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!

Kevin's A90 Supra: More Playful Than Its Predecessor

After a few years spent sorting out a never-ending list of issues with his BRZ, Kevin Schweigert had had enough. Every additional go-fast goody made his once understated BRZ increasingly single-purpose and exponentially less reliable. “After I put the supercharger on it, I went through more axles and gearboxes than I’d like to mention. I lifted a few heads, too,” Kevin laughed.

“The BRZ had gotten to be too much. I wanted to treat track days like a vacation, not a job.”

And so after stripping the pricier parts from the BRZ and recouping some of the costs, he drove to the Toyota dealership for a new car. He’d heard good things about the platform and how it would likely complement his tail-out driving style. It was also spacious enough to carry a few extra tires to the track day. If it was as reliable as he’d heard, he’d get to enjoy trailer-free weekends at the track in a sturdy, potent car that didn’t snap axles or pop gearboxes on a regular basis.

A short wheelbase and the right suspension geometry gives Kevin, a guy who depends on a strong front end, plenty of confidence in this car.

Reliability was paramount in his decision making, but there wouldn’t be much sense in selling the BRZ and dishing out a lot more money if its replacement wasn’t just as fun—or agile. Few cars in the price range rotate quite like a well-sorted BRZ, so nothing but a very pointy car would do. Perhaps as a surprise to some, Toyota’s new Supra belies its weight and changes direction in a much more playful way than its size would suggest.

The bump steer and toe changes help the short-wheelbased Supra pivot into the corner and settle as the throttle is released and applied again. “When you get the weight off the rear axle at corner entry, it toes out. When you get back on the throttle, it toes in and neutralizes a little. This suits my driving style; I’m most comfortable with a little oversteer.

One week after buying his new car, he was off to Chuckwalla for a shakedown. With pads and fluid being the only modifications he made, he wasn’t expecting it to impress him the way it did. “Honestly, the reputation didn’t prepare me. I was shocked at the way it rotated right out of the box—I guess 1.8° of camber up front helps. The only issue was that it was a little soft, but the damping made it trustworthy over the bumps and berms.”

After a thorough shakedown and an assessment of the car’s factory shortcomings, out came the credit card. The first purchase, a set of SPL front lower control arms, helped him nearly double the factory camber for a confidence inspiring front end. As long as the front axle did what it was was told, he could deal with the rear snaking a bit through the middle of the corner.

Then came a couple engine modifications. The B58 motor is fairly stout, but tracking in Southern California heat is always cause for some concern. “The engine is known to heat soak, so I upgraded the turbo with a Pure P800 turbo. This is basically a hybrid bolt-on, but because it flows a little more air, it doesn’t have to work quite as hard. On track, there’s no noticeable trade off in lag.”

With a Zach Tucker (CSG) tune, a downpipe, and the removal of the catalytic converter yielded a usable 450 horsepower at the rear wheels. Considering that’s achieved with California 91-octane swill, that bump in power is testament to the potential of this intriguing new powerplant.

The next few goodies to adorn the Supra were as follows: a set of JRZ RS Pro 2 coilovers, AFE swaybars, Apex EC7-R wheels measuring 18x10.5”, and nearly the entire SPL suspension catalog. To make the most of the new arms and links, Kevin decided to fit all of them with spherical bushings. In fact, there aren’t any rubber bits in the suspension any longer—save for those in the subframe.

“The SPL kit and the removal of all that slop transformed the Supra into something I could completely trust. It makes it so much more communicative and predictable. In fact, it’s what allows me to drive the car in the way I like to.” Kevin adds.

With nearly a dozen hassle-free events under its belt, the A90 Supra has proven to be a stout platform that needed only a little tweaking to meet Kevin’s exacting standards. Though the focus is now on seat time, which was always was the plan, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few aerodynamic additions on the horizon. But for now, he’s just planning on enjoying way this playful car complements his tail-out driving style and setting some new personal records.

Sonoma: 01:45.822

Buttonwillow 13CW: 1:53.072

Thunderhill West: 1:20.653

Laguna Seca: 1:36.044

The TRD Series: A Simple Path To Finding Camaraderie

Designed to help bring the Toyota community together across California, Speed SF’s TRD Series has established a simple, straightforward set of rules to put most models from Toyota, Scion, and Lexus—even a few related BMW and Subaru models, too—closely together in time trial competition.

Popular models at the sharp end of the grid include the AE86, MK5 Supra, MR-S and MR2, as well as the ever-popular GT86/BRZ/FR-S, though most cars wearing a Toyota badge can find some form of competition here. With a simple but effective points system designed to ensure mechanical parity, a well chosen set of modifications can give an IS350 or even a Prius a shot at being a front-runner.

Entrants are divided into five groups: Unlimited, Grand Touring, Touring, Street, and Enthusiast. Ranked highest to lowest in terms of performance, these classes are divided by the aforementioned points system and a second factor, tire width and compound.

Support from One Toyota of Oakland has been critical in this series’ development.

Each chassis is assigned a starting points value which, depending on the motor, can vary slightly. The go-fast goodies added to each chassis determine the amount of points to be added to the original value and the overall point count, assuming tire widths are in line with the regulations, determine precisely which class a car will run in.

Sound simple enough? In reality, things are a little more complicated than that. Splitters and other aero pieces will have to fit a certain set of dimensions. Only certain tires are accepted and each are assigned a different value depending on TW rating. Modifications to the engine, suspension, drivetrain, and brakes all incur the addition of more points. Interestingly, safety modifications will reduce the total point count—more reason to get a roll cage and a halo seat and a HANS device.

The points-related specifics and a points calculator are here to help initiates get a sense of where their car would fit. To find out where they could fit an event into their schedule, here’s the complete 2021 calendar.

For those of you that don’t like links, here’s the Northern California schedule for the rest of the year:

August 7th: Thunderhill East

September 4th: Thunderhill 5 Mile

September 5th: Laguna Seca (Norcal vs. Socal)

October 23rd: Buttonwillow (New track)

November 26th: Buttonwillow (CW13)

Raffles, trophies, and talks of contingency prizes are reason enough to give the series a look, but perhaps more appealing to the typical MR2 track rat is the sense of community the organizers are after. “We don’t want this to get too serious; the TRD Series is definitely about building camaraderie with like-minded friends on track,” said Co-Founder Jerel Natvidad. “As long as we’re competing and smiling, we’re content with whatever outcome we get.” .

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!

Maxxis Tires w/ 10% Off discount

Maxxis Tires Partnership 2022

We are excited to introduce our partnership with Maxxis tires this year to provide a great deal on these highly recommended track day tires to our drivers. We have been through many tests of Maxxis tires with great results. The new V2 and R2 compounds have been greatly improved from the previous generation to provide much better traction and durability. Our drivers were able to set SpeedSF Challenge records with them. Scroll down for the order form.

Maxxis RC-1 R2 New

DOT-approved R compound optimized for the weekend warrior.

The RC-1 was designed to deliver outstanding dry traction, heat-cycle performance and smooth breakaway characteristics. The semi-slick design eliminates tread-squirm and delivers great braking and steering response for fast and consistent lap times.

Recommended for dry competition events ONLY.

• DOT-Approved R compound

• Operating Temperature: 140°F - 240°F (R2 Compound)

• Sizes: 15" - 18"

• UTQG: 100 A A

Maxxis Vr1 S2 NEW

Extreme Summer tire designed for drivers who want it all.

• Compound reaches operating temperature quickly and provides excellent dry traction while retaining good heat cycling properties.

• Reinforced casing and sidewall design provides telepathic response for the ultimate driving experience.

• Pattern design maximizes dry performance while minimizing white knuckle moments in wet weather.

• Due to the nature of the tread compound, these tires require special care when storing near freezing temperatures.

• Operating Temperature: 140°F - 240°F (S2 Compound)

• UTQG 200 AA A

Maxxis tires is offering a 10% discount to our SpeedSF Challenge drivers. If you are planning on or are currently participating in our time trial challenge, please use the form below for ordering or email gary@eliteperformance-us.com / call 650-689-5045 to order. Limited quantity, order ASAP.

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!

Limited Time Offer: 2021 discount program

www.speedsf.com/2021-discount-program

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. 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

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!

GARMIN Catalyst Driving Performance Optimizer - Full Review

Presented By: Speed SF x Wine Country Motorsports

Reviewed By: Joe McGuigan

So, you like tracking and want to go faster right? While seat time is always number one, the close second has always been proper instruction, but nowadays that may not be as easy as it used to be. Due to recent world events (Covid-19), maybe coaching opportunities don’t seem as tempting anymore to you due to risk/access.. Well, the team over at Garmin couldn’t have timed a new product release any better than this one.

Enter the Garmin Catalyst, a complete package for on-the-fly track improvement, data, and video review. While spending a day at one of our local favorite tracks, Sonoma Raceway, we were able to pay a visit to our great friends over at Wine Country Motorsports, who stock the Garmin Catalyst and gave us the opportunity to try one out.

Let’s take a closer look together!

WHAT YOU GET FOR $999.99

• Garmin Catalyst Unit (Full Color 7” Display)

• 32 GB micro SD card already preinstalled (Extra expansion easily accessible on the side)

• Remote Cam with polarized lens cover and double-sided sticky mounts

• Remote Cam cable which can be cleanly routed with the provided double-sided sticky wire guides

• Heavy-duty vehicle suction cup mount which combines with a powered magnetic mount, allowing easy install and removal of the screen

• Vehicle power cable

• Documentation

INITIAL HARDWARE SETUP

The initial setup is fairly straightforward as the Garmin Catalyst already comes preloaded with tons of well-known tracks. When we did our initial install at Sonoma Raceway, we had it on track and being used within a matter of minutes. You start by assembling the ram mount for the actual display and then routing the provided cigarette lighter cable to power the unit. Next is installing the tiny, but clear recording camera. The camera is suggested to be mounted right under your existing rearview mirror mount as it helps ensure it is centered well, but we will touch on that more shortly. From there, using the provided wire clips, you can route the camera wire down the A-pillar and back over to the main unit where it is required to be installed. This makes transferring the unit to another car a little cumbersome if you are the tidy type of person that doesn’t want wires just hanging. One thing we suggest opting for is a suction cup style mount for the camera if you plan on using this unit in multiple cars like we do. Once you have everything routed and powered, it's time to start its engine and yours!

SETTING OUT FOR THE FIRST TIME

Start your engine and watch the Catalyst come to life. You are presented with some initial setup items like picking your preferred language, entering a driver profile name, and car information. Next up is an agreement screen warning the usual stuff about track driving being dangerous, but after you accept that, you will be looking at the main screen.

The two main choices here are Drive or Review. Let’s dive into the Drive option which, once selected, will prompt you for your track selection. Once you have chosen your track, you may be given the option of configuration for tracks such as Thunderhill or Buttonwillow that have multiple layouts. Once your selection is made, you have access to the following:

You will have a few options you can perform before hitting that easy-to-read START button. You can change driver profile and/or car selection by tapping on the helmet or car icon (including adding a new one), check audio (input, volume, coaching prompts, and a test), change between wet or dry track, and last but important, the camera alignment check.

ON-TRACK EXPERIENCE

Once you head out to the track and cross the predetermined start/finish line, if you have your audio hooked up (and you should!) you will be greeted by a clear and easy to understand woman saying “Starting 1st lap”. For the first couple of laps when no prior data is present, you will get a statement of what lap time you did on that lap as you cross the line again and again. The real magic starts after you have a few laps in the database and all of sudden you will receive suggestions such as “Next right turn brake later” or “Next left turn apex later”, which if done right will prompt some words of praise like “Good job” or “Nice work”, but don’t worry if you don’t miss it, she won’t shame you too badly, but say “Try again next lap” or “keep pushing” if you have the higher level of coaching present.

As you progress in your day, it will focus more and more on fine-tuning the various sectors that have the most opportunities for you to improve. One thing to note though, this is no Magic 8 ball and is subject to your errors. What we mean by that, is that it's only as good as the lines you run. It is constantly overlaying your previous lines, speeds, braking, and then turning out suggestions based on our best of each sector. This can be a little tougher on a newbie that may have no experience at all, this is where a normal live coach triumphs compared to the technology in our opinion. Regardless of your experience though, you can be sure to gain some knowledge in the post-session review.

THE JUICY RESULTS

After cooling your car off and ensuring it's parked without the e-brake engaged, it’s time to review all that delicious data the Catalyst absorbed and sorted for you. You can review it on the mount or easily pull it off since it’s only held on by that magnetic base (though strongly). Now, remember that main menu from the beginning of this review? Click that “Review” button and you will get the ability to choose which session you want to analyze. Once you have chosen which session, you are presented with some quick and easy things to digest as seen here: 

The quickest and most efficient way to see where you can improve though is under the Opportunities section. The Catalyst will pick your three most opportunistic sectors to work on and show you how you did it and even show you the video of when you did that optimal sector! You can dive even further and look at the braking, line, and speed of approaches to give you even more insight as to why or how you did what you did. Check out an example here: 

OUR CONCLUSIONS

The unit is very powerful and beautiful, despite its size, a pleasure to use. The on-track feedback really helps keep you focused on the areas to improve in real time which can really drive home the areas to analyze even closer after a session ends. The benefit of having multiple driver profiles is ensuring you aren’t getting directions from someone of a higher or lower skill level that can throw you off your rhythm. We at Speed SF cannot thank our partners over at Wine Country Motorsports for the ability to experience and review this awesome track tool. Make sure to visit to order yours over at www.winecountrymotors.com or better yet, visit them in person and drool over all the amazing products offered to motorsports enthusiasts like we do.

PRO POINTS

• Large and clear color display with auto brightness adjustment capabilities

• Audio instructions provide clear, real-time feedback

• Lap-timer GPS is spot on with other comparable units and even transponders

• Camera quality pleasing for price point compared to other more expensive units

• Switching of driver or car profiles is simple

• Post session review convenient and immediately beneficial 

• Bluetooth capabilities allow it to connect to wireless earbuds of your choice or even a modern stereo unit

• Three different audio coach modes (Race Coach, Advanced Race Coach, Lap Times Only)

• Ability to pick sectors and laps with ease during video review (no fast forwarding required)

AREAS TO IMPROVE

• Transferability from one vehicle to another (just a camera suction mount will help immensely with this)

• Factory camera mount subject to movement in stiffer or rougher surface track

• No OBD2 data capabilities at the moment (We speculate something could be added down the road due to its Bluetooth capabilities)

• Data overlay on video recorded by unit

Schedule - Nov 7th-8th, 2020 Sonoma Raceway

● Schedule: Saturday / Sunday

● E-Waiver for Speed SF

● Driver Meeting Video 1: https://youtu.be/5JT5dHb2CUM

● Driver Meeting Video 2: https://youtu.be/cnngGjOW00A

● Driver meeting quiz  *You can skip the physical outdoor meeting if you get a 100% passing rate.*

For more details, please refer to your logistics email.

GARMIN Catalyst Driving Performance Optimizer - First Impressions

We picked up a Garmin Catalyst at Wine Country Motorsports recently and wanted to share our experience with it. At first glance, the Catalyst seems like it is a competitor to established data loggers like the AIM system, but that is not the focus. In fact, the focus of the Catalyst is to truly coach you on the fly. Here are some of our initial impressions:

What we like about the Garmin Catalyst:

• Laptimer accuracy is spot-on with competitors

• Audio instructions provide real-time feedback and guidance

• Bluetooth audio for use on in-car stereo or headphones

• Large, clear display with color indication for improvement or deterioration

• Excellent camera quality for its price point

Overall, initial impressions about the Catalyst are positive. The release of the system couldn’t have been better timed due to COVID-19 essentially eliminating ride-alongs at the track, causing drivers to miss out on opportunities for one-on-one coaching. However, while the system has some interesting and useful capabilities, it’s difficult to replace an experienced coach. We’ll be taking the Catalyst out and really getting in-depth with it, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Garmin Catalyst is available at Wine Country Motorsports if you’d like to give it a try for yourself!

-Joe McGuigan // Speed SF

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!