Mazda Raceway doesn't disappoint, Time ATTACK, and The Glen

Danny Sullivan takes a pic with the entire MER crew

One of my favorite tracks to attend is by coincidence also sponsored by Mazda... I had some great experiences at the track before even starting in racing, and it remains one of my favorite visits each year. Last season, it wasn't, as both my season and my championship hopes both ended there - so I was really hoping for some good feelings to return for this past weekend's event. We were there with our Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup team, and thanks to Mazda, Indycar legend Danny Sullivan was running on with us!

Before I get too far into a season recap for our Team MER squad to set up the weekend, I need to cover just how astonishing of a situation we found ourselves in. Danny Sullivan, most famous for his 'Spin to Win' the Indianapolis 500, but also an F1 driver, LeMans driver, CART Champion, IMSA driver and all around star in the 80's and 90's. The formative years when I was learning what Motorsports was. He was a guest star on Miami Vice, on the cover of People Magazine, he was a legitimate star and definitely a hero of mine.

I've gotten the chance to meet many of my heroes, and each time it's been a surreal and humbling experience. However, not every hero lives up to the idea you might have of them. In this case, Danny blew it out of the water. He was so professional, friendly, talented, and still passionate - it really was a dream come true to spend time with him, and actually work together in an on-track pursuit.

Back to the MX-5 Cup team, we've been having a good season, not great yet. Each race we've been in the fight, but just out of reach of the win. Regardless, we are learning and getting better all the time. Our drivers are a great bunch - from Nick Evans, who is the current Mazdaspeed ladder award winner to Justin Piscitell, last year's ladder winner to Jeff Mosing, a favorite personality around the paddock - it's a joy to work with everyone this season.

The race at Mazda Raceway was an up-and-down affair, with Justin getting hit on lap one, Danny Sullivan getting hit on lap one, and Nick Evans getting spun out of the lead on lap two. Regardless, we recovered to have Justin finish 3rd, Nick 8th and Jeff 9th. More importantly, we had good, fast, consistent race cars the whole race, which was more than we could say earlier in the weekend! We came out of the weekend with Justin leading the points, and Nick still with a very strong shot at the title. Overall, a good result and some restored affection for one of my favorite tracks!

The very next weekend, I was to head back to CA, this time in the LA area for a Redline Time Attack event. For those who don't know, these are pretty much unlimited prep race cars, driven on track in a time-trial format to see who can be the quickest. The gang at Tri Point Engineering had been busy fitting their new but relatively un-used 2010 MAZDA3 touring car with a large turbo, dry sump oiling, and big wheels/tires and fender flares. The class we run in is dominated by a 1000+ HP Scion, but they were a no-show for the event, so we were able to beat the rest of the field to claim our first class win at Auto Club Speedway!

There is more to come, as the output is going to go from 430 to closer to 600, tires will get even wider, and some aero enhancements will be added. Traction control will be refined, and we'll be better able to compete with the class benchmark Scion. Next event is July 4th weekend at Willow Springs, where we hope to debut many of the above improvements.

Now we're on the way to Watkins Glen for the Grand Am Continental Challenge ST race in our 2010 MAZDASPEED3. Team MER is moving toward more involvement in Grand Am racing for 2011, and gaining all the experience we can. Hopefully we can have some success along the way, it's myself co-driving with MX-5 Cup points leader Justin Piscitell in our freshly built Mazda. Look for updates this weekend as we try to get the MAZDASPEED3 it's first podium finish!