Monterey, CA – September 13 and 14, 2014 was the last race weekend for Team LMR to prep for the SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca coming in October. Since the last time the team visited the beautiful Monterey Peninsula in March, a new stainless steel exhaust elbow was fabricated so that Larry’s Formula Mazda would meet the strict sound control limits. In a one-lap sound control check, the modification proved successful.
The double race weekend format featured a race group total of 56 cars registered with others on a waiting list to get in! There were 18 cars in the FM class and due to the large numbers, would be getting a “split start” for the race. Unfortunately, in Friday practice, Mason exited the famed “Corkscrew” corner on about the 4th lap and the engine quit. Fortunately he was able to coast it into the pits. When he tried to re-start the engine, the muffler belched out a huge flame that enveloped the rear wing. Mason was able to shut off the ignition and fuel pump before exiting the car and the fire proved to have done only superficial damage. That was the good news! The bad news is that the team worked hard to get the car started for hours until finally with a new ignition box and two new coils the car started again – with just enough time left in qualifying to do one warm-up lap. Mason qualified last in class and overall.
In what proved to be perhaps one of Mason’s finest drives of his career, he charged from last (overall and in class) to fifth in class (28th overall) with fourth and third just in front of him at the checkered flag. “I feel like if I would’ve had another lap or two we could have had a podium,” beamed Mason after the event. He normally would’ve had the extra time but due to lingering fog in the morning, the race was cut a few minutes short. He still earned the second fastest lap of the race and turned a faster lap than the current track record holder in the class did during the race!
Qualifying took place on Saturday afternoon for Sunday’s race and Mason decided to try to save his tires for the race and only do three laps. He felt like he put in a good lap on the third and came into the pits. In retrospect, he should have stayed out for the session and tried to learn more nuances of the track. He ended up qualifying eighth in class. This time it was much harder to work his way up through the field and he faced some fierce battles with passing and re-passing. With the other faster class cars interrupting his momentum, he had to settle for another fifth place finish.
The team had three goals for the weekend – 1) to make sure the car would meet sound control, 2) go faster than the last time they were here, and 3) load the car on the trailer in great shape for the Runoffs. All three goals were met so it was a successful weekend. It was a bit of a déjà vu weekend as the last time Team LMR was here they qualified last and finished fifth in the first race and walked away with two top five finishes for the weekend.
Up next are the SCCA Runoffs scheduled for October 4-12, 2014. There will be live streaming video of this race so stay tuned to www.LMRUSA.com or the team’s FB page at Facebook.com/TeamLMRUSA for more updates.
Racing at this level would be impossible without the support provided by all the Team LMR sponsors, especially Crew Chief Tom Englesman of Auto Diagnostic Services. Polar Heart Rate monitors provide Mason with the ability to record heart rate data that he can later analyze. In both races, Mason’s heart rate peaked at over 160 bpm and that knowledge helps him prepare physically for his next race.
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| Paul Endres from Goodyear takes tire temps for Mason in pit lane. | |
 Photo by Stella Castro |
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