Weekend Racing Recap 30/31 July 2011

Transcription

1 NASA Region, 2011 Season, ROUND 6 Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, CA Weekend Racing Recap 30/31 July 2011 ***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*** 8 August 2011

2 July on the high banks of Auto Club Speedway, with rain! AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY WEEKEND RACE SUMMARY: + 3 CMC2 races toward California championship points + 2 AIX-Outlaw races towards the Outlaw championship + 6 total race group sessions with over 2 hours of track time! + Rookie CMC driver, Aaron Schroeder takes his first win! + CMC racer Matt Renna recovered from his blown engine at Buttonwillow! + CMC newcomer Randy White, and AI newcomer Bryan Rogers continued their quest for completion licenses + New AI driver Rob Capetz makes his first-ever races with NASA and the AIX-Outlaw group! + CMC veterans Charles Weeks and Carson Scheller come back to CMC racing! + Mechanical attrition, heat, rain (in CA, in July!) and driver mistakes made for a challenging weekend. + A broken rear main, two blown clutches, broken clutch cable, broken exhaust, broken splitters, a broken spark plug, and fuel line problems made for another challenging weekend. + The AI and CMC group hosted a HUGE Saturday BBQ, with approximately 30 guests enjoying an evening of drinks and food. FRIDAY similar to the June event, weather was warm as the AIX and CMC drivers unloaded their race cars to get ready for a fast weekend of racing on the high banks of Auto Club Speedway. Randy Wright s #55 Camaro ready for action. Image by Brian Reynolds of CaliPhotography. SATURDAY MORNING PRACTICE NASA made the announcement for Group C to head to grid, so the AIX-Outlaw and CMC drivers made their way out on track. As the timing system began to click off lap times, mechanical gremlins started to take their toll. Don Lariviere s #13 showed fuel problems requiring a tow back to the pits, Ken Pearson s #50 developed a bit of an engine smoking problem, and Matt Renna s freshly-engined #65 showed a miss from a broken spark plug. Back in the pits, CMC ers got together to help each other out Ginsberg and Lariviere pulled apart the fuel cell on the #13 and discovered the fuel line feed had disconnected from the fitting. Within 20 minutes, the repair was complete and the car was running again. Renna replaced the plug on his car, and it was also running again. However, Pearson s smoking problems weren t over yet..

3 SATURDAY MORNING QUALIFYING The AIX-Outlaw drivers started putting down laps at the drop of the green flag, with Ross Murray putting his blue #74 Mustang on the pole with a blazing fast 1: Tim Pinelli laid down a very quick 1:51.922, followed by Steve Butcher (1:53.696), Ryan Walton (1:54.167), and new AIX racer Rob Capetz (1:59.953). However, Rob s weekend was short lived, as his Shelby Mustang lost its clutch during its first ever NASA outing. The CMC ers got down to the business of qualifying as well, but the mechanical gremlins again took their toll. Ken Pearon s Mustang continued to produce engine smoke, bringing him back to the pits without posting a time. CMC pole was taken by Derek Tisinger with a 1:57.468, followed very closely by Ginsberg s #5 (1:57.589), Aaron Schroeder (1:59.349), Don Lariviere (1:59.440), long time veteran Carson Scheller (2:01.619), Charles Weeks (2:01.949), and Matt Renna ( ). Carson Scheller s #6 Firebird, and Aaron Schroeder s #99 Mustang during qualifying. Image by Corky Schroeder. Once back in the pits for the break between sessions, Pearson s car was put up on jackstands to determine the cause of the oil smoke. Tisinger s crew chief, Daniel Buxton jumped right in, helping to pull the exhaust, transmission, bellhousing, clutch, flywheel and block plate so the rear main seal could be examined. Unfortunately, once everything was removed, it was quickly determined the thin ring on the rear main journal that supports the seal was cracked and broken in 3 places. This put the #50 back on the trailer, ending his weekend. SATURDAY RACE #1 The call to grid over the loudspeaker brought the AIX and CMC drivers to grid for Saturday s flying start.

4 Saturday afternoon grid. Image by Corky Schroeder. The green flag dropped, and AIX roared into NASCAR turns 1 and 2. Pinelli s white Mustang was ready to pounce, and he got the jump on Murray s #74, passing on the banking, but soon gave it back going into T3 a bit too hot. With Walton close behind, the pressure was mounting. Murray continued to pull away, as Walton, Weber, Pinelli and Butscher began their fierce battles for position. On lap 3, Butscher s clutch gave up, bringing him into the pits. Pinelli was fighting it out with Walton, went over the curbing at the chicane, breaking a splitter support rod which led to a high-speed vibration as the front end began moving under the aero-load of the high-speed banks. This forced him into the pits for repairs. CMC was every bit as intense Tisinger got a good start, but the rest of the field was hot on his back bumper. Lariviere was putting pressure on Ginsberg in a strong battle for second place. Lariviere and Schroeder went door-to-door lap after lap. Ginsberg went too deep into T7, severely flat-spotting his right front tire, which then began to delaminate, forcing his early retirement. Schroeder also began having problems, with a faulty clutch cable making shifts difficult this allowed Lariviere to motor by. Scheller, Renna and Weeks were all close behind, waiting for the other CMC ers to make mistakes.

5 Saturday s CMC race start. Image by Corky Schroeder. At the AIX checker flag, it was Murray across the line in P1, followed by Weber s A47 Mustang, Ryan Walton, Steve Butscher and Tim Pinelli. CMC had Tisinger in P1, Don Lariviere in P2, Aaron Schroeder in the final podium spot, followed by Carson Scheller, Matt Renna, Charles Weeks and Adam Ginsberg. Saturday s CMC podium. L-R Don Larviere (P2), Derek Tisinger (P1) and Aaron Schroeder (P3). Image by Adam Ginsberg.

6 AI/CMC Series Director Adam Ginsberg showing off his shredded front tire. Image by Derek Tisinger. SATURDAY EVENING The AI and CMC drivers hosted a huge BBQ, with Caron Scheller showing off his roasting prowess, cooking 17 pounds of Tri-tip steak, 5 pounds of brats over an oak-fired grill, and all the AI/CMC drivers chipping with all the other needed items.like beer.

7 Additionally, Maximum Motorsports, StopTech Brakes, and Agent-47 donated hats, t-shirts and posters that were given away via hat pick to all the drivers. We thank each of those companies for their generous donations to our group of V8 racers. As the evening wore on, the BBQ fires waned, and the wrenching sessions began. Agent 47 was the hero among the AIX drivers, as they supplied parts to Tim Pinelli so he could repair is damaged splitter, as well as offering their car hauler to Butscher to replace his ailing clutch.

8 Soon-to-be AI driver Bryan Rogers got to work, putting Butscher s wounded Mustang inside the Agent 47 hauler so they could use the lift to pull down the driveline, and replace the broken clutch. Bryan Rogers and Steve Butscher wrenching on the wounded #25 inside the Agent 47 hauler. Image by Adam Ginsberg. SUNDAY MORNING WARMUP After an evening of wrenching, the V8 drivers awoke to an unusual event in the summertime a thunderstorm that had rolled in from the high desert around 4am! Most opted to skip the morning warm up, as they were hoping the rain would subside before qualifying.

9 Sunday morning rain on Schroeder s #99. Image by Corky Schroeder. SUNDAY MORNING QUAL RACE CMC opted to perform their usual inverted qualifying race, rain and all! Sunday morning s inverted qualifying grid. Image by Corky Schroeder. Since Ginsberg finished last in Saturday s race, that put him on pole, with Schroeder on his left, followed by the rest of the CMC drivers. The start was fierce at the drop of the green, with Ginsberg edging out rookie Schroeder at T3. With the varying track conditions due to the slowing rain, this would be a race based on who made the fewest mistakes.

10 Sunday side by side action on the wet banks of Auto Club Speedway. Image by Corky Schroeder. Tisinger was struggling with grip in the damp conditions. Lariviere, always formidable in the wet weather, stayed close. Ginsberg, while leading the pack, went too deep into T3, had to straight-line it, allowing Schroeder to capitalize. At the drop of the checker, rookie Aaron Schroeder took his first ever CMC win, followed by Adam Ginsberg, Derek Tisinger, Don Lariviere, Matt Renna and Chuck Weeks. CMC qual-race podium. L-R Adam Ginsberg (P2), Aaron Schroeder (P1), Derek Tisinger (P3). Image by Corky Schroeder.

11 AIX ran a regular qualifying session, putting Ross Murray on pole for the second time this weekend with a stellar 2: in the less-than-stellar track conditions, followed by Pinelli (2:09.533) and Walton (2:12.290). Bryan Rogers and Steve Butscher were finishing the clutch replacement in the #25 so it would be ready for the Sunday afternoon race. SUNDAY AFTERNOON RACE The weather cleared, and the sun came out in usual Southern California fashion, helping to dry the track in preparation for the afternoon race. Sunday afternoon CMC grid. Image by Corky Schroeder. Butscher s car was done, and ready to go. With Murray on pole, Pinelli, Walton, Weber and Butscher gridded behind the blue S197 #74 in order. The green flag was thrown, and the V8 racers dropped the throttle hard! Murray lost ground by T3, falling to P4 as the other AIX drivers pounced on his mistake. Butscher s clutch held together, but his brakes weren t up to snuff, forcing him to straight-line T3 more than once, dropping him back a few positions.

12 Sunday afternoon CMC race start. Image by Corky Schroeder. The CMC ers took the high banks side by side, making for some great racing action! Ginsberg was able to out-brake Schroeder into T3, taking P1. Tisinger was close behind, and in no time, there was a huge, heated battle for first place. Ginsberg and Tisinger put on a show for the crowd, swapping the lead 5 different times as each driver did their best to use their vehicle s strengths to hunt down and pass the other driver! The CMC pack roars towards T3. Image by Brian Reynolds of CaliPhotography.

13 Ginsberg s StopTech/Maximum Motorsport/Donovan Racing #5 gets ready to make a pass on Tisinger s #57. Image by Adam Ginsberg Ginsberg and Tisinger, battling it out for position! Image by Brian Reynolds of CaliPhotography.

14 The CMC drivers getting through T3. Image by Brian Reynolds of CaliPhotography. The AIX drivers were in the midst of their own on-track fight, as Murray and Weber began to put down a bit of a lead over the other AIX drivers. Pinelli s aero troubles came back, forcing him to head back to the pits early, with Walton and Butscher working each other over for position. Schroeder s clutch cable troubles came back with a vengeance, and with Lariviere on hot pursuit, he fell into Don s clutches, and eventually had to retire early due to the clutch cable, and a broken exhaust. With the battles heating up, it was anyone s race. However, an on-track incident forced NASA to put out a full-course caution, then the check, ending the session early. At the Sunday AIX checker, Weber took the battle home, earning P1, with Murray (P2), and Walton (P3) rounding out the podium. The CMC checker had Derek Tisinger in P1, Ginsberg in P2, and Don Lariviere in P3, with Renna (P4), Schroeder (P5), and Charles Weeks (P6) rounding out the rest of the finishing order.

15 Sunday s AIX podium. L-R Ryan Walton (P3), Corey Weber (P1), and Ross Murray (P2). Image by Ryan Tisinger. Sunday s CMC podium. L-R Adam Ginsberg (P2), Derek Tisinger (P1), and Don Lariviere (P3). Image by Ryan Tisinger. CONCLUSION This weekend of V8 racing saw new race winners, racers helping to get each other back on track, camaraderie, an unusual summer rain storm, great BBQ, and close action V8 racing. Derek Tisinger dedicated his race wins to his recently departed sister.

16 New driver Rob Capetz is already working on his Shelby Mustang in preparation for the next event, and soon-to-be licensed drivers Bryan Rogers and Randy Wright plan to be ready for the next AI/CMC weekend. The AIX-Outlaw is growing, as new racers are prepping to make events. The modified ruleset is working, with close racing at each event! AI and CMC goes on a two month hiatus, giving all of our drivers a well deserved break. Our next event is 8/9 October 2011 at Buttonwillow Raceway Park. The group is planning another fine BBQ, as the tradition will continue. Come out and watch the American Iron and Camaro Mustang Challenge V8 racers battle it out! For more information, the following websites should be able to answer any of your licensing/rules/racing questions: Written by Ross Murray, Tim Pinelli, Steve Butscher, Derek Tisinger and Aaron Schroeder Images by Corky Schroeder, Brian Reynolds of CaliPhotography, Ryan Tisinger, and Adam Ginsberg Assembled by Adam Ginsberg Hard-paced V8 racing action video

17 NASA California AI/AIX/CMC/CMC Championship Points Complete Season Season calculated (w/drops) Class: AI Date 12/13 Feb /20 March /10 April /15 May /26 June /31 July /9 Oct /7 Nov 2010 Track: Infineon Infineon X-Over Buttonwillow Thunderhill Buttonwillow CA Speedway X-Over Buttonwillow Infineon PL POINTS POINTS Driver: Make: R/V? P 1 2 P 3 P 1 2 P 3 P 1 2 P 3 P 1 2 P 3 P 1 2 P 3 P 1 2 P 3 P 1 2 P 3 P 1 2 P 3 1st John Wheeler Pont V 2nd Bryan MacMillan Ford V 3rd Ryan Walton Ford V 4th Troy Dewell Ford R 5th Eric Fowler Chevy V 6th Team DAL Racing Ford V 7th Don Lee Ford V 8th Michael R. Hall V 9th Kevin Smith Ford V 10th 66 Complete Season Season calculated (w/drops) Class: AIX Date 12/13 Feb /14 March /10 April /15 May /26 June /31 July /9 Oct /7 Nov 2010 Track: Infineon Infineon X-Over Buttonwillow Thunderhill Buttonwillow CA Speedway X-Over Buttonwillow Infineon PL POINTS POINTS Driver: Make: R/V? P 1 P 2 P 1 P 2 P 1 P 2 P 1 2 P 3 P 1 P 2 P 1 P 2 P 1 P 2 P 1 P 2 1st Ross Murray V nd Corey Weber V rd Ryan Walton R th Steve Butscher R th Tim Pinelli R th Bryan MacMillan V 80 7th Jim Black V 8th Paul Brown V 9th Kevin Smith V 10th Mark Callaghan V Complete Season Season calculated (w/drops) Date: 12/13 Feb /20 March /10 April /15 May /26 June /31 July /9 Oct /7 Nov 2010 Track: Infineon Infineon X-Over Buttonwillow Thunderhill Buttonwillow CA Speedway X-Over Buttonwillow Infineon PL POINTS POINTS Driver: Make: R/V? P 1 2 P 3 P 1 2 P 3 P 1 2 P 3 P 1 2 P 3 P 1 2 P 3 P 1 2 P 3 P 1 2 P 3 P 1 2 P 3 1st David Brown Ford V nd Dennis "Smitty" Smith Ford V 97 3rd Derek Tisinger Chevy V 4th Team Hollywood Ford V 5th Don Lariviere Ford V 6th Mike Donohoe Ford V 7th Kenneth Pearson Ford V 8th Addison Lee Ford V 9th Karl Chicca Chevy V 10th 87 Complete Season Season calculated (w/drops) Class: CMC Class: CMC-2 Date: 12/13 Feb /20 March /10 April /15 May /26 June /31 July /10 Oct /7 Nov 2010 Track: Infineon Infineon X-Over Buttonwillow Thunderhill Buttonwillow CA Speedway X-Over Buttonwillow Infineon PL POINTS POINTS Driver: Make: R/V? P 1 2 P 3 P 1 2 P 3 P 1 2 P 3 P 1 2 P 3 P 1 2 P 3 P 1 2 P 3 P 1 2 P 3 P 1 2 P Derek Tisinger Chevy V st Micheal Plum Chevy V nd Adam Ginsberg Ford V rd Don Lariviere Ford V th Nick Steel Chevy V th Carson Scheller Pontiac V th David Brown Ford V th Jeremy Bua Ford V th Aaron Schroeder Ford R th Ken Pearson Ford V th Klamecki Brothers Racing Ford V Matt Renna Ford R Charles Weeks Ford V Robert Walters Ford V Sam Stowell (BAF Racing) Pontiac V Dennis "Smitty" Smith Ford V 90 Note: Finishes listed in Red count toward Ford Manufacturer Points NOTES: 1) 20% of races dropped from totals (5 races). Boxes colored in YELLOW are DROPS. 2) Pole position points are 4 for AI...1 for CMC Points are awarded as follows AI/AIX CMC 1st nd rd th th th th th th th AI- Must complete more than half the race laps to be considered a Finisher. Non-Finishers receive half of the last place finisher's points. CMC- Anyone who takes the green flag will receive finishing points.