March 13/14 California Speedway - First SoCal Event of the year!

SoCal's 2010 CMC/AI season got off to a rapid start on March 13, with a very cool and windy morning at California Speedway in Fontana. The racers showed their true colors as everyone pitched in to help out Team Life's Good racing after much of their gear was stolen from their truck at their hotel Thursday night!

Saturday's Qualifying: With 37 cars on the track, Life's Good's Dave Brown (looking a bit like a yard sale in all that mismatched gear!) set a CMC2 record qualifying lap of 1:54:394 with Steel hot on his heals just 4/10ths behind. Tisinger took pole for CMC running at 2:01:093 and Wheeler qualified first for AI getting in a 1:50:899, with Murray running AIX right behind at 1:51:435.

Saturday's Race: With dark clouds overhead the racers got off to a clean 1:55PM flying start. The AIX/AI cars had plenty of traffic to contend with starting out in front with the GT, SU, ST cars and Brown lead the CMC2/CMC/FFR start on the third flag. Norris's AI car broke late in the AI battle, putting him off track. Brown and Steel were having a good fight when at about 9 minutes in Brown locked up going into 3, spun and had to wait out on the side for traffic to clear giving Steel a good lead. Fischer won AIX in his #12 Mustang, followed by Murray and the AI winner was Wheeler. Steel won CMC2, making it four wins in a row already this season, followed by Brown and Rookie R. Klamecki on podium 2 out of 2 race weekends! Tisinger took first in CMC, making for 12 wins in a row – obviously a racer to contend with this season! Everyone tech'd out just fine and went back to the paddocks excited to get on to Sunday!

Note: it was good to see Carl Chicca back driving his CMC2 car, even if it was in the PTB class.

Sunday dawned with beautiful clear skies, but a ripping chill wind that lent some headwind on the front straight. The racers all remembered to set their clocks forward and everyone got out for the warm-up session. Unfortunately for team Life's Good Racing, the prior days fuel starvation damaged the engine and they quit early, put the 33 car on their trailer and headed home.

Sunday's Qualifying: AI and AIX ran qualifying with the GT, SU and ST cars and Fisher lead the group to take pole, running a 1:51:000. He was followed by Murray and Wheeler got pole for AI. The CMC groups ran a inverted qualifying race mixed with their regular FFR mates and Steel took the win, set a race lap record and pole position, followed by Simpson and then R. Klemeki. Tsinger took a first for CMC.

Sunday's Race: By race time the winds had died and Southern Cal was showing off its fantastic racing weather. The racers got off to a nice clean flying start and the entire field enjoyed 35 minutes of fast paced fun. AIX was lead by Fisher, followed by Murray and the AI win went to Wheeler! CMC2 was won by Steel, R. Klemecki took a second and third went to Simpson. CMC was once again won by Tsinger. From the stands, it looked like good clean fun and was certainly a fast paced battle with lots of traffic challenges from the various race groups.