Mazda Race of Nasa Champions Race Report
Race Report for Corey Rueth at the Mazda Race of NASA Champions presented by Battery Tender and Bf Goodrich at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
I would first like to thank Mazda and NASA for their teamwork in creating a pro weekend for hard working grassroots racers like myself. I would also like to thank SCCA, Battery Tender, BFG and Skip Barber for their dedication to this race and for all of the blood sweat and tears that went into prepping 20 mx5 cup cars for our NASA Champs to compete in.
From the moment I stepped into the pro paddock I knew this was going to be an epic week. I was surrounded by pro drivers and teams that I have admired for years and there were huge car haulers everywhere unloading millions of dollars of amazing racing equipment.
Media was everywhere and we did lots of interviews and pictures. Mazda rolled out the red carpet and introduced us to John Doonan and David Cook. They treated us like VIPs and we toured the track and the Mazda prototype team, even meeting Sylvaine Tremblay and Tom Long. We got up close and personal with the new Mazda MX5 Global cup car and even got to race around with it during practice laps.
We received new tires and brakes for the event , but we only got one set. Tire Strategy would be huge this week. We had 5 practice sessions , Qualifying and one 45 minute race. I took my tire strategy very seriously and I only practiced a few turns per lap and carefully managed tire temps and tire wear by being smooth as possible and trying not to drive too many hot laps in a row. I also decided that I would learn the track during the race from the other racers and I cut all the practice sessions in half. When Qualifying time came, I was well prepared and I felt like I had finally dialed in my tire pressures to help make my cars Understeer entry and Oversteer Exit more Manageable. I ran 3 Hot laps in Qual. Lap 2 would have been a 1:44 something but I was chopped by an out of class car, but luckily for lap 3 I caught a decent 1:45.6 and I decided that it would have to be good enough so that I could save tires. I came in to see how I did, It was the pole position! Lisa came bouncing up to congratulate me and I stopped her and insisted that this session had 15 minutes left and there were 19 fast guys trying to beat me. We sat in silence with our fingers crossed hoping that the pole position would stand. We celebrated when the session was over and nobody had bested my time.
Shortly after my celebration of pole the gravity of my situation started to set in and I began to get nervous about leading 20 of NASAs fastest drivers around a track that I was hardly intimate with, in cars I had barely driven. Butterflies in my stomach went wild as I walked around trying to look calm and collected. Luckily we had Saturday off to hang out with pro teams and more VIP Mazda treatment so I could relax and prepare for the big race on Sunday. I went home early and watched my fastest laps analyzed my data and nailed down all of my track references to a science so that I could be prepared to run for my life for 45 minutes.
For the big race I managed to settle my butterflies with the help of my wife Lisa Rueth and my Coach Paul Costas and a little peaceful meditation.
For the race I had a fantastic start and managed to get through turn 2 by myself with no worries of an accidental punt into oblivion. Matt Powers, Jeremy Croiset and David Ziegler fell in line behind me and we settled in to escape the pack of angry hornets behind us. Matt and I seemed to set an early quick pace which allowed us some breathing room. Matt followed for 5 laps before setting up a pass in turn 5 which I expected and allowed without going defensive at all. I was happy to follow him and to stick with my tire strategy knowing that he would be unable to keep his pace in front of me for the remainder of the race. I kept Matt close and I kept the tires happy by driving at 90% and not sliding the car. We ran nose to tail until another car crashed and causing a full course caution and a full restart. We cooled our tires and drove in yellow for 2-3 laps. Now we are all stacked back up for the restart and we are now at the back of the pack of 47 cars because we had caught the pro cars and the back of the nasa pack. This completely changed the game, now all my tire strategy is out the window in favor of going all out in order to not get caught behind slower cars by missing a passing opportunity. We got a good start and began to work through the slower cars together. Matt, myself and Jeremy and David caught up with a huge pack of Pro cars trying to pass the slower NASA cars in turn 9. Matt held the inside line and got caught in a pack of cars, I went outside 9 to protect the line from the cars behind me and to take advantage of Matts weak position. As I was flying around the outside of 9 there was an accident causing a pro car to dart out and nearly hit me. I bailed to the outside to avoid contact and went into the deep sand outside 9. At this point I am convinced that my race is over. Surprisingly I noticed that the car had enough momentum to make it through the sand trap so I pinned the throttle and prayed. I made it back to the track after turn 10 and began to chase my competitors who took advantage of my off. At this point I am thoroughly confused about my position and without radios my options are limited. I knew I was passed by 6 or more cars but I wasn’t sure how many were in my class. To add more confusion to this situation there was NASA lap traffic in front of me now too, so I cant even count NASA stickers to determine the position. I ran hard and passed everyone in my way and passed Matt in turn 3 and set my sights on Jeremy. Jeremy had some drama allowing me to catch up and I set him up for a pass on turn 2 exit. As I move through the apex inches from Jeremys quarter panel we are greeted by a Skip Barber car literally parked facing the wrong way in the straight away. I checked up and moved around the spun car just in time to see Matt moving to pass me on my left. By the time I realized Matt was in my class it was too late to stop the pass. We all three raced for first in the final laps with meand Jeremy running side by side from turn 5 until turn 9 allowing Matt to drive away and even passed another out of class car creating an even bigger buffer to his victory. Jeremy and I ran side by side through the corkscrew and Jeremy drove off of turn 9 allowing me to pass right by and chase Matt. Unfortunately now I am racing an out of class car and unable to catch Matt. I finished second and honestly I wasn’t even sure what position I was in at the end of the race. Lisa informed me I was second on the podium stage and I was thrilled to hear that message after all of the craziness in the last few laps of the race. All of the Drivers showed great sportsmanship and driving skill and I am proud to have been on the Podium with Matt and Jeremy and sharing the track with 47 other talented drivers. The podium was just like you see on tv, 15 cameras snapping wildly, everyone yelling “over here” and Will swapping sponsors hats for each picture. The interviews were fast and furious and I had to be quick on my feet and remember to thank all the right people. It was awesome! Thanks to Ryan Flaherty, Will Faules, Jeremy Croiset, John Doonan,David Cook and all the pro drivers and teams who shared info with me.
This was truly an epic weekend for me and I have done nothing today but try to figure out how I will pay for a 2016 MX5 Cup ride
