://f-51gtphoto.smugmug.com/
http://redlinephoto.com/
Southeast
Rocky Mountain
http://robbodleimages.tumblr.
com/
http://davephilipphoto.zenfolio.
com/f112859924
New Orleans
*Open
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Northwest
http://fredgreenwood
photography.zenfolio.com/
*Interested photographers should
contact the regional director.
http://headonphotos.net
[
cold tr ack
]
CREW
CHIEF
Northern California Spec Miata
racer Laura Thomas brings
her French bulldog, Baci, to
nearly all her races. Baci has
a little separation anxiety, so
he usually stays in the race car
until the five-minute warning.
He serves as de facto crew
chief and a pretty convincing
guard dog.
Photo by www.shelbyknick.com
91
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