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Salvaggio
Sweeps Buttonwillow, Wins Southern California Regional Championship
With just two races remaining in the Southern
California Region race season, four FFR Challenge Series drivers arrived
at Buttonwillow to do battle for the regional championship. This would
be the first race following the NASA National Championships held at
Miller Motorsports Park in mid-September, in which all four racers had
competed. TC McNett, Mike Beeler, Ron Steebles, and Karen Salvaggio all
arrived on Friday, and had their pit areas set up before turning in for
the evening. Also joining the FFR group for the weekend were FFR
Challenge Series car owner Jeff Ross, and FFROG Gary (lemkeg) driving
his Mustang Cobra. Both did a great job of honing their skills in HPDE,
with plans to secure race licenses in the future. Fellow FFR competitors
Prototype Development Group (PDG) with their awesome GTM-R were also
there in full force, ready to do battle for the Super Unlimited
Championship. We'll look for their full report here on the Forum, but
big congrats are in order for another great performance.
Racers were met with beautiful, sunny skies on Saturday morning, and
Race Group C took to the track at a very civilized 9:00 AM. The FFR’s
would be grouped with the Camaro-Mustang Challenge, American
Iron/Extreme, Super Touring 1 & 2, and the Super Unlimited cars for the
weekend. Karen set fast time in qualifying, with TC, Mike and Ron
clocking next best laps. Karen cut her qualifying session short when,
about halfway through the session, she heard banging noises coming from
underneath the left side of the car, and felt something hitting the
ground on hard right hand turns. A closer inspection revealed the left
side exhaust mount had completely pulled away from the pipe, and was
hitting the ground, serving as a sort of pole vault all the way through
the turns. A quick search of the pits located a welder (enter Factory
Five GTM-R friends from Prototype Development Group (PDG)). Don Vaught
and Andy made quick work of the exhaust repair, and all spec racers were
ready for the green flag at 3:55 PM.
Race Strategizing
Pre-grid
The FFR’s were gridded behind the CMC/CMC2 cars, and at the green, TC
got a tremendous jump on the field, quickly moving up six positions,
well into the CMC field by Turn 1. Karen, Mike, and Ron were bunched up
in slower traffic, and by the first turn, TC had pulled quite a lead on
the other FFR’s. Karen drag raced several CMC cars into the Buttonhook,
and picked up four positions by the exit heading to Cotton Corners. Mike
snagged a few spots from the CMC drivers as well, and all four racers
sorted their way through traffic for the entire first lap. By the end of
the first lap, the group had settled out, and it was Karen chasing TC
for the lead, with Mike holding third position, and Ron running in
fourth. The next three laps would be a classic donney-brook between the
front-runners, with TC throwing everything he had at the turns
(sideways, snap-turns, late braking), and Karen working her car to the
limits to continue to reel him in. The two entered the front straight in
a virtual dead heat by mid-race, with Karen and TC drag racing to turn
one. Karen was able to late brake and make the pass, but TC held on and
the two again drag raced to the buttonhook. Karen got the inside
position, and after the exit, pulled into the lead. Close, clean,
door-to-door racing is the hallmark between these two, and this race
witnessed nothing less than everything these two had in war chest. The
remainder of the race saw a reverse of the first half, with TC chasing
Karen, and at the checkered, it was Karen for the win, followed by TC,
Mike and Ron.
Sunday qualifying saw Karen set fast time again, nearing her own track
record with a 2:03.9xx, and TC right behind with a 2:04:0xx. Mike would
be third on grid, with Ron starting in fourth position. After Saturday’s
run, it was agreed that the FFR’s would start ahead of the CMC racers,
so it was Karen on pole for the group. When the green flag fell, Karen
got a great start, and again found herself in a drag race with TC to the
first turn. Karen took the lead, and with TC’s yellow spec racer
relentlessly in her mirror, the two would engage in a classic battle.
Mike drove a stellar race, holding a solid third place all the way, and
clocked his best time ever, with a 2:09.xx. Nice work Mike!! Now nearing
the end of his first season in the Series, Ron also continued to shave
lap times, and set his best lap ever at a 2:12.xx. Way to go Ron!!
Karen and TC would continue to battle lap after lap, until 3 laps short
of the finish, when TC’s motor lost power and developed a vibration and
engine noise that sounded all too much like a valve train gone south. TC
would pull safely off at the Bus Stop, and sat out the remainder of the
race. Also falling victim to motor issues (and after having turned in
his best laps ever), Ron Steebles retired from the race early with an
overheating engine. Karen would continue on and take the checkered flag
for the race victory, with Mike taking 2nd spot on the podium, TC
snagging 3rd place for his valiant efforts, and Ron scoring 4th place
points.
Sunday Race Start
Finish
With a season record of 11 race victories, 9 pole positions, and 14
podium finishes, the Southern California Regional Championship goes to
Karen Salvaggio. Second place goes to TC McNett, and Mike Beeler secures
3rd place for the season. FFR racers head to Buttonwillow for the final
race of the season on November 5-6. -- Karen
Salvaggio |
