The NASA Utah Region Sunchaser Six-Hour Enduro, held early in August at Burt Brothers Motorsports Park, proved to be a test of durability, strategy and skill. On a track known for its fast, flowing Outer Loop, a field of 21 cars battled through shifting track conditions and the unique challenges of night racing. The event saw Team Go Dog Go Motorsports secure the overall win, though their path to victory was far from simple, and several classes featured nail-biting finishes.
Coming in second overall was Team Larkins Air Power Racing in its Porsche GT3 Cup car, with Team Rearden taking third overall in a Lamborghini Super Trofeo Cup car.
Qualifying set the stage for an intense race. Team Go Dog Go Motorsports, with driver Michael Whelden at the wheel, put the Duqueine D08 on pole with a blistering time of 1:49.349. According to driver and team owner Joe Viso, the team didn’t place too much emphasis on qualifying, saying their main goal was to simply finish the race.
“Our goal, number one, was to finish the race,” Viso said. “This was our third attempt at an enduro and it was our maiden finish, actually.”
Other teams, however, saw the value in a good starting position. Rod Sturgis of Team AARB Racing explained that his team qualified second in E1, thanks to driver TJ Hammond.
“He felt like it was super important,” Sturgis said of qualifying. “I agree with him, of course, and he did really well.”
In E2, Team MRG powered by Zelus driver Matt Guiver was the benchmark, with plenty of experience, and running a qualifying lap 2 seconds faster than anyone else. MRG driver Todd Ainsworth noted that qualifying might not seem as critical in a six-hour race, but it is important. “You need to be as far in front as you can,” Ainsworth said. “You need to stay with the front of the pack.”
ESR
The race for the overall win was a tale of fluctuating leads and strategic gambles. Team Go Dog Go Motorsports in the ESR class started from pole, but their lead almost disappeared in the final hour due to a pit-stop drama. A rear center-lock wheel proved stubborn, causing a lengthy stop that saw their four-minute lead shrink to just over 20 seconds. Joe Viso explained the tension: “We were worried about doing a splash and when that white flag came, we were like, ‘Thank God.'” Viso and his co-driver Michael Whelden also were short-shifting and coasting to conserve fuel. Ultimately, their strategy paid off, and they secured the overall and ESR victories, completing 175 laps. Team Lang Racing Development took second in class with 162 laps in their Norma M20 FC.
GT
The GT class saw an equally thrilling battle for the podium. Team Larkins Air Power Racing in its Porsche GT3 Cup Car took the class win with 175 laps, followed closely by Team Rearden Racing in a Lamborghini Super Trofeo with 174 laps. The GT field was the largest of the event at eight cars, with close battles and pit-stop strategies dictating the final order.
Coming in third was Team TruSpeed Autosport, which campaigned its Porsche GT3 Cup car and finished the race with 170 laps, just off the overall podium. Team TruSpeed also finished fourth.
“My favorite part of the race is at the end when we all get the high five on the front straight at midnight and celebrate the event,” said TruSpeed’s Tyler Tadevic. “This is the 10th or 11th time we’ve done this event and we always have a fantastic time. Wish it was longer and more often!”
Just behind Team TruSpeed Autosport cars was Team Lamborghini Salt Lake City in a Huracan Super Trofeo Cup car. They ran a two-driver, four-stop strategy. The team qualified second overall and first in class. Of course, in endurance racing, it is the unexpected that always provides that X factor outside team control.
“We faced major challenges, including two pit stops affected by fire outside the car,” said driver Alex Kim. “The fires were quickly extinguished by crew and officials, and there was no damage to the car, but the incidents cost us time and made visibility difficult for the following stints. Thanks to the relentless effort and professionalism of our Airpower Racing crew, the car kept running strong and crossed the finish line 5th in class and 6th overall.”
E1
In E1, Team TC Design in its BMW E46 M3 and Team AARB Racing in its BMW E46 M3 were locked in a tense battle. TC Design took the class win with 154 laps.
“We ended up losing the lead and then, you know, being that I was a newbie, I probably let him get ahead by a little bit too far,” said Rod Sturgis of AARB Racing. His team’s last stint driver, TJ Hammond, took a risk by pitting for a new tire and a fuel splash. “He was shaving a good 3 seconds a lap off his previous time,” Sturgis said, but it wasn’t enough to overcome TC Design, who also incurred a fuel-spill penalty but still held on to its lead. Endurance racing veterans, Team El Diablo Motorsports, rounded out the E1 podium in their BMW M3 with 140 laps.
E2
Team MRG powered by Zelus secured the E2 class victory in their BMW 330, completing 152 laps. Driver Todd Ainsworth spoke about the team’s strategy and the challenges faced.
“We were up in the air at the end about the penalty,” he said, referring to a penalty assessed to a competing team. “It caused some attention to detail at the end.” Ainsworth’s team navigated a series of unknowns, from fuel management to anticipating when the checkered flag would fall, ultimately leading to their win. Team EXILED MOTORWORKS took second with 150 laps, followed by Team Safety Third with 147 laps. Team Performance Investment Properties Racing rounded out the E2 class with 97 laps.
Team EXILED MOTORWORKS likes to introduce people with little experience to the sport of endurance racing. The team put two Time Trial drivers to work for fueling and two HPDE drivers on the team for strategy and radio. Carbajal Construction financed the team’s efforts. Olivier Raunier attempted to drive the whole six hours.
“I lasted 4 hours and 30 minutes before motion sickness poked its ugly nose. We were first when I handed over the car,” Raunier said. “Sadly, we were tagged with a three-minute penalty from our first fuel stop when our fire safety guy got distracted and wandered around.”
The penalty took away the team’s chance of winning, but they kept pushing, with Austin Kent, the TT3 National Champion behind the wheel. The team did a splash and go late in the race and secured second place.
E0
In the E0 class, Team Singler Racing Team in a BMW F82 GT4 won with 153 laps, with Team STEYN Motorsports in a BMW M3 finishing second with 86 laps.
E3S
Meanwhile, the E3S class saw a win for Team FG sport in a Mazda MX-5, completing 104 laps, with their second car finishing in second place with 88 laps. Team FG Sport’s sister car took second in the two-car field.
Darkness and Driver Experiences
One of the most talked-about aspects of the Sunchaser Enduro was the challenge of night racing. Joe Viso of Team Go Dog Go Motorsports described his first experience with night testing as “hair-raising.” He even considered pulling out of the enduro entirely after a scary run where he struggled to see track-out points despite his Duqueine prototype’s lights. Reflectors added to the track before the race helped, but the experience was a complete reset. “I had to reset my vision,” Rod Sturgis said, explaining how he had to find new turn-in points for corners he had driven for years.
The race also featured an early full-course yellow caused by contact between Joe Viso’s car and Team Rearden Racing’s car No. 29. The incident sent gravel onto the track, requiring a full cleanup and briefly gathering the field. Viso joked, “coming from the guy that caused it, I guess I don’t really have a say,” while also noting that the slow pace under yellow caused his car to overheat.
Conclusion
The Sunchaser Six-Hour Enduro was a blend of high-speed racing and strategic chess matches. Team Go Dog Go Motorsports’ overall victory, along with class wins for Team Singler Racing Team (E0), Team TC Design (E1), Team MRG powered by Zelus (E2), Team FG sport (E3S), and Team Larkins Air Power Racing (GT), demonstrated the diverse talent and machinery within the NASA Utah Region.
