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NATIONAL AUTO SPORT
ASSOCIATION |
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Sunday |
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Spec Miata Gold: Randy Evans adds another grand to his millions! Check presented by Will Faules. |
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Miata Madness by Rob Krider
Are you feeling a little Randy? (Because the rest of the Spec Miata drivers sure are.)
by Rob Krider
The freshly repaved (and faster) Thunderhill Raceway was host to the NASA Nor Cal AIM/Toyo Spec Miata Challenge Series on August 23-24, 2008. Fourteen Mazda drivers slid their Toyo tires over the smooth new surface at T-hill, competing to snag the $1,000 dollar NASA purse for the winner or the American International Motorsports $1,500 cash to be split between 2nd through 6th place. Saturday qualifying proved that the 2008 series dominator, #6 Randy Evans, can be beat, as David Vodden in the #12 Team Kabbage/Vodden Mazda Miata put down a hot lap and snatched the pole by over three tenths of a second. When the race began Evans grabbed the hole shot and earned the lead, going into turn one with Vodden close behind. Evans held the lead for a lap and a half but then missed a shift (his mind may have wandered as he thought about the contingency money he was going to deposit). That was all Vodden needed to take the lead. Evans woke up as Vodden passed him, reminding Evans that his money was leaving. During the race the two drivers swapped the top spot back and forth in a hard fought race-long battle. On the final lap Evans held the lead and Vodden went for broke in turn ten, pitching his Mazda sideways, which slowed him just enough to allow Evans to easily cruise toward the finish line for the win (and then on to an ATM to make a deposit). Bruce Pendleton in the #20 Miata picked up the final podium spot and #72 Laura Thomas came in fourth, just outside of the trophies. Evans used his momentum from Saturday and captured the pole during Sunday qualifying with Vodden half a second behind. The Sunday money race got underway clean and Evans and Vodden went side by side into the harrowing Thunderhill turn one. They stuck together side by side through turn two then Vodden found that the newly paved surface was a bit slick in three when he uncharacteristically spun. This allowed #20 Bruce Pendleton to move into the second spot with #72 Dean Thomas in third. Due to some creative race lines in turn ten, #164 John Pagel found himself spinning like a Tilt-A-Whirl, which led to a full course yellow (Hey, sometimes Spin Happens). The guys in the front of the field speculated that the full course yellow was a “Vodden” yellow to give the #12 car a chance to catch up. This is standard race psychology: when you’re in the front and you know a fast guy is behind you, every yellow flag seems like a conspiracy against your lead. But this is NASA not NASCAR and the yellow was justified. However, conspiracies aside, the facts are clear; the yellow did help as Vodden rocketed his way back up the field. Thomas did all he could in his #72 Mazda Miata to hold Vodden back but Thomas’s engine had some late race horsepower gremlins and he couldn’t keep Vodden from getting by. Then Vodden challenged #20 Pendleton, who did all he could to give himself a second place finish, but it was not to be. Pendalton was to earn third place (again!) while Vodden pressed on to grab second spot. Evans picked up yet another first place this year and $1,000 from NASA. #72 Dean Thomas, #60 Doug Clark, and #98 Jeremy Pike all finished fourth through sixth respectively to take home some Toyo/AIM money. Congratulations to Pike for finishing within the cash. The last time I spoke with him about a previous Spec Miata Challenge race (which didn’t go as well) the only quote he could come up with was, “Well…um, I finished.” This time at least he had the ability to expand on his usual quote with, “Well…um, I finished… in the money.” Aside from the accolades, trophies and money NASA is handing out this year for the competitors who do well on the track, I have a few achievement patches to hand out from each weekend’s races. The “Viagra/Cialis” award goes to #72 Team Momentary Laps Racing for their new (used) race engine which starts off as a hard charger but for some reason later falls flat. I spoke with the team and they are taking the car to Jason Hoover at Hoover Speed to see if they can find some type of horsepower dysfunction in the engine. Hopefully Hoover can give that engine the staying power it needs (I will refrain from making any cheap sucking references in regards to Hoover getting the Miata’s flaccid engine power “up” – after all this is a respectable article). The “I worked on the car all night and then in the morning stepped on a rake” award goes to Evil Genius Racing’s #164 John Pagel who saw an ugly puddle under his car Friday and did an all night thrash pulling the tranny and installing a new rear main seal on the engine. His lack of sleep may have played a part in his spin and subsequent collision on Saturday, which was caused by, and this is a direct quote from him, “talent limit being exceeded.” Unfortunately the car he made some minor contact with was his own Evil Genius Racing teammate, Jeremy Pike, in the #98 Mazda. So, after an all-nighter on Friday, now Pagel had two cars to fix before Sunday. Oh yeah, Sunday, that was when Pagel also earned the “Lightening Does Strike Twice” award for another spin and pin (against a different car) during the second day’s race. This hit caused the left fender of his Mazda Miata to rub against his left front Toyo, ending his weekend. Pagel said he’s going to keep “building and prepping Spec Miatas, but leave the driving to those who can.” David Vodden earns the LL Cool J, “Don’t call it a comeback!” award for his post spin rally back through the field after what some claim was a mysterious yellow gave him the opportunity. October 4-5, 2008, will be the next stop for the NASA Nor Cal AIM/Toyo Spec Miata Challenge at Llihrednuht (Thunderhill backwards). Sign up early and get your friends to rent all of John Pagel’s Evil Genius Racings’ Spec Miatas (so he doesn’t get the wise idea to drive one again). See you in Willows.
Send all bench racing comments and complaints to nasaspecmiatamedia@sbcglobal.net.
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Sunday Awards |
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Spec Miata
1. Randy Evans |
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Honda Challenge - 1
1. Graham Downey (NIP) |
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Performance Touring - B
1. Derel Sabol |
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Performance Touring - E
1. Bruce Pendleton |
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Spec E30
1. Donny Edwards |
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Super Unlimited
1. Harold Anderson |
