Monterey, CA – Team LMR was ready to compete against the best Formula Mazda teams and drivers during the 2014 SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on October 4-12. One day of practice and three days of qualifying would set the stage for the 51st annual event being held on the West Coast for the first time in 46 years.
Driver/owner Larry Mason worked all year to qualify for this championship event by earning six pole positions, seven wins and a new track record during the regular season. This would also be his first time ever competing in the Runoffs.
The Runoffs schedule started with a load-in on a Friday, and Mason’s race not until Saturday just over a week later. During that time there were a total of four sessions – two practice and three qualifying sessions. In each qualifying session, Mason lowered his lap times and went faster than he had ever gone here before. He ended up qualifying in seventh place, just .009 seconds out of sixth and about 0.3 seconds out of fifth.
On race day, Mason was surrounded by his crew to get strapped in. Crew Chief Tom Engelsman, Russ Botelho, Sonia Mason, Stella Castro and Dan Mata were all there. Well wishes from Paul Endres (Goodyear) and David Cook (Mazda) on the grid were very much welcome and appreciated. As the pace car led the cars out onto the track, Mason would be on the inside heading into Turn 2 (a.k.a. the Andretti hairpin). As the field approached the final corner before the green flag (Turn 11), the driver in front of Mason brake-checked him (i.e., stood on the brakes hard to create a gap for the start) and also veered towards the car next to him. The race hadn’t even started and the aggression was already there. At the drop of the green flag, the car next to Mason veered towards Mason on the left which put Mason close to hitting the pit wall. Heading into the braking zone, Mason knew his tires would now be covered with debris from going off of the racing line and that he would have to brake a bit earlier than normal (another aggressive tactic from the other driver). Mason eased off the gas early and hit the brakes early but the driver in front of him jumped on his brakes so hard and early that there was not enough room to slow down and Mason hit him from behind. That contact resulted in additional contact with two other cars and the bottom line result is that Mason’s race was finished in the Turn 2 gravel trap.
It was a huge disappointment for Mason and the team, but no one was hurt and the damage to his race car can be repaired. Just like that, the year long journey was over and the dreams of pursuing success in this event were crushed. The old adage of “that’s racing” is quite apropos here, but the reality of not accomplishing the goals that were set is grating. Interestingly enough, in the short amount of time that Mason was in the race, his heart rate peaked at over 150 bpm according to his Polar CS600X.
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. The Fiberglass Body in Hawthorne, California had the car looking great with their expertise in fiberglass repair. Jim Webb from Jim Webb Motorsports has been a huge asset in getting this team up and running and supporting Mason throughout the year. Polar is the worldwide leader in wireless heart rate technology and Mason used their products on a daily basis to be healthy and fit to take on this pursuit. Triathlon Lab has all of the products from bikes to nutrition to help Mason cross the triathlon racing finish line as he trains for success in Formula Mazda auto racing.
The racing schedule is set and it doesn’t care whether the car is crashed or not. Team LMR has two weeks to prepare for the final race of the season at Butonwillow Raceway Park. Stay tuned to www.LMRUSA.com or the team’s FB page at Facebook.com/TeamLMRUSA for more updates.
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| Team LMR before the race and the busted nose and front wings of the car afterwards. | |
 Photo by Sonia Mason |
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 Photo by Sonia Mason |
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