National Auto Sport News

NASA 2016 BF Goodrich Tires Contingency Program

Published on February 13, 2016 00:27

NAPA VALLEY, CA (February 12, 2016) – The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) is pleased to announce the continued support of the BF Goodrich Tires Contingency Program for NASA competitors in 2016. The program will provide tires to NASA competitors competing both regionally and at either NASA Championship event. The program provides tire awards to American Iron Extreme, German Touring Series, Performance Touring, Super Touring, Super Unlimited, ES, ESR, E0, E1, E2 and E3 classes.

The contingency program is available beginning immediately to all NASA competitors in these respective classes at each NASA regional and Championship event. For complete information on the contingency program, please visit http://www.nasaproracing.com/contingencies.

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NASA 2016 Hoosier Contingency Program

Published on February 12, 2016 22:56

Napa Valley, CA (February 12, 2016) – The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) is pleased to announce the official 2016 Hoosier contingency program for NASA competitors.  The program is available to all NASA competitors beginning immediately. Hoosier is also graciously including any events that preceded this announcement for the 2016 season openers.  For complete details on the 2016 Hoosiers contingency program, please visit: https://www.nasaproracing.com/contingencies

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NASA Appoints Series Director for its new NASA Prototype Class

Published on February 12, 2016 19:07

Napa Valley, CA - (February 5, 2016) NASA competitor and Regional Director Dave Balingit, has been appointed as the National Series Leader for NASA's Prototype series.  Balingit will concentrate on growing the series from the twenty-three cars currently purchased to several hundred, and will assist Jeremy Croiset, NASA director of Business Development, with management of the NASA Prototype series.

"My first task to ensure a smooth and growing program is to keep gathering feedback from competitors.” Balingit said. “I’ve always had good relationships with fellow racers and I look forward to being the main line of communication between the teams and the NASA National Leadership."

The NASA Prototype is a new classification to NASA, expanding their history of affordable local racing into purpose built prototype style race cars. The NASA Prototype class is built around the new Élan NP01 designed from the ground up to be quick and great looking - but more importantly, safe, reliable and inexpensive to race. Beginning in 2016, the NASA Prototype Series will visit many of the country’s greatest racing venues with an innovative rules package focused on affordability, equal competition, and driving ability.

As with the other NASA Series Leaders, Balingit will be an active racer in the class. Balingit and his wife Revkah purchased a new Élan NP01 last September after test driving the Élan NP01 demonstration car. They took delivery of the kit in mid January and opted to go the route of building the car from the ground up to gain a deep understanding of the vehicle. They are nearly complete with the build and plan to race it at NASA Texas in mid March.

Balingit has been involved in road racing his entire life and joined NASA in 1994. He has raced and also has been an HPDE instructor and a Race Director for the blossoming organization. After moving from California to Colorado, Balingit and his wife launched the Rocky Mountain Region in 2005 and have grown the program from 40 cars on its first competition weekend to several hundred at current events. Balingit also served as the Event Director for the NASA National Championships in 2009 and 2010 when the event was held at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. Many in the Texas area may also recognize Balingit as the interim Regional Director for Texas from 2011 to 2014.

About NASA

The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) was formed in 1991 with the premise of delivering high-quality motorsports events to enthusiasts at major racing venues throughout the nation. NASA has created programs that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full performance capabilities of their cars in a controlled professionally managed environment. NASA offers many different programs that will allow you to enjoy motorsports on a number of different levels, including our High Performance Driving Events (HPDE), Rally Sport, Time Trial, NASA-X and Competition Racing programs. 

About the NASA Prototype Élan NP01

The Élan NP01 is unlike anything currently available in motor racing. With a complete kit price of just $72,500, the affordable new racecar features a closed cockpit design for increased driver protection. The Élan NP01 has an estimated dry weight of just 1,450 lbs. and boasts an estimated top track speed of 155 mph. The Élan NP01 is powered by a sealed 185-horsepower, two-liter Mazda power plant mated to a six-speed Sadev sequential gearbox. More information about NASA's new NASA Prototype Series and the Élan NP01 is available at www.NasaPrototype.com and ElanMotorsports.com.

 

 

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Flying Lizard Audi Wins NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performanc

Published on December 06, 2015 22:36

PRESS RELEASE Flying Lizard Audi Wins NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance   Audi R8 races to 35 lap win WILLOWS, Calif. (Dec. 6, 2015) - The 13th running of the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance was won by the Flying Lizard Audi R8 LMS in dominant fashion. When the checkered flag dropped on the twice around the clock plus one hour race at Thunderhill Raceway the Audi had won by 35 laps.   The dominant Flying Lizard team took the overall lead seven hours in to the race Saturday evening and never looked back. When the defending race champions from Davidson Racing had issues with their Norma, the Lizards took over the lead and were never challenged for the remaining 18 hours. Soldering through on and off mist and rain through the night and a more serious weather front in the morning, the Audi R8 LMS with its traction control, ABS brakes and choice of two different Toyo tire rain compounds won the 13th running of the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk performance by 35 laps over the second place car of Quick Racing and their No. 3 SuperLIte SLC. The winning entry was driven by Darren Law, Johannes van Overbeek, Guy Cosmo, Tomonobu Fujii and Thomas Sadler. "Excellent run by the team," Darren Law said. "The team is so good with this car and these long races. The Toyo tires were just phenomenal. We went from dry tires to wets, to intermediates and they performed great across the spectrum. We did what we set out to accomplish, winning in dominating fashion. Almost half of the race was run in the rain. The Toyo rain tire had us just hooked up. Their rain tire has a lot of grip which made it really fun to drive in those conditions." In ESR the No. 69 Gryphon Racing Praga took the victory with the all carbon Renault engine powered car driven by Joseph Barone, Danny van Dongen, Paul Blickman and Ari Straus. "The last 20 minutes of the race was our biggest drama, we lost a few seconds to position number four," Dusan Maly, team manager said. "Endurance racing is a full team effort with the crew and the drivers all performing. Whenever I see the rain it makes me happy. The Gryphon Praga is very good in the rain." In E0 the No. 30 El Diablo BMW took the victory with drivers James Clay, Lance Boicelli, Cameron Evans, Dale Sievwrig, James Colborn, Charles Postins. "Last Sunday the El Diablo guys were ready to throw in the towel on this effort," Cameron Evans said. "With the help of the team and everyone they got a car together that hadn't run in over 10 years to come out to the 25 hours and win. All of our guys at Red Line Oil and the rest of our sponsors, crew and volunteers did a great job. We knew we could have brought more power, but that wasn't the equation to win. We brought the right amount of car combined with fuel mileage and six drivers who knew what they were doing to win." In the E1 Class it was the No. 0 BMW of Grip Racing that took the win with drivers Tristan Littlehale, Joseph DePillo, Mark Mitchell, Harold Petit and David DePillo. "I had my friends in the 0 car and it was fun to watch them win," Jason Vein, team owner said. "We had some contact with the winning Flying Lizard car in the by-pass that resulted in breaking a couple of wheels and a tie rod. We made it back in and the crew did a great job to fix the car and get it back in the race. We had to serve a penalty for changing two wheels, but we were able to overcome that as well and get the win." In the E2 Class the RDR No. 34 Mazda RX-8 won the class with drivers Joel Miller, Lee Pappageorge, Dennis Holloway and Jeremy Barnes. "A repeat for our lovely RX-8 Kermit for the win," Joel Miller said. "Dennis Holloway put in the last stint and brought it to the checker. To get another victory for this great effort is special. Also really cool what the team did with getting the Mazda MX-5s all across the finish line in their first ever on track competition. Great effort all the way around by the RDR team with its all-volunteer crew." In E3 the No. 40 Mazda Miata of RAmotorsports40 won the class from the pole position with drivers Dion Johnson, Richard Lucquet, David Geringer and Doug Clark. "I have to thank all of my crew," Ron Gayman, team owner said. "I provided the car and along with the drivers they did the rest. I think the car was all four wheels off one time in 12 hours of rain. We ran 10 hours on one set of Hoosier wet tires. We did our best to run a consistent pace. We knew if we kept to our plan we would slowly, but surely pull away. We did not have any penalties between our two cars." The No. 6 CLP Motorsports NP01 posted the first win in its competition debut with the NASA developed NP01 Prototype. The driving team consisted of Tyler McQuarie, Jeremy Croiset, Tom Dyer, Marc Miller and Pat O'Keefe. "This is a dream come true," Jeremy Croiset said. "We survived the 25 with a brand new car. I am in awe of the car and the team. It has surpassed everyone's expectations. When we clicked off the 500th lap the whole team celebrated. The NP01 was super predictable all race. The CLP crew did a great job with set-up and keeping up with the car mechanically all race. I am just elated." Top Finishers by Class: ES No. 45 Flying Lizard Audi R8, 690 laps *overall winner No. 3 Quick Racing Products, SuperLite SLC, 655 laps No. 4 Prototype Development Group Factory Five GTM, 631 laps ESR No. 69 Gryphon Racing Praga, 626 laps No. 10 CRE/Jackson Racing Wolf, 554 laps No. 52 JFC Racing Wolf, 479 laps E0 No. 30 El Diablo Motorsports BMW, 617 laps No. 03 Edgle Last Minute Motorworks BMW, 607 laps No. 61 RoadShagger BMW, 603 laps E1 No. 0 Grip Racing 0 BMW, 615 laps No. 95 Grip Racing 95, 607 laps No. 42 THRW/Honda Racing 1, 601 laps E2 No. 34 RDR Mazda RX-8, 570 laps No. 32 Team Gone Racing, Mazda Miata, 535 laps No. 12 HPD Honda Racing 1, Honda Fit, 157 laps E3 No. 40 RAmotorsports40, Mazda Miata, 593 laps No. 7 Augersmiles.com/New Rock Exchange, Acura Integra, 588 laps No. 23 RJ Racing, Mazda Miata, 581 laps NP01 No. 6 CLP Racing, NP01, 514 laps No. 99 11/10ths, NP01, 30 laps   Race Notes: Winning Flying Lizard Audi covered 690 laps and 1,973 miles Fastest race lap was by the No. 67 One Motorsports Radical, 1:41.410 on lap 202 Mazda had two overall winners in the E3 and E2 Class BMW had two class overall winners in E0 and E1 All four of the all-new Mazda MX-5 Cup cars finished their first competitive race The all-new NASA developed NP01 Prototype finished its first competitive race The 14th running of NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill will run Dec. 3-4, 2016 NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance provisional results: http://racehero.io/events/nasa-norcal-25-hrs-of-thunderhill#  Professional drivers listed on the entry include: Al Unser Jr., Ryan Eversley, Kyle Marcelli, Randy Pobst, Burt Frisselle, Brian Frisselle, Dion von Moltke, Mike Skeen, Colin Braun, Kurt Busch, Johannes van Overbeek, Guy Cosmo, Darren Law, Joel Miller, Tommy Sadler, Sean Rayhall, Darren Law, Tyler McQuarie, Kelly Collins, Taz Harvey, Jeremy Croiset, Will Faules, etc. For additional information, please contact NASA Media Director, Kyle Chura at kyle@kcapr.com or (248) 821-0468.  More detail on NASA and the Thunderhill 25 Hour can be found at nasaproracing.com or nasa25hour.com. About NASA The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) was formed in 1991 with the premise of delivering high-quality motorsports events to enthusiasts at major racing venues throughout the nation. NASA has created programs that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full performance capabilities of their cars in a controlled professionally managed environment. NASA offers many different programs that will allow you to enjoy motorsports on a number of different levels, including our High Performance Driving Events (HPDE), Rally Sport, Time Trial, NASA-X and Competition Racing programs.   NASA Membership NASA members are entitled to enter and participate in any NASA event across the country, and membership includes an array of benefits, including vendor discounts and a subscription to the organizations online newsletter the NASA Speed News. Members will also receive a colorful membership hard card that will identify them as part of the organization and a welcome packet that includes more information on the many benefits and programs available to NASA members. While participating at events, all NASA members are covered by an extensive insurance policy, which includes General Liability, Accidental Death and Dismemberment, and Excess Medical coverage. Best of all, membership is only $45. Refer to www.nasaproracing.com for member information.   NASA Thanks Our Partners NASA would like to thank its National sponsors for their continued support:  Toyo Tires, Mazda, Hawk Performance, Winding Road Racing, and GoPro.  We also want to thank MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Nissan, and Ford Motor Company for supporting our members.  We greatly appreciate those companies that offer our racers contingency support, including Toyo Tires, AIM Sports, AST Suspension, BFGoodrich, Ford Racing, Maxxis Tires, Traqmate, Hawk Performance, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Hoosier Racing Tire, MAZDASPEED, Nissan, Jongbloed Racing Wheels, Bimmerworld, Frozen Rotors, Optic Armor, Neo Motorsports, Spec Clutches, Driven Racing Oil, Altronics Inc., ANZE Suspension, GT Radial Tire, Tilton, Racefab Inc., Sampson Racing Communications and Yokohama.  NASA competitors can also get discounts from Mazda, Maxxis Tires, Racing Fire Systems, Ford Performance Racing School,Fuel Safe, Vehiport, APR Performance, Avis, Cruise America, Eibach Springs, Exedy, Fastbrakes, Konig, The Mid-Ohio School, Konig, Molecule, Red Line Oil, Winding Road Racing, Torco, TPIS, Porterfield and Monster Clutch.   NASA at a Glance * NASA was founded in 1991 on the premise of providing motorsport competition programs that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full-performance capabilities of their cars in a safe and controlled environment.   * NASA has over 14,000 members in 16 regions.   * Key events include the NASA Western Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, July 31 - Aug. 2; the Eastern Championships at Virginia International Raceway Sept. 4-6 and the season culminating NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill, Dec. 5-6.   * The NASA National Championships will run 36 race classes and nine Time-Trial classes during the event.   * NASA runs over 150 events each year encompassing over 250 races, including the association's Rally Sport and Time-Trial program.   * Manufacturer partners include MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Nissan and Ford Racing.   * NASA Management: Jerry Kunzman, Executive Director; Ryan Flaherty, National Chairman; Jeremy Croiset, Director of Business Development; Dave Ho, Business Operations Manager, Will Faules, National Event Manager.   Follow NASA Internet:         nasaproracing.com Facebook:     National Auto Sport Association Twitter:          nasaproracing Instagram:     nasaproracing

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Flying Lizard Audi Still Leading NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance at 19 Hours

Published on December 06, 2015 16:41

PRESS RELEASE Flying Lizard Audi Still Leads NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance at 19 Hours   Sun coming up in Willows WILLOWS, Calif. (Dec. 6, 2015) - The 13th running of the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance has six hours remaining with the No. 45 Flying Lizard Audi still leading the race overall. The expected rain arrived at 2 a.m. with mixed results from the teams. The cars leading their class welcomed the challenge and increased their on track positions. The No. 45 Flying Lizard Audi, on the strength of two choices of Toyo rain tires, along with ABS brakes and taction control lead the race over second place by 23 laps. "This is quite an event," Guy Cosmo said. "We brought a serious effort this year. We are gathering a lot of great data on the Toyo tires, both in the dry, the wet and the intermediate weather. It is fun to drive this Audi out there in these conditions. Everyone has gotten into more of a rhythm. The other drivers know where we will be passing and there is just a better flow to the race. My stints have been great. We are on cruise control, we have a good lead so we are not taking any unnecessary chances. The conditions are stable, the tires are working great and we are just hitting our marks." In ESR the No. 69 Gryphon Racing Praga continues to lead the class. The all carbon Renault engine powered car is performing at the top of the class and runs fourth overall. "We are leading the class and running fourth overall," Danny Vandongen, factory driver, said. "So far so good. We have to keep it on the track and keep turning laps. There is still six hours to go in the race. I haven't had any real issues with my time in the car. The rain came and we handled it well. We overtake a lot of cars, but everyone is behaving. I really like this track with the hills and blind corners." In E0 the No. 30 El Diablo BMW has taken over the lead. The team was on pole in class and raced to the front overnight. "It is pretty good stuff," James Clay said. "In the beginning we didn't have our pit stops right we were using a little too much fuel and we then got a rhythm going. We knew we would be good at night and in the rain and that has come true. The rain was a good thing for us. It is tough for me to be patient. We stayed out on dry tires, which we thought may have been the wrong call. The track began to dry and we made up time and then the rain came back, we cycled to wets and are leading. It couldn't have worked out any better." In the E1 Class, the No. 66 BMW of Bullet Motorsports continues to lead. "Our E1 car is really running well," Scott Lang, team manager said. "Our drivers have been very consistent and fast in the rain. Tristan Littlehale did a great job, he was doing 2:12s and 14s while everyone else was doing 25s. The rain was the best thing to happen to us so far." No. 34 Mazda RX-8 of RDR Racing continues to lead the E2 Class. "The car ran really good in the rain," Joel Miller said. "We had a couple hours of mist, mixed with some really heavy rain. We've had a few issues along the way, but the RDR guys have handled those very well. Lee Pappageorge just got in the car and we are waiting for the sun to come up." In E3 it is the pole sitting No. 60 Mazda Miata of A+ Racing leads. "The car has been doing great," Richard Lucquet said. "I did a double stint. I had about 10 minutes of yellow during stint with the rest all green. I am getting ready to get back in and will be able to see the sun rise. I don't think I will be blinded, but looking forward to the daylight. The car has been great, somehow the steering wheel is at 10 o'clock instead of 12." CLP Motorsports continues to soldier on with the all-new NP01 Prototype. "They are great cars with a ton of potential, they are just brand new," Tim Barber, team manager said. "We couldn't be any meaner to them by putting it through its first race in a 25 hour event. We are getting some teething things that can happen with any car. In the wet we were one of the faster cars on the track, so we welcome some more rain." 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance information: Live streaming audio: http://livestream.com/endurance-radio/2015thunderhillrace Entry: http://nasanorcal.com/25hr/2015/Teamvehicles.htm   Media Guide: http://nasa25hour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Thunderhill-Media-Guide-2015.pdf   Team pit assignments:  http://nasa25hour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2015-25-pit-assignments.pdf  Professional drivers listed on the entry include: Al Unser Jr., Ryan Eversley, Kyle Marcelli, Randy Pobst, Burt Frisselle, Brian Frisselle, Dion von Moltke, Mike Skeen, Colin Braun, Kurt Busch, Johannes van Overbeek, Guy Cosmo, Darren Law, Joel Miller, Tommy Sadler, Sean Rayhall, Darren Law, Tyler McQuarie, Kelly Collins, Taz Harvey, Jeremy Croiset, Will Faules, etc. The NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance will see a field of 63 cars racing in seven classes (ES, ESR, E0, E1, E2, E3, NP01) going twice around the clock plus an hour over the 2.86-mile, 15-turn track located 90-minutes north of Sacramento. For additional information, please contact NASA Media Director, Kyle Chura at kyle@kcapr.com or (248) 821-0468.  More detail on NASA and the Thunderhill 25 Hour can be found at nasaproracing.com or nasa25hour.com. About NASA The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) was formed in 1991 with the premise of delivering high-quality motorsports events to enthusiasts at major racing venues throughout the nation. NASA has created programs that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full performance capabilities of their cars in a controlled professionally managed environment. NASA offers many different programs that will allow you to enjoy motorsports on a number of different levels, including our High Performance Driving Events (HPDE), Rally Sport, Time Trial, NASA-X and Competition Racing programs.   NASA Membership NASA members are entitled to enter and participate in any NASA event across the country, and membership includes an array of benefits, including vendor discounts and a subscription to the organizations online newsletter the NASA Speed News. Members will also receive a colorful membership hard card that will identify them as part of the organization and a welcome packet that includes more information on the many benefits and programs available to NASA members. While participating at events, all NASA members are covered by an extensive insurance policy, which includes General Liability, Accidental Death and Dismemberment, and Excess Medical coverage. Best of all, membership is only $45. Refer to www.nasaproracing.com for member information.   NASA Thanks Our Partners NASA would like to thank its National sponsors for their continued support:  Toyo Tires, Mazda, Hawk Performance, Winding Road Racing, and GoPro.  We also want to thank MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Nissan, and Ford Motor Company for supporting our members.  We greatly appreciate those companies that offer our racers contingency support, including Toyo Tires, AIM Sports, AST Suspension, BFGoodrich, Ford Racing, Maxxis Tires, Traqmate, Hawk Performance, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Hoosier Racing Tire, MAZDASPEED, Nissan, Jongbloed Racing Wheels, Bimmerworld, Frozen Rotors, Optic Armor, Neo Motorsports, Spec Clutches, Driven Racing Oil, Altronics Inc., ANZE Suspension, GT Radial Tire, Tilton, Racefab Inc., Sampson Racing Communications and Yokohama.  NASA competitors can also get discounts from Mazda, Maxxis Tires, Racing Fire Systems, Ford Performance Racing School,Fuel Safe, Vehiport, APR Performance, Avis, Cruise America, Eibach Springs, Exedy, Fastbrakes, Konig, The Mid-Ohio School, Konig, Molecule, Red Line Oil, Winding Road Racing, Torco, TPIS, Porterfield and Monster Clutch.   NASA at a Glance * NASA was founded in 1991 on the premise of providing motorsport competition programs that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full-performance capabilities of their cars in a safe and controlled environment.   * NASA has over 14,000 members in 16 regions.   * Key events include the NASA Western Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, July 31 - Aug. 2; the Eastern Championships at Virginia International Raceway Sept. 4-6 and the season culminating NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill, Dec. 5-6.   * The NASA National Championships will run 36 race classes and nine Time-Trial classes during the event.   * NASA runs over 150 events each year encompassing over 250 races, including the association's Rally Sport and Time-Trial program.   * Manufacturer partners include MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Nissan and Ford Racing.   * NASA Management: Jerry Kunzman, Executive Director; Ryan Flaherty, National Chairman; Jeremy Croiset, Director of Business Development; Dave Ho, Business Operations Manager, Will Faules, National Event Manager.   Follow NASA Internet:         nasaproracing.com Facebook:     National Auto Sport Association Twitter:          nasaproracing Instagram:     nasaproracing

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Flying Lizard Audi Leads NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance at 12 Hours

Published on December 06, 2015 08:46

PRESS RELEASE Flying Lizard Audi Leads NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance at 12 Hours   Rain expected through the night WILLOWS, Calif. (Dec. 5, 2015) - The 13th running of the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance has reached the 12 hour mark with the No. 45 Flying Lizard Audi leading the race overall. As teams have one eye on the 2.86-mile, 15-turn track and the other the weather radar with rain heading toward the area sometime around 1 a.m. they are plotting their driver and team strategies. The No. 45 Flying Lizard Audi became the overall leader at the seven hour mark. The team currently is circulating with a 10 lap lead over second place. "We are in the lead and the car is really running well," Darren Law said. "The car, the team and the Toyo tires are all in sync. We are really just trying to run a pace and keep out of trouble. With the different speed differentials you really have to pay attention. We know the rain is coming. Good for us, we ran on Thursday in the wet. Toyo has an intermediate and a full rain tire, so we are ready. We actually are hoping for rain. Our Audi has ABS and traction control, which our competition does not." A new leader has emerged in the ESR Class. The No. 69 Gryphon Racing Praga entry has taken over at the front of ESR. "We are running first in the ESR class and I am getting ready for my second stint," Ari Straus said. "I had a few issues here and there in my first stint. Gryphon Racing has put together a great Praga race car for us. I may see some rain during my run. We are ready for those conditions, we just have to keep speed coming over the wing." In E0 the No. 61 RoadShagger Racing BMW leads the class. "Good news we are still in the lead in E0," John Morley said. "The car is not extremely fast right now, but it is reliable. The car owner Gavin Ernstone is in the car and doing a great job. No real drama during my run. The car's handling is all over the place at the moment. When the rain comes we will find out what we have. We have rain tires and a plan, hopefully it goes according to that plan." In the E1 Class, the No. 66 BMW of Bullet Motorsports has taken over the lead. "The car is working really well," Tristan Littlehale said. "I just did a double stint. I was right behind the Award Motorsport Porsche when it went into the wall with the Miata. I escaped that drama, so pretty good. Our plan for the rain is to keep it on the track and get to the morning." No. 34 Mazda RX-8 of RDR Racing continues to lead the E2 Class. "We are just turning laps in the lead of the E2 Class," Dennis Holloway said. "We had some contact coming over the hill earlier and bent a tie-rod but we got that fixed. Everything seems to be good right now. I think the rain is going to skirt a little bit to the north. No, I think right when I get in it is going to start rain and I will have to go from slicks to wets, so that will be fun." In E3 it is the pole sitting No. 40 RAmotorsport Mazda Miata has taken over the lead. "We have had some challenges, but we are in the lead right now," Scott Miller, team manager said. "We have had some parts come loose, tire wear that we didn't expect, fuel economy that hasn't quite worked out, the usual stuff. A long way to go. It is going to rain, it is coming. The rain is not going to fall within our tire cycle right now, so we have to figure that out. CLP Motorsports remains the leader in the all-new NP01 class. "It is going pretty well for us with this new car," Jeremy Croiset said. "We expected some teething issues with a new car and its first time in competition. This is a race that eats even the most seasoned race cars for breakfast. We have rain tires mounted and we are going to do some shock adjustments and see what the 25 has in store for us in the wet." 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance information: Live streaming audio: http://livestream.com/endurance-radio/2015thunderhillrace Entry: http://nasanorcal.com/25hr/2015/Teamvehicles.htm   Media Guide: http://nasa25hour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Thunderhill-Media-Guide-2015.pdf   Team pit assignments:  http://nasa25hour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2015-25-pit-assignments.pdf  Professional drivers listed on the entry include: Al Unser Jr., Ryan Eversley, Kyle Marcelli, Randy Pobst, Burt Frisselle, Brian Frisselle, Dion von Moltke, Mike Skeen, Colin Braun, Kurt Busch, Johannes van Overbeek, Guy Cosmo, Darren Law, Joel Miller, Tommy Sadler, Sean Rayhall, Darren Law, Tyler McQuarie, Kelly Collins, Taz Harvey, Jeremy Croiset, Will Faules, etc. The NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance will see a field of 63 cars racing in seven classes (ES, ESR, E0, E1, E2, E3, NP01) going twice around the clock plus an hour over the 2.86-mile, 15-turn track located 90-minutes north of Sacramento. For additional information, please contact NASA Media Director, Kyle Chura at kyle@kcapr.com or (248) 821-0468.  More detail on NASA and the Thunderhill 25 Hour can be found at nasaproracing.com or nasa25hour.com. About NASA The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) was formed in 1991 with the premise of delivering high-quality motorsports events to enthusiasts at major racing venues throughout the nation. NASA has created programs that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full performance capabilities of their cars in a controlled professionally managed environment. NASA offers many different programs that will allow you to enjoy motorsports on a number of different levels, including our High Performance Driving Events (HPDE), Rally Sport, Time Trial, NASA-X and Competition Racing programs.   NASA Membership NASA members are entitled to enter and participate in any NASA event across the country, and membership includes an array of benefits, including vendor discounts and a subscription to the organizations online newsletter the NASA Speed News. Members will also receive a colorful membership hard card that will identify them as part of the organization and a welcome packet that includes more information on the many benefits and programs available to NASA members. While participating at events, all NASA members are covered by an extensive insurance policy, which includes General Liability, Accidental Death and Dismemberment, and Excess Medical coverage. Best of all, membership is only $45. Refer to www.nasaproracing.com for member information.   NASA Thanks Our Partners NASA would like to thank its National sponsors for their continued support:  Toyo Tires, Mazda, Hawk Performance, Winding Road Racing, and GoPro.  We also want to thank MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Nissan, and Ford Motor Company for supporting our members.  We greatly appreciate those companies that offer our racers contingency support, including Toyo Tires, AIM Sports, AST Suspension, BFGoodrich, Ford Racing, Maxxis Tires, Traqmate, Hawk Performance, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Hoosier Racing Tire, MAZDASPEED, Nissan, Jongbloed Racing Wheels, Bimmerworld, Frozen Rotors, Optic Armor, Neo Motorsports, Spec Clutches, Driven Racing Oil, Altronics Inc., ANZE Suspension, GT Radial Tire, Tilton, Racefab Inc., Sampson Racing Communications and Yokohama.  NASA competitors can also get discounts from Mazda, Maxxis Tires, Racing Fire Systems, Ford Performance Racing School,Fuel Safe, Vehiport, APR Performance, Avis, Cruise America, Eibach Springs, Exedy, Fastbrakes, Konig, The Mid-Ohio School, Konig, Molecule, Red Line Oil, Winding Road Racing, Torco, TPIS, Porterfield and Monster Clutch.   NASA at a Glance * NASA was founded in 1991 on the premise of providing motorsport competition programs that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full-performance capabilities of their cars in a safe and controlled environment.   * NASA has over 14,000 members in 16 regions.   * Key events include the NASA Western Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, July 31 - Aug. 2; the Eastern Championships at Virginia International Raceway Sept. 4-6 and the season culminating NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill, Dec. 5-6.   * The NASA National Championships will run 36 race classes and nine Time-Trial classes during the event.   * NASA runs over 150 events each year encompassing over 250 races, including the association's Rally Sport and Time-Trial program.   * Manufacturer partners include MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Nissan and Ford Racing.   * NASA Management: Jerry Kunzman, Executive Director; Ryan Flaherty, National Chairman; Jeremy Croiset, Director of Business Development; Dave Ho, Business Operations Manager, Will Faules, National Event Manager.   Follow NASA Internet:         nasaproracing.com Facebook:     National Auto Sport Association Twitter:          nasaproracing Instagram:     nasaproracing

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Davidson Racing Leads NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance at Six Hour Mark

Published on December 06, 2015 08:42

PRESS RELEASE Davidson Racing Leads NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance at Six Hour Mark   Rain is in the forecast WILLOWS, Calif. (Dec. 5, 2015) - Officially 58 cars took the green flag for the start of the 13th running of the 2015 NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance today at 11 a.m. The No. 17 Davidson Racing Norma, last year's overall winner, has led the race from the start. They nearly gave up the lead four hours in when the NASA officials called them to pit lane to serve a 10-minute penalty for passing under yellow. This allowed the second place runner, ES Class No. 45 Audi of Flying Lizards, to make up four laps and get on the same lap as the 17. At six-hours it is the 17 out front with rain expected by 2 a.m. "I had a good start to the race," said Brian Frisselle. "It opened up for me and I was able to take the lead. I then settled into a pace and was able run pretty comfortably upfront. We had to take a 10-minute penalty when Kyle Marcelli passed under yellow, which erased the few laps lead we had, but we are back to running upfront. Everything is going great with 17 car." In ES the No. 45 Flying Lizard Audi is one lap behind the leading Davidson Norma. "I did a double stint, I was second in the car," said Tomonobu Fuji. "There were three caution periods during my stint, so it was a little crazy. The Toyo Tire is really good here. My stint was very consistent thanks to a good car, good tire and good crew. There is always traffic out there, so you have to really pay attention. We ran in the rain on Thursday and the car was good on the Toyo rain tire so we are ready." In E0 the No. 61 RoadShagger Racing BMW leads the class. "It is going very well we are leading our class," Gavin Ernstone said. "We had some issues yesterday. We were a little disappointed qualifying fourth, but we have progressively moved into the lead. We have had good driving and good pit work and everything is going according to plan. The rain will add some excitement and bring out a different level of driving talent." In the E1 Class, the No. 14 Technik HQ Autosport/Active PDF BMW is at the front. "The start was really, really good," said Peter Hopelain. "We picked up four positions by Turn 1 on the first lap. We then settled into a pace and were running good. On lap 10 I had a prototype come up on me and I had to go off the track and that put us back about 30-seconds. We changed up our strategy a little. We fell back to fifth, went back into the lead and we are strategically placing our car forward. I want to thank our sponsors Active PDF and Ocean Side Motorsports. They have done a stellar job giving us a great driving car. Without those two companies we would not be here." The E2 Class is being led by the No. 34 Mazda RX8 of RDR Racing. "So far so good, we really haven't had much drama," Robert Davis, team owner said. "We are leading with the RX8 and the new Mazda Miata MX-5 Cup cars are a little over classed. We are fighting amongst ourselves with those. This race is a whole season of the MX-5 Cup series. We have about 900 miles on the cars so far with no issues. The rain keeps getting pushed back, so we will see how it goes." In E3 it is the No. 13 SP Racing Miata in the lead. "The first stint was challenging with all of the traffic out there," Hernan Palermo said. "I had a little issue and had to come in and do a fast front end alignment. I hope to see some rain that can only help us." In the new NP01 car, CLP Motorsports continues to lead. "The start of the race was good," Tyler McQuarie said. "We didn't get involved in anyone's mistakes. We have struggled with axles a little, but I think we have it figured it out. The car is running pretty good right now. We did a few laps in the rain during the test day. We made some set-up changes anticipating the rain and I think they will put me in to slide it around when it gets wet." 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance information: Live streaming audio: http://livestream.com/endurance-radio/2015thunderhillrace Entry: http://nasanorcal.com/25hr/2015/Teamvehicles.htm   Media Guide: http://nasa25hour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Thunderhill-Media-Guide-2015.pdf   Team pit assignments:  http://nasa25hour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2015-25-pit-assignments.pdf Professional drivers listed on the entry include: Al Unser Jr., Ryan Eversley, Kyle Marcelli, Randy Pobst, Burt Frisselle, Brian Frisselle, Dion von Moltke, Mike Skeen, Colin Braun, Kurt Busch, Johannes van Overbeek, Guy Cosmo, Darren Law, Joel Miller, Tommy Sadler, Sean Rayhall, Darren Law, Tyler McQuarie, Kelly Collins, Taz Harvey, Jeremy Croiset, Will Faules, etc. The NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance will see a field of 63 cars racing in seven classes (ES, ESR, E0, E1, E2, E3, NP01) going twice around the clock plus an hour over the 2.86-mile, 15-turn track located 90-minutes north of Sacramento. For additional information, please contact NASA Media Director, Kyle Chura at kyle@kcapr.com or (248) 821-0468.  More detail on NASA and the Thunderhill 25 Hour can be found at nasaproracing.com or nasa25hour.com. About NASA The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) was formed in 1991 with the premise of delivering high-quality motorsports events to enthusiasts at major racing venues throughout the nation. NASA has created programs that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full performance capabilities of their cars in a controlled professionally managed environment. NASA offers many different programs that will allow you to enjoy motorsports on a number of different levels, including our High Performance Driving Events (HPDE), Rally Sport, Time Trial, NASA-X and Competition Racing programs.   NASA Membership NASA members are entitled to enter and participate in any NASA event across the country, and membership includes an array of benefits, including vendor discounts and a subscription to the organizations online newsletter the NASA Speed News. Members will also receive a colorful membership hard card that will identify them as part of the organization and a welcome packet that includes more information on the many benefits and programs available to NASA members. While participating at events, all NASA members are covered by an extensive insurance policy, which includes General Liability, Accidental Death and Dismemberment, and Excess Medical coverage. Best of all, membership is only $45. Refer to www.nasaproracing.com for member information.   NASA Thanks Our Partners NASA would like to thank its National sponsors for their continued support:  Toyo Tires, Mazda, Hawk Performance, Winding Road Racing, and GoPro.  We also want to thank MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Nissan, and Ford Motor Company for supporting our members.  We greatly appreciate those companies that offer our racers contingency support, including Toyo Tires, AIM Sports, AST Suspension, BFGoodrich, Ford Racing, Maxxis Tires, Traqmate, Hawk Performance, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Hoosier Racing Tire, MAZDASPEED, Nissan, Jongbloed Racing Wheels, Bimmerworld, Frozen Rotors, Optic Armor, Neo Motorsports, Spec Clutches, Driven Racing Oil, Altronics Inc., ANZE Suspension, GT Radial Tire, Tilton, Racefab Inc., Sampson Racing Communications and Yokohama.  NASA competitors can also get discounts from Mazda, Maxxis Tires, Racing Fire Systems, Ford Performance Racing School,Fuel Safe, Vehiport, APR Performance, Avis, Cruise America, Eibach Springs, Exedy, Fastbrakes, Konig, The Mid-Ohio School, Konig, Molecule, Red Line Oil, Winding Road Racing, Torco, TPIS, Porterfield and Monster Clutch.   NASA at a Glance * NASA was founded in 1991 on the premise of providing motorsport competition programs that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full-performance capabilities of their cars in a safe and controlled environment.   * NASA has over 14,000 members in 16 regions.   * Key events include the NASA Western Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, July 31 - Aug. 2; the Eastern Championships at Virginia International Raceway Sept. 4-6 and the season culminating NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill, Dec. 5-6.   * The NASA National Championships will run 36 race classes and nine Time-Trial classes during the event.   * NASA runs over 150 events each year encompassing over 250 races, including the association's Rally Sport and Time-Trial program.   * Manufacturer partners include MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Nissan and Ford Racing.   * NASA Management: Jerry Kunzman, Executive Director; Ryan Flaherty, National Chairman; Jeremy Croiset, Director of Business Development; Dave Ho, Business Operations Manager, Will Faules, National Event Manager.   Follow NASA Internet:         nasaproracing.com Facebook:     National Auto Sport Association Twitter:          nasaproracing Instagram:     nasaproracing

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One Motorsports Radical on Pole for NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance

Published on December 05, 2015 20:16

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	7:40 PM (16 hours ago)
PRESS RELEASE One Motorsports Radical on Pole for NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance   Rayhall posts pole time WILLOWS, Calif. (Dec. 4, 2015) - Sean Rayhall will lead the 63 car field to the green in the No. 67 One Motorsports Radical for the 13th running of the 2015 NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance for tomorrow's 11 a.m. start. Under near perfect weather conditions of 50 degrees, the 63 car field took to the track at 5:15 p.m. PT for a 30-minute qualifying session. Throughout the half-hour the battle for the overall pole position was between the Radical No. 67 of One Motorsport and the Ryno Racing No. 8 Ginetta LMP3 car. Knocking on the door of the event pole in third was last year's overall winner the No. 17 Davidson Racing Norma. When the checkered dropped on qualifying it was the ESR Class Radical of One Motorsports taking the pole with sports car ace Sean Rayhall at the wheel. He will lead the 63 car field to the green for the 13th running of the 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance with a time of 1:40.275. "It is awesome to get the pole for One Motorsports this year," Rayhall said. "They haven't had one for a few years. We came up short in the rain last year. It is hectic as usual there, just a ton of traffic. You have to pick your spots to pass and get a good exit off the turns. It is tough this year, you don't know who is in the cars. You see one Miata and then the next one has more horsepower so you really don't know sometimes. This race is about survival, not fast lap times. The pole means nothing for the long run. We need to keep the fenders on the car and go the distance. The team has done a lot of work on the endurance aspects of the car for this year." In the ES Class Burt Frisselle drove the No. 16 Davidson Eagle to the class pole with a time of 1:43.501. "The car ran really good," Frisselle said. "It is always interesting qualifying here for the 25 because it is in the dark. The whole field is out there at one time. Less stressful than last year without the rain so it was good. We had to keep it clean. We decided to go with a softer tire compound. I may have run it too hard before qualifying, but we got the job done. I can't wait until 11 a.m. to roll around tomorrow." In E0 it was the No. 30 El Diablo BMW driven by James Clay who took the top spot with a time of 1:54.296. "It is always a little hairy out there qualifying at night," Clay said. "There are a lot of cars on track and there are a lot of quick ones. My car was cold so my first couple of laps I was just praying to stay clean. I was able to get a good lap and didn't get held up and put one together. We are not going to run that pace in the race. We have an old world challenge car we resurrected so we are good. We have six guys driving all good guys and we are going to have some fun." The No. 0 BMW driven by Mark Drennan, double 2015 NASA Spec Miata Champion, put the red and white car on the E1 pole with a lap of 2:00.314. "It was great, we got a fantastic result," Drennan said. "I haven't driven in the dark in a while so it was a little disconcerting for a lap or two. They have changed the light rules this year, so it was a little tough to pick up my points. I ended up just barely on pole. I have been racing a Spec E46 all last year, so compared to a Miata it is a lot different. Our strategy is to keep the car on the track all of the time and finish." Joel Miller drove "Kermit" the green No. 34 Mazda RX8 to the pole position in the E2 Class with a time of 2:05.396. "I started where we finished last year," Miller said. "My spotter was able to get me a gap on the track and I got a fairly clean run. We are just doing our thing here at Mazda. Kermit has one win, so we are trying to get RDR and Mother's another win. I usually drive the Mazda P2 car in IMSA and I tell everyone that this event is a lot of fun!" The No. 40 of RAmotorsports40 Mazda Miata was driven by Darren Polsley to the E3 Class pole positon with a time of 2:06.635. "I didn't really get a clean lap with all of the traffic," Polsley said. "The car is so good, I guess it was good enough for the pole. Our strategy is to survive until the rain Sunday morning and then survive the rain. It is a balance between pace and longevity, we need to strike the right balance." Marking its first on track competitive appearance is the all-new NASA developed NP01 Prototype. Tyler McQuarie drove the No. 6 NP01 of CLP Motorsports to the class pole with a time of 1:52.079. "It is the first time getting the NP01 on track in competition," McQuarie said. "There is not a lot of open track out there with all of the cars. You really need to keep the momentum going with the NP01 as it doesn't have a lot of torque. I think our time put us in the top 10 overall, so not a bad start to the weekend. We are first in class, so we will take it. We are going to focus on just keeping the car together. The car is brand new, so we just need to be mistake free and make it to the end." 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance information: Qualifying results: http://timingscoring.drivenasa.com/NASA_California-Northern_Region/2015%2025%20Hours%20of%20Thunderhill/Friday%20Qualifying/Friday%20December%204,%202015%20Qualifying.pdf Live streaming audio: http://livestream.com/endurance-radio/2015thunderhillrace Entry: http://nasanorcal.com/25hr/2015/Teamvehicles.htm   Media Guide: http://nasa25hour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Thunderhill-Media-Guide-2015.pdf   Schedule: http://nasa25hour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/25hour_schedule1.pdf   Team pit assignments:  http://nasa25hour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2015-25-pit-assignments.pdf  Professional drivers listed on the entry include: Al Unser Jr., Ryan Eversley, Kyle Marcelli, Randy Pobst, Burt Frisselle, Brian Frisselle, Dion von Moltke, Mike Skeen, Colin Braun, Kurt Busch, Johannes van Overbeek, Guy Cosmo, Darren Law, Tommy Sadler, Sean Rayhall, Darren Law, Tyler McQuarie, Kelly Collins, Taz Harvey, Jeremy Croiset, Will Faules, etc. The NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance will see a field of 63 cars racing in seven classes (ES, ESR, E0, E1, E2, E3, NP01) going twice around the clock plus an hour over the 2.86-mile, 15-turn track located 90-minutes north of Sacramento. For additional information, please contact NASA Media Director, Kyle Chura at kyle@kcapr.com or (248) 821-0468.  More detail on NASA and the Thunderhill 25 Hour can be found at nasaproracing.com or nasa25hour.com. About NASA The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) was formed in 1991 with the premise of delivering high-quality motorsports events to enthusiasts at major racing venues throughout the nation. NASA has created programs that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full performance capabilities of their cars in a controlled professionally managed environment. NASA offers many different programs that will allow you to enjoy motorsports on a number of different levels, including our High Performance Driving Events (HPDE), Rally Sport, Time Trial, NASA-X and Competition Racing programs.   NASA Membership NASA members are entitled to enter and participate in any NASA event across the country, and membership includes an array of benefits, including vendor discounts and a subscription to the organizations online newsletter the NASA Speed News. Members will also receive a colorful membership hard card that will identify them as part of the organization and a welcome packet that includes more information on the many benefits and programs available to NASA members. While participating at events, all NASA members are covered by an extensive insurance policy, which includes General Liability, Accidental Death and Dismemberment, and Excess Medical coverage. Best of all, membership is only $45. Refer to www.nasaproracing.com for member information.   NASA Thanks Our Partners NASA would like to thank its National sponsors for their continued support:  Toyo Tires, Mazda, Hawk Performance, Winding Road Racing, and GoPro.  We also want to thank MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Nissan, and Ford Motor Company for supporting our members.  We greatly appreciate those companies that offer our racers contingency support, including Toyo Tires, AIM Sports, AST Suspension, BFGoodrich, Ford Racing, Maxxis Tires, Traqmate, Hawk Performance, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Hoosier Racing Tire, MAZDASPEED, Nissan, Jongbloed Racing Wheels, Bimmerworld, Frozen Rotors, Optic Armor, Neo Motorsports, Spec Clutches, Driven Racing Oil, Altronics Inc., ANZE Suspension, GT Radial Tire, Tilton, Racefab Inc., Sampson Racing Communications and Yokohama.  NASA competitors can also get discounts from Mazda, Maxxis Tires, Racing Fire Systems, Ford Performance Racing School,Fuel Safe, Vehiport, APR Performance, Avis, Cruise America, Eibach Springs, Exedy, Fastbrakes, Konig, The Mid-Ohio School, Konig, Molecule, Red Line Oil, Winding Road Racing, Torco, TPIS, Porterfield and Monster Clutch.   NASA at a Glance * NASA was founded in 1991 on the premise of providing motorsport competition programs that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full-performance capabilities of their cars in a safe and controlled environment.   * NASA has over 14,000 members in 16 regions.   * Key events include the NASA Western Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, July 31 - Aug. 2; the Eastern Championships at Virginia International Raceway Sept. 4-6 and the season culminating NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill, Dec. 5-6.   * The NASA National Championships will run 36 race classes and nine Time-Trial classes during the event.   * NASA runs over 150 events each year encompassing over 250 races, including the association's Rally Sport and Time-Trial program.   * Manufacturer partners include MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Nissan and Ford Racing.   * NASA Management: Jerry Kunzman, Executive Director; Ryan Flaherty, National Chairman; Jeremy Croiset, Director of Business Development; Dave Ho, Business Operations Manager, Will Faules, National Event Manager.   Follow NASA Internet:         nasaproracing.com Facebook:     National Auto Sport Association Twitter:          nasaproracing Instagram:     nasaproracing

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Thirteenth NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance Ready for Green

Published on December 03, 2015 03:57

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PRESS RELEASE Thirteenth NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance Ready for Green   New Mazda MX-5s, Pobst ready, Honda back NAPA VALLEY, Calif. (Dec. 2, 2015) - The 2015 NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance will run this weekend at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, Calif. The 13th running of the now 25 hour classic will take the green flag at 11 a.m. on Saturday. After two years, with the score tied between the dealers and employees, this year is about the bigger picture of teamwork and debuting the new 2016 Mazda MX-5 Cup race car.   "While we joke about the rivalry between the factory guys and our dealers, the truth is that our success is directly linked," said Robert Davis, Mazda's senior vice president of U.S. Operations, of the company's official four-car 2016 Mazda MX-5 Cup entry. "For 2015, we are allowing a very select group of dealers AND employees to race alongside each other in the new 2016 Mazda MX-5 Cup car.  While the development testing by Long Road Racing has been superb, nothing compares to a bunch of club racers beating on each other for 25 hours to really test the hardware." The team will race four brand new 2016 Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup spec cars, with the only changes being the installation of additional lights for the very dark Northern California track. One of the 15 drivers that will be piloting the recently introduced Miata MX-5 is Mazda dealer and seasoned sports car driver Taz Harvey (Dublin Mazda, Tracy Mazda, Dublin/Tracy, CA). "I have run a dozen or more 24 hour races over the years, but the NASA 25 hours is always special," Harvey said. "Thunderhill has become my home track, I love that place! My last win was in 2010 in a MX-5. My most memorable was when Roger Foo and I won the NASA Timex 12 hour race in a 120 horsepower Civic thanks to the rain and cold. The new MX-5 should be faster than the previous generation as it is lighter and has about the same power. The BMW's will have horsepower on the MX-5 so we have to beat them with fuel economy, better handling and skill. Thunderhill is a fun race with a great mix of cars and drivers from all over the world. The night time running and harsh conditions make it tough and memorable." Randy Pobst was a part of the overall Davidson Racing winning team last year and is returning with the same goal this year. "I am thrilled to be back in the Davidson Norma to defend our overall win last year," Pobst said. "To win again will take brains, we've got the speed. If we push the Davidson Norma too hard, we'll tangle with slower cars and invite mechanical trouble.  Racing smart is keeping risk low and having lots of patience. On the driving side we will have to have a lot of discipline finding a pace that's quick enough with low risk, and the patience to stick to it. Our unintentional secret last year was shifter problems early. That issue led us to a minimal-shifting strategy, which I believe was a big part of our mechanical survival, along with terrific prep by team Davidson. Our competitors kept waiting for the sports racer to break, which truthfully, they often do, but our well-built car kept right on rolling. It was great to have team owner Bob Davidson take the checkered in the last stint." The group at Team Honda Research is back this year with a three-car effort. "This year we have rebuilt our tried-and-true Honda Civic," John Whiteman, team leader said. "We will race one Civic along with the two Acura ILX's that we have raced for the last two years. This is an in-house effort comprised of Honda associates from around the world. We work on the cars in our spare time and on weekends. It is great to take a street car and make it race ready to take on 25 hours of great competition. Our team is made up of crew chief Mike Aylward and our driver line-up includes Doug Chan, Kevin Boehm, Kazuo Omura and Calvin Tam." Jerry Kunzman, NASA executive director, is ready for the 13 th running of the 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance. "The teams are starting to file in and park, which means our 13th running of the 25 is upon us," Kunzman said. "The Mazda grudge match is back with the all-new Mazda MX-5 and there are great cars and teams in each of the seven classes. We have added a seventh class this year with our new NP01 prototype competing. The car is getting rave reviews in the press and I am very interested to see how it performs over 25 hours this weekend." Professional drivers listed on the entry include: Al Unser Jr., Ryan Eversley, Kyle Marcelli, Randy Pobst, Bert Frisselle, Dion von Moltke, Colin Braun, Kurt Busch, Johannes van Overbeek, Guy Cosmo, Darren Law, Tommy Sadler, Sean Rayhall, Taz Harvey, Jeremy Croiset, Will Faules, etc. 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance information: Entry: http://nasanorcal.com/25hr/2015/Teamvehicles.htm   Media Guide: http://nasa25hour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Thunderhill-Media-Guide-2015.pdf   Schedule: http://nasa25hour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/25hour_schedule1.pdf   Team pit assignments:  http://nasa25hour.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/2015-25-pit-assignments.pdf  The NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance will see a field of 63 cars racing in seven classes (ES, ESR, E0, E1, E2, E3, NP01) going twice around the clock plus an hour over the 2.86-mile, 15-turn track located 90-minutes north of Sacramento. For additional information, please contact NASA Media Director, Kyle Chura at kyle@kcapr.com or (248) 821-0468.  More detail on NASA and the Thunderhill 25 Hour can be found at nasaproracing.com or nasa25hour.com.  About NASA The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) was formed in 1991 with the premise of delivering high-quality motorsports events to enthusiasts at major racing venues throughout the nation. NASA has created programs that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full performance capabilities of their cars in a controlled professionally managed environment. NASA offers many different programs that will allow you to enjoy motorsports on a number of different levels, including our High Performance Driving Events (HPDE), Rally Sport, Time Trial, NASA-X and Competition Racing programs.   NASA Membership NASA members are entitled to enter and participate in any NASA event across the country, and membership includes an array of benefits, including vendor discounts and a subscription to the organizations online newsletter the NASA Speed News. Members will also receive a colorful membership hard card that will identify them as part of the organization and a welcome packet that includes more information on the many benefits and programs available to NASA members. While participating at events, all NASA members are covered by an extensive insurance policy, which includes General Liability, Accidental Death and Dismemberment, and Excess Medical coverage. Best of all, membership is only $45. Refer to www.nasaproracing.com for member information.   NASA Thanks Our Partners NASA would like to thank its National sponsors for their continued support:  Toyo Tires, Mazda, Hawk Performance, Winding Road Racing, and GoPro.  We also want to thank MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Nissan, and Ford Motor Company for supporting our members.  We greatly appreciate those companies that offer our racers contingency support, including Toyo Tires, AIM Sports, AST Suspension, BFGoodrich, Ford Racing, Maxxis Tires, Traqmate, Hawk Performance, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Hoosier Racing Tire, MAZDASPEED, Nissan, Jongbloed Racing Wheels, Bimmerworld, Frozen Rotors, Optic Armor, Neo Motorsports, Spec Clutches, Driven Racing Oil, Altronics Inc., ANZE Suspension, GT Radial Tire, Tilton, Racefab Inc., Sampson Racing Communications and Yokohama.  NASA competitors can also get discounts from Mazda, Maxxis Tires, Racing Fire Systems, Ford Performance Racing School,Fuel Safe, Vehiport, APR Performance, Avis, Cruise America, Eibach Springs, Exedy, Fastbrakes, Konig, The Mid-Ohio School, Konig, Molecule, Red Line Oil, Winding Road Racing, Torco, TPIS, Porterfield and Monster Clutch.   NASA at a Glance * NASA was founded in 1991 on the premise of providing motorsport competition programs that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full-performance capabilities of their cars in a safe and controlled environment.   * NASA has over 14,000 members in 16 regions.   * Key events include the NASA Western Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, July 31 - Aug. 2; the Eastern Championships at Virginia International Raceway Sept. 4-6 and the season culminating NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill, Dec. 5-6.   * The NASA National Championships will run 36 race classes and nine Time-Trial classes during the event.   * NASA runs over 150 events each year encompassing over 250 races, including the association's Rally Sport and Time-Trial program.   * Manufacturer partners include MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Nissan and Ford Racing.   * NASA Management: Jerry Kunzman, Executive Director; Ryan Flaherty, National Chairman; Jeremy Croiset, Director of Business Development; Dave Ho, Business Operations Manager, Will Faules, National Event Manager.   Follow NASA Internet:         nasaproracing.com Facebook:     National Auto Sport Association Twitter:          nasaproracing Instagram:     nasaproracing

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2015 NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance Ready with Fast Entries

Published on November 24, 2015 20:36

PRESS RELEASE   2015 NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance Ready with Fast Entries Wolf ready, One Motorsport ready, NP01 Auditioning NAPA VALLEY, Calif. (Nov. 24, 2015) - The 2015 NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance is drawing some fast entries in all six classes. The 13th running of the now 25 hour classic will take the green flag December 5. In the ES class, Wolf Cars and One Motorsports are sure to be at the front of the field throughout the weekend.  Wolf Cars North America is coming back with their GB08MJ. Driving the car will be team owner, Miles Jackson, IndyCar Champion Al Unser Jr., Pro Drive Racing School owner Todd Harris and Factory Honda Driver Ryan Eversley. The team has made extensive changes to the Wolf and are ready for the 25. "The car we are racing this year is the same Wolf GB08MJ chassis that we ran last year, but with Honda power," Brian Roberts, director of operations, Wolf Cars N.A. said. "The Wolf GB08MJ is a single seat sports racer built in Italy, with a full tunnel floor for aerodynamic down force. The engine is a Honda Racing, HPD Formula Atlantic built K20, 2-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder." The Wolf GB08MJ has been very competitive the last two years at Thunderhill. "We evaluated the issues from the last two years and put a different overall formula together," Roberts continued. "More like the story of the tortoise and the hare, we just replaced the tortoise with a Wolf. We are happy now to be working with Honda Racing. We have a reliable Honda power plant. The K20 has been used in many of the CN cars from Europe and has powered those cars with great reliability. We are focused on reliability and fuel consumption. We have a lot of planning, preparation and testing of all the systems and components for many types of conditions to be ready for December. Talented, smart drivers and crew keeps everyone on task. You can't win if you don't finish. The biggest obstacle for most teams at the 25, including ourselves, is getting to the finish and keeping the car out of any on-track incidents. You can't work on going faster if you are fixing damage on the car." Another formidable contender every year is One Motorsports with their ultra-nimble Radical. "We are running one car this year in the 25 hours with drivers John Falb, Todd Slusher, Sean Rayhall and myself," said Jeff Shafer, team owner. "We have prepared this year by running the car more in testing than we ever have before. As in past years, we are planning for the best but preparing for the worst. Our biggest obstacle will be the unknown, you never seem to know until it's happening. It could be the wet or the cold or our car or other cars. We are just trying to be prepared for any situation." There are two of the all new NASA/Elan developed NP01 race cars entered for the 25. The team at NASA/Elán NP01 Prototype Team No. 01 is taking a unique approach to developing their driver line-up for the twice around the clock plus one hour event next month. "We will be holding an open test on Wednesday, November 25 at The Thermal Club to test drivers for the race," Drake Kemper, team manager said. "We are going to be basing the test on four main aspects, consistency, smart decision making, overall speed, and attitude. We are documenting the complete event, from building the car to the test and through the race weekend." Jerry Kunzman, NASA executive director, is pleased with the quality and quantity of entries. "I think this grid will be the strongest we have seen in the 13 years of running the the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance," Kunzman said. "We have the defending champions Davidson Racing coming back. The Flying Lizard team members with Toyo Tires support this year have a lot of experience running the 25 and there are great cars and teams in in each of the six classes." The NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance will see a field of 63 cars racing in six classes (ES, ESR, E0, E1, E2, E3) going twice around the clock plus an hour over the 2.86-mile, 15-turn track located 90-minutes north of Sacramento. For additional information, please contact NASA Media Director, Kyle Chura at kyle@kcapr.com or (248) 821-0468.  More detail on NASA and the Thunderhill 25 Hour can be found at nasaproracing.com or nasa25hour.com.   About Hawk Performance Hawk Performance is a leading supplier of severe duty and high-performance friction products manufactured in ISO-certified facilities for the motorsports and performance automotive aftermarket. Hawk Performance products are engineered to allow users to control, command and conquer the terrain for which their vehicles are designed. Decades of experience in developing friction materials for aerospace, industrial, military, automotive and motorsports applications give Hawk Performance an advantage over the competition. In the past decade Hawk Performance friction products have won more motorsports championships than any other friction manufacturer. More information available at hawkperformance.com. About NASA The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) was formed in 1991 with the premise of delivering high-quality motorsports events to enthusiasts at major racing venues throughout the nation. NASA has created programs that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full performance capabilities of their cars in a controlled professionally managed environment. NASA offers many different programs that will allow you to enjoy motorsports on a number of different levels, including our High Performance Driving Events (HPDE), Rally Sport, Time Trial, NASA-X and Competition Racing programs.   NASA Membership NASA members are entitled to enter and participate in any NASA event across the country, and membership includes an array of benefits, including vendor discounts and a subscription to the organizations online newsletter the NASA Speed News. Members will also receive a colorful membership hard card that will identify them as part of the organization and a welcome packet that includes more information on the many benefits and programs available to NASA members. While participating at events, all NASA members are covered by an extensive insurance policy, which includes General Liability, Accidental Death and Dismemberment, and Excess Medical coverage. Best of all, membership is only $45. Refer to www.nasaproracing.com for member information.   NASA Thanks Our Partners NASA would like to thank its National sponsors for their continued support:  Toyo Tires, Mazda, Hawk Performance, Winding Road Racing, and GoPro.  We also want to thank MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Nissan, and Ford Motor Company for supporting our members.  We greatly appreciate those companies that offer our racers contingency support, including Toyo Tires, AIM Sports, AST Suspension, BFGoodrich, Ford Racing, Maxxis Tires, Traqmate, Hawk Performance, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Hoosier Racing Tire, MAZDASPEED, Nissan, Jongbloed Racing Wheels, Bimmerworld, Frozen Rotors, Optic Armor, Neo Motorsports, Spec Clutches, Driven Racing Oil, Altronics Inc., ANZE Suspension, GT Radial Tire, Tilton, Racefab Inc., Sampson Racing Communications and Yokohama.  NASA competitors can also get discounts from Mazda, Maxxis Tires, Racing Fire Systems, Ford Performance Racing School,Fuel Safe, Vehiport, APR Performance, Avis, Cruise America, Eibach Springs, Exedy, Fastbrakes, Konig, The Mid-Ohio School, Konig, Molecule, Red Line Oil, Winding Road Racing, Torco, TPIS, Porterfield and Monster Clutch.   NASA at a Glance * NASA was founded in 1991 on the premise of providing motorsport competition programs that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full-performance capabilities of their cars in a safe and controlled environment.   * NASA has over 14,000 members in 16 regions.   * Key events include the NASA Western Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, July 31 - Aug. 2; the Eastern Championships at Virginia International Raceway Sept. 4-6 and the season culminating NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill, Dec. 5-6.   * The NASA National Championships will run 36 race classes and nine Time-Trial classes during the event.   * NASA runs over 150 events each year encompassing over 250 races, including the association's Rally Sport and Time-Trial program.   * Manufacturer partners include MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Nissan and Ford Racing.   * NASA Management: Jerry Kunzman, Executive Director; Ryan Flaherty, National Chairman; Jeremy Croiset, Director of Business Development; Dave Ho, Business Operations Manager, Will Faules, National Event Manager.   Follow NASA Internet:         nasaproracing.com Facebook:     National Auto Sport Association Twitter:          nasaproracing Instagram:     nasaproracing

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NASA NP01 at SEMA 2015

Published on November 14, 2015 03:51

Napa Valley, CA – (November 13, 2015) NASA and Elan Motorsports unveiled the first production version of the new class of purpose built race cars, the NASA Prototype (NP) series at the 2015 SEMA show. The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) in Las Vegas (Nevada, USA) is regarded worldwide as the leading trade show for customization and sports tuning. The products presented at SEMA to trade experts influence the entire scene and set trends.

The 2015 SEMA show which ran November 3rd to 6th proved to be the perfect venue for the NASA Prototypes debut. NASA had the opportunity to work with our good friends at Toyo Tires & HAWK Performance this year, to introduce industry insiders and show attendees to the new purpose built race cars. The HAWK Performance booth was buzzing with activity as show attendees’ walked around examining this new class of cars built by Elan Technologies. NASA representatives’ on hand to support their partners eagerly spoke to dozens of folks interested in what the NP01 had to offer.

Attendees’ were very impressed by the design and the cost effectiveness for running a vehicle that can be entered into several classes; Time Trials, Sprint, & Endurance Road Races. A point of key interest was the fact that 18 NP01’s have already been sold to date and they are already set to start racing in 2016 with the NASA NP Championship Series.

“80 people jumped in the driver’s seat, proving that even big drivers could fit.  The largest was 6’5” at 325Lbs and with the pedals out at its furthest adjustment point, he fit. We even saw a former F1, CART, IRL, GrandAM, NASCAR driver stop by and comment how much he loved the car. He giggled when he was told the price and said he wanted to be involved with the project in some way.” said John Mueller NASA Strategic Marketing & Project Manager.  Everyone was very impressed with the final product and asked when the next track test day would be.

The NP Series will offer something unique in all of motorsports - the opportunity to race a prototype style vehicle designed from the ground up to be fast, fun, safe, and most importantly affordable. This new series is exclusive to NASA. Drivers will be able to compete at any of the over 150 NASA sanctioned events nationwide. However, the main series will feature just 18 race weekends split into 3 areas across the country making it much easier for competitors to contend for a championship. The series will visit many of the country's greatest racing venues. The NP series will feature an innovative rules package focused on performance, affordability, cost containment, and showcasing driver ability. Lots of excitement in the crowd to get on track and race these new machines in the NASA 2016 season.

About NASA

The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) was formed in 1991 with the premise of delivering high-quality motorsports events to enthusiasts at major racing venues throughout the nation. NASA has created programs that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full performance capabilities of their cars in a controlled professionally managed environment. NASA offers many different programs that will allow you to enjoy motorsports on a number of different levels, including our High Performance Driving Events (HPDE), Rally Sport, Time Trial, NASA-X and Competition Racing programs. 

For more information go to: https://www.nasaproracing.com/  or http://nasaprototype.com/

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Five NASA Finalists Selected for 2015 Mazda Road to 24 Shootout

Published on November 05, 2015 01:24

 Five NASA Finalists Selected for 2015 Mazda Road to 24 Shootout

Napa Valley, CA – (November 4, 2015) – National Auto Sport Association (NASA) drivers continue to dominate the field of racers of finalist selected for this year’s 2015 Mazda Road to 24 Shootout. Five racers from NASA will be competing for the $100,000 scholarship package that supports a drive in the 2016 Battery Tender Mazda Global MX-5 Cup car. 

John Doonan, director of Mazda Motorsports, noted: ‘The nine finalists in this shootout are all highly competitive. The fact that the judges identified nine outstanding racers, from the 23 eligible, shows the tremendous depth of talent we are working with today. Mazda is so proud to offer this prize to our grassroots racers and customers; there is simply nothing like it in the world.”   

 

NASA drivers dominated the competition securing 5 of the 9 coveted finalist positions in the 2015 Mazda Road to 24 Shootout. NASA will be represented in the competition by:

 

Racer                             Hometown                         Club/Series

Joshua Allan                  La Verne, California           NASA PTD Western States Champion

Bruno Carneiro               Riverton, Utah                   NASA Utah Region

Mark Drennan                San Jose, California           NASA Spec Miata Champion (East & West)

Mason Filippi                 Alamo, California               NASA Nor-Cal West Coast Teen Mazda Challenge Champion

Eric Powell                    Orlando, Florida                 NASA Florida Region

 

Joshua Allan began his career in motorsports securing a position as an engineer for Ferrari’s F1 team. He got his first taste of racing jumping into the Italian Formula Ford Championship eventually moving into a vehicle development role for Maserati. His immediate goal is to win the shootout and jump start his career in pro racing to attract sponsors and move up the Mazda ladder in the road to 24 Shootout. 

“The NASA racer development ladder is fundamental to building the skills of track fanatics and aspiring racers", said Joshua Allen. "Even with my experience, I chose to start in HPDE 1 and move up through each level because I knew that I would learn new concepts from experienced instructors and develop the knowledge and skills to share the track with etiquette while continuing to develop my driving skills. I subsequently became an instructor myself, which further informed and aided my development. After running Time Trials for a season I moved into racing in Performance Touring. Thanks to NASA's driver development system, I found myself racing with highly competitive and highly respectful drivers with strong awareness to race door-door while not giving an inch more ground than needed. That's the best kind of racing there is."

 

At just 16 years old, Bruno Carneiro is the youngest finalist in the field. He's from Riverton, Utah where he started racing karts at the age of 4. After gaining 11 years of experience amassing multiple wins and championships, he decided to make the move up to racing cars. His choice; Formula Mazda. “The natural choice was to start racing with the NASA Utah Region at my home track Miller Motorsports Park," said Bruno Carneiro. "What impressed me the most is how welcomed I was by NASA Utah. I was fortunate enough to win the championship on my rookie year and that opened a whole lot of new opportunities for me."

 

Mark Drennan, a native of Northern California got his start in racing cars with NASA in 2007 at Thunderhill Raceway. His current focus before next week's event is all about preparation and promotion. 
“Every step in my progression - from driving a computer simulator, to karts, and now to cars - allowed me to be immediately competitive at the next level and has been crucial to my development as a championship caliber driver,” said Mark Drennan. "I'm speaking with former shootout participants, series champions, driver coaches, and race engineers to gain their insights and advice.  I'm also getting the word out to promote the Mazda Road to 24 program and my participation as a finalist."

 

Mason Filippi began automobile racing with NASA in 2014. The most important thing to him this year was good consistent finishes.  Mason had 4 wins and several podiums. Being only one week out from the Mazda Road to 24 Shootout, his current focus is studying the track, refining interview skills and promoting himself as well as Mazda through press releases. “NASA has a great field with talented and dedicated drivers. Mazda including the Teen Mazda Challenge champions in the Mazda Road to 24 shootout gave me the opportunity to compete for this amazing prize,” said Mason Filippi.

 

Eric Powell began his racing career like many others honing his skills in karting before moving into stock car racing for several years. Later deciding there were more opportunities in Road Racing, he moved into NASA. “Currently I am 100% focused on winning the shootout and building my brand. NASA has been a great place to race for the past few years. Classes such as Performance Touring really allow someone with creativity and ingenuity like myself to shine,” said Eric Powell.

 

The shootout will take place at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, SC, on November 8-10. The criteria for the shootout is to identify the aspiring professional racer who has the best range of skills required to succeed.  These skills include speed, consistency, race craft, technical feedback and off-track business, marketing and PR skills.

 

Additional information about the Mazda Road to 24 shootout, and 2016 MX-5 Cup race car, can be found at www.mazdamotorsports.com Mazda Motorsports will be providing live social updates from the Carolina Motorsports Park event on Twitter at @mazdaracing and with hashtag  #MRT24.

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NASA Alum Ryan Ellis set for NASCAR SPRINT CUP Series Debut

Published on November 03, 2015 01:29

NASA Alum Ryan Ellis set for NASCAR SPRINT CUP Series Debut

Napa Valley, CA - (November 2, 2015) NASA competitor Ryan Ellis, 25, will make his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut in the No. 33 for Circle Sport Racing on Nov. 15 at the Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. 

 

Ryan started his driving career racing quarter midgets at the young age of 4 eventually moving into INEX Legends cars. Now just 25 with over two decades of racing experience under his belt, he has arrived at the pinnacle of stock car racing. In 2006, Ryan entered the world of National Auto Sport Association (NASA) competition to begin the road racing portion of his career. He did exceptionally well winning a majority of the events he entered during the last 10 years of his NASA competition.

 

“NASA was an integral part of my racing development. I learned so much battling with the Spec Miata crowd out of the East that helped me get to where I am today. I made many friends racing with NASA that I still speak to quite a bit today. Winning the 2011 NASA Super Unlimited Championship with Superlite Cars was also one of the biggest highlights of my career.” – Ryan Ellis

 

In 2007 and into the 2008 season, Ryan campaigned a Mazda Spec Miata in NASA’s Mid Atlantic region. He finished 2nd in the inaugural Mazda Teen Challenge program, and was voted “Driver of the Year” by the NASA Mid Atlantic region.  In 2009, Ryan moved to the West Coast and competed in the Southern California region of NASA, capturing the 2009 West Coast Teen Mazda Championship which secured an invitation to the finals of the Mazda Road to the 24 Shootout. Moving on, he continued to build on his racing resume showing well in various pro classes while also securing rookie of the year in the 2011 Continental Sports Car Series ST class. Ryan moved to NASCAR in 2012 amassing 49 combined starts in NASCAR’s Xfinity and Camping World Truck series’ with 21 of them in this the 2015 season. 

 

“Ryan Ellis is a true testament to the NASA model.” said Jeremy Croiset, NASA Director of Business Development. “Ryan was able to utilize the NASA system to hone his skills building upon his obvious talents in our very competitive environment along his quest toward a career in professional motorsports. If you look into NASA’s past, you’ll find a well-established history of new generation professional drivers getting their road racing start in the NASA system. We couldn’t be more proud to add Ryan Ellis to our growing list of drivers that have made their dreams come true and everyone in the NASA family wishes him continued success in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.”

 

 

About NASA

 

The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) was formed in 1991 with the premise of delivering high-quality motorsports events to enthusiasts at major racing venues throughout the nation. NASA has created programs that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full performance capabilities of their cars in a controlled professionally managed environment. NASA offers many different programs that will allow you to enjoy motorsports on a number of different levels, including our High Performance Driving Events (HPDE), Rally Sport, Time Trial, NASA-X and Competition Racing programs. 

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2015 NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance Entries Rolling In

Published on October 30, 2015 20:08

2015 NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance Entries Rolling In   Flying Lizards and Skullcandy Team Nissan getting ready for 25   NAPA VALLEY, Calif. (Oct. 29, 2015) - The 2015 NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance is receiving strong entries for all six classes. The 13th running of the now 25 hour classic will take the green flag December 5.   In the ES class, IMSA and World Challenge regulars Flying Lizards are bringing their Toyo tire shod Audi R8 LMS to Thunderhill.   "We are basically running our Audi R8 from this past season, but it is in full GT3 trim, meaning all of the proper aero, ABS and traction control systems are in place," said Darren Law, team manager. "The main adjustments we have made are really in set-up changes to optimize the handling characteristics of the Audi with the Toyo tire.   When asked about the competition Law said, "for sure we have to consider last year's winners from Davidson Racing. They have competed in this event several times and bring in some great drivers. There are several other good team and driver combinations, but honestly it is hard to say as the complete entry roster is not out yet so we are waiting to see. Our goal for this event is not only to win our class but we feel we can win overall. It is a unique race with multiple types of cars so it will be exciting."   For the team used to running endurance races at Daytona and Sebring, the 25 poses some unique challenges.   "Thunderhill is an interesting event, there will be far less 'pro' drivers here so you have to take a different mindset and be extremely cautious," he continued. "There are also different levels of cars and a very large differential of speed. Of course weather is always a factor and from what I have heard its cold, probably rainy and I have also been told there has even been snow in the past. I can honestly say I haven't raced in conditions like that before. We are still doing a lot of development work with Toyo, they have produced a great product, but we are entering this event without the time of a 24 hour race together so it is a great opportunity for both of us but as always there will be unknowns. It will be a great event and just like any of the other long endurance races, the key will be not only to have good pace but to stay out of trouble!"   Another potent entry in the NASA Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance was filed by Skullcandy Team Nissan.   "We are going to run two 370Zs in the E0 class," said Lara Tallman, Skullcandy Team Nissan, team manager. "Last year we finished second in class with our BMW M3 and third in class with our Nissan 370Z, both ran in the E0 class.  Before that the last time we ran was 2008 and we won our class with a Mustang. For Thunderhill, we do some small additions to the cars which include window defrosters, and additional lights. Finishing is always the primary goal, however, we are going for first and second in E0." Jerry Kunzman, NASA executive director, is pleased with the quality and quantity of entries.   "The 13th edition of the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance is drawing some great teams and drivers," Kunzman said. "The top class is always exciting, but some of the best racing happens in E1, E2 and E3. There are great teams up and down the entry list and I expect the field will be complete with 63 cars come December 5."   The NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance will see a field of 63 cars racing in six classes (ES, ESR, E0, E1, E2, E3) going twice around the clock plus an hour over the 2.86-mile, 15-turn track located 90-minutes north of Sacramento.   For additional information, please contact NASA Media Director, Kyle Chura at kyle@kcapr.com or (248) 821-0468.  More detail on NASA and the Thunderhill 25 Hour can be found at nasaproracing.com or nasa25hour.com.    About Hawk Performance Hawk Performance is a leading supplier of severe duty and high-performance friction products manufactured in ISO-certified facilities for the motorsports and performance automotive aftermarket. Hawk Performance products are engineered to allow users to control, command and conquer the terrain for which their vehicles are designed. Decades of experience in developing friction materials for aerospace, industrial, military, automotive and motorsports applications give Hawk Performance an advantage over the competition. In the past decade Hawk Performance friction products have won more motorsports championships than any other friction manufacturer. More information available at hawkperformance.com.

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15 NASA Racers Selected as Semi-Finalists for 2015 Mazda Road to 24 Shootout

Published on October 15, 2015 15:00

15 NASA Racers Selected as Semi-Finalists for 2015 Mazda Road to 24 Shootout

 

Napa Valley, CA – (October 15, 2015) – National Auto Sport Association (NASA) drivers dominate the field of racers selected to compete in the Mazda Road to 24 Shootout. One talented club racer will be promoted to the professional ranks and receive the $100,000 dollar Mazda Scholarship package.  15 NASA Racers represent the majority of the total number of drivers selected for the Mazda Road to 24 Shootout (MRT24).

“These fifteen drivers exemplify the best of what the NASA HPDE ladder system produces,” said Jeremy Croiset, NASA Director of Business Development. “We are pleased to see so many NASA drivers eligible for the Mazda Road to 24 Shootout this year. NASA drivers have done exceptionally well in the shootout winning the competition the last two years in a row. These 15 drivers will be representing eight of our 15 NASA Regions around the country. The Mazda Road to the 24 is a tremendous opportunity for all road racers selected and with over half of the field of 23 drivers being from NASA, chances are high that we’ll see a NASA driver yet again move up the Mazda ladder.”

The 15 NASA semi-finalists are:
NASA PTD West Champion (So-Cal Region)                       Joshua Allan
NASA PTE West Champion (Central)                                   Ben Anderson
NASA Teen Mazda Challenge (Nor-Cal Region)                  Mason Filippi
NASA Spec Miata East & West Champion (Nor-Cal)           Mark Drennen
NASA PTE East Champion (Great Lakes Region)               Jason Kohler
NASA Teen Mazda Challenge (Rocky Mountain Region)    Ethan Loree
NASA Teen Mazda Challenge (Texas Region)                    Deriann Taylor
NASA Super Unlimited Champion (So-Cal Region)             Jon Van Canegham
NASA (Utah Region)                                                            Bruno Carneiro
NASA (Florida Region)                                                         Eric Powell
NASA Race of Champions  (Nor-Cal Region)                      Matthew Powers
NASA Formula Car Challenge (Nor-Cal Region)                   Tazio Ottis

NASA Formula Car Challenge (Nor-Cal Region)                   Hunter Pickett

NASA Formula Car Challenge (Nor-Cal Region)                   Michael Avansino

NASA  (So-Cal Region)                                                        Will Rodgers

 

The criteria for the shootout is to identify the aspiring professional racer who has the best range of skills required to succeed.  These skills include speed, consistency, race craft, technical feedback and off-track business, marketing and PR skills.

John Doonan, director of Mazda Motorsports, noted: “Our annual shootout has become a signature event for Mazda Motorsports. This year, faced with dozens of worthy candidates, we worked with our key partners at the NASA, iRacing, SCCA and other industry experts to identify those racers with the greatest potential to succeed on the professional level. This promises to be our best-ever shootout, as none of the eligible racers have raced a fourth-generation MX-5. Only a handful of racers have even tested it. That will quickly change as we have more than 70 deposits from racers ready to compete with us in the 2016 MX-5 cup.”

The Mazda Road to 24 Shootout is the single largest prize in grassroots motorsports. The $100,000 scholarship package supports a drive in the 2016 Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup. For 2016, this will be in the all-new Global MX-5 Cup car, which officially went on sale on October 1.

 

Additional information about the Mazda Road to 24 shootout, and 2016 MX-5 Cup race car, can be found at www.mazdamotorsports.com Mazda Motorsports will be providing live social updates from the Carolina Motorsports Park event on Twitter at @mazdaracing and with hashtag  #MRT24.

 

Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States and Mexico through nearly 700 dealers.  Operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.  For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at www.mazdausamedia.com

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Toyo Tires Returns as Official Tire of NASA through 2020

Published on October 12, 2015 20:46

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Toyo Tires, the Official Tire of NASA, returns with its support of the 25-Hours of Thunderhill

Published on September 30, 2015 15:36

                                                          

September 30, 2015

 

Toyo Tires® Supports NASA Road Racers during the 25-Hours of Thunderhill™

With Industry-Leading On-Site Hospitality

 

CYPRESS, CA – Toyo Tires®, the Official Tire of NASA, returns with its support of the 25-Hours of Thunderhill™ December 5-6 at Thunderhill Raceway Park in Northern California.  Celebrating its 13th year at the Official Tire of NASA, Toyo Tires will once again provide an industry-leading on-site hospitality program for qualified competitors using Toyo® Proxes® tires. 

 

The 25-Hours of Thunderhill is held annually by the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) and is considered the longest endurance road race in North America.  Racers travel from around the continent to compete in this prestigious event.

 

This will be the fourth consecutive year that Toyo Tires will have its VIP rig on-site to provide free meals at the track on Friday through Sunday.  Registered participants will also receive free mounting and balancing services from Thunderhill AIM Tire on all preorders and via trackside service at Thunderhill Raceway Park from December 4-6.

 

"The support Toyo Tires gives competitors at the NASA 25 hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance is unmatched," said Jeremy Croiset, NASA's Director of Business Development. "The race has quickly grown to become the preeminent pro-am endurance race in North America.  It is fantastic to have Toyo on board again this year to support competitors who choose the Toyo Tires brand, as they seem to really appreciate it."

“We are proud to offer a VIP support program for competitors using Toyo tires,” said Marc Sanzenbacher, senior manager, motorsports, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp.  “We recognize the extraordinary effort that goes into “Surviving the 25” and Toyo Tires is committed to helping make the 25-Hours of Thunderhill one of the most memorable and enjoyable road racing events each year.”

 

The program applies to racers using the Toyo Proxes® RS1™ full-slick, the Proxes® RR DOT competition, and the Proxes® R888™ tire in dry conditions; while the Proxes® R1R™ and Proxes® RA1™ are approved for wet use.

 

Space for this special program is limited.  Racers must register for the VIP hospitality at toyotires.com/races-and-places/racer-direct-program and tire purchases must be made through one of the following dealers by November 27.

AIM Tire
Ron Cortez
(707) 938-9193
aimtires@aol.com

Thunderhill AIM Tire
Jim Thompson
(530) 519-2201
jim@thunderhill.com

To learn more about the 25-Hours of Thunderhill, check out http://nasa25hour.com/.  For more information about the Toyo Tires contingency offered for NASA competitors, go to https://www.nasaproracing.com/contingencies. 

About Toyo Tires®

 

Established in 1966, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. represents the innovation, quality, performance, and excellent service that Toyo Tires has delivered worldwide for nearly 70 years.

 

The company offers a complete selection of premium replacement tires for nearly every make and model including light trucks, SUVs, high performance cars and luxury vehicles as well as the M-Line for commercial trucks.  Consumer product lines include the popular Open Country® tires for light trucks and SUVs; Proxes® ultra-high performance tires; Versado® tires for luxury passenger cars; Celsius® variable conditions tires; and the value line of Extensa® passenger car tires. Many of the tires are built in the United States at their state-of-the-art factory in Bartow County, Georgia.

 

For more information log onto www.toyotires.com and connect with the community at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google+.

 

Media Contact: Jay Jones, TMC

949-851-6313, jay.jones@tmcauto.com

Toyo Media Site:  http://media.toyotires.com/

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NASA Announces Details for 2016 Western States Championships Presented by Toyo Tires

Published on September 24, 2015 18:03

Napa Valley, CA (September 24, 2015) - The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) is pleased to announce that the 2016 Western States Championships presented by Toyo Tires will take place at the challenging Buttonwillow Raceway Park on October 13-16, 2016. NASA competitors from all over the western region of the country will converge on this Southern California circuit situated just 22 miles outside of Bakersfield, CA to challenge for top step on the podium to claim a NASA Championship.

 

“Buttonwillow Raceway Park requires precision to put together a perfect lap, but also offers ample room for 3 wide racing making it a great choice for our Championship event,” said Ryan Flaherty, NASA National Chairman. “New drivers to this track always leave with a great experience and can’t wait to return. Best of all, it is located almost half way between SoCal and NorCal, so we look forward to a record number of entries. NASA racers always enjoy this track and I am confident that it will be a great venue for our Championship event. This event will provide competitors from all over the western states the opportunity to see if they really have what it takes to be a NASA Champion while still providing a exciting and enjoyable weekend experience which is what the Championships is all about.”

 “We look forward to welcoming all NASA competitors to Southern California for what should be an amazing event in 2016!" Buttonwillow Raceway President, Les Phillips said. “NASA has been hosting top notch regional racing at our track for more than 18 years. It will be a privilege to host their Championships and everyone here will work hard to ensure NASA drivers, crew, and family have a memorable event experience.”

 

2016 will mark the 25th anniversary for NASA and the 11th anniversary for our NASA Championship events. We expect to welcome over 600 competitors to our Championship events in 2016 providing competitors with the same fantastic benefits they have come to expect from the event. From the famous trackside gatherings and wonderfully lucrative contingency programs to the extremely competitive racing, the NASA Championships has truly become “the” place to race.

 

Look for additional announcements regarding the 2016 NASA Championship events in the future. 

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2015 NASA Eastern States Championships presented by Toyo Tires Videos

Published on September 22, 2015 05:21

Click here to watch the video from the 2015 NASA Eastern States Championships Presented by Toyo Tires
See what you missed from the 2015 NASA Eastern States Championships Presented by Toyo Tires.
Racers share their stories of what it means to race at the biggest NASA event on the East Coast, and why they want to become a NASA Champion. With amazing footage captured from the event, watch as you see just what makes the NASA Championships "the" place to race for real Champions.

Click here to watch 2015 Eastern States Championships HPD Honda Challenge Series Video
A very special thanks to HPD (Honda Performance Development) for bringing us this coverage and being the presenting sponsor of the Honda Challenge Series from the 2015 NASA Eastern States Championship Presented by Toyo Tires.
With epic on-board, aerial and track-side footage, you'll not want to miss the action as some of the best in the nation battle to become the first ever NASA Eastern States HPD Honda Challenge Champion. You will also gain insights as to why they love racing Hondas, with these people, in this Championship. Honda Challenge is a series only available to members of the National Auto Sport Association.

Click here to watch 2015 Eastern States Championships Spec Miata Series Video
A very special thanks to Mazda for bringing us this coverage and being the presenting sponsor of the Spec Miata class from the 2015 NASA Eastern States Championship Presented by Toyo Tires.
Arguably the toughest class in all of motor racing, NASA Spec Miata will treat you to the kind of action for which you love watching motorsports. Watch as forty two Spec Miatas take the green at the Inaugural NASA Eastern States Championship. Learn what makes this particular race special to the drivers of Mazda's finest roadster.



 

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NASA Announces Details for 2016 Eastern States Championships Presented by Toyo Tires

Published on September 17, 2015 16:09

Napa Valley, CA (September 17, 2015) - The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) is pleased to announce that the 2016 Eastern States Championships presented by Toyo Tires will take place at the historic Watkins Glen International Circuit. The circuit, which is located in beautiful Watkins Glen, NY has played host to many of the world’s greatest motor races and on September 22 through 25, NASA competitors will battle it out to see who earns their place in NASA history.

 

"The historic nature of the Glen carries with it a special allure for so many competitors and we couldn’t be more excited to bring one of NASA’s biggest events of the year to this world-renowned facility", said Ryan Flaherty, NASA National Chairman. "The NASA Championships has proven to be one of the most competitive places in the country to test your skills while still also remaining an absolutely stellar experience for all involved. We look forward to welcoming all NASA competitors at what should prove to be an amazing event in 2016!"

 

2016 will mark the 25th anniversary for NASA and the 11th anniversary for our NASA Championship events. We expect to welcome over 600 competitors to our Championship events in 2016 providing competitors with the same fantastic benefits they have come to expect from the event. From the famous trackside gatherings and wonderfully lucrative contingency programs to the extremely competitive racing, the NASA Championships has truly become “the” place to race.

 

Look for additional announcements regarding the 2016 Western States Championships event in the coming weeks.

 

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2015 NASA Eastern States Championships presented by Toyo Tires Crowns Champions

Published on September 08, 2015 20:02

 

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2015 NASA Eastern States Championships presented by Toyo Tires Sets Grids for Finals

Published on September 06, 2015 02:31

NASA Eastern States Championships presented by Toyo Tires Sets Grids for Finals

Qualifying races in the books

ALTON, Va. (Sept. 5, 2015) – The second annual NASA Eastern States Championships presented by Toyo Tires has set the grids for its championship races tomorrow at VIRginia International Raceway.

Under mixed weather conditions alternating between light rain and sun shine, the over 300 competitors have made it through two days of practice and qualifying races leading up to tomorrow’s championship races at the 3.27 mile, 17-turn VIR circuit.

The GTS class opened Saturday’s round of qualifying races. At the ten minute mark a full course caution flew erasing Randy Mueller’s, Friday’s winner, eighth second lead. He would go on to post his second qualifying race win in his GTS4 BMW M3. In GTS3 Edgar Cabrera was able to hold off Eric Wong’s BMW to win in his No. 184 BMW.

“It was crazy,” Cabrera said. “We had some rain sprinkles toward the end during the yellow. When the race went green I got attacked on both sides. It was crazy and tight all the way around. I was able to hold them off for the last three laps of green. It is time to go over the car for the big one tomorrow.”

In Spec Miata it was, once again, Blake Clements taking the win in his No. 6 Miata. Clements had help from second place runner Chris Haldeman, bump drafting and creating some separation to third place finisher Hernan Palermo. Once again the 35 Spec Miata competitors ran a clean caution qualifying race.

“We had a pretty good race,” Clements said. “The OPM Autosports guys worked really hard last night and put a good car under me. We had a good morning warm-up running in the top three. I started third and I was able to take advantage of the start and get into second in the first corner. I was able to take the lead on the backstretch. I had Chris with me the whole time which really helped. Then it got tricky later in the race, we were coming down the hill and it started to rain. All-in-all it was a good run for our OPM Autosports, SPN, CarboTech, Traqmate Spec Miata.”

In the Spec E30 race, yesterday’s qualifying race winner Sandro Espinosa hooked up with No. 125 Alex Barroso in his BMW 325 and the pair were able to open up a couple second gap to third. On lap five a full course caution flew, bunching the all BMW field. The race went green and then another full caution flew. On the restart, with one lap remaining, Larry Fraser took the lead into Turn 1 and the race win.

“It was a pretty good race,” Fraser said. “I started eighth and just went about picking cars off one at a time. I got lucky with two yellows. They helped bring the front two cars back to me. On the last restart I passed Sandro going into Turn 1. I then went all four wheels off up in South Bend, collected it up and still won.”

Spec 3 also had a new qualifying race winner. Jon McAvoy took the win in his No. 07 BMW.

“The best way to describe the race is mayhem,” McAvoy said. “We had a good race going with all seven BMW drivers, eat what you kill type environment. On the second restart I was halfway up the E30 pack. I had several of those guys spin in front us in turns 5, 7 and 10. Managing traffic is what helped me get up front today.”

The 944 Spec race was a great three way battle between Friday’s race winner Neal Agran, Dan Pina and Jason Walsh. The mid-race full course caution brought the trio back to the rest of the field. Two laps after the restart a final caution flew with the officials restarting the race with a green and white flag. Agran was able to hold off the charging field on the one lap dash for his second win in two days.

The Super Unlimited cars were able to hit the track in dry conditions this afternoon. Jeff Hinkle in his No. 5 Dodge Challenger was the early leader until Ray Cocoziello drove his No. 17 Crawford Daytona Prototype the front and the overall group win.

“It was a very competitive race,” Cocoziello said. “We passed each other twice in the 20-minute race. It was a great adrenalin rush. We had some suspension and tire issues this morning and we did a good job to get the car set-up for the race. I anticipate a tough race tomorrow in the final with Jeff.”

Also in the group Joe Moholland won ST1 in his Corvette, Kevin Harvey took the ST2 win his No. 01 Corvette, in In AI it was the No. 77 Mustang of Bruce Byerly and in SI it was Robert Miller in the No. 20 Mustang.

In HPD Honda Challenge 1 David Isbell, No. 7 Acura Integra, started from the back of the grid as a result of being disqualified from his race win yesterday. Isbell was racing Kevin Helms Civic all race until Helms experienced some overheating and had to back off. In HPD Honda Challenge 2 Jeremy Lucas took the win in his Honda S2000, again starting from the back of the grid.

“I had a good race,” Isbell said. “I had to start from the back. I made good progress up through the field and got up to David Helms and had a good race. Toward the end my car starting to mess up. I think I got some water in the fuel from all the rain yesterday. My Toyo tires held up the whole time. A pretty good day.”

“It was quite a run from last to first,” Lucas said. “I got a good start, I was able to pass a couple of cars before Turn 1. The fastest car out there today had a mechanical problem. I didn’t give up, I just kept driving. I didn’t think a win was possible today. I start last again tomorrow, so let’s see if I can do it two days in a row.”

In PTD-F Eric Powell took the early lead until he pulled his Mazda Miata into pit lane. Jason Fitzpatrick inherited the lead in his No. 74 VW Passat. Jason Kohler, No. 848 Mazda Miata, was the winner in PTE and the Team Edge Motorworks No. 1 Mini won in PTF.

“My race went pretty well,” Fitzpatrick said. “It is a shame that Eric pulled in. I was looking forward to catching him and battling it out. There is a few more things to pull out of the bag to see if we can give him run in the final. I am going to start second. Strategy for tomorrow is to go like hell. My advantage is the horsepower. I keep joking that I have the weight of a Miata on my front two wheels. If I get it off the corner the VW will really go.”

Follow the NASA Championship action:

Live stream: https://livestream.com/nasa/
Timing and scoring: http://bit.ly/1JFszqG
Schedule: http://bit.ly/1Jh0RAC
Entry: http://bit.ly/1K2bBbL

VIRginia International Raceway’s 3.27 miles encompasses nearly every kind of turn. The fast uphill esses that lead into the signature Oak Tree Turn are known throughout the racing community. The long laps will reward a good race car set-up and require the competitors to display their driving skills as well as race craft.

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2015 NASA Eastern States Championships presented by Toyo Tires Takes the Green Flag at VIR

Published on September 05, 2015 17:44

NASA Eastern States Championships presented by Toyo Tires Takes the Green Flag at VIR

Qualifying races underway

ALTON, Va. (Sept. 4, 2015) – The second annual NASA Eastern States Championships presented by Toyo Tires is underway at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR).

Over 300 competitors have filled the paddock and are busy setting up their cars and running qualifying races around the 3.27 mile, 17-turn VIR circuit.

In the first qualifying race of the day, Randy Mueller drove his No. 0 Epic BMW M3 to the GTS class overall win. Mueller a four-time NASA Champion is poised for a fifth.

“It was a good run for us,” Mueller said. “I started from the pole. I was able to get a nice clean start. Then I just put my head down and focused on running some clean laps. Once I opened up the gap I focused on keeping the BMW off of the curbs. It’s all about having a car ready for Sunday.”

HPD Honda Challenge witnessed some tight racing. David Isbell drove his No. 7 Acura Integra from the back of the field to post an impressive qualifying race win.

“I had a pretty good race,” Isbell said. “I had to start at the back of the grid because we had a problem with the car this morning. I got a good start. I came up to the Oak Tree Turn and a couple of cars went off so that helped. From there I went from seventh to third. I was driving a clean race then a couple more cars slid off and I assumed the lead. My Toyo tires helped me get to the checker. A good start.”

As the high-horsepower car hit the track the clouds opened up and rain came, catching the competitors on dry tires in a downpour of rain. After lap one a full course caution flew and then the NASA officials black flagged the race. Soon after the officials put out the checker with No. 9 Dodge Challenger driven by Jeff Hinkle listed as the top finisher based upon his fast qualifying time from the morning.

As the rain continued, 39 Spec Miata race cars took to the track. From the drop of the green flag the No. 39 of Danny Steyn was the early class leader. On lap a sudden downpour in Turn 1 sent the top two cars off the track resulting in a black flag. The No. 6 Blake Clements declared the winner of qualifying race one.

“It was pretty wild,” Clements said. “I originally started in seventh. I didn’t have a great qualifying effort. We put the Toyo rain tires on and went out for the qualifying race. I was able to get a couple of positions in the first lap. I was in third on the second lap and was biding my time, I knew I was in a good spot. On the fifth lap when we crossed the start finish line it really began to pour. I could barely see going into Turn 1. I let out of it and rolled into one. The two cars in front of me were off in the grass. I then went off a little into Turn 3, brought it back on and then the race went yellow and ended. I want to be consistent the rest of the weekend and see what happens on Sunday.”

The 30 car Spec E30 class took to the track with the rain still coming down. As a testament to the driving ability of the one the largest fields of the weekend, the race went caution free with Sandro Espinosa driving his No. 32 BMW to the win.

“It was a lot of fun out there in the rain,” Espinosa said. “I started from sixth place, which is tough in the rain. Everyone behaved at the start. We are all friends, so we know and take care of each other. I was passing one car, by one car very safely. Sean Curran and I were able to pull away a little. I figured out that at the Oak Tree Turn I could get a pull from him and was able to overtake for the lead. There was surprising grip out there in the rain. Thanks to Toyo Tires and Bimmerworld for the help this weekend.”

In 944 Spec Neal Agran drove his No. 84 Porsche 944 to the win over Dan Pina. The two exchanged the lead in the rain early until Agran took the lead for good and the win.

“Fantastic,” Agran said. “Dan Pina and I race all of the time together in the mid-west and he is a great competitor. I’ve never raced with Dan Williams in the wet. Being from Colorado where it doesn’t rain much, I didn’t think he would have anything for me. He was all over me like a cheap suit. I really won through consistency. I was just clicking laps off at the same pace, one after the other. That is what it took today.”

In Spec 3 Justin Taylor took the qualifying race win in his No. 36 BMW. Taylor took the lead from the second position on the grid and never looked back.

“I qualified second,” Taylor said. “Starting in the front row helped, I was able to jump out the lead and get a good pace going in the rain. I was able to build up a little gap and just focused on being consistent, not slide around too much and finish the race.”

In PTD-F it was Brett Westcott in his No. 58 Nissan that was the class of the field. He was able to overtake the No. 47 Mazda Miata of Kopitski for the class win.

“It was really wet out there,” Westcottl said. “This is my first time at VIR. I am surprised I did as well. My BFGoodrich tires were hooked-up, the KDWR shocks were working great. My car was handling good in the rain. The only problem was a fogged up windshield. Everything else was great.”

Follow the NASA Championship action:
Live stream: https://livestream.com/nasa/
Timing and scoring: http://bit.ly/1JFszqG
Schedule: http://bit.ly/1Jh0RAC
Entry: http://bit.ly/1K2bBbL

VIRginia International Raceway’s 3.27 miles encompasses nearly every kind of turn. The fast uphill esses that lead into the signature Oak Tree Turn are known throughout the racing community. The long laps will reward a good race car set-up and require the competitors to display their driving skills as well as race craft.

About Toyo Tires

Founded in 1945, Toyo Tires has stood for innovation, quality, performance, and excellent service around the world for over 65 years.  The company offers a complete line of premium replacement tires for nearly all makes and models, including high-performance cars, luxury vehicles, light trucks and SUVs as well as commercial trucks.

 

About NASA

The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) was formed in 1991 with the premise of delivering high-quality motorsports events to enthusiasts at major racing venues throughout the nation. NASA has created programs that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full performance capabilities of their cars in a controlled professionally managed environment. NASA offers many different programs that will allow you to enjoy motorsports on a number of different levels, including our High Performance Driving Events (HPDE), Rally Sport, Time Trial, NASA-X and Competition Racing programs.

 

NASA Membership

NASA members are entitled to enter and participate in any NASA event across the country, and membership includes an array of benefits, including vendor discounts and a subscription to the organizations online newsletter the NASA Speed News. Members will also receive a colorful membership hard card that will identify them as part of the organization and a welcome packet that includes more information on the many benefits and programs available to NASA members. While participating at events, all NASA members are covered by an extensive insurance policy, which includes General Liability, Accidental Death and Dismemberment, and Excess Medical coverage. Best of all, membership is only $45. Refer to www.nasaproracing.com for member information.

 

NASA Thanks Our Partners

NASA would like to thank its National sponsors for their continued support:  Toyo Tires, Mazda, Hawk Performance, Winding Road Racing, and GoPro.  We also want to thank MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Nissan, and Ford Motor Company for supporting our members.  We greatly appreciate those companies that offer our racers contingency support, including Toyo Tires, AIM Sports, AST Suspension, BFGoodrich, Ford Racing, Maxxis Tires, Traqmate, Hawk Performance, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Hoosier Racing Tire, MAZDASPEED, Nissan, Jongbloed Racing Wheels, Bimmerworld, Frozen Rotors, Optic Armor, Neo Motorsports, Spec Clutches, Driven Racing Oil, Altronics Inc., ANZE Suspension, GT Radial Tire, Tilton, Racefab Inc., Sampson Racing Communications and Yokohama.  NASA competitors can also get discounts from Mazda, Maxxis Tires, Racing Fire Systems, Ford Performance Racing School,Fuel Safe, Vehiport, APR Performance, Avis, Cruise America, Eibach Springs, Exedy, Fastbrakes, Konig, The Mid-Ohio School, Konig, Molecule, Red Line Oil, Winding Road Racing, Torco, TPIS, Porterfield and Monster Clutch.

 

NASA at a Glance

NASA was founded in 1991 on the premise of providing motorsport competition programs that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full-performance capabilities of their cars in a safe and controlled environment.

 

NASA has over 14,000 members in 16 regions.

 

Key events include the NASA Western Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, July 31 - Aug. 2; the Eastern Championships at Virginia International Raceway Sept. 4-6 and the season culminating NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill, Dec. 5-6.

 

The NASA National Championships will run 36 race classes and nine Time-Trial classes during the event.

 

NASA runs over 150 events each year encompassing over 250 races, including the association's Rally Sport and Time-Trial program.

 

Manufacturer partners include MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Nissan and Ford Racing.

 

NASA Management: Jerry Kunzman, Executive Director; Ryan Flaherty, National Chairman; Jeremy Croiset, Director of Business Development; Dave Ho, Business Operations Manager, Will Faules, National Event Manager.

 

Follow NASA

Internet:         nasaproracing.com

Facebook:     National Auto Sport Association

Twitter:          nasaproracing

Instagram:     nasaproracing

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2015 NASA Eastern States Championships presented by Toyo Tires Ready for the Green Flag

Published on September 03, 2015 19:22

NASA Eastern States Championships presented by Toyo Tires Ready for Green Flag

 

300+ NASA competitors ready to race

 

NAPA VALLEY, Calif. (Sept. 2, 2015) -  The second annual NASA Eastern States Championships presented by Toyo Tires to run at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) is ready to take the green flag this weekend, Sept. 3-6.

 

The 3.27 mile, 17-turn VIR circuit will be home to the 300+ drivers who will compete for the title of NASA Eastern Champion.

 

Two-time NASA Champion Eric Kuhns will be debuting his new "Franken44" Porsche at the championships. Coming from the 944 Spec Class, Kuhns is ready to make his mark on the Super Touring 2 Class this weekend.

 

"The Franken44 has a 5.7-liter LS1 Corvette motor," Kuhns said. "I have just three race weekends on the car. It's been great. The Franken44 is powerful, reliable, and oh man does it sound great! I ran my qualifying races at Mid-Ohio, Road America, and Gingerman. I see David Farmer and Greg Vannucci as the main competition in ST2. I am sure there will be some fast guys I don't know about. My goals are to first, race clean, second, have a good time - that's why we do this - and third develop the new car at a high level of competition and lastly push hard to get on the podium."

 

Zephyr Belski is a two time Honda Challenge 5 NASA National Champion from 2006 and 2007.

"I have a new car this season so my goals at VIR this weekend are modest. I hope to finish in a position higher than I start," Belski said. "I ran at VIR this year, so I have a pretty good idea of how to set-up my Acura for this weekend. I hope that will give me a slight advantage. I have been attending races at VIR since 2003 starting in HPDE, it is an amazing track."

 

NASA event director, Jon Felton, is ready to welcome a great grid of competitors.

"Everyone I talk to is excited about the NASA Eastern States Championship event this weekend," Felton said. "The plans are made, the competitors are putting the final touches on their cars and we will be ready to welcome them to VIR. By the looks of the 300+ entries we are going to have a great weekend of racing and camaraderie."

 

VIRginia International Raceway's 3.27 miles encompasses nearly every kind of turn. The fast uphill esses that lead into the signature Oak Tree Turn are known throughout the racing community. The long laps will reward a good race car set-up and require the competitors to display their driving skills as well as race craft.

 

For additional information, please contact NASA Championships Media Director, Kyle Chura at kyle@kcapr.com or (248) 821-0468.  More detail can be found at nasaproracing.com or nasachampionships.com. 

 

To qualify for the NASA National Championships presented by Toyo Tires, NASA competitors must compete in and score points in five races for entry into the NASA Eastern States Championships. 

About Toyo Tires

Founded in 1945, Toyo Tires has stood for innovation, quality, performance, and excellent service around the world for over 65 years.  The company offers a complete line of premium replacement tires for nearly all makes and models, including high-performance cars, luxury vehicles, light trucks and SUVs as well as commercial trucks.

 

About NASA

The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) was formed in 1991 with the premise of delivering high-quality motorsports events to enthusiasts at major racing venues throughout the nation. NASA has created programs that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full performance capabilities of their cars in a controlled professionally managed environment. NASA offers many different programs that will allow you to enjoy motorsports on a number of different levels, including our High Performance Driving Events (HPDE), Rally Sport, Time Trial, NASA-X and Competition Racing programs.

 

NASA Membership

NASA members are entitled to enter and participate in any NASA event across the country, and membership includes an array of benefits, including vendor discounts and a subscription to the organizations online newsletter the NASA Speed News. Members will also receive a colorful membership hard card that will identify them as part of the organization and a welcome packet that includes more information on the many benefits and programs available to NASA members. While participating at events, all NASA members are covered by an extensive insurance policy, which includes General Liability, Accidental Death and Dismemberment, and Excess Medical coverage. Best of all, membership is only $45. Refer to www.nasaproracing.com for member information.

 

NASA Thanks Our Partners

NASA would like to thank its National sponsors for their continued support:  Toyo Tires, Mazda, Hawk Performance, Winding Road Racing, and GoPro.  We also want to thank MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Nissan, and Ford Motor Company for supporting our members.  We greatly appreciate those companies that offer our racers contingency support, including Toyo Tires, AIM Sports, AST Suspension, BFGoodrich, Ford Racing, Maxxis Tires, Traqmate, Hawk Performance, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Hoosier Racing Tire, MAZDASPEED, Nissan, Jongbloed Racing Wheels, Bimmerworld, Frozen Rotors, Optic Armor, Neo Motorsports, Spec Clutches, Driven Racing Oil, Altronics Inc., ANZE Suspension, GT Radial Tire, Tilton, Racefab Inc., Sampson Racing Communications and Yokohama.  NASA competitors can also get discounts from Mazda, Maxxis Tires, Racing Fire Systems, Ford Performance Racing School,Fuel Safe, Vehiport, APR Performance, Avis, Cruise America, Eibach Springs, Exedy, Fastbrakes, Konig, The Mid-Ohio School, Konig, Molecule, Red Line Oil, Winding Road Racing, Torco, TPIS, Porterfield and Monster Clutch.

 

NASA at a Glance

NASA was founded in 1991 on the premise of providing motorsport competition programs that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full-performance capabilities of their cars in a safe and controlled environment.

 

NASA has over 14,000 members in 16 regions.

 

Key events include the NASA Western Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, July 31 - Aug. 2; the Eastern Championships at Virginia International Raceway Sept. 4-6 and the season culminating NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill, Dec. 5-6.

 

The NASA National Championships will run 36 race classes and nine Time-Trial classes during the event.

 

NASA runs over 150 events each year encompassing over 250 races, including the association's Rally Sport and Time-Trial program.

 

* Manufacturer partners include MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Nissan and Ford Racing.

 

* NASA Management: Jerry Kunzman, Executive Director; Ryan Flaherty, National Chairman; Jeremy Croiset, Director of Business Development; Dave Ho, Business Operations Manager, Will Faules, National Event Manager.

 

Follow NASA

Internet:         nasaproracing.com

Facebook:     National Auto Sport Association

Twitter:          nasaproracing

Instagram:     nasaproracing

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2014 Survive the 25 from NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill Presented by Hawk Performance

Published on August 25, 2015 00:23

'Survive the 25,' originally aired on the MavTV network, highlights the triumphs and struggles of four teams vying for victory at the 2014 NASA 25 hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance. This episode is presented by Mazda.

Watch Video

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