33 replies to this topic

[Johnny D]

Qual 1

http://racehero.io/e...ults/1073745725

 

J~

[Tom Hampton]

Come on Chris. Step your shit up. 3 laps is plenty of time for you to learn a track !

I told you... It's all car.

[powerss]

Congratulations Austin!

Nice qualifying and representing AZ this year!

[Danny Steyn]

What the helll happened with the tow truck on the track - heard several conflicting reports and would love to hear from someone who witnessed what went on. Look like there was contact with Bill Agha's car.

[Tom Hampton]

Video is posted on smmd Facebook and SM Texas. Looks pretty damning.

Bills car is totaled. Bill is Ok.

[Jim Drago]

tow truck crashes and eight to ten 1.6 cars pulled in and sealed yesterday for head inspection today.. Going to be a loooong weekend for people pulling heads after a group 7 race .

[Steve Scheifler]

Interesting about the 1.6 cars, I wonder if there is something in particular that they expect to find? Any chance someone has created the necessary go/no-go tools for checking chambers?

[Alberto]

Here's a link to a vid with the tow truck incident:

https://www.facebook...08223606351340/

 

Here is a link to a video I made of lap 2 of yesterday's race showing how looooonnnnnng the string of Miatas extends.  This was taken from the grandstands in front of the start/finish line so you see them coming out of the turn 8 esses in the background and up into turn 2 in the foreground.

 

Frickin amazing how big of a lead Drennan and Littehale managed to pull in the first lap!

 

https://youtu.be/BCTdvHPZeoE

[Bench Racer]

Alberto, how about you get the info you can on the sealed 1.6's and post what's looked at and what's found? 

[Jim Drago]

Congratulations to Mark Drennan for a dominating weekend out at Sonoma. Looks like he is going for a redemption of 14.  Pole and both wins. Congratulations to Austn Newmark for a double podium, Ken Sutherland and Tristan Littlehale  for their podiums. Other than the wrecker crash, the races at least from my coach didn't look all that interesting, thank Mark   Was hoping Haldeman could get up there and mix it up a little but had some gremlins kill his shot Sunday.  

 

Post race they impounded five cars for technical inspection and pulled cylinder heads

1.6 cars

Sutherland, Rawlins in who run Loyning engines, Justin Casey who runs a Haag

99 Cars 

Holified who run as a Haag and Newmark who runs one of mine.

 

Drennan runs a Rush and was inspected at Thunderhill, so he was rightfully given a pass IMO

 

Sutherland,Rawlins and Newmark passed, the other two did not.

Sad to report as no one wants that. I am sure the drivers and Mike Haag will bounce back and get the issues corrected for the Runoffs.  I have to say I was sitting home missing it.. thinking I really should pack up and head out west.  I think it is back on the table for me, at least this week until I come to my senses. 

Jim

[Danica Davison]

What the helll happened with the tow truck on the track - heard several conflicting reports and would love to hear from someone who witnessed what went on. Look like there was contact with Bill Agha's car.

 

Looks like Spec Miata Man Drama was the first to report about it. The video is up to 110k views!

[Danica Davison]

 
Post race they impounded five cars for technical inspection and pulled cylinder heads
1.6 cars
Sutherland, Rawlins in who run Loyning engines, Justin Casey who runs a Haag
99 Cars 
Holified who run as a Haag and Newmark who runs one of mine.
 
Drennan runs a Rush and was inspected at Thunderhill, so he was rightfully given a pass IMO
 
Sutherland,Rawlins and Newmark passed, the other two did not.
Sad to report as no one wants that. I am sure the drivers and Mike Haag will bounce back and get the issues corrected for the Runoffs.  I have to say I was sitting home missing it.. thinking I really should pack up and head out west.  I think it is back on the table for me, at least this week until I come to my senses. 
Jim

 

I thought they were tearing down like 10 cars. They only tore down 5?  Either way, if I had a Haag motor, I would be sending mine in to get checked before the Runoffs. Just sayin ...

[Ron Alan]

LONG 5 days! 

 

Started with the race for paddock space on Wed at 10am...I was P2 in line! But because of the Wednesday night drags SCCA couldn't stripe the paddock until midnight which forced them to wait until 6:30 am to start letting in rigs...and remember this was for a Sonoma Test day! Then in SFR SCCA infinite wisdom they decided to park rigs 1 at a time...WTF   

Obviously they felt they could avoid the land rush...what a cluster it turned into...it took some 3 hrs to get in the paddock and they missed there f 1st sessions! ASSIGNED spaces and parking is the only way the Runoffs will work...and at that space will be limited!

 

It was a lot of fun getting to know Chris Haldeman, Stephen Jeu and Lee Thomas who made the trip from Texas to get in some Laps...great people!

 

Jim would have easily won his bet with regard to Chris finishing in the top 5...BUT...it didnt happen! Though I think qualifying P4 for both races is worth something...and certainly beyond respectable in a strange car and a new track!  Race 1 found Chris learning some local start knowledge the hard way which cost him a few spots by turn 4. A few laps latter he got spun from behind losing 20 spots...the contact started a tire rub which ended up blowing the tire 3 laps latter. 

 

Race 2 start found Chris P3 by turn 4 instead of P7! 4 or 5 laps in double yellow came out...running P3 the car suddenly died. Long story short, a wire exposed right behind a plug found its way against the hot egr tube and shorted blowing the injector fuse

Crazy thing was Chris had been towed to a safe spot...got out of the car and swapped fuses fixing the problem and drove the car back in! The guy is a wrench! 

 

The Non-compliant heads was a real bummer...basically the same issue Nick Sommers ran into. But in the end it is good this all comes out now with plenty of time to fix. 

 

Jim D...encouraging you and others to reconsider!  We need a 20 deep talented field...not 10! 

[Johnny D]

Mazda Racers Shine in Runoffs Preview at Sonoma

 

 

The final SCCA Western Conference Majors race weekend attracts a host of drivers eager to test before the 2018 Runoffs

 

A race at the home of the SCCA National Championship Runoffs is often an indicator of what one might expect for the big event come fall. While last year we didn’t see a race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway prior to the Runoffs, this year, SCCA’s San Francisco Region hosted a U.S. Majors Tour race at Sonoma Raceway where the championship event will be held Oct. 16-21, 2018.

 

 

“I actually came in to the weekend thinking that Ken Sutherland in his 1.6 was going to be unbeatable and that I really didn’t stand much of a chance unless I got in front of him and had a really wide Miata, so I’m surprised it wasn’t as close,” Drennan continued. “I did have some good pressure from both Tristan and Austin in both races, but I think I have the tires figured out and my setup dialed in, and my driving was pretty darned good. I know this track pretty well and everything seems to be coming together.”

 

There are several other strong local Mazda drivers with home track advantages that have a good chance of winning the Runoffs, such as Jake Pipal, who won both days in B-Spec in a Mazda2; Jim Devenport, who was a double winner in Formula Enterprises 2; and Bill Weaver in Formula Mazda. While not exactly local, hailing from Southern California, Michael Lewis won GT-3 in an RX-7 on Saturday, beating four-time SCCA national champ Collin Jackson, who has won every Runoffs he has attended. Lewis raced in GT-1 Sunday, since he is qualifying in both classes and they usually run in the same group on Majors weekends. Ross Murray was another Southern Californian to win, taking his RX-8 to a victory in Touring 4 on Sunday over some stiff competition.

 

Glen McCready has the home track advantage in E Production, and his NC MX-5 is looking fast. He won on Saturday, but Matt Reynolds took the victory on Sunday. Reynolds is hoping that by race time at the Runoffs, any home track advantage disappears.

 

“We were both out here gearing up for the Runoffs obviously – I wanted to pick up the track and make some changes to the car, try to figure out what works and what doesn’t,” Reynolds said after Sunday’s race. “Yesterday was a great race with Glen. We were real close the entire race. It didn’t shake out that way today, but that’s just kind of how it goes. You try different things – it worked out for me, didn’t work out for him, so we finished one-two again. He’s definitely quick here – he’s very smooth. We’ve just got to prepare for it and be ready.”

 

The Sonoma Majors weekend was the final Majors weekend in SCCA’s Western Conference; look for a report on the Conference championships soon on MazdaMotorsports.com. The 2018 SCCA National Championship Runoffs will be held in October on the traditional Sonoma Raceway layout, with three days of qualifying leading into three days of racing for 28 different classes.

 

SCCA U.S. Majors Tour
Sonoma Raceway
Sonoma, Calif., June 29-July 1, 2018

 
Saturday Provisional Mazda Winners
GT-3: Michael Lewis; Poway, Calif.; RX-7
BS: Jake Pipal; Oakdale, Calif.; Mazda2
EP: Glen McCready; Redwood City, Calif.; MX-5
FE2: Jim Devenport; Modesto, Calif.; Formula Enterprises Mazda
FE: Brandon Chappell; Las Vegas, Nev.; Formula Enterprises Mazda
FM: Bill Weaver; Fresno, Calif.; Star Formula Mazda
SM: Mark Drennan; San Jose, Calif.; Miata

 

Sunday Provisional Mazda Winners
EP: Matt Reynolds; Fair Oaks, Texas; Miata
BS: Jake Pipal; Oakdale, Calif.; Mazda2
FE2: Jim Devenport; Modesto, Calif.; Formula Enterprises Mazda
FE: Brandon Chappell; Las Vegas, Nev.; Formula Enterprises Mazda
FM: Bill Weaver; Fresno, Calif.; Star Formula Mazda
SM: Mark Drennan; San Jose, Calif.; Miata
T4: Ross Murray; Marina Del Rey, Calif.; RX-8

 

Any Majors race at the Runoffs track usually brings out championship hopefuls from all over the country, eager to log time at the circuit prior to the big show. But with this year’s event being so far West, few East Coasters made the trip, opting instead for the Runoffs test days to familiarize themselves with the technical, hilly circuit. Still, enough top-rank drivers made the trip, offering a sure indicator of what will come this October.

 

In Spec Miata, Mark Drennan, hailing from nearby San Jose, put on a clinic. He didn’t just win, he pulled out a gap over Tristan Littlehale and Austin Newmark in a field that also included Matt Reynolds and Brad Rampelberg. It was reminiscent of his performance at the Runoffs at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in 2014 when he finished first on track. That was the year of the head controversy, and his finish – along with the finishes of many others in the class – didn’t stand.

 

“It feels a lot like preparing for the Runoffs in ’14,” said Drennan at the track. “I’ve worked all year long to make sure that my game is solid and I’m ready to go. I feel great about October and I just hope that I’m able to realize what I hope is my destiny.