A chilly damp February morning met 28 shiny BMWs at Infineon Raceway Saturday morning for the first round of the 2012 NASA Norcal Spec e30 championships. Overnight rain left the track puddled, but clouds were clearing, and it looked to be yet another gorgeous day racing in Sonoma.
Team BTM Motorwerks returned with both cars ready for action, the old 2011 Champ #91 car rebadged the new #1 car, and most of the body repainted for the occasion. The #19 car also sported some fresh paint, and both cars had been meticulously prepared by the BTM Motorwerks crew.
And ready they were - mid-morning qualifying went off cleanly, and Chittum managed to find room in between the other 27 Spec e30s and 18 Spec Miatas on the tight track to lay down the first sub 1:57 lap of the season. Chittum's 1:56.9 was a good four tenths faster than 2nd place's Loren Trefethen in fact, and McClure was right behind with a 1:57.6. Steve Ferrario and Team Race 38 North filled out the top five.
The racers lined up for the typical standing start, and took off with a minimal amount of carnage given the long winter break. Chittum and Trefethen on the front row took off side by side charged up the hill toward T2. Typically, one car would have the advantage by T3, but both cars still managed to stay neck and neck until the exit of 3, where Chittum found some marbles on the outside exit, and lost just enough ground that Trefethen got that crucial half length to stay ahead. Rather than experience the even worse grip on the outside of T4, Chittum dropped back and filed in behind the speedy #10 car to look for an opening.
Meanwhile, from the 4th grid position, McClure got a slightly worse launch, losing ground to silver and neon #93 driven by Steve Ferrario, and, on the exit of T4, going slightly wide and being passed by Bennett McMicking's characteristic red and yellow #17 car. Brad recovered quickly though, got back by the #17 car quickly and charged after Ferrario. Setting the fast lap of the race just on one thousandth faster than Chittum's pole lap, he caught up to the three way battle making it into a four way train.
For fully half the race then Trefethen - Chittum - Ferrario - McClure motored on. Chittum got an opportunity on Trefethen coming out of the carousel, but overlapping Trefethen in T7, he quickly had to defend against Ferrario. Nearly passing Chittum, then Ferrario had to fight off a McClure right on his heels. While this repeated several times, in the end the top four ended up finishing in just that order, with a 2nd and a 4th to Team BTM Motorwerks.
Sunday started drier and a little colder, but that didn't stop Loren Trefethen's momentum from the previous day, and he laid down a smoking 1:56.5 lap for pole position, with Chittum just a few tenths off his pace. The #114 Team Race 38 North car qualified 3rd, and Brad qualified the #1 BTM Motorwerks car in 4th.
Proving once again for 2012 they have not only a sense for crazy fun but also a rather dark sense of humor, the NASA officials inverted the grid for the top ten starters, meaning that McClure would start in 7th, and Chittum back in 9th, next to Trefethen in 10th. Several other fast runners had been unable to qualify well, however, Ferrario's #93 car started in the first few rows as well as one of the other front-runners in the field, Tommy O in the #11 car. BTM Motorwerks 2011 Rookie of the Year DJ Riley took the honors having qualified 10th, and lead the grid out on pole.
All 27 cars lined up for the standing start again, and after a slightly late green flag they lit up their Toyo RA-1s once again to charge into Infineon's super-technical Turn 2. Being on the inside line, McClure and Chittum made up several spots each as a few cars on the right side of the track got very slow getaways. Trefethen proved to be quite slippery as well though and got through that mayhem and filed in behind McClure and Chittum, running 5th and 6th by T3. Reaching T11 once again in a tight train of cars, McClure locked up his rear tires under braking. Chittum and Trefethen scattered to give him room, which let Chittum sneak through on the inside and took off after Scott Clough, running in 4th.
Chittum once again charged up T2, but Clough's new #444 car slowed, forcing Chittum to go wide in T2, compromise T3 slightly, and before he could recover, Trefethen and McClure both made it up the inside of T4, dropping Chittum from 5th to 7th. Trefethen then was able to attack Clough right away in T7, and McClure and Chittum both attacked and got by on the inside of T11 the same lap. A few laps later, Trefethen, McClure and Chittum reached the top three cars, Ferrario, DJ Riley, and Derek Welch driving the green 76 car, as teammates with Greg Petersen this year. Trefethen attacked, lost momentum, and McClure got by into 4th. Half a lap later, McClure attacked, lost momentum, and Trefethen got back by. In spite of the cool weather at this point, both cars' tires looked to be pretty cooked, with both cars putting two tires in the dirt in the exit of 3 and 4. But a yellow flag at the exit of 6 put a stop to the action - some of the cars further back in the field had tangled, leaving a fair amount of debris at the entrance to T8, and a full course yellow was called to regroup the field and allow the fine NASA safety crew to tow a damaged car and sweep off the track.
After a long period of yellow, the safety car pulled off, and the race resumed - Ferrario - Riley - Welch - Trefethen - Chittum all took off again. After the yellow as well Grand Am Driver Gregory Liefooghe, driving the new #12 car caught up to the melee and joined in the fun.
Hitting the front straight the next lap and getting the white flag, both Trefethen and McClure got a run on the Green #76 driven by Welch. Loren went inside and Welch defended, giving a slightly more advantageous line to McClure who made it around the outside of 1 and took the apex in 2 to slip into a podium position with less than a lap to go. Welch and Trefethen's speed was compromised which gave Chittum an opportunity to either go for the gusto and try to pass Trefethen or defend against Liefooghe. He nearly made it up the inside of 3, but once again, the marbles on the outside of 3a caused the #19 car to wash out slightly, giving the wiley veteran the only chance he needed to pass.
Charging down the hill, Chittum got a great run through 10 and 11, and onto the start finish, had the opportunity to pass both the 12 and 76 cars ahead of him on the front straight, but alas, the checkered flag flew, and the race was over.
In all, Team BTM Motorwerks brought home two podiums and a pole position for the opening weekend, and if Chittum's outright speed and McClure's gritty racing determination in the first event are any indication, the team will have another fantastic season in 2012.
Team BTM Motorwerks would also like to thank NASA for a fabulous 2011 season banquet on Saturday night, as well as Nichols Wealth Management for sponsoring the 2011 series championship team with jackets commemorating the season.
NASA Spec e30 will return to Infineon Raceway March 10th and 11th. Come on out and cheer us on!
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