RJRacing

RJ Racing’s last SoCal race of the season is now complete, and it was a successful weekend all around.

The Weekend-Racer.com Mazda MX-5 was briefly on pole position for Sunday’s race even though it only had the second fastest qualifying time. This was due to the RX-7 with the fastest time being issued a penalty for a pit lane violation. That penalty was later rescinded and the RX-7 took its place at pole position, pushing the team back to 2nd place. With the RX-7’s superior horsepower and the long straights at Auto Club Speedway, the team would have a serious fight on its hands for the win.

At the green flag, Rob got a great jump and pulled ahead of the RX-7, but then the RX-7’s power kicked in and Rob was passed going into the oval section. The superior handling and braking of the RJ Racing MX-5 then came to the fore and Rob was able to re-pass the RX-7 into first turn.

A car in a different class seriously impeded Rob through the infield section making it impossible for Rob to pull a gap on the RX-7. Rob was able to draft and stay in front of the RX-7 for the long straight going into the second lap. Rob made a late pass on the impeding car hoping to pull a gap on the RX-7, but it too was able to pass and stay with Rob. The long straight then allowed the RX-7 to pass Rob for the lead and gain a large enough lead that Rob was unable to close up before the next straight.

From there Rob still pushed, expecting that the RX-7 would begin to fade at the end of the race as it did yesterday. But no such luck. Rob took the checkers in 2nd place, beating the 3rd place car by more than 30 seconds.

Overall the race weekend went very well. The team accomplished its primary goals of finding a baseline setup for the NASA Nationals and obtaining an abundance of data for the new compound of tires the team was using. Add in a win and a 2nd place finish, and the weekend was a categorical success.

The team’s next race will be their first foray at the NASA National Championship races at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. Check back for more updates as preparations continue.