High Desert Challenge 2009
Willow Springs International Raceway
April 4-5, 2009
By Brian Mertz | Photos by Gil Murrieta
VARA members enjoyed a mild and pleasant – if a bit breezy – spring weekend at Willow Springs for the club’s second racing event of 2009.
Kicking off the serious action as the sun was descending on Saturday was the always exciting 2-hour twilight enduro, in which it’s always a bit difficult to tell who’s leading, who’s driving, or just exactly what’s going on in the pits. In the end, however, the checkered flag waved first for the S2 Swift DB2 co-driven by Dan Longacre and Paul Fruchtbom, completing 69 laps to finish less than 90 seconds ahead of the James Cullen/K. Rousch Porsche 914-6.
And everyone had a great time.
GROUP 1
Kim Madrid drove her FV1 Caldwell flawlessly to an overall win in the Vee race, receiving the checker after Lucien LeBlanc’s apparent flag-to-flag win in his FV2 LeGrand was voided by a two-lap penalty for passing under yellow – a punishment meted out to three other drivers in the open wheel group. Finishing second in class and overall behind Madrid was Lawrence Whittemore’s Zink C4.
The small-bore production group started with a dramatic surge into the lead by Joe Samson’s FPX Alfa GTV. Samson stayed in front until hard-charging Randy Wilson’s Morgan Plus4 nipped past him on Lap 5. But Wilson enjoyed the lead only briefly before he spun, resuming the chase well behind the Spitfires of Rick Shea and Val Ascencio as they fought their way past Sampson to take first and second in FP and overall.
GROUP 2
Vince Tjelmeland fought off an early-laps challenge from polesitter Henry Manney’s beautiful SSB Chevron B19 and drove his FSV3 Ralt to a relatively easy 13-second overall win over a highly varied field of wings-and-slicks racecars. Tom Malloy’s boisterous F5000 Eagle followed Manney home in third, pursued by the S2 Swift of Paul Fruchbom and the FC2 VanDiemen of Robert Besinger. Tjelmeland also notched the weekend’s fastest lap at 1:22.362, averaging 109.274mph.
GROUP 3
Another big field of mid-bore production cars took the green flag behind Steve Link’s red, white and blue BS Datsun 510, but by Lap 8 the stunningly fast BSM 510 of Adam Bode had charged up from 32nd on the grid to snatch the lead, then cruising to a 20-second margin at the checker. Steve Fieg brought his diminutive PBS sports racer to a steady third place, followed by the Ford Escort of Stewart McNair and Anthony Rimicci’s Alfa Giulia – second and third, respectively, in B Sedan.
Further back in the field there were several stirring contests between well-matched cars: Michael Bruner drove his TR4A to DP honors by a 0.24-sec. margin ahead of the similar Triumph of Paul Smock, and Larry Payton’s Renault Sports Racer crossed the stripe just 0.29-sec. before Alan Mizutani’s RSR to take first in their class.
GROUP 4
Bob Hatle started his CF Crossle on the pole and seemed to have the measure of Todd Strong’s FF Titan for six laps, but then Hatle retired and Mark Wilson – having pushed his CF Crossle up from fifth on the grid – got past Strong to take the lead for several laps. Strong rallied back in front to finish first overall ahead of Roy Jones’ FF Winkelmann as Wilson faded to third place and first in Club Ford.
GROUP 5
The big boys wrapped up the weekend in fine style, highlighted by a great nip-and-tuck battle between the mighty orange Boss Mustang of Michael Leicester and Chris Horn’s very quick Datsun 240Z. Both had to scramble up from the back of the 21-car grid, but for the last nine of the 15 total laps they were locked in combat for third overall – Horn getting by in some corners, only to be passed by the big Ford V-8 on the straights.
Tom Malloy’s beautiful LAD Lola T70 coupe had no trouble dispatching the field with 102+ mph laps, followed at a comfortable distance by Frank Cervetto’s GT-1 Camaro in second overall. Leicester took third from Horn by a margin of just over 0.3-sec. Further back in the field, three more of the increasingly popular Datsun Zs contested eighth overall, ending with Phil Mendelovitz just a second ahead of Mark Belrose, with Doug Jacks in hot pursuit.
F2000
The aspiring pro racers of Formula 2000 posted varied results in their two days of flag races, with Shaun Modisette winning the pole and scoring an impressive second place on Saturday but falling to fourth position in the Sunday round. Max Hyatt jumped from a disappointing seventh place finish on Saturday to take Sunday honors with a flag-to-flag win. Mr. Consistency both days was Robert Podlesni, winning on Saturday and taking second place in the finale.
