SpeedSF Presents: The Heads Inside the Helmets - Featuring Pam Alarcon

MEET PAM ALARCON!

Name a great turbo sedan that’s great for flogging around the track. Go ahead. We’ll wait.

 You probably thought about something German. Typical.

 Now, imagine being in that fancy getting overseas sedan only to get passed by a stateside rocketship: a Cadillac ATS-V, driven by none other than Pam Alarcon!

She’s been a frequent guest of SpeedSF Track Events and one of the more visible female track drivers in recent memory, but maybe that’s because she’s been excited to track her ATS-V ever since she purchased it back in 2018.

I Haz Track Car

Pam always had an interest in tracking on road courses but never felt like she had a track-capable car before. Prior to her ATS-V, she had a modified MKIV 20th anniversary Volkswagen GTI that she never thought about tracking because “it was old, and it would probably fall apart on the track. It had way too many #VWproblems”.

Soon after the acquisition, the siren call of car modifications was answered by Pam, wallet be damned. Upgraded stabilizer bars and adjustable end links, G-loc brake pads, intake, downpipe, upgraded BOVs and nice tune rounded out the list, along with some exterior mods for  A E S T H E T I C S paired with 19-inch forged wheels to make sure the car looked even better especially in the summer. Stock wheels wrapped with RE-71Rs are the preferred track rubber.

Pam began her track day junkie life 2 years ago with her first SpeedSF event, but she credits Rona for interrupting her attendance streak. Attacking the track with a vengeance after everything improves seems to be her future, though!

As with many people, Sonoma Raceway is Pam’s favorite track, though seat time has been scarce there compared to Laguna where she managed to put down a personal best of a 1:43 lap time. She yearns for the opportunity to put down a proper personal best lap time at Sonoma once the calendar offers more chances for her.

The Thrill of the Drive

The enjoyment of driving and the love of the adrenaline rush experience are reasons why Pam enjoys going to the track.  A self-confessed introvert, she rather likes meeting new people and those she has been friends with along the way have been super cool. Pam surely makes us gush when she compliments us with “I like going to SpeedSF events because they seem to have the most track days out of every [track day] organization. They also always have good photographers ;)”

Pro tip from Pam: “If you are going to the track for the first time, please do your homework. Prep your car properly and drive the track with a coach or take classes for the first few outings. Before I ever started, I took some classes and although I already had an idea of what to expect, it still helped tremendously. It’s a learning experience every time a driver is out there, and I definitely still consider myself a noob.”

Pam currently has no plans for the ATS-V in the future until she can beat Randy Pobst’s PB at Laguna Seca (1:39.65 in an automatic, 1:40.18 in a manual) and until she gets better at driving Sonoma Raceway while putting down a satisfying PB in the process. While she does plan on getting a Viper ACR in the future, she “will be keeping the ATS-V til the wheels fall off”.

SpeedSF Presents: The Heads Inside the Helmets - Feat. Nash Ramar

MEET NASH RAMAR!

Nash began to plant tires on track asphalt back in July 2018 in a 2015 Chevrolet Camaro Z28. Somewhere along the line with the thought of being happier with a slower car that can be driven fast on the track, he obtained an ND Miata in November 2018 and never looked back.

Fun fact: Nash’s first time out on the track was at Sonoma Raceway and it’s become his favorite track, so much so that the #252 decal on the side of his cars represents the 2.52 miles of Sonoma!

MOD TIME

Armed with an MCS + Karcepts suspension package, 235/40/17 Toyo Proxes RRs for added grip, Kirkey seats to hold Nash in place, full Verus Engineering underbody panels and rear diffuser along with a wonderful stock motor, Nash was ready to take on the SpeedSF Challenge. He entered a couple of events in the S4 class throughout 2019 and managed to place 1st at one of our Laguna Seca events! Proud of you for that one, Nash!

With his best lap time at Laguna Seca being a 1:44.4, it’s exciting to see what Nash has in plan for he and his car going forward. He claims he’s already fully invested in parts as of January 2020 so maybe it’s all about enhancing the driver at this point! One day in the distant future, maybe this Miata will turn into one with a V8 grumble! ;D

TRACK LESSONS

Nash loves running with SpeedSF to enjoy great company and run with skilled drivers out on the track. For beginner drivers starting out their first track outing, Nash advises that it’s not about the horsepower of the car or achieving the lowest lap time the first time out, but rather, it’s about hitting each corner smoothly and learning to be a consistent driver!

SpeedSF Presents: The Heads Inside the Helmets - Featuring Ken Yip

MEET KEN YIP!

We have another Fast Boi, this time a Bimmer-driving, wholesome, hardworking tech kid by the name of Ken Yip. We caught up with Ken during an event at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in the middle of tightening his lug bolts and securing his car for his next session.

EAST COAST LEARNING

He began his track career in May 2008 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in his 2004 BMW 325Ci.

Later, he sought more and acquired a 2002 BMW M3. It had the glorious opportunity to visit a handful of tracks including Lime Rock Park and Pocono Raceway.

Ken came to the Bay Area 5 years after finishing college and began a career in the tech world (as many often do). Because he was so busy, he took a hiatus from the car life for a while he worked on his career.

A NEW CHAPTER

However, in March 2017, the car life came calling again. Ken acquired a 2011 BMW M3 on SHIFT.com (more tech!) and planned to just keep the car modifications light. It was back to the track and car life starting with a SpeedSF event at Thunderhill Raceway.

It did not take Ken long to get comfortable behind the wheel of his new-to-him M3 as he joined 7 events between April and December 2017 and 15 events throughout 2018. Talk about dedication!

2019 is when everything changed and Ken needed to up his track game. Little by little, both car and driver kept improving. So much for keeping modifications light! He decided to join the S3 class for the SpeedSF Challenge and was in the running for 2nd place overall in S3 until his engine met its maker and experienced a catastrophic failure. With Ken needing to bring the car to Performance Technic to undergo surgery and take in a new crate motor, Ken had to miss a few events in 2019 and thus ended up in 3rd place overall in S3 class.

2020 Season

With the start of the 2020 season, Ken is currently sitting in 2nd place, and has steadily been improving his lap times while adding bits of go-fast parts to his car.

With some cooling bits, Project Mu 999 brake pads, JRZ 1-way suspension, Apex 18x10.5 ARC-8R wheels wrapped with Nankang AR-1s along with tons of seat time and driver mods, it’s not hard to see why Ken’s doing well in S3 right now. His current lap times are 1:57.16 at Thunderhill East, 1:23.12 at Thunderhill West, and 1:51.59 at Sonoma Raceway. As of now, with a 1:42.09 lap time being his best lap time at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, he’s looking to get faster so he can maintain his 2nd place standing in S3. He expects the new Nankang AR-1 setup to be of great help at Laguna and Sonoma.

For now, Ken has been enjoying SpeedSF and the Challenge as it’s been a fun and supportive crowd for him to be around, especially since the time Patrick helped Ken out when Ken’s wheel bolts failed.

Final Words

Ken couldn’t wait to get back on track but before he left, he wanted to give a shout out for SpeedSF: “Join SpeedSF to be in good company whether you’re a novice or experienced driver!”

We certainly wish Ken the best as he continues to chase down faster lap times for SpeedSF Challenge glory. It’s always great to see people improving themselves while having fun with us!

SpeedSF Presents: The Heads Inside the Helmets - Feat. Seigo Ma

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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!

Meet William Wang, your trusted Wealth Advisor!

William B. Wang, AWMA®

Will Wang is a trusted wealth advisor at Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., (Member SIPC) who serves the local Bay Area market. Back in 2011-2012, Will tracked a 96 DC2 Integra frequently alongside Speed SF owner Patrick Chio, who was operating another track organization at the time. As he watched Patrick’s racing career and business grow, Will focused on growing a financial services business and client base. His goal is to have a bigger presence in the HPDE/racing community and be the advisor the track community can consult with regarding their financial futures. Additionally, since recently acquiring an Integra Type R and E36 M3, Will wants to come back and get more seat time at our future events! 

Will provides clear, relevant, and actionable advice unique to an investor’s situation. He assists with wealth management, investing, portfolio analysis, college planning, retirement, and other major life events, and welcomes clients from all backgrounds, from those just starting out to those with higher net worth. Schwab’s modern approach to wealth management focuses on transparency, value, and an emphasis on financial ownership. Will can be reached at 408-446-7974 or at William.wang@Schwab.com.

(0519-96UN)