It has been some time since the last update here, I will work on updating the news more often from here on out. It has been a fantastic year of racing and coaching with the future looking to be more of the same. Some Highlights so far have been coaching Ron Farmer in his #474 ST2 corvette for the year where he racked up countless wins, poles, track records and put a cherry on top by winning the NASA National Championships in ST2. There were many other great happenings such as Greg W. starting his first race in his new Spec Boxster where he had a great showing at HPR in CO. Another great Spec Boxster highlight was the year long performance of Micheal H. running up front all year and grabbing his first race win as well. In historic racing action Alex W. went on to grab his first win and dominate his class at multiple events in his 75′ Porsche RSR. Alex’s good friend Darren C. went on to take many top 5 finishes as well as a top 5 in points in Ferrari Challenge racing his F430C. Corey H. had an impressive showing at every track he showed up to in PCA Group G competition taking home top honors across the country in his RS America. Rob C. found the go button in his x51 powered 996 racecar in NASA and PCA competition across the country and is still out there chasing checkered flags as his season is still going strong. Although I am highlighting most of the racers I have been involved with this year, I must give a nod to all those who chose to have me as their coach for driver development as well. It is a joy and pleasure to assist those looking to improve their skills at the track and I really have a great time being part of their progression. A few folks have taken on iRacing and I have delivered some custom fabricated setups costing them many midnight hours of sleep in the process. If you have not yet experienced iRacing I highly recommend it. Drivers of every level can learn a few bits by practicing on a sim. As for my own seat time, I have had a great time with Steve H. and his #45 Chumpcar/24hr Lemons Integra this year. We have a great group of drivers on and off the track experience is a blast. As a team we were able to win the only 24hr race held at Texas Motor Speedway and I still can’t believe the car did not break after breaking during tech inspection before the race. I was also able to race with the Hill’s in their 360 Ferrari Challenge Car during the NASA 8hr race at TWS and with Scotty P. in his Porsche 996 Cup in the same race. The Ferrari finished 2nd and the Porsche DNF’d due to a right rear wheel bearing failure. Thanks for the seat guys, it was a lot of fun! Other than some karting, riding bikes and a 1st time barefoot skiing this about sums up the past year. Look for shorter updates coming soon and thanks for taking the time to read this one, J.
Bill is another driver that proves motorcycle riders turned auto races are a quick study. He is very fast for the amount of time it has been since he started driving at the track. Even so he is always looking for a little more and with the Hallett race approaching there is no time like the present to do some testing. We were able to find some time and in his first race he was able to be within a second of the fastest drivers and finish on the podium in a class of more than 10 cars. Great job and look out fellow Spec Boxster drivers, J
The final race of the North America series at NJMP was a total success. Steve drive to 4th and 3rd gaining his first podium of the year and wrapping up the Rookie of the Year honors. It was a great season and through it all he came through without replacing a body panel! The MG1 Motorsports team was great to work with and we all had a great time. Looking forward to see what turns up next year, J
What else can you say that covers it better than 640hp connected to a dog ring no clutch transmission? I guess we can talk about how well Bob is driving these days. While at another track I overheard someone talking about Bob and how fast he and his yellow corvette are. It put a big smile on my face to hear this and I agree, Bob has come a long way as a driver. We have worked hard on many different techniques and Bob is really shaping up behind the wheel of this rocket. Always great fun, J
Well, Guy and I have been to the track a few times this year and as you can see from the left front tire he is really starting to use the car to it potential. His lap times have improved by around 5 seconds and best of all he is getting more and more consistent at this pace. I expect good things from Guy next season and have enjoyed every time to the track with him. As always…my pleasure, J
Steve decided to head out to Colorado for the PCA races and wanted some coaching and track side support. We loaded up my truck and trailer and I headed down the road with his nephew Nick from England and Steve and Mark flew out to meet us. We had a great weekend and the track had a fun mix of corners. Steve drove very well and was able to come up to speed quickly. His races were hard fought and it was a lot of fun seeing Steve work hard for his podium positions. Well done, J
Bill decided to get some seat time before his race at MSR-H. We were able to sort out some setup to improve the car and tweak some driving techniques to get the most from the car. Being at the track with Bill is always exciting, they do call the man “Wild Bill”! Along with our efforts for the day we were able to find a bit of consistency to help out is overall race performance. Go get’em Bill, J
The races at Mont Tremblant were a mix of wet and dry weather. To say this round was challenging is an understatement and Steve did a great job finishing 5th and 4th. What an awesome track for a car that is fast with great handling like the F430 Challenge car. This part of Canada is picture perfect in every direction and some day I will have to come back with a snow board. A great weekend, J