Solo Round 10 Wrap-Up by Colleena

[Dave Deborde]

Round 10 wrap-up – by Colleena McHugh

It was a beautiful, cool, clear Sunday, September 20, at Regional Public Safety Training Center. A full grid of Solo Round 10 entrants were treated to Mini Monza… Mozzarella Madness, the Sequel. Those who did well yesterday didn’t necessarily do well today, as the driving skills from round 9 didn’t always translate to the reverse track. Michael Ufford made some little tweaks to his course and what resulted was incredibly challenging. More Mazzarella than Monza, after the green flag, a hard left to a thread-the-needle swoop, a big right sweeper to the only straight on the course, back to that straight with a kink, or the M turn as some called it, back to the freeway on-ramp sweeper to the finish chute.
SM’s Kevin Weiss wasn’t intimidated a bit and his BLUE beast was aggressive right out of the gate. His race prepared Suburu STI was a bit bouncy in the sweeper, but he didn’t hit one cone in 5 laps! He pulled out a 32.5 on his last lap for 1st in class.
Kelly Martensen had the kink all figured out and she took her WRX to 1st after a great, strong finish. She shaved off two and a half seconds and took DS with a 35.7 on lap 4. Dan Hayward, in an Audi TT, didn’t need 5 laps to turn his fast lap. One of the many wheel-up in the sweeper rides, his turned a 36.0 for 2nd in class.
Ahren Renner, in a TFSP racer he’s dubbed a Trollrolla, blew back a black spray of off-line tire rubber every lap! Smooth everywhere, entering the sweeper, the car took a set early, and Ahren kept it there throughout the whole turn, textbook!! A zippy 33.8 set the bar pretty low for competitor Nick Johnson. Nick answered with a valiant effort in his Corolla (2nd 35.4) and Ahren claimed 1st.


Bryce Redinger employed smooth use of his Corvette's accelerator everywhere, even on lap three, when he wiped out in the finish chute and when he got sideways after the start! He killed three cones and then calmed down and ran a 32.3 fourth run for 2nd in SSP. Mike Mchugh, in my Ferrarri 428 Italia, was right behind him, and, after a cone and a DNF, cranked out a 32.6 for 3rd. I beat them both with a 32.2. I asked Mike what he thought about me beating him, since he’d been driving the car for a year and a half and I’d only driven it once. He answered, “I think you deserve a smack!” True story. I was also 3rd O/A in case anyone was keeping track!


Always fast and smooth, Maggie Elorza, in a BMW, locked up her brakes into the first turn, then had a big wiggle at the finish and struck a cone. Not to be rattled, she recovered on lap 5 to a final 34.2 for 1st place in FS.


Jason Lewis improve over a second on his second lap, but went even faster his third, coming in at 33.0 for 1st in DSP. After two coned laps, Michael Fertitta slid into 2nd (33.5). Always an incredible show, Roxanne Fertitta’s Mini got big air between the left rear tire and the pavement, but she didn’t need that tire patch to win 3rd place with a 35.7.
You just can’t beat the great American Muscle sound that Anthony Arreygu’s Corvette makes as he rounds the course! Especially as he heads for the finish, this time in a 34.0 second lap for 1st in BSP.
Carl Engel came out, once again, to entertain us with his beautiful, classic car. Black pieces spewed from his Mustang, as the exhaust blew all of the rubber off the outside of every turn! Five perfect laps left a 37.8 on the record books for 1st in CAMT.


Can you say Powerful? Can you say Aggresive? Can you say Boris Vujasinovic? Well, you have to after he turned two winning laps (32.959 after a 32. 961) in his GTO for 1st in CAM C and 2nd in PAX. Pat Drudge, in another one of the best performing GTO’s ever built, had such great acceleration between sweepers, I didn’t think he’d make the turn! The limited slip allows a fair amount of slip, so the tires could heat up and smoke and with the left rear wheel hop, it’s amazing that Pat held on for 2nd in class, 3rd in PAX. That’s driving!!!


Bob Williamson’s beautiful red Corvette was as sleek and smooth as his driving, and the results prove it. No cones were harmed in Bob’s effort to turn a 35.3 for 1st in AS.


I can’t say enough fun things about Andrew Silva’s Ford Focus. I just love watching his FWD squeal the tires every turn, lean ever so far around the corners and flash past me, emulating the lightning bolt on its side! He turned his 37.2 on his first lap to take 1st place in HS.


Anthony Ta, in his graceful Impala, ran smoothly through the swoop, slipped a little in the sweeper, and explained to us all how hard he was running with tire squeal that sounded like a wounded gazelle. After leaping over all the cones, his last lap 36.9 declared 1st in GS.


Chris Kannan and son Christian shared the same Miata, but not the same times!!! The black bra on the sexy car repelled the cones, so none were harmed in the making of this result! Chris stuck that little car very close to every cone, rotated around the sweeper apex, and on his second run, turned a 34.8 for an ES 1st. Christian recovered after getting lost, and improved over a second on his third lap and ran a very decent 36.7 for 2nd, in his second race ever! His first time out was yesterday, and I don’t envy him losing his training wheels on such a tricky track, but after this, he can race anywhere!!! Mike Goldsworthy, in another Miata, had second place until that third lap, but a 37.2 landed him in 3rd. Steve Waclo’s Hemi Spyder was so fun to watch, with its lean and wheels threatening to lift up! He murdered three cones trying to best Mike's third run but was a little wide on the last lap and DNF’d that attempt. A very close 37.4 sealed Steve 4th in ES.


Michael Ufford’s BMW 230i Won Kone Killer of the Day when it had to kill 4 cones in order to earn 1st place in STX with a 34.2.
Andrew Silva, in a Ford Focus, performed perfect car control everywhere, then let it rip, hitting the rev limiter at the finish for an exciting end! His first run 37.2 claimed 1st in HS.
Steve McLaughlin sure knows how to use the accelerator pedal! His zippy Datsun 350z ran over the lip of every cone, earning him top time of day! The beautiful blue car made it look easy, even with one bobble coming into the transition. His 32.0 drove him into 1st in STU, 1st overall in PAX results, and 1st overall in Raw times! Denis Savelyer’s Lancer Evo let both rear wheels trade off resting! One seemed to always be in the air! He got down to a 33.0 for 2nd in STU.


Andrew Kauble looked great, and his maroon, T-Top Corvette was smooth everywhere, and, except for a little push in the sweeper, his lines were perfect. A last lap 33.7 took 1st in BS.
Ed Reichley’s Miata produced big rubber smoke and oversteer, but it didn’t stop him from 1st in TSSM and 2nd in raw results with a 32.1. Sutee Dismanopnaro’s sleek, winged Honda S 2000 rounded out the class in 2nd with a 32.3. Corvettes dominate the show, with six showing up at almost every event and today was no different. Bob Miles’ Corvette proved purposeful through the sweeper, gave us a little wheel spin around corners, and oversteer into the finish straight showed he wasn’t giving up. The cars wide wheels were so close to cones it made everyone nervous, as did the squiggle at exit of the sweeper, but amazingly five clean laps reduced a 34.0 for 3rd.
Novice is always the biggest class, and there were twenty entries today!!!
Travis Hisken came out again in his Tesla Model 3. The Quiet Thunder produces nothing but the tire squeal, but it looked like it was stuck to the track. The Blue Streak doesn’t seem to lean, and the pretty car quietly crossed the finish lights in 33.5 seconds for 1st in Novice. Blake Sobiloff’s Cayman couldn’t stop the rear tires from hopping over a very uneven part of the pavement! Blake dove deep into the sweeper exit, to a strong, fast finish and sped past the lights in 33.6 seconds for 2nd. Izaak Eberst took a wild ride in the finish straight, hanging on to his WRX to come in with a 33.8 for 3rd.
Rob Paulsen (Audi TTS) and Erik Hertel traded fast times until they both landed on a 35.0! Laps one and two, Erik led, until lap three, when Rob’s Camaro (love the American muscle sound) decided it’d had enough and brought in a 35.00 for 5th in class. Erik got his time down to 35.1 on his last lap, for 6 th in Novice. Skip Bry was aggressive in his approach to Uffords track, handling his 911 with force and purpose, and a 36.0 was his reward. Jeremy Trujillo kept control of his GTO, forcing the muscle car into tight and tidy lines and a 36.3 was his bounty.
Brittany Barats drove her husband's WRX today. Poor girl, I browbeat her into driving! She came out yesterday with her husband, and today was the first time ever driving in an autocross. I told her I’d give her a ride on one of my laps in the Ferrari if she did it, so I guess I owe her one!! She led the race for 9th her first two laps, then James Crawford, in the same GTO as above, challenged her for the win. In an effort to find a few extra 10ths, the GTO was speedier but pushier on his third run, but Brittanys 36.46 came in ahead of James’ fastest third lap 36.48.
Jose Estuipinan handled his Nissan 350 Z smoothly, sternly and skillfully. When the Z snuck in a big squiggle at the exit of the sweeper, and every time the passionate ride stepped out, he nudged it back in line, as if to say, “No, No, No”. Tippy toeing through the course and lighting it up at the finish, Jose’s final 36.9 was just a tick ahead of Kidrick Fore, who also showed up in a 370z. Fore had a hot and heavy competition with Austin Reaves’ in a Tesla. Austin had the Tesla’s wheel up in the sweeper, that seems a little aggressive for a grocery getter! His smooth handling of the quiet car clinched 12th on his first lap, his fastest second lap (37.4), and on his third, but Jose took it away on lap 5 with a 37.2.
A fun day was had by all, see you in two weeks for Round 11!!!