TEAM NASAMAX TOO GREEN IN RACE DEBUT.Byline: TIM TIM Timothy TIM Technical Interchange Meeting TIM Transient Intermodulation Distortion TIM Time Is Money TIM The Invisible Man (movie) TIM Telecom Italia Mobile (Italian cellular provider) HADDOCK Motor Sports It was a short day for Team Nasamax in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring last Saturday. After only 15 laps of the 12-hour timed event - the season opener for the American Le Mans Series The American Le Mans Series (ALMS) is a sports car racing series based in the United States and Canada. It consists of a series of endurance and sprint races, and was created in the spirit of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. at Sebring International Raceway Sebring International Raceway is a road course auto racing facility located in Sebring, Florida. The raceway occupies a portion of Hendricks Field, a former military training base and currently an active airport for private and commercial traffic. in Florida - the Team Nasamax entry, the only car in the field running on bio-ethanol for fuel, had to withdraw when the engine stalled in the pits and wouldn't restart. Bio-ethanol is a green fuel produced from agricultural produce. Valencia resident and Hart High graduate Bryan Herta Bryan Herta (b. May 23 1970, Warren, Michigan) is an American race car driver. He currently drives for Andretti Green Racing, which is co-owned by former CART and IRL driver Michael Andretti, in the ALMS, although his career has primarily been spent in open-wheel cars ran all 15 laps for Team Nasamax and said the car showed promise, but that a lot of work needs to be done for the team to be competitive. ``I think it's got a lot of potential, but it's going to take some time to get it right,'' Herta said. ``It's not ready to be competitive.'' Despite the setback, Herta said the team obtained significant data and can make improvements before the team's next race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. ``You know, if this was a test week, we would be very happy with all the information we have gathered,'' Herta said. ``This is a very hard race to start with. The project has been put together so quickly, in just three months. The car is a good package. We just need more time.'' The team only tested the Reynard-Cosworth entry three times before the Sebring race. Two test were held at Le Mans, France, in freezing conditions. ``We've been saying all week that this is a race test for us,'' technical and renewables consultant John McNeil John McNeil (February 14, 1813 – June 8, 1891) was a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. He was most noted for his role in the Palmyra Massacre and other acts of alleged brutality. said. ``We've been learning all week and will continue to work on this. When you make as many changes as we have to this Cosworth engine to run it on green fuel, you wipe the slate clean as far as data is concerned. Time is what we have not had, but we have test sessions planned before Le Mans.'' --NASCAR Busch Series The NASCAR Busch Series is a stock car racing series owned and operated by NASCAR. It is NASCAR's "minor league" circuit (often compared to Triple-A baseball), and is a proving ground for drivers who wish to step up to the organization's "big league" circuit, the Nextel Cup. : After recording his second top-10 finish in a row, Ron Hornaday Ron Hornaday, Jr. (born in Palmdale, California on June 20, 1958) is a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver. He is the father of former NASCAR driver Ronnie Hornaday, and the son of Ron Hornaday, Sr., a two time Winston West Champion. Jr. has become a legitimate contender for the NASCAR NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), organization that sanctions American stock-car races, est. 1948. It held its first race in Daytona Beach, Fla. Busch Series championship. Hornaday, a former Saugus Speedway champion, finished ninth in Monday's Busch Series race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway and moved into fourth in points. But Hornaday isn't satisfied with just being a contender. ``I think everybody is happy that we are fourth in points, but we aren't content with that,'' Hornaday said. ``We want to win races, and that is what the goal is every week. If we have an off day, then we think points and this championship race and do the best we can.'' The series heads to Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway for today's Channellock 250, and Hornaday has to like his chances of winning his first race of the season; when he was racing on the Craftsman Truck Series, Hornaday won two races at Bristol. He led every lap of both victories, including an caution-extended 206-lapper in 1998. However, the results of his Winston Cup and Busch Series races at that track haven't been as fruitful. ``But when we unload the AC Delco Chevrolet, we are thinking win,'' Hornaday said. ``We haven't won yet, so I know we are very hungry. This team is just now beginning to jell, so I think the next few races will be our best so far this year.'' Is the team good enough to lead every lap of a race? ``Now as far as leading every lap, I don't think that is possible in the NASCAR Busch Series,'' Hornaday said. ``There are just too many good cars and smart crew chiefs. You would have to nail every pit stop and even then, somebody would stay out of track position and lead one. But I think you can lead a good number of them.'' Experience, from the Truck Series and from his days at the tight 1/3-mile track at Saugus Speedway, will play a significant role in the race at Bristol. ``It is a lot easier racing at Bristol when you're leading,'' Hornaday said. ``You can dictate the pace and use the lap cars to an advantage. If you time them right, you can pin a guy behind a lapper and really pull away. Not that I would ever do that.'' --Mesa Marin Raceway: The NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series and the Craftsman Truck Series will be racing at Mesa Marin Raceway Mesa Marin Raceway was a high banked half mile racetrack in Bakersfield, California that was demolished following the 2005 racing season to make way for housing developments in the foothills of northeast Bakersfield. in Bakersfield today. Frank Deiny Jr., a former Saugus Speedway racer who now lives in Mechanicsville, Va., has emerged as the top rookie on the Southwest Series after the season opener in Phoenix last month. Deiny finished fifth at the race at Phoenix International Raceway Phoenix International Raceway, or just PIR, is a one mile tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It opened in 1964, as the new home of major open-wheel racing in the Phoenix area, replacing the track at the Arizona State Fairgrounds as an automobile racing venue. . Sean Woodside of Saugus, who finished 15th at the Phoenix race, will not be entered in the Southwest Series or Truck Series events. He was planning on entering both but said he has had a falling out with his team owners. Woodside, a Winston West and Irwindale Speedway Irwindale Speedway is a motorsports facility located in Irwindale, California. It features banked, paved 1/2 and 1/3 mile oval tracks. It is mainly used for USAC sprint car and regional NASCAR races. track champion, also said he was uncertain if or when he would return to racing. Bob Lyon Bob Lyon, an American politician, is a former Kansas State Senator from the city of Winchester. A civil engineer, Lyon is a graduate of the University of Virginia and George Washington University. of Agua Dulce is expected to enter the Southwest Series race. THIS WEEKEND'S RACES NASCAR Busch Series Channellock 250 Site: Bristol, Tenn. Schedule: Today, race (FX, 10 a.m.) Track: Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol Motor Speedway, originally known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a NASCAR short track located in Bristol, Tennessee. It was constructed in 1960, and held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. (oval, .533 miles, 36 degrees banking in turns) Race distance: 133.25 miles, 250 laps Last race: Todd Bodine bumped past Jamie McMurray in the final moments of the darlingtonraceway.com 200 and slid across the finish line Monday to win the rain-delayed race. McMurray's car was pointed to the wall after the contact but still finished second. Last year: Jeff Green survived a record-tying 14 cautions and a final shootout Shootout Venture capital jargon. Refers to two or more venture capital firms fighting for the startup. after a red flag to win his 15th career Busch series event in the Channellock 250. Next race: O'Reilly 300, March 29, Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas, 18th-largest city in the United States[1], and voted one of "America’s Most Livable Communities. On the net: www.nascar.com Craftsman Trucks Lucas Oil 250 Site: Bakersfield Schedule: Today, qualifying, 6 p.m.; Sunday, race (Speed Channel, 2 p.m.) Track: Mesa Marin Raceway (oval, 1/2-mile, 17 degrees banking in turns) Race distance: 125 miles, 250 laps Next race: Advance Auto Parts Founded in 1932, Advance Auto Parts (NYSE: AAP), headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, is the second-largest retailer of automotive replacement parts and accessories in the United States. AAP had 2005 sales of approx. $4. 250, April 12, Martinsville, Va. Featherlite Southwest Series Star Nursery.com 200 Site: Bakersfield Schedule: Today, race, (Fox Sport Net, 8 p.m.) Track: Mesa Marin Raceway (oval, half-mile, 17 degrees banking in turns) Race distance: 200 laps/100 miles Next race: Cajon Speedway 125, April 5, El Cajon CAPTION(S): box Box: THIS WEEKENDS'S RACES (see text) |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion