SPEEDSF CHALLENGE - APRIL 21, 2019 - ROUND 3 @ WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA

The SpeedSF Challenge Circus made its Round 3 appearance at the historic WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, which featured a fleet of more common production cars than previous Laguna Seca SpeedSF Challenge events in the past. While Saturday opened up with wet conditions that slowly dried over the course of the day, Sunday was warm and Sunny from the get-go, setting the stage for a stellar and packed Sunday. With the Challenge starting at its usual lunch hour, several questions were raised: Could the Honda S2000 be the new Miata? Will rare production cars continue to successfully compete against purebred race cars? How does the Nissan S13 fare in a sea of roadsters? Why is the sky blue? Let’s find out!

CLASS S1

Power track? We’re talking about power track? They say Laguna is a track that favors the the cars with the most power under the hood (or latch, for our RR/MR buddies). However, 1st place winner Philip Spencer disproved the whole “power > all” rhetoric with his heroic 1:36.897 lap time in a 2007 Lotus Exige S. In 2nd place, Scott Smith took his blue streak Beet — 911 across the line with a 01:37.195 lap time. Gordon Peng took home 3rd place with his 2002 Chevrolet Corvette by putting down a 1:38.372. Can this tried and true American V8 keep up with the 911 down the road as we progress through the season? Stay tuned for more!

Class S2

**Car represents the missing podium winner** - Shawn Thomas was our only S2 driver and winner with his 1:50.212 lap time. We wanted to see your pretty face on the podium. Don’t be afraid to say hi next time!

Class S3

Looks like the car with the most power won out here while the two 4-cylinder powered cars were left to fend for themselves. Kennth Yip’s 2011 BMW M3 ran away with 1st place thanks to his 1:42.449 lap time, while Tyler Macy and Seigo Ma, driving a 2008 Lotus Exige and a 2007 Honda S2000 respectively, were fighting for 2nd and 3rd place glory. Tyler was able to hold on to 2nd place thanks to his 1:43.324 lap time while Seigo wasn’t that far behind with his 1:43.557 lap time. This is a good close battle to watch for the Challenges coming up.

Class S4

So here in S4, it looks like the Miatas reign supreme, beating out 5 Honda S2000s and this S13 that found its way onto the track after a successful stint in being a tire slayer in the drift world. Adam Swan decided to take his talents to the track world instead, and he delivered! He edged out a hard-charging Daniel Ha and his Honda S2000 by laying down a 01:46.338 lap time in a 1991 Nissan 240SX, just a mere 0.112 seconds difference!

In 2nd place was none other than King Tang who piloted his Mazda Miata to a 1:46.338 lap time as well, while Nash Ramar took his 2019 Mazda Miata to first place with his 1:45.270 lap time. The Miatas reign supreme in S4 but it seems we have a Swan lying in wait.

Class X

This is where things got interesting! Joe Nuxoll’s Radical took home first place with a blistering 01:32.944 lap time, while Shah Khan (not pictured) got a 01:40.299 lap time in his 2018 McLaren 720S. In 3rd place and only .551 down was David Colbert in his 1980 Lola T540 D Sports Racer. Two things with this: a car from the 80s kept up with a 2018 supercar, but at the same time, a production car managed to get 2nd place in an entire field of purpose-built racing cars. That’s epic!

CONCLUSION

A great job to the drivers who won their places and THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the SpeedSF Challenge! 

As we look forward to Round 4 of the SpeedSF Challenge back at Sonoma Raceway on May 25, we want to say that we truly appreciate our sponsors and participants as it would not be possible without them! 

We thank our sponsors Wine Country Motorsports, G-Loc brakes, Titan7 Wheels, Necksgen, and Charles Schwab for their continued and valued support. Please visit their respective websites to show your support and let them know SpeedSF sent you!

Our next SpeedSF Challenge will be held at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, CA. Again, please check out the event website by clicking here. We will see you at our next event!