2021 Round 1 Wrap-Up by Colleena McHugh (Part 2)by Dave

Novice is always a fun class, meeting new people and welcoming them into the sport is exciting for everyone! Rob Paulson did exactly what he was supposed to do. He worked his Audi TTS down lap after lap, to finish 1st with a last lap 30.9.

In the 31 second battle for 2nd, James Moffatt’s Exige was the first to hit one. On run two, he came up the hill, the car got light, settled down, and spun big time while he waved to the peanut gallery! A 31.1 won James the 2nd spot. Brian Snow, in a beautiful 350z, was so smooth, it looked like it was standing still! Perfectly Controlled rear slips, ever so lightly around each corner, is what it took to bring home 4th with a 31.6.

Another three guys were fighting over the 5th spot with a bunch of 32.’s. Sloan Plumbridge (Focus RS), after one DNF, turned two 32.2’s for 5th. Brandon Smith’s Miata MX5 also got lost on his first lap, but after all, he just got the car and it’s his first time here! An ever so close 32.3, put him right behind Sloan in 6th. Corey Marshowsky kept his Integra off of all of the cones and on the track, to turn all clean laps and a 32.9 for Novice 7.You could tell that   Gomolka was pushing his Impreza well beyond what is normally expected of those cars! Throaty exhaust sounds and tire squeals made it clear that the car was trying to keep up with Will’s demands. He performed better and better each lap, until a 33.4 treated him to 8th. A nice, conservative 33.5 was the first lap that Glenn McKinnon’s Ford Focus awarded him and, even with noticeable rear end bounce, all 33’s followed for 9th in Novice. Skip Bry came out again with his exciting 911 on new tires! Winding it up in the slalom and shifting at the exit to get the most out of the Porsche, a last lap 33.8 put him in the top 10.

 Hartmann (Subaru WRX) led the fight for 11th place, when he turned the fastest first lap of the 34 second group. Cameron St Pierra was the next guy to best his time, and even though he chucked his vintage BMW at every corner, the 325i stayed tight, so tight, he found a cone on lap two. On lap three, Cassidy Hebert threw his hat in with a very fancy, fun, red, VW R32. He had a good right foot at the finish of lap three for a 34.6, but cut the corner leading into the finish slalom on the last lap. He didn’t need that lap, because 12th was the spot for the first timer! It looked like another cone was inevitable, but Cameron turned it around on lap four when he tucked it in at the last slalom cone and crossed the lights in 34.3 seconds for 11th. Hebert claimed 12th and Tyler grabbed 13th with his second lap 34.83. Adam Holguin snuck into Club 34 with a last lap 34.84 for 14th. But first, his Miata performed a beautiful J Hook fishtail into the slalom that looked super fun, but probably not too fast! Not to be outdone, David Davidow’s Camaro was well behaved and quiet, until he hit the gas! Sliding left, then right in the slalom, he threw away lap two, but a last lap 34.9 rounded out the race for the 34’s (15th).

The next eight novices duked it out over the 35 second, 16th spot! Jose Hernandez Najera also took advantage of our Mentor program, and his WRX did everything he wanted it to. He started out cautiously, and worked his times down over 4 seconds to come in at the top of the pack with a 35.13 for 16th. Troy Gundle followed Jose’s example and worked his Civic perfectly down to a 35.19 for 17th, so close!!! An exotic car disguised as a normal Z Car, David Salls’s Scarab (240z) should have everyone scared, as Greg, from Datsonforum.com explains, “A car that would stroll past a Corvette in a straight line and hold its own in the corners, and a Ferrari-eater without the Italian price tag”. Good thing I’m not driving the 458 today!!! We all could hear every throttle push escaping the shiny, tuned exhaust. On his last lap, he looped it at the slalom exit, hitting the rev limiter at the finish and escaping all danger!! His third lap 35.23 landed the rare racer in 18th. Errol Smith took advantage of our Mentor Program and Chief, Bryce Redinger, showed him the ropes! Due to some great coaching, Smith pounded his Golf TDI down over seven seconds to swing across the light in 35.28 seconds for 19th. Rounding out the top 20, Eric Rush’s beautiful Miata, loose around every corner, looked like it was having fun! After a careful second lap 35.34, on lap three he was in a rush and missed a cone, so his second lap was his best. Brian Starbuck was also sliding all over, challenging all others to take on his Civic SI. A very aggressive little Honda, he got a little wide, missed the slalom, hit a cone, but also drove over a cone, and it stayed in the box!! His prize was a 35.35, just a tick behind Rush! Spencer Burke had a similar ride in his very nice Acura ILX. Also striving to join Club 35, he got into a bit of trouble (two cones, a DNF) but, his last lap was deliberate and purposeful, resulting in a 22nd 35.4. I Love a good fight between car mates!!! Dana and Montgomery Uhlhorn shared a very nice, red Miata, but only one of them wound up in the club! After a tricky, wide at the entrance to finish slalom DNF, Dana pulled off a perfect 35.6 for the last Club spot.

Montgomery Uhlhorn started the fight for the finish with a clean first lap. He kept that clean record, and, with a good transition from the first slalom to the wing, and overcoming a little looseness in the finish slalom, bounced the Miata past the lights for 24th with a 36.0. The last three racers hated their first laps! All DNF'd, but Adam Parent copied Uhlhorn with a perfect second lap, his Mustang Claiming a 36.1. Ever so close behind, Kurt Thompson slid his Pontiac G8 a bit in the slalom for his DNF, then smashed out a 36.3 to make it into Club 36!

Rounding out the field, Timothy Contreras’ Impreza joined the first lap DNF club, but threw in a couple of clean laps for a skillful 38.3.Much fun was had by all, to be repeated next month!!! See you all then!!!