RJRacing

SANTA ANA, CA — After the numerous issues the team faced at AAA Speedway in March and the cancellation of the April event to better prepare for the future, most would expect the team to reenter the world of racing meekly. But that’s not how RJ Racing does things.

The team had a full slate for the weekend, including a Friday test day, sprint racing in the PTE class and time trial events on both Saturday and Sunday, as well as a 3-hour endurance race on Saturday night. The heat would be the big story for the weekend though. Temperatures were above 100 degrees for most of the weekend, topping 104 during most of the racing.

The test day went well with multiple tweaks to the setup to better suit the track. That, and trading out for fresher tires resulted in lap times dropping nearly 6 seconds per lap.

On Saturday, John nailed first place in Time Trials, but unfortunately this did not translate to a pole position for the PTE sprint race. John would start 4th for the race, but quickly took down 3rd and then 2nd place with brilliant passes on a track where it is notoriously difficult to pass. John was making ground on the leader, but a wreck two laps from the end caused the race to finish under caution.

For the endurance race, hydration would be key. Unfortunately, the team’s in-car drink bottle was not functioning correctly, so both Rob and John were forced to tough it out for the race. The team qualified 3rd for the endurance race after being bogged during qualifying, but with many laps to run there would be many opportunities to make up ground. Rob started the endurance race and began clicking off strong and consistent lap times. The competition was extremely tight with Rob merely maintaining position by the end of his stint.

For the pitstop, RJR was using its new crew for fueling. But extensive and intensive training leading up to the race made the pitstop run like clockwork. The car was back out on track without having lost a lap–the only car in its class that was able to make that claim. After each of the E3 class competitors had made their stops, RJR was firmly in the lead. The #23 RJ Racing Weekend-Racer.com Mazda MX-5 won the race by over a lap.

After a celebratory dinner and some much needed sleep, Sunday’s agenda was much simpler. A quick Time Trial session and a PTE sprint race. John easily won Time Trial. But because the RJR car had been setup for a consistent and strong race, Rob could only manage 4th in qualifying. At the start of the PTE race, Rob made quick work of two of the PTE cars, emerging in 2nd after Turn 1. Rob tried to make ground on the leader, but was held up by cars in other classes. By the time Rob had passed those cars, only a few laps remained. Rob finished in 2nd place, just over 4 seconds behind the leader.

With an endurance race win by over a lap, two time trial wins, and two 2nd places in the sprint races, it’s undeniable that RJ Racing is back on its game. Stay tuned for more information about the team’s next races at AAA Speedway on July 31-August 1, 2010.