Have any trouble finding the place?  Last time NASA Arizona was at Firebird International Raceway during the daytime on the Main course was November, 2006–a time when there were 2-3 less casinos, Wild Horse Pass Rd was called Maricopa Rd., you couldn’t cross the freeway to Love’s to get race fuel and the closest lunch spot was deep into Ahwatukee.  With all the amenities at our finger tips, the stage was set for a great weekend of racing and HPDE out at Firebird.. but with a twist.  That being, the rain which dumped bucket loads and surely spiced things up a bit for all.

Saturday showed slightly bigger attendance than Sunday for most groups, which is typical for most NASA Arizona weekends.  Due to the  rain, a slew of mechanical failures across the board and the fact that many people that didn’t have rain-worthy rubber, some opted to sit out rather than take their chances between the concrete barriers at Firebird on Sunday.  Those who did brave the storm (quite literally), aside from the extremely slick dragstrip, found the infield section at Firebird to be rather amusing and challenging in the wet conditions.  It’s a rare case when drivers get to practice driving in the rain in Arizona, so many took the opportunity to learn car setup, patience, and driving methods on various surfaces in the wet.

Matt MacIntyre held the TTB track record for 24 hours, only to get robbed late on Sunday

The NASA Saturday evening social was a hit as always.  Restrictions on the Firebird property meant specificlimitations on certain types of beverages, which some theorize were responsible for a lower turnout than NASA typically sees at Phoenix International Raceway, but rest assured the BBQ was still a hit as always.  Terry Denton and his band came out to Firebird once again to provide excellent entertainment throughout the night.  Thanks again to Terry and his crew for making the evening more entertaining and welcoming for all!

Now, it’s time for business!

Track Records

Rather than divide this up between Time Trial (TT) and Race Group, it’s worth noting that due to the long-weekend at FIR Main, finally, drivers had time to settle in, setup their cars, and reset all those track records which often are touch to reach under the lights at the yearly April event.  The thought of having two days to reset the records, however, was short-lived as the clouds rolled in Saturday afternoon and kept the track damp nearly all day Sunday.  This condition mostly affected the racers, leaving them with  three new track records (ST2, PTB, 944 Spec).

The tape sums up Rick's weekend, setting new track records in TT and Race Group

Time trial drivers on the other hand, have an advantage due to the competition format and only needing one clean, fast session to beat a track record.  All said, six of the nine records were trumped, giving the track records page at NASA-TT.com a faster, and more consistent look.  In total, TTR, TTB, TTC, TTD, TTE and TTF records were broken, giving drivers a new benchmark for the April 10 night event and for future events at Firebird Main.

UMS Time Attack Series

The UMS Time Attack series often goes unnoticed by many at the events, so I thought it’s worth focusing on here for a minute!  If you haven’t noticed the UMS Time Attack series, it’s probably because the series organizer–Jeremy Ward–works quickly to get cars on track to turn their hot laps, then off and out of the way so NASA can continue with the daily schedule.  In addition to that, the driving exhibited by the drivers in the UMS Time Attack Series has been first class–very few (if any) incidents or spins, excellent car prep to prevent mechanical failures and delays (except someone running out of gas once.. not sure who that would be!) which in turn has created a smooth and stealth machine of a program.  Working in such a manner opens the door for UMS Time Attack events on a more regular basis, along with bigger fields.  A few important links for familiarizing yourself with the UMS Time Attack series:

The Rules - There are only a few, which is what makes the series appealing.  And the results are amazingly close everytime, despite popular logic.

Time Trial vs. Time Attack - Not a battle, but to clarify what the difference is, since it can be confusing.

The Players - People who are fast, leading and consistent in the UMS Time Attack series.  I guess you could say, these are the Top Dawgs!

The Results - In the end, this is what counts!

Round #2 of the UMS Time Attack series was held on Sunday at Firebird Main, with an entry list of twelve drivers including all of the season regulars.  Gabe Ortega–a longtime participant in the UMS Time Attack series, changed setups drastically between the TT and TA events in the same day, which apparently worked as he went on to take his second consecutive TA-A class win with a 1:13.286 lap.  TA-B was led by a familiar face; 2009 season champion and current 2010 season leader Phil Robles showed up, and cleaned  up, with a 1:10.444 lap.  The quickest class of the weekend, TA-C, was won by Travis Barnes in his Snail Performance Subaru WRX, with a 1:09.705 lap.

Doug Chernis from Race Technik helps Sarah Cattaneo prepare for the PT race on Saturday

EVO Motorsports from Tempe, AZ brought several cars out to participate in HPDE over the weekend

Race Groups

Since NASA Arizona last came to Firebird Main, the race group has grown significantly and many of the regulars have switched classes and/or cars.  Throw in a few million gallons of rain on Sunday, and  you have one interesting weekend in race group!  A race group icon, Jeremy Renshaw, finally retired his 1992 Nissan 240SX after about 4,000 miles of track use and debuted his new PTB-class BMW M3 on Saturday.  Rick Johnson’s Mini Cooper, appeared drastically different as he removed 2009’s sponsor wrap and decals, making it look virtually stock.  With the extremely slick conditions of the dragstrip at Firebird on Sunday due to the rain, racers took the green flag almost single-file, as it was deemed by most to be rather unsafe to drive two-wide for a section of the front straight.

27 drivers took the green flag on Saturday and 20 did so on Sunday.   Click on those previous links for race results from each day.  Strangely enough, Chad Nelson took the overall win on both days, with Steve Lisa finishing second twice and Mark Alger in third on both days.  The respective class winners for both days were:

Saturday

• SU - Mark Alger
• ST1 - Chad Nelson
• ST2 - Ron Ballard
• PTA - John Dowling
• PTB - Rick Johnson
• PTD - Marty Saltzman
• 944 Spec - Austin Newmark

Sunday

• SU - Mark Alger
• ST1 - Chad Nelson
• ST2 - Johnathan Greenfeld
• PTA - John Dowling
• PTB - Rick Johnson
• PTC - Michael Papworth
• PTD - Marty Saltzman
• 944 Spec - Rich Geisler

Big Spec News for May!

You guys and girls have been asking about this for years, so now is your chance.  Last year, a large group of 944 Spec drivers came out to PIR and their presence was so huge, NASA Arizona gave them their own separate run group;  NASA would love to do this again in 2010, but it’s up to the drivers to show there is sufficient interest.

944 Spec spoke, and was heard. NASA Arizona looks to have a feature spec race with 944s and Miatas this May

Now, this idea is not limited to 944 Spec cars!  Spec Miata is another program that has shown big numbers in the past and the interest still lingers, but it’s tough for NASA Arizona to put Spec Miata first unless the drivers appear and show NASA they’re genuinely interested.  The same can be said for Spec RX7.   The May 1-2,  2010 NASA event is the ideal month for the Spec series (Miata, 944, RX7) to join up into a collective force and get the attention deserved from not only NASA Arizona, but the spectators, other racers, HPDE drivers who are most likely interested in moving into one of the two series, and more.

Due to similar speeds, it would be entirely possible to have a run group catering to the various spec series:  Spec Miata, Spec RX7 and 944 Spec.  Possibilities are endless as well–a combined start, split starts, separate qualifying, etc.  The benefit of course is having a separate group for the Spec cars, apart from the faster GT cars and the nine other NASA Arizona classes.  Rather than worrying about faster traffic working through the Spec fields, drivers could concentrate 100% on their Spec race and have a lot better racing, not to mention more fun.  So, the May event with NASA Arizona is open to having a separate run group for 944 Spec, Spec Miata, Spc RX7 or all three (combined with each other).  It’s up to you, the drivers, to make it happen.  Here’s how:

• Log onto the NASA Arizona forums–more specifically, in the race group forum.
• Start a thread or join an existing one if someone beats you to it.
• Make your voice heard!
• Accurate headcounts and voices from drivers in the Spec series are what counts.
• With schedules in the early stages weeks and often months in advance, the earlier, the better!
• Invite your friends from other states and organizations as well.  In most cases, competition licenses from other organizations are accepted at NASA events, which makes the process virtually effortless.

NASA Arizona would like nothing more than a massive Spec race at the May 1-2, 2010 event at Phoenix International Raceway.  Nothing beats a good Spec race, followed by an evening BBQ with entertainment at a nice time of year.  We hope to see you out there Spec drivers!

NASA Arizona is one of the biggest regions in the country for 944 Spec racing

March 6-7 Preview

Carrying the theme of no back-to-back events at the same venue in 2010, NASA Arizona returns to Phoenix International Raceway for the second time this year.  Carrying on the tradition of many years past, NASA Arizona will be sharing the weekend with BMW Car Club of America (BMWCCA).  Note:  This is BMWCCA’s event–NASA Arizona is just piggybacking off of them per say, so let’s make sure all of the BMWCCA participants have a great time and ask us back for the fall 2010 event and forward!

Between the NASA racers, BMWCCA and the Saturday evening BBQ, it'll be a mini-Oktoberfest at PIR in March

Depending on the final schedule–and I mean, up until the last minute–NASA Arizona should be carrying just about all of the regular programs for this event:  Time Trial (with split groups!), NASA Race Groups, HPDE2-4, the HPDE1 school, NASA Saturday evening BBQ, and the UMS Time Attack series event #3, thanks to excellent planning on the part of Tage and Adina Evanson, the BMWCCA organizers and Ramin Shute in race control.

Details of the event and preliminary schedule are located here.

Registration for the March event is located here.

It’s Never too Early!

That’s right–it’s almost that time.  If you’re on Ramin Shute’s Facebook page, you’ll know that the NASA Arizona team has been planning the April 10th night event since midway through 2009.  Not kidding!

Last year we were plagued with rain for most of the day, only to clear up on a few brief occasions, conveniently around the NASA Time Trial sessions for some reason!  We’d all like to think with the recent weather here in Arizona, this year will be much better now that the rain quota for the year has already been exceeded.

What is April 10th?  It’s the biggest amateur motorsports event in the state of Arizona, year after year!  In it’s 5th year this time around, NASA Arizona is doing it all:  Time Attack, Modified Magazine Tuner Shootout, Car Shows, HyperDrive on Firebird West, NASA-X, Trial By Fire drifting, HPDE 1-4, NASA Race Groups, Time Trial, a Kid’s play area, onsite Dyno testing, GoGo dance contest (always a favorite), Super Lap Battle Qualifying, a Beer Garden and more.

For those on Facebook, the official event page is located here.

Details coming soon on the NASA Arizona forum–almost guaranteed to be up as soon as the March event is over.   Until then, here are some flyers for the April 10th event.  Hold on–this one is gonna be huge!

A special thanks goes out to Geri Amani from Redlign Autosports for the event photos seen in the Wrap Up!

Thank you for reading the NASA Arizona Wrap Up.  See you at the track on March 6-7!

NASA Profiles: Stenos Wijaya

Vital Stats

Hometown: Glendale, AZ

9-5: Haskell Auto

Run Group: HPDE3

Projectile: 1994 Toyota Corolla

1st Event: May, 2009

Define… “admirable”.  When we’re all sitting around at the NASA events, is an admirable person one that drives the fastest car?  Or, perhaps it’s the driver who breaks his engine in the morning, changes cylinder heads and makes the last session of the day?  Or is it more admirable to have a vision,  and without undermining the complexity, simply follow through with that dream, in the end making it happen?  Because let’s face it, regardless of what we do, which car we pilot around the track or the lap time that comes as a result, recognizing the fact that we are able to attend NASA Arizona events at all is the first step into having true perspective and appreciation for what we do.  Stenos Wijaya is no exception to this idea, and his story is one that is definitely most admirable.

Taking some hot laps at PIR in January

If you were to take a globe and spin it almost exactly 180-degrees, then put a finger directly in the center near the equator, you’d be in pretty close proximity to the small city of Jember, Indonesia.  Growing up there since birth until just a few years ago, Stenos knew from an early age that he wanted to race cars.  Figuring out to what extent exactly would be a challenge, especially with his parents keeping a close eye, just as many parents do when their children become obsessed with dangerous hobbies!  Combine the goals in the automotive arena with the desire to get a college education in the United States, Stenos had his work cut out for him–moving, schooling, adapting and of course, racing, albeit halfway around the world.

Random Facts

Also Known As: Noz Wiyaya

Favorite Food: Sushi

Music: Linkin Park, Paramore, etc

Obligatory hot actress question: Emma Stone

Fast forward to February 2010–it’s a cloudy day at Firebird Raceway.  Stenos and his friends are hanging out in the paddock, downloading in-car footage from the last track session onto a laptop.  They stand around, talking about the Corvette that blew by them on the straight, which fast food place has the best burger, and of course amongst the group, whom is the fastest.  To the untrained eye, it appears similar to any group of friends spending an afternoon together–immersed in hobbies, culture, trash talking and enjoying life in general.  With only a few years logged on U.S. shores, Stenos has already completed an AA degree from Gateway Community College and is working full-time at a family-owned business in Glendale called Haskell Auto.  “I was at work one day when a person came in and dropped off some flyers for the April NASA night event.  I went and checked it out, then decided that’s what I wanted to do with my free time.. all of my free time!”  Stenos attended his first NASA event in May, 2009 and the rest is history–beginning in the HPDE1 program with a daily-driven street car, progressing and moving into HPDE3 for the February event, actually.  Through the steps, Stenos clearly remembers his instructors that helped him get started–John Bianchi, Robert Rose, Kent Buckley–and thanks them for giving a solid foundation in driving and car control.

Stenos's loyal companion for the 2010 season

Currently Stenos is driving his 1994 Toyota Corolla on the track, but plans to switch starting in 2011.  “Finding parts for the Corolla is tough, you have to search all over the world.  I got my sway bars from Australia, for instance”, he remarked.  Currently his Corolla is modified with different shocks, springs, bushings and he converted it from an automatic to a manual transmission.  Already in possession of an early Mazda Miata, Stenos hope to match his progress into TT and even race group, with the final buildup stages of that vehicle.

When he’s not driving at the track, Stenos spends his time working, studying and making his battle plans for the next track event.  He still communicates regularly with his family in Indonesia; more importantly, keeps them updated on his safe driving adventures at the track which he pined for starting at an early age.  “Ideally, people in Indonesia will have their own maids, drivers, assistants, etc.  Not the case here, for most people at least”, says Stenos when talking about the main differences between his lives here and in Indonesia.  “Variety” is the other–in people, food, culture, cars, accessibility (racing) and so on.  As if his Toyota Corolla isn’t symbolic enough of the variety of cars seen at NASA Arizona events, Stenos himself will be glad to toss out some of his stories from the past and his adventures both inside, and outside of NASA.  Be sure to say hi to Noz next time you see him at the track!

Summarizing his thoughts about NASA, in his own language, Stenos says:  NASA keren bo!

Stenos Wijaya and his racer after a long day at the track

]]> http://www.nasaaz.com/uncategorized/whos-who-in-nasa-february-2010/feed/ http://www.nasaaz.com/uncategorized/2010-hoosier-tire-contingency/ http://www.nasaaz.com/uncategorized/2010-hoosier-tire-contingency/#comments Sat, 30 Jan 2010 00:03:58 +0000 Brady http://www.nasaaz.com/?p=1391 1/29/10

Details for the 2010 Hoosier Tire contingency program have been released.  This program applies to all NASA drivers participating in the following classes/programs, and are registered for the Hoosier Tire contingency program:

• Performance Touring (PT)
• Super Touring (ST)
• Time Trial (TT)
• German Touring Series (GTS)
• American Iron (AIX)

All participants must register for the Hoosier Tire contingency program through Hoosier directly by following the instructions on Hoosier’s website.

Details of the program can be found here:

https://www.hoosiertire.com/NASAawdg.htm

The contingency program works similar to the 2009 season, only with slight modifications.  Payout is as follows:

• 1st Place w/3-6 cars in class: 1 free tire

• 1st Place w/7+ cars in class: 2 free tires

• 2nd Place w/5+ cars in class: 1 free tire

• 3rd Place w/7+ cars in class: 1 free tire

NASA Arizona thanks Hoosier Tire for their help and support in our local and national racing programs !

So, how was that off season?  You know, that 40 or so day break between the Thanksgiving event and the season-opener in January.  Yeah, that topic came up several times in the previous wrap up (ie. how motorsports dominates all other sports when it comes to lack of downtime), but I think it’s safe to say one thing:  Holidays?  Yeah, they’re fun, but it’s great to be back at the track!

You can see by the headlining picture on this month’s issue of the NASA Wrap Up that there was as much fun and competition off the track, as there was on.  Now, if the NASA organizers can only find a way to fill the 23-minute void with something exciting between track opening and tech inspection each morning, NASA Arizona will perhaps have the most fulfilling 48-hour adventure of any organized activity in the world!  Ok, enough rambling and onto the weekend’s activities…

Trial by Fire Drift Returns!

Superior Racing Development dominated in drift and race groups over the weekend

What’s more mind-boggling is that January marks the 4th event weekend in a row at Phoenix Intl. Raceway, yet the feeling was much different due to new groups, activities and people.  Starting off was the return of the Trial By Fire drift sessions led by George Marstanovic and Joe DiNunzio.  Trial By Fire is Arizona’s oldest and most well-established group for organized drifting in Arizona and has a long relationship with NASA Arizona dating back to TBF’s beginning.  Typically speaking, Trial By Fire’s events are held in parking lots and cater to everyone from beginning drifters, all the way up to professional, licensed drivers that compete in the Formula D and D1 drift series events.  Several times a year, Trial By Fire ramps it up and invites the best drivers out for a weekend of fun with NASA Arizona.

Two drivers drift around T3, nearly side by side at times

It’s easy to tell when the drifters are on track since the entire facility at Phoenix Intl. Raceway gets covered in tire smoke.  When you see heads turning and people looking for car spinning, it’s not a HPDE1 session gone bad, it’s the sound of hundreds of dollars of Dunlop tire rubber being burned off on the asphalt.  [The debate as to whether the drifters help or hurt grip by leaving rubber everywhere is up for debate on the forums--join in!].  What’s not easy to tell is what exactly is going on.  Here are some simple drifter facts in effort to give credit where due!

• The top drifters at PIR enter Turn 1 between 85-95mph, then immediately initiate a 4-wheel slide, holding it all the way to turn 8!
• Popular cars are typically light, RWD platforms:  Nissan 240SX, Mazda RX7, Nissan Z, Toyota Cressida (!), Toyota Corolla
• Myth:  Grippy tires in the front, all-season, pumped up tires in the rear.  Reality:  Maintaining a slide at 90mph requires grip, and lots of it.
• Keeping those tires spinning requires one thing:  Horsepower.  Most of the drift cars use turbocharged 4-cylinders making 280-400hp, or swap in Chevy LS-series V8s making 400-490hp!  All in a 2400lb chassis.

A big thanks goes out to Joe and George for bringing the drifters, as well as the friends and spectators out for a weekend of clean and safe driving at PIR.  NASA Arizona looks forward hosting Trial by Fire again in the near future.

This Nissan 240SX is powered by a Pontiac GTO engine, making close to 500hp

Epic Battles in Race Group

Through the 40 or so drivers and ten classes in the NASA race group, it’s hard to cover in detail what exactly happened during the two days of racing.  Watching, is far different than driving, and having that feeling of being on the ragged edge during a pass or trying to hold someone off is something that’s difficult to convey outside the cockpit of a race car.  What we see as spectators, doesn’t even come close to what a driver sees or feels.   However, on occasion there are some battles that can be seen on paper;  we had a few in January.

Ryan and Terry Denton swept PTA for the weekend in this BMW M3

The Performance Touring Class A (PTA) bunch had a weekend of thrills, thanks to two new drivers entering the class. Terry Denton and his son Ryan Denton (BMW M3 #66), the 2009 ST2 championship winner, bumped down a class to join the fun with John Dowling (Porsche 911 #46).  To throw the odds off just that much more, Brian Turner (Porsche 911 #524) moved from the time trial group over the winter break in order to get in on the racing action in PTA.

After qualifying results rolled in on Saturday, I think everyone watching the race group just stood there, amazed and thankful that we have 11 more months to watch and see how this class is going to unfold in 2010!  To give you an idea, here are the qualifying results for PTA over the weekend:

Saturday

1. Terry Denton - 1:09.801
2. John Dowling - 1:09.808
3. Brian Turner - 1:09.916

Sunday

1. Ryan Denton - 1:09.551
2. Brian Turner - 1:09.909
3. John Dowling - 1:10.821

Really–does it get any better than that??  The results unfolded in a similar fashion with The Dentons taking the wins in PTA on both days.  John Dowling took second twice and Brian Turner, in his inaugural weekend in the NASA race group, took home a pair of third place podium spots.  Congratulations to all the PTA guys for keeping it close, clean and keeping the spectators entertained all weekend.

How does that saying go... A picture is worth a thousand words?

ST1 had a similar experience on Sunday, with Clay Koevary dusting off his Porsche 911 and taking the overall pole for the race group, with a 1:05.053 lap.  Mark Alger qualified second overall and in ST1 with a 1:05. 663, while Chad Nelson (and eventual ST1 winner) qualified at a 1:05.893.  Clay, Chad and Mark battled it out for the first ten minutes of the race with Chad eventually pulling away.  Clay finished second and Mark rounded off the podium ending up 3rd overall and in ST1.

Complete race group results are listed here:

Saturday Race Group Results

Sunday Race Group Results

Race group awards near impound

HPDE Groups

HPDE driver Stenos Wijiya rounds turn 3 during the January 9-10 weekend

Without quantitative “results” from a group, it’s hard to report on any specific action that went on over the weekend while on-track with the HPDE groups.  However, a couple interesting things happened in the HPDE groups over the weekend that are worth noting.

First off, Robert Rose, a long-time member of NASA (since the beginning in Arizona) has been working with the time trial program since 2005. Starting in 2010, Robert has been assigned responsibility of the HPDE2 group leader, giving guidance throughout the day and during the downloads.  Given the perfectly clean run sessions of HPDE2 during the weekend, I think it’s safe to say Robert settled into his new role nicely.

A nice 350Z doing what it was designed for--weekend track driving!

Drills are back!  No, not fire drills, I’m talking about the HPDE driving exercises!  You’re probably thinking, “Say what?”, but with the combining of groups HPDE3 & 4, group leaders saw it as a perfect opportunity to challenge the HPDE3 drivers, while giving some of the HPDE4 drivers some refreshers and perhaps preparation for moving into either the race or time trial groups.  During the designated drill sessions, which were scheduled longer in length to provide ample time for training and regular driving, participants practiced passing, side-by-side driving through corners and other critical maneuvers on track.

Passing drills in HPDE3/4

Lastly, January saw a record number of HPDE4 drivers move into the Time Trial group to drive against the clock, the competition and up the stakes just a little.  (More on that below)

Time Attack and Time Trial

The UMS Time Attack series saw its first event of the year and had a strong field of 18 drivers.  With nine events on the schedule for 2010, drivers were anxious to see who would be occupying which class and what the tone would be like for the rest of the year.  Not surprisingly however, some familiar faces topped the leaderboard at the end of the day on Sunday.  Full time attack results are located here:

UMS Time Attack Series Event #1 Results

For anyone interested in the UMS Time Attack series, the full 2010 rules are located on the NASA AZ Website and by clicking on the link.

Drivers get their cars ready and talk a little trash before the UMS Time Attack

The NASA Time Trial Series had 36 drivers on Saturday and 39 drivers on Sunday, making it one of the biggest TT events ever.  Perhaps most notable this weekend was Rick Johnson’s sub-1:08 lap (1:07.926 to be exact), setting a new record for the TTC class!  This means that in the past twelve months, the TTC record at Phoenix Intl. Raceway has been broken five times!  In addition, records were broken in TTR–Wayne McKeen @ 1:02.37, and in TTF–Tage Evanson @ 1:17.21.

As mentioned above, the following drivers moved up from HPDE4, completed a weekend in time trial and received their TT Licenses:

• David Barbey
• Dave Tellez
• Jim Williams
• Terry Lee

And for you TT insiders, the Curse of January has finally been broken!

Full Time Trial results from January, as well as track records:

January 2010 TT Results

NASA-AZ Time Trial Track Records

Saturday Evening Banquet Updates

Yes, you knew it was coming eventually.  For those of you who have stuck around on Saturday nights after the driving has settled down, you may have noticed the line is getting increasingly longer for the BBQ, drinks and even a turn at RockBand.  NASA Arizona is politely asking donations for those who can afford it, and are willing to help support the increasing costs it requires to put on a social event like this.  As mentioned, it’s strictly optional, but if most people can pitch in $10 every few months to offset the cost of the food, drinks, BBQ grills (NASA Arizona now owns several!) and so forth, it will only help to make these events even better.  The easiest way to donate to the cause–and it’s a worthy one–is by selecting a donation option on the registration page.

NASA Arizona thanks you in advance for your support!

February 6-7 Preview - Firebird Intl. Raceway - Main Course

Several NASA drivers tested cars for the 24 Hours of Lemons race in January

First off, does everyone remember where Firebird Raceway is?  Yes, it’s been a long time since NASA Arizona has been to Firebird Raceway in general, but even longer since there has been a two-day event, and even longer since there has been a winter daytime event on Firebird’s Main Course!  If you can think back long enough, last time was November, 2006–over three years ago!  Needless to say, it’s great to be back to FIR.

How to make your dog happy: Bring him/her to the Saturday evening NASA social!

Secondly, yes, that game everyone refers to as the Super Bowl is on Sunday.  Not that it’s of any concern to us racers who make driving our first priority, but just in case, Sunday will be using an abbreviated schedule to make sure everyone is home, on the couch, by kickoff time.  Here are some essential facts for the February event:

• If you need to register for February 6-7, Click Here.
• A rough draft of the schedule, as well as other important information can be found on the NASA Forum by Clicking Here.
• HPDE2 will be offered on Sunday, but HPDE1 will not due to the condensed schedule.
• Race group will use Saturday’s race results as the qualifying for Sunday’s race.  Accordingly, there will be no qualifying session on Sunday.
• TT & HPDE groups will have three sessions on Sunday instead of four.
• Lastly, prices for groups which have shortened track time on Sunday have been adjusted as a result.

That about finishes this month’s edition of the NASA Wrap Up.  As with the previous installment, a HUGE thanks goes out to Geri Amani with Redlign Photography fortaking event photos.  More NASA Arizona photos are available on Redlign Photograhy’s website.

Thanks again for a great January event and we look forward to seeing everyone at Firebird Raceway in February!

(now let’s see some more pictures from the RockBand shootout on Saturday!)

The Dentons looked to clean up the race group, and RockBand on Saturday

Gabe Ortega, doing his best Neil Peart impression

Exceptions to CCRs:

• Section 9 & 10 (Instructors): These sections do not apply. Please contact John Dowling directly for additional details for becoming an Instructor for NASA Arizona
• Section 11 (Tech Inspection): NASA Arizona does not currently utilize offsite tech inspections. All tech inspections are done at the track and are free of charge. We do ask that all participants print off and fill out a tech sheet prior to arriving to the event. Tech sheets can be downloaded here –> http://www.nasaproracing.com/images/…_hpde_tech.pdf
• Section 11.3.3 (HPDE Driver apparel): Events that are deemed to experience extreme heat conditions may be approved to allow for HPDE participants to wear “shorts”
• Section 11.4.15 (Car Numbers): This rule must be followed for “Time Trial” vehicles. HPDE vehicles are highly encouraged to follow suit as this will be mandatory in 2011. For 2010, numbers on the windows are still acceptable.
• Section 15.1 and 15.2 (Fire Extinguisher/System): Time Trial competitors must follow this rule
• Section 15.17.4 (Gloves): Time Trial competitors must follow this rule
• Section 15.17.5 (Eye & Face protection): Time Trial competitors must follow this rule
• Section 16.1 (Competition Vehicle Logbook): Time Trial vehicles may be issued a “Vehicle Logbook”
• Section 17.1 (Impound): ALL vehicles will report to impound after each race
• Section 21.5 (Official Results): Competitors have until the “following event” to dispute the accuracy of any results
• Section 22.1 (Season Points Eligibility): There must be at least two competitors in the same class both of which must earn points in at least 51% or more of the events to be eligible for any season end awards. The “Default Season Points System” will be used.
• Section 22.2 (& 22.2.1): NASA Arizona will allow “5″ drops for Time Trial and all Race Groups
• Section 27.12.1 (Point Limit - Annual): Instead of accumulating points during the “season” (i.e. Jan-Dec) as the CCR rule currently states, points shall be accumulated over the last 13 months or last 13 races, whichever is greater.

NASA Arizona Specific Rules:

• Using the oval at T1 (@ PIR only): In the event a competitor is forced into the oval at T1 to avoid contact, the competitor may rejoin the race field at T9 under the following conditions: A) Must be at a full and complete stop AND B) May not start moving until the vehicle in front of them at the time of going “off track” is past the green/yellow/red lights past T9.
• Staying “on track”: The intended “racing surface” shall be defined as the painted “white line”. In the event there is no “white line” or it is too faded to see, the racing surface shall be defined as the “apex curbs”. Failure to maintain at least 1 wheel on the intended “racing surface” may result in penalites.
• Race Group Body Contact: Body Contact form MUST be turned in by all parties for any damage caused during any NASA Arizona event. Failure to do so will result in an automatic disqualification from the race results.
• Dyno Testing: For classes that require a “dynojet” test. The rules indicated that a Dynojet Model # 248 or 224 may be used for official classing. However, 2WD compliance testing for all Arizona based events will be performed at “AZ Dyno Chip” (http://www.arizonadynochip.com/) or “Xtreme Motorsports” (http://www.xmsengineering.com/). Competitors are highly encouraged to have their vehicles tested at one of these locations to ensure classing compliance.

Exceptions to Enduro Rules

• Section 2.4 (Min # of drivers): Teams may have no more than 3 drivers. No minimum required.
• Section 2.7 (Entry fees): See registration page for entry fee. The car that will be driven must pay for “Race” registration fee. Co-drivers sharing a car will need to pay the “Enduro” entry fee.
• Section 3.3.1, 4.1, 4.2 & 4.3 (Car classification): ES, ESR and E0-E3 will not be used. NASA Arizona will continue to use PT classing or “944 Spec” for all cars. Contact Paul Bloomberg (pjbloom1@gmail.com) if there are any issues regarding classification. Any other class specific references will map as follows - “ES & ESR” = “ST2, ST1, SU” / “E0-E3″ = “PTF-PTA”
• Section 5.7 (Repairs on course): Repairs are not permitted on course.
• Section 8.2.1 (Refueling): Please note that “8.2.1” this rule does not apply, please read
• Section 8.2.3 (Refueling for “less than 6 hours) NOTE: “ES & ESR” = “ST2, ST1 & SU”
• Section 8.3 (Pit Speed Limit): The start of the “pit” will be defined by the painted line and/or cones at the entrance of the hot pit. NOTE (@PIR): There will not be a defined speed limit for the entrance of track exit (apron) but any speeds deemed excessive will result in penalties up to and including complete disqualification from the season. Also note that the 25MPH speed limit will be strictly enforced and penalties for exceeding the speed limit could result in harsh penalties.

Well Ladies and Gentlemen, that time of year has arrived:  The off-season.  All one month of off-season from racing.  Racing and performance driving rarely get the credit they deserve, in that the preparation, effort, time and of course, financial commitment sure are a lot more intense than say, watching football 16 weekend of the year, or the occasional trip to The BOB (let’s be nostalgic here, being that it’s the holiday season and all).  Another tough, but fun season of driving and racing has come and gone in Arizona, only to start right up again with an exciting 2010 schedule that really is should I say, “cutting edge” for Arizona–the possibility of new venues, a dynamic schedule with no back-to-back appearances at the same track and more dates than ever.  However you describe the entrants at the November 29-28 event–excited, relieved, relaxed, stuffed, busy or simply wiped out from 12-months of driving–nearly everyone left the 2009 season ready for things with eyes wide open, looking forward to see what’s next.

First off, a huge thanks and congratulations go to the people that really made 2009 happen:  Tage and Adina Evanson.  Our commanders in chief, Tage and Adina, took over the leadership role for NASA Arizona and not only hung on for the entire year, but really took control right off the bat and kept NASA Arizona headed in the right direction that was set forth by Jason Boles and his staff for the previous two years.  Of course the army of workers, staff members, instructors and group leaders made the show go on month in and month out, but Tage and Adina really pulled it off and raised the bar a few notches every month at our local events.  Thanks again go out to the Evanson family! (Enjoy your 40 “days off”!)

Annual Thanksgiving Weekend Enduro

Green flag drops for the 3-hour enduro with some familiar faces up front.

Of course it’s hard to know what exactly to say following each event, especially coming off three straight PIR events in a row that more or less ran flawlessly the entire time.  However, there’s always business that needs to get covered and credit needs to be given where needed.  First up, the 3-hour enduro, which has been a tradition (while varying in time length) was the spectacle of the weekend.  Getting the nerves to enter a race like this, better yet finish one, is no easy task.  The time that goes into vehicle prep, logistics in the pits, race strategies, driver endurance and the financial burden all get exponentially tougher as the distance and time increase.  Don’t forget–this was at the end of a 12-month racing season as well!  That being said, here’s a nice long list of the drivers who entered the 3-hour Thanksgiving Weekend enduro, so credit can be given for their hard work:

• Chad Nelson - Overall and ST1 Winner
• Mike Halpin - ST2 Winner
• Dan Maloney - PTA Winner
• Paul Bloomberg - PTB Winner
• Rick Johnson - PTC Winner
• Bill Mader - PTD Winner
• Austin Newmark - 944 Spec Winner
• Brent Crosser
• Mike Browning
• Mark Alger
• Sarah Cattaneo
• Glen Gormley
• Norm Hamden
• Ryan Denton
• Terry Denton
• Rich Geisler
• Jim Foxx
• Tony Lisa
• Steve Lisa
• Tage Evanson
• Steve Marlow
• Jim Richard
• Wade Guthrie
• Marty Saltzman
• Dave Hauck
• Jeremy Renshaw
• Phil Eglin
• John Dowling
• Darren Griffith

When it was all said and done–3 hours and 3 minutes later–a familiar face was up front on the leaderboard.  With a 7-lap lead at the end, Chad Nelson took the ST1 and overall win in his BMW M3 in fine fashion as he did 365 days earlier, making him a back-to-back overall winner in the Thanksgiving Weekend enduro.  Full results by class are located here.

NASA Hyperdrive

Thumbs up for a great weekend at PIR!

Coming in a close second to the enduro, was the introduction to NASA’s Hyperdrive program to PIR.  The commitment and obligations needed to compete in the HPDE1 program and/or a full day at the track with NASA are often too much for some drivers.  Work schedules, family time, other hobbies (imagine that:  a hobby other than racing?!) and so on, often take precedent over getting one’s feet wet for the first time on track.  NASA Arizona simplified the process by reducing this cost, commitment and run time in order to give a small teaser to those interested in seeing what the lifestyle is all about.

With a run group at full capacity, new drivers who have never been on track before, came out to PIR on November 28-29 to get a single run session at a very reduced entry fee.  New drivers were taken on track, with an instructor of course, and let loose (within reason!) for some quick laps in their personal cars.  Many brought tuned street cars, while others showed up in the family haulers.

Leland--keeping the Hyperdrive entrants in line, while wearing the wrong t-shirt.

It’s easy to get caught up in the thick of things at a NASA weekend and not realize every activity that is going on.  For those of you who overlooked the NASA Hyperdrive program, take note and let your friends and co-workers know about this fun, exciting and very simple way to check out track driving with NASA!

Time Trial and Performance Touring

Time Trial was the largest competition series for NASA Arizona in 2009.

As with any year end wrap up, many thanks should be given to Paul Bloomberg, Robert Rose and Jeremy Renshaw for keeping Time Trial and Performance Touring from getting overly-chaotic on race weekends.  Compiling points and race results is no easy task, not to mention the endless hours of classing, rule interpretation and run group enforcing can take a toll on just about anyone.  Robert and Paul have done an excellent job at keeping the PT and TT results up to date so competitors can see how they ended up throughout the year.  Before getting to those results, it’s worth noting the track records that were hammered over the weekend, thanks to great weather and very fast 1.59-mile racing surface at PIR:

New Track Records

• TTC:  Rick Johnson - 1:08.36  (in his Cold Stone farewell tour!)
• TTE:  Eric Jacobsen - 1:12.15

A full listing of Time Trial track records are here.

• PTB:  Tage Evanson - 1:09.828
• PTC:  Mark Congleton - 1:09.618

A full listing of the Performance Touring,  Super Touring and 944 Spec track records are here.

The new 2010 Time Trial, Performance Touring and Super Touring results have been released!!

This means that all drivers participating in any of those series, must:

1. Read the 2010 rules
2. Fill out the proper classification forms (this is a January ritual every year)
3. Email Paul Bloomberg with ST/PT questions, or Jeremy Renshaw with any TT questions.

The goal is to have all of this out of the way as soon as possible so when January rolls around, there is very little work that needs to be done and everyone is classed properly.

Here’s the bottom line:  January 9th will be given as leeway to get paperwork in order.  When the green flag drops on January 10th, if you don’t have the proper paperwork, you will be automatically placed in TTR (for Time Trial) or SU (for race group) until the proper paperwork is turned in.  No exceptions!  Please remember that all the classing and group leaders will most likely be swamped on January 9th, so don’t expect to figure it out at the track on Saturday.  Please come prepared!!!

The 2010 Rules

Super Touring (SU, ST1, ST2) Rulebook

Super Touring Classification Form

STR1 & STR2 Classification Form

Performance Touring (PTA - PTF) Rulebook

Performance Touring Classification Form

Time Trial Rulebook (All Classes)

Time Trial (TTR-TTS) Classification Form

Time Trial (TTA-TTF) Classification Form

And finally, the season points results from both Time Trial and Race Group have been tallied and posted.  Congratulations to all participants in the 2009 season, as well as the season champions in each class!  Details on the awards banquet will be announced early in 2010.

Race Group Season Points

Time Trial Season Points

If you haven't noticed, the photos are especially good this month. Thanks to Geri Amani for the photography work!

Time Attack

Last, but certainly not least in the long list of season points series, is the UMS Time Attack series.  Starting in 2005, the UMS Time Attack series was an old idea in the community of motorsports, but new and unique to NASA–no other region puts on a similar series.  Champions have come and gone, but the quick 2-lap timed format to the time attack series is appealing, yet challenging, and has drawn a steady flow of entrants since the beginning.  Time Attack is also unique in that there is a steady stream of newcomers at each event, while the regular “veterans” of time attack still stick around for the competition every month.  A huge thanks goes out to Jeremy Ward and UMS Tuning for keeping this series going month after month, and putting in year-end prizes which kept the competitors active and hungry for competition.

Time Attack entrants lined up in grid for the season shootout!

Jeremy Ward has done an excellent job archiving the results from the UMS Time Attack series.  All of the 2009 results, as well as previous years can be found in the UMS Time Attack forum on the NASA AZ website.

2009 Results are located here.

Jeremy Ward’s Recap of the 2009 season is located here.

Fast and steady Phil Robles, despite having some stiff competition early in the 2009 season, came out on top with the overall season points win.  Congratulations Phil!  In addition to the UMS Time Attack series, Phil also won the Time Trial points season in the TTB class.  Season class finalists and winners are as follows:

TA-A

1. Phil Robles
2. Gabe Ortega
3. Brady Dohrmann

TA-B

1. Robert Smithson
2. Justin Markiewicz
3. Todd Parker

TA-C

1. Harry De Leon
2. Tony Szirka
3. Jake Trigiboff

2010 Schedule

As mentioned earlier, the 2010 schedule is perhaps one of the most dynamic schedules used in Arizona in quite some time.  With four racetracks at our disposal, Tage and the NASA Arizona crew took advantage of that opportunity by mixing things up and creating an 11-event schedule, not including the NASA National Championships which will again be held at Miller Motorsports park in Utah.  Here’s what we all have to look forward to in Arizona:

1. January 9/10 - Phoenix International Raceway
2. February 6/7 - Firebird Raceway - Main Course
3. March 6/7 - Phoenix International Raceway w/BMWCCA
4. March 20 - Firebird Raceway - West Course
5. April 10 - Firebird Raceway - Main/West Courses (Night Event-Double Points)
6. May 1/2 - Phoenix International Raceway
7. June 5/6 - Firebird Raceway - East Course (Morning Only)
8. August 14/15 - Firebird Raceway - West Course (Morning Only)
9. October 2/3 - Phoenix International Raceway w/BMWCCA
10. October 16/17 - Firebird Raceway - East Course
11. November 27/28 - Phoenix International Raceway (Double Points)

*NASA National Championships - September 16-19 - Miller Motorsports Park

Time Trialers entering T6 on a record-setting weekend at the track.

The Grand Finale

First off, there are a few major improvements to NASA Arizona worth noting.  Terry Denton and his group took a break from the racing action to provide music and atmosphere to the NASA BBQ on Saturday night.  A huge thanks go out to Terry and the SRD crew for putting on a show and keeping everyone entertained.

Secondly, perhaps you’ve noticed a massive increase in the quality of photos from the October wrap up to this one.  Geri Amani with Redlign Photography worked her magic and captured the bright moments from the weekend for all to see on here.  Thanks Geri for your hard work!

Lastly, wrapping up perhaps the longest wrap up in internet history is tough–too many details that were overlooked, too many exciting moments that were remembered, but had to be compromised because most people don’t have the 4-hour attention span required to read all of those, and so on.  2009 was a year of many firsts for NASA Arizona:  new leadership, track records, super-sized entry lists from HPDE1 all the way up to Race Group, Hyperdrive, the legendary NASA BBQs led by Gordon Levy and Terry Denton’s crews, a GIANT April 11th night event,  NASA Nationals on the west coast, finally, and the list goes on.

Class winners from the 3-hour enduro.

As people stand and stare at their cars in the garage, beaten and bruised from a long season, they also remember that like any form of hard work, reward typically follows.  On one hand it’s tough to think about the long To-Do list on the car (or the driver) and balance that with the holiday season, but after the dust clears and few week’s break passes, that grin comes back and we’re all thankful for the fact that racing has the shortest off-season of any sport.  We look forward to seeing you all back at the track on January 9th.  Until then, stay safe, enjoy your holiday season and of course….. read those 2010 rulebooks and bleed those brakes! 

2009--summarized in five words: Paul, what are you doing???

NASA Profiles:  Norm Hamden

Vital Stats

Hometown: Sedona, AZ

9-5: AZ Real Estate License/Driving Contracts

Run Group: Race Group

Vehicle: 944 Spec #99

Total Race Starts: 267!

You hear the phrase “I learned how to drive on back country roads” quite a bit.  In fact, many legends of motorsports such as Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty, most of the old-school Winston Cup drivers, and of course, Bo and Luke Duke honed their craft in a similar manner.  One legend from that era who slipped through the cracks is NASA Arizona’s own Norm Hamden.  “West Virgina’s highway system is like Firebird East.. just a couple hundred miles longer”, said Norm during a conversation.  Statements and stories like this, which unfortunately didn’t actually include any about Runnin’ Shine with The Dukes, kept popping up in our late-night discussion, so Norm earned his place in NASA Who’s Who history.

“Ok guys–Norm just bought a motorcycle.  We’re taking bets on how long he’s gonna be with us.. if you know what I mean”, said a huddled group of employees working at the famed Greenbrier in West Virginia (famed for hosting every President since Eisenhower, and also covering the underground bunker built to shelter Congress during the Cold War).  Norm recalls his first experience driving at the age of 11, when his brother took him out to Interstate 77, which was still under construction at the time.  After moving some barricades out of the way to get onto the unfinished stretch of road, his brother 7-years his senior, sat him behind the wheel of a 396 Chevelle SS.  A quick jaunt to 100mph quickly spurred an interest in cars and driving fast, which continues to this day.  Needless to say, eventually Norm won the bet among employees at The Greenbrier in 1993 when he sold the motorcycle and bought the first of two race cars that have filled the Need4Speed void in his life.  First time around, it was a 1978 Porsche 911SC.

Norm Hamden's 944 Spec racer

Rarely as the author do I account my own experiences in this section, but I clearly remember driving into Texas World Speedway in the year 2000 for a Porsche Club event.  After the long 1,200-mile tow, I got out, stretched, and remarked about how terrible that drive was.  30 seconds later, a green 911 SC, stuffed full of tires, clothes, helmets, candy bar wrappers and water bottles stormed through the tunnel and into the infield; it was Norm, driving his 911 racer from Arizona to compete for the weekend.  Patterns like that have defined Norm’s style, such as the period where he would leave his work at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs at 4pm on a Friday, arrive in Phoenix at 4am on Saturday to drive with NASA all weekend, then make it back to Colorado in time for work at 8am on Monday.  Not kidding.  And you thought Sedona to PIR was a trek.

Random Facts

Favorite Movie: The Bucket List

20 minutes around PIR, any car: Aston Martin One-77

Is it Spec 944 or 944 Spec: 944 Spec

What’s Cookin’: “I’m a steak, corn and salad kind of guy”

Gormley vs. Paluch: No Comment!

Why do it?  “Because my best friends, experiences and my family are the people I see at the NASA Arizona race weekends”, said Norm without any hesitation.  We’ve heard this before, but to hear it from someone who has made no stops to attend nearly every event since 1997 and see NASA through just about every change that has ever occurred, really means something.  When he’s not racing, Norm has been an instructor for NASA Arizona, in addition to some driving stints in his personal and professional career.  “While living in Dubai, I was hired by Tina Turner’s security team to be a driver during a tour stop in the city”, said Norm.  Norm has worked as an instructor at the Dubai Autodrome (ask him about his “interview process”, it’s fascinating), graced Hollywood with his presence as a precision driver in The Kingdom, and even climbed Pikes Peak in a Cadillac.

Doin' it old school--driving the race car to the track! In this case, to the 2009 NASA Championships.

His accomplishments on-track are about as amazing as his whirlwind tour off-track.  Of his last 42 race starts in the 944 Spec series, Norm has finished on the podium 38 times including a 3rd place finish at the NASA National Championships in 2009.  When asked what his favorite track was, Norm replied:  Infineon, Summit Point, and….. Pueblo.  Pueblo?  Really?  “Yes”, Norm insisted.  “You just go to the hardware store down the street, get the key for the gate and drive ’till you’re either out of gas, or out of tires.”  Given his start in HPDE and racing events on the east coast, his willingness to drive through the night to race, and his current residence out west, Norm has hit up some of the nation’s best tracks, including but not limited to Sebring, Charlotte, Rockingham, Texas World Speedway, Miller Motorsports Park, Mid-Ohio, Second Creek (RIP!) and Road Atlanta.

When he’s not working hard at racing and being the NASA socialite everyone has grown to recognize him as, Norm likes to play golf, relax in Sedona, visit his friends in Phoenix, travel and as you may have picked up, manage some of the finest resorts and hotels in the world.  Norm spent some time working in Dubai, UAE just recently.  While he enjoyed his time instructing at the Autodrome and living the life overseas, he still insists his best times are spent in the United States, with his comrades here at NASA Arizona.  It was too difficult to choose which incredible stories and details to include in this profile section, but next time  you see Norm at the track, sippin’ a beer at the NASA BBQ, be sure to approach and ask him about some of his favorite racing stories.. trust me, there are plenty!

Download 10-25-09 Results

Read full event info here

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After a long drought from NASA-X (NASA’s version of autocross) events in the valley, the series returned to Arizona on October 25th as 88 entrants came out to Firebird East for the first event in over five years.  Since NASA-X is relatively new to Arizona, this event was in the planning stages for many months in effort to adapt NASA’s classing system to the already solid foundation of autocrossers in the state, and of course, familiarize the NASA staff which has been handling racing and HPDE events for several years.  Thanks to years of veteran experience on behalf of the organizers and supporters, along with the positive outlook from the competitors, the event went off without a hitch and provided some excellent feedback to the NASA crew for future events.  Oh, and the competitors had heck of a lot of fun on Firebird East as well!

The Basics

The front straight at FIR East was used for the grid area at the NASA-X event.

For those of you that did not attend the NASA-X event, covering the basics are essential so the remainder of this wrap up makes sense!  NASA-X, or “NASA Cross” is NASA’s format for autocross competition.  NASA-X can take place on a skidpad, or in this case, Firebird East’s roadcourse.  Due to NASA’s experience and infrastructure for holding track-oriented events, having the NASA-X event on the FIR East course, which allows higher speeds and a longer distance, was easy enough for the NASA crew.

The rules are simply a modified set of the Time Trial or Performance Touring rules.  Rather than having Performance Touring B (PTB), or Time Trial B (TTB), a NASA-X competitor would participate in NASA-X B (NXB).  The points system for classing remains intact, but there are a few minor differences in car classing, points assessments and rules in order to make the vehicle buildup process make sense for an autocross type of course design.  Just as an example, all aero mods are free (no points) in NASA-X, with the thought that the lower speeds of autocross won’t result in the same gain you’d see on a higher speed road course.  Of course, that simply means some people are willing to take full advantage of the free mods list to save every tenth, as seen below!

Many people run higher downforce setups for NASA-X to help with grip at lower speeds

Lastly, NASA-X events involve cones–big rubber orange ones!  In the spirit of the autocrossing concept, cones (or pylons) are placed throughout the racing surface, be it a parking lot or road course, for several reasons.  The first being to make the driving actually difficult, by introducing slaloms, Chicago Boxes, gates, kinks, pointer cones, etc.  Secondly, it’s to help slow the cars down to a more common speed seen in autocross events, which targets highway speeds or less.  Surely there are exceptions, but by introducing features and corners with cones, the course is essentially different everytime, which is inline with the spirit of autocrossing.

The Business

Of course, the big question with any competitive event–especially autocross–is how the classing system shakes out.  Is it fair?  Does it even make any sense?  Road racers and time trialers from NASA have had the benefit of a large sampling size nationwide, as well as five years to shake out and perfect the TT and PT rules.  While the NASA-X rules are constantly being updated and maintained like TT and PT, the latest version has never been implemented, tested or used in a competitive format in Arizona.  Seeing as Arizona has fielded multiple national champion caliber autocrossers, many of which attended the NASA-X event, a baseline example for which direction people need to go with their vehicle selection and builds was set on October 25th.

A NXE Toyota Celica lines up for a quick run, which spanned just under a full lap of Firebird East

One factor that has to be considered is the course layout.  While TT and PT take place on road courses, NASA-X can vary from a road course layout as seen here, to a parking lot layout.  Both formats will possibly require different setups and the points assessment from NASA will possibly make more sense on one layout compared to another.  One example would be, the +3 points for a final drive modification, which can be more or less influential depending on the course size and design.  Again, that’s what provides some excitement to the NASA-X events as competitors have to weight their options for how to use those points carefully.

Richard Vela turns the last corner before the finish.

One interesting note is that four of the nine classes were won on street tires (NXB, NXD, NXE, NXF)–something that would rarely happen in other autocross organizations, with the exception of the classes that only allow street tires obviously.  A multiple-time autocross National champion took 3rd place in NXR, behind a shifter kart and a home-built autocross “machine” which utilizes a CVT transmission.  I guess when they say NXR is open rules, they really mean it!

NXC shook out as expected, with national champion autocrossers Brian Peters and Doug Rowse taking first and second place in a BMW 330i, which used many of its points on tire size and choice alone.  Clint Child took the win in NXB in an Mistubishi EVO on street tires, 0.3sec ahead of Tage Evanson in a supercharged Mazda Miata on race tires.  If that doesn’t scream diversity, and capture the spirit of NASA-X, then I don’t know what does!  NXE was the largest group with 17 people in class, and the top three cars were a BMW 325i, a Toyota Celica and a Mazda Miata.  If anything is strikingly similar to the Time Trial and Race results from NASA, it’s the variance in vehicle makes/models throughout the results.

So how did the time spread look for the winners among the nine classes?  Let’s take a look:

As mentioned above, the competition course was a little less than the full length of Firebird East, with the start being on the front straight and the finish ending up just before pit exit.  Each driver was allowed a parade lap (slow speed) at the beginning of the run session, with four competition runs that counted towards the overall results.

The Best

Two autocross national champions shared this BMW 330 and took 1st and 2nd in NXC

Unlike other forms of autocross where there are an excessive number of classes with just a few cars in each, as usual, NASA’s system with nine classes means all 88 competitors would have plenty of people to measure up to!  The car counts were as follows:  NXR - 7, NXS - 6, NXU - 6, NXA - 5, NXB - 12, NXC - 14, NXD - 11, NXE - 17, NXF - 7.  And what you’ve all been waiting for, the winners of each class:

NXR

1. Mark Eddy - 63.820 - KGB Spy 125 Kart
2. Dan Hawrylkiw - 64.998 - Zink Z-19
3. Mark Huffman - 65.324 - Lotus Elan

NXU

1. David Schotz - 69.101 - Chevy Corvette
2. Larry Petrucci - 70.763 - Pontiac Firebird
3. Joel Schotz - 73.022 - Chevy Corvette

NXS

1. Steve Eymann - 69.695 - Porsche GT3
2. Ted Lewis - 72.763 - Lotus Elan
3. Travis Barnes - 77.082 - Subaru WRX

NXA

1. Dave Young - 74.186 - BMW M3
2. Chris Black - 77.225 - Pontiac Trans Am
3. Hector Espiriti - 79.519 - Chevy Corvette

NXB

1. Clint Child - 72.793 - Mitsubishi Evo
2. Tage Evanson - 73.116 - Mazda Miata
3. Ben Clement - 74.080 - Mitsubishi Evo

NXC

1. Brian Peters - 71.084 - BMW 330i
2. Doug Rowse - 72.590 - BMW 330i
3. Brian Weikert - 74.749 - BMW M3

NXD

1. Jay Balducci - 74.074 - Mazda Miata
2. Robert Rose - 75.234 - Mazda Miata
3. George Sklyarevsky - 76.589 - Mazda RX8

NXE

1. Elliot Speidell - 73.671 - BMW 325i
2. David Rock - 75.489 - Toyota Celica
3. Matt Soeffner - 76.227 - Mazda Miata

NXF

1. Manfred Reysser - 77.429 - Toyota Celica
2. Travis Gianelli - 78.518 - VW Jetta
3. Jason Miller - 78.579 - Honda Accord

Full results are located here

Dan Hawrylkiw's Zink Z-19 that took second place in NXR

Looking Forward

Perhaps the second best part about the NASA-X event (first being, the driving!), is the fact that no one was required to work.  Of course, this meant that NASA had to hire corner workers to shag cones all day, which all of them were more than happy to do.  Perhaps the biggest problem of the day arose when the organizers realized just a few more workers would keep things flowing just a little quicker, or there would be less delay, thus resulting in more driving.  The result of that is well, more workers of course, but also a possible multi-level system for registration that NASA guarantees is much more simple than the classing system!  (Note the sarcasm!)

Between run sessions, many drivers put their cars on the scales to check competition weight

Potentially, when and if there are future NASA-X events, there will be three options for registration:

1. NASA Member Pricing - Discounted from the highest price due to the existing NASA membership.
2. Non-NASA Member Pricing - Slightly more, yet still extremely competitive with any other non-member autocross entry.
3. Worker Pricing - If you are willing to work for a run group, you get a discount on entry fee.  Plain and simple.  Hard efforts shall be rewarded!

That is just one such idea for a pricing structure to keep NASA’s event progressive, flexible, and aligned with other NASA HPDE and Racing events.  Speaking of events, currently there are a minimum of two NASA-X events planned for 2010 already.  Given the pilot event was just held on October 25th, the NASA crew has already secured two possible dates for NASA-X events.  Given NASA’s ability to safely hold road-course based events, look for the majority of the NASA-X events to be held on Firebird’s courses.

Lastly, a big thanks goes out to all the NASA workers, drivers and spectators who came out to make this event a huge success.  Putting together what is essentially the first event of its kind wasn’t an easy task by any means, but aside from the minor hiccups along the way, NASA Arizona is thankful to have so many dedicated drivers and workers willing to put on and support these events.  Thanks for reading the NASA Arizona Wrap Up!

October 3-4 weekend marked the second event of the fall season, and what many who went to NASA Nationals call, “The Return to PIR”.  Typically this weekend is reserved for the BMW Car Club of America—more specifically, fielding their large race groups of BMWs and MINIs—with NASA Arizona piggybacking onto their event.  Due to circumstances which are no doubt unfortunate and used far too often these days, the BMWCCA club race group cancelled for the weekend.  (Ok, I’ll just say it:  Economic circumstances)  Remaining after that were the usual NASA HPDE, Time Trial and Race groups, along with sessions of drivers coming over from the BMWCCA group:  A beginner’s school, and driving groups using a similar structure to NASA’s HPDE program.  All said, everyone was glad to welcome the nice weather, finally, after a long streak of hot events.  Perhaps October 3-4, 2009 had come full circle, with the last cool-weather Phoenix Intl. Raceway event being the last BMWCCA weekend on March 6-7.

Nationals Competitors Return

GTS5 National Champion Chad Nelson returned to PIR in October

With the NASA Championships being held on the same weekend as the previous NASA Arizona event, many of the regular drivers in TT and Race group were reappearing at PIR for the first time since May.  Perhaps the excitement of Nationals was still in everyone’s system, or the sight of such fierce competition caused everyone to raise their game just a little more on the local level for the remainder of the 2009 season.  If you were to have a conversation with many people who attended the NASA Championships, perhaps the word “perspective” would be mentioned a few times, or even a mention of the word “humbling”.  One of the common thoughts among the racers and TT drivers was that given the massive amount of meetings, run sessions, schedule changes and sheer mass of the paddock and entrants at Nationals, being back in Phoenix among the local crowd, if anything, seemed a little easier to navigate after the circus up at Miller Motorsports Park.  Less effort spent on logistics simply meant more concentration put into driving.  In many cases, the results on October 3-4 weekend were reflective of that.

Time Trial

One of the more anticipated run sessions from the weekend was the Big Bore time trial group.  Chris Rado—driving the World Racing Scion tC—made the trip from California to participate on Saturday in the TTR run group.  “It’s tough to find a setup for PIR.  In the infield, we’re making just over 400hp.  On the straights, up to 750hp.  Despite the huge front tires and a delicate right foot on the gas pedal, it’s hard to put power down here”, said Chris.  Despite virtually zero setup time beforehand, the World Racing Scion tC crossed the line turning a 1:03.62—the fastest lap time ever for a FWD car at Phoenix International Raceway.  Tage Evanson, the previous overall FWD record holder at PIR stepped up his game and bested his previous record, turning a 1:04.87 in TTU trim with the Honda Civic.

Chris Rado's Scion tC uses a massive front wing to keep the front tires from spinning at high speeds.

Hot from the TTC race at Nationals, where the lead changed virtually every session, Doug Evans brought his best stuff and beat the TTC track record, turning a 1:09.02 in his Lotus Elise.  Rick Johnson couldn’t take the thought of having his Mini bested by Doug’s Elise, so he signed up in TTC as well and chased Doug throughout the weekend.  All said and done, Doug’s record from Saturday stood as the top time, with Rick following in shortly behind at a 1:09.26, 0.5sec better than his previous best at PIR.  Simon Pavlick (TTE Acura Integra), Brett Lengel (TTD 300ZX) and Mark Algers (TTR Dodge Viper) all turned personal best lap times during the weekend.

All time trial results are located here.

BMWCCA Groups at PIR for Second Time in 2009

The BMWCCA run sessions were full to capacity all weekend.

As mentioned above, the race groups for the BMWCCA group were put on hold for the month of October.  Without any hesitation, however, the HPDE groups and the BMWCCA driver’s school went to full capacity as BMW owners and enthusiasts from the southwest came to PIR for a weekend of driving.  Many of the familiar faces from the NASA driver’s school and HPDE program, put on their true colors and volunteered for BMWCCA and put forth hard effort to making their program a success.  BMWCCA fielded three levels of HPDE throughout the weekend and ran incident-free both days.  All BMWCCA drivers and friends hung out afterwards for the NASA Saturday Night BBQ and left with smiles on their faces Sunday afternoon.

BMWCCA instructors mingling in the pit lane between run sessions.

Passengers for HPDE Groups

One of the easiest ways to lure friends into coming out to NASA events, or perhaps enticing them to drive themselves through the ranks of the HPDE program, is to throw them in the passenger seat for some high-G loading laps around the track.

Melissa Tellez gives a racing fan a spin around PIR on October 3rd.

Of course, the number one priority at all NASA events is safety, while having fun comes in at a close second.  Since the question, “How can I take a passenger?” comes up quite often, here’s a quick recap of the details covered at the driver’s meeting on the October 3-4 weekend:

• Passengers are only allowed in the following groups: HPDE3, HPDE4, Time Trial
• All passengers must sign the “passenger waiver” at registration and receive a wrist band (different from the main gate waiver).
• All drivers wishing to carry a passenger, must get approval from the HPDE or TT group leader, in advance.
• Similar to download cards, a passenger must get a Passenger Card from the respective group leader, to submit before entering grid.
• In the case of the Time Trial group, lap times will not be counted during the session in which a passenger is in the car.

NASA Barbeque

All sorts of fun activities happen after hours at PIR! Tage does his best Cru Jones impression.

Sure, while this isn’t an actual driving event, the NASA social continues to be a favorite part of the weekend for most of the NASA participants.  Gordon Levy and his crew spent the evening working behind the grills, while NASA competitors, drivers, friends and family all came out for free food, music, drinks and of course, the antics that follow.  With the track going cold around 5pm, the BBQ was fired up almost instantly and people were “happy” within the hour.  NASA Arizona looks forward to keeping this event a regular part of the event weekends.

UMS Time Attack Series

The UMS Time Attack series was out in force on both days of the October 3-4 weekend.  Seven competitors signed up for Saturday, with eleven on Sunday.  Phil Robles continued his chase for the AMB transponder as he turned the fastest overall lap on both days in his Honda Civic and took a commanding 85 point lead in the series standings.  Gabe Ortega competed in TA-A on Saturday, then changed his setup and ran TA-B on Sunday, and took the class win.  Complete UMS Time Attack series results and standings can be found here.

Race Group News

I see a pattern developing here..

CCR Review - Of course everyone has read the NASA CCRs (Club Codes and Regulations).  Right?  RIGHT?  Just kidding.  Given the sure enormity of the NASA CCRs, a quick recap and review of the codes and regulations is something that should be done on a yearly basis.  With the month and a half before the final event of the 2009 season, take an evening to skim through the CCRs which are free to download and read and refresh your memory.  CCRs can be located here.

Incident Review Board - From time to time there are incidents in the race group that’s the nature of the game.  However, resolving such incidents in a timely manner is imperative as the outcome can often affect the results (DQs, etc).  Going forward, NASA Arizona will be assembling an Incident Review Board (IRB) to examine any incidents within the NASA race groups.

Led by Gary Felton, along with a small staff of NASA members, the IRB will identify any and all racing incidents as soon as they happen on track, or as soon as they possibly can afterwards.  Following the conclusion of a race, all incidents and the involved parties will be addressed in impound with a conclusion being reached before cars/drivers leave impound.  The purpose of this of course is to add in any changes to results in terms of DQs, loss of position and so on, so the correct, official results can be issued and finalized as soon as possible.

Kelly Olohan came out for both days to race at PIR and support BMWCCA.

Points Clarification from NASA Nationals

After some discussion and a few questions here and there, the details surrounding the points allotment from NASA Nationals are as follows:

• Time Trial:  TT drivers at Nationals get the correct number of points that are reflective of their finishing position compared with other Arizona drivers in the same class. If an AZ driver finished 2nd in TTD, while the winner was from New York, and the 3rd place finished was from AZ, then the AZ finished are awarded 1st and 2nd place points.
• TT drivers who stayed in Phoenix to compete, get standard points as they would in any other AZ region event.
• Racers at Nationals get points based on their finishing position in class, compared to their other Arizona region competitors.  Local racers who stayed in Phoenix in September for the Test and Tune, get no points.

Race group lined up and ready to go for Sunday afternon's race.

Next event:  November 28-89, Phoenix Intl. Raceway

Carrying on the 20+ year tradition of driving on Thanksgiving weekend, NASA Arizona will be driving at Phoenix Intl. Raceway, including a 3-hour daytime enduro on Sunday.  NASA will be back with a full schedule (i.e. NASA hosted HPDE1 & 2) as well as the usual Time Trial and Race Groups.   A rough schedule for the weekend has been posted on the NASA Arizona forum, and all questions/comments can be addressed here.

Details for the racers and time trialers are listed below:

This will be a double points event on Sunday only!  Here’s how it works:

• Time Trial drivers will receive double points for their finishing position on Sunday.  Saturday will be a standard points day.
• Racers participating in the enduro will get double points based on their finishing position within class.
• All single drivers (as in, driving solo.  Not unmarried, divorced or casually-dating drivers!) will receive double points for the enduro.
• How NASA will assess points for teams with more than one driver is still TBD, in effort to finalize a correct, fair and proper method for points allotment.

The enduro supplemental rules are posted here.  Updates on the points allotment for multi-driver teams will be posted soon.

Thank you for reading the NASA Arizona event wrap up.  See you all in November at Phoenix Intl. Raceway!<–>