Chuckwalla Valley Raceway roared to life February 17-18 with a series of Super Touring races that saw spirited competition across various classes. NASA Arizona and NASA SoCal joined forces for the first event of the SoCal season.
On Saturday, in GTS3, Clark Giguiere took the win in a white BMW M2 CS, clocking a best time of 2:02.983 over nine laps. The NP01 class was led by Francis Hu, who piloted a silver Elan NP01 to victory with a blistering best lap of 1:49.618. In Super Touring 1, Richard Gray took the class win in his black and silver Mazda Elan NP01. GTS3, NP01 and ST1 were all one-car grids.
The Super Touring classes had fierce competition. Super Touring 2 saw Timothy Carel in a black Audi RS3 LMS TC taking the win with the best lap time of 1:49.145, followed closely by Greg Laube and Rob Capetz, all within the 1:49’s.
Super Touring 3 was a display of precision with Jim Richard topping the class in a silver BMW M3, followed by Herve Bezard and Brian Turner, who completed the top three positions. The lone entry in Super Touring 4 was Team Hemisphere Racing in a BMW M3.
Super Touring 5 showcased a competitive field with Eirik Holm leading in a grey and red BMW 330Ci. Team Kennelly Racing and Team Gerardi-Sohus Racing rounded out the top three, piloting a Mazda Miata and a BMW Z4 respectively.
The Super Unlimited class was headlined by Ritch Marziale in a red and chrome Mercedes GTR, setting the fastest lap of the day at 1:44.677. Tom Haacker in a silver Porsche GT3 Cup and James Lindly in a white Ford Supertruck completed the podium finishes.
In Thunder Roadster, Alice Kutsyy ran unopposed and took the win with fast lap time of 2:02.783.
Sunday’s races mirrored the intensity of the previous day, with Clark Giguiere repeating his win in the GTS3 class. Francis Hu continued his dominance in the NP01 class, albeit with a slightly slower best lap than on Saturday.
Super Touring 2 had Timothy Carel once again leading the pack, shaving a few fractions of a second off his best lap time from Saturday. Ralph Warren and Team bittneracing followed, claiming second and third places respectively.
Brian Turner took the top spot in Super Touring 3 in a Porsche 911, showing consistency with his lap times. Herve Bezard in a BMW M3 and Team Land Yacht Racing in an Infiniti G37s were close behind.
Team Hemisphere Racing held their lead in Super Touring 4, and Team Gerardi-Sohus Racing took the win in Super Touring 5, followed by Team Kennelly Racing and Team Rotary Heads, all showcasing impressive driving skills.
The Super Unlimited class was led by James Lindly in a white Ford Supertruck with Tage Evanson in a white Honda Civic setting the fastest lap time of the day at 1:47.641. The Thunder Roadster class saw Alice Kutsyy take another win on Sunday.
This thrilling weekend of racing highlighted the skill and dedication of the drivers across all classes.
