See what you missed from the 2015 NASA Eastern States Championships Presented by Toyo Tires. Racers share their stories of what it means to race at the biggest NASA event on the East Coast, and why they want to become a NASA Champion. With amazing footage captured from the event, watch as you see just what makes the NASA Championships “the” place to race for real Champions.
Kudos for Gary Faules, NASA Director of Mentoring
My name is Jeff Klein. I own a 1966 Mustang fastback and I am interested in building it into a GT350R racer. I contacted Gary Faules after finding him listed in the NASA Mentoring Program. Gary was prompt in returning my email and we had an hour-plus long conversation on the phone the next day. Gary was extremely helpful in educating me on NASA, the GT350R, and did not hesitate to make several suggestions on how to go about learning to drive through the available NASA Programs. It appears we have become fast friends!
I am now researching my class and build through a variety of links Gary sent me. I am so impressed with Gary and my experience through him that I have joined NASA and I am no longer researching other racing organizations. We plan on meeting each other this month at Sonoma, and he is generously taking his time to assist me in researching cars and introducing me to a few racers in my future class to assist me in getting started.
I cannot emphasize how impressed I am with the NASA Mentoring Program and Gary! This program has made it exceptionally easy to move forward with my project and to begin developing myself as a safe driver. After more than two decades of involvement with hot rods, custom builds, and most recently Southern California Timing Association-sanctioned land-speed racing, this has so far been a truly refreshing and rewarding experience. For the first time, I do not believe that I will be forced to go through my learning curve the hard way. — Jeff Klein
2016 Eastern States Championships To Be Held at Watkins Glen
NASA is pleased to announce that the 2016 Eastern States Championships presented by Toyo Tires will take place at historic Watkins Glen International. The circuit, which is located in beautiful Watkins Glen, N.Y., has hosted many of the world’s greatest motor races, and on September 22 through 25, 2016, NASA competitors will battle it out to see who earns their place in NASA history.
“The historic nature of the Glen carries with it a special allure for so many competitors, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring one of NASA’s biggest events of the year to this world-renowned facility,” said Ryan Flaherty, NASA National Chairman. “The NASA Championships have proven to be one of the most competitive places in the country to test your skills while remaining an absolutely stellar experience for all involved. We look forward to welcoming all NASA competitors at what should prove to be an amazing event in 2016!”
2016 will mark NASA’s 25th anniversary and the 11th anniversary for our NASA Championships events. NASA expects to welcome more than 600 competitors to its Championships events in 2016, providing competitors with the same fantastic benefits they have come to expect from the event. From the famous trackside gatherings and wonderfully lucrative contingency programs to the extremely competitive racing, the NASA Championships have truly become “the” place to race.
NASA Names Xavier Calderon New Spec Miata Director
NASA Mid-Atlantic Race Director and Performance Touring Director Xavier Calderon has just been appointed the new National Director for Spec Miata.
Calderon started in the NASA HPDE program 13 years ago and his risen through the ranks to earn three regional championships in PTE and a third-place finish in the 2012 National championship. He also has instructed for eight years.
“I got into cars because I thought women would dig it. So I started drag racing,” Calderon said, adding that he also autocrossed before discovering NASA. “I got into NASA because I wanted to learn how to drive my NSX.”
Calderon served as the race director for the Spec Miata class at the 2015 Eastern States Championships at Virginia International Raceway. Current National Director John Mueller complimented Calderon on how he ran races and the class during the event.
“We were very impressed with how he conducted himself at the Championships,“ Mueller said. “Those events can be pretty stressful and he kept a cool head the entire time. Given what he also has done in the Mid-Atlantic region, we think Xavier is a great choice to take over as National Director of Spec Miata.”
The NP01 NASA Prototype is Coming!
NASA debuted the first running model of its newest spec-class car, the NASA Prototype NP01 by Elan Motorsports Technologies, at the Eastern States Championships at Virginia International Raceway.
Since its debut, Elan has begun production of customer cars at its Braselton, Ga., production facility, and plans call for 2016 to be the inaugural race season. NASA Speed News will bring you the full story on this amazing new racecar and the class it will support. Look for that and more in the November issue!
Ask National
Q: Why do the rules for when to get out of the car after an incident differ between HPDE and racing?
A: HPDE rules say that the driver should remain in the vehicle unless it’s on fire. The racing rules allow the driver to make a choice in the interest of his/her own safety. NASA feels that a road racing license holder has enough track experience to better judge if it’s safer to stay in the vehicle, or to get out, as each situation can be vastly different.
Q: In endurance racing, the rules say all work on cars in the pits, including refueling, must be stopped. If the flags pertain to matters on track, why must work in the pits be stopped?
A: Work on cars in the pit lane must be stopped during a red flag. During that period, all cars on track are stopped as well. Those already in the pits might gain a significant advantage, so we dictate that work must be stopped. Those in the paddock may continue to work because 1) it’s not easy to police that, and; 2) they already have bigger problems if they are in the back paddock.
