November 27-28 Wraps Up

Over the Thanksgiving holiday most of us spent the later part of the week stuffing ourselves to capacity similar to the turkey that sat on the dinner table. Likewise, NASA-AZ participants also gathered up their cars and packed their trailers, then headed to the track for an action-filled holiday weekend at Phoenix International Raceway.

The November 27-28 event brought us a full weekend of HPDE, Time Trial and Race Group. On Sunday, we ran a condensed schedule to accommodate the annual 3-hour enduro, plus the 1-hour sprint race which was new for this year. In addition to our normal participants many new drivers were in attendance. As a result we enjoyed the largest turnout in the whole of 2010, and consequently all HPDE was filled to capacity. Another reminder for drivers to register early!

What’s new for the 2011 season?

• Based on the attendance we saw at this event, NASA-AZ will continue to host a chapel service through 2011, providing communion open to anyone at the track.
• Race group cash pro-payout, details are coming soon!
• Passenger cards will now be $5 each.
• With the exception of HPDE1 and HPDE2, all cars running in events will require (CCR compliant) car numbers on both sides.
• PIR road course WILL be preserved. We can all put rumors of it being demolished to rest! In fact, we will hold an event at PIR in December of 2011 AFTER the renovations are completed.

End of Season Points
Have you run consistently in your class all year round? Are you in line for a regional points championship? The November event was the finale for 2010. Points are currently being calculated to determine class champions. There will be jackets awarded to the champions and trophies awarded to the top three finishers of each class for those who qualified.

Get Online!
If you are reading this article chances are you are also registered on the NASA-AZ forum. But, for those of you who know drivers who aren’t registered, be sure to spread the word and encourage them to sign up. The forum is the best way to collaborate with drivers and officials, and likewise, it’s the best medium to share your thoughts and ideas to help NASA-AZ leadership run the club how the majority sees fit. Sign in and speak up!

Saturday’s Cookout

Yep, even with the Thanksgiving holiday behind us we had yet another chance to stuff our faces with some amazing gastronomical delights. Our Regional Director Tage Evanson was gracious enough to provide all of  us rib-eye steaks, which were immensely popular with nearly everyone who got in the line to pile up their plate. As always there was a fantastic arrangement provided by Gordon Levy as he helped man the grill, plus an array of side-dishes. The food was hot and the beer was cold, thus completing Saturday’s awesomeness: on the track, in the garage, and on the grill.

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Race Group

This year’s 3-hour enduro was combined with a 1-hour sprint race, which made for a full grid and full track of cars. From PTE to Super Unlimited, all were on track together to compete within their class and also to maneuver through a plethora of differences in horsepower.

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Small Bore Race

Saturday’s Small Bore sprint race began with the PTB lineup in the front; Rick Johnson, Marty Saltzman, Jeremy Renshaw, Terry Denton and Lee Douglas. Johnson had some work to do in keeping Renshaw at bay with the rest of the pack not too far behind, including Jim Patrick in his Spec Boxster, who’s lap times mingled with some of those in PTB.

Terry Denton came to the track with a new BMW E36 build ready for the fun to be had in PTB. However, after holding his own in the subsequent laps, Renshaw ultimately took the win for PTB. Down the PT class line we have Tony Lisa in PTC, PTD won by Jim Fluckey followed by Jim Jordan, then Geri Amani in PTE. The bulk of the pack was filled with our regular turnout of 944 Spec racers with a field of 9 cars. Jim Foxx, Norm Hamden and Joe Paluch qualified only tenths apart, starting the 944 field close together.

Tables were turned during the battle for first in 944 Spec, requiring a bit of effort in traffic management to secure the win. Darren Griffith took the checkers climbing from his qual-position in 4th, followed by Foxx and Hamden taking second and third respectively.

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Big Bore Race

The Big Bore race showed big fun, as a field of 20 cars took to the racing surface. The popular class of the day was ST-2, which was won by CV Wells with Ron Ballard not far behind. In SU we enjoyed a few more cars in this class than normal. Led by Ritch Marziale who ran some rather fast times early in the race, he separated himself by roughly 2 seconds from the rest on his best lap. Brent Crosser and Manuel Gil del Real maintained position from the earlier qualifying session taking second and third respectively.

Next in ST-1, Steve Lisa in the #19 Panoz took the win for the day followed by Mike Pinholster in second place. Last but not least, PT-A was an all Porsche shootout with David Layvas in his #997 997 taking the win. Second place was delivered by Brian Turner in his UPS Porsche followed by John Dowling in his “Purple Dinosaur” in third.

Top racers from Saturday:

SU
– #56 Ritch Marziale
– #206 Brent Crosser
– #27 Manuel Gil del Real

ST-2
– #24 CV Wells
– #93 Ron Ballard
– #631 Greg Dalgarn

ST-1
– #19 Steve Lisa
– #04 Mike Pinholster

PT-A
– #997 David Leyvas
– #524 Brian Turner
– #46 John Dowling

PT-B
– #11 Jeremy Renshaw
– #00 Rick Johnson
– #37 Marty Saltzman

PT-C
– #19 Tony Lisa

PT-D
– #69 Jim Fluckey
– #71 Jim Jordan

PT-E
– #34 Geri Amani

944 Spec
– #7 Darren Griffith
– #12 Jim Foxx
– #99 Norm Hamden

Spec Boxster
– #171 Jim Patrick

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3-Hour Endurance + 1-Hour Sprint Race

If that headline didn’t sound like a workout, this race recap certainly will. Sunday’s race was a race not to be missed with a line of up 35 cars total in a wide spectrum of classes. Where else in Arizona would you find such a great diversity in one race?! The 1-hour sprint race ran concurrently with the 3-hour enduro, utilizing one green flag to get it all started.

The races began with the long line of mixed classes swarming the straightaway, slowly sorting racers through turns two and three. Laps later groups naturally assimilated and class battles began.  In the front, Chad Nelson was 1st overall in SU at the 1 hour mark and 1st in his class, requiring him to do a lot of “negotiating” through varied traffic. Of those in the sprint race, 944 Spec racers held more or less the most presence with Norm Hamden taking the win followed by Steve Marlow. ST-2 had Greg Dalgarn and Mark Klenin placing first and second respectively, followed by Jim Patrick taking first as the lone car in the Spec Boxster class.

As the Sprint racers crossed the finish line and exited into the pits, the endurance race continued for another two hours. The game that is “endurance racing” plays by a different set of rules as it becomes a test of durability and stamina for both the car and driver. It is a fight for position and a battle against the human condition that stems from any kind of prolonged stress… naturally, this includes racing!

As attenuation settled the course and mechanical issues reared their ugly heads, a few racers were set back eliminating all possibility of a first place win. Fuel consumption and driver efficiency also became factors in the final outcome.

In PTB a lot of E36 action was found during the three hours. It was in this class where we had one of the father-son teams; Terry and Ryan Denton. Terry ran the first hour and 44 minutes maintaining their position in 3rd. Once a driver change took place Ryan drove into lead when Jeremy Renshaw dropped out on lap 89 with mechanical problems.

The Dentons were leading Marty Saltzman and Jim Fluckey by 45 seconds, with 10 laps to go until Ryan found himself with a badly corded right front tire combined with a fuel light with 8 laps to go. Ryan ran another 5 laps until it sputtered, leading Saltzman/Fluckey by 39 seconds. Forced to pit for a 2 gallon splash, the Dentons ultimately came up short and lost the win to Saltzman/Fluckey by 1.894 seconds. In third, Ricky “Boo-Boo” Johnson teamed up with out-of-town racer Mark Congleton, both driving the only front-wheel-drive car in class, also running the quickest PTB lap during the race.

In the SU class we had another father-son team, Mark and Jason Alger, a pair who would become our overall top finishers. While the car held up with only a few minor set-backs they ultimately were the first to cross the finish line with the checkered flag waving above them. It was a close match for the Alger’s and Brent Crosser who bravely ran the entire race by himself.

ST-2 had a great field, with five cars duking it out for the best finishing position possible. A two-man team, both well-seasoned in BMW racing, Mike Halpin and Mike Browning ran the #114 M3 which took first in class. Consistency, strategy, and conservation kept them in the front. Brian McCormick was not far behind, a notably great finish for one of our newest racers. In third was CV Wells who crossed the finish line only 7-laps behind McCormick.

A small field of three cars made up the ST-1 class; Steve Lisa, Tage Evanson, and Mike Pinholster. While each driver finished in this order, Steve Lisa accumulated the most laps. Tage Evanson joined in on the fun between what might be called “extended pit-stops”. He was also spotted having a bit of fun out of class with ST-2 driver McCormick in his BMW M3.

PT-A was an all Porsche rematch from Saturday’s race with David Layvas, John Dowling and Brian Turner out for the win. By the time three hours settled the field, Layvas was the last car running finishing in first with a 25 lap lead on Dowling, while Turner finished third due to mechanical issues.

While the majority of 944 Spec racers ran the sprint race, Austin Newmark and Dave Huck took the 3-hour win. For Newmark, this checkered finish also secured him the 944 Championship. In addition, Austin managed to run his best time ever at PIR in a 944 with a 1:12.842!

Finally, the smallest numbers per class were lone cars in PTC and Spec Boxter with drivers Tony Lisa and Jim Patrick. Our momentum cars (who everyone passed at least a dozen times) were found in PTE, with Matthew Kayne and Mario Rigoli in a BMW 325, and Geri Amani who ran solo in her Mazda Miata. Early in the race Amani had to pit less than a handful of laps after the start to repair a broken exhaust component, costing her any chance of gaining position. However, despite the fact that the winning spot was taken, this new racer was determined to finish her third race, and completed three hours on her own with one fuel stop. In the end, the cow-themed 325 was really mooooo-ving along, taking the win for PTE.

Great racing everybody!!

Top racers from Sunday:

SU
– #4 Mark Alger / Jason Alger
– #206 Brent Crosser
– #27 Manuel Gil del Real

ST-2
– #114 Mike Halpin / Mike Browning
– #727 Bryan McCormick
– #24 CV Wells

ST-1
– #19 Steve Lisa
– #17 Tage Evanson
– #04 Mike Pinholster

PT-A
– #997 David Leyvas
– #46 John Dowling
– #524 Brian Turner

PT-B
– #30 Marty Saltzman
– #67 Terry Denton / Ryan Denton
– #00 Rick Johnson

PT-C
– #19 Tony Lisa

PT-E
– #69 Matthew Kayne / Mario Rigoli
– #34 Geri Amani

944 Spec
– #08 Dave Hauck / Austin Newmark
– #123 Jeff Wojnar
– #99 Norm Hamden

Spec Boxter
– #171 Jim Patrick

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Time Trial

Saturday’s Time Trial sessions brought out some fast lap fun across the diversity of classes that ran both days this weekend. It does appear that in general the colder weather chilled lap times earlier in the morning for some drivers, but conditions improved as the later part of the day endured. It should be also noted that a few HPDE drivers “moved up” making this event their first run in Time Trial.

Small Bore was led by Rick Johnson in TTB running a rather quick 1:09.284. Jeremy Renshaw was only a few tenths behind, followed by Dave Schotz who had a great time in TTC running a 1:09.508. Joe Catteneo ran the quickest lap for TTD with 1:11.913, and Eric Jacobsen in TTF ran a rather fast 1:16.850 showing that he is really focusing on that Focus!

Likewise, Big Bore had their own set of challenges to overcome but with a lot more power added to the mix. Don’t blink or you’ll miss TTR driver Ritch Marziale who ran away with blazing 1:00.580, three seconds faster than anyone in his class and our only track record for the weekend.

Next up is Mark Alger in TTU with a quick 1:03.294 followed by Tage Evanson who ran 1:04.830. CV Wells in TTS ran a 1:06.307 leading his class for the weekend with Gary Felton the next fastest at 1:07.849. TTA was won with a 1:09.030 lap time by David Leyvas with Brian Turner on his tail finishing with a 1:09.864.

Sunday’s game was on with double points throughout the day. Time Trialers were on their mark, set, and ready to go for a regional championship win in their class. Small bore sessions before the race included PT cars making for a mixed leader board of results. TTA was dominated by David Leyvas running 1:09.255, followed by TTB leader Rick Johnson with his quick 1:08.544. TTC was won by Dave Schotz, who ran one session and finished in first with a 1:09.251. Joe Catteneo topped TTD with a 1:12.402, and Eric Jacobsen took TTF (and ran rather consistent 16’s all weekend) on Sunday with a 1:16.586.

Big Bore on Sunday was no less competitive with possible points championships up for grabs. Yet again, Mark Alger took the lead in TTU running a 1:04.814. TTS was owned by CV Wells running a brisk 1:06.909 securing his win for the day. Taking TTR was driver Pete Creek, who led with a 1:06.900.

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Top drivers from Saturday:
TTR Ritch Marziale, #56 2003 Dodge Viper – 1:00.580 (New Track Record)
TTU Mark Alger, #4 2004 Viper CC – 1:03.294
TTS CV Wells, #24 2000 Corvette – 1:06.307
TTA David Leyvas, #997 Porsche – 1:09.030
TTB Rick Johnson, #00 2003 Mini Cooper S – 1:09.284
TTC Dave Schotz, #175 1989 Camaro – 1:09.508
TTD Joe Catteneo, #101 2005 Mini Cooper S – 1:11.913
TTF Eric Jacobsen, #97 2003 Ford Focus – 1.16.850

Top drivers from Sunday:
TTR Pete Creek, #18 2000 Corvette – 1:06.900
TTU Mark Alger, #4 2004 Viper CC – 1:04.814
TTS CV Wells, #24 2000 Corvette – 1:06.909
TTA David Leyvas, #997 Porsche – 1:09.255
TTB Rick Johnson, #00 2003 Mini Cooper S – 1:08.544
TTC Dave Schotz, #175 1989 Camaro – 1:09.251
TTD Joe Catteneo, #101 2005 Mini Cooper S – 1:12.402
TTF Eric Jacobsen, #97 2003 Ford Focus – 1:16.586

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HPDE

All of the HPDE groups had a strong showing of regular and new drivers, with the whole of HPDE selling out! Sometimes it can be tough determining which event will have a bigger crowd, but this weekend kept registration rather busy. Regardless of how cold it was in the mornings, per the schedule our HPDE drivers are out turning laps long before most of the competition run groups. So hats off to all the guys and girls who bundled up, kept warm coffee within reach, and turned the key as the sun just barely made its way over the Estrella mountains.

With HPDE combined on Sunday officials added drills to the routine for the first part of select sessions, helping to warm up our drivers to new on-track circumstances and furthering their experience, should any of them wish to move into competition groups. Case in point, the paddock was full and everyone had fun the whole weekend. For HPDE drivers that is really all that matters at the end of the day.

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UMS Tuning Time Attack

The UMS Time Attack series has grown in popularity in 2010, making for some of the best TA competition for drivers in HPDE 3 and 4, Time Trial, and Race Group. Another great turnout for the UMS Tuning Time Attack event, where 24 drivers took to the track in three classes. Dave McCombs took the win in TA-A, running a quick 1:14.962, two seconds faster than his fellow competitors in TA-A.

Phil Robles dominated TA-B with 1:11.456. Travis Barnes ran a 1:06.764, which was the overall fastest lap in the TA series. It should be noted that the Snail Performance drivers had a great weekend. Travis Barnes took 1st place in TA-C overall (3rd place in TA overall), and Markos Mylonas snagged 2nd place overall in TA-A. With Gabe Ortega officially out of the TA-A game after adding “boost” to his car, it will be interesting to see how the TA-C competition fairs next year.

With the 2010 season officially over, the cumulative UMS TA points will be announced on the NASA-AZ forum to declare official 2010 winners.

Top three drivers in their class:

TA-A
– Dave McCombs, 1:14.962
– Jon Via, 1:16.018
– Markos Mylonas, 1:16.327

TA-B
– Phil Robles, 1:11.456
– Jerome Silvers, 1:12.274
– Dan Lynch, 1:12.496

TA-C
– Travis Barnes, 1:06.764
– Jacob Treguboff, 1:13.048
– Gabe Ortega, 1:13.735

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2011 Preview

The upcoming 2011 season has a lineup of events at a diversity of tracks for every driver. If you need to get your PIR fix on, don’t miss the back-to-back events in January and February else you will be waiting till next December. Both January and February events happen to be the time of year that promises cool temperatures, and historically fast lap times with the occasional track record. In the spring and summer we are scheduled to revisit the Firebird tracks and the new road course outside the Tucson area that all of you may have heard about, Inde Motorsports Ranch.

If you are planning to head to NASA Championships, 2011 will see drivers from all over the country head to Mid-Ohio. Be sure to plan this season accordingly if you want to give yourself a chance to claim the much coveted title of National Champion.

The full 2011 Schedule can be found on the NASA-AZ website: https://nasaaz.com/schedule

Have a great Holiday season and see you in January!

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Article Written by Geri Amani.
Photography provided by Geri Amani, Christopher Wynne (www.rolex24pics.com), and Clayton Peck.