Double Header = Double Winner!

A quick update after the SCCA July double regional at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, CA! Mid-way through the season rounds 7 and 8 were held in the scorching heat of the California Central Valley. We headed into the event running neck and neck with Darin Posley and Tommy Olivier for the championship lead so these two races were important in maintaining momentum.

I qualified for the first race on pole by more than 3/10ths but was skunked on the start and fell back to third. Tommy O bounced into the lead but lost control in turn 11 which forced P2 Posley to check up and with a cleaner run I was able to take the lead on the back straight. Olivier was unfortunately collected by a car a few rows back and was out for the weekend. He is always a tough competitor so it was sad to see him done. The hotter afternoon race saw lap times a bit slower but I managed the lead and came home in first place for my third win of the season. My mechanic Thomas Barrett was on hand for his first victory lap ride-a-long (and the first time he had been on the race surface). He has played a major role in my success this season and had perma-grin after he flopped out of the car. Here’s the video from Doug Makashima’s SSM car (I’m the white car starting at the front left):

I made a silly error with qualifying on Sunday and showed up late to grid. We didn’t hit the track until the rest of the combined 53-car field was already running hot laps but I salvaged a 4th place grid position before the black flag was thrown for a rollover in turn 8. Disaster avoided and lesson learned but I had my work cut out for me with Dean Thomas on pole by ~0.8 seconds and the only car able to run in the 2:07s.

Starting in front of me was SSM car Doug Makashima. Thomas missed a shift on the start letting me bump Doug and myself into the P1 and P2 positions. Doug appeared to gift me the lead when he went into the dirt at T5 but coming back on track I made room and found myself in the marbles. Another SSM car, Matt Rose, squirted between all of us into the lead and Posley followed pulling between myself on the inside of turn 6 and Makashima on the outside. We went three-wide through 6 and 7 and there wasn’t enough room to slip a sheet of paper between us headed into turn 8 which is a high speed kink normally taken flat. Makashima, on the outside, wisely checked up and Posley and I went side by side with me gaining the advantage and assuming second. Thomas capitalized to pass Makashima into 9 and consolidate fourth before a full course caution came out for a pile-up in T1 on the start. Here’s video from Dean Thomas on the start that shows the action up close:

(I’m the white car #12)

The lead car had a slow restart and Thomas rocketed from fourth to first before we crossed the finish line. I chased Dean over the next several laps and passed him on the front straight after a great run through T14/15. I held the lead for several laps until a bobble in T2 let Dean by but I managed to keep Darin behind. The roles were reversed again and Posley and I caught back up to Thomas on the back straight. Too hot into the final corner, Thomas allowed me to run up alongside him and make a pass coming onto the front straight. You can see in his video the tight proximity without any contact. Lapped traffic cost me my gap near the end but I held on to the finish to sweep the weekend! This one was special because my wife Jennifer, who supports my racing every step of the way, was finally present for her first victory lap.

Regional #7 Qualifying (1st overall)
Regional #7 Race (1st overall)
Regional #8 Qualifying (4th OA, 3rd in SMT)
Regional #8 Race (1st overall)

With eight of thirteen races in the books, the current standings are:

With Tommy’s DNFs due to the spin/crash, it’s becoming a two-horse race for the regional championship this year. It’s going to come down to whomever makes a mistake so we’ll be doubling down on our prep. Next event is Labor Day weekend September 3-5 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma for rounds 9 and 10.