Southern California Region of NASA

RACE Track Records- Updated

Track Records V25913.xls

Corrections? please send email to socalinfo@drivenasa.com for corrections and link to your fast lap.

 Youth and the 1.6-liter Engine Rule at Willow Springs

 

The first race of the Teen Mazda Challenge West series showcased youth and enthusiasm, and demonstrated the viability of the early 1.6-liter cars at Willow Springs International Raceway May 4 and 5.

            Charlie Hayes' blistering 1:36.769 qualifying time landed him on pole for Saturday's race, followed by Alex Brauer, who was racing for the first time this season, with Joey Bickers in third.

            When the green flag dropped, Brauer chased Hayes into Turn 1, a fast, banked left-hander with an exit you can't see from the entry. The two ran nose to tail for the first few laps swapping positions once a lap, always in Turn 1.

Sometimes you're the windshield; sometimes you're the bug.  If you were Charlie Buzzetti racing in the 944 Spec class at Willow Springs International Raceway May 4th and 5th, you were most definitely the windshield, and a powerful, efficient one at that.  For the third race weekend this year, Buzzetti set a new track record on the new spec tires, the Toyo RR's - a lightening quick 1:35.9.  But if you were this author, you were most definitely the bug, caught on the hood and just hanging on for the ride.   The weekend started auspiciously for everyone, with the same drivers that had competed so mightily at Buttonwillow in April ready to test their cars and push their nerves to the limits at "the Fastest Track in the West."  It didn't take long to see that Buzzetti had the track and his car dialed in.  Buzzetti pulled away for an easy win in Saturday's race, but the battle for second was shared by Jim Richmond, "Jiven" Jim Hicks, and Tom Atteberry.  At the checkered flag, Richmond took second and Hicks took third place.

Round 2 of the 2013 SoCal racing season sent the NASA Spec E30 racers to their home track at Buttonwillow Raceway Park. 15 teams showed up to do battle on track and all were pleasantly surprised to find almost perfect weather conditions. 75F and sunny all weekend long, coupled with the outstanding performance the new Toyo RR spec tires has been providing, would only mean one thing...a new track record lie in wait.

 

Joining the series were two rookie drivers in JoJo McKenzie and Andrew Clark.  They would both be taking their first green flag with the Spec E30 bunch in their beautifully prepared 325's. Also joining us for the first time this season was Nick Steel who is coming from the CMC series. All were welcomed in the typical SoCal fashion.  Mark Powell made the long trek all the way from the Arizona region to race with us in his newly Yellow painted #88 SE30, which was affectionately nick-named "Big Bird."  The stage was set for what promised to be an epic weekend.

 

If records are accurate, the last time Spec E30 raced on the #13 CCW configuration was way back in June of 2007 when the record was set by Victor Beraja at 2:27.245. To illustrate how far the group has come and how good the new Toyo RR tires are, that record lap time would be beaten by each and every driver in Saturday's morning warm-up!

Epic.  That single word epitomizes the 944 Spec racing experience at Buttonwillow Raceway Park the first weekend in April.  Highlights included two exciting sprint races, a challenging three-hour endurance race, the camaraderie of the SoCal 944 Spec group, and the crowning of a 12-year old as the group's true organizer.
Saturday was a long, fun day for the racers and their crews.  Saturday's qualifying session showed the racers were within only a few seconds of each other.  At the drop of the green Charlie Buzzetti pulled away from the pack, to go on and set a new track record on the new Toyo RR tires.  Meanwhile, the rest of the pack battled fiercely but cleanly.  At the checkered flag, it was Charlie taking first place, Everett DeLano taking second, and Jim Hicks taking third.  But the day and the racing was far from over.  Everyone in the group pitched in mightily to get five 944 Spec racers ready to race in the Enduro.  Jim Richmond and Steve Agoston joined in Team Squid Mobile; Tom Atteberry and Everett joined in Team Tahoe Pacific Racing; and Charlie entered during the daylight portion of the event.  The race started at 6:30 p.m., so the racers still had daylight left.  The first half hour saw two full-course caution periods; after that, it was solid competition around Buttonwillow's demanding turns.  The majority of the event was held in the dark, and dark it certainly was.  In the end, the 944 Spec teams performed admirably, with Team Tahoe Pacific Racing taking third place in class and Team Squid Mobile in fourth.



Sunday saw more exciting racing action.  Sunday's qualifying session involved another race, with the leaders from Saturday's sprint race agreeing to drop to the back of the pack to make the competition even more thrilling.  And for a period of time Everett held point in the qualifying race until a spin on the slowest turn on the course put him in the back.  At the drop of the green flag at Sunday afternoon's spring race, the racers charged forward.  And after Charlie came in the pits for a brief moment, Everett eventually won the race, with Charlie in second and Tom taking third.
As everyone packed up for their trips home, it was agreed that Oliver DeLano should be appointed 944 Spec organizer, a role he happily accepted alongside his Series Leader dad.  It was also clear the racers and their crews would need a day or two to recover from the weekend, but the bench racing certainly will continue until they pick it up again at Willow Springs International Raceway the first weekend in May.

We are happy to post a track records archive from the last few years events. The data only goes back a few years so we need your help to ensure accuracy. If you have earned a record and are not properly listed, please email the contact in the document and provide proof.

TT Track Records
http://www.nasa-tt.com/Socal_Track_Records

RACE Track Records
SoCal_trackrecords2013.xls

Anticipation for another exciting season with the SoCal NASA Spec E30 series kicks off at AAA Speedway. 12 teams trekked to Fontana, CA for the first race of the season where the new Toyo RR's would be put through their paces for the first time under competition.  The expectations were for huge improvements over the previous spec tire. The standing track record was set at this same event last season by Allan Hauser, who laid down a blistering 02:03.041.

 

The SoCal group would also be welcoming 2 new drivers to the series. Mark Powell would join us from the Arizona region in his newly purchased E30. Ken Pearson, from the CMC series, would also be joining us piloting his freshly built #50 Spec E30 race car!

The first points race of the season always brings a heightened sense of anticipation. What improvements did your competitors make during the winter off-season? Who has a new engine? Who refreshed their head? And which drivers are rusty?

            You can ask, but you probably won't learn much until you see how they run -- then check the time sheets.

            Oregon's David Dodge hadn't lost his edge over the winter. He qualified on pole with a 2:04.434 for Saturday's race, just .001 seconds quicker than SoCal's David Varco, and Ken Saward in third with a 2:05.750.

Phillips Takes the Win and SoCal Championship at Buttonwillow

Arizona's Scott Phillips has shown great speed all year long. However, at the last race of the season, Phillips qualified less than half a second in front of Dave Varco, who had regularly been finishing second behind Phillips. When the green dropped, Varco chased Phillips and looked every bit as quick as the teen driver through certain portions of the track.  
  "It seemed like Dave Varco and I were going to have a pretty good race there for a while," Phillips said, noting that an out-of-class car that spun into the tire barrier at the exit of the Sunrise turn and brought an early end to the race.
  Varco tailed Phillips closely for a few laps, but then dropped back noticeably.
"I tried something different over the hill and it didn't work, and I fell back a few car lengths," Varco said. "From then, I kept slipping back a couple of car lengths every lap. So, I won't do that again. But I figured out where I can pass him next time, so hopefully I'll get in that position."

Usually, November at Buttonwillow is the time to bring out the full treads in SoCal, but this weekend was different.  While the weather was much cooler than what the guys are used to at this track, the usual rain spared the group its normal guest appearance.   However, the season finale at Buttonwillow was nothing short of the knock-down, drag out fight to the finish that everyone anticipated.  All of the top position drivers would show up ready to battle it out for their final season points. 

After an uneventful practice and qualifying session, the grid was set for the first of the final two races of the season.