SPEEDSF CHALLENGE - SEPTEMBER 6, 2020 - ROUND 7 @ THUNDERHILL RACEWAY EAST (BYPASS)
INTRODUCTION
Track junkies are truly a dedicated bunch! Despite the ongoing air quality situation and high air temperatures in this part of California, especially as we head closer toward the Oregon border, those who want to track will! Our track bois and track girls found a way to make it work. We are proud of them and we surely thank them!.
Round 7 at Thunderhill Raceway (Bypass Config) offered up 18 entrants for the SpeedSF Challenge. Some familiar drivers came with new cars to test their skill/class while others were new drivers looking to try their hand at the Challenge.
CLASS S1
2 drivers, 2 podium places! The gap between Steve Melson in his 2014 Audi R8 and Gordon Peng in his 2002 Chevrolet Corvette was to be expected, given the fact Gordon’s car is 12 years younger than Steve’s! Steve put down a blazing 1:54.480 lap time while, despite the age gap of the cars, Gordon put down a 1:57.850 lap time. Brave bois surviving the hot temperatures: we salute you!
CLASS S2
Two fast bois and a fast girl! What a way to shake up Class S2 for the first time. We welcome Melody Cannizzaro to the podium, who took 3rd place with a 2:06.079 lap time in an E46 M3! Not a bad lap time for a first-time podium placer here at Thunderhill East!
As expected, Gary Yeung in the Dirty Mango S2000 took home 1st with his 1:57.135 lap time while Robert Harper brought his not-a-Chevy to Thunderhill. In deciding to show off the raw power of the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350, he put down a 02:02.643 lap time to boot which was enough for a 2nd place podium place.
Excellent driving by everyone in this group!
CLASS S3
The all-white crew decided to turn up for this class, it seems. A white BRZ, two white M3s, and a white S2000. An attempt to show unity in this class? Perhaps! What did that mean for purple boi David Fitz-Randolph in his NA Miata?
Well, Kevin Schweigert took home 1st place with his 1:54.004 lap time while behind his way-too-fast 2015 Subaru BRZ, while the mad scientist David Fitz-Randolph took home 2nd place with a 1:57.931 lap time. Rounding out the podium was, of course, Gary Wong and his 2004 Honda S-Tay-Thousand; a valiant 1:58.164 for his efforts!
Great job by the drivers in this class as well. S3 just keeps getting more competitive!
CLASS S4
They say it is lonely at the top. Well, it seems like the dad jokes made everyone else stay home since Matt Belter was the only one competing in this class this round. Without any competition, he could have physically walked the entire course (not that it’s recommended) and still taken home 1st place! Instead, he was smart and took the fast way around the course: a 2:00.812 lap time in his 2017 Subaru BRZ.
It was fast enough to earn him the honors of breaking the SpeedSF class record for the Bypass configuration! The previous record was 2:01.094 (Scott Smith - Mazda Miata) 12/17/17, so definitely not a laughing matter! Helluva job, Matt!
CLASS S5
Scott Smith just can’t catch a break here, as another record of his (2:05:311 (Mazda Miata) 12/15/19) fell thanks to Tony Rodriguez’s 2:04.943 fast lap time. This earned Tony the honor of record holder and 1st place for the S5 podium. That MR2 is just on a different level!
The other MR2 playing in the group took home 2nd place and it was none other than Joe McGuigan. A great 2:09.100 lap time put him firmly ahead of Zoe Downing’s 3rd place lap time of 2:12.009 in her NA Miata. The S5 is officially being dominated by the MR2s and it is no longer the Miata club!
CLASS X
What a formidable machine! Justin Moore’s 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 was the fastest lap of the entire competition thanks to a 1:53.756 lap time. Fast and pretty on the track, he was in a class of his own (literally). Great driving!
CONCLUSION
Excellent work by our drivers who won their places and set new class lap records! THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the SpeedSF Challenge and the weekend event despite the air quality! For those who are still chasing podium finishes, more seat time, coaching, and watching videos of how to attack the track will certainly get you there!
Round 8 will be here soon! Our next SpeedSF Challenge will be hosted at Thunderhill Raceway (West) on October 3, 2020. Hopefully the fires and smoke are gone by then. We truly appreciate our sponsors and participants as it would not be possible without them!
Thank you to our sponsors Wine Country Motorsports, 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!
