NASA TEXAS, 2005 ROUND 1 Season Opener – Motorsport Ranch
Written by Adam Ginsberg and Todd Covini
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
18 March 2005
TEXAS MARCH MADNESS!
The 2005 NASA TEXAS AI/CMC Season Opener was a record breaker!
American Iron and CMC cars converged on Motorsport Ranch in Cresson, Texas for the start of another NASA Texas American Iron and Camaro-Mustang Challenge season. Both racing series in Texas continue to experience 100% growth, with many new drivers and cars showing up to join in the action. With the biggest V8-racing grid in Texas to date, it was a weekend to watch!
MSR WEEKEND RACE SUMMARY:
+ 4 AI/CMC sprint races toward championship points (20 minutes each)
+ 1 practice session and 2 qualifying sessions (15-20 minutes each)
+ 7 total race group sessions and well over 2 hours of track time!
+ 7 American Iron cars
+ 1 American Iron Xtreme car
+ 8 CMC cars
+ 5 Competition Licensing students in the Friday license school!
+ 13 Mustangs
+ 3 Camaros – 1 in AI, and 2 in CMC!
+ 2 CMC pole position winners for the weekend – Team Ginsberg/Tanner ( Sat ), and Team Covini/Breitenbach ( Sun ).
+ 2 AI pole positions held by the same racer- John George 2X
+ 2 AI winners for the weekend - John George 2X (Sat)…Mike Patterson 2X (Sun)
+ 2 CMC winners for the weekend – Team Covini/Breitenbach 2X…..Eric Varner 2X
+ New AI and CMC track records set!
+ Carnage was huge this first event after a long winter – two CMC cars damaged, one AI motor ventilated, one CMC head gasket blown, one CMC cylinder head cracked, two fuel pumps, one oil cooler, one brake line, one stripped caliper, one engine fire, one Mass Air sensor problem, two clutches, and ABS issues on two AI cars.
+ Weather was the big question of the weekend – cool temperatures, overcast and threatening skies, with light sprinkles on Sunday.
+ Consistent top lap times were lowered from last year – 1:26-1:27’s for CMC and 1:22’s for AI
+ An unfortunate incident on Friday was uplifted with the return of a damaged CMC car to action after an all nighter of repairs by many people and a fantastic weekend of racing!
The largest American Iron and Camaro-Mustang Challenge grid yet in Texas. From L-R – John George ( AI #23 ), Mike Bell ( AI #16 ), and Richard Pedersen ( AI #91 ). Image by Lewis Tanner.
FREAKY FRIDAY – NASA Texas held an all day licensing school for all the new racers. Steve Kent ( CMC #1 ), Jeff Brooks ( AI #101 ), Corey Rueth ( CMC #13 ), Nicholas Runyon ( CMC #79 ), Lewis Tanner ( CMC #5 ) and Glenn Landrum ( CMC #70 ) attended in the quest to complete working on the licensing requirements. Many of the AI/CMC veterans such as Adam Ginsberg, Eric Varner and Mike Patterson used this day to shake down their cars and their rusty skills after nearly 5 months of no track time. Neil Breitenbach, from Tampa, FL used this day to learn his teammate Todd Covini’s car, as well as learn a new track during test and tune time.
The track time agenda was filled with very constructive exercises and practice sessions such as side by side lapping at speed, standing & rolling start practices and pass/be passed exercises to gain comfort levels. The day ran smoothly until the final session of the day – a 30 minute “graduation race”. Shortly after the start, Eric Varner’s CMC Mustang blew a head gasket, and had to be towed in. During the restart, a student in an Factory Five Racer (FFR) went wide coming out of Big Bend, shot across, left the track, then reentered the track and came to a stop. With nowhere to go, the FFR was hit broadside by the recently completed CMC #70 Camaro which was built from the ground up and driven by Glenn Landrum. That caused the FFR to spin around, and get hit in the passender side by the Kent/Liebbe #1 CMC Mustang entry. All 3 cars were significantly damaged. The Kent/Liebbe entry would unfortunately not return to racing this weekend. This incident was a testament to the safety gear and procedures employed at NASA, as well as the quality construction of Factory Five Racecars, as no-one was hurt.
With approximately 12 hours to go before the Round 1 racing weekend to begin at 8 AM on Saturday, many cars had major issues to contend with in order to make the show. During a top-end engine teardown, Eric Varner not only found the blown head gasket on his CMC Mustang, but he also discovered a broken valve as well. The Chris Lyons AI Mustang (formerly owned by AI Champion Elliot Fisher) lost his clutch. In the helping hands category, CMC-pilot Adam Ginsberg made a round trip run to his house for his spare set of cylinder heads for Varner and to pick up a clutch for Lyons. Glenn Landrum contemplated his weekend luck over dinner until nearly 9:00 at nite until the coaxing of friends and the help of Lou Giglotti empowered Glenn to make a go of it and repair the new CMC Camaro. The Mosty brothers as well as racers Mike Bell. Len Zazzarino, Mitch Landrum and others helped out with the ailing cars so as to get everyone back out on track. Varner, Lyons and Landrum spent the majority of the night repairing their respective cars to get them ready for action on Saturday – it was an all-night thrash but all were successful. The spirit of Texas AI/CMC racing and camaraderie was alive and well in the MSR pits.
Eric Varner’s CMC #17, disassembled, for spare cylinder heads to arrive. Image by Eric Varner.
SPECTACULAR SATURDAY – qualifying and practice went off very well. 15 minutes before the start of qualifying, Glenn Landrum arrived with his CMC #70 4th gen Camaro in tow, to the clapping hands of the entire AI and CMC group in the paddock. The car hardly looked any worse for wear, considering it’s front clip damage on Friday. Corey Rueth’s CMC Mustang cut a brake line during practice and lost his entire brake system, forcing him to miss qualifying for repairs.
Corey Rueth ( CMC #13 ), working to repair his brake system. Image by Adam Ginsberg.
In American Iron, John George took the pole position with a 1:23.316. Mike Bell was close behind with a 1:23.853, Mike Patterson with a 1:23.907, followed by Richard Pedersen ( 1:25.586 ), and Chris Lyons ( 1:29.880 ). New AI racer Jeff Brooks ( AI #101 ) qualified with a 1:28.319 in his newly acquired former Maximum Motorsports shop car.
In CMC, Adam Ginsberg set the pole with a 1:27.352, followed by Neil Breitenbach ( 1:28.319 ), Nicholas Runyon ( 1:28.588 ), Eric Varner ( 1:28.781 ), and Glenn Landrum ( 1:31.996 ).
Glenn Landrum’s repaired CMC #70 Camaro being rolled off the scales by Len Zazzarino ( left ) and Michael Mosty ( right ). Image by Adam Ginsberg.
SATURDAY’S RACE #1 – gridded one of the largest fields to date. The order for AI had John George ( #GR23 ) on pole, followed in qualifying order by the other AI drivers. Marshall Mosty ( #67 ) gridded in AIX. In CMC, Adam Ginsberg ( #5 ) took the pole position over the other CMC drivers who gridded in that order.
Both American Iron and the Camaro-Mustang Challenge have new drivers for 2005 – in AI, Jeff Brooks, piloting the #101 Maximum Motorsports-suspended white Mustang hatchback, was gridded up for his first race ever. In CMC, Nicholas Runyon ( # 79 ), Glenn Landrum ( #70 ), and Corey Rueth ( #13 ) gridded with the field, but as rookies, were required to grid at the back for four races. Marshall Mosty, driving the first AIX entry in Texas, had fuel delivery issues.
As the green flag was dropped for the rolling start, it was immediately evident the entire Pony Car field had gotten faster from last year. The top AI drivers began a furious duel, showing how door-to-door racing is done in Texas. Bell fought off Patterson in an attempt to stay close to the #GR23 Mustang, and managed to keep the #8 Camaro in his rearview. Chris Lyons, David Donovan and Jeff Brooks raced hard, keeping the AI leaders in sight. Brooks missed a shift, and blew up his clutch, taking him out.
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