The NASA Arizona Region delivered a weekend of fierce, close-quarters racing at the Podium Club at Attesa in Casa Grande, Ariz., in November. The event featured combined races for the Super Touring and GTS groups, with particular attention focused on the action in Super Touring 3, Super Touring 4, and Super Touring 5. Drivers tackled the 2.32-mile circuit in the challenging counter-clockwise direction, with a large field of over 20 ST cars competing across all classes, reflecting the healthy growth of Super Touring in the region.
The weekend was marked by an unusually warm November, with temperatures nearing 90 degrees, which proved to be a major factor for tire performance. This heat led to greasy track conditions and difficult car control, especially for those on softer compound tires. Rookie ST3 racer Alvin McGill, who was in his first-ever race weekend, was particularly enthusiastic about the venue. “It’s a good enough length where with the straights on the back and then the long straight on the front, you can top your car out, or pretty close,” he said. The CCW layout was praised by multiple drivers for its high-momentum sections and added passing zones.
Qualifying and Setup Challenges
Qualifying times across ST3 and ST4 were incredibly tight on Saturday, setting the stage for the wheel-to-wheel battles to come. In ST4, David Lindstrom‘s Nissan 350Z secured pole position, and logged a fast lap time during the race that was only .066 seconds faster than Matt Wasko’s BMW M3. Meanwhile, in ST3, Jeremy Renshaw’s BMW M3 set a blistering pace, taking the top spot.
For many, qualifying was about managing the track and tire conditions. Veteran instructor and ST1 champion Eric Kennel noted that from Turn 3 to the exit of the sweeper at Turn 9 is the most critical section for time.
“It’s huge. Going over the hill at 6 and 7, a lot of people will kind of just not straight line it as much and they’ll scrub way too much speed and it’s literally worth 1 to 2 seconds of speed just through 6 and 7,” Kennel explained. This knowledge proved vital in qualifying, where precision was needed over outright speed to maintain tire health for the full race distance.
Super Touring 1: The Corvette Showdown
Super Touring 1 featured the largest field of the weekend, predominantly consisting of powerful Chevrolet Corvettes. On Saturday, the No. 05 Team Auto Solve Corvette took the win in the 15-lap race, completing the course in 26:43.576. His teammate, Eric Kennel, who was driving the team’s No. 55 “spare parts car,” finished a second. Kennel reported that the No. 05 car, a brand new build, is a “monster” and that he had a great battle with Pearson on Saturday before his own car began “imploding” due to overheating. Sean Shepard running his K-swapped Lotus in ST1 because he was the only competitor in ST2 , rounded out the podium in third.
On Sunday, the ST1 race was extended to 16 laps. Team Auto Solve again took the victory. Jake Guzman finished second, 36.870 seconds back. Sean Shepard once more finished third, improving his best lap time to 1:36.063 from the previous day. Shepard noted that his Lotus, while “underpowered for that class,” is a “TT car” that he races for fun, often losing five or six positions at the start and having to pass them back. Racing at Podium Club for the first time, Colt Nixon finished fourth on Sunday as he was learning the track.
Super Touring 3: Renshaw’s Dominance and McGill’s Debut
The Super Touring 3 class saw No. 11 Jeremy Renshaw assert control from the start on both Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday, Renshaw won the 15-lap race, leading the field, which included several visiting Spec Corvette drivers. McGill saw his race cut short after three laps when he threw a fan belt while making a pass on the front straight.
On Sunday, Renshaw once again took the win. Alvin McGill rebounded impressively after his mechanical trouble, driving a clean race and finishing second. For McGill, a 66-year-old in his first-ever race weekend after competition school, the experience was a learning curve. “I was a little bit anxious about comp school and being door to door,” he said, but quickly added, “this is easier than I thought it was and a lot more fun.”
Super Touring 4: Trading Victories
The Super Touring 4 class provided some of the most exciting action as the top competitors traded victories and battled nose-to-tail.
On Saturday, David Lindstrom secured the win in a race where he admitted to having a bit of luck early on when a competitor spun, creating a gap he was able to maintain for the duration. Wasko followed close behind, finishing second, just 8.078 seconds back.
Then, on Sunday, the script flipped, with No. 94 Wasko taking the victory. The race saw an intense early exchange between Wasko and Lindstrom. Wasko briefly lost the lead at Turn 1 on the front straight to Lindstrom, but immediately retook it at the next turn. Wasko held on, finishing first. The final podium spots went to Kyle Siebenthal and James Fluckey.
Lindstrom, meanwhile, had an unfortunate moment on Sunday while fighting for the lead, spinning into the dirt at Turn 15. “I dipped like one tire off into the dirt and then proceeded to just wide arc slide all the way around … and that’s where I firmly cemented my close second into a firm fourth,” Lindstrom lamented.
Super Touring 5: Consistency for Ryan Rasar
In Super Touring 5, Ryan Rasar maintained consistency throughout the weekend, driving his Mercedes-Benz C300 to a first-place finish in the 13-lap race. On Sunday, he took the win in a reduced 11-lap run. His Sunday best lap time of 1:48.447 showed consistent pace. Rasar was the sole competitor in the ST5 for both races.
Perspectives and the Road Ahead
For Matt Wasko, who juggled driving in Time Trial and Super Touring, instructing, and supporting a Competition School vehicle, the quadruple podium made the busy weekend worthwhile. “Thankfully it resulted in a quadruple podium. That kind of made it worth it,” Wasko said, highlighting the demanding nature of the combined roles.
Lindstrom emphasized the promising growth of the ST classes in Arizona, noting the influx of new drivers and cars. “This was a field of 20 people, with 10 people in comp school. So, I mean that was the biggest win of all for me.” The ST4 field, in particular, is set to grow with new Honda builds expected to join the Nissan and BMW heavy field.
The weekend was a fantastic showcase of NASA Arizona’s talent and the region’s growing enthusiasm for Super Touring racing.
