MAXXIS TIRES SPEEDSF CHALLENGE (ROUND 6) AT WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA - JULY 2, 2021
INTRODUCTION
With temperate weather, cool cars, and 21 drivers still trying to close the gap in points and lap times, every event matters from here on out. A lot of drivers find WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to be their favorite track, so close times were bound to occur. We’re halfway through the season and the battle is definitely heating up!
CLASS S1
Quite lonely at the top for Steve Melson - double medals for him on the day! That Audi R8 is just fantastic; a 1:36.260 for his troubles! He definitely has been in tremendous form this season and we expect him to continue as we progress through the second half of the season!
CLASS S2
Not sure what’s more amazing - the gap between the drivers on the podium or the fact that Steve Melson drives his 300ZX just as fast as he does his R8! A 1:36.659 lap time sealed the deal for him; great stuff! Gary Yeung and the Dirty Mango S2000 put in a 1:39.502 lap time for a wonderful 2nd place finish, while 3rd place David Fitz-Randolph got in there with a 1:41.148 lap time behind the wheel of his GR Supra! I can only imagine David will get a whole lot faster as the season progresses!
CLASS S3
Fast car is fast! TJ Mercier showed no mercy by taking his Porsche Cayman around Laguna for a 1:41.191, though we had 2nd place Jake Montinola coming in hot with a 1:41.569 lap time behind the wheel of his 2001 Honda S2000! Great lap times set by these two drivers given this is the first Challenge appearance by both of them! Legend Brandenburg, not to be outdone, kept his lap times in the 1:41s as well by throwing down a 1:41.972 lap time for his efforts. Great close driving by everyone in this class!
CLASS S4
Ah, yes, Tony Rodriguez. All alone on the podium but only because the two other drivers decided lunch was more important than getting a medal! In any case, Tony took 1st with his 1:41.290 while sporting a not-MR2! His 2004 Honda S2000 sure is potent with him behind a wheel, though it certainly is not a surprise. In 2nd place, we have Nathan Hackman who took his S2000 around Laguna for a great 1:42.659 lap time while 3rd place driver Jason Parraga took his own S2000 to a 1:43.396 lap time!
CLASS S5
Miata class here we go! Thanks to doggo Vash for providing the pivotal emotional support, Zoe Downing was able to achieve a 1:48.364 lap time to take her to a cool 1st place finish. Tadeu Zagallo took the 2nd step on the podium thanks to a 1:49.2 lap time while Patryk Skowronski-Stec rounded out the podium in his own Miata with a 1:53.373 lap time!
CONCLUSION
Excellent work by the drivers who took their places on the podium! THANK YOU to everyone who participated! There will be many opportunities to chase podium finishes. This can be achieved with more seat time, coaching, and watching videos of how to attack the track!
Round 7 will be held at Thunderhill East on August 7th. We look forward to more close finishes among the drivers! We are expecting weather high-90 degree weather, so please be prepared and drink lots of water! We truly appreciate our sponsors and participants and we are forever thankful as all of this would not be possible without them.
Thank you especially to our sponsors Maxxis Tires, Wine Country Motorsports, Titan7 Wheels, 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!
MAXXIS TIRES SPEEDSF CHALLENGE (ROUND 5) AT BUTTONWILLOW RACEWAY - JUNE 27, 2021
INTRODUCTION
WOW was it a hot day! With temperatures hitting upwards of 106 degrees, it surely was going to be an interesting day at the track, coupled with a small group of drivers this round. Though the day started fast and ended just as fast, it was great to see some new faces on the podium! Buttonwillow is always a time for good fun!
CLASS S1
Gary Wong switched it up yet again for this round of the Challenge, this time bringing back the GR Supra and decimating the other drivers in his class thanks to a 1:52.746 lap time. Meanwhile, 2nd place podium was taken up by Kenton King in a 2016 Porsche GT4 Clubsport and a 1:54.488 for his efforts. Thomas Lee took 3rd place on the podium, though he was VERY close to getting 2nd place. However, a 1:54.654 is still good for a 2019 Porsche 718 GT4 Clubsport. More seat time = shaving down the tenths!
CLASS S2
Two drivers, two podium placers - easy peasy! It was Gary Yeung in the Dirty Mango S2000 who tore it up and just eeked by to get 1st place on the podium. A 1:53.289, literally just a gust of wind in the right direction, helped push the Mango faster over the line against 2nd place driver Kevin Schweigert who took his 2021 Supra to a 1:53.330. Mega battle between these two drivers at the top of their game!
CLASS S3
A little mistake after the fact here! At the time, it appeared Joe McGuigan was the only S3 participant on the grid so 1st place was ALL his with a 1:59.660 behind the wheel of his MR-S… HOWEVER, we had 2nd place driver Max Paolozzi join the fun. He took his 2013 Subaru over the line with a 1:59.727! Great work from Max and Joe here!
CLASS S4
Alex Shen done did it again! A 2:02.334 lap time all but guaranteed top step on the podium. He’s been putting in the work behind the wheel of his 2002 Honda S2000 and it shows! This is the 2nd time he’s won a round this season and it’s been great to see his progress improve immensely. Keep up the great work, Alex!
In a not-so-distant 2nd, Artem Rakhov’s efforts behind the wheel of his 1998 BMW M3 were rewarded thanks to a 2:02.891 lap time, a great show!
Justin Sacbibit, our 3rd place driver, threw in a 2:04.889 lap time for good measure in some kind of 2000 Honda (probably an S2000).
CLASS S5
Another winner winner chicken dinner all alone on the podium! Patryk Skowronski-Stec took his 1997 Miata around the hot asphalt of Buttonwillow and cruised to a 2:07.995 lap time, unbothered by anyone else!
CONCLUSION
Excellent work by the drivers who took their places on the podium! THANK YOU to everyone who participated on a FLAMING HOT Sunday at Buttonwillow! There will be many opportunities to chase podium finishes. This can be achieved with more seat time, coaching, and watching videos of how to attack the track!
Round 6 will be held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on July 2. We look forward to more close finishes among the drivers! It won’t be as hot as Buttonwillow, but be prepared anyways! We truly appreciate our sponsors and participants and we are forever thankful as all of this would not be possible without them.
Thank you to our sponsors Maxxis Tires, Wine Country Motorsports, Titan7 Wheels, 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!
MAXXIS TIRES SPEEDSF CHALLENGE (ROUND 4) AT SONOMA RACEWAY - JUNE 13, 2021
INTRODUCTION
HUGE turnout for this SpeedSF Challenge - perhaps nearly a month without a Challenge allowed people more time to get ready… or maybe because everyone just LOVES Sonoma Raceway! Either way, with 31 people on the grid for the Challenge, it was definitely going to be an exciting shootout!
CLASS S1
Steve Melson + Patrick Chio w/ daughter, Kayla!
Two entrants, two podium placers! Steve Melson has definitely been tearing it up with the podiums in his R8, and this time was no different. Although it was a 2nd place finish, his 1:47.908 lap time is definitely nothing to scoff at. However, SpeedSF’s own Patrick Chio tore it up in his Corvette C7, throwing down a 1:46.821 lap time - blazing fast! Can we get more challengers in this class?
CLASS S2
From left to right: Ed Susman, Kevin Schweigert, and Doug Makishima
S2 was STACKED this time around, with 10 drivers throwing their hat in the ring and seeing if they could advance themselves in the championship standings. Aside from Kevin, the usual suspects on the S2 class podium were nowhere to be found, with 3rd place Ed Susman putting in a 1:47.822 lap time while behind the wheel of a 2018 Porsche Cayman GTS while 2nd place (and USTCC favorite) Doug Makishima put in a nice 1:46.948 lap time while piloting an E46 M3. Not to be outclassed, 1st place driver Kevin Schweigert took it home with a 1:45.822, posting the fastest lap time out of everyone in the challenge. That 2021 Supra is just something else!
CLASS S3
From left to right: Seigo Ma, Tony Rodriguez, and Gary Wong
We welcome back Gary Wong’s TayTay S2000 after months of being down (though he was having fun behind the wheel of a certain GR Supra for the time being…) , and boy did he make an appearance - he certainly did not skip a beat here! Even though he took 2nd place with a 1:49.745 lap time, he was VERY close to beating out 1st place driver Tony Rodriguez who, in his 2003 MR2 Spyder, put in a 1:49.594 lap time… it was THAT close. Seigo Ma, for his efforts, took 3rd place in his Honda S2000 thanks to a 1:50.369 lap time, very much clear of 4th place Kenneth Yip (2011 BMW M3, 1:51.175). Sonoma favored the underpowered, yet nimble cars, it seems!
CLASS S4
From left to right: Jason Parraga, Nathan Hackman, Artem Rakhov
Speaking of underpowered cars, 1st place Nathan Hackman also built a good case for the Honda S2000, thanks to a great 1:54.808 lap time, setting him JUST AHEAD of 2nd place Artem Rakhov whose 1:54.838 certainly made a case for the 1998 BMW M3. That lap time was just good enough to set him ahead of 3rd place Jason Parraga whose 1:55.050 was set behind the wheel of a 2008 S2000 CR. It’s another close battle in the S4 class and we’re here for it!
CLASS S5
From left to right: Patryk Skowronski-Stec, Jay Lapid, and Wa Huong
Ah yes, the fun group - S5 is MX-5 time! The first two podium places were taken over by these unassuming Spec Miata drivers who set fast Miata-esque lap times here at Sonoma! 1st place driver Jay Lapid’s 1:58.826 put him paces ahead of 2nd place driver Wa Huong whose lap time was a respectable 1:59.296 lap time. That squeezed him ahead of Patryk Skowronski-Stec’s 1:59.631 lap time, which was enough for a 3rd place podium finish. Great stuff from our Miata drivers!
CLASS X
Edgar Lau!
Well, it certainly has been a while, Edgar! A friendly face whose taken to more wheel-to-wheel racing events, it’s still a welcome surprise to see him at our events. This time, behind the wheel of a GT4-prepped Mustang, he laid down a 1:45.280 lap time for his efforts! Since he was the only one that joined Class X for the day, he was all alone on the podium. Something tells us even with some competition, he would have still been up there on the podium steps for sure!
CONCLUSION
Excellent work by the drivers who took their places on the podium! THANK YOU to everyone who participated on this beautiful Sunday in Wine Country! There will be many opportunities to chase podium finishes. This can be achieved with more seat time, coaching, and watching videos of how to attack the track!
Round 5 will be held at Buttonwillow Raceway on June 27. We look forward to more close finishes among the drivers! It’s going to be a hot day so be ready! We truly appreciate our sponsors and participants and we are forever thankful as all of this would not be possible without them.
Thank you to our sponsors Maxxis Tires, Wine Country Motorsports, Titan7 Wheels, 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!
MAXXIS Tires SpeedSF Challenge (Round 3) at Sonoma Raceway - May 9, 2021
INTRODUCTION
Party time at Sonoma once again! A technical track for those brave enough to take on the beast at speed, it truly separates the adults from the kids. The 25 SpeedSF Challenge drivers were obviously not deterred by the warm weekend, even with highs reaching 84 degrees F. Such brave, brave souls.
CLASS S5
Small cars on a big track yielding positive results are what we like to see! Hats off to Zoe Downing taking 1st place with her NA Miata and a 2:01.938 to boot! 2nd place driver Patryk Skowronski-Stec threw his hat in the ring and went home with a 2:03.099 lap time behind the wheel of his NA for his efforts! 3rd place driver Kristopher Hitchcock barely missed out on 2nd place with his 02:03.541 lap time - still a great time nevertheless while piloting a BMW Z3 coupe!
CLASS S4
Welcome back, Alex Shen! Not a bad way to mark your return - a 1:55.749 in a 2002 Honda S2000 to take 1st place! We are expecting great things from you throughout the season! Narrowly missing out on 1st place was Artem Rakhov, taking 2nd place in his 1998 BMW M3 while putting down a 1:55.781 lap time. Definitely a close battle between the top two. Alexander Malone took 3rd place with a 1:59.668 behind the wheel of his 1998 BMW 328is, a great time as well!
CLASS S3
Tony Rodriguez is taking the kids to school yet again and showing them how it’s done. His blazingly fast 1:49.902 lap time was nothing short of impressive. It takes pure skill and a lot of seat time to wring that kind of time out of a 2003 Toyota MR2 Spyder!
Seigo Ma took 2nd place with his 1:50.214 lap time while piloting his S2000 around Sonoma while a very close Ken Yip, driving a 2011 BMW M3, took 3rd place with his 1:50.929 lap time. Another round of close battles for the S3 class!
CLASS S2
Gary Yeung took everyone else to Gapplebees in his Dirty Mango S2000 thanks to a 1:46.957 lap time, earning him the top spot (per usual). Kevin Schweigert in all his 2021 Supra glory (1:49.438) narrowly kept the 2nd place spot away from 3rd place Steven Chiu whose one-off return to the track in his E46 M3 earned him a 1:50.657 lap time!
CLASS S1
Seeing Gary Wong on the top step in S1 is a great sight and might be a common occurrence if he keeps driving that Zupra the way he has been lately! A 1:45.791 was the fastest time of the Challenge. He sure is having fun out there!
Steve Melson took 2nd place in his Audi R8 and kept it just ahead of 3rd place driver Gordon Peng and boy were the times close! Steve’s lap time was a 1:47.076 while Gordon’s lap time was a 1:47.513! Very nice job!
CONCLUSION
Excellent work by the drivers who took their places on the podium! THANK YOU to everyone who participated on this beautiful Sunday in Wine Country! Let’s continue getting this bread! There will be many opportunities to chase podium finishes. This can be achieved with more seat time, coaching, and watching videos of how to attack the track!
Round 4 will be held at Sonoma Raceway on June 13. We look forward to more close finishes among the drivers! There’s still ample opportunity to shake off those cobwebs, so get to it! We truly appreciate our sponsors and participants and we are forever thankful as all of this would not be possible without them.
Thank you to our sponsors Maxxis Tires, Wine Country Motorsports, Titan7 Wheels, 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!
MAXXIS Tires SpeedSF Challenge (Round 2, Part 2) at Thunderhill West - April 11, 2021
INTRODUCTION
Day 2 of the SpeedSF Challenge, but going the traditional direction! 21 drivers decided to take on the heat on this Sunday funday. Some of the lap times were definitely close - a joy to watch!
CLASS S5
With Zoe Downing and Patryk Skowronski coming back for another here at West, it was going to be interesting to see how well they would fare going the traditional direction. Looks like they did well considering they were fighting for the top two podium places again! Zoe took home 1st with a 1:29.886 in her Miata w/ Maxxis RC-1 tires while Patryk took 2nd in his Miata thanks to a 1:30.240 lap time! In 3rd place was Cheng Hao Yuan who drive his Miata to a 1:31.486 lap time to round out the podium in 3rd!
CLASS S4
Jason Parraga and Nathan Hackman really kept it close this time around with their lap times! Jason and his 2008 Honda S2000 CR took 1st place on the podium with a quick 1:24.329 lap time while Nathan took 2nd with a 1:24.636 lap time in a 2008 Honda S2000. The CR makes a difference, it seems, since Jason ALSO beat the previous class lap record held by Matt Belter! Matt’s lap time of a 1:24.396 was set on 10/03/2020 in a Subaru BRZ. 3rd place was secured by Richard Rozporka in his 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX, putting in a 1:28.550 lap time for his efforts!
CLASS S3
Tony Rodriguez done did it again in his 2003 Toyota MR2 spider, setting a 1st place fastboi lap time of 1:21.637 lap time, while 2nd place Joe McGuigan set a fastboi lap time of his own, doing a 1:22.950 in his MRS. Ken Yip took 3rd place on the podium thanks to his 1:23.888 lap time, decent for a 2011 BMW M3!
CLASS S2
Boy were these lap times close! While 1st place Kevin Schweigert did not surprise anyone with his 1:21.059 2021 Supra lap time, it’s bewildering to see the Dirty Mango S2000 in 2nd place, even with a 1:21.490 lap time! Does this mean Gary is due for an upgrade?! David Fitz-Randolph and his Miata aren’t far behind either as the 1:21.756 lap time is telling of how much he has improved and how far he’s come. He will be giving Dirty Mango a run for his money as we progress through the season!
CLASS S1
Per usual, it was Steve Melson blowing away the competition in his 2014 Audi R8, although a 1:20.371 is some serious stuff! 2nd place was taken by Gary Wong in a Loaner Supra, putting in.a 1:21.622 for his efforts! It’s so easy to look fast in that car for sure! Gordon Peng rounded out 3rd place on the podium with his 1:21.900 lap time, a testament to the C6 motor thrown into his C5!
CONCLUSION
Excellent work by the drivers who took their places on the podium! THANK YOU to everyone who participated on this hot Sunday! Brush off that rust! There will be many opportunities to chase podium finishes. This can be achieved with more seat time, coaching, and watching videos of how to attack the track!
Round 3 will be held at Sonoma Raceway on May 9 and we look forward to more close finishes among the drivers! There’s still ample opportunity to shake off those cobwebs! We truly appreciate our sponsors and participants and we are forever thankful as all of this would not be possible without them!
Thank you to our sponsors Maxxis Tires, Wine Country Motorsports, Titan7 Wheels, 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!
MAXXIS Tires SpeedSF Challenge (Round 2, Part 1) at Thunderhill West CW - April 10, 2021
INTRODUCTION
Back at it again! After a month off from any Challenge events, we restarted the competition with a double-header weekend at Thunderhill West. The weekend began with a clockwise configuration run; a crazy way to shake off the rust! The S2 class Challenge record was completely obliterated while the S5 class Challenge record was just barely beat in a similar chassis. Great driving from our participants today!
CLASS S5
The Miata class. 1st place driver Scott Smith showed you can still eke out time in a Miata and his 1:28.917 lap time showed it in his S5 Spec Miata. This also beat the previous S5 track record set by Mia Yeung’s Miata lap time of 1:29.050 set back on March 15, 2020. The 2nd place spot was taken by Zoe Downing in her Miata thanks to a 1:29.837 lap time while running the Maxxis RC-1 tires. Patryk Skowronksi put down a 1:30.584 lap time in his own Miata! Good job to our S5 class! Zoe is getting increasingly faster, well done!
CLASS S4
3 entrants and 3 podium placers! Math! We had two S2000s take the first two places while a WRX rounded out the podium. Jason Parraga took home 1st place in his 2008 S2000 CR - a 1:24.133 lap time certainly helps, especially with 2nd place Nathan Hackman putting down a very close 1:24.760 lap time in his own 2008 S2000. In 3rd place we have the 2002 WRX belonging to Richard Rozporka who earned his spot with a 1:28.397 lap time. Richard’s WRX has really come in since last year; it’s good to see you back!
CLASS S3
Whether it is experience, skill, stones, or all three, the pace gaps between the drivers were 1 second or greater. Tony Rodriguez carried over his domination from last year’s season into another 1st place finish, showcasing a 1:21.034 lap time in his 2003 Toyota MR2 Spyder, while the 2nd place spot was taken by Gary Wong and his TayTay S2000’s 1:22.084 lap time. Ken Yip took 3rd place with his 1:23.204 lap time while behind the wheel of his 2011 BMW M3. Great driving as always from the top 3! We look forward to seeing if the gap closes at the longer tracks, especially upcoming at Sonoma!
CLASS S2
Kevin Schweigert woke up and chose violence on this day, putting in a 1:20.653 lap time while piloting a 2021 Toyota Supra. This lap time obliterated the class lap record of 1:23.808 set by Steve Chi in his E92 M3. David Fitz-Randolph took 2nd place in his Miata thanks to a 1:21.179 lap time while 3rd place was taken up by Steve Melson in his 1991 Nissan 300ZX with a 1:22.960 lap time! It is amazing that the ole’ Z car is nimble and reliable enough to be this competitive! This class is going to be an interesting watch as we progress through the season.
CLASS S1
1st place driver Steve Melson officially set the first lap record for the S1 Class: a 1:20.216 in his 2014 Audi R8, a high bar for anyone else looking to enter the S1 fray. Maybe it’s Steve’s seat time or his recent advanced coaching, but he has really turned up the wick on the rest of the field! Gordon Peng returned to action in a pumped up version of his 2002 Chevrolet C5 Corvette Z06 with a motor transplant earning 2nd place with a 1:23.274 lap time. To his credit, it’s been a while since he last drove and his first time driving the CW configuration - not bad for a CW rookie! Let’s see if Gordon can take the battle to Steve throughout the season.
CONCLUSION
Excellent work by the drivers who took their places on the podium! THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the opening day for Round 2 on this warm Saturday, especially in this CW configuration. Brush off that rust! There will be many opportunities to chase podium finishes. This can be achieved with more seat time, coaching, and watching videos of how to attack the track!
Round 3 will be held at Sonoma Raceway on May 9 and we look forward to more close finishes among the drivers! There’s still ample opportunity to shake off those cobwebs! We truly appreciate our sponsors and participants and we are forever thankful as all of this would not be possible without them!
Thank you to our sponsors Maxxis Tires, Wine Country Motorsports, Titan7 Wheels, 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!
SPEEDSF CHALLENGE - FEBRUARY 28, 2021 - ROUND 1 @ WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA
INTRODUCTION
Welcome back to WeatherTech Laguna Seca! The break between SpeedSF seasons felt like an especially long one - but we wait no longer! 13 brave drivers shook off the cobwebs and decided to try their hand at starting the 2021 SpeedSF Challenge season strong, and they did not disappoint!
Class S1
German engineering superiority reigned supreme here - distant cousins faced off and ended with favorable results! Kenton King drove the Porsche 981 GT4 Clubsport to a 1st place podium finish thanks to a 1:36.621 lap time. This separated Kenton and 2nd place podium placer, Steve Melson, by a mere .146 seconds. Keep in mind Steve’s 2014 Audi R8 is not a purebred racecar which makes deserves a round of applause in it of itself!
Class S2
In a very interesting and close finish, the podium placers were all within tenths of each other! 1st place driver, David Fitz-Randolph, showed the might of the NA Miata with a great 1:37.067 lap time while 2nd place driver Paul Whiting was not far behind in his Porsche 718 GT4 thanks to a 1:37.162 lap time! Meanwhile, it seems as though the Dirty Mango S2000 might have lost some of its juices! A 1:37.660 was all it could muster… perhaps an off-day?
Class S3
Leave it to Gary Wong in the 2004 Honda S2000 however to reclaim the mantle thanks to a 1st place finish, dominating the class with his 1:40.060! This isn’t surprising since he set his new PB the day before at Laguna - a 1:38.9! Round of applause for Gary, who has definitely been on a tear with his great form as of late. David Rahemi’s 1:48.770 allowed him to take 2nd place in the 986 Spec Boxster - a respectable showing as well!
Class S4
Seems like this turned into a Spec S2000 class, which also meant lap times were very close to each other! Jason Parraga took 1st place in his 2008 S2000 CR thanks to convincing 1:42.063 lap time, while Nathan Hackman took 2nd place in his 2008 S2000 with a very close 1:42.493 lap time! In 3rd place was Tianheng Chen, whose 1:44.593 lap time in his 2003 S2000 secured his spot far ahead of the 4th place S2000 belonging to Jason Levine. Great driving by all with similar chassis! It really goes to show driver mod is really the best mod.
Class S5
Easy to podium if you’re the only driver in this class, right? Nevertheless, a 1:49.896 lap time is great for an NA Miata! Hats off to you, Zoe Downing!
CONCLUSION
Excellent work by the drivers who took their places on the podium! THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the opening SpeedSF Challenge on a pleasant Sunday. Brush off that rust! There will be many opportunities to chase podium finishes. This can be achieved with more seat time, coaching, and watching videos of how to attack the track!
Rounds 2 and 3 will be here soon! Our next SpeedSF Challenges will be a double-header hosted at Thunderhill Raceway on April 10 (clockwise configuration) and April 11 (counter-clockwise configuration). There’s still ample opportunity to shake off those cobwebs! We truly appreciate our sponsors and participants and we are forever thankful as all of this would not be possible without them!
Thank you to our sponsors Wine Country Motorsports, Titan7 Wheels, Maxxis Tires, 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!
2020 SpeedSF Challenge Season Recap
2020 - good, bad, best, worst, terrible, great - so many words can describe the year it was, but what is undeniable is the need for speed could not be taken away from our dedicated drivers! The number of broken (and re-broken) class lap records across multiple classes and tracks made that very clear.
Thanks to a multitude of SpeedSF events happening throughout 2020, the chances were definitely there to rack up the points and solidify one’s placement in the SpeedSF Challenge standings! Below are the 2020 season podium placers. Those who did not participate in at least 4 events throughout the season did not qualify for the season podium.
Group S1
Steve Melson in an Audi R8 and Gordon Peng in a Corvette C5 Z06. Who would have thought it would be this close? Steve took 1st place with 135 points and 3 Challenge wins while Gordon took 2nd place with 131 points and 2 wins - wild.
Group S2
Gary Yeung and the Dirty Mango S2000 did it again! The duo ran away with 1st place thanks to a 175-point showing for the season along with 7 Challenge wins, while Steve Melson got away with 144 points and 3 wins for a 2nd place overall finish for the season while also being behind the wheel of a Nissan 300ZX.
While on his SpeedSF Challenge farewell tour, Steve Chi took 3rd place overall in this group with 103 points and 2 wins thanks to some proper driving in his BMW E92 M3.
Special mentions:
Thomas Huber, for two 2nd and two 3rd place finishes
Melody C, for one 3rd place finish and two 4th place finishes.
Group S3
Another showing of dominance here with Kevin Schweigert taking home 1st place in the first 9 Challenges of the season. BRZ, Supra, whichever, he drove it like he stole it, and the 225 points showed. 2nd place belonged without question to Gary Wong with the TayTay S2000 thanks to achieving 199 points for the season.
David Fitz-Randolph was sitting comfortably in 3rd place with his 164 points driving a no-nonsense boosted NA Miata in anger.
This class was by far the most stacked of the Groups, with mere tenths separating 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in multiple Challenges.
Special mentions:
Ken Yip, for getting close to coming in 3rd with consistent performance but missed too many events
Matt Ales, for beating our regulars with a 1st place finish. Please come to more events!
Sean Yepez, for beating our regulars at his only event of the year
John Lee, for a 3rd place finish at his only event of the year
Group S4
Track Dad Matt Belter dominates once again in his Subaru BTZ and reigns supreme! 222 points and 5 wins for the 2020 season is impressive. No longer a rookie, he comfortably beat out 2nd place S2000 driver Sohan Kota’s 3 wins and 130 points by a wide margin.
Luckily, 3rd place S2000 driver Jason Parraga was not a threat to Sohan thanks to his 83 points and 2 wins for the season, though that kept him just 4 points ahead of the S2000/Sexy Natasha duo in 4th place.
Special mentions:
Jeremy Yeung, for a 2nd and a 4th place finish
Gabriel Rothman, for a 1st and 2nd place finish at the only two events he joined this season
Richard Rozporka for a 2nd place finish in his WRX
Billy Yang for a win his only event.
Group S5
7 wins and 175 points and S5 domination - not bad for a newcomer driving a once-unloved-by-the-masses chassis. Pretty sure along with Joe McGuigan, the MRS/MR2 platform became cool again and shows it reigns supreme over the Miata in the S5 class. Thanks, Tony Rodriguez!
Zoe Downing, not to be shown up by a mid-engined Toyota, put on quite a season-long showing in her NA Miata. With 2 wins and 166 points, she was certainly a threat to Tony’s 2020 maiden Challenge campaign. Consistency was crucial for Zoe’s 2nd place overall performance, so major props to her!
Special mentions:
Kona for a few good finishes in his Miata
Mike Jensen, Joseph Nagy, Alex Cao, Daniel Doer, and Matt Winstanley for their 2nd place finishes at their only respective events of the year
Looking forward to the 2021 Challenge season!
Rd 1 - 02/28 WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Rd 2 - 04/10 & 4/11 Thunderhill West CW &CCW
Rd 3 - 05/09 Sonoma Raceway
Rd 4 - 06/13 Sonoma Raceway
Rd 5 - 06/27 Buttonwillow Raceway CW13
Rd 5 - 07/02 WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Rd 6 - 08/07 Thunderhill East 3 miles
Rd 7 - 09/04 Thunderhill 5 miles
Rd 8 - 10/03-10/04 Thunderhill West CW & CCW
Rd 9 - 11/28 WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Rd 10 - 12/11 Thunderhill East Cyclone
Rd 11 - 12/12 Thunderhill East Bypass
Thank you to everyone for a great 2020 season! As we’ve said before, driver mods are the best mods. Seat time guarantees faster lap times more than just modifications (though they do help!)
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!
SpeedSF Presents: The Heads Inside the Helmets with Jovan Fiel
Jovan’s car life has been an interesting one. Back in the day, Jovan found himself on the track with a 1991 Miata doing all kinds of hooning, until one day the NA’s motor blew up no thanks to crank walk. Taking a hiatus, Jovan drove boring cars while his day job consisted of playing with Porsches.
Jovan’s car life has been an interesting one. Back in the day, Jovan found himself on the track with a 1991 Miata doing all kinds of hooning, until one day the NA’s motor blew up no thanks to crank walk. Taking a hiatus, Jovan drove boring cars while his day job consisted of playing with Porsches. In December 2019, Jovan found himself behind yet another Miata, this time a track-ready 2001 NB Miata with fresh Hankook RS4s and just-broken-in brake pads (G-LOC R10 fronts and R8 rears). He went to Thunderhill West and had a blast. This soon became his favorite track because of how fun the track is overall along with Thunderhill West being the NB’s maiden track voyage.
Since March of this year, Jovan has been tracking with SpeedSF and other organizations non-stop. A three-day event at Laguna? Why not, let’s go for it! His personal best was a 1:53; very good for a first timer! While no big upgrades are in the works just yet, his future ambitions for the car include a Hotside MP62 supercharger, all-flat undertray and mild aero along with, of course, focus on the driver mod (aka lots and lots of seat time).
“All of my homies drive with SpeedSF, so I like to come here. The event runs smoothly, people generally know which run groups they belong in results in less traffic. Definitely, egos are at a minimum.”
Hope to see Jovan at our future events!
SPEEDSF CHALLENGE - NOVEMBER 27 - ROUND 10 @ BUTTONWILLOW RACEWAY
INTRODUCTION
Our famous Black Friday event still lives on even during this dumpster fire year of 2020. Seems like some drivers are afraid of the SpeedSF Challenge at this track as much as they’re scared of taking home some fine Buttonwillow dirt, for only 15 drivers decided to take on the Challenge and prove just how fast they can navigate this motorsport oasis.
CLASS S1
Gordon Peng went solo this round but managed to claim the fastest time out of the entire Challenge group with his 1:52.314 lap time. That C5 Z06 of his has some magic for sure!
CLASS S2
Gary Yeung took 1st and only place in the Fast and Dirty Mango, posting a 1:53.495 lap time JUST BARELY beating the S2 class lap record at BW by .004 of a second when Ken Xu threw the hammer down in his RX-7 FD back in June of 2019. A lucky gust of wind blew Gary Yeung over the line, for sure! Great job on the new class lap record - standard fare, really.
CLASS S3
Finally, more than 1 driver in this class! With a whopping 5 drivers, for S3, we were able to see some diversity (yay!) in lap times and car selection. David Fitz-Randolph took home 1st place while beating the previous class lap record of 1:55.093 previously set by Randy Chen who drove a Honda S2000 back in June 2019. David’s time of a 1:53.962, is a record that may stand for quite a long time!
in 2nd place, Gary Wong in the 2004 Honda STayThousand put down a 1:55.423, putting him firmly ahead of 3rd place driver John Lee and his E36 M3. For John’s efforts, he put in a 1:56.521 lap time which is also a very nice pace!
CLASS S4
No record-breaking times here but still valiant efforts displayed by all three drivers in this 4-challenge lineup. Billy Jang took home 1st place by driving his Honda S2000 to a 2:00.255 lap time, while 2nd place was taken home by Christopher Anderson who put in a 2:01.529 lap time. 3rd place driver channeled his inner Senna by putting in a 2:07.581 while driving a bone-stock 2017 Subaru BRZ. Great driving by all three participants!
CLASS S5
MR2s are definitely the better Miata, as demonstrated by 1st place podium placer Tony Rodriguez who drove the MR2 to a 2:01.05 lap time and beat King Tang’s previous class lap record in an NA Miata, a record that had stood since November 2019. Awesome driving!
2nd place was taken home by a Miata owner-turned-Civic owner, cashing in on a 2:04.932 lap time while sitting behind the wheel of his EG Civic hatch (faster than he ever drove in his Miata around Buttonwillow, might we add), while 3rd place was taken home firmly by Zoe Downing, who was in no way challenged at all by 4th place driver Zeeshan Khan who only shows up to the Black Friday events.
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 on a pleasant Sunday. 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!
Rounds 11 and 12 will be here soon! Our next SpeedSF Challenge will be a double-header hosted at Thunderhill Raceway (East) on December 12th and 13th! Round 11 will be on the Cyclone configuration while Round 12 will be on the Bypass configuration. It’s going to be a great weekend to cap off the SpeedSF Challenge season. We truly appreciate our sponsors and participants and we are forever thankful as all of this 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!
SPEEDSF CHALLENGE - NOVEMBER 8 - ROUND 9 @ SONOMA RACEWAY
The SpeedSF Challenge circus continued on back at Sonoma Raceway to host its 9th round in this crowd-favorite track. With 26 wonderful drivers taking to the track hoping for Challenge glory, it was bound to be an exciting session for all!
INTRODUCTION
The SpeedSF Challenge circus continued on back at Sonoma Raceway to host its 9th round in this crowd-favorite track. With 26 wonderful drivers taking to the track hoping for Challenge glory, it was bound to be an exciting session for all!
CLASS S1
Easy to podium with only three drivers in the mix, though a surprising result with Gordon Peng’s 2002 C5 Z06 taking the top of the podium with a 1:46.663 lap time, while Ravi Gattamaraju’s 2016 Subaru BRZ took him to a 2nd place finish thanks to a 1:46.731 lap time. Steve Melson’s 3rd place finish in his 2014 Audi R8 was thanks to a 1:47.463 lap time, though we expect him to be even faster the next time we visit Sonoma!
CLASS S2
With 7 drivers in S2, it was bound to get a bit more competitive. The tried and true Dirty Mango S2000 took its spot on the top podium thanks to the class S2 record-beating 1:46.463 lap time originally set by George Kibilov’s previous 1:48.366 record lap time in his E46 M3. This time, George Kibilov kept it close with a 1:47.161 lap time in his E46 M3 and took 2nd place, also beating his previous record-setting lap time for this class at Sonoma Raceway. Rounding out 3rd on the podium was Jacek DTM in some unknown vehicle putting in a 1:49.793 lap time. Very good driving from this group too!
CLASS S3
Sean Yepez’s 1st place podium finishing lap time of 1:45.774 was the fastest lap time out of everyone in the challenge thanks to his crazy 2007 Lotus Exige S, breaking the previous class S3 lap record of 1:47.597 also set by Sean here at Sonoma Raceway. David Fitz-Randolph took a joyride of his own around the track in his 1995 Mazda Miata and put down a 1:46.428 lap time, keeping him firmly in 2nd place ahead of 3rd place podium placer Gary Wong, whose own adventure around Sonoma earned him a 1:47.914 lap time. Good job for the close lap times here, gentlemen!
CLASS S4
Absolutely destroying the competition here, Gabriel Rothman’s 1st place finish in his 2003 Honda S2000 was due in part to his 1:53.481 lap time, while 2nd place podium placer Richard Rozporka put in a 1:57.353 lap time in his 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX and was in no danger keeping ahead of 3rd place podium placer Casey Cummings whose 1999 Honda Civic SI threw down a 2:01.295 lap time for his efforts.
CLASS S5
Genuinely expected a proliferation of MR2s to encroach upon the Miata’s territory, but there was only 1 that showed up: Tony Rodriguez in a 2003 MR2 Spyder. He not only took home 1st place, but he obliterated King Tang’s class lap record of 1:57.012 by putting in a 1:55.540 lap time. Awesome result for Tony who has had a stellar season thus far. 2nd place was taken home by Joseph Nagy in a 1991 BMW 325is thanks to a 1:57.128 lap time while Joe Kou came in 3rd place in his 1991 Mazda Miata, putting in a 1:57.717 lap time. Round of applause to the S5 hustlers!
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 on a pleasant Sunday. 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 10 will be here soon! Our next SpeedSF Challenge will be hosted at Buttonwillow Raceway during our annual Black Friday event on November 27th, 2020. Rest up and enjoy your Thanksgiving the night before. We truly appreciate our sponsors and participants and we are forever thankful as all of this 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!
SPEEDSF CHALLENGE - OCTOBER 3, 2020 - ROUND 8 @ THUNDERHILL WEST
INTRODUCTION
This past Saturday, SpeedSF welcomed 26 track warriors who decided to take part in the SpeedSF Challenge shenanigans at Thunderhill Raceway despite the inland California October heat and ashy air, and it was quite a shootout!
CLASS S1
Class S1 has either thinned the herd or everyone has decided to play in the lower classes for good! 2 entrants were featured for this class: 2nd place finisher Gordon Peng and his 2002 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and Gordon’s achilles heel, 1st place finisher Steve Melson behind the wheel of a 2014 Audi R8. Despite the power difference, however, Gordon did a great job squeezing every bit of power out of the Corvette 12 years the senior of Steve’s R8. While Gordon put down a 1:21.797 lap time, Steve threw in a 1:21.188 lap time. Not a bad time delta here!
CLASS S2
Joining the fray were 5 willing drivers ready to accept their fate in S2. The Dirty Mango S2000 once again took 1st place home with a quick 1:22.081 lap time while a NICEBMW Supra driven by Neal Wiebmer took home 2nd place thanks to a 1:22.972 lap time. In 3rd place was Steve Melson in his 1991 Nissan 300ZX. That car is truly “built different” as it put down a 1:24.231 lap time earlier in the day. Needless to say, Steve didn’t need to run the Challenge session as that lap time was simply good enough and the podium place was not threatened.
CLASS S3
Kevin “The King” Schweigert showed no mercy to the other 6 entrants in this class: a 1:20.113 sealed the deal for Kevin’s top podium step AND new class lap record, beating out Patrick Chio’s BMW M3 record in September 2019 of a 1:21.954 lap time. 2nd place driver Gary Wong did his utmost best to squeeze out a 1:21.756 lap time. This barely put him ahead of 3rd place David Fitz-Randolph’s NA Miata as he threw down a 1:21.957 lap time. A close battle here for 2nd and 3rd podium places and it could have gotten either way given the margin. Excellent driving by Gary for staying just ahead of David and a good job to everyone in this class.
CLASS S4
Track dad Matt Belter done did it again, getting on the top step of the podium with a 1:24.396 lap time while BARELY breaking Sohan Kota’s 1:24.538 lap time set in his S2000 back on October 7, 2018! Gabriel Rothman took 2nd place in his 2003 Honda S2000 thanks to a 1:25.302 lap time while 3rd place podium placer Terrence Taylor-Weber put down a 1:27.016 lap time in his 2013 Scion FR-S. Round of applause to Matt for seemingly getting faster every time he gets out on the track AND etching his name in the Challenge digital record books.
CLASS S5
Tony Rodriguez, in true 2020 dominating fashion, broke the class lap record for Thunderhill West by nearly a full 2 seconds! Nate Hackman’s lap time in February 2016 was a 1:27.116 lap time set in his BMW E30. Tony, for all his MBZ-powered efforts, put in a 1:25.228 fast lap time. Crazy good driving! Meanwhile, 2nd podium place finisher Zoe Downing’s 1:32.125 put she and the NA Miata firmly ahead of Mike Jensen’s NB Miata lap time of 1:33.927. Hats off to Tony’s amazing Challenge season thus far! *Waiting for the MR2s to take over S5*
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 on a hot and ashy Saturday! 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 Sonoma Raceway on November 8th, 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!
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!
SPEEDSF CHALLENGE - AUGUST 23, 2020 - ROUND 6 @ WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA
INTRODUCTION
Imagine a SpeedSF weekend that’s almost like a Formula 1 weekend: 2 practice sessions on Friday, 1 practice session + 1 qualifying session on Saturday, and the main event on Sunday. That’d be crazy right?
Whelp, a 3-day weekend capped off with Sunday’s SpeedSF Challenge was sorta like that! 3 full solid days at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca warmed up some of these happy drivers for the big day, driving lap after lap around the famed racetrack in time for some clean Sunday laps.
23 drivers took to the stage on this fine smokey Sunday. “Mercedes-Benz” (Tony Rodriguez) led the way in S5 with a fast lap over 3 seconds faster than the closest competitor, while other classes featured some broken class records!
CLASS S1
Two big boys with lots of power! Gordon Peng in his Corvette C5 Z06 and Steve Melson in his 2014 Audi R8. Steve took home 1st place with his 1:37.924 lap time while Gordon took 2nd place with a not-so-far-off 1:38.096 lap time. Great performance from both drivers!
Class S2
3 drivers, 3 podium placers! Gary Yeung brought back the Dirty Mango S2000 and took 1st place thanks to a great 1:38.893 lap time, while Thomas Huber in a 2020 BMW M2 took 2nd place with a cool 1:40.554 lap time. In 3rd place, we have Thomas Mak in his Tesla Model 3 who threw down a 1:42.947 lap time. All-in-all, not a bad time out for this group!
Class S3
A hotly-contested group full of fast bois, it seems as though the lap times in this group are encroaching upon and are even faster than the current lap times of the drivers in Class S2! Kevin Schweigert took 1st place with a staggering 1:36.432 lap time in his 2015 Subaru BRZ. While his time didn’t beat his previous best lap time (not too far off), he is still the proud record-holder for this group at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca!
2nd place driver David Fitz-Randolph piloted a 1995 Mazda Miata and is getting very close to Kevin’s time, however, and with a 1:37.399 lap time, he’s fixing to beat it sometime soon! It will definitely be a clash of the titans as the season progresses.
Jeff Tam took his M3 around the track for some cleanup duty and posted a 1:40.466 lap time. This barely edged him over 4th place driver Neal Wiebmer’s lap time of 1:40.485 — a difference of only 0.019 seconds! Great driving in this group!
Class S4
Track Dad Matt Belter exceeded all expectations yet again and he just seems to be getting better and better with every track day. He not only placed 1st in S4 with a 1:41.971 lap time while behind the wheel of his 2017 Subaru BRZ, but he broke the class lap record for this track! An old record has finally fallen: Scott Smith’s Miata lap time of 1:42.504 set back on August 4, 2016. Great driving here, Matt!
2nd place driver Sohan Kota took his place on the podium with his 1:45.193 in his 2000 Honda S2000 while 3rd place driver TH Chen put down a 1:47.650 lap time for his efforts on the track. Another excellent showing from our S4 drivers!
Class S5
The speed in Tony Rodriguez’s car must be due to the red vinyl, right? Pre-vinyl, his old record at Laguna Seca was 1:46.685 back in July earlier this year. However, he now out-did himself with an even faster lap time: 1:45.205, with both times set in his 2003 Toyota MR2 Spyder. Great to see the MR2 out there being driven by anyone, even greater to see it driven in anger like this!
Speaking of which, another wonderful driver by the name of Joe McGuigan drove an MR2 in anger too! His 1:48.744 lap time put him squarely in 2nd place and he will just get even faster as the season goes on. Watch Class S5, goodbye Miata bois, and hello MR2 men!
Oh, our apologies, there is ONE Miata still commanding a respectable time: 3rd place driver Zoe Downing put down a 1:50.090 lap time in her NA Miata, but maybe an MR2 might be in her future if Tony and Joe continue to dominate this class!
Class X
Fast boi part of one! David Colbert lit up the track with his 1:33.658 lap time in his 1980 Lola T540 D Sports Racer, per usual course of business! Gotta love the purebred race cars!
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! 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 7 will be here soon! Our next SpeedSF Challenge will be hosted at Thunderhill Raceway (East) on September 6th, 2020. 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!
SPEEDSF CHALLENGE - JULY 5, 2020 - ROUND 5 @ WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA
Class Miata at it again AND a broken class lap record set by a not-Miata! Fresh boi on the scene, Tony Rodriguez took that 2003 Toyota MR2 Spyder for a graceful 1:46.685 lap time straight into 1st place, while Joe Kou in his 1991 Mazda Miata took 2nd with his 1:48.737 lap time. 3rd place was cemented by Eduardo Li thanks to a 1:48.740 lap time in a 1991 Mazda Miata, .003 of a second away from 2nd! A gust of wind in the right direction could have definitely helped in this instance!
INTRODUCTION
There were many smiling faces hidden behind the required masks, but there was no doubt everyone was happy to be back at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca for our Sunday track event and the SpeedSF Challenge!
CLASS S1
Bunch of fast bois in this class with big wings and big power, no surprise here! This class featured 3 drivers with different choice of weaponry, beginning with Jeff Han who drove the wheels off his 2016 Porsche 911 GT3RS with a 1:36.565 lap time and took home 1st place, while Ravi Gattamaraju took home 2nd place with a 1:37.311 lap time in his 2013 Subaru BRZ. In 3rd place, we have Gorgeous Peng who drove his tried and true 2002 Corvette Z06 to a 1:38.778 lap time! Great driving!
CLASS S2
A rather great result from this class, featuring 4 drivers and a new class lap record! Fan-favorite Gary Yeung and the Dirty Mango S2000 last set a lap time of a 1:37.790 at Laguna Seca but it was broken by 1st place driver Chris Mayfield this time around who sported a 2011 BMW M3 and a new fancy lap time of 1:37.388! It’s always wonderful to see results like this. 2nd place driver Steve Chi enjoyed a 1:39.489 lap time while cruising around in his 2010 BMW M3 while 3rd place finisher Thomas Huber put down a 1:39.978 lap time in his 2017 Porsche 911. Congrats to Chris for holding the current S2 Laguna lap record!
CLASS S3
S3 drivers easily dipping into the 1:30s? Seems like we need new rules for next year. Crazy! Out of the 7 drivers in this class, Kevin Schweigert managed to throw in an astounding 1:36.092 lap time in his 2015 Subaru BRZ AND break the previous class lap time of 1:38.561 by Sean Yepez in his Lotus Exige. 2nd place driver and all-around good guy Gary Wong put down a 1:40.450 while 3rd place driver and almost-regular Jeff Tam put down a 1:41.769 lap time in his BMW E46 M3.
CLASS S4
6 drivers decided to take up the challenge for this class, and boy it was close in the top 3. While Matt “Track Dad” Belter took home 1st place with his 1:44.739 lap time while piloting a 2017 Subaru BRZ, 2nd place Sohan Kota, driving a 2000 Honda S2000 barely edged out 3rd place driver Jason Levine who was also driving a Honda S2000, albeit the model year being a year younger. With Kota’s 1:48.063 against Levine’s 1:48.142, .079 of a second made all of the difference!
CLASS S5
Class Miata at it again AND a broken class lap record set by a not-Miata! Fresh boi on the scene, Tony Rodriguez took that 2003 Toyota MR2 Spyder for a graceful 1:46.685 lap time straight into 1st place, while Joe Kou in his 1991 Mazda Miata took 2nd with his 1:48.737 lap time. 3rd place was cemented by Eduardo Li thanks to a 1:48.740 lap time in a 1991 Mazda Miata, .003 of a second away from 2nd! A gust of wind in the right direction could have definitely helped in this instance!
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! 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 6 will be here soon! Our next SpeedSF Challenge will be hosted at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on August 23rd, 2020. 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!
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
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.
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!
SPEEDSF CHALLENGE - MARCH 15, 2020 - ROUND 2 @ THUNDERHILL WEST
West is Best! Our first time back at Thunderhill West for the first time since last season did not disappoint. This SpeedSF Challenge featured CCW levels of action and everyone enjoyed it! Some said it flowed better while others maintained the same lap time they’ve had going in the CW direction. 16 drivers were able to enjoy the refreshing change and they were rewarded for it!
CLASS S2
3 drivers, 3 podiums, with 2nd and 3rd place separated by .7 seconds! Steve Chi in his E92 BMW M3 took home 1st place with a lap time of 01:23.808 while Jimmy Mkude took home 2nd place thanks to a 01:24.153 lap time piloting his Ford Mustang Shelby GT350. Freshly out of retirement (again), Steven Chiu brought back 2004 BMW M3 and took home 3rd place. Will he stick around this season? Who knows.
Class S3
It’s so adorable when the S3 guys are faster than the S2 guys. Not by a little, but by a lot.
A magical 01:20.950 was laid down by 1st place driver Kevin Schweigert in his 2015 Subaru BRZ while 2nd place was taken home by Gary Wong in the TayTay 2004 Honda S2000 due to a quick 01:21.136 lap time. 3rd place, debuting the magical DIY green wrap on his 2007 Honda S2000, was Seigo Ma, who took 3rd place with his 01:22.695 lap time. Is green a fast color? Only he knows!
Class S4
Sohan! You’re back from retirement too! Awfully nice seeing you and your S2000 back on track. That 01:23.630 lap time was great enough to get you into 1st place and fending off 2nd place’s David Fitz-Randolph with his 01:24.450 Miata lap time! As for you Ga—Natasha Yeung, oh how the mighty have fallen. 3rd place and .2 seconds off of David’s pace? Not a shabby 01:24.680 but like, you know, you’re in an S2000!
CLASS S5
Not satisfied with his S4 run, Gary “Mia” Yeung went into S5 in a Miata (since he got beat by one) and regained dominance again. 1st place saw him with a 01:29.050 lap time while 2nd place Matthew Winstanley put down a 01:32.112 lap time, barely keeping ahead of 3rd place’s Peter Castaneda who drove a 2012 Mazda CX-5 in anger and managed to get a 01:32.224 lap time.
CONCLUSION
Excellent work by our drivers who won their places and THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the SpeedSF Challenge! For those who are still chasing podium finishes, more seat time, coaching, and watching videos of the track will certainly get you there!
Round 4 will be here soon! Our next SpeedSF Challenge will be hosted at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on April 19, 2020. We truly appreciate our sponsors and participants as it would not be possible without them!
Thank you to 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!
SPEEDSF CHALLENGE - FEBRUARY 23, 2020 - ROUND 1, PT. 2 @ THUNDERHILL RACEWAY
Round 2, Day 2 of the Thunderhill East double-header. A rather cloudy day up until mid-afternoon, temps were kind to our drivers which allowed them to get the most out of their tires without overheating! 20 brave souls entered the fray for this Bypass configuration, which resulted in a 3-month old S3 lap record to be broken!
Introduction
Round 2, Day 2 of the Thunderhill East double-header. A rather cloudy day up until mid-afternoon, temps were kind to our drivers which allowed them to get the most out of their tires without overheating! 20 brave souls entered the fray for this Bypass configuration, which resulted in a 3-month old S3 lap record to be broken!
Class S1
Anthony came to play again in his E46 M3, and it showed. He beat out 2nd place Scott Smith’s Porsche 911 GT3 by nearly 2 seconds on his fast lap. Anthony’s lap time was a 01:53.354 while Scott put down a respectable 01:55.112 lap time. Respectable times, gentlemen!
Class S2
Looks like 1st place Steve Melson had some competition this time around! His 01:59.423 lap time in the 300ZX still fast enough to stave off 2nd place hotshot Svilen Kanev who brought out the colorful 2018 BMW M240i and put down a 02:04.788 lap time for his efforts. 3rd place wonder Shawn Thomas took home 3rd place thanks to a 02:07.682 lap time in his 370Z.
Class S3
Okay so get this: two supercharged FRS/BRZ bois and a BMW M3 play around in Class S3 right? All 3 of them got to podium since Gary Wong wasn’t around this time to punt them off the platform! *Wishes Gary shows up soon*
01:53.358 - the magic lap time that put Kevin Schweigert in 1st place, breaking his previous S3 lap record (1:56.902) on the Baypass configuration! Congrats!
2nd place went to a definitely slower 2011 BMW M3 belonging to Ken Yip, who looks faster than he is. A 01:57.162? Paltry.
In 3rd place, we have fast boi Neal Wiebmer who brought out his 2013 Scion FRS to get a 01:58.741 solidly beating out Joe McGuigan by nearly 3 seconds!
Class S4
TRACK DAD! WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU! 1st place in your 2017 Subaru BRZ and a 02:01.714 lap time! You beat out Gary Yeung in his Sexy Natasha S200 by over a tenth of a second. What a glorious day :). Be proud of the 02:01.714 lap time!
Gary, while your 02:01.876 lap time may be fast, it certainly was not Track Dad fast. Perhaps next time yeah?
3rd place belongs to David Fitz-Randolph whose 02:04.680 lap time was enough to put him ahead of 4th place’s Jeremy Yeung who brought out a 2018 Subaru (probably an STI) to play with us!
Class S5
A Mia, a Muffy, and a non-existent Chris Lee were the talk of the town during this heated S5 battle! Miata bois are the best bois, and did they put on a show!
Mia Yeung, who piloted Florenza’s Miata again, took home 1st place with a blistering 02:07.031 lap time while Muffy, who fell down to 2nd by being JUST 0.039 seconds slower than Mia! That’s rough, Muffy Too Tuff!
Chris Lee, who absolutely refuses to show up for the S5 podium (probably learned that from King Tang) took home 3rd place with his 02:09.695 lap time!
Class X
Neck lookin’ kinda heavy there, Anthony! Congrats on the 01:51.727 lap time in your 2017 Shelby GT350! Now, if only 2nd place Lief Storer was able to join us for the ceremony to celebrate the 02:01.983. We shall meet again!
Conclusion
A perfectly good way to close out the Thunderhill double-header! Excellent work by our drivers who won their places and THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the SpeedSF Challenge! For those who are still chasing podium finishes, more seat time, coaching, and watching videos of the track will certainly get you there!
Round 3 will be here soon! Our next SpeedSF Challenge will be hosted at Thunderhill Raceway West on March 15, 2020. We truly appreciate our sponsors and participants as it would not be possible without them!
Thank you to 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!
SPEEDSF CHALLENGE - FEBRUARY 22, 2020 - ROUND 1 @ THUNDERHILL RACEWAY
Welcome to 2020 and the real start of the SpeedSF Challenge! 25 drivers came to play on this relatively cool day, all vying for the Fast Boi title at Thunderhill East’s Cyclone configuration! Round 1 featured 3 broken class records for this configuration. What can we say? Records were made to be broken!
Introduction
Welcome to 2020 and the real start of the SpeedSF Challenge! 25 drivers came to play on this relatively cool day, all vying for the Fast Boi title at Thunderhill East’s Cyclone configuration! Round 1 featured 3 broken class records for this configuration. What can we say? Records were made to be broken!
Class S1
Seems like it’s easier to podium these days as long as Gordon stops showing up! Anthony Zwain took home first place in his E46 M3 thanks to his 01:56.432 lap time. Additionally, he beat Gordon Peng’s previous record of 01:58.053 which was set in Gordon’s Corvette C5 Z06! 2nd place Scott Smith set his best lap time of 01:59.175 in his Porsche 911 GT3 while “Bruce Lee” took home 3rd place with his 02:02.378 lap time in his 2018 Camaro ZL1 1LE!
Class S2
1 participant, 1 winner! Math is so fun. Steve Melson took his 1991 Nissan 300ZX out for a stroll here in Willows for a 2:00.033 lap time. The car is just as impressive as the drive, too! Without Gary Yeung tearing it up in S2, it seems like this class is up for grabs!
Class S3
The class with dem hot boiz. Kevin Schweigert piloted his 2015 Subaru BRZ to a 1st place win thanks to a 01:57.560 lap time, completely O B L I T E R A T I N G Joe McGuigan’s previous S3 Cyclone config lap record of 01:59.834. All those mods from McGuiGui and all Kevin had to do was cram in more air.
2nd place was taken home by Kenneth Yip in his 2011 BMW M3. A 02:01.739 lap time serves him right, coming in here slower than a Class S2 300ZX. STRIP THE INTERIOR ALREADY :D.
3rd place’s Neal Wiebmer proudly laid down a 02:02.734 lap time in his 2013 Scion FR-S. Needs MOAR air - time to turn it up!
Class S4
Here we go again. Not content with destroying S1, S2, and S3 class, it appears S4 is next on his list. While other champions go up in weight class, Gary Yeung just wants to make life harder for everyone else.
Introducing Dirty Natasha, she and Gary took home 1st place with a 02:03.947 lap time. Is this even legal?
Track Dad Matt Belter took home 2nd place in his 2017 Subaru BRZ thanks to an ever-improving 02:05.776 lap time. Joe McG’s coaching has really been helping it seems! Go Track Dad, go!
David Fitz-Randolph’s 3rd place finish is respectable with a 02:07.964 since it’s a 1995 Mazda Miata. Our sources say he is considering cramming more air into his engine too but only time will tell!
Class S5
Hm, looks like we have the makings of a familiar face making frequent appearances at our events this year! Before we get to that, can we just talk about how Mia Yeung looks just like Gary, except looking in a Miata? 1st place in looks and lap time, 02:11.666 was the fast lap for the group thanks to the true hero of the day: Florenza’s Miata!
2nd place, also in a Miata, was Chris Lee in his 1994 Spec Miata. Though not present for the event because he was “looking over data” during lunch, Chris’ dad Anthony took the 2nd place medal and photo in his stead. 02:13.907 was the fastest lap of the day for Chris; a well-earned one at that!
3rd place, the familiar face with charm and grace: Zeeshan Khan. Could have taken home 2nd place but was just a tad bit slower, though a 02:14.578 is nothing to scoff at with Zeeshan’s Miata. Just please keep coming to our events!
Class X
Two participants, two podium placers!
Mark Davidian took home 1st place and broke the Cyclone config Class X lap record thanks to the excellent piloting of his 2016 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, placing a 01:52.454 lap time for his efforts, beating out the previous lap time of 01:55.036 set by Dominic in his Dodge Viper ACR.
2nd place was taken home by Anthony Zwain in his 2017 Shelby GT350. For his efforts, a 02:02.590 lap time was set! That GT350 is as loud as it is fast!
Conclusion
A great start to the Thunderhill double-header! Excellent work by our drivers who won their places and THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the SpeedSF Challenge! For those who are still chasing podium finishes, more seat time, coaching, and watching videos of the track will certainly get you there!
Round 2 will be posted shortly - the second day of the Thunderhill double-header of the SpeedSF Challenge at Thunderhill Raceway East on February 23, 2020, 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!
