There’s no winter break for NASA Southeast racers, as the season opener kicked off at Roebling Road Raceway in early January. It was unseasonably warm, providing a mix of cool nights and warmish days, with a little rain added to the mix just to keep things interesting.
Qualifying took place late Saturday morning, with Chuck Mactutus setting the bar high with a time of 1:22.902. Eric Gerchak secured the second-fastest time at 1:23.096.
The Spec Miata field started in wave two for Saturday’s race, behind the Spec E30s. The gap between waves was less than expected, making for an exciting first lap as the Miatas cut through BMW traffic by Turn 3. Weaving in and out, Mactutus was on a mission to stay in the lead. Augustin Garcia Flores stayed close to Mactutus for the first few laps until encountering a tough-to-pass, out-of-class car. Garcia Flores fought for several laps before finally getting around, but by then, Mactutus was out of reach.
Behind them, a tight battle for P3 played out between Lucas Jensen, Eric Gerchak, Jeremy Barnes, Teen Mazda Challenge driver Julian Pollard and Yan Dia. Attrition became the story here: Jensen lost power, Dia spun off-track, and Barnes suffered engine woes that ended his weekend. This left Pollard and Gerchak to scrap for the final podium step. The final results were Mactutus in P1, Garcia Flores in P2, Gerchak in P3, Pollard in P4, and Javier Laurnaga in P5.
Sunday morning started with rain — not a downpour, but a steady drizzle that soaked the track. The race started with Mactutus and Garcia Flores on the front row. Mactutus maintained the lead from the start, followed by Garcia Flores and Pollard as they exited Turn 2. On lap three, Jensen moved into fourth at Turn 1, but only briefly, as he slid off the wet surface entering Turn 5. Garcia Flores ran solidly in P2 until a sputtering engine forced him to retire four laps early, moving Pollard comfortably into second place.
Action peaked in positions 3 through 6, with Keith Williamson, Dia, Jensen, and Laurnaga duking it out. These four drivers swapped positions constantly as they diced through traffic. Jensen had a great recovery from his off-track adventure, pushing forward to claim the final podium spot. Mactutus excelled in the wet-to-dry conditions, finishing seventeen seconds ahead of Pollard. Final results: Mactutus P1, Pollard P2, Jensen P3, Dia P4, and Laurnaga P5. Also, congrats to Luis Romero for winning the special “Seventh on Sunday” award.
In the final race, Mactutus sat on the pole again with Dia to his outside. At the start, the inside row was king; Pollard muscled his way into P2, tucking behind Mactutus in the opening corners. A full-course caution came out on lap four. Racing resumed a few laps later, only for a red flag to drop before a full lap could be completed. After a smooth restart, the E30 leaders began pushing through like a scene from a Fast & Furious movie.
Laurnaga and Jensen moved past Dia in the back Carousel, but contact in Turn 1 sent Laurnaga off-track. While Jensen crossed the line third, he was repositioned behind Laurnaga for the contact. Behind them, Williamson and Luis Romero engaged in a fierce top-five battle, finishing a mere 0.050 seconds apart! The final results were Makutus in P1, Pollard in P2, Dia in P3, Williamson in P4, and Romero in P5.
