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Updated: March 4, 2010 
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The California AI and CMC racers invade Infineon to kick off the 2010 V8 racing season! After considerable rain ovenight and some light showers that threatened Saturday morning, even mother nature cooperated this weekend as the NorCal CMC and AI seasons got off to a roaring start. Drivers, crews, families and fans converged at Infineon Raceway in beautiful Sonoma County for Round 1 of the 2010 Northern California Regional CMC Championship. 4 CMC and 5 CMC2 cars were in attendance for this event. INFINEON RACEWAY WEEKEND RACE SUMMARY: + 3 CMC/CMC2/AI/AIX races toward California championship points + 6 total race group sessions with 2 hours of track time! + 5 AI cars – two winners for the weekend – Eric Fowler (Sat) and John Wheeler (Sun) + 3 AIX cars – Darrel Anderson took first both Sat and Sun + 5 CMC2 cars including one rookie - Nick Steel won from pole both Sat and Sun + 4 CMC cars - Derek Tisinger won both races, with Adam Ginsberg, racing for Team Hollywood, taking pole on Saturday. + 2 new licensed drivers – Troy Dewell (AI) and Ron Klamecki (CMC2) + Aaron Schroeder (CMC) and his father, Corky, were in attendance, continuing his quest for his competition license! + 2 new AI cars racing for 2010 – Addison Lee (Team DAL Racing) and Troy Dewell. + CMC’ers welcomed the return of Smitty (Dennis Smith) after a 2 year absence, as well as new CMC2 driver Robert Walter! + The 4th Gen’s are coming, the 4th Gen’s are coming! 4th Gen Camaros and Firebirds showed up in force to prove their mettle! SATURDAY WARM UP – After Friday’s dripping annual inspections, racers braved the wet conditions in the early morning to get out for their first track time of the season and mother nature conceded and backed off in time to keep conditions workable and move everyone forward to qualifying. SATURDAY QUALIFYING – With the weather cooperating the group took the field just before lunch and found only one river on track at the entrance to the s’s! As they typically do, the drivers took it all in stride and set fast times to set up for Saturdays race. Minor drama included Andrew Steyn showing what a Mustang looks like without a nose - his one piece nose flew off, but wasn’t damaged. Qualifying times and positions:Ø AIX - Anderson(1:53.291)/P1, Black(1:57.409)/P2 (both later sent to the back for failing to go to impound)Ø AI - Macmillian(1:56.538)/P1, Wheeler(1:56.624)/P2, Fowler(1:57.102)/P3, Team DAL(1:58.674)/P4Ø CMC2 - Steel(1:57.720)/P1, Brown(1:58.091)/P2, Bua(2:00.215)/P3, Klamecki(2:02.465)/P4, Walter(2:35.683)/P5.Ø CMC - Team Hollywood(2:00.851)/P1, Tisinger(2:02.058)/P2, Donahoe(2:02.099)/P3, Smitty(2:09.861)/P4 SATURDAY RACE #1 – Saturday’s race (with 23 cars across all the classes) got off about 3:50PM with AI/AIX taking a flying start and charging hard up and around turn one while CMC2 and CMC lined up nice and neat for a standing start. Wheeler took the lead in the AI battle with MacMillan close behind while Anderson and Black worked their way in their AIX cars thru the pack. CMC2-er Steel shot from a cannon on the start and took a fast lead on Brown (of the dynamic Life’s Good Racing team) and Ginsberg got a nice push off the start in CMC. Coming into the hairpin, Wheeler and MacMillan got tangled up, with MacMillan going around. Wheeler while in the lead was black-flagged for being over the sound limit (was 109 vs. allowed of 103) and Fowler took the AI win, followed by Team DAL Racing, Macmillian and Wheeler. In CMC2 Steel won, closely followed by Team Life’s Good Racing then Bua, Klamecki and Walter. The CMC winner was Tisinger followed by Ginsberg (taking FTD with a 1:59.344), Donahoe and Smith. All and all, good clean racing and a good time. NASA Tech impounded the cars and handled inspections, checking ride height, rear shock mounts, stock rear frame rails, dyno sheets and weight for AI, wing dimensions/cost for CMC2, and stock/functioning alternators for CMC2 and CMC. No issues were found. NASA poured on the charm and treated all the racers and friends to fabulous BBQ, beverages and stories from the day. SUNDAY INVERTED QUALIFYING RACE – Sunday dawned sunny and cold for the qualifying race. NASA decided to change things up and bit, and changed the course configuration from the Long 7 to the Short 7. Team Life’s Good Racing was noticeably absent from the starting grid right up to race time but managed to get their shifter bolt tightened just in time to join the group as they flew thru the start, albeit from the pit lane! Inverted starts always make for good racing from the spectator’s perspective and Sundays romp around Infineon was no different. AI’s Wheeler worked into the night and get a muffler welded on and enjoy his first ever AI win in a much quieter car. Steel worked his way thru the pack to win CMC2 while Bua and Life’s Good Racing fought neck and neck, with Life’s Good Racing stealing second by just a hood length. In CMC, Ginsberg, Tisinger, Donahoe and Smitty made it a 4 car, V8 freight train, racing nose to tail, with the Tisinger taking P1, followed closely by Ginsberg, Donahoe, and Smitty. The AIX battled finished with Darrell Anderson taking P1, Jim Black in P2, and Andrew Steyn in P3.
SUNDAY RACE – Everyone was excited for the main event on Sunday which promised to be good racing. CMC2’s Steel bogged on the start, giving up pole advantage to Life’s Good Racing and Bua strangely enough, Ginsberg had the same troubles in his CMC car and lost positions as well. Steel made a late braking pass on Bua going into 11 and after a long battle Life’s Good Racing locked up his brakes going into 4 giving Steel his third CMC2 win for the weekend. Life’s Good Racing recovered nicely taking second and rookie Kalmeki placed third in his very first race! Tisinger won CMC, followed by Donahue (taking FTD with a 1:57.067), Ginsberg and Smith. The AI drivers drove hard, with John Wheeler taking his second win of the weekend, Team DAL Racing (P2), Eric Fowler (P3), Troy Dewell (P4), and Bryan MacMillian (P5). In AIX, Darrel Anderson made it a 3 race winning sweep taking P1, Andrew Steyn in P2, and Jim Black in P3. In tech, Eric Fowler’s hood was sealed, and his black 4th gen AI Camaro sent to the dyno for compliance verification. Alan Blaine, NASA NorCal Chief of Tech, performed the dyno runs, and everything checked out. CONCLUSION - Many thanks to all the drivers, crews, and fans who ventured out to make this a memorable season opener. The next event is 13/14 March 2010 at California Speedway in Fontana CA. Come out and watch the American Iron and Camaro Mustang Challenge V8 racers battle it out on the banks of Cal Speedway! For more information, the following websites should be able to answer any of your licensing/rules/racing questions: Images by Peder Beckman Assembled by Adam Ginsberg Submit Article |
