Sean Rayhall Sets His Own Winning Legacy At Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

May 13, 2013 By Leave a Comment


Sean Rayhall Sets His Own Winning Legacy At Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

If one is a race fan and the sound of this last name sounds familiar, it’s because this sound … Rayhall/Rahal/etc., no matter how it’s spelled, is the sound of winning.

Image Credit: Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda

This sound has an additional historic significance at one of California’s racing treasures, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (MRLS). Bobby Rahal had won more races at MRLS as a ChampCar driver, then team owner, and ALMS sports car team owner (all combined) than anyone else in the history of the storied race track, and since September, 2003 his name is linked to the facility in perpetuity. The challenging section of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca from the exit of Turn 6 up the hill and through the Turn 7 kink to the entrance of the Corkscrew was named the “Rahal Straight,” honoring one of the true greats of this historic venue.

Image Credit: Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda

Last weekend had this familiar sound winning yet again, but this sound is not spelled like the name of the back uphill straight at MRLS. Sean Rayhall shares much of the same DNA from Lebanon as the other, more famous Rahal sounding/spelling family, but much more importantly, shares the ways of winning domination at MRLS. First, by posting a P1 in qualifications for the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda two race weekend. Then, by winning both Friday’s Round 3 and Saturday’s Round 4 of this 2013 Mazda ladder series season.

Image Credit: Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda

“Qualifications went really well – for the Comprent Motor Sports Machine,” Sean Rayhall said. “The Robert Talbott No. 14 got the pole for both races so we are really excited about that.  Me and Mike (Brandon – engineer) worked really hard these past few nights to get the perfect set up and we made a lot of changes. But it ended up being the right way to go!”

At the end of Round 4 on Saturday when asked about the weekend, the 18-year-old Sean Rayhall said, “We had a little competition on the start of the race I guess but I am really happy to come away with Robert Talbott winning both these races. This is an awesome event and it’s awesome to be here at Laguna with everyone and to come away with two poles and two wins for Robert Talbott, Comprent Motor Sports and Racing Radios. I really have to thank everyone behind me in my program for giving me a chance to do this.”
(ht: prototypelites.com)

Image Credit: Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda

When pressed about the competition at the start of Round 4, Sean shared, “Me and Ryan Booth had some hard side to side racing [at the start] in the second race. Even a bit of contact going into [turn] two between us, but after that it was clear sailing!”

In a post race question laden conversation with Sean Rayhall, it was discovered that this winning attitude at MRLS was developed quite recently, in that Sean first drove this track “a month ago in a SCCA event actually driving a spec racer. We broke the track record by a second and had a ton of fun learning the track with 3 wins.”

What age did you discover that you wished to become a race car driver and what was your first venture in driving competitively (Karts? Sports cars?)?

“I started karts at 7 and wanted to be a race car driver since then. Moved to cars at 12 where I broke the record for youngest driver to win an open wheel race in the states.”

Besides the infamous Corkscrew … what other section of the track do you find challenging? And, Why?

“At Mazda Raceway besides the Corkscrew … turn 6 [going into the "Rahal Straight" section] and turn 9 ["Rainey Curve"] are interesting turns because of the high speed and elevation changes involved which take a fine setup to handle correctly in those areas.”

Image Credit: Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda

After Rounds 3 and 4 of the Cooper Tires Prototype Lites Powered by Mazda, it now can be said of this young, new Rayhall on the motorsports racing scene, the Rahal that has a winning legacy connection with Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca isn’t just named Bobby … or Graham (found a P3 finish in Star Mazda 2005 – ?) … but also Sean with the last name sounding the same but spelled Rayhall!

With continued dominate success, they may have to name the currently unnamed Turn 6, going into the “Rahal Straight”, “Rayhall Curve” … Y? what the L! (the two missing letters from the name of the next section), just a thought.

… notes from The EDJE

 

** Republished as “RACING: Rayhall sets own winning legacy” at the Douglas County Sentinel, Douglasville, GA **

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Can A Race Car Simulator Give One A Real Race Car Experience?

August 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Award winning writer Thomas Stahler takes his turn at the wheel while at Seat Time’s Media Challenge. Here Tom negotiates past turn #3 along the short chute to turn #4 at the famed Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2012)


 

Can A Race Car Simulator Give One A Real Race Car Experience?

Seat Time is Southern California’s premier simulator center. This environment offers a unique, immersive racing experience utilizing state of the art professional-grade training simulators in the heart of West Los Angeles, at the Santa Monica Airport.

Elliott Skeer is an up and coming driver involved in the Mazda driver development ladder series racing for CJ Wilson Racing in the 2012 Playboy MX5 Cup racing series. In this video, we see him laying down marker laps in order to post a time for writers and photographers who join in the MPG/Mazda MX5 Cup Media Challenge. The drive of for the challenge took place August 5, 2012 beginning at 1:00pm PT. The marker time Elliott posted was 1:42.904.

Elliott did not mention this, but he won the 2012 Race #1 Playboy MX-5 Cup at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca held May. 11, 2012 after qualifying in P2. Elliott’s fastest lap time during the 27 lap race at MRLS was recorded as 1:42.324.

Mazda Media Challenge lap time as posted before the competition on Saturday, August 5, 2012. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2012)


 

This excerpted and edited from STUART ROWLANDS PR press reports of  the SEAT TIME MEDIA CHALLENGE RACE -

For two weeks of grueling qualifying runs, media members sweating, straining, sawing at steering wheels, systematically stabbing at brakes, and braving the infamous “Corkscrew” once a lap are now history./em>
 
From July 15th through the 31st media members from all over the map made their way out to SEAT TIME in Santa Monica, California to test their formidable driving skills against each other … all sim-driving the same exact, identical Spec Mazdas on the rolling hills and steep drops of Mazda Raceway in Laguna Seca, all the while in the comfort of a club-like salon setting at the very aptly-named e-motorsports establishment.
 
For the moment the (simulated) tire smoke has cleared and the fantastically realistic CXC racing simulators are getting a well-deserved cooling off period before they are fired up again at 2PM on Saturday afternoon August 4 for the first ever SEAT TIME MEDIA CHALLENGE RACE.  
 
The event will be a flat-out, 30-minute timed race that pits the four fastest qualifiers directly against each other on the justifiably famous race track for all the marbles.And here they are:  Top qualifier: Jason Isley, from Sports Car/Racer Magazine who turned in a quick lap of 1:44.862.  In a close second: Kurt Niebhur from Edmunds.com with a 1:45.330. Third and not  far behind (hey it’s a long race): Preston Lerner from Automobile Magazine who’s best lap was 1:46.349. And … starting from the coveted “south pole” position: Edmunds.com’s own Mark Takahashi whose 1:48.837 got him in the big show.

Kurt Niebuhr from Edmunds.com went into the lead directly from his outside front row starting spot and handily lead all 30 minutes of the inaugural SEAT TIME Media Challenge yesterday afternoon at the unique Santa Monica sim-racing establishment. Winner Niebuhr had decided to run a conservative race “… No spins, clean driving,” he said in post-race interviews. His win was a popular one and his name will forever be enshrined as the first of what is sure to become a long-standing annual event.
The Saturday afternoon showdown event was the culmination of a two week (plus) qualifying period that saw members of the motoring media stopping by SEAT TIME and laying down a fast lap time on the twisting-snaking race course at Mazda Raceway in Monterey, California.
 
Sim-driving identical Spec Mazda Miatas, the four fastest media types on the west coast ran a head-to-head final event at SEAT TIME in each piloting their own individual super high-tech CXC Motion-Pro II racing simulator.

Preston Lerner from Automobile Magazine was second in the race.  Lerner was new to sim-racing but has been a successful club sports car racer for many years now.  He was there to have fun but he got down to being very serious about lines and lap times when the green flag dropped.  Lerner ran hard but just could not quite catch the almost flawless Niebuhr.

Another Edmunds.com staffer, Mark Takahashi, was running well up when the track just somehow sort of tightened up on him causing him to loop his Mazda at the top of the course; he finished third.

Chris Considine, CXC’s major-domo and the chief designer/brains behind the company’s phenomenal products and matching success, was on hand to cheer the media-types on.  Considine was taking a break from overseeing CXC’s weekend move from their now-outgrown design and manufacturing facilities in Marina del Rey, California to spacious new headquarters on Imperial Highway right at LAX.  

“This is exactly what we envisioned from the start at CXC,” Considine told us.  “We designed and build our machines for the realistic possible racing experience you can have short  of driving the real thing.  It never gets old for me to see a group like this getting so very serious about competition … It’s always cool to be a part of.”
 
Fastest qualifier, and a prohibitive favorite going in based on his prior racing exploits, SportsCar/Racer Magazine’s Jason Isley had an uncharacteristically bad day on the raceway, looping his little Miata a couple of times and finally retiring in the pits a few laps before the end of the 30 minutes championship runoff.

The highly-experienced racer Isley had words for it: “This is much harder than the real thing,” he quipped good naturedly as he accepted his 4th place trophy and parting gifts from MazdaSpeed’s peripatetic PR-pro Dean Case.

“Mazda’s participation in this first event was of enormous benefit,” said Chas Lawrence.  “They are very serious about young drivers and bringing them along not only as competitors, but as representatives of their company.  Their participation here at SEAT TIME puts us in some very good company.”

At the end of the 30 minute race, and even though they were all competing in a very comfortably air-conditioned salon atmosphere, all four drivers were soaked in sweat.  “That’s a diving simulator AND an exercise machine, Takahashi quipped as he chugged a cold bottle of water.

Young Mazda pro driving champ Elliott Skeer drove up from his home in Vista, California to be on hand to coach any of the contestants who needed a bit of help.  Two weeks earlier, Skeer had stopped by SEAT TIME and set the “official” bogey time (1.42.904). Note: his time was not eclipsed (at least at this event) by this group of hard chargers.  After the race the 17-year old put on an impromptu driving clinic for the media and fans effortlessly running near-record time laps at Mazda Raceway at the “keyboard” of the CXC machine.

Everyone in attendance agreed that the event needs to be an annual happening and SEAT TIME founder/operator Lawrence agreed.  “We really want to thank all the members of the media who took part in this new event … I know that all of them had a great time, and they’re all invited back for Media Challenge II!”
ENDS
 

The winner’s podium (L to R) Winner Kurt Niebhur, SEAT TIME owner Chas Lawrence, Jason Isely 4th, Mark Takahashi 3rd, and Preston Lerner. 2nd. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2012)

 

Elliott Skeer is not the only professional race car driver to use Seat Time to gain some track experience. The following partial list have had multiple sessions at the Santa Monica location:

Patrick Long- ALMS GT, factory Porsche driver
Marco Holzer- ALMS GT, factory Porsche driver
Townsend Bell- ALMS GT, Indycar
Matt Halliday- FIA GT1, Australian V8 Supercars
David Heinemeier Hannson- ALMS P2
Michael Avenatti- ALMS GTC
Bob Faieta- ALMS GTC, Grand Am GT
Sean Johnston- IMSA GT3 Challenge (current points leader!)
Daniel “CJ” Calvert-Jones- IMSA GT3 Challenge, Grand Am GT
Fred Poordad- IMSA GT3 Challenge, Grand Am GT
Austin Dyne- NASCAR West Series
Harrison Geron- SCCA Spec Racer Ford
Brian Makse- NASA National Champion, MX5 Cup
Tommy Kendall-retired until last week! now, ALMS GT

Can a race car simulator give one a real race car experience? Judging by the emotional reaction of the automotive media gathered at the challenge, the list of names of accomplished drivers above, and the fact CXC Simulators just completed installing these type of machines at F1 team locations in Europe, one would have to come away with a resounding answer of … YES!

Whether one is an accomplished racer, aspire to become one, or are just an enthusiast looking for a unique experience, Seat Time is the place to come! Call 310.390.3580 or email (from the form at – http://www.seattimesims.com) today for more information or to reserve some … Seat Time.

 

… notes from The EDJE
 
 

** Article first published as Can a Race Car Simulator Give One a Real Race Car Experience? on Technorati **
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Patrick Dempsey Feels He Is Finally Ready For The Big Stage

May 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Good Morning from @PatrickDempsey @jonny_cocker @jfoster4055. Image Credit: JDempsey Racing via Twitter (2012)

 

As with any good acting gig, an effort worth taking a part in takes preparation. Patrick Dempsey has been in preparation for this role all of his life … the role of exotic race car team owner, car owner, and driver in the American Le Mans Series, North America’s premier sports car racing series.

Dempsey is set to make his long-awaited debut in the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón six-hour race event this weekend at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The successful Hollywood film and television star … and Dempsey Racing co-owner (with seven year business partner/driver, Joe Foster), is confirmed in the lineup for the team’s Lola-Judd prototype – part of the LMP2 field at the American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patrón.

The decision to enter the Mazda Raceway round comes after preparing to become a competent sports car driver for four years in the Grand Am series and most recently, a successful shakedown and initial three-day test of the prototype Lola-Judd on Michelin tires at Miller Motorsports Park outside Salt Lake City.

“It is nothing short of an awe-inspiring experience in every respect,” said Dempsey, who will be racing a prototype sports car for the first time. “It feels familiar but so much more intense – the braking, the acceleration, cornering and power, it is all on a much more dynamic level than the GT cars I have driven. It’s an amazing machine and it is incredible to even have the opportunity to race in a car like this at this level, and what better track to start with than Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. This race will really be a continuation of our learning and testing process only this time in front of a bigger crowd. We should be able to accomplish much more development and familiarization during an endurance race.”

Patrick Dempsey takes a moment to talk with Justin Bell before taking out the LMP2 for its first official test run at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. As lead driver and owner of Dempsey Racing, Patrick Dempsey enters the ALMS with a two car/two Class team. Dempsey is coming off of his fourth full season of GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series GT class competition in the No. 40 VISIT FLORIDA/ModSpace/Construct Corps/Dempsey Racing Mazda RX-8 GT. Image Credit: Justin Bell @justinbelltv

He is expected to share driving duties with his team co-owner Joe Foster and former ALMS Drayson Racing driver, Jonny Cocker. The addition of Cocker (Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Champion – 2005, British GT Championship – 2004) to the Dempsey Racing effort brings along a wealth of Lola car driving experience that Foster and Dempsy will benefit from. This will be much welcomed because it was only this March, Dempsey and Foster announced Dempsey Racing’s move into the LMP2 Class for a partial ALMS season in 2012. The team’s plans call for a full championship run in 2013 with the goal of an entry to the Le Mans 24 Hours in the near future, as well.

Dempsey Racing is a team effort in rare company by entering cars in two of the ALMS’s four classes. Henri Richard, Duncan Ende and Ryan Lewis will drive the team’s #25 PC car – an ORECA FLM09 also on Michelin tires. Two other teams have cars in multiple ALMS classes: Muscle Milk Pickett Racing (P1 and PC) and Lotus Alex Job Racing (GT and GT Challenge)

The American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patrón is set for 1:30 p.m. PT on Saturday, May 12, from the 2.238-mile Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. ESPN2 airs the race at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 13. Live coverage is available starting at 4:15 p.m. ET on ESPN3.

The Series’ website offers additional content such as live in-car cameras, and timing and scoring for all users around the world. Viewers outside the U.S. can watch the Monterey round and all ALMS races live on ALMS.com.

This weekend, we almost can hear Patrick Dempsey say (under his breath/paraphrased) the famous quote from the movie, Sunset Blvd. … a street not too far from where Dempsey resides – “Alright, Exotic Automobile Racing World, I’m ready for my close-up.”

Dempsy Racing's #25 LMPC open-cockpit (left) and #27 LMP2 closed-cockpit cars in after Thursday's promoter Test ... all in one piece each! Image Credit: Dempsey Racing ‏ @GoDempseyRacing

Promoter Test Day UPDATE:

Patrick Dempsey, making his LMP2 debut in Dempsey Racing’s new Lola B12/80 Judd. The actor/racer spun and high-sighted his Lola at the Corkscrew, which brought out one of two red flags.

Prior to Dempsey’s minor incident, co-driver Jonny Cocker, making his return to the cockpit of a Lola-Judd, posted the fifth quickest time overall and third best in LMP2 with a time of 1:19.698.

Dempsey Racing’s LMPC class open-cockpit ORECA FLM09 driven by Henri Richard, Duncan Ende, and Ryan Lewis ended up 11th out of thirty-four cars overall and 5th in class out of eight cars entered. Ryan Lewis is credited with the #25′s best lap at 1:20.952.

Qualifications UPDATE (from a “Tweet”):

Jonny Cocker ‏ @jonny_cocker – P3 in class in Quali.. Not bad considering the car is only 2 weeks old! Well done @GoDempseyRacing Lots of work to do but we’ll get there!!

Reminder: The American Le Mans Monterey presented by Patrón is set for 1:30 p.m. PT on Saturday, May 12, from the 2.238-mile Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. ESPN2 airs the race at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 13. Live coverage is available starting at 4:15 p.m. ET on ESPN3.

… notes from The EDJE

 

** Article first published as Patrick Dempsey Feels He Is Finally Ready For The Big Stage on Technorati **

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A Few Minutes With Star Mazda Andretti Autosport Drivers, Sage Karam & Zach Veach

September 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

A Few Minutes With Star Mazda Andretti Autosport Drivers, Sage Karam & Zach Veach

Andretti Autosport driver Sage Karam finished the 2011 Star Mazda Championship Presented by Goodyear with two race wins and the prestigious Rookie of the Year award.

In his first season in the competitive Star Mazda series, Karam had a total of seven top-five finishes, including three podiums, and secured two pole positions throughout the year. The up-and-coming young driver finished fifth in championship points standings. In June, Karam led 93 of 98 laps around the Milwaukee Mile to record his first victory of the season. He won his second race with a 7.8-second lead at Iowa Speedway.

Karam, a 16-year old native of Nazareth, Pa., won the 2010 Cooper Tires Presents the USF2000 National Championship Powered by Mazda driver championship with Andretti Autosport, scoring nine victories in 12 starts during the season. He also helped Andretti Autosport clinch the USF2000 team title, its first championship since re-branding in 2009.

Zach Veach, the Andretti Autosport championship winning team driver (P4 in season driver points) in the 2011 USF2000 series, joined Karam for the final two rounds of the Star Mazda Championship. Veach, a 16-year-old from Stockdale, Ohio, secured a third place podium finish (after voicing the hope to place at least a P5 to feel that the weekend would be a success) at the final race of the season at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Sanctioned by INDYCAR, the Star Mazda Championship is one of two series part of both the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system and the MAZDASPEED

Motorsports Development driver program. As the 2010 USF2000 championship winner, Karam received a sponsorship package from Mazda valued at $350,000 to help him advance to the Star Mazda series in 2011 as part of the Mazda Road to Indy program.

Star Mazda Championship Post Race Quotes From Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca:

SAGE KARAM, #88 TEAM MAZDASPEED/ COMFORT REVOLUTION CAR – Recorded a 16th place finish due to an incident early in the race; finished fifth in championship points standings

“I was really looking forward to the race today. We had a decent qualifying session and started third. I had a really good start, maybe one of the best all season. I pulled alongside [Nick] Andries and he put in the pit wall, which ended my race. It’s unfortunate because I think we had a top-three car. Overall, I’m happy with the whole season but disappointed with how it ended. Thanks to my whole crew at Andretti Autosport for their hard work this year, as well as MAZDASPEED and Comfort Revolution for their support.”

ZACH VEACH, #77 TEAM ZAKOSI DATA BACKUP CAR – Secured a third place podium finish, his first in the series

“Today was only my second qualifying session in the Star Mazda Championship. The track was dirty, but we managed to get a pretty good time in. My time held pole up until about seven minutes to go. I ended up in fourth, so we were happy to be starting in the second row for my second Star Mazda race. We made some changes to the car after qualifying, but we didn’t go far enough in the right direction. I’m definitely still learning the car. The Andretti Autosport crew did a fantastic job getting things ready for me. I feel for Sage [Karam] and what happened at the beginning of the race. After that, we just had a really consistent race and held third all the way until the end. I have to thank Andretti Autosport for this opportunity, as well as Replay XD and Zakosi Data Backup for all of their support.”
(ht: Andretti Autosport)

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