Thunder Strikes Twice! (Part 2 - Sunday)

Day 2 of the May NASA event was forecast for 80% rain, and indeed on the three mile drive from town down Hwy 162 toward Thunderhill Raceway Park, the rain, fog, and even snow threatened in the distance. Teams readied their rains, but took to a dry track for qualifying. In spite of the overnight rain and a green track, some very fast times appeared on the board.

Mike C dropped a smoking 2:05.6 in the #10 car, firing a shot across Brad McClure's lap record 2:05.8 from the previous day. The usual suspects in the top 5 included Greg P, Lauren T, a newly revitalized Steve F, BTM Motorwerks' own Andy Chittum. Brad, suffering slightly from a late-night strategic session, took the line in 7th, right behind Andy.

At the drop of the flag though, Brad got an insane launch, blasting by Chittum on the inside, while Chittum held Ted B off on the outside. Early in the race, Brad was also able to sneak by Lauren T on the inside, but as the lead cars settled in, the top 6 became a train of cars that for nearly half the race was covered by less than two seconds.



Finally, nearly halfway through the race with six drivers each scrambling for every hundredth just inches away from each other, Steve F got a move on Greg P for 2nd, and passed him on the outside of the 85+ mph Thunderhill Turn 1. This allowed Steve F to move up and really start pushing Mike C, and McClure started pushing Greg hard as well. Several times the wiley McClure tried to sneak inside Greg P as he'd done the previous day, but Greg had learned his lesson and kept that door firmly shut to the BTM Motorwerks driver. Finally a few laps into the 91 car's assault, Greg's tires seemed to overheat, and he went wide in turn 11, allowing Brad, Lauren, and Andy all to get past. But Brad's car was also looking a little ragged at this point, and Lauren began to attack as well. At the same time, each time Lauren tried to get an advantage, Andy also attacked, keeping the fast TFB Performance #69 car in a very unforgiving BTM Sandwich, just where he'd been in the middle of the round 6 endurance race just a few weeks previous.

The three cars battling let Mike C and Steve F away to eventually take 1st and 2nd, but the final podium spot might have been the most hotly contested battle all weekend. Lap after lap Lauren T pounced on the series-leading #91 car, and Andy pounced again from behind, making it very difficult to him to get an advantage on Brad.

Finally, on the white flag lap, Andy was able to get a run on Lauren's #69 car and eke out a 4th place finish, with Brad hanging on for the final podium position. Kudos out to all the top drivers, including Scott N that kept the back of the group honest early on, and Ted B for making a late-race charge nearly catching up to the back of Andy's #19 car and getting involved in that battle as well.



Earlier in the day, Chittum also won the 2nd GTS Challenge race of the weekend, starting in the back of the back due to a qualifying snafu, but passing Bennet M on the last lap. Many of the other GTS cars took advantage of stickier slick tires allwoed in GTS Challenge, but Andy drove the Spec e30 required Toyo RA1s and pushed his competition hard enough that the Toyo's longer-life advanage made the difference.

Team BTM Motorwerks Racing will return to NASA Norcal competition June 11th and 12th, this time to their home track Infineon Raceway at Sears Point. The team's 91 car leads the series championship by a healthy margin, and the team will be looking for solid, reliable race finishes to bring home the season trophy at the end of the year.

Thunder Strikes Twice! (Part 1 - Saturday)

March 14th and 15th saw another huge field of Spec e30s return from around the state to Willows CA, at the world-famous Thunderhill Raceway Park for rounds 7 and 8 of the 2011 NASA Championship. BTM Motorwerks' championship-leading #91 car saw Brad McClure back at the wheel, and Andy Chittum opted to drive the new #19 car in both GTS Challenge and the Spec e30 races to generate as much data as possible to test and tune the car.

The weekend's threatening rain and classically fickle Thunderhill weather had all the paddock's drivers ready with full-tread Toyo RA1, but Saturday looked to be overcast and nothing more. Se30 qualifying looked good for the BTM Team, with Andy and Brad posting the 3rd and 4th fastest times. However, heartbreak befell the new 19 car when the 19 car came in underweight - a side effect of the changed weight requirement from the Round 6 enduro. Andy took his place at the back of the grid.

At the start, Brad in the 91 car came alive, blasted off with one of his signature 'BTM Power' starts and quickly began pressuring Greg P for 2nd place. He made his move and began chasing Mike C down for the lead.



Back at the back, Andy found himself starting in 26th in nearly ideal cool dry conditions. Like his drive in round 1 where he gained 24 positions he had his work cut out for him, but it was even more difficult than the wet race as the entire field
had their cars working well, and there were many personal best laptimes in the field. He got a good start as well, and moved steadily up through the field passing individual cars until he caught up with a 5 car train comprised of Dan G, Derek W, Scott N, Brian M and Jeff L.

Andy first got by Team Roadrunner's Jeff when he made a minor mistake in turn 2, and got a run on Brian M on Thunderhill's long front straight. Pulling up behind the series director Scott, Andy now found himself with two cars right on his bumper, and three ahead, all vying for position. As Andy began to put pressure on Scott, he also found a little more speed and motivation in the 44 car and pushed inside Derek W on the inside of T2. Andy followed him through as well, finally passing Derek on the outside of T3, the hairy off-camber turn typically only used single file. In the same lap, Andy also managed to get a good bounce exiting T8 and got inside Scott in T9. However, Derek, Brian and Jeff were all waiting to pounce, and as Andy and Scott went down the hill at compromised speed, Derek and Brian both pounced, bracketing Andy. Andy got on the brakes first in the four car wide mess, Brian sailed around wide and touched Scott's rear bumper, and Derek made it by on the inside. Scott spun from the contact, Derek went by safely on the inside, and Brian made it through, but Andy found the 44 car sideways in his direct path, leaving only the well-used grass on the outside of T10 as his exit. After a short stint as a high-speed Bavarian weed-whacker, Andy re-entered at T11 and continued the chase.

Brian's line around the spinning Scott also compromised his speed, and Andy was able to repass him going into 14, leaving only Derek ahead of him from the original train of 6 cars. As the 19 car charged down the front straight, the white flag flew - if Andy was going to make it up further than his current 9th place, then he'd have just one chance. Indeed, Andy managed to throw the car into the first two turns with such force, that he got alongside Derek going into T3 again, however, he strayed just an inch or two too far into the marbles, and T3 bit back. The result was more of an audition for the next 'Fast and the Furious' film than a great passing maneuver. In spite of the slide / drift / ass-clownery Andy was able to keep the 19 car pointed forward, but his already suffering RA-1s weren't in any shape for right hand turns for a while. Derek got away, while Brian repassed exiting 6 and Jeff repassed exiting 14. Andy nearly got back by Jeff at the finish line, but the new #5 Team Roadrunner car edged out the 19 by a little less than half a second. Though running as high as 8th from his 26th place start, he'd have to settle for 11th.

Back at the front, Brad ruthlessly chased down the #10 Team Courtney-Olivier car setting a new lap record at 2:05.8. While neither car was able to either pass or make much time on the other the drama was no less than Andy got in the midfield, the 10 and 91 cars touched several times, but in the end Mike C managed to hold off the hard-charging McClure.



Earlier in the day, Chittum also ran the GTS Challenge race. Caught in some traffic, he fell to 2nd in the first lap, but retook the lead on the 2nd lap, and sailed to an easy victory, giving the 19 its first top-step result just three weekends after tightening the last bolt on the new car.

Team BTM Motorwerks then came away from the first day of the weekend with a 1st, a 2nd, and a hard-fought 11th as well as a new Thunderhill lap record for Spec e30s.

Stand by for Part Two of Thunder Strikes Twice! to be posted in the next few days. Available Now!!!