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 - JUNE 7, 2020 - ROUND 4 @ THUNDERHILL RACEWAY (5-MILE)
Introduction
Back again at Thunderhill for the 5-mile configuration! 23 drivers showed up for this fan-favorite track configuration in the land of Willows, CA. With a grid loaded with big-engine boys paired with pleasurable track conditions, it was sure to be an exciting result for all drivers involved. The result? 5 broken class lap records for Class X and Classes S2 through S5!
Class S1
Ah, the story of the German vs. the American, a tale as old as time. This time, however, brute American force won. Justin Moore, in a 2019 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, took home 1st place with a speedy 03:02.547 lap time while Challenge veteran Jeff Han took 2nd place with his 03:09.349 lap time. Great driving from these fast drivers!
CLASS S2
3 drivers, 3 podium places! Math is fun!
Steve Chi dominated this class with his 2010 BMW M3! His 03:06.045 lap time not only put him in 1st place for this Challenge, but beat out the previous S2 lap record for this configuration by over 2 seconds! A record previously held by Gary Yeung in the Dirty Mango S2000, the 03:08.298 lap time set on May 31, 2019 fell and boy did it fall hard. Great job by Steve Chi here.
Joining Steve on the 2nd step of the podium was Thomas Huber who took his 2017 Porsche 911 through the land of Thunder and put down a 03:19.365 lap time for his effort, while racer boi Chris Lee took home 3rd place with his 03:24.749 lap time in his 2007 BMW Z4M race car
Class S3
8 drivers showed up for this packed class, but of course, only the 3 fastest drivers can take home the bragging rights.
Kevin Schweigert and his monstrous 2015 Subaru BRZ took 1st place on this day thanks to a blistering 03:03.169 lap time - absolutely CRUSHING Gary Wong’s previous fastest lap time of a 03:10.515 lap time set back on May 31, 2019, in his 2004 Honda S2000.
Gary Wong did manage, a year later, to take home 2nd place and also smash his old lap record, so not a bad outing as well. His 03:07.304 during this Challenge put him over 3 seconds faster than his previous best, which we always applaud, so good job here!
In 3rd place, we have Seigo Ma, the e-racing fast boi who threw down a 03:11.317 lap time in his mean green machine Honda S2000, placing him firmly 1 second ahead of Ken Yip who has graced the podium in the past. S3 is the class to watch!
Class S4
What a way to take it home! Sohan Kota became the new owner of the S4 class lap record for the Thunderhill 5-mile configuration thanks to excellent driving in his 2000 Honda S2000, putting in a 03:14.105 lap time, which actually topples Joe McGuigan’s previous 03:17.002 lap record set in a Scion FR-S back on August 30, 2019!
Matt “Track Dad” Belter took home 2nd place with excellent driving of his own. A 03:16.931 lap time in his 2017 Subaru BRZ helped secure his podium place, barely edging out Jason Parraga who put down a 03:17.137 lap time in his 2008 Honda S2000 CR to take home 3rd place!
Class S5
A sorta-crowded class for with 5 drivers, new kid on the block Tony Rodriguez immediately raised eyebrows and broke Miata owners’ hearts with his 03:17.948 lap time, thanks to excellent driving in his quick 2003 Toyota MR2 Spyder! His lap time obliterated King Tang’s previous lap record of a 03:22.884, set back on August 30, 2019, in his NA Mazda Miata.
2nd place driver Daniel Doerr pushed this 2015 Mazda Miata Club Edition over the line with a 03:28.108 lap time while 3rd place dad-to-be Joe McGuigan drove his Toyota MR-S to a fast lap of 03:30.000.
Are the MR2s/MRSs going to overtake the Miatas in this class?! We shall soon find out…
Class X
In a class of his own (literally), this Corvette C6 Z06 hauled ass. A 02:55.548 lap time was the result of some crafty driving by Rich Willhoff. When your engine sticks out of your hood, you’ve already let all the bois and girls know you’re not messing around!
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 5 will be here soon! Our next SpeedSF Challenge will be hosted at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on July 5, 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 GT Tuner E-Racing Series Results: Round 3 @ Sonoma Raceway
Disco Ma led the way for the 3rd and final round of the GT Turner E-Racing Series hosted on EDGEtv, taking home another win, while Gary Wong took home 2nd for Team SpeedSF, narrowly edging out 3rd place Hernandez from Team DSSSC. New dad Joe McGuigan rallied hard in the 2nd race to secure 9th place this round.
Disco Ma led the way for the 3rd and final round of the GT Turner E-Racing Series hosted on EDGEtv, taking home another win, while Gary Wong took home 2nd for Team SpeedSF, narrowly edging out 3rd place Hernandez from Team DSSSC. New dad Joe McGuigan rallied hard in the 2nd race to secure 9th place this round.
If you’d like to see Round 3 at Sonoma Raceway, check out the recent broadcast from EDGEtv here:
We are definitely excited to see the final overall results of this 3-round racing series!
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 Pam Alarcon
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 ;)”
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
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!
2020 SpeedSF Challenge Banquet and Awards Ceremony
Being a part of the SpeedSF Challenge brings a great community of people who just want to go fast, have fun, and probably win something along the way. This past season featured absolute domination by a driver in each of the classes while also producing very close results between places during various rounds. 177 total drivers participated in the SpeedSF Challenge in 2019. We certainly look forward to seeing more drivers for this upcoming 2020 season, but for now, let’s talk about the fast bois of 2019!
Being a part of the SpeedSF Challenge brings a great community of people who just want to go fast, have fun, and probably win something along the way. This past season featured absolute domination by a driver in each of the classes while also producing very close results between places during various rounds. 177 total drivers participated in the SpeedSF Challenge in 2019. We certainly look forward to seeing more drivers for this upcoming 2020 season, but for now, let’s talk about the fast bois of 2019!
CLASS S5
Always late to the party, smh King
Even with all the fast Miata kids flooding S5, it wasn’t a surprise to see who would podium every Challenge. Scott Smith started out the year strong and was consistent during his journey to top podium finish and earned himself a NecksGen head and neck restraint system while “Mia Miata” joined halfway through the season and finished strong, putting in a great end of year performance to overtake King for 2nd place! King Tang, who took 3rd place overall in the season and won himself a $500 gift certificate from Titan7 wheels! Great job to our S5 Miata bois!
CLASS S4
A class loaded with talent, S4 showed out hard this season with the top two drivers dueling it out for S4 supremacy! Joe McGuigan (no surprise) took home 1st place and a NecksGen head and neck restraint system, while 2nd place driver Sohan Kota, who could have beat Joe if he was there for the final three events of the season, took home a $500 Titan7 gift certificate thanks to a great season! David Fitz-Randolph, who barely squeezed by Matt “Track Dad” Belter, took 3rd place overall in our Challenge standings. That #homebuilt life really lent himself to a successful showing for the final four events of the year. Time to use that custom alignment gift certificate from SGK Performance to prepare you for a great start to the 2020 season!
Class S3
Gary Wong absolutely crushed the S3 class with his TayTay S2000. With consistent appearances and driving success, his 1st place was well-earned. Time to rock some new Titan7 wheels to celebrate! Jay Lapid, sporting a baller vintage Babe Blvd-clad racing fire suit, pushed that 350Z to the limit and stole his 2nd place success from Ken Yip, whose 3rd place performance in an M3 earned himself a fancy award from SGK Performance as well!
CLASS S2
Continuing the domination, Gary Yeung and his Dirty Mango S2000 took it to the house, finishing in 1st place and over 150 points clear of Steve Chi, who took home 2nd place in his M3. 3rd place Steve Melson (not pictured), who drove a Nissan 300ZX for the season, finished 6 points ahead of close challenger in 4th place George Kibilov! Can someone please step up and challenge Gary for 1st place? PLEASE? ANYONE?!
CLASS S1
Another class domination, this time with someone not named Gary! Gordon Peng took 1st overall, which earned him a NecksGen head and neck restraint for his efforts, while “Bruce Lee” took 2nd place overall despite not winning an event outright during the 2019 season. 3rd place Maksym Lytvyn (not pictured) took 3rd place overall during the 2019 season in his Porsche 911 GT3, having won three events outright in the 2019 season! Great driving by everyone in this group as there are definitely been close competition during various events.
Class X
The cars in this class are seriously fast, and the fastest of them all was David Colbert, who championed a Lola T540 SCCA Sports Racer for the 2019 season, propelling himself to a well-earned 1st place overall finish. Lief Storer (not pictured) took 2nd place overall for the season while 3rd place Joe Kou rounded out the podium. Looking forward to seeing how this class develops as people bring a variety of fantastic machines to our events!
CONCLUSION
Thank you to all 177 drivers who participated in our 2019 SpeedSF Challenge season and thank you to everyone who have supported and/or participated during our track events in 2019!
We would also like to thank our sponsors Titan7 Wheels, NecksGen, Wine Country Motorsports, and G-Loc Brakes for their continued support!
Last, but not least, thank you to George Kibilov and the team at SGK Performance at Sonoma Raceway for graciously hosting us for our ceremony! We also appreciate those who came to the ceremony to spend time with the SpeedSF family and friends.
Looking forward to a strong start to the 2020 SpeedSF Challenge season, starting with our first official Challenge at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday, February 16th!
EXHIBITION SPEEDSF CHALLENGE @ WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA
Welcome to 2020 ladies and gentlemen! Back at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to start off the SpeedSF Challenge season. Much like other sports, exhibition rounds are much needed to shake off the holiday downtown and cobwebs from inactivity. Not a bad way to start off the new year and new decade!
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to 2020 ladies and gentlemen! Back at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca to start off the SpeedSF Challenge season. Much like other sports, exhibition rounds are much needed to shake off the holiday downtown and cobwebs from inactivity. Not a bad way to start off the new year and new decade!
CLASS S5
Miata class back at it again, with the exception of Joe McGuigan driving the CR-Z to a 2:00.778 lap time. Our podium places included King Tang (no surprise) who took home 1st place with a 1:48.299, Scott Smith taking home 2nd place with a 1:48.819 (close, but no cigar), and Eric Talistu going home with a 3rd place medal thanks to a 1:50.469 lap time. Even though it’s just an exhibition and points will not be counted, it’s still a great showing!
CLASS S4
Two new faces in this class! Aside from resident S4 podium placer David Fitz-Randolph taking home 1st place with his 1:44:972 lap time in his home-built 1995 Mazda Miata, we have fresh-faced Jason Parraga taking home 2nd place due to a 1:46.536 lap time. Andrea Wang, a long-time driver during our SpeedSF events and recent entrant for the Challenge, finally placed! Her 1:47.457 lap time propelled her to a 3rd place finish and 2 seconds ahead of 4th place Wa Huong who put down a 1:49.156 lap time in some kind of Miata. Great job to everyone in S4!
CLASS S3
Another new face here - so let’s start with 3rd place Teddy Framhein who took his 2015 Porsche Cayman GTS around the track for a fast 1:41.187 lap time. 2nd place went to familiar face Gary Wong who once again put in the work and a 1:40.316 lap time in his 2004 Honda S2000. That double-wing setup is really paying dividends! Fellow S2000 driver and young boi Seigo Ma took home 1st place with his 1:40.076 lap time. Showing off that “Type R" personality, aren’t we? Additionally, BOTH Gary Wong and Seigo Ma broke Gary Wong’s previous S3 record at Laguna of a 1:40.430 in a Honda S2000. Great driving!
CLASS S2
2 drivers, 2 podium placers, though the doggo gets an obvious spotlight here. Thanks to the puppy power, Gary Yeung took 1st place on the podium with his 1:39.304 lap time in his Dirty Mango Honda S2000, while rising star Svilen Kanev took home 2nd place with his 1:44.646 lap time. It has to be that impressive livery on his 2018 BMW M240i that is helping propel him with fast lap times!
CLASS S1
Fast boi and single entrant Joe Kou took his 2019 Porsche 911 GT3RS to a 1st and only place win with his impressive 1:33.832 lap time, beating previous Class S1 Laguna record holder Andrie Hartanto who put in a 1:34.444 lap time in his Chevrolet Corvette C6 Z06.
CONCLUSION
Seat time, seat time, seat time! Driver mod is the best mod, as the saying goes, so make sure if you want to end up on the podium, you’re putting in the seat time!
As we look forward to the official Round 1 of the 2020 SpeedSF Challenge at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday, February 16, 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!
Again, our next SpeedSF Challenge will be held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Again, please check out the event website by clicking here for more information!
Speed SF 2020 Banquet & Award Ceremony!
Please feel free to invite your friends and family to join us.
Please RSVP so we have enough food for everyone!
$10 per person including food, drinks and a raffle ticket.
We will be having our banquet and season winners ceremony on Feb 2nd (Sun) 12:00 p.m. at
Sonoma Raceway - SGK Performance.
Please feel free to invite your friends and family to join us.
Please RSVP so we have enough food for everyone!
$10 per person including food, drinks and a raffle ticket.
*And let's celebrate Superbowl together!*
RSVP Here: msreg.com/2020ssf
SPEEDSF CHALLENGE - DECEMBER 15, 2019 - ROUND 15 @ THUNDERHILL RACEWAY
Well, THIS was certainly an EVENTFUL SpeedSF Challenge - a truncated session, crazy field expeditions, and major talking points to close out 2019’s SpeedSF Challenge at Thunderhill on the Bypass configuration. If it wasn’t recorded on video, did it really happen? 27 fast, faster, and fastest bois participated as evidenced by broken lap records across 3 classes. If you were there, you knew what went down. It wouldn’t have been an end-of-year Challenge session without the craziness for sure.
INTRODUCTION
Well, THIS was certainly an EVENTFUL SpeedSF Challenge - a truncated session, crazy field expeditions, and major talking points to close out 2019’s SpeedSF Challenge at Thunderhill on the Bypass configuration. If it wasn’t recorded on video, did it really happen? 27 fast, faster, and fastest bois participated as evidenced by broken lap records across 3 classes. If you were there, you knew what went down. It wouldn’t have been an end-of-year Challenge session without the craziness for sure.
Class S1
World War II up in this madness - a Brit, a German, and an American get onto the asphalt and close dogfights ensued! Jeff Smith took home 1st place in his McLaren 600LT with a crazy close 1:54.459 lap time while Tom Tang ended up in 2nd place with his 1:54.504 lap time (so close to 1st though) in his 2015 Porsche 911 GT3. Unsung hero Gordon Peng put down a 1:55.885 lap time in the 2002 Chevrolet Corvette per usual. You round out that podium proud, good sir!
Class S2
Breaking records again, aren’t we, Chris? Chris MAYFIELD, that is. Sorry Chris Lee, not today.
The aforementioned Mayfield took home 1st place and broke the Class S2 lap record in his 2011 BMW M3 with great driving and a 01:55.548 lap time. The previous record was a 1:56.696, so great job here Chris!
Lee technically did break the record as well but only managed to get 2nd place this time with his 1:56.158 lap time in the 2007 BMW Z4M.
Gary, Gary, Gary, what happened buddy? 3rd place with your 1:56.218? Time to put some NOS in your horse and buggy!
Class S3
Apparently the only way Gary Yeung can get 1st place nowadays is to stand in for the winner during the podium photo.
The real winner, 1st place Kevin Schweigert (obviously not pictured), took his BRZ for a 1:56.902 lap time. This absolutely shatters the previous lap record of 1:57.945 on the Bypass configuration. What an excellent job here!
Gary Wong likes to follow in the footsteps of Gary Yeung, first in name and in now in podium placement. 2nd place greeted Gary Wong and TayTay with open arms thanks to the 1:57.225 “fast” lap. Ok, yes, it also beat the previous lap record, but maybe press the gas pedal down a little bit further?
3rd place went to proud dad Patrick Chio in his BMW E46 M3. For his efforts, a 1:59.103 lap time was earned, though more is definitely expected out of that S54 powerplant!
Class S4
No broken lap times here but proud track dad Matt Belter was the highlight of this class! Bringing home a medal after driving like a madman on one’s home track is an achievement. 3rd place is better than no place, and Matt did the podium proudly. Great job on the 02:04.990 lap time!
2nd place was firmly settled thanks to David Fitz-Randolph’s lap time of 02:04.025 in his 1995 Mazda Miata featuring home-built aero and a broken throttle body!
1st place featured future-dad Joe McGuigan who slapped down the 02:01.482 lap time in the FRS with that BDE (Big Dad Energy). Just look at that smile. He knows…. he knows.
Class S5
Cool, Scott Smith broke the S5 record in his finally-consistently-running Miata with his 2:05.311 lap time, beating out the previous S5 lap record of 2:06.006! 1st place is the best place to be. 2nd place went to Wa Huong in his Spec Miata who put down a 2:07.346 lap time, narrowly beating out Mia Mango who put in a 02:07.707 lap time in a Miata too. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Conclusion
A bittersweet ending to the Thunderhill double-header, typical of any SpeedSF Challenge season. Super proud of all the drivers who won their places throughout 2019 and THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the SpeedSF Challenge this year as well! For those who are still chasing podium finishes, more seat time, coaching, and watching videos of the track will certainly get you there!
As we look forward to Round 1 of the 2020 SpeedSF Challenge at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on Sunday, January 19, 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!
Again, our next SpeedSF Challenge will be held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Again, please check out the event website by clicking here for more information!
SPEEDSF CHALLENGE - DECEMBER 14, 2019 - ROUND 14 @ THUNDERHILL RACEWAY
We start off Day 1 of the Thunderhill SpeedSF Challenge doubleheader featuring the Cyclone configuration and broken Challenge lap records across four classes! It’s been quite a while since we’ve run the Cyclone config, but it was a great way to start the weekend! With 19 drivers participating for the final Challenge weekend of the year, is there really a better sendoff?
INTRODUCTION
We start off Day 1 of the Thunderhill SpeedSF Challenge doubleheader featuring the Cyclone configuration and broken Challenge lap records across four classes! It’s been quite a while since we’ve run the Cyclone config, but it was a great way to start the weekend! With 19 drivers participating for the final Challenge weekend of the year, is there really a better sendoff?
Class X
Notable Class X driver Lief Storer took home 1st and only place with his 2009 Nissan GT-R. While a 2:02.314 lap time is fast, the fact that the GT-R driven by Lief is still being put through its paces 10 years later is either a testament to longevity or stubbornness. Either way, glad to see it around putting in the work!
Class S1
Fearless class leader Gordon Peng broke a record and subsequently some hearts after setting a very fast lap time of 01:58.053, beating the previous record of a 02:00.031 lap time proving that American power is still the way to go when German motoring is not around. Ravi G proudly took home 2nd place with his 02:04.327 lap time set in his Toyota GT86, rounding out the two-class participants for this Saturday Challenge event. Good job to Gordon for being the champion of S1 thanks to the trusty steed!
Class S2
2 drivers, 2 podium placers: Chris Lee and Gary Yeung. Boy, were the results surprising! Chris Lee took home 1st place AND broke Gary’s old record of 2:00.293 by putting down a 01:59.548 lap time in his 2007 BMW Z4M. Yes, it’s basically a stripped-out race car BUT THAT’S NOT THE POINT. Chris’ driving has really improved throughout 2019 thanks to excellent coaching and training and today it showed.
Gary and the Dirty Mango S2000 did their best by putting down a 2:00.237 lap time (how consistent) for a 2nd place podium. That’s still pretty fast since it’s NOT a competition-ready race car. Gary destroyed this class anyways in points so 2nd place isn’t bad. Participation award goes to you, sir. Chris can go ahead and use that sweet detail spray on his shiny new 1st place medal!
Class S3
3 drivers, 3 podium placers. Wow, math! Our S3 results featured an S2000 losing 1st place to a GT86, and an M3 ending up in 3rd. So that’s what the “3” in M3 stands for!
1st place was taken home by Kevin Schweigert in his Subaru BRZ thanks to a 01:59.834 which also obliterated the previous class lap record of 2:05.206 set by Scott Smith! How times have changed! Gary Wong and the TayTay 2004 Honda S2000 took home 2nd place though it appears Gary still took home the Class S3 overall win (a consolation prize). Ken Yip rounded out the podium in 3rd place in his 2011 BMW M3 - a 02:04.465 lap time for his efforts.
Class S4
Hey! Why is Gary in the picture?!
S4 featured 8 drivers for this event. Clearly they all wanted to try out the Cyclone config! Joe McGuigan took home 1st in the FRS thanks to a 02:04.054 lap time (typical) while 2nd place featured Joe Kou (Gary Yeung photo-subbed) who drove his 1999 Porsche Spec Boxster and put down a 02:06.199 lap time.
3rd place, however, featured drivers who all put in a 2:07 lap time but it was in the tenths where it really mattered. While Nick Cahill drove his Miata like a mad man and eventually came out ahead with his 2:07.121 lap time to steal 3rd place, the two almost-3rd-placers were Todd Winstanley in a 2008 Honda S2000 and a 2:07.191 lap time and David Fitz-Randolph in a 1995 Mazda Miata putting in a 2:07.568 lap time. What a drive from everyone!
Class S5
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Ferocious competitors by day, too-close buddies by night, Scott Smith and Gary Yeung/Mia Mango closed out Saturday with their little S5 competition and a broken record! Would you believe it, Gary must love the number 2 because he didn’t win here either! Scott took home 1st place in his Miata and broke the class record thanks in part to a 2:06.723 lap time, putting the new record leaps and bounds ahead of the previous lap record of 2:14.169. GarMia’s lap time on this day was a 2:11.649….good enough, it seems.
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!
As we look forward to Round 15 - the second day of the Thunderhill double-header of the SpeedSF Challenge at Thunderhill Raceway East on December 15, 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!
Again, our next SpeedSF Challenge will be held at Thunderhill Raceway East in Willows, CA. Again, please check out the event website by clicking here. Onto Day 2!
Our preliminary 2020 calendar
We are excited to announce our 2020 calendar! There may be more dates added in the future, so please keep an eye on our website and watch for emails. But for now, please mark your calendars for some exciting track day events for next year!
We are excited to announce our 2020 calendar! There may be more dates added in the future, so please keep an eye on our website and watch for emails. But for now, please mark your calendars for some exciting track day events for next year!
SPEEDSF CHALLENGE - NOVEMBER 29, 2019 - ROUND 13 @ BUTTONWILLOW RACEWAY
Ah, Black Friday. There are those that get up early in the morning to blow away their money on frivolous retail deals while jumping over each other and causing general chaos, and then there are those who get up early in the morning to blow away their money on gas, consumables, try outdo each other on a race track and cause controlled chaos. The latter sounds a bit more attractive.
What else is there to do after Thanksgiving other than to join the SpeedSF Challenge at Buttonwillow Raceway for the annual Black Friday event? 21 drivers certainly thought it was a good idea to join the party! With 3 new broken records, it certainly made for an entertaining post-holiday event!
INTRODUCTION
Ah, Black Friday. There are those that get up early in the morning to blow away their money on frivolous retail deals while jumping over each other and causing general chaos, and then there are those who get up early in the morning to blow away their money on gas, consumables, try outdo each other on a race track, and cause controlled chaos. The latter sounds a bit more attractive.
What else is there to do after Thanksgiving other than to join the SpeedSF Challenge at Buttonwillow Raceway for the annual Black Friday event? 21 drivers certainly thought it was a good idea to join the party! With 3 new broken records, it made for an entertaining post-holiday event!
CLASS S1
A guy with a last name that barely anyone can pronounce piloted a German car that blew away the American cars that trailed behind who were, admittedly, only a few seconds behind on pace :D. Will Wattanawongkiri (Team WWR) took home 1st place with a blistering lap of 1:51.009, beating out Dan Avon’s previous lap record of 1:51.706 which was set back on 11/25/16! Pablo Marx took home 2nd place in his C6 Corvette with a lap time of 1:52:028 while Gordon Peng took home 3rd place in some 2-door Chevy thanks to a 1:54.210 lap time. Great job to everyone in this class!
CLASS S2
2 entrants, 2 winners! As usual, Gary Yeung in the Dirty Mango S2000 took home 1st place with his 1:54.572 lap time while Svilen Kanev took home 2nd place thanks to his 2:02.318 lap time settled while behind the wheel of a 2018 BMW 240i. Very good!
CLASS S3
S3’s 5 drivers were within striking distance of each other and the top three drivers were each around a second away from the next person up! 1st place driver Edwin Pham piloted his 2002 BMW M3 to greatness thanks to a 1:55.762, which was roughly 0.700 seconds away from the 1:55.093 S3 lap record set by Randy Chen in his 2004 Honda S2000 back earlier this year during our event towards the end of June. 2nd place was none other than Gary Wong in his Tay Tay S2000. Together they put down a 1:56.580 lap time while 3rd place Tony Rodriguez was just over a second behind in his own 2004 Honda S2000! Great driving put on display by these S3 drivers!
CLASS S4
You’d think the guy in the racing suit would take home 1st place, but it’s actually the grinning dude in the middle with a cheater-spec FR-S. Go figure. Not only did Joe and the FR-S take home 1st place, but he also broke the 1:59.104 S4 lap record once held by Sohan Kota in his 2000 Honda S2000 during the SpeedSF Challenge on 06/30/2019! Joe’s lap for this round was a 1:58.121, shattering the record by almost a full second! Good job big man!
2nd place went to David Fitz-Randolph with his built-not-bought 1995 Mazda Miata thanks to a 2:01.438 lap time while Joe Kuo put down a 2:03.720 lap time in his PTS Bright-AF-Blue 1999 Porsche Spec Boxster to round out the podium in 3rd place!
CLASS S5
The S5 “#YATALIFE” Class featured, would you believe it, all Miatas! 6 Miatas made it to the track, but only 3 made it on the podium. Seriously we should just have a Spec Miata class in addition to S5 for the “others”.
Featured on the podium were two regulars and some dude who only appears at SpeedSF events on Black Friday. The King, King Tang, took home 1st Place, beat his previous S5 lap record of 2:02.737 set back on 11/23/18 AND showed up for the podium ceremony for the first time in 2019. What a Thanksgiving treat! He put down a 2:01.430 lap time in his NA Miata, while 2nd place Scott Smith put down a “close, but no cigar” lap time of 2:01.551 in the “I eat motors for breakfast” Black Mamba Miata.
3rd place and relatively unknown, Zeeshan Khan, drove his 1994 Miata as if he hadn’t lost a step and earned himself a 2:07.293 lap time. Not bad driving for a guy who refuses to track his S2000.
CONCLUSION
An excellent job to 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!
As we look forward to Round 14 (THE FINAL ROUND) of the SpeedSF Challenge at Thunderhill Raceway East on December 15, 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!
Again, our next SpeedSF Challenge will be held at Thunderhill Raceway East in Willows, CA. Again, please check out the event website by clicking here. We will see you at our next event!
SPEEDSF CHALLENGE - NOVEMBER 10, 2019 - ROUND 12 @ SONOMA RACEWAY
Fast boi club right here. Featuring a race car, a non-production-based race car, and then another race car, it was down to pure power and finesse, squeezing everything out of each drivers’ respective chassis. 3rd place finisher who ALMOST got into 2nd place, David Colbert, piloted his 1980 Lola T540 D Sports Racer around Sonoma Raceway and put down a 1:43.123 lap time, while Mark Hamilton Peters whose 1:43.104 lap time answer in the GT4 Mustang earned him 2nd place on the podium. In 1st place was the winner by a landslide and record-breaker for the SpeedSF Class X lap record at Sonoma Raceway - Ben Sloss. His Ferrari 488 GT3 lit up the track with his blistering 1:35.044 lap time. Dashing!
INTRODUCTION
Back again at Sonoma Raceway where apparently it’s the place to break records and look good doing it. Today featured a special appearance by a pair of Ferraris driven by Ben and Christine Sloss, followed by a pair of Lizard Green GT3RSs. It was as if a bag of Skittles opened in the paddock, as numerous colorful vehicles showed up for a great weekend with SpeedSF at Sonoma Raceway.
CLASS S1
Oh boy, runaway class leader Gordon Peng was finally challenged at Sonoma! His 3rd place finish was due to a 1:48.573 lap time in his 2002 Chevrolet Corvette, while 2nd place “Bruce Lee” put himself firmly in the spot thanks to his 1:47.442 lap time in his 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE - very fast!
In 1st place, and over a full second ahead, is Maksym Lytvyn who piloted his 2019 Porsche GT3RS around the track for a fast lap time of 1:46.811 lap time. Green means go and he sure went!
CLASS S2
This was a CLOSE finish between the top 3 places in this class. Roughly half a second separated them, with 1st place taking over the track record for Sonoma! In 3rd place, we had Mike Ostby who flogged his Honda S2000 around for a great lap time of 1:48.853 lap time. 2nd place, however, was none other than Gary Yeung whose Dirty Mango S2000 earned a 1:48.579 lap time.
Our 1st place finisher and record breaker George Kibilov threw down a 1:48.366 lap time in his BMW E46 to seal the deal. Truly an awesome result in this class!
CLASS S3
13 entrants decided to take on the challenge in this S3 class - a huge amount of entrants for this class in recent memory. Honorable 4th place was Patrick Chio who ALMOST made it to 3rd place with his 1:49.954 lap time in his BMW E46 M3, but 3rd place finisher Gary Wong stole the spotlight in his 2004 Honda S2000 thanks to his 1:49.186 lap time. 2nd place was Kevin Schweigert in his supercharge 2015 Subaru BRZ who happily put down a 1:48.106 lap time - VERY fast for a BRZ.
In 1st place was another supercharged rocketship, Sean Yepez in a 2007 Lotus Exige S whose 1:47.597 lap time secured him at the top of the podium. His lap time also broke SpeedSF’s lap record at Sonoma Raceway which is a great achievement as well!
CLASS S4
Not as close of a fight here between the drivers, but still great competition nonetheless. In 3rd place, David Fitz-Randolph put down a 1:53.306 lap time in his homegrown modified 1995 Mazda Miata, while 2nd place’s Joe McGuigan took his 2015 Scion FR-S for a good run and was able to earn himself a 1:52.214 lap time.
1st place finisher and 2nd in standings, Sohan Kota, took his 2000 Honda S2000 home with a 1:51.366 lap time. Great driving from everyone in this class.
CLASS S5
King didn’t learn last time - PLEASE show up for the awards ceremony otherwise we have to keep taking awkward makeup pics!
Anyhoo, in 3rd place, Bryan Shiflett took his 1989 BMW 325i around Sonoma for a fast lap of 1:58.318 lap time, while 2nd place GaryMia Yeung put in a 1:57.526 lap time in “his” Mazda Miata and 1st place finisher Rice King took home the class win thanks to his 1:57.275 lap time in his smokescreen-shooting Mazda Miata. Good job guys!
CLASS X
Fast boi club right here. Featuring a race car, a non-production-based race car, and then another race car, it was down to pure power and finesse, squeezing everything out of each drivers’ respective chassis. 3rd place finisher who ALMOST got into 2nd place, David Colbert, piloted his 1980 Lola T540 D Sports Racer around Sonoma Raceway and put down a 1:43.123 lap time, while Mark Hamilton Peters whose 1:43.104 lap time answer in the GT4 Mustang earned him 2nd place on the podium.
In 1st place was the winner by a landslide and record-breaker for the SpeedSF Class X lap record at Sonoma Raceway - Ben Sloss. His Ferrari 488 GT3 lit up the track with his blistering 1:35.044 lap time. Dashing!
CONCLUSION
An excellent job to 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!
As we look forward to Round 13 of the SpeedSF Challenge at Buttonwillow Raceway on November 29, 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!
Again, our next SpeedSF Challenge will be held at Buttonwillow Raceway in Buttonwillow, CA. Again, please check out the event website by clicking here. We will see you at our next event!
Inaugural FemPowered Driver's Group Takeover!
FemPowered is a local, grass roots, non-profit organization dedicated to “empowering women to enjoy life at full throttle.” Long story short, FemPowered is all about getting more women involved in Motorsports. The founding ladies all noticed that there simply weren’t that many women participating in track days or HPDEs and all of them thought, wouldn’t it be nice if we could change that?
Saturday the 26th at WeatherTech Raceway was a variety of events all combined into one. Not only did SpeedSF host our SpeedSF Challenge as well as the NorCal 86 Drive Challenge, but the Inaugural FemPowered Driver’s group takeover as well!
FemPowered is a local, grass roots, non-profit organization dedicated to “empowering women to enjoy life at full throttle.” Long story short, FemPowered is all about getting more women involved in Motorsports. The founding ladies all noticed that there simply weren’t that many women participating in track days or HPDEs and all of them thought, wouldn’t it be nice if we could change that?
The ladies of Fempowered filled a group of 26 female drivers and paired those who were new with coaches in order to give them the best experience possible. The driver experience range was wide, from beginner to high intermediate and even advanced drivers, and every one was courteously abiding by the point-by only rules. SpeedSF was honored to be the first event team selected to host them!
SpeedSF is proud to support women in Motorsports and encourages anyone interested to take that leap, no matter your gender! If you have a car, and the desire to drive, SpeedSF will be happy to have you! For the ladies, if you’re interested in the camaraderie, please check out the FemPowered Drivers’ Facebook page and website (www.fempowered.net) for upcoming events and run group takeovers, and please don’t hesitate to come to a SpeedSF event separately as well!
(Big thanks to Jordan of @corkscrewlife for the group photo of the ladies on the day!)
