Camaro-Mustang Challenge Race Reports

05/24 – Willow Springs Raceway It was an exciting weekend at Willow Springs for the of the fourth west coast CMC series with 13 cars ready to go to work. It was a seemingly cold weekend compared to other Willow Springs race days with the temperatures for the weekend staying in the low 70’s. Saturday qualifying went well with Mike Plum setting the fast lap in CMC followed by and Dave Schotz getting the fast time for CMC-2. Saturday’s race started off with a flying start and the field took off. In CMC-2, Dave Schotz took the quick lead and never looked back. In the rest of the field, there were many battles going on. Michael Arnheiter had to retire early due to a broken axle and rear end. Peter Hopelain also retired due to a lack of fuel. Dave Schotz won the race followed by Nick Steel and Brad Simpson. In CMC, Mike Plum got a jump on the field to take the lead. He was followed by the other drivers and the battle was on. It was a close match the entire race, as 5 out of the 6 drivers were within .7 tenths of each other. Wow, close. Mike Plum was the victor of the race, but immediently after crossing the finish line his 5th gear grenaded in his transmission. He was followed Mike Donahoe and Jeremy Bua. That Saturday night Nick Steel towed his car home so he could fix his dead clutch as well as grab a rear end for Michael Arnheiter. Both of these competitors were fixed that night and were racing on Sunday. Sunday morning with the famous CMC inverted race. The green flag dropped and the field took off. In CMC-2 It was a good mixture as the cars really showed their horsepower and made the battle even more interesting. After a couple of laps, Dave Schotz took the lead and held off Peter Hopelain to take the victory. Peter finished second and Nick Steel finished third. During this race, Michael Arnheiter set the new CMC-2 lap record with a 1:32.687. Good job Mike. In CMC, Team Flashover, with driver Derek Tisinger took the lead after a couple of fierce laps with the competitors. Derek went on to take his first victory in CMC, followed by Jeremy Bua and Mike Donahoe. Sunday’s final race was a fantastic standing start. When the green flag dropped the field took off like an angry swarm of hornets. There were passes everywhere as well as many close calls. Early in the race Brad Simpson had to retire due to a failed hub, and after contact with Michael Arnheiter, Nick Steel had to stop on the side of the track due to a bent rim. Dave Schotz took the victory in CMC-2 followed by Michael Arnheiter and Peter Hopelain. In CMC Derek took the eventual lead after a couple laps of catch up and took his second victory. He was followed by Jeremy Bua and Doug Clements. It was a good weekend with driver James Griffith returning to CMC after his suspension from NASA. Welcome back James. Make sure to catch our next race at Infineon on June 28th and 29th. It is expected to be our largest field to date. Kyle Plum