19 laps of Dueling Spec Miata at Willowsprings
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Willowsprings, not exactly an exciting track in piloting a Spec Miata but the wide open and fast corners allowed for some exciting door to door action, and perfect layout for spectating. So the group was happy to come back to the track for a second time this year.

While Don Thibaut, Turn7 team and a few other spent all day Friday testing, both Clement Lee and the Christian quartet decided to skip the open test day for different reasons. Fortunately, with Willowspings being a relatively straight forward track, the lack of track time did not significantly handicap their progress. If last February, when we last visited Willowsprings, was any indication, we would be in store for some close racing action.
 

With SM being the last run group, everyone had plenty of time to wake up and to ponder how to go faster. Jonathan and Clement made the best use of their practice and qualifying sessions to qualify on top with Don in third. In fact the next few SM qualified relatively close too. While the SM group asked for a split start at the drivers meeting, their request was denied.

With some of the faster ITS cars running slower lap times than the front running SM, that made for an interesting start. Clement get the hole shot on the start with Jonathan and Don in tow. They followed the ITS cars around for a couple of laps and opened up a gap to any pursuing SM. Clement was apparently fighting a ill handling car right off the back and was slipping and sliding everywhere. Jonathan made an easy pass before turn 9 to take over the lead. Don disposed of his teammate on the front straight as Clement slipped to 3rd. Within another lap or so, Don made good use of the knowledge from his extra track time on Friday and the I.T. traffic to take over the lead.

The remainder of the race were more like parade laps as Don finished a couple of seconds ahead of Jonathan, while Clement came in a distant third.

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With everyone accustomed to the speed and the track, the pace picked up. Amazingly, the top 3 , Jonathan, Don and Clement, qualified within a couple of hundredths of each other, in that order. The split start was denied once again and the whole group started together.

Clement once again made the best use of his 1.8, for an excellent start, got the hole shot and went side-by-side with Jonathan into turn 1. Don tried to squeeze by as well but thought better of it as Clement led Jonathan, Don and the rest of the SM train around for the first time. The trio were already running flat out nose to tail, sticking right behind the ITS cars. By the end of lap 2, the trio had already opened up a gap to the 4th place SM.

One of the black ITS Rx7 must be shocked to see a 100+hp Spec Miata stuck to his bumper and started to weave back and forth on the front straight to try to shake it loose. Little did he know that there was a train of them SM as they snaked back and forth in the draft. Around they went one more time.

Clement barely dropped a wheel onto the gravel exiting turn 9. That was enough motivation for Jonathan to make a run for the lead. The 2 dragged race down the front stretch. Don sitting inches behind could not quite decide which car to stick behind as Clement and Jonathan ran neck to neck into turn 1. Side-by-side they go into turn 1, then turn 2. Finally Clement had the advantage going into turn 3 and led the train up and around Omega one more time. Meanwhile the black ITS Rx7 must be relieved that he had open up a gap on those little Miatas!

Well, just when the Rx7 driver thought he was safe, the 3 SM were closing fast coming into turn 9 and once again were breathing down his neck. They almost went 4 wide down the front straight when came upon to lap Yanez's Miata. Clement waited as late as he could and out-braked the ITS Rx7 into turn 1 while Jonathan and Don was stuck behind. As Clement inches away, Jonathan and Don was trying every which way to get pass. Alas, it was the black ITS Rx7's turn to get stuck behind another back marker in turn 8 as Jonathan and Don freight train through. Before the end of the front straight, Clement was reeled in. Now the trio had their sights on the silver ITS Rx7.

Meanwhile, Don thought it was time to start making his move and poked his nose into turn 3 to tell Jonathan he was there. Don tried again coming into turn 9 and this time he made it stick. With Clement still leading the way, the Rush Motorsport cars were now in 1-2 formation.

Already 9 laps have gone by and halfway into the race, the trio were not letting up and were running every bit as fast as they could even though you could see them starting to slip and slide a bit. Don with Jonathan in tow, tried to take the lead from his teammate going into turn 1. With Don's championship already settled the day before, Clement was having none of that and kept his foot in it longer than anyone else and kept his lead. By turn 3, they had caught up to the silver ITS Rx7. The ITS Rx7, apparently feeling the heat, drove 2 wheel on the dirt on the inside all the way around the top of turn 4, presumably to squeeze past a lapped 944. While doing so, the Rx7 driver dragged all kind of sand, pebbles and crud onto the track. Clement was the first to arrive at the scene.

If the grand stands were filled with spectators, one would hear them gasped for air. As Clement rounded turn 4, his back end just came around. Don had the best seat of the house: "Clement rolled over the dirt and instantly, his rear end was gone." If there was a prize for drifting and hanging the tail out, Clement would have won it right there. Going to full left lock, Clement managed to point the car straight back down the track, saved it from looping and even kept his lead!

Within a lap, the trio were back on the silver ITS Rx7 bumper. The ITS Rx7 were definitely holding up the SM on turns 2, 3, 4 and 5, killing the lead SM corner momentum and exit speed and then powering off in the straight. Don tried taking Clement again on 1, but Clement held his line. Clement appeared to be trapped, couldn't move forward and getting squeezed from behind. Running into more lapped I.T. traffic, the SM and the back marker ran 3 wide down the Omega. Somehow they all came through with Clement still leading Don and Jonathan. Onward to turn 9, the trio hit lapped traffic once again, this time a couple other SM and Yanez Miata once more time. This created a setup for a scramble down the front straight into turn 1. With no one making any mistakes, the trio came through status quo. Clement in front followed immediately by Don and Jonathan.

With only several laps left, could Clement hold off his charging teammate and Jonathan? Around they went one more time. Don made a run for the lead coming out of turn 9, and dragged race Clement into turn 1. But Don was on the outside and had to back off. Jonathan took advantage of the opportunity to stick in right behind Clement and slipped into second. Clement's tires must have faded as his rear end wiggled back and forth in turn 2. In the process, Clement and Jonathan bumped, opening the door for Don to come through as Clement slipped to third in the span of a corner. But all was not lost as Clement hung on to the back of the train. Around they go one more time. Another lap in that formation but now they were about to catch up to a couple lapped SM at turn 3 and Jonathan's dad was in that mix. Don made it through cleanly and so did Jonathan. Clement had to take an alternate line and lost a few car lengths. That was enough for Don and Jonathan to break Clement's draft. WIth 2 and half laps to go, it was now a 2 car race to the finish. Don and Jonathan caught up to a train of ITS cars, including that silver Rx7 and John Norris' BMW. Jonathan made his move on turn 8, trapping Don behind a back marker. Don tried to go around the outside but it was too slippery out there and he went rallying in the dirt instead.

Now with 1 lap to go, it was not over yet. Don made an awesome recovery and was back the track without loosing much time. Now it was Jonathan's turn to get trapped behind the ITS cars going around the Omega. Don had a run and closed right back up on turn 8. Don took a look at turn 9 but Jonathan was holding his line. Jonathan crossed the finish line less than a tenth ahead of Don while Clement finished in third several seconds back.

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Another awesome weekend of SM racing and one more intense race by Jonathan, Don and Clement. The Toyo Tires Proxes RA1 worn by all podium finishers held up extremely well in spite of 19 laps of continuous hard pounding, as reflected in their relatively fast and consistent laps times. The top 3 podium finishers, Jonathan, Don and Clement, were all running on the outstanding Brisk Spark Plugs supplied by Rush Motorsport.

Thanks to all the workers and congratulation to all on a wonderful weekend. See you all in several weeks at Buttonwillow for the final double region of the season.

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