This past weekend I was racing at BRP on configuration 13CW. It was a significantly important race weekend for me due to several reasons. For one, as a rookie racer I’m on a provisional racing license and I have to safely complete 4 races without incidents so that I can apply for my official racing license. I had already completed 2 races successfully at CS, and now I have successfully completed 4 races after my 2 BRP races. After the 2nd race I got the approval from the race director to apply for my official racing license. So in short, it was an amazing weekend! Tons of pressure to deal with since I was working on successfully completing my 3rd and 4th race. And if that wasn’t enough pressure to deal with, my competition was out there…the Mazda GT race cars. Since they run in another race series other than Super Touring 2, they skip CS, so I didn’t race against them at CS when I ran my first 2 races (March 28-29).
Before I proceed I must say that those Mazda GT race cars are a force to deal with. Even more so, I am really impressed by their drivers. I don’t know all their specs, but from what they have posted, those Mazda GT race cars have a tube-frame chassis with a fiberglass body. They are listed to weigh 1795 lbs, and apparently produce 265hp. I was told they are down on power right now, but it really doesn’t matter much based on how those cars were performing. Besides, my car isn’t even close to being near the weight/power ratio of Super Touring 2, let alone purposely built for racing like those Mazda GT race cars. With the help of my sponsors and supporters, in time my car will become better developed. If I can get the help I need, look to see my car getting faster and faster. But most importantly, I am so fortunate to be racing against such purpose-built race cars, because there are many of them, and the competition is fierce. My car is so much more different than those Mazda GT race cars, 1795 lb tube-frame chassis that is a purpose-built race car vs. a 3200 lb production car that has a cage and other safety bits to make it legal for racing. In the end we sort of end up balancing each other out, which makes for some really intense battles.
After my 2 races at CS (Cal Speedway), I was happy with how the car had performed, but I knew my car needed a significant amount of development for it to be a Regional front runner, let alone a Nationally competitive race car. Given my CW (competition weight), I am underpowered anywhere from 30-50whp. We put our heads together at RRE and decided to stick to our original plan, which involves focusing on removing weight, and to keep my OEM turbo while working to better develop my car with that setup. I don’t have the extra money to upgrade my turbo, besides, at this juncture I would much rather focus on other issues. On top of that I don’t want to turn up the boost, therefore, for now we are going to focus more on removing and transferring weight, as opposed to adding more power.
At CS I estimated that I was down about 30-40whp. This past weekend at BRP it was a bit hotter during my 2 races, so I decided to turn the boost down a bit more. We’re already running low boost, but I’m in no big hurry right now to make more power. So at these 2 races I estimate that I was down about 40-50whp. I didn’t think it would be that noticeable running a bit less boost from CS, but it was. There is no way I can explain how intense those 2 races were against the Mazda GT race cars. Both races were absolutely intense and close from start to finish.
Before I proceed to my results, I want to say another big thanks to everyone at RRE. We had my car back at RRE after my 2 CS races to do some more work on the car. Mike got to work on my car and within a few hours took out a little bit of weight due to extra brackets and miscellaneous things. Unfortunately, it came out the rear, but we also have some plans for taking weight off the front. We also wanted to try to free up a little more hp with my OEM turbo, so Garcia did a little porting, and with a few more changes Scot did some more tuning. I figured if we can turn down the boost a hair and still make the same amount of power that would be great. Scot got ready to do some tuning and on about the 2nd or 3rd pull my clutch started slipping. Honda and Mike confirmed that my clutch would probably not make it through the weekend. They reassured me and told me not to worry because they were going to set me up with an ACT clutch. It was really late, and at that juncture we honestly didn’t care to put more time into tuning given the condition of my OEM clutch. They contacted ACT and set me up with a new clutch. Thank you ACT! I picked up my car ready to go Thursday evening. Did a little test drive and everything felt solid. I really liked the new clutch right off the bat. Simply put, the clutch engages much more quickly. Other than that it felt good and solid, not sure how else I can explain it. Given my new clutch, I figured it would be wise for me to do some mild testing before my 2 races. BRP had a test day on Friday for our NASA weekend, so I did the half day and did some mild testing. Everything felt great, so I was confident to move forward with my race weekend. Being confident with your race car is paramount, so it was a major relief to know the car was ready. So a big thanks to RRE and ACT for helping me resolve that issue last minute. Moving onto my results:
Saturday
This was my first major race because my competition was there…the Mazda GT race cars. So the Saturday race was the first time I was going to be tested against race cars that are in my class. I saw a handful of them out during the practice session, and I knew it was on. During our qualifying session there was too much traffic (44 race cars), so I couldn’t set any decent fast laps. There were way too many varying types of race cars. The best I did during qualifying was a 2:01.169. There were (7) ST2 cars that had qualified, and I had the 5th fastest time. Out of the 44 race cars, I had the 18th fastest time. At that point I didn’t care about my qualifying time because all I wanted to do was to get out there and learn to race with the Mazda GT race cars.
I have been anticipating this race since the day I decided to get into car racing, and it has been on the forefront of my thoughts since CS. So about an hour before the race I started getting pre-race jitters. I started feeling a tingling sensation in my hands that would come and go. The anticipation was killing me. Shortly after that I got busy getting ready, and focused on getting into my zone. During the racers driver meeting we found out that our group (Group A) was going to have 4 rolling starts, which apparently is a lot. The rolling start I was part of would consist of Super Unlimited, Super Touring 1, and Super Touring 2 race cars. I was supposed to be grid up in 5th among the (7) Super Touring 2 cars, but when we drove on track I counted 5 of those Mazda GT race cars in front of me. I realized then that someone had made some sort of mistake because I ended up starting in 6th. I had to put that behind me at that point because I needed to focus on the race. After the esses we got into formation and our pole sitter set the pace. Once we got on the front straight I was super excited, and couldn’t believe I was seconds away from this race that I have been anticipating for the longest time. Moments later they dropped the green flag and off we went.
Right off the rolling start I passed the Mazda directly in front of me. Going into sunrise I took the inside line and one of them almost hit me on the passenger side. It was really close. Then approaching cotton corners 2 of the Mazda GT race cars went door to door, and the collision was pretty hard. The one on the left side nearly lost control and came really close to hitting me. At that point I thought these guys were crazy, and figured I was going to get hit at one point before the race was over. You can say I had a rude awaking and realized that there was no way I was going to finish the race without contact. I somehow passed them one by one within the first 4-5 laps. It was also during those laps when I first realized how fast these Mazda GT race cars are. For those of you who follow lap times, try to understand that lap times really don’t do racers any real justice. Until you get out there and do some real racing, you will not understand what I am talking about. You can be running really fast times and then with a little traffic the cars that are trailing you can catch you in an instant. Besides, in a race you’re not always driving the fastest line due to many reasons. And there is a great deal of strategy involved. Couple that with the challenge of racing anywhere from 3-6 abreast while going nose-to-rear with several cars and you will be in for a serious wake up call.
I was so impressed by those Mazda GT race cars. They completely owned me in the braking zones and in most of the transitions through the low-mid speed corners. I don’t know how I did it, but after 4-5 laps I was in the lead. There was so much on the fly strategy unfolding that my brain was experiencing overwhelming amounts of sensory-overload. On top of that, the traffic was overwhelming. We hit traffic probably 3 laps into the race, and sometimes it was almost like gridlock. Ironically, I set my fastest lap in lap 3 with a 1:58.592. The traffic was killing me because there were a few sections where I would pull about 4-5 car lengths on the 2-3 of the Mazda GT’s that were trailing me, but my lead would disappear because of all the traffic. There were groups of cars that were off the pace of their class that were racing with cars that were in other classes. Those guys were pretty much ruining it for the rest of us. Because of all the traffic those guys were creating by not cooperating with the other racers, and since my tires and brakes were taking a beating, the last thing on my mind was winning. The traffic was so bad that during the 2nd half of the race my times varied anywhere from 2:00-2:02s. The 2 Mazda GT’s that were trailing me were running in the 2:01-2:07 range. That’s how bad the traffic was. Either way, I figured that at one point the guys that were trailing me would team up and work together against me. I could see them in my mirrors as they pushed and drafted each other. On the final lap all I focused on was to be smart and keep it on track. I don’t know how, but I somehow crossed the finish line in 1st place, and had my first major win as a rookie racer. The only people that I honestly feel that have the capacity to understand and value my win are my 2 friends who were there with me (Sean and Mark). Since the 3 of us have the same experiences, I know that they know how significant it was for me to win that race. So, a quick thanks to Mark and Sean for being there with me to help me out and to cheer me on. Not only did they see my first major race, they also watched me win, so it was extremely cool to have them there to see it all happen. Here are the results from Saturday:
Saturday Super Touring 2 Qualifying times:
1. 98 - James Wagaman - 1:58.825
2. 35 - Josh Carroll - 1:59.253
3. 77 - John Van Caneghem - 2:00.634
4. 24 - Thor Gjerdrum - 2:00.745
5. 415 - Ed Nazarian - 2:01.169
6. 0 - Team Fast 7’s /Dragoun - 2:01.714
7. 81 - Walter Carlos - 2:02.987
Saturday Super Touring 2 Race results:
1. 415 - Ed Nazarian - 1:58.592
2. 98 - James Wagaman - 1:58.546
3. 35 - Josh Carroll - 1:58.594
4. 24 - Thor Gjerdrum - 2:00.812
5. 77 - John Van Caneghem - 1:59.616
6. 81 - Walter Carlos - 2:02.517
7. 0 - Team Fast 7’s /Dragoun - 2:01.223
* I was supposed to be grid up in 5th, but there was some sort of mistake and I ended up getting grid up in 6th. I ended up going from 6th to 1st, so I passed 5 cars in my class, and won the race. On top of that, at the end of our 35 min race the 2nd place driver was 2.109 sec behind me when I crossed the finish line, while the 3rd place driver was 4.709 sec behind. As you can see it was a really close race from start to finish.
Sunday
Despite being extremely surprised and excited that I had my first major win as a rookie racer, I was even more excited and was anxiously waiting for my race on Sunday. I couldn’t help but think that the Mazda GT guys were going to bring it on Sunday. Beyond that, I was concerned that if I didn’t do well on Sunday everyone would think that my win from Saturday was a fluke. So there was quite a bit for me to think about before my Sunday race. Beyond that, I still needed to focus on completing my 4th race without any incidents so that I can apply for my official racing license. So basically, I really had quite a bit of pressure to deal with.
During my Saturday race my tires and my brakes had taken a beating like never before. There really is no way I can explain it if you have never raced before. Besides, my car is over 1000 lbs heavier than those Mazda GT race cars. Couple that with how hard I was fighting to maintain my position against purpose built tube-frame chassis race cars that can out-brake and out-corner me, and multiply that lap after lap in a full blown 35 min race and its really amazing that my car finished the race, let alone me winning the race. Keep in mind that I’m using my OEM calipers that are coupled with Girodisc 2-piece rotors, but I don’t have brake ducting. So I definitely have to give respect to Girodisc for providing me with such great rotors. Without them there is no way I could have finished the race let alone won it.
Since my brakes had taken a beating, I needed new brake fluid. So, on Sunday I put in new brake fluid and got ready for qualifying. There was still quite a bit of traffic during the qualifying session, but I managed to get a faster time compared to Saturday by running a 1:58.497. What was strange though was that I didn’t see any of the Mazda GT race cars out there. I wasn’t sure what to think. Maybe they were using some sort of strategy. Shortly after that the race director found me and said they skipped the qualifying session because they were going to have a little qualifying race after our qualifying session instead. And since I am the new guy they forgot to tell me. No harm intended, and it was totally fine by me. Who knows, maybe they wanted to work better together to beat me, so maybe they wanted to have a little practice race for it. Or maybe they just wanted more practice. Whatever it was it was really smart on their part.
The ironic part is my name wasn’t on the grid after their qualifying race. The funny part is that my name was not on the list after the practice session from Saturday also. It seemed that the timing gods were playing games with me. That was cleared up, and with the times from their qualifying race I was grid in 1st place. The issue of traffic and racers that were holding up other racers while they raced with other classed cars was heavily stressed in the racers meeting on Sunday. All I could do at that point was to hope everyone would cooperate with each other. I got ready and went to grid up early to make sure I wasn’t going to get screwed out of my grid position again. The race director came up to me and said that they made a change to the rolling starts and that we, the Super Touring 2 racers, would have our own rolling start and that I was the pole sitter. However, we were going to be the last rolling start. That concerned me because there were going to be many slower cars in front of us. And I was concerned about hitting traffic towards the latter part of the race. Either way, it was great that we had our own rolling start and that I was the pole sitter given the significance of this race as a rookie. Although, I needed to be extra careful now to not make a mistake because not only would it cost me the race, but I didn’t want to foul up during my 4th race since I needed to complete it without any incidents to be allowed to apply for my official racing license.
The race started and we got out there for our warm-up lap. I was in pole so it was my responsibility to distance our group from the one in front of us. After the esses we got into formation. After the last turn coming onto the front straight the anticipation of the unexpected was killing me, but I was in my zone and got ready for the green flag. We waited and waited. The green flag was dropped when we nearly hit the start/finish line. Wow, I couldn’t help but think of how much of a really late start that was. It was a real major disadvantage for me because it’s much easier for me to pull away from the Mazda GT’s from a rolling start if I have enough room. Basically, even though I was the pole sitter, I actually lost one of the only advantages I have over them.
We took off, and I was able to maintain the lead exiting sunrise. I maintained the lead throughout that entire lap, but I almost threw away the entire race approaching the sweeper. Somewhere between corner-entry and mid-corner my rear end stepped out severely. Then all of a sudden my car nearly got sideways. My heart dropped because in that moment I thought I was about to go flying off track sideways. And I figured the race may very well be over. I counter-steered, kept my foot in it and focused on making that transition seamless. I recall turning the steering wheel at least once over to the left. My tires were screeching out of control. I came within inches of going off. I have never drifted like that before, so it was a first for me. I don’t recommend it for racing. I remember thinking that I couldn’t believe I had saved it. I suppose you can say it was a rookie racer mistake.
That was such a major wake up call. I realized then that if I made any other mistakes like that my race was most probably going to be over. And it really didn’t help that the Mazda GT guys had kept it clean this time around on the opening lap. During the race on Saturday 2 of their fastest drivers nearly took each other out in the beginning. And it was no surprise to me that those 2 guys were trailing right behind me because they are 2 of their fastest drivers. I knew then that this race was going to be my greatest battle. In fact, iirc, Josh driving that brown colored Mazda GT race car passed me on the 2nd lap. From what I recall the 3 of us were nose to rear approaching the sweeper. We caught up to a FFR that I tried to pass before the esses. I took the outside line in the sweeper but the FFR turned in front of me. It was then when Josh took the inside line and passed the both of us right at the entry of the esses. It was a great move on his part because he took off through the esses while I got stuck behind that FFR. I fell behind maybe a good 10 seconds at that point. That pass was another wake up call for me. I was actually happy that he passed me because I wanted to see if I can learn how to catch him, especially having lost the lead by such a large margin. I then quickly realized that I may have lost the race because of that one move because I fell really far behind having gotten stuck behind that FFR in the esses.
The traffic was heavy again on Sunday, but the racers were much more cooperative. After working on trying to catch Josh for about 2 laps while also trying to maintain my position from the 2 other Mazda GT’s, I thought it was over. On top of that I had to deal with traffic, so I honestly thought I didn’t stand a chance of catching him. I don’t know how, but I somehow caught up to Josh gradually. We ended up exchanging the lead 3 more times. We put a great deal of pressure on each other. He had a major off exiting MM, but had a spectacular save. I was really impressed. From what my friends told me, my last pass coming down the front straight probably won me the race. I passed a couple out of class cars including Josh by late braking and taking the inside line. All I remember was that I thought I was going to go flying off track. I literally had to stand on my brake pedal to stay on track. I remember my ABS kicking in. After that pass my brakes were never the same. My pedal was pretty soft and that had me worried. I figured that if I had to get on my brakes like that again my pedal would drop to the floor, and my race would be over. Ironically, I ended up hitting a bunch of traffic those last 4 or so laps. Josh was right on my tail the whole time. I knew that if I got stuck behind someone again just like when I got stuck behind that FFR, Josh would definitely capitalize on the situation and pass me again. And if that would happen it would have been too late in the race for me to catch him again. On top of that, the other Mazda was trailing him also, so I had to be extra careful.
We approached sunset and since my pedal was soft I couldn’t slow my car down early enough. I nearly went straight off track. Josh however was the unlucky one because when I glanced in my mirrors it looked like he went off track to avoid crashing into me. However, he somehow had another quick recovery and I could see him in my mirrors again. He was far, but it seemed like he was gaining quickly. I remember thinking when is start/finish going to drop the white flag? About 3 laps later I finally saw the white flag when I turned onto the front straight. But then all of a sudden I lost power. My heart dropped, but I quickly realized that I had shifted into 5th like a total rookie. I quickly downshifted into 4th, and looking at mylaps it appears that I lost a good 3 seconds there. I saw Josh in my mirrors again. I don’t know how to explain it, but that last lap drove me crazy. I could no longer wait. I finally crossed the finish line and I couldn’t believe it. I won again. Thus far, I have won all 4 of my Super Touring 2 races, all the while as a rookie. In other words, I have won 4 races in a row as a rookie. I still can’t believe it.
Sunday Super Touring 2 Qualifying times:
1. 415 - Ed Nazarian - 1:58.497
2. 98 - James Wagaman - 2:00.217
3. 0 - Dave Beatie - 2:00.792
4. 35 - Josh Carroll - 2:01.076
5. 81 - Walter Carlos - 2:02.446
6. 24 - Thor Gjerdrum - 2:01.819
7. 50 - Mark Montoya - 2:03.628
Sunday Super Touring 2 Race results:
1. 415 - Ed Nazarian - 1:58.996
2. 35 - Josh Carroll - 1:58.600
3. 24 - Thor Gjerdrum - 2:02.567
4. 81 - Walter Carlos - 2:04.480
5. 50 - Mark Montoya - 2:03.334
6. 0 - Dave Beatie - 2:04.528
7. 98 - James Wagaman - 2:01.449
* I was grid in 1st place. The lead was exchanged 4 times between me and Josh. I maintained the lead in the end for another major win as a rookie racer. At the end of our 35 min race Josh, who took 2nd place, trailed me by 1.692 seconds. So it was another close race that literally came down to the very last second.
So many people to thank. Thanks to all my sponsors and supporters, because without their support I would not be able to do all this. To everyone at RRE for all their hard work. A big thanks to Mike for showing up to my race. I was so focused on my race on Sunday that I honestly had no idea he was taking pictures. He even has some video footage that he is going to try to edit and send me. To everyone at Muellerized, thanks for going out of your way to take care of me all the time. Another big thanks to Girodisc for providing me with such great 2-piece rotors. I have no idea how my OEM calipers held up without brake ducting with just those rotors. Ask the people who saw my car after the Sunday race, my calipers are black. I definitely need some brake ducting because there is no way I can continue to race like this. Thanks also to ACT for helping me out last minute. I look forward to our relationship. Last but definitely not least, my friends Sean Bradley and Mark Homer. They were there helping me out, again. They also watched both my races and cheered me on. It is so awesome to have them there helping me out, watching my races, and cheering me on. Since the 3 of us have the same experiences, I know that they know what I go through, so they are probably the only people who really understand how significant and challenging these 2 wins were for me. I still can’t believe I won both races. If I had to explain it to someone else I know they will not understand. Sean and Mark are great drivers, multi-talented in various ways, and I feel like I don’t deserve to have them on my side. Thanks for being there for me, and I look forward to seeing you guys out there racing shortly! If anyone is interested to come watch any of my races, my next 2 will be May 23-24 at Big Willow. I know the Mazda GT guys are going to bring it, along with maybe a few other Super Touring 2 racers.