April Race Weekend kicked off with races on the Mansell (E) 3.2-mile course and a special guest speaker during dinner on Friday evening. We were honored to have Nevada Assemblyman James Oscarson join us for an informal discussion about economic development and improvement in the town of Pahrump and surrounding regions.
Oscarson, up for re-election to the Nevada Assembly, District 36, has been an integral part of Spring Mountain’s continuing expansion. Please help reelect Oscarson by tuning in to the Republican Primary on June 14th, and the general election will be held in November of this year.
Saturday Miata Race
Saturday morning 13 drivers came out to participate in the Club Spring Mountain Miata race. Lee Mixon obtained pole earlier in the day and was followed by Ron Fletcher in 2nd and Gregg Gorski in 3rd. During the first lap, Jim Balestrieri passed Teddy Landau moving from 5th to 4th. Also in the first lap, Jeff Burton, competing in his first race at Spring Mountain, fluidly moved from 10th to 8th. As the race continued, Mixon, who was still in the lead, gained a five to six car lead over Fletcher in Turn 7. As the two furthered their lead from the rest of the pack, Landau managed to take back 4th from Balestrieri.
In lap four, Balestrieri made a pass around Landau and Gorski, putting him in 3rd. Meanwhile, a battle emerged between the 6th-9th place drivers; Mark Saroyan, Jeff Burton, Dennis Russell, and Dennis Kane were all battling it out. Russell and Kane were staying side by side throughout the course until Kane pulled ahead of Russell and found himself right behind Burton. Kane tried to maneuver around Burton for 6th by taking the inside line at Ego Check, however he was unsuccessful.
While Mixon held the lead for a majority of the race, Fletcher was able to get around him on lap 8 taking the lead during the last few minutes. In the last corner, Mixon was right on Fletcher coming out of Turn 2, but Fletcher maintained his position and won the race! Balestrieri, finishing in 3rd, obtained the fastest lap of the race that day at 2:38.128. Gorski, Landau and Saroyan finished in 4th, 5th and 6th followed by Kane, Lorenz, Russell, Burton, Sechrest, Brainard and Blackhurst.
Sunday Miata Race
Ten Miata drivers came out to race on Sunday, and the entire race was filled with good passes continually changing the race from lap to lap. Balestrieri obtained pole followed by Mixon and Landau. Gorski managed a pass on Landau through 5B in the first lap placing him in 3rd. During the second lap, Balestrieri, Mixon, and Gorski were grouped together in the front followed by Landau, Saroyan, Russell, and Kane.
During the next three laps, Kane made a pass by Russell, and Michael Lorenz passed Randale Sechrest for 8th place. Rounding off the race, Balestrieri created a sizeable lead between himself and Mixon, and in the last few minutes, Balestrieri came out victorious. Mixon, who came in 2nd, had the fastest lap time of the race at 2:38.230. Gorski, Landau and Saroyan finished in 3rd, 4th and 5th followed by Kane, Lorenz, Sechrest, Russell and Brainard.
Saturday Light Sport Race
Saturday’s Light Sport Race had a great turnout with 14 participants, one of which was Patrick Liddy racing in his SR3 and competing in his second race weekend at Spring Mountain. At the start, the drivers set out on the first lap at a fast pace, causing a lock up going into Ego Check. Nick Kelly, Ron Eckhardt and Prince Oliver were close together in their Wolfs, but no contact was made.
In the third lap of the race, Eckhardt took the lead from Kelly, but when he went off in Turn 8 Kelly regained first. In the same lap, Kelly exited due to mechanical issues putting Oliver in the lead followed by Liddy, Ron Fletcher, and Brad Rambo. Fortunately, Eckhardt re-entered the race after he had gone off-track and he was only one lap behind the rest of the drivers. In lap 4, more action took place toward the back of the pack as Keith Gostlin made a pass around Gregg Gorski for 7th; Jeffrey Cheng and Denis O’Leary also made swift passes around Mark Rohrwasser putting them in 9th and 10th.
Oliver finished 1st overall and in the LSR2 division; Patrick Liddy came in 1st for the LSSR class, 2nd overall. Ron Fletcher, 3rd overall, was 1st in the LSR3 division, and Keith Gostlin was victorious in the LSR1 category placing 5th overall.
Sunday Light Sport Race
Seven drivers competed in Sunday’s Light Sport Race: two Wolfs, one SR8, and four SR3s. Brandon Rambo in his Wolf took pole during qualifying earlier in the day. Shortly after start, Nick Kelly maneuvered around Brandon for the lead and Kelvin Bloom made a pass on Gorski for 4th putting him behind Gostlin in 3rd. Six laps into the race, Brandon Rambo encountered mechanical issues in his Wolf and was forced to exit the track. Also, Bloom went off track later in the race costing him a few positions, but was able to reenter without assistance.
The race continued with sizeable gaps growing between each driver and the race finished with Nick Kelly in 1st overall and in the LSR2 category. Keith Gostlin was 2nd overall and 1st in the LSR1 division. Brad Rambo was 1st in the LSR3 division, 3rd overall. Finally, Gregg Gorski was the LSSR division winner.
This Race Weekend
We would like to thank all of our CSM members, family, and friends who came out to participate in and support the April Race Weekend. Mark your calendars for the next race! On May 21st-22nd, the track configuration is set for the Andretti B course. We can all look forward to a Bracket Race held that Friday and an Enduro on Saturday. See you all this weekend!
