February Mazda Challenge: Spec Miata vs Pro7/Srx7 shoot out at WillowSprings:

The gods must have wanted to see the much anticipated Spec Miata vs Pro7/Srx7 shootout as much as anyone else as the unusual weather in SoCal cleared up for the weekend of racing at WillowSprings. Can the better handling Spec Miata (SM) outrun the more powerful Pro7? Youth vs Vintage; Fuel Injection vs Carburetion; Piston vs Rotary; stylish vs well, not so stylish, whatever you want to call it, the grid, with over 40 cars, about 20 SM and 20 Pro7/Srx7, all Mazdas and nothing else in between, must have been quite a sight to behold.
 

The practice sessions predicted a trend and qualifying almost tells the story. The faster Spec Miatas (SM) were setting the pace. At the end of qualifying, 4 SM were on top: On pole on the front row was Jonathan Christian with his brother William Christian II right next to him. Don Thibaut and Clement Lee in the Rush Motorsport Team Dynamics cars were right behind in the 2nd row. The Pro7s were relegated to the 3rd row with Chuck Koos, followed closely by Robert Lara and Ed Reich. The rest of the line up were a mix of SM and Pro7.

Race hour finally rolled around and Jonathan led the 40+ cars out on the parade lap for the first time. By the time we paraded through the Omega onto turn 6, all the cars were already lined up in formation. The intensity and tension was building as we rolled ever so slowly around turn 9 and onto the front straight, in tight formation, for the all Mazda rolling start...

The Christian brothers coordinated their start perfectly as the green flag flew high in the air. Don Thibaut in the SM followed closely right behind. My 1.8 SM took its time to get up to speed and saw Chuck Koos in the Pro7 powering through on the inside. Chuck Koos and I went into turn 1 side by side. As Chuck, on the inside, lost grip on his read end and started sliding over, I had no choice but to take evasive action to avoid contact. My brand new car was now off-roading in the dirt and rocks of WillowSprings. By the time I rejoined the track, there were only 3 cars or so remaining behind me. Sigh.

As the leaders drove off in the distance, I could only hope to gain back as many positions as possible as Sunday's start would be determined by Saturday's finishing position. As I could see from a distance, the Christian brothers, in their SM, were working together well, taking full advantage of the clear track ahead of them! Don was trying hard to stay in touch.

Meanwhile, way in the back, I was trying to find a way past anyone and anywhere: A Pro7 and a Pro7 there, averaging a car per lap for the first 6 laps. Now, I was starting to get into a rhythm. My most productive lap came on lap 8, making my way through 5 cars on 1 lap. Then another 6 cars in the next 2 laps. On Lap 11, Tim Weaver and another Pro7 apparently came together after turn 1 and almost blocked the track as Alan Leukhardt's SM and I came around the corner. Fortunately there was enough room for us to get around. After passing Alan and another Pro7 in the following lap, it was a clear track for me. I spent the next several laps slowly gaining on a cars way up ahead. In another 2 laps I made it through another 3 cars. With just 1 lap to go, I made it past another 2 Pro7. Almost catching up onto the tail of Mark Nichols, I finished about 0.5 sec behind.

In the end, overall, Jonathan Christian in a SM finished first, Don Thibaut in a the Rush Motorsport SM finished second, Robert Lara in a Pro7 third. Had William Christian II not been mistakenly called in for sound in the closing laps, he would have finished behind his brother Jonathan. Chuck Koos in the Pro7 was penalized a position for the incident at turn 1 on the first lap to finish in fourth. Those were the only 2 Pro7s that made it into the top 10 overall. David Vodden from Northern Cal in a SM rounded out the top 5. Clement Lee, after passing 25 cars, finished in 9th overall and 7th in SM class.
 

With Sundays starting position determined by Saturdays' finishing position, the race was set to be another SM showdown. Compared to Saturday, the start was rather uneventful. Jonathan Christian, without his brother as wingman, was unable to run away like he did on Saturday and saw Don Thibaut all over his back. William Christian, quickly hooked up with David Vodden to try to keep the leaders in sight. Lap by lap, those 4 SM were edging away ever so slightly from the rest of the field.

Meanwhile, Chuck Koos in his Pro7 were holding a 4 cars train behind him, including myself in the back of that train. The train circulated in formation unable to make any headway toward the lead pack. My SM started developing a fuel pickup problem, at first sputtering and eventually cutting out completely in the high-g turns. Staying out for a couple more laps, hoping the problem would clear itself, but such was not the case. After almost getting rear-end in the corners, I decided to shut it down after 11 laps.

While it was disappointing to be on the sideline, I, along with everyone else along the pit wall and grand stands, to witness one of the most exciting races in a long time. The SM duel between Jonathan Christian and Don Thibaut. Every time the two came around, everyone were on their toes, leaning against the pit wall or railing, to see who was going to get ahead. Even the announcer had a hard time keeping up with their actions: "...Don edged ahead, nope, Jonathan is ahead, nope, they are side-by-side going into turn 1, nope, Don is ahead, nope, they are still side by side going up turn 3, up and around the Omega! Finally, Jonathan fall in behind Don to go through turn 5 but you can't see any daylight between them. Ok, here they come around turn 9. Jonathan has a run on Don, Jonathan is making his move, Don is hanging-on on the inside, Jonathan has the sling shot, there they go again, side-by-side into turn 1..." So you get the idea.

That's not all the action, David Vodden and William Christian was also having fun in the other SM, running nose to tail, trying to chase down the leaders. Chuck Koos in his Pro7 was doing all he could holding the train of cars at bay hanging on to his fifth position.

Ok, who won? With a margin of victory of about 1/10 of a second, it was a close call. The Rush Motorsport SM of Don Thibaut finished first, edging out Jonathan Christian in the CERT SM. David Vodden and William Christian II in the other SM finished 3rd and 4th respectively. Chuck Koos in his Pro7 finished 5th followed right behind by Robert Lara in 6th.

So, which corner can you pass in Willow Springs? Everyone of the 9 corners. Where can we go side-by-side at Willow Springs? Many of the corners. Are Pro7 compatible with SM? With Pro7 running such different lines, many SM drivers have reservations about that. Given the open track, it was an exciting weekend of racing with minimal incident. Next up, back to our home track and regular schedule at Buttonwillow in March.