TJR MotorSports

I know what you’re thinking, it Valentine’s Day weekend, he must have a very understanding wife, and the answer is a resounding YES!

As I was driving across the desert towards my first shot at Chuckwalla Valley Raceway, I thought to myself; when was the last time I visited a race track for the first time? I was surprised that it had been well over 5 years (or exactly 2,085 days), and the track was Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. I remember three things about that weekend. Wrecking the Radical SR3 at moderate speed during the initial practice (early in the morning I put a wheel off on the wet grass and I was along for the ride after that) , praying the team would get the car fixed for qualifying, and putting the car on pole and winning Saturday’s race. What are the chances things would play out as they did at Barber? Need I forget that it was Friday the 13^th?

We had a simple game plan going into the weekend, run this weekend’s regional race to learn the track, sort out the new upgrades on the Stohr WF1, figure out the optimal set up for this track, and have some fun. I wanted the seat time to prepare for the SCCA Major (national race) at Chuckwalla in March.

Learning the Track

I quickly realized that Chuckwalla Valley Raceway is a real handful. To begin with the track is relatively flat, with the lack of elevation changes the visual cues are few and far between, especially considering how low you sit in the Stohr WF1. Now factor in that several of the turns are blind corners,so it’s hard to get a sense of where your going. Additionally, the corners are pair up in sequences; there are four sets of 2 turns, and two sets of 3 turns, so you’re not learning many single turns, are you confused yet? I was! So the track flows in these tricky sequences. With a length of only 2.7 miles this is a smaller track, yet with 17 corners it gets very very busy in the Stohr. The take away; learning a new track is not an easy thing and this particular circuit is both mentally and physically very demanding.

Chuckwalla Raceway Track Map

Practice Session 1

Long story short, I am not as prepared as I thought I was, and learning this track is difficult. After the session all the drivers compare notes and the consensus is; we’re all just trying to figure out where to go. The complex of turns 9, 10, & 12, are interesting. Whilst most the turns have +1 degree of banking, 11 & 12 have +3 degrees and lead downhill in turn 13 which is actually a bowl with +11 degrees banking (think front straight @ Fontana). This is one section where you have all the visual reference points you need, what is usually lacking is the cojones to flat it through the bowl knowing if you over-shoot it you could get launched off the back side at over 90 mph. But it’s doable because the corner opens up at the exit. Because the bowl is so tight (see video) the g forces are intense. The only other take away from this initial time on the track is that 18 year old Parker Nicklin is already got speed and he has quickly deciphered “the racing line”.

Practice Session 2

I started off with a little more confidence and that leads to a little more speed. Unfortunate Friday the 13th caught up with me, I completely misjudged the turn in point for turn 15 and ran out of track on the exit at 75 mph. That’s when I realized they must be very fond of the indigenous plants at Chuckwalla because they sure haven’t clear shit 15 ft off the track. So after seeing some of local 2 ft bushes up close, I hobbled my poor car back to the pits. Damage report: right side front diffuser end-plate is toast, and cracked right fender……bust out the spare. We don’t have a replacement for the end plate, so we’re forced to remove the left side and that will completely compromise the aerodynamic-effect of the Stohr’s tunnel. Shit Happens & my day is finished.

Day 2: Practice/Qualifying/Race 1

We start off the day with a much thorough debrief of the track map followed by Parker walking us through his onboard video. This is extremely helpful listening to him explain how he is giving up some corners and attacking others.

Keep in mind that Parker is in the process of moving up the steps on the “Mazda road to Indy Series”, he was accepted as an IndyCar development driver with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, receiving a letter last year on his birthday welcoming him to the team. Parker is slated to run the full Pro Mazda series in 2015, and we wish him great success!! http://nicklinmotorsports.com/

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2014/oct/11/parker-nicklin-sam-schmidt-racing-vegas/

Back to Chuckwalla: I can now start to visualize much of the track in my head. However, during the first practice I am still a little fuzzy on some of the turn in points and how to gauge exit speed. After practice, Jeff Shafer and I reviewed my onboard video, he does a great job of coaching me through all the sequences of corners.

Qualifying plays out as expected based on everybody’s lap times in practice. I am chasing Parker’s time, he clearly going to be the fastest guy all weekend. And I am trying to keep myself outside the grasp of Jeff Shafer in his Radical SR3. Mission accomplished; we are P2 with a lap of 1:43:6. The Team decides to removing the top smaller element on the rear wing, as the car has a little too much under-steer (push) through the corners.

Race 1 (15 Laps): Parker got the jump at the green flag and proceeded to slowly pull away, no big surprise. I give it my all in hot pursuit and for a few laps kept him honest, this gives me a front row seat to observe his racing line. Unfortunately, at the end of the 3^rd lap the wheels came of the cart! I drive into turn 15 too hot, and just plain ran out of track. I tried to off-road it back on as if nothing happened, but the Stohr pirouettes 180 degrees, evidently she doesn’t like the dirt and gravel. I now had a front row seat facing the track as the entire field of Group 5 cars races by. The Team had just installed a full on paddle shift system and it was giving me fits. At first in my panic I couldn’t tell if the wheels where spinning in the dirt or I was stuck in neutral. The only thing that I was certain of, I wasn’t moving. OK, the car went into safety mode, I get it in “a gear” and I am back on track. As soon as I get halfway down the front straight I realize no matter what I try, the car is stuck in 4^th gear. Great! What else could possible go wrong, argh! I am pissed and completely unsettled as I can’t even attempt to get back into my driving rhythm. In difficult situations like this it’s easy to say this just isn’t my day, pack it in and head back to the pits. But that’s not really my style, so I figure there are 12 laps left, let’s see what we got. It takes me about 1.5 laps to get into any sort of a rhythm. With 4^th gear I have plenty of speed in the corners where the Stohr is fast, and I just have to modulate the throttle at the end of three of the straightaways to stay off the rev-limiter. Amazingly, with in the next three laps I’ve over-taken half the field and I am picking up the pace by braking latter and rolling through the corners. At first none of this seemed possible, now James Barwell is on the radio giving me updates, Parker aside, I am the second fastest car on track. By lap 8 there are only 4 cars in front of me: Ehud Nahir in his Elan DP-02, Steve Nicklin in his Stohr WF1, Jeff Shafer in his Radical SR3, and Parker Nicklin rocketing his Pro Mazda. It take two more laps to reel in the Elan DP-02, I overtake him without missing a beat. I believe the track wore out Ehud and Steve as both had slowly diminished their pace. Two laps later I have a visual on Steve in his Stohr, half a lap later I get a big run on him, and he proceeds to brake check me ……and that was a big WTF moment. No harm no foul. With 3 laps to go to the paddle shifter somehow becomes fully functional, so now I am flying and as the race winds down I can see Jeff in the Radical. Not a bad result, 3^rd overall (1^st in Class).

Day 3: Qualifying/Race 2

I am informed that Parker has put on a new set of scrubbed in tires for qualie, I have my Team put on a set of slicks that have one race/heat cycle on them. Game On! I go out and put down a 1:40.5 lap, knocking 3.1 seconds of my lap time. With the smaller rear wing element removed, the car is faster and more balanced. However, the rear is stepping out a little. Things are heating up as Parker hasn’t put down a sub 1:41:00 lap yet. As expected he puts his Pro Mazda on pole with the new tires, but our lap times are much closer now. Perhaps this race will be of a contest. We decided to add back the smaller rear wing element in a lower position to attempt to balance the car.

Race 2 (15 Laps): Parker got the jump in the first race so I am determined to repay the favor in Race 2. I successfully get him at the start, and make a good fight out of it for the first 3 laps (see video below). Reality: the kid is fast, far more consistent than me, and on brand new rubber LOL!

At the end of lap 2, some drama unfolds; evidently I hit a piece of asphalt on the front straight the size of a large fist. After the race Parker said he was right behind me and got sprayed with asphalt debris. At the time I was unsure of what happen, there was a loud clunk right as I shifted and the car made a weird hop, so I momentarily thought the transmission let go. For safety reasons I lifted a little, but the car felt fine, so I continue to race. The front end is pushing again, in hindsight adding the smaller rear wing element has brought back the under-steer….so the Team’s hasn’t quite dialed in the balance. Parker gets by me on the 3^rd lap, and proceeds to drive away. The rest of the race is a bit of a procession, so enjoy the first 3 laps. Still a good result, 2nd overall (1^st in Class).

Note: After the race James Barwell removed a fist size chunk of asphalt that had smashed through the carbon fiber floor panel into the battery compartment……not good!

Note 2: We continue to have technical issues with on board video system. After the first lap of this race we lose the GPS signal, and subsequently the speedometer and track map. Apparently it continues to be a work in progress:

This week I am traveling to California to race in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) U.S. Majors presented by Porterfield Brakes. To say that I’m excited would be an understatement. This is my first race weekend in almost 4 years and I am stepping way up in class, attempting to pilot a Stohr WF1 with a 1615cc Suzuki Hayabusa, no small challenge.

FIRST PRACTICE: January 17, I quickly realize the 2011 Stohr WF1 was a handful to muscle around Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, CA. Having raced at the speedway on several occasions in the Radical SR3, I am very familiar with the layout, braking zones, turn in points, and approximate corner speeds. The Stohr WF1 packs a much bigger punch! With a much higher top speed, and later brake points with the Brembo brakes, there was definitely a bit of an initial pucker effect. Additionally, my body was experience G-force loads on the banking and in the braking zones that it had not felt before. It took a couple of laps to calm my nerves, over several laps the car slowly starts to instill confidence. My Stohr WF1 ran very strong, the California weather was flawless, and I settled into the task at hand….making the necessary adjustments to put car #8 on pole in the next session.

QUALIFYING FOR PROTOTYPE 1 CLASS: January 17, the qualifying session was a straight forward affair. My mission; put the car on pole by getting one clean lap driving the car on the edge. What complicates this endeavor is the various slower cars on track unwilling to give way, as they are in the process of attempting to qualify. Luck does play a role in the greater scheme of things, as it took 7 laps before I got the unobstructed clean lap I sought. The result; my first pole position since 2011!! Enjoy the ride and watch me put down the fastest lap of the session at 1:36:81.

SATURDAY: RACE 1: Starting from pole and leading the field of thirty cars to the green flag had me both a little nervous and way pumped! I was confident that if any first lap carnage ensued, being out front was the place to avoid any car-to-car contact. I chose the inside lane, that put Chris Farrell on the outside lane in his Stohr WF1 #58. Coming into the weekend we suspected that Farrell would be our stiffest competition. Farrell is the current SCCA National Champion in Prototype 1 (P1), having won the Runoffs in Laguna Seca. Being the current champion in P1 automatically qualifies you for the Runoffs in 2015. Evidently, Farrell’s strategy for 2015 is to run in Prototype 2 this year to qualify for the runoff, and run both the P1/P2 races this fall in the hopes of capturing 2 championships. The Prototypes 2 cars are lighter and typically have smaller motors than Prototypes 1 cars.

I got off to a clean start and pulled a 5 car gap as I came off the banking and charged through the infield. I could clearly see Farrell’s red #58 in my mirrors. I knew he was gunning for the overall win, and he would pounce on any mistake I made. The cars had different strengths, the lighter P2 car was faster through the infield, the larger motor in my P1 car gave me the advantage on the straight-aways and banking. Lap after lap it was a heated battle as I attempted to put down one hot lap after another to build a gap, and Farrell in hot pursuit trying to bridge that gap. On lap 7 he got his opportunity, as we encounter a much slower car entering turn 5 (a left hander), Farrell made his move. I thought I was far enough on the left to have closed the door on turn 5, Farrell made his car real skinny (can you say 2 wheels on the grass) and shot by carry a little too much speed to block me or rotate his Stohr. I executed the classic under-over move, I rotated the car #8 under his Stohr and got the power down and had my nose ahead of his as we blasted towards the exit of turn 6. Farrell was forced to lift or mow the lawn, LOL he chose to lift. Several laps later he closed the gap, and snuck by when I had a big bobble, two turns later we were on the banking and I powered by with a little help from the draft. The balance of the 15 lap race was uneventful. Being the first race of the season; this was a great result for TJR Motorsports capturing the overall win, and setting the fastest lap of the race with a 1:36:32. Which was a full ½ second faster than my qualifying.

SUNDAY: RACE 2: During the early morning pre-race strategy meeting I was informed by race strategist Jeff Shafer of One MotoSports that we had a significant problem. At the conclusion of Saturday’s 15 lap race the Stohr WF1 had only .5 gallon remaining in the fuel cell. At first I didn’t understand the gravity of the situation. Jeff explained that Sunday’s race was 18 laps and car #8 wasn’t going to complete the additional 3 laps on .5 gallons. At first we considered running an all-out fuel conservation strategy, after all we’re running for points, we didn’t come this far to run out of fuel before the end of the second race. What was obvious, the long full throttle runs on the banking of Auto Club Speedway was the fuel consumption culprit. Why not use this to our advantage? We decided that after a clean race start to slip back behind the closest car and use the draft to conserve fuel. With any luck we would be hanging in there at the end of the race and challenge for the P1 or overall win. We had plan, but would it work? 

After a thorough warm up of car #8 we refuel it, and pushed it to grid. LOL we weren’t taking any chances, I intended to conserve every drop of fuel. Not an ideal situation, but I chose not to dwell on it, and get on with business at hand.

RACE 2: Starting from pole and leading the field of thirty cars to the green flag was a bit of a replay of Race 1. I had the inside lane, and once again Farrell was in the outside lane in his Stohr WF1 #58. I got off to a clean start and pulled a 4 car gap as I came off the banking, as I came through turns 6, Jeff jumped on the radio and informed  me that Farrell had an issue transitioning off the banking into the infield, and spun and was now dead last. This was a lucky brake, as it changed the whole complexion of the race, which would now run at a more modest pace. This played into part one of our team fuel conservation strategy. Towards the end of the first lap I let Miles Jackson over-take me in his Wolf GB08M #52 (P1), and settle into a fuel saving pace. I am not sure what Jackson thought, but he now had a new drafting partner and a mirror full of me! This put on one hella of show for the folks watching, lap after lap we came around the banking on the speedway and I was usually 6-15ft off the tail of his Wolf drafting at 150 MPH+. Note to Self: this is very intense, but a lot of fun!!

This is what my helmet and second tear-away looked like after 15 laps of drafting on the speedway:

Jackson #52 drove a solid race trying to shake me, so I have to thank him for racing me clean. I believe it was their first weekend in the new Wolf and probably their first time at Auto Club Speedway. The TJR Motorsports #8 was not going to be denied. With 3 laps to go Jeff got on the radio with the words I wanted to hear; “we are good go, overtake #52 if you can”. On the following lap I got a run on him coming out of turn 9 and out broke him going into turn 12, classic road racing move.

Capturing my second overall win of the weekend was an awesome feeling of accomplishment. There was a little fanfare on the way down pit lane as several attendees, crew members, and officials acknowledged the win. It concluded with me taking my victory lap while holding the checkered flag, and many of the track workers giving you thumbs up and cheering the whole way. Very Cool!

Added bonus….we didn’t run out gas on the victory lap, and look like a bunch of amateurs.

The only major bummer of the weekend was our inability to get the Smartycam to function during the two races. It worked great during qualifying so we’ll get it figured out for next month’s race weekend.

RACE WEEKEND RECAP: In racing you have to be fast, you also need to be a little lucky, TJR Motorsports was both this weekend and left with the Western Conference’s Championship points lead after a dominating performance. We captured pole, 2 overall wins, set the fastest lap of each race. So a big shout out to Jeff Shafer with One MotorSports for brilliant race strategy, great car preparation and trackside support. Additionally, I’d like to thanks James Barwell of Barwell Race Engines for building a reliable motor that powered me to the race wins.

SCCA Official Results (Group 3):   http://www.scca.com/events/news.cfm?eid=8438&cid=52269

Just got sent this video of  the start of Sunday’s race and Chris Emanuel in his Formula Atlantic getting run over by a Formula Continental, Chris tows his new passenger for a few hundred feet before flicking him off like a booger. Very entertaining!! Pays to start up front and avoid other peoples drama.

I’ll leave you with Steve’s video as he and Dyno Don duke it out. Cya at the races…TJR