A Speedtoys.Com Press Release..
07-01-05, 03:48 PM
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A Speedtoys.Com Press Release..
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TEAM SPEEDTOYS RISES TO THE CHALLENGE OF NASA PRO7 COMPETITION
July 1, 2005 Gilroy, CA
The Norcal NASA (http://www.nasaproracing.com) Pro7** team consisting of drivers Ken Kurtz, Albert Butterfield, and owner Jeff Mohler, have been able to bring a strong series of consistent finishes to bear in the 2005 points race.
Team Speedtoys took first place at Thunderhill Raceway Park (http://www.thunderhill.com) again this past Saturday, and second place on Saturday.
Saturday's race was the highlight of the weekend. With Ken cleanly entering turn-1 after a standing start and the rest of the class caught up in slow traffic, he was able to grasp onto a 10-second lead on the nearest suitor for the lead in the first 4 laps. Unfortunately an unusually prolonged spin & slide down the back side of turn 5 removed the lead, and placed Ken squarely in the seat of a 3 second view behind first place. Ken says, "Knowing that half of the race had gone by, I didn't allow time for the tires to come back to me after the slide..and the two laps after that were more style points than they should have been, but the tires came back, and I closed back in.". With two laps to go, Ken gave the leader a lot to look at in his mirror, and nearly made the pass more than once, but HP and distance were not in his favor, and he had to drop back into the line. In the last turn..of the last lap, Ken did find the opening he needed, and came down the main straight for the checkered flag with just enough speed exiting the final turn to pressure inside of the leader, and dragrace the final 1000' with barely a 1-length lead under the flag for the win.
Concerning the rough start this season says owner Jeff Mohler, "It was unfortunate that we lost a motor in warmup before the second race of the season, but through some unfortunate events in the pits of our competitors, I think we've all been able to exorcise our bad luck for the season, and we're all set for an incredibly difficult set of events ahead of us.".
Ken began his racing career years ago, and spent some time racing with IMSA in it's heyday. We believe this is Ken's first time in a car with less HP than the average Thunderhill temperature in August.
Ken says, "With Albert Butterfield concentrating on his commitment to building future racers in Group-4 (http://www.nasaproracing.com/hpde/index.html), we haven't had to call him up for active duty yet, but we will keep him active in the car as he warms up to it, I'm confident that with his unique motorsports experience, he will continue to be a great asset to us as a team driver and a mentor, although it's pretty amazing he can turn competitive lap times with the car basically sideways the entire lap while waving at the corner stations."
With the season nearly approaching half complete, Team Speedtoys holds a solid second place position for season points, and a mere four points behind the current class leader. NASA Norcal Director Jerry Kunzman comments, "There are three very capable drivers that are separated by a total of only 21 points, any combination of finishes could change everything for the next few months, we're seeing more interest in Pro7 now because of the consistent, lap by lap competition between these drivers.".
Team Speedtoys thanks Planet Fitness and Eagle Ridge Liquor Store, both Located in Gilroy, CA for their financial sponsorship, many cases of water, and continued support. Without their assistance, the level of preparation and solid performance we are building would not be possible.
---
**: About Pro7
http://www.pro7racing.com
This is one of the most inexpensive classes in NASA and is based on the 1st generation Mazda RX7 (1979-1985). Completed used cars can be purchased for less than $2,000 in some cases. Building a car would likely cost about $4,000. Pro7 is a true spec series, as very little is left up to the builder whereas PS7 was created to offer the builder some room for development.
===
TEAM SPEEDTOYS RISES TO THE CHALLENGE OF NASA PRO7 COMPETITION
July 1, 2005 Gilroy, CA
The Norcal NASA (http://www.nasaproracing.com) Pro7** team consisting of drivers Ken Kurtz, Albert Butterfield, and owner Jeff Mohler, have been able to bring a strong series of consistent finishes to bear in the 2005 points race.
Team Speedtoys took first place at Thunderhill Raceway Park (http://www.thunderhill.com) again this past Saturday, and second place on Saturday.
Saturday's race was the highlight of the weekend. With Ken cleanly entering turn-1 after a standing start and the rest of the class caught up in slow traffic, he was able to grasp onto a 10-second lead on the nearest suitor for the lead in the first 4 laps. Unfortunately an unusually prolonged spin & slide down the back side of turn 5 removed the lead, and placed Ken squarely in the seat of a 3 second view behind first place. Ken says, "Knowing that half of the race had gone by, I didn't allow time for the tires to come back to me after the slide..and the two laps after that were more style points than they should have been, but the tires came back, and I closed back in.". With two laps to go, Ken gave the leader a lot to look at in his mirror, and nearly made the pass more than once, but HP and distance were not in his favor, and he had to drop back into the line. In the last turn..of the last lap, Ken did find the opening he needed, and came down the main straight for the checkered flag with just enough speed exiting the final turn to pressure inside of the leader, and dragrace the final 1000' with barely a 1-length lead under the flag for the win.
Concerning the rough start this season says owner Jeff Mohler, "It was unfortunate that we lost a motor in warmup before the second race of the season, but through some unfortunate events in the pits of our competitors, I think we've all been able to exorcise our bad luck for the season, and we're all set for an incredibly difficult set of events ahead of us.".
Ken began his racing career years ago, and spent some time racing with IMSA in it's heyday. We believe this is Ken's first time in a car with less HP than the average Thunderhill temperature in August.
Ken says, "With Albert Butterfield concentrating on his commitment to building future racers in Group-4 (http://www.nasaproracing.com/hpde/index.html), we haven't had to call him up for active duty yet, but we will keep him active in the car as he warms up to it, I'm confident that with his unique motorsports experience, he will continue to be a great asset to us as a team driver and a mentor, although it's pretty amazing he can turn competitive lap times with the car basically sideways the entire lap while waving at the corner stations."
With the season nearly approaching half complete, Team Speedtoys holds a solid second place position for season points, and a mere four points behind the current class leader. NASA Norcal Director Jerry Kunzman comments, "There are three very capable drivers that are separated by a total of only 21 points, any combination of finishes could change everything for the next few months, we're seeing more interest in Pro7 now because of the consistent, lap by lap competition between these drivers.".
Team Speedtoys thanks Planet Fitness and Eagle Ridge Liquor Store, both Located in Gilroy, CA for their financial sponsorship, many cases of water, and continued support. Without their assistance, the level of preparation and solid performance we are building would not be possible.
---
**: About Pro7
http://www.pro7racing.com
This is one of the most inexpensive classes in NASA and is based on the 1st generation Mazda RX7 (1979-1985). Completed used cars can be purchased for less than $2,000 in some cases. Building a car would likely cost about $4,000. Pro7 is a true spec series, as very little is left up to the builder whereas PS7 was created to offer the builder some room for development.
===
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