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Flying Lizard Audi Leads NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill
presented by Hawk Performance at 12 Hours
Rain expected through the night
WILLOWS, Calif. (Dec. 5, 2015) - The 13th
running of the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk
Performance has reached the 12 hour mark with the No. 45 Flying Lizard
Audi leading the race overall.
As
teams have one eye on the 2.86-mile, 15-turn track and the other the
weather radar with rain heading toward the area sometime around 1 a.m. they are plotting their driver and team strategies.
The
No. 45 Flying Lizard Audi became the overall leader at the seven hour
mark. The team currently is circulating with a 10 lap lead over second
place.
"We
are in the lead and the car is really running well," Darren Law said.
"The car, the team and the Toyo tires are all in sync. We are really
just trying to run a pace and keep out of trouble. With the different
speed differentials you really have to pay attention. We know the rain
is coming. Good for us, we ran on Thursday
in the wet. Toyo has an intermediate and a full rain tire, so we are
ready. We actually are hoping for rain. Our Audi has ABS and traction
control, which our competition does not."
A new leader has emerged in the ESR Class. The No. 69 Gryphon Racing Praga entry has taken over at the front of ESR.
"We
are running first in the ESR class and I am getting ready for my second
stint," Ari Straus said. "I had a few issues here and there in my first
stint. Gryphon Racing has put together a great Praga race car for us. I
may see some rain during my run. We are ready for those conditions, we
just have to keep speed coming over the wing."
In E0 the No. 61 RoadShagger Racing BMW leads the class.
"Good
news we are still in the lead in E0," John Morley said. "The car is not
extremely fast right now, but it is reliable. The car owner Gavin
Ernstone is in the car and doing a great job. No real drama during my
run. The car's handling is all over the place at the moment. When the
rain comes we will find out what we have. We have rain tires and a plan,
hopefully it goes according to that plan."
In the E1 Class, the No. 66 BMW of Bullet Motorsports has taken over the lead.
"The
car is working really well," Tristan Littlehale said. "I just did a
double stint. I was right behind the Award Motorsport Porsche when it
went into the wall with the Miata. I escaped that drama, so pretty good.
Our plan for the rain is to keep it on the track and get to the
morning."
No. 34 Mazda RX-8 of RDR Racing continues to lead the E2 Class.
"We
are just turning laps in the lead of the E2 Class," Dennis Holloway
said. "We had some contact coming over the hill earlier and bent a
tie-rod but we got that fixed. Everything seems to be good right now. I
think the rain is going to skirt a little bit to the north. No, I think
right when I get in it is going to start rain and I will have to go from
slicks to wets, so that will be fun."
In E3 it is the pole sitting No. 40 RAmotorsport Mazda Miata has taken over the lead.
"We
have had some challenges, but we are in the lead right now," Scott
Miller, team manager said. "We have had some parts come loose, tire wear
that we didn't expect, fuel economy that hasn't quite worked out, the
usual stuff. A long way to go. It is going to rain, it is coming. The
rain is not going to fall within our tire cycle right now, so we have to
figure that out.
CLP Motorsports remains the leader in the all-new NP01 class.
"It
is going pretty well for us with this new car," Jeremy Croiset said.
"We expected some teething issues with a new car and its first time in
competition. This is a race that eats even the most seasoned race cars
for breakfast. We have rain tires mounted and we are going to do some
shock adjustments and see what the 25 has in store for us in the wet."
25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance information:
Professional
drivers listed on the entry include: Al Unser Jr., Ryan Eversley, Kyle
Marcelli, Randy Pobst, Burt Frisselle, Brian Frisselle, Dion von Moltke,
Mike Skeen, Colin Braun, Kurt Busch, Johannes van Overbeek, Guy Cosmo,
Darren Law, Joel Miller, Tommy Sadler, Sean Rayhall, Darren Law, Tyler
McQuarie, Kelly Collins, Taz Harvey, Jeremy Croiset, Will Faules, etc.
The
NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance will see a
field of 63 cars racing in seven classes (ES, ESR, E0, E1, E2, E3, NP01)
going twice around the clock plus an hour over the 2.86-mile, 15-turn
track located 90-minutes north of Sacramento.
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About NASA
The
National Auto Sport Association (NASA) was formed in 1991 with the
premise of delivering high-quality motorsports events to enthusiasts at
major racing venues throughout the nation. NASA has created programs
that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven
vehicles to enjoy the full performance capabilities of their cars in a
controlled professionally managed environment. NASA offers many
different programs that will allow you to enjoy motorsports on a number
of different levels, including our High Performance Driving Events
(HPDE), Rally Sport, Time Trial, NASA-X and Competition Racing programs.
NASA Membership
NASA
members are entitled to enter and participate in any NASA event across
the country, and membership includes an array of benefits, including
vendor discounts and a subscription to the organizations online
newsletter the NASA Speed News. Members will also receive a colorful
membership hard card that will identify them as part of the organization
and a welcome packet that includes more information on the many
benefits and programs available to NASA members. While participating at
events, all NASA members are covered by an extensive insurance policy,
which includes General Liability, Accidental Death and Dismemberment,
and Excess Medical coverage. Best of all, membership is only $45. Refer
to www.nasaproracing.com for member information.
NASA Thanks Our Partners
NASA
would like to thank its National sponsors for their continued support:
Toyo Tires, Mazda, Hawk Performance, Winding Road Racing, and GoPro.
We also want to thank MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD),
Nissan, and Ford Motor Company for supporting our members. We greatly
appreciate those companies that offer our racers contingency support,
including Toyo Tires, AIM Sports, AST Suspension, BFGoodrich, Ford
Racing, Maxxis Tires, Traqmate, Hawk Performance, Honda Performance
Development (HPD), Hoosier Racing Tire, MAZDASPEED, Nissan, Jongbloed
Racing Wheels, Bimmerworld, Frozen Rotors, Optic Armor, Neo Motorsports,
Spec Clutches, Driven Racing Oil, Altronics Inc., ANZE Suspension, GT
Radial Tire, Tilton, Racefab Inc., Sampson Racing Communications and
Yokohama. NASA competitors can also get discounts from Mazda, Maxxis
Tires, Racing Fire Systems, Ford Performance Racing School,Fuel Safe,
Vehiport, APR Performance, Avis, Cruise America, Eibach Springs, Exedy,
Fastbrakes, Konig, The Mid-Ohio School, Konig, Molecule, Red Line Oil,
Winding Road Racing, Torco, TPIS, Porterfield and Monster Clutch.
NASA at a Glance
*
NASA was founded in 1991 on the premise of providing motorsport
competition programs that allow owners of both racecars and
high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full-performance
capabilities of their cars in a safe and controlled environment.
* NASA has over 14,000 members in 16 regions.
* Key events include the NASA Western Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, July 31 - Aug. 2; the Eastern Championships at Virginia International Raceway Sept. 4-6 and the season culminating NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill, Dec. 5-6.
* The NASA National Championships will run 36 race classes and nine Time-Trial classes during the event.
*
NASA runs over 150 events each year encompassing over 250 races,
including the association's Rally Sport and Time-Trial program.
* Manufacturer partners include MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Nissan and Ford Racing.
*
NASA Management: Jerry Kunzman, Executive Director; Ryan Flaherty,
National Chairman; Jeremy Croiset, Director of Business Development;
Dave Ho, Business Operations Manager, Will Faules, National Event
Manager.
Follow NASA
Facebook: National Auto Sport Association
Twitter: nasaproracing
Instagram: nasaproracing
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