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Flying Lizard Audi Still Leads NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill
presented by Hawk Performance at 19 Hours
Sun coming up in Willows
WILLOWS, Calif. (Dec. 6, 2015) - The 13th
running of the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk
Performance has six hours remaining with the No. 45 Flying Lizard Audi
still leading the race overall.
The expected rain arrived at 2 a.m.
with mixed results from the teams. The cars leading their class
welcomed the challenge and increased their on track positions. The No.
45 Flying Lizard Audi, on the strength of two choices of Toyo rain
tires, along with ABS brakes and taction control lead the race over
second place by 23 laps.
"This
is quite an event," Guy Cosmo said. "We brought a serious effort this
year. We are gathering a lot of great data on the Toyo tires, both in
the dry, the wet and the intermediate weather. It is fun to drive this
Audi out there in these conditions. Everyone has gotten into more of a
rhythm. The other drivers know where we will be passing and there is
just a better flow to the race. My stints have been great. We are on
cruise control, we have a good lead so we are not taking any unnecessary
chances. The conditions are stable, the tires are working great and we
are just hitting our marks."
In ESR the No. 69 Gryphon Racing Praga continues to lead the class. The
all carbon Renault engine powered car is performing at the top of the
class and runs fourth overall.
"We
are leading the class and running fourth overall," Danny Vandongen,
factory driver, said. "So far so good. We have to keep it on the track
and keep turning laps. There is still six hours to go in the race. I
haven't had any real issues with my time in the car. The rain came and
we handled it well. We overtake a lot of cars, but everyone is behaving.
I really like this track with the hills and blind corners."
 In E0 the No. 30 El Diablo BMW has taken over the lead. The team was on pole in class and raced to the front overnight.
"It
is pretty good stuff," James Clay said. "In the beginning we didn't
have our pit stops right we were using a little too much fuel and we
then got a rhythm going. We knew we would be good at night and in the
rain and that has come true. The rain was a good thing for us. It is
tough for me to be patient. We stayed out on dry tires, which we thought
may have been the wrong call. The track began to dry and we made up
time and then the rain came back, we cycled to wets and are leading. It
couldn't have worked out any better."
 In the E1 Class, the No. 66 BMW of Bullet Motorsports continues to lead.
"Our
E1 car is really running well," Scott Lang, team manager said. "Our
drivers have been very consistent and fast in the rain. Tristan
Littlehale did a great job, he was doing 2:12s and 14s while everyone
else was doing 25s. The rain was the best thing to happen to us so far."
No. 34 Mazda RX-8 of RDR Racing continues to lead the E2 Class.
"The
car ran really good in the rain," Joel Miller said. "We had a couple
hours of mist, mixed with some really heavy rain. We've had a few issues
along the way, but the RDR guys have handled those very well. Lee
Pappageorge just got in the car and we are waiting for the sun to come
up."
In E3 it is the pole sitting No. 60 Mazda Miata of A+ Racing leads.
"The
car has been doing great," Richard Lucquet said. "I did a double stint.
I had about 10 minutes of yellow during stint with the rest all green. I
am getting ready to get back in and will be able to see the sun rise. I
don't think I will be blinded, but looking forward to the daylight. The
car has been great, somehow the steering wheel is at 10 o'clock instead of 12."
CLP Motorsports continues to soldier on with the all-new NP01 Prototype.
"They
are great cars with a ton of potential, they are just brand new," Tim
Barber, team manager said. "We couldn't be any meaner to them by putting
it through its first race in a 25 hour event. We are getting some
teething things that can happen with any car. In the wet we were one of
the faster cars on the track, so we welcome some more rain."
25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance information:
Professional
drivers listed on the entry include: Al Unser Jr., Ryan Eversley, Kyle
Marcelli, Randy Pobst, Burt Frisselle, Brian Frisselle, Dion von Moltke,
Mike Skeen, Colin Braun, Kurt Busch, Johannes van Overbeek, Guy Cosmo,
Darren Law, Joel Miller, Tommy Sadler, Sean Rayhall, Darren Law, Tyler
McQuarie, Kelly Collins, Taz Harvey, Jeremy Croiset, Will Faules, etc.
The
NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill presented by Hawk Performance will see a
field of 63 cars racing in seven classes (ES, ESR, E0, E1, E2, E3, NP01)
going twice around the clock plus an hour over the 2.86-mile, 15-turn
track located 90-minutes north of Sacramento.
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About NASA
The
National Auto Sport Association (NASA) was formed in 1991 with the
premise of delivering high-quality motorsports events to enthusiasts at
major racing venues throughout the nation. NASA has created programs
that allow owners of both racecars and high-performance street-driven
vehicles to enjoy the full performance capabilities of their cars in a
controlled professionally managed environment. NASA offers many
different programs that will allow you to enjoy motorsports on a number
of different levels, including our High Performance Driving Events
(HPDE), Rally Sport, Time Trial, NASA-X and Competition Racing programs.
NASA Membership
NASA
members are entitled to enter and participate in any NASA event across
the country, and membership includes an array of benefits, including
vendor discounts and a subscription to the organizations online
newsletter the NASA Speed News. Members will also receive a colorful
membership hard card that will identify them as part of the organization
and a welcome packet that includes more information on the many
benefits and programs available to NASA members. While participating at
events, all NASA members are covered by an extensive insurance policy,
which includes General Liability, Accidental Death and Dismemberment,
and Excess Medical coverage. Best of all, membership is only $45. Refer
to www.nasaproracing.com for member information.
NASA Thanks Our Partners
NASA
would like to thank its National sponsors for their continued support:
Toyo Tires, Mazda, Hawk Performance, Winding Road Racing, and GoPro.
We also want to thank MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD),
Nissan, and Ford Motor Company for supporting our members. We greatly
appreciate those companies that offer our racers contingency support,
including Toyo Tires, AIM Sports, AST Suspension, BFGoodrich, Ford
Racing, Maxxis Tires, Traqmate, Hawk Performance, Honda Performance
Development (HPD), Hoosier Racing Tire, MAZDASPEED, Nissan, Jongbloed
Racing Wheels, Bimmerworld, Frozen Rotors, Optic Armor, Neo Motorsports,
Spec Clutches, Driven Racing Oil, Altronics Inc., ANZE Suspension, GT
Radial Tire, Tilton, Racefab Inc., Sampson Racing Communications and
Yokohama. NASA competitors can also get discounts from Mazda, Maxxis
Tires, Racing Fire Systems, Ford Performance Racing School,Fuel Safe,
Vehiport, APR Performance, Avis, Cruise America, Eibach Springs, Exedy,
Fastbrakes, Konig, The Mid-Ohio School, Konig, Molecule, Red Line Oil,
Winding Road Racing, Torco, TPIS, Porterfield and Monster Clutch.
NASA at a Glance
*
NASA was founded in 1991 on the premise of providing motorsport
competition programs that allow owners of both racecars and
high-performance street-driven vehicles to enjoy the full-performance
capabilities of their cars in a safe and controlled environment.
* NASA has over 14,000 members in 16 regions.
* Key events include the NASA Western Championships at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, July 31 - Aug. 2; the Eastern Championships at Virginia International Raceway Sept. 4-6 and the season culminating NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill, Dec. 5-6.
* The NASA National Championships will run 36 race classes and nine Time-Trial classes during the event.
*
NASA runs over 150 events each year encompassing over 250 races,
including the association's Rally Sport and Time-Trial program.
* Manufacturer partners include MAZDASPEED, Honda Performance Development (HPD), Nissan and Ford Racing.
*
NASA Management: Jerry Kunzman, Executive Director; Ryan Flaherty,
National Chairman; Jeremy Croiset, Director of Business Development;
Dave Ho, Business Operations Manager, Will Faules, National Event
Manager.
Follow NASA
Facebook: National Auto Sport Association
Twitter: nasaproracing
Instagram: nasaproracing
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