SpeedSF Presents: The Heads Inside the Helmets - Feat. Seigo Ma
Meet Seigo Ma!
SpeedSF Challenge regular and all-around fast boi Seigo Ma took a few minutes out of his day at our recent Thunderhill West event to talk about his time with SpeedSF and his fun runs in a quest to dominate the Challenge.
The Before Times
As a younger boi, Seigo started off go-karting in college at LeMans Karting in Fremont with a couple of buddies. Then in 2014, the track bug bit. With a white RSX at the ready, Seigo began attending track events with SpeedSF and never looked back. He spent his time learning how to drive at the limit and worked on proper lines while slowly building up the car with track-focused parts. Seigo always made sure to keep mental notes of his RSX lap times and to this day still remembers them: 1:48 at Laguna, 2:05 at Buttonwillow, and 2:09 Thunderhill (Bypass).
“We have to go faster!”
It was in 2017 that Seigo decided an upgrade was needed. More than car parts, but a move to an entirely different chassis. Enter his 2007 Honda S2000. As expected, his lap times dropped dramatically even at the bone stock level. The RSX has been relegated to daily driver status while the S2000 was built with a track-focused mindset over two years with its most recent additions being the green DYI wrap, JRZ RS Pro 3s and Yokohama ADVAN A052s. With 10 seconds being the difference between his RSX at its best and the S2000 as it sits right now, Seigo’s confidence has risen to new heights.
Fun times at Buttonwillow
Pictured on his shirt: A 911. Posing with: Not a 911
Seigo praises the S2000 as having been rewarding to drive and as it responds to steering and pedal inputs very well. Compared to the RSX, it’s been a big jump in terms of performance and handling. The car rotates at will with throttle and the driver does not have to do much to be fast. Back in late September 2019 during a Thunderhill West event, he ran HKS Hipermax IV SP coilovers with Nangkang AR-1s and his car was still silver! Seigo, ever remarkable with his lap time memory, stated he was noticeably faster on the Nangkang AR-1s with a 1:23.3 lap time that day compared to his previous lap time of 1:25.7 on Federal 595 RS-RR tires. His 1:23.3 lap time set him up for 2nd place in Class S3 for the SpeedSF Challenge - not bad!
2020 Goal: Fast Boi Club
His recent run at Thunderhill West (Reverse) this past March can be viewed below. A resounding 1:22.6 lap time for this GripS2K was obtained, mostly thanks to the VViViD+ Matte Metallic Green (Ghost) wrap! Green is obviously a faster color.
But in all seriousness, with an upgrade with the aforementioned JRZs and Yokohamas previously debuted at our January Laguna Seca event, these tools gave him the confidence to set a very fast lap time during his first time out running Thunderhill West backwards, enough for him to score 3rd place in Class S3 during the SpeedSF Challenge.
Smooth driving and a concentrated effort placed Seigo with a good crowd on the podium. Seigo’s lap time for this Challenge was 1 second off the rival Gary Wong’s S2000 time and 2 seconds off Kevin Schweigert’s BRZ time, which leaves a lot of room for improvement, a concept Seigo is not afraid to shy away from.
Seigo needed to head off to his next session but before putting his helmet back on, he presented us with kind words regarding his past 6 years with SpeedSF:
SpeedSF hosts some of the best drivers around. They are highly-skilled and courteous in point-bys while the staff are helpful and great to talk to. I’ve learned a lot from some of the fast drivers at the events as well so there’s a great community aspect. I really enjoy the respectful atmosphere of the group and rarely do I get stuck behind drivers as they are very aware on the track. We are all here to have fun!
