The NASA Southeast region converged on Roebling Road Raceway April 4-5, 2025, bringing intense competition across several classes. Among the highlights was the Spec E30 field, boasting a healthy 19 entries ready to tackle the fast, flowing 2.020-mile circuit under beautiful spring skies. While the weather was cooperative, the weekend proved challenging with close racing, mechanical gremlins, and the unique demands of the track testing drivers throughout the three-race event.
The weekend format featured three races, starting on Saturday afternoon (Race 1), followed by two more sprint races Sunday, with grids set by the fastest laps from the preceding race. Christopher Matos noted the tight margins after qualifying: “I think top five or six were within a second of each other. So we knew it was going to be super tight.” This set the stage for close battles, particularly challenging at Roebling where passing opportunities were limited. Matos himself overcame significant adversity even before the official races, losing two wheels and discovering a loose gas tank during Friday’s test sessions, a testament to the resilience often required in racing.
Saturday Race 1: Setting the Pace
Saturday afternoon’s Race 1 saw Jose Matos in the No. 517 BMW take the checkered flag, holding off Tyler Wrenn (No. 182) and Christopher Matos (No. 516) who finished second and third, respectively. While Jose Matos secured the win, Wrenn laid down the weekend’s fastest Spec E30 lap at 1:22.976 on lap two, earning him the pole position for Sunday morning’s Race 2. Joshua Rich (No. 69) and Andrew Agurkis (No. 888) rounded out the top five.
Sunday Race 2: Drama and Determination
Starting from pole, Wrenn engaged in an early battle with Christopher Matos. Unfortunately, Wrenn’s race ended prematurely due to mechanical failure. “Chris threw a rock somewhere and poked a hole in the radiator,” Wrenn explained. “Came out of turn nine and heard a pop like a rocker arm and went down on power. So, you know, I had to give Chris that one.”
Wrenn’s retirement wasn’t the only drama. A controversial yellow flag situation on the front straight caught out numerous competitors, leading to seven disqualifications for passing under yellow, significantly shaking up the results. Christopher Matos navigated the challenges to take the win, followed by Andrew Agurkis and Lee Winters (No. 89). Katherine Agurkis (No. 88) had a strong run, avoiding on-track incidents to finish seventh.
Christopher Matos elaborated on the yellow flag’s impact: “Roebling, there’s really only one spot to pass and that’s the front straight. So getting that yellow on at the start/finish and then at the turn one made it tricky. It can change the whole dynamic of the race for sure.”
Sunday Race 3: Slick Track, Close Finishes
With Christopher Matos starting P1 based on his fastest lap in Race 2, the final race on Sunday afternoon presented a new challenge: increasingly slick track conditions. “Yeah, turn nine, there’s a couple bumps through nine that kept sending my car,” said Joshua Rich. “Everywhere was slick, pretty much everywhere.”
Despite the tricky surface, the close racing continued. Christopher Matos completed a Sunday sweep, taking his second win of the day. Jose Matos finished a strong second, with Rich Grace (No. 440) claiming the final podium spot in third. Joshua Rich finished fourth after a race-long battle with fifth-place finisher Charles Beach (No. 66), which included strategic bump drafting. “Charlie was a true gentleman and kept giving me bumps instead of motoring around me on the front straight like a true classy gentleman,” Rich commented. Katherine Agurkis capped off her weekend with her best performance, finishing ninth after benefiting from lead-follow coaching with Christopher Matos earlier in the weekend. “To actually get on track and Chris be my rabbit just a little bit, soI was able to keep up. It changed everything,” she said.
From the Paddock
Beyond the on-track action, the Spec E30 group showcased a remarkable connection. Drivers consistently helped each other overcome mechanical issues, sharing parts and expertise. “If anything goes wrong in the paddock in Spec E30 world, everyone goes to their trailers, ransacks their stuff,” noted Rich. Beach added, “Everyone comes around to help. Someone’s always got the part. It’s great.”
This supportive spirit often extends into Saturday evening.”We watch race videos. and just have a lot of good clean fun and stare at each other’s cars. And if someone’s broke, fix it,” Rich described. Katherine Agurkis elaborated on joining the Spec Miata paddock, known as “Miata Land,” for these sessions: “They have a big screen up and they watch video. We all bring our own video and we just hang out and scream at the TV and have so much fun together.” The E30 group enjoyed this shared experience so much they plan to host their own version at the next event.
The group also shares a unique post-session ritual. “Basically after a race, we pull into impound and we park all next to each other and we get out of the car for like 10, 15 minutes,” described Katherine Agurkis. “Our adrenaline is so high and we’re so excited.” Wrenn summed up the group dynamic: “I think the racing is a subset just to get the group of friends together and hang out, the cars are just the vehicle to be able to hang out.”
Next up!
With Roebling Road in the rearview mirror, the NASA Southeast Spec E30 competitors now look forward to their next event at Carolina Motorsports Park. Drivers noted the need for strong brakes at CMP, a key difference from Roebling. The group is already planning a festive gathering for the Cinco de Mayo weekend event May 2-4. “There’s a lot of tequila and tacos. We’re going to make shirts,” Rich promised, ensuring another weekend combining close racing and community among the group.
