Camaro-Mustang Challenge Race Reports
2004 California CMC Race Reports
Thunderhill Park Race
Report
CMC Round 8, Nov. 13-14,
2004
Highlights:
-Fabulous cool weather
-Season finale dinner party/awards ceremony
-Lap records and personal best times
-Series Championship standings finalized
Saturday:
Saturday began with a damp racetrack from the previous night’s rain. The CMC drivers headed out in the first session of the day, and happily saw the track quickly start to dry. The cool conditions certainly helped keep horsepower high, and water temps low. A strong wind annoyed pedestrians in the paddock, and some drivers commented they could feel it on the track! The run group only included CMC and FFR this weekend, so other traffic was not expected to be a concern. Don Lee and Julie Bergman were back after a few months of down time, as well as many of the regular contenders. Jeff Bernard suffered a rear end failure during Friday practice, and was forced to pack up early.
Qualifying showed just how close the competition has gotten in CMC with 9 cars posting times within 3 seconds of each other. John Barker started experiencing extreme amounts of blow-by, and decided to park his #49 Firebird.
Saturday’s race was a standing start, with typical three wide action through turn 1. Brady Flaherty got the jump on the field, only to be passed by Tony Guaglione by the end of the lap. This duo battled for the entire race, swapping positions several times and keeping all the spectators amazed with daring outside passing attempts. Tim Bullock hung right behind this battle, trying several times to capitalize on aborted passing attempts. Behind this group, Mike Donahoe, Mike Plum, and Pat Stone were having another three way battle. Donahoe and Plum went side by side through turn 1, but Donahoe simply ran out of track and went for a wild ride! Not much farther back another three way battle was being fought between Don Lee, Julie Bergman, and Brett Sciuto until Brett overcooked turn 11 and spread the group up. This was definitely one of the most exciting races NASA has seen, as attested even by the corner workers. In the end Guaglione held off Flaherty, whose tires faded and was unable to make any pass stick. Tim Bullock held on to a well deserved third. Jim Carroll’s welded differential failed and he was forced to retire for the weekend.
Top Ten Results:
1. Team Hiline
2. Brady Flaherty
3. Tim Bullock
4. Mike Plum
5. Pat Stone
6. Mike Donahoe
7. Team Search
8. Julie Bergman
9. Brett Sciuto
10. Rick Santos
Saturday Night:
The CMC drivers, friends, and family gathered
at Round Table for a pizza and beer party hosted by CMC. Everyone had a good
time watching the amazing video footage from Tim Bullock’s camera of that first
race. The Directors held a drawing before the evening started: Tim Bullock won a
free race weekend entry coupon, and Brett Sciuto won $150! With everyone
together and plenty full, competitors were handed out awards to recognize their
contributions to CMC racing:
Don Trask – CMC Lifetime
Achievement
Julie Bergman – CMC
Dedication
Mike Donahoe – CMC
Attitude
Brett Sciuto – CMC Most
Improved
Tim Bullock – CMC Most
Consistent
Brady Flaherty – CMC Rookie of the
Year
Dennis Flaherty –CMC McGyver
Award
Carson Scheller – CMC Fastest Recovery
Sunday:
Saturday’s cool temperatures were matched on Sunday, except this time without the strong winds. The CMC group staged a race during the qualifying session, inverted based on Saturday’s results. This was a rolling start, which was slightly spread out due to a small bit of confusion when the starter waved the first of two green flags a bit too long. Rick Santos took the early lead as the inverted field began to sort itself out. Pat Stone worked his way to the front on route to his first win of the year. He pulled off a slight lead as Don Lee (Team Search) battled Tim Bullock. Lap after lap Don passed Tim on the main straight, only to have Tim retake the 2nd spot either in turn 2 or through 9. Don has had his share of engine problems this year, and this 2nd place finish was a definite win against those mechanical troubles and the hard driving Tim Bullock. The cool temps helped make for fast lap times, with several drivers including Julie Bergman, Mike Plum, and Ed Hamilton scoring their personal fastest times at this track.
Top Ten Results:
1. Pat Stone
2. Team Search
3. Tim Bullock
4. Team Hiline
5. Mike Plum
6. Mike Donahoe
7. Brett Sciuto
8. Julie Bergman
9. Jim Griffith
10. Ed Hamilton
The third race of the weekend would be a single flag standing start. The group staged right behind the FFR Cobras, and when the flag flew Tony Guaglione saw himself half way through the Cobra pack by turn 2. Pat Stone took off in pursuit, but was slowly losing ground. Mike Donahoe and Mike Plum repeated their turn 1 excitement, only this time it was Plum on the outside who ran out of room and went for the off-road ride. A full course yellow was brought out after one of the Cobras clobbered Tony Guaglione entering turn 9. The Cobra ran trough the dirt, spreading gravel all over the apex, which cause Mike Plum and Rick Santos to spin! On the restart Tony once again pulled a lead on the field and went off to not only win the race, but also to win the series championship for Team Hiline and set a new Thunderhill CMC lap record of 203.961 in the process!! Brady Flaherty finished third, sealing his 2nd place finish in the championship over Mike Plum.
Top Ten Results:
1. Team Hi Line
2. Pat Stone
3. Brady Flaherty
4. Mike Donahoe
5. Tim Bullock
6. Mike Plum
7. Julie Bergman
8. Brett Sciuto
9. Rick Santos
10. Team Search
Penalties/Disqualifications/Suspensions:
James Griffith was suspended by NASA from this event and the remainder of the season stemming from safety equipment violations.
Brady Flaherty was repositioned to last place in Race #2 for avoidable contact.
Season Championship:
Team Hi Line capped off the season with two convincing wins, clinching the championship. Tony Guaglione and Greg Robinson fought back from a frustrating early part of the year that was full of poor finishes due to mechanical failures and on track incidents. Brady Flaherty took 2nd place, as well as top Rookie points. Mike Plum finished a scant four points behind Brady in 3rd. This season saw 39 teams compete in West Coast CMC events, and a very close championship battle all the way to the last weekend.
Top Ten Season Points:
1. Team Hi Line
2. Brady Flaherty
3. Mike Plum
4. Tim Bullock
5. Brett Sciuto
6. Jim Griffith
7. Carson Scheller
8. Mike Donahoe
9. Al Fernandez
10. James Griffith
See you at the races next year!
The CMC Directors
Infineon Raceway Race
Report
CMC Round 7, Oct. 23-24,
2004
Highlights:
- Rainy Saturday, sunny Sunday
- Huge turnout
- More new faces and cars
- Great drives from Donahoe, Plum, Stone, Santos, Whitelaw
- Carson Scheller’s return
- Andy Lee makes the trek all the way from Arizona
Saturday:
Rain, rain and more rain! The rain actually began sometime during the early morning hours and continued on and off throughout the day. Some drivers elected to not practice in the heavy morning rain and those that did found slippery conditions indeed. Those that had rain tires were dramatically faster compared to their competitors with regular shaved tires. Winter must surely be coming soon because several drivers were practicing their skating techniques! There was much standing water all along the course. Pat Stone proved to be the quickest in the wet conditions, getting the pole point for Saturday.
Qualifying had a mix of wet and dry throughout the track and would punish quickly those who ventured off line. The margin for staying on line was close. Again, rain tires seemed to be the ticket. Greg Robinson tripped the track sound meter in the last laps of the session at 104db. The track now has a sound limit of 103db so it was off to a local fabrication shop to aim the exhaust away from the meter!
Race #1 of the weekend featured a rolling start and displayed the awesome sight that is a CMC start. Although it had been raining most of the day, the track dried out during a few hour lull in the weather and produced dry conditions for the race. Al Fernandez, who was without his #5 Camaro, joined Richard Pryor and Dave Morin in the grandstands to view the action. All remarked that most of the paddock would make its way to the grandstands for the CMC races. Three and sometimes four wide into Turn 1 seems to be the norm for CMC and nobody does it better! Brady Flaherty experienced engine problems during the pace lap and came in early but was able to make repairs and return by the race’s end to score valuable points. By mid-race a full course caution came out and on the restart, Greg Robinson spun in Turn 1 and was passed by Don Trask and Andy Lee. Robinson got back under way and found Trask had spun in Turn 2! The two cars again switched positions! Tim Bullock, running full tread tires and hoping for more rain, valiantly tried to fend off quicker cars with shaved tires. Eventually a few cars did overtake him, but it was a brilliant effort. Mike Plum did an outstanding job working his way into the lead while being dogged closely by Dave Whitelaw. Dave was driving James Griffith’s car for the first time with CMC and was eventually able to pass Plum for the win. Mike Donahoe showed his skill with a strong third place finish. Team E-Volution’s bad luck streak continued as they dropped a cylinder or two during the race. Melted spark plug electrodes were the least of their worries as the failure quickly progressed to a rod knock.
Results:
1. Dave Whitelaw
2. Mike Plum
3. Mike Donahoe
4. Tim Bullock
5. Pat Stone
6. Team Hi Line-Robinson
7. J.R. Luster
8. Andy Lee
9. Don Trask
10. Jim Griffith
11. Brett Sciuto
12. Rick Santos
13. Ed Hamilton
14. John Barker
15. Carson Scheller
16. Jim Carroll
17. Team E-Volution
18. Brady Flaherty
Sunday:
After a shortened practice session due to foggy conditions, the race gods smiled upon Infineon raceway and brought out beautiful sunny skies for the rest of the day! The warmth was a welcome relief. The rain tires were stowed in favor of shaved racing Toyos. Tony Guaglione would take over the driving duties for Team Hi Line today and set about showing everyone the fastest way around the track. Guaglione would start at the rear of the field in Race #2 due to the driver change. The grid was inverted based on finishing order from the Saturday’s race. The first few laps of an inverted race always provides much side by side racing and much passing. Even with all of the juggling going on the first lap was run clean and fast. Trouble would come in lap two however, in the always exciting Turn 11. A lot of passing occurs here under braking. Carrying just too much speed up the inside was Don Trask, who locked up his beautiful silver and black 4th Gen Camaro and skidded into an unsuspecting Brett Sciuto. The impact shook an electrical connection loose on Sciuto’s car and he was unable to continue the race. Watching the whole thing unfold was Mike Plum who wisely cut his turn even tighter to avoid the melee. Trask’s car bounced back into Plum’s path however and left him nowhere to go. Plum hit Trask in the right front and Trask suffered terminal damage to the suspension. Plum was able to continue the race with body damage and poor steering alignment. Guaglione and Whitelaw were able to avoid the situation and continue their charge to the front. Guaglione fell one position short of going from last to first in the short race that was led flag to flag by Flaherty. Rick Santos returned from a year long absence and showed he still has it and put in a strong effort to capture third.
Top Ten Results:
1. Brady Flaherty
2. Team Hi Line-Guaglione
3. Rick Santos
4. Dave Whitelaw
5. Jim Griffith
6. Mike Plum
7. Tim Bullock
8. Pat Stone
9. Mike Donahoe
10. Andy Lee
Race # 3 of the weekend featured a standing start. Good, close racing produced tight battles throughout the field. Guaglione and Whitelaw battled up front until Whitelaw spun in the closing lap. He got going just in time to stay ahead of the tightly bunched duo of Stone and Donahoe. A few seconds behind these two, Bullock and Plum were engaged in a race long battle that showed Plum coming out on top after a minor bobble made by Bullock. Carson Scheller put in a good drive in his new Firebird. Jim Griffith had a solid weekend with his new number 11 Mustang by placing in the top ten in all three races. CMC welcomed new competitors John Barker and Jim Carroll. John disproved the theory that flamed cars were a recipe for victory and suffered through some shake down issues with his Firebird.
Top Ten Results:
1. Team Hi Line-Guaglione
2. Dave Whitelaw
3. Pat Stone
4. Mike Donahoe
5. Mike Plum
6. Tim Bullock
7. Jim Griffith
8. Rick Santos
9. Carson Scheller
10. Ed Hamilton
Penalties/Disqualifications/Suspensions:
James Griffith was suspended by NASA from this event and the remainder of the season stemming from safety equipment violations.
Andy Lee was repositioned to last place in Race #3 for passing under the yellow.
Don Trask was repositioned to last place and was put on probation for the remainder of the season due to avoidable contact in Race #2.
Season Points:
Team Hi Line continues to lead the championship point’s standings going into the final three races of the season at Thunderhill on November 13/14th .. There are still many close battles for positions throughout the field that will be decided in the final three races. Stay tuned!
Top Ten Season Points:
1. Team Hi Line-1623
2. Mike Plum-1586
3. Brady Flaherty-1582
4. Tim Bullock-1554
5. Brett Sciuto-1485
6. Carson Scheller-1297
7. James Griffith-1290
8. Al Fernandez-1261
9. Jim Griffith-1152
10. Brad Simpson-1041
See you at the races!
Greg Robinson
CMC Editor
Infineon Raceway Race Report
CMC Round 6, Sep. 11-12, 2004
Highlights:
- Largest field to date—29 cars entered!
- Fantastic weather
- AI/AIX/CMC run group
- New faces, new cars
- Hard hits for Fernandez and Scheller
- Huge Saturday BBQ
Saturday:
Jeff Bernard did a great job running near the front until finally passed by James Griffith and Tony Guaglione. It was good to see Jeff back out on the track running so well after taking a few events off. Pat Stone also ran strong with his new Camaro. Gregg Righetti showed why he is always entertaining to watch, putting his car in an opposite lock four wheel drift almost every time through turn 10. Al Fernandez tried to take advantage of a slight mis-shift by Mike Plum and tried overtaking him on the outside of the Carousel, but ended up sliding into the dirt and losing several positions. Mike Donahoe had a spectacular spin through the high speed turn 10 and miraculously didn’t hit anything or anybody and was able to continue on without losing much ground. Such was not the case for Carson Scheller as he hit the wall hard after spinning off in turn 2. Carson was able to hit with the rear of his car, but the damage was significant and would end his weekend prematurely. Carson was unhurt and everyone in CMC is grateful that Carson was able to walk away. You can always replace the car but not yourself, so once again safety should always be first on your list! Remember we all do this for FUN! The battle for the lead was shuffled back and forth between Griffith and Guaglione until the last lap. Guaglione led Griffith into turn 7 where Griffith stuck his nose in tight and came out in the lead down the esses and into turn 11. As Griffith went wide into turn 11 and tried to put the power down just a little too early, he lost traction and Guaglione who was hounding him closely was able to get the jump up the inside. It was a drag race to the finish line but Gugalione’s momentum and experience as a drag racer prevailed and rewarded him with the win in the closest finish of recent memory—less than 3 feet!
1. Team Hi Line-Guaglione
2. James Griffith
3. Jeff Bernard
4. Pat Stone
5. Don Trask
6. Brady Flaherty
7. Mike Donahoe
8. Mike Plum
9. J.R. Luster
10. Tim Bullock
11. Team E-Volution
12. Greg Righetti
13. Brad Simpson
14. Al Fernandez
15. Brett Sciuto
16. Steve Sparklin
17. Spurgeon
18. Hamilton
19. Bledsoe
20. Team BAF
21. Robert Heim-Fun Run
22. Carson Scheller-DQ
23. Team G & H-DQ
24. Perry Kincy-DQ
Saturday’s race was finished in time for lunch provided by Sam Stowell of Team BAF, Hi Line Motorsports/Tony Guaglione and Chuck owner of Maximum Motorsports. Nearly 80 people enjoyed a fantastic BBQ with all the fixings! This is what makes CMC so great—fun on and off the track. Big thanks to all who helped with food preparation!
The Shootout - Camaro Vs. Mustang:
The eagerly anticipated three lap Shootout between Richard Pryor and Tony Guaglione took center stage at 2:00PM. Pryor borrowed J.R. Luster’s 3rd Gen Camaro to try to show once and for all that not only was he the superior driver but also that a Camaro could easily beat a Mustang. Things got interesting before the green flag even dropped on this standing start. It seems that Pryor must have been concerned about getting dropped at the start so he kept creeping his Camaro forward in anticipation of the green flag! Guaglione made quick work of Pryor’s Camaro however and had the lead by turn 4. The lead would swap back and forth for the entire race with Pryor doing his best to keep Guaglione within sight. These two cars were never more than a few car lengths away from each other. It came down to a drag race up the final straight culminating in a dead heat photo finish. Upon post race review it was determined that it was just too close to call and therefore ruled a draw. As to be expected, Pryor came into the pits claiming victory. But, when shown the photographic proof of a tie, Pryor immediately claimed the photos had been “doctored.” The saying “old age and treachery will always overcome youth and ability” never seemed more appropriate. A gracious Tony Guaglione offered Pryor his hand in consolation and the matter was settled: a good driver can win in either a Camaro or a Mustang!
Sunday:
Final results for the top 15 were as follows:
2. Bullock
3. Team BAF
4. Luster
5. Flaherty
6. Team Hi Line (Robinson)
7. Donahoe
8. Plum
9. Righetti
10. Stone
11. Sciuto
12. Sparklin
13. Kincy
14. Hamilton
15. Bledsoe
Race three for the weekend saw the typical inverted start for the last race final positions. Everyone kept a sharp eye on the flagman to avoid a repeat of the jumped start of the day before. The field got away clean, two wide through turn one. Guaglione was ripping through the field straight down the middle until Griffith boxed him in going up the hill to turn 2. That would only be the beginning of his troubles though, as erratic ignition forced Tony to retire early. Pat Stone and Craig Fretwell pulled out to an early lead while the field gave chase. Mike Plum, Brady Flaherty, Gregg Righetti and Mike Donahoe were having a great battle in the mid pack for several laps until they sorted out their running order. Brady Flaherty was black flagged for excessive oil smoke, likely a sign of an expiring motor. James Griffith worked his way through the pack to take the lead in the closing laps. Pat Stone ran a fantastic race, adding a 2nd place finish to his earlier 4th, and considering this is Pat´s first weekend back in several months and in a brand new car, this is surely a sign of strong finishes to come from this veteran driver. Mike Donahoe ran consistent, smooth laps to eventually make it up to 3rd, while Fretwell posted a strong 4th place finish despite having intermittent brake issues and this only being their first race weekend with CMC.
It was also great seeing so many new faces this past weekend and some old ones too. We welcome Anderson, Fretwell, Bledsoe, Spurgeon, and it was good to see veteran Righetti back in action too!
The final results for the top 10 were as follows:
1. Griffith
2. Stone
3. Donahoe
4. Team E-Volution
5. Plum
6. Bullock
7. Righetti
8. Spurgeon
9. Luster
10. Sciuto
CMC will return to Infineon Raceway for the 2nd time in a row on October 23rd. With only 20 points separating the top three drivers, the next two drivers being just a few points further, still having six more points paying races and 25+ car fields, the CMC Championship is still very much up for grabs. Stay Tuned!
Season Points Top Ten
1. Team Hi Line
2. Mike Plum
3. Brady Flaherty
4. James Griffith
5. Tim Bullock
6. Brett Sciuto
7. Al Fernandez
8. Brad Simpson
9. Carson Scheller
10. Ed Varon
Greg Robinson
CMC Editor
Willow Springs Race
Report
CMC Round 5, July10-11, 2004
Dedication:
This weekend’s event is dedicated to the memory of Albert H. Biering, the father of long time CMC competitor Julie Bergman. Our thoughts and prayers are with Julie and her family at this time of great loss.
Summary:
-HOT! 98 on Saturday, 104 on Sunday!
-Mechanicals for Varon , Brady, Sciuto, Gregory
-Mid-packers moving up!
-3 races, qualifying with BMW’s
-Super clean racing with no incidents
Friday Practice:
Not a tremendous turnout for practice on Friday mostly due the cost no doubt. Nevertheless, some brave souls tested their machines against the heat and the wide open throttle experience that is WSIR. Scott Gregory was back in action with his second motor this year only to experience an oil leak. Apparently the oil pressure line melted against the exhaust and the resultant smoke storm earned him the black flag during practice. Brady Flaherty also had a new motor this weekend and was suffering from high rpm cutout at around 4,700rpm. Scott joined Brady Flaherty’s father on a trip to the local parts store for the necessary repairs, but Brady would fight mechanical gremlins all weekend.
A huge area was reserved for all CMC drivers to park their rigs.
Saturday:
The BMW group had only 6 cars this weekend so it was agreed to join CMC and BMW into one group. CMC and BMW run super clean with each other and this weekend was no exception. This meant uncrowded track conditions and excellent opportunities for a good qualifying session. Al Fernandez lost all brake pressure headed into turn 3 resulting in a wild off road excursion at over 90mph, ending his weekend.
Race #1 of the weekend featured another “twist” from the CMC director. This would be a shortened “sprint” race of 6 laps. The grid would be inverted based on qualifying times. Normally, the second race of the weekend is inverted based on Race #1 results. The change caught everyone off guard, but this is what makes CMC so much fun, as you never know what to expect! The first lap proved to be super close as no positions were changed which was a big hit with the crowd as the entire CMC field went by the start/finish line nose to tail.
The field was instructed to watch for the “CMC white flag” held up at the start/finish line by Greg Robinson after 5 laps. Over half of the field missed the “white flag” and was penalized for staying out additional laps. Those who stayed out just one additional lap scored ahead of those who continued for several more laps. The top 5 were the only drivers that followed the instructions. It’s important to watch the starter’s tower every time by! Brady Flaherty and Sam Stowell came in early with mechanical problems.
Race #1 Results:
1. James Griffith
2. Team Hi Line-Guaglione
3. Mike Plum
4. Brad Simpson
5. Scott Gregory
6. Steve Sparklin
7. Mike Donahoe
8. Ed Varon
9. Brett Sciuto-R
10. Team G&H-Hall-R
11. Carson Scheller-R
12. Sam Stowell
13. Brady Flaherty-R
Race #2 would be run with the American Iron cars and used the times from the morning’s qualifying session to form the grid. Team Hi Line, Guaglione/Robinson, switched drivers and therefore moved to the back of the grid. This would be a rolling start just behind the A/I field and would be full length. Greg Robinson got a great start and passed 5 cars before turn one! Good, close racing all through the pack as the action heated up along with the weather. Mike Donahoe showed excellent speed and consistency and put pressure on Mike Plum for several laps. Sam Stowell and James Griffith battled it out for the lead in the only two cars with flames painted on them. Maybe these guys know something the rest of us don’t! Steve Sparklin again had good run which was a welcome sight after the mechanicals he’s suffered this year. Greg Robinson slowly reeled in Mike Donahoe and Mike Plum in the closing laps only to see Plum go off in Turn 9. Robinson caught Donahoe and the two cars were side by side into Turn 9 on the final lap. As Donahoe exited the turn, he lost traction and pulled off a great power slide that allowed Robinson to get along side. It was a drag race to the finish with Donahoe taking the position just 3 feet ahead of Robinson!
Ed Varon was unable to take the green flag with electrical problems. In post-race inspection, Sam Stowell was DQ’d for illegal aero equipment. This handed the win to the always fast James Griffith.
Race #2 Results:
1. James Griffith
2. Mike Donahoe
3. Team Hi Line-Robinson
4. Brady Flaherty-R
5. Steve Sparklin
6. Mike Plum
7. Team G&H-Hall-R
8. Brad Simpson
9. Carson Scheller-R
10. Scott Gregory
11. Brett Sciuto-R
Saturday Night Enduro:
Team Esse made up the lone representative from CMC in the 3 hour enduro. Drivers Steve Graves, Per Helldin and Nick Steel teamed up in the #81 Camaro and put in a great effort until transmission and rear end failure took them out early. It takes a huge effort to run an enduro and these drivers deserve a hearty congratulations from all in CMC.
Sunday:
This would be a short day and everyone was looking forward to finishing before the worst heat of the day. Scott Gregory had major trouble early during the morning’s qualifying session: another blown motor. Ed Varon had continuing electrical problems and would not make the field either.
Race #3 was once again run with BMW and featured another standing start. Pole sitter Sam Stowell had problems at the start and much of the field passed him before turn one. Greg Robinson fell in behind the leader James Griffith followed closely by Mike Plum. While Robinson was trying to put some pressure on Griffith, Plum was sizing Robinson up for a pass on the outside of Turn 2. Plum knew he was faster into Turn 3 and needed to be on the inside to make that pass work. While trying to go around Robinson on the outside of Turn 2, Plum ran out of grip and real estate and went off at the exit of Turn 2. Plum would rally back to a great 5th place finish however. Sam Stowell worked his way back to the front in a display of tremendous skill in his beautiful 4th Gen Camaro and eventually took the lead from James Griffith. These two cars then proceeded to check out on the rest of the field with lap times in the low 1.35’s in 100 plus degree heat..
Race #3 Results:
1. Sam Stowell
2. James Griffith
3. Team Hi Line-Robinson
4. Mike Donahoe
5. Mike Plum
6. Brady Flaherty-R
7. Steve Sparklin
8. Carson Scheller-R
9. Team G&H-Hall-R
10. Brad Simpson
11. Sciuto
Season Points:
The Top Ten:
1. Team Hi Line-1142
2. Brady Flaherty-R-1129
3. Mike Plum-1123
4. Al Fernandez-1100
5. Tim Bullock-1092
6. James Griffith-1088
7. Brett Sciuto-R-1060
8. Carson Scheller-R-1041
9. Ed Varon-1032
10. Brad Simpson-877
CMC will enjoy a few month’s off before returning to Infineon Raceway on September 11/12. The point’s battle is still super tight so don’t miss any of the action. See you at the races!
Greg Robinson
CMC Editor
Buttonwillow, Ca - June 5- 6
Event Summary:
-Hot weather
-James Griffith’s dominance
-Electrical gremlins/mechanical problems…again
-Racing with the BMW’s
-Consistency pays off for Bullock and Flaherty
Friday Practice:
Driver’s Kevin Hall, Ed Varon, Tim Bullock, Steve Graves and Brad Simpson all took advantage of some practice time on course configuration #13 CCW. The track is a completely different story when run in the opposite direction! Most enjoyed the change of pace and the chance to get familiar with the famous decreasing radius buttonhook turn. This is the slowest part of the track and is super important for a good lap time.
Saturday:
Morning practice went smoothly with drivers working on the “best” possible line for a fast qualifying effort. Although the morning practice was held in the regular CMC run group, qualifying and Race #1 would be run with the BMW group. This allowed uncrowded track time and a great race experience for all. The temperature began to climb early and promised to be a hot one before day’s end.
Qualifying showed the speed and skill of Ed Varon up front followed closely by James Griffith. James Griffith surprised all with his sparkling new paint job: bright metallic green with silver flames! Tony Gauglione, driving the #12 Mustang for Team Hi Line, again suffered from electrical gremlins but managed to qualify 3rd.
CMC will now have a driver’s meeting 15 minutes after the qualifying session on Saturday and Sunday. This will be a standing meeting and will not be specifically announced each weekend. It is the driver’s responsibility to get the meeting on time. If you miss the meeting you will start the race from the back of the pack.
Race #1 featured a standing start behind the BMW’s. The first turn came up fast and was a bit more severe than most realized which caused multiple contacts. Most were “racing incidents” but certainly reinforced the theory that you can’t win the race in the first turn but you can sure lose it there! Tony Guaglione made a great pass on the inside of Ed Varon only to be bumped on exit and sent into a spin. Guaglione was unable to restart his stalled car and was done for the race. Brady Flaherty made an evasive move off-track to the outside only to make contact with Ed Varon upon re-entry to the track. Several other cars had minor contact in their attempts to avoid the big one. All were able to continue throughout the weekend. The level of intensity among CMC drivers has certainly picked up this season.
Brett Sciuto had a solid race and finished in 5th. Brett is really progressing well and promises to be running consistently up front soon. Tim Bullock put in another consistent performance this season with a 4th place run. Brady Flaherty finished 3rd after chasing James Griffith the entire race. Steve Graves put in his best laps times ever for this configuration.
Results Race #1:
1. James Griffith
2. Ed Varon
3. Brady Flaherty-R
4. Tim Bullock
5. Al Fernandez
6. Brett Sciuto-R
7. Mike Plum
8. Kevin Hall-R
9. Brad Simpson
10. Mike Peters-R
11.
12. Steve Graves
13. Team Hi Line
14. Jim Griffith
Race #2 was the inverted race of the weekend and again featured a standing start just behind AI/X. CMC shines in standing starts and many drivers immediately began passing some AI cars. The thundering sound of American V8’s was a treat for all to see!
Several experienced problems early on and retired within a few laps. Greg Robinson, driving for Team Hi Line, suffered a debilitating misfire and came in after 4 laps. Steve Graves retired after 5 laps. Al Fernandez had his hands full running full tread depth Toyos on the rear of his Camaro. These proved to be a bit slippery on such a hot day and he eventually spun out only to be collected by Jim Griffith. Tim Bullock finished 5th in his second Top 5 of the weekend.
Results Race #2:
1. James Griffith
2. Brady Flaherty-R
3. Ed Varon
4. Mike Plum
5. Tim Bullock
6. Brett Sciuto-R
7. Jim Griffith
8. Al Fernandez
9. Kevin Hall-R
10.
11. Mike Peters-R
12. Steve Graves
13. Team Hi Line
14. Brad Simpson
Saturday Night Dinner:
The best place for BBQ in town (second only to the Robinson’s own BBQ of course!) is the Willow BBQ Pit and they were excellent hosts for yet another great evening of CMC socializing. It was nice to enjoy the air-conditioning and a cold beverage with good friends, food and conversation.
Sunday
Sunday morning’s practice had several drivers still sorting out mechanical problems. Mike Plum continued to try to fix a high rpm misfire and Ed Varon was hoping to find a way to keep the water temp down on his Camaro. Greg Robinson (Team Hi Line) continued to chase down an intermittent misfire as well.
A rolling start
was used for the last race of the weekend.
The field quickly sorted itself out without incident this time. Brad
Simpson battled with Brett
Sciuto who did his best to keep Brad’s mirrors filled with his white
Mustang. While Simpson wasn’t watching his mirrors, he
was able to witness a close battle between Mike Plum and Greg Robinson (Team Hi Line). Robinson eventually passed
Results Race #3:
1. James Griffith
2. Brady Flaherty-R
3. Ed Varon
4. Tim Bullock
5. Team Hi Line
6. Mike Plum
7. Brad Simpson
8. Brett Sciuto-R
9.
10. Al Fernandez
11. Steve Graves
12. Jim Griffith
Penalties
1. Jim Griffith was repositioned as well for contact with Al Fernandez in Race #1.
2. Al Fernandez had a stop and go penalty for passing under the yellow flag in Race #3.
Hard Luck Award
This weekend’s award goes to Brady Flaherty who made contact in Race #1 after trying to avoid it in the first place! This contact resulted in some crumpled sheet metal on his newly painted Camaro. The new blue and white paint scheme is courtesy of Hewlet-Packard. Brady has done more than his share of body work this year and has still managed to perform well.
Season Points:
The season points battle is getting closer than ever with the Top 5 all within 17 points of each other. Consistency is key to doing well and several drivers have a shot at the championship. This will be a great battle every weekend and every race for the rest of the season. Stay tuned!
The Top 10:
1. Brady Flaherty-R-947
2. Team Hi Line-940
3. Mike Plum-936
4. Al Fernandez-930
5. Ed Varon-930
6. Tim Bullock-919
7. James Griffith-886
8. Brett Sciuto-R-801
9. Jim Griffith-800
10.
Next event is at Willow Springs on July10-11. See you at the races!
Greg Robinson
CMC Editor
Thunderhill, Ca - May 1- 2
Event Summary
-Attrition, ugh!
-Hot weather!
-CMC Challenging and beating some AI cars!
-Team Hi Line Motorsports sweep!
-Lap times down to 2:05!
-New faces!
-CMC hats and shirts for all!
-Clean side-by-side racing
-Saturday night dinner
Friday
A few drivers took advantage of testing but trouble would come quickly in the form of mechanical failure for Rookies Fretwell and Anderson, who brought their new bright yellow Mustang, and suffered head gasket problems which meant they were done for the weekend. Tim Bullock spent the afternoon working on and correcting his front brake problems.
Saturday Practice/Qualifying
Tony Guaglione, behind the wheel of the #55 Mustang for Team Hi Line, laid down a blistering 2:05.8 in qualifying. This was faster than some AI cars! The temperature was just cool enough for good track conditions. Mike Plum continued his consistency with a great run putting him into 2nd on the grid. Al Fernandez was 3rd, followed by James Griffith. Mike Donahoe, in his first appearance this season, qualified 5th, and Julie Bergman was a very strong 6th. The Top Ten qualifiers were:
1. Team Hi Line
2. Mike Plum
3. Al Fernandez
4. James Griffith
5. Mike Donahoe
6. Julie Bergman
7. Ed Varon
8. Tim Bullock
9. Brady Flaherty
10. Jim Griffith
Saturday Race #1
The standing start was a thrill to watch as CMC was gridded 100 feet behind the AI cars which were all released on the same green flag. CMC seemed more accustomed to the standing start as was evidenced by the CMC field closing in on AI from the beginning. Turn 1 saw cars three wide! Team Hi Line began passing AI cars and settled in for an uncontested run to the checkered flag. Some AI drivers were wondering just how a CMC car could not only keep up, but beat some of them! Mike Plum missed a shift early and was forced to make up ground lost in the resulting melee. Normally smooth and consistent, Mike made a rare error and ended up going off and suffered a flat tire thus ending his run towards the front. Al Fernandez had a great view of Plum's spectacular off in Tunr 8 on his way to a solid 3rd place finish! Plum would find a cracked windshield and two tires in need of service as a result. Brady Flaherty helped Plum get the damaged tires ready for the next race--a great display of sportsmanship. Julie Bergman slipped but one place enroute to a superb 7th. The Top Ten Finishers were:
1. Team Hi Line
2. James Griffith
3. Al Fernandez
4. Mike Donahoe
5. Ed Varon
6. Tim Bullock
7. Julie Bergman
8. Brett Sciuto-R
9. Steve Sparklin
10. J.R. Luster-R
A late call on the PA system meant a quick scramble to get the CMC cars to the grid on time. As result of the confusion, Brady Flaherty was held on the grid erroneously by NASA officials. He was unable to take the green with the CMC group and finished a disappointing last after completing one lap. All CMC competitors are reminded to get to the grid early to avoid such a circumstance from happening again. Additionally, remember that you will receive last place points just for taking the green. If at all possible, complete as many laps as you can because you never know when someone will retire from the race early! To start up front for a subsequent inverted race you must complete at least half the laps.
Saturday Race #2
A rolling start was used for this typical CMC inverted race run together with the BMW’s. This race would be a short 7 lap sprint in part to give those up front a chance to experience leading the pack and to give all drivers a break from another long, hot race. The turnaround time between Race #1 and #2 was just an hour and gave precious little time for both the car and driver to cool off adequately. Ben Pfaff, running just for fun, led the CMC group down to the green flag. Ed Hamilton-R and J.R. Luster-R did their best to hold off a hard charging field. Team Hi Line and James Griffith cut through the field to a close finish with Team Hi Line scoring their second win of the weekend. The Top Ten Finishers were:
1. Team Hi Line
2. James Griffith
3. Ed Varon
4. Al Fernandez
5. Mike Plum
6. Tim Bullock
7. Brady Flaherty-R
8. Jim Griffith
9. Julie Bergman
10. Steve Sparklin
Post-race Inspection
In keeping with CMC rules, a specific section of the rules was randomly selected (caster/camber plates) and the Top 4 finishers were checked for compliance. No issues were found.