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September 22nd, 2024

Orchestrated by our own Kevin Capone and VARA, we were very excited to host the first Sports Racer Shootout at this year’s Oktoberfest!

September 21-22, 2024 Buttonwillow Raceway

We were on pace to have 19 Sports Racers show up for the race weekend, which would have been incredible! However, due to some last minute problems some could not make the event, and a few others had problems during Friday practice. We still had a field of 12 entrants in the Shootout across various classes, primarily Sports 2000 and WSR, with one in each of the other classes of over and under 200 horsepower. It was a great field, well spread out giving everyone a chance to run with someone else.

It was a very tight and crowded first turn at the start with 3-4 wide on the entrance with 2×2 through the turn for many. Everyone was close, but respectful and made it through without incident. As hard as we all may try, Maurizio Brandhoff (Maui) #8 is in a class by himself, and is extremely fast in his Norma, setting a blistering lap of 1:50 seconds during the shootout and taking 1st overall.

The next battle on track was with James Capelle #27 in a beautiful Swift DB-2 Sports 2000, driving wheel to wheel with Mike Anderson #42 in his stealth WSR. Both cars are very competitive, with superb driving and racecraft, and just a whole lot of fun. Both finished 2nd and 3rd overall respectively, and 1st in each of their classes. Well done.

The rest of the cars were having their own dances throughout the field. Motorsports Market’s Kevin Capone, #427 in his Apache Sports 2000, maintained a just out of reach distance to the ever closing Steven Lang #38, in his motorcycle powered Mariah Sports 2000 chassis. Of course, Daniel Martinez #28 was right on the heels of Steven in his WSR, with Steve Villata #94 close behind in his Tiga Sports 2000. It was Steve’s second time out in his Tiga, and he did an amazing job, gaining faster lap times with every session through the race weekend. Steve Hoogs #26 was in the mix of this group but unfortunately had to retire on track due to a transaxle issue. John Adams #89 in his WSR brought home a solid 3rd place in class with Mark Francis #36 in his – new to him – Lola Sports 2000 coming in shortly after.

John Bennett #86 and David Dimond #25 rounded out the field of amazing Sports Racers in their WSRs. Matt Rose #70 had a transaxle problem in an earlier race with his Lola S2 and could not make the Shootout. We also missed Craig Barrett #92 and his beautiful Lola S2.

Overall, the feature race was a success! All of the drivers had a great time and had someone to play with on track. It was great to see all of the Sports Racers out there together and we cannot wait to do it again, bigger and better. We will work with VARA to see about getting the event back on the calendar for 2025, so stay tuned for information to come early next year as we plan on more promotion, a larger grid, and more awards and prizes!

A very special thank you to Jeanette Bourke, Ben Kuhl, Ron Hurst, Steve Staveley, VARA Timing and Scoring, the entire VARA Board, the incredible VARA Fire & Safety team, and the tireless volunteer Grid and Corner workers, this would not be possible without you. The amount of effort, logistics, schedule accommodations, time, and sacrifice you all invest does not go unnoticed. You are all incredible and all of us drivers are extremely thankful. Thank you!

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September 15th, 2024

September 13-15, 2024 CSRG at Sonoma Raceway

Art was invited to drive Phil Ribb’s Lotus 23C at this year’s Charity Challenge!

An excellent two days of racing for the cars running out of Geir Ramleth’s St. Avalo Winery stable, in Group 4/5 Art brought home two first place wins for the 23C in its first time out since 2007.

The whole team – Art, Heather and Lindsey Hebert, Phil Ribbs, Tom Fallon, Chris Rossi, John Collins, and Oliver celebrated at the CSRG auction and dinner at Sonoma Raceway’s Turn 11 Club. A huge thanks to our registar extraordinaire Petey Thornton, and the entire crew at the race track who made the weekend possible.

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August 30th, 2024

August 30 – September 2, 2024 Historic Festival 42

Art was invited to once again drive our friend and client Bob Mirabile’s amazing race cars at this year’s Historic Festival! – Group 1 Jim Haynes Memorial / Formula Juniors.

A weekend of ideal racing weather and great fun, Art started the weekend in Bob’s 1962 Cooper T59 Formula Junior, with the fastest qualifying lap. However, due to a rear axle problem, Bob switched Art to his 1963 Brabham BT6 Formula Junior.

Art and the Brabham won both Saturday races, in a field full of wonderful Formula Juniors from across the U.S.

Valerio Fabricating prepped the fastest FJ’s of the weekend. Our own Lindsey Hebert jumped right in, assisting with car systems, lap times, and analysis, and we had a great time on and off the track with teammates Jon Goodman and Jackie Amarosa. A huge thank you to Bob, for his kindness, support and enthusiam. We’d like to dedicate this weekend to Art’s dad, Bob Hebert, and father in law, Don Sandy. This one was for you guys.

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March 18th, 2024

March 16-17, 2024 CSRG David Love

Crossflow Cup season opener! A highly competitive (and fun) field of drivers.

Art hit the track in the 1963 Lola Mk5A Formula Junior, finishing first in Formula Jr and second overall.

“We had a great race! We qualified up with the quicker Formula B cars, with much more horsepower and wider tires. The flag dropped. I got a great start from fourth and moved into third on the outside of turn one. Then I had a long battle with a Formula B car, swapping positions multiple times. I finally got him when we were lapping traffic, going nearly 3 wide with me making the pass on the outside of turn 11. So we finished first in Formula Jr and second overall with the Formula B, Cars, and the under 2 liter sports racers.” – Art

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March 10th, 2024

March 9-10, 2024 Lindsey Hebert, Speed SF

Last weekend, Lindsey Hebert attended her first high performance driving school at Sonoma Raceway with Speed SF!

She drove her grampa’s (Don Sandy) 1957 Porsche 356 Super – the same car that her grampa, dad Art, brother Gunnar, uncle Jim and Kevin Capone learned to drive on.

Lindsey navigated the newly paved Sonoma Raceway with smooth arching turns, working on her lines and gear changes.

By the end of the day on Sunday, her skills were very much improved, as was her confidence. She can’t wait to get back to the track, and we can’t wait to have her back out there!

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March 17th, 2024

Follow along with Motorsports Market Vintage Racing Team member Kevin Capone as he journeys back into Vintage Racing!

Thinking about getting into Vintage Racing?

Kevin has been a GIS Professional in the IT industry for the past 30 years and an auto enthusiast since childhood, having owned and restored several American and European sports cars. He grew up around the race track both on crew and driving in SCCA, IMSA and various other vintage racing events. He has performed ground up restorations on classic road cars and has raced both modern and vintage racing cars. Kevin is now getting back into racing, starting with a 1988 Chevron B67 Formula Continental and now his 1987 Apache S2000.

University of VARA: Igniting the Racing Passion for All

Most recent race; March 16-17th 2024, VARA Desert Challenge Willow Springs …

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October 15th, 2023

October 13-15, 2023 Historic Formula Ford Championship and Top Gun Shootout!

Laps for Laguna; Art and Kevin were both out at Weathertec Raceway for the CSRG event.
Art was on the track in the yellow Titan Formula Ford in the final two races of the Crossflow Cup championship, and the ‘Top Gun’ extra Formula Ford race on Sunday.
Kevin raced the black and red Apache Sports 2000 in the commonly called “Wings and Slicks” group -a mixed-class group that contained primarily Formula Atlantic cars, Sports 2000, and an incredible Mario Andretti Lotus Formula 1 car.

“We arrived to gorgeous fall weather at Laps for Laguna. Kevin and I both tested on Friday and continued to work on getting quicker.

For me this was the final Cross Flow Cup race of the season. The Historic Formula Ford Championship was on the line. There were four contenders, Andrew Wait, Martin Lauber, Steve Romak, and me. 

Andrew ran in the front pack for both races and became the 2023 Cross Flow Cup Champion! Martin turned in excellent performances in both races and claimed second spot in the Championship. He was also the MC for the Saturday night fundraiser dinner at the track with Colton and Bryan Herta. Well done!

Steve Romak and I battled for third. During the first race Steve and I slid side-by-side through the entire famous Laguna Seca Corkscrew. At the finish Steve crossed the line just 6/100’s of a second ahead of me, putting him squarely into third spot in the Championship. We both exchanged thumbs up and big grins during the cool off lap. 

Unfortunately we did not get a chance to go head-to-head in the second race. Steve got taken out by another car during qualifying for the second race. That provided me the opportunity to gain enough points by finishing 4th in Historic Formula Ford in the second race to claim the final podium spot in the Historic Formula Ford Championship. 

The final race of the weekend was the “Top Gun Shootout”. Participants included 2023 season race winners, pole position holders, and those who passed the most cars during races. Danny Baker came home first followed by Brian Swanson and Oliver Ramleth, both of whom made major strides during the season. We wound up fourth and were honored just to be a part of the group.

All of us Cross Flow Cup competitors are now looking forward to the Cross Flow Cup Awards dinner in December at Shippert Racing Services. We will enjoy great food, great stories, and great camaraderie. That, and great racing, is what the Cross Flow Cup is all about.” – Art

“It was such a great sight to see when our fellow S2 competitor Steve Hoogs showed up to play. It made for great back-and-forth battles between us which apparently became the talk of the sessions with the track announcer. It was great fun with each of us going home with a class win. It was an excellent way to end the season for us and we cannot wait to tackle the track in 2024.” – Kevin

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September 4th, 2023

August 29-September 4, 2023 Labor Day Weekend Historic Festival 41!

This year, Formula Junior had a feature race at Lime Rock.

Our friend and client, Bob Mirabile of Best Impressions Racing in Pennsylvania, took his 1963 Brabham BT6 to the track, and generously invited Art to join in his 1962 Cooper T59 Formula Junior for the event.

Art was in for a battle against Joe Colasacco, who was driving Lawrence Auriana’s 1962 Stanguellini Delfino Formula Junior.

Art and Joe had several back and forth battles for the lead over the three races, with Joe winning and Art finishing second!

A huge thank you to Bob Mirabile and his Best Impression Racing Team for inviting Art to drive the fabulous Cooper T59, and to Joe for great racing and camaraderie on the track.

(Photo: Art in Bob Mirabile’s 1962 Cooper T59 Formula Junior (#8) leading Joe Colasacco in Lawrence Auriana’s 1962 Stanguellini Delfino Formula Junior)

 

 

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June 5th, 2023

June 2-4, 2023  Battle at Thunderhill!

“The second round of the Crossflow Cup Championship was held at Thunderhill Raceway Park, sanctioned by the SCCA and run in conjunction with their event the same weekend. 30 Formula Fords made up our grid. We were pitted, along with several FF’s, under the new awning in the paddock. That was fabulous as track temperatures would later climb to 140 degrees. 

In qualifying for the first race we made it onto the front row. Bob Lesnett in his Crossle had too much speed for us and claimed the top spot. Andrew Wait and Steve Romak were right behind us. The start began with a green flag shortly followed by a yellow flag. Some saw the green while others then saw the yellow. That resulted in a confused restart with me pulling several car lengths ahead of Bob and the rest as we took the second green flag. It would not matter anyway as both Bob and Andrew would soon gobble me up and easily go by. We were able to hang onto 3rd place (2nd in Historic Formula Ford) by the skin of our teeth as Steve Romak drafted me down the straight and was virtually side-by-side with our Titan at the finish line. I was so focused on Steve gaining on me that I did not notice that Andrew had pulled the same move on Bob, and drafted by him by mere thousandths of a second to claim first overall with Bob first in Club Ford. 

Sunday morning I did some setup changes to the car to try and catch Bob and Andrew, and to try and stay ahead of Nick Colyvas and fast and getting faster Club Ford man, Brian Swanson. Unfortunately, Steve Romak would miss Sunday’s race to attend a graduation event, as would Martin Lauber. Fortunately for Andrew and myself, my daughter and usual crew chief, Lindsey, and Andrew’s son, Harry, would graduate the following week from Redwood High School, so we could sneak in the Thunderhill race.

We again qualified on the front row, this time behind Andrew. Poor Bob had fuel pick up problems and would have to start way down the order for the race. That would prove to be very entertaining. Bob would climb from 21st all the way to 7th overall and 3rd in Club Ford at the finish, behind Brian Swanson and Neil Porter. Well done guys!

When the green flag came out, and thankfully this time it stayed out, Andrew pulled away from the rest of us. Typical of Formula Ford racing though, Andrew could gap the rest of us by a few car lengths but couldn’t totally get away. With the rest of us running in a pack we were able to reel him in at about mid point. From then on it was wheel-to-wheel racing, side-by-side, slingshot and re-slingshot, and many lead changes. 

Like in the old days of NASCAR, second place seemed to be the best spot to be in on the last lap. That way you could draft and try one last desperate lunge for the finish line while the leader tried to push their gas pedal through the floor. With one lap to go, I had a good draft down the straight behind Andrew. I could tuck in behind him into turn 1 and hope for the best drafting him down the final straight, or I could go for it now and try to hold him off for the rest of the lap. I was not disciplined enough to hold back so I went for it into turn 1. 

Andrew gave me room down the inside, but what he was really doing was setting me up for an over-under move, coming up the inside of me at the exit and trying to retake the lead down the inside for turn 2. He had done that to me earlier in the race and this time I was just able to hold onto the car enough to block that move. He then chased me for the rest of the lap and closed the gap to near zero going into the final turn.

Fortunately for me, Andrew caught me so quickly going into the last corner that he had to back off just a fraction to not tag my gearbox. Every little bit helped. As we exited the corner and headed onto one of the longest straights of my life, his red Titan just got bigger and bigger in my mirrors, and I pushed my gas pedal harder and harder. I also kept flicking my head back and forth searching for Andrew in my mirrors and waiting for his inevitable move. 

The finish line at Thunderhill is beyond the starter’s flag. Beware celebrating at the checkered flag and backing off at the starter’s stand only to watch the eventual winner pass a few yards later for the actual victory. As I squinted my eyes I could no longer see Andrew behind me. That meant he could only be coming alongside me, and with more speed than what I had. But how much? How soon?

We flashed across the finish line separated by thousandths of a second. I never saw his nose ahead of mine. Yes! a quick fist clench in the cockpit, and a salutatory wave to my all-too-worthy adversary.  Somehow this time we held on. If the race was one lap longer, or one lap shorter, the roles would have been reversed, and probably the results too. 

This is Formula Ford racing at its finest – great competitors, great racing, great people, and great fun. When Andrew and I exited our cars in the paddock we were both laughing, smiling, hugging, and agreeing that this was probably the greatest race of our lives… until the next one… :)” – Art

For more details about the weekend, check out the July issue of ‘The Wheel’, with Crossflow Cup on the cover and Group 8 at Thunderhill featured on page 32!

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March 26th, 2023

The David Love Memorial Races, March 24-26, 2023, season opener for CSRG Racing!

Saturday: Art finished third place in Historic Formula Ford, and grabbed fastest lap of the race. It was a battle at the front, with Martin Lauber beating our Picchio teammate Andrew Wait by just 6/100ths of a second for the win!

Sunday: Art came in second overall in the Crossflow Cup Formula Ford race, and fourth in the Porsche.

Gunnar also had an epic race in the Porsche 356 – beating his previous best lap time by 4 seconds.

We had some Stanford mechanical engineering students join us for the vintage racing weekend – the engineer’s feedback resulted in a chassis change that moved us up from 5th on the grid Saturday to our 2nd overall on Sunday.

As always, thanks to the Sonoma Raceway crew, and congrats to everyone for a great weekend of racing!

Check out a full race report of the Sonoma Season Opener on the Crossflow Cup blog: https://www.norwestff.com/new-blog

 

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