News

Had a Blast at Road Atlanta, Now off to Road America

Wed, 12 May 2010 08:06:54 -0500

Sorry for the delay in a blog update, but better late than never... I am still on a “high” from Road Atlanta. What a Track!!!! Having never been there before, I didn’t know what to expect. I had watched many ALMS races from there on TV, but TV doesn’t begin to do this place justice. The rolling hills, and blind crests really get your attention initially, but once you know where the track goes, they all become, well, FUN! I don’t remember the last time I had this much fun driving a track!!! Of course, the weekend was much more low pressure than the typical GRAND-AM weekend, but I still felt the need to look at data, and learn as quickly as I could, as most of my competition had been here before. I did exactly that, and was almost perfect on the weekend, qualifying first, and winning both sprint races. I did have a bit of a lapse late in the enduro, and put a wheel off track in about the worst place possible. I made the quick decision to save the car, and most likely myself and beached it. It was the right solution to my only mistake of the weekend. Overall, the Cayman Interseries cars are excellent, much like a “baby” 996 cup car. Very well balanced, and from what I’ve seen so far, extremely reliable, requiring only general maintenance between sessions. The guys at Napleton Porsche, did a great job making everything seem to flow along without a hitch, even when needing to extract 50lbs. of gravel from a car between an enduro and a sprint race...oops. The other Interseries drivers were all extremely nice, and fun to hang out with as well. It was a very fun weekend, and Im looking forward to the upcoming weekend at Road America!!

Yes, I said Road America!!! Elkhart Lake, WI, Siebkens, The KINK, Johnsonville Brats, Corn on the Cob, Siebkens, Siebkens, Siebkens... I LOVE this place!! Im so excited as I write this, I can hardly contain myself! (well, part of the excitement is the HAWKS, but more of that later). Later today, Im going to drive the short 2 hours to my favorite track, and track town, in the country. Its been a while since I’ve been to Road America, my last time there was June of 2008, when I won the GT2 class in the SCCA National June Sprints. Thats a fond memory for me, as it is the most prestigious win I’ve ever had, and my family and friends were there to share it with me. It was also the last non pro-level race I had done before Road Atlanta 2 weeks ago. The first time I was ever at Road America was a LONG time ago (Im guessing 1989) to watch a CART race with the Newman Haas team, and I had breakfast with the Andrettis (Mario and Michael) at a patio table just outside their bus..what an experience that was. I’ve spent many weekends in Elkhart Lake away from the track as well, as one of my very good friends from high school is from the area, and has a house here. I drove the track for the first time shortly after my “breakfast with Mario”...and then about 2 times a year for 10 years in a variety of street cars. This track is so fast, that when I started to really “get it” I was going way to fast to be in a street car , and it precipitated the first race car. Yep, the first time I was ever in a proper race car on track, it was here. Road America has a special place in my heart, and the 2 hours to get here really doesn’t hurt that!!!

Ok, on to my other passion....The Blackhawks are in the Western Conference Finals for the second year in a row!!! This year, we’re going to need to knock off the Sharks to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. I’m pretty confident we can do it, but it IS Hockey, and anyone can win on a given night in this game. The series will probably start sometime this weekend, which will make my playoff beard go for a minimum of another couple weeks. This thing is getting itchy, and its a bit of a pain inside the helmet, but with the way the Hawks are playing, I’m not shaving it anytime soon!!!

I’ll give updates throughout the weekend via twitter and facebook, and will post any news / press releases on the news page here!! Thanks for reading!!

-Steve

Jenkins Wins from Pole at Mitty

Sat, 1 May 2010 00:00:00 -0500

BRASELTON, Ga. (May 1, 2010) – Steve Jenkins turned a first-time pole into a first-time victory in his debut race in the Cayman Interseries and at Road Atlanta Saturday at the 34th Annual Classic Motorsports Mitty presented by Mazda at Road Atlanta.

After topping the time sheets in Friday’s pair of practice sessions, Jenkins captured the pole in Saturday morning qualifying and led the field to the green flag later that afternoon for the first of this weekend’s two sprint races. He took the race lead at the drop of the green flag and led all the way in the seven-lap sprint.

“Definitely, winning in your first time at a track is great,” said Jenkins, who drives the No. 36 Cayman showcasing the red and white striped livery of the famous Salzburg Porsche 917s. “I don’t know what it is about this place but it suits me really well. I picked it up really fast and I just feel so comfortable out there and I am just having so much fun. The rest of the weekend is going to be more challenging than it has been so far. I have talked to a few of the other drivers and they all set their fastest laps of the weekend in today’s race. The challenge is going to come.”

Jenkins crossed the finish line .768 of a second ahead of the No. 1 Rothmans Porsche- themed Cayman of David Heinemeier-Hansson, who was also making his Road Atlanta debut. Hansson set the fastest race lap of 1:36.284, which was just slightly off his third-place qualifying lap of 1:36.143, and was starting to close on Jenkins when the checkered flag flew.

“I was getting up on him but then I screwed it up down in Turn 7 and he got away from me again,” Hansson said. “I was hanging on to him and he was not going to get away. It was really a fun race, but I would have hoped though that both Jim McCormick and Lee Davis would have been up there as it’s a little more fun when there is more of a tight group.”

Davis and McCormick qualified second and fourth, respectively, but came together in a Turn 1 contact incident on the first lap. Both drivers continued but McCormick, driving his No. 44 Porsche Cayman S that pays tribute to the Martini “Baby” Porsche 935, pitted before the completion of Lap 1 with a flat tire that was a result of the contact.

“We were in a train on the inside going into Turn 1 right after the start and I guess, yeah, it was one of those racing things,” said McCormick, who swept the season-opening weekend of races at Sebring last month. “None of the cars are hurt that bad but a consequence was that one of my valve stems got clipped and then about two turns later I could feel the car start to wobble a little bit and I had lost air in the tire. I hobbled in and got a new tire just to finish, and that’s what we did.”

Davis went completely sideways during the incident in his No. 333 Cayman that carries the colors of the Advan Porsche 962s, but gathered it up and was back up to fourth by Lap 2.

“Jim and I came together in Turn 1, and I don’t know what happened there, but it was fun coming back through the field,” Davis said. “My right-rear wheel has a big chunk out of it, but it stayed together. We try to race clean, that is something we all try to do and usually do, but sometimes that’s just racing.”

Jonny Ryan moved to third in his No. 41 Miller High Life/Holbert Racing inspired Cayman after the opening melee and later joined the recovering Davis in the battle of the race. The two drivers swapped third place three times in the final two laps before Davis took the final podium spot for good less than half a lap from the finish.

“The last couple of laps we were kind of battling it out,” Davis said. “I was able to finally catch up to the Miller car and got by him coming down into Turn 10 with two laps to go, but he made a really good move and was able get back by me coming out of there. It was a good move by him and we came down the hill that was the white-flag lap. He was a little wide in Turn 1 on the last lap and at the top of the hill I had a little bit of an inside on him, but he was on line so there was no way I could get right inside. He turned in and kept it a little wide and went off the track and came right back on, but it gave me just the little bit I needed to get by.”

Ryan held on for an outstanding fourth-place finish while Collin O’Brien rounded out the top five with a solid run in his No. 4 Cayman that displays the famous paint scheme of the Wyer/Gulf Porsche 917s.

NOTEWORTHY

- Jenkins’ pole-winning qualifying lap of 1:34.459 has been the fastest and only sub-1:35 Cayman lap time so far this weekend. Jenkins also ranked an impressive third overall of the 50 cars that posted times in the combined Group 5/5C division qualifying session.

ABOUT THE CAYMAN INTERSERIES
Established in 2009 by Napleton Porsche of Westmont, Illinois, the Cayman Interseries is North America’s only auto racing championship featuring the exclusive use of the 320-horsepower Porsche Cayman S. Sanctioned by Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR), the Cayman Interseries is conducting its first official season in 2010 and will crown a pair of champion drivers in both the sprint and endurance racing formats. Races will be run on legendary circuits such as Daytona, Sebring, Road America, Watkins Glen, Road Atlanta and other premier venues. Every competing Porsche Cayman S is exclusively supplied and prepared by Napleton Porsche and each car competes with an assigned and specific heritage livery themed after a famous Porsche race car from the past. Learn more about the Cayman Interseries at www.napletonmotorsports.com. Phone calls direct to Napleton Porsche may be made at (630) 725-0911 and email inquiries can be sent to racing@napletonmotorsports.com.

CI-10-08

Jenkins Tops 1st Practice at Mitty

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500

BRASELTON, Ga. (April 30, 2010) – Steve Jenkins is making both his Cayman Interseries and Road Atlanta debuts this weekend but that didn’t stop the Chicago-based driver from turning the fastest lap time in Friday morning’s opening practice session at the 34th Annual Walter Mitty Race presented by Classic Motorsports Magazine and sponsored by Mazda.

Jenkins turned a top time of 1:35.921 on the 2.54-mile road course as the first driver to lap under 1:36 in the early stages of the Mitty event. Final Friday practice will be run later this afternoon while Saturday includes qualifying in the morning and the first of the weekend’s two sprint races that afternoon. Sunday starts with a one-hour enduro race in the morning before the second and final sprint race of the weekend to close the Cayman Interseries scheduled in the afternoon.
“The car is hooked up,” said Jenkins, who drives the No. 36 Cayman that carries the red and white striped colors of the winning Salzburg Porsche 917s. “We made a little change in it last night that I was not positive we should make, or whether it was worth making, but it obviously helped. The car is hooked up and it was not difficult to go that fast. I am really excited.”
The Cayman competitors compete in HSR’s Group 5 category under the designation of 5C (5 Cayman) and were among a strong field of 57 GT and other production-based race cars that posted times in opening practice. Traffic was an issue and will be all weekend, but Jenkins called on his experience in the always-crowded GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge to deal with the full field.
“My GRAND-AM experience helps huge,” said Jenkins, who drives a GS-class Porsche Cayman prepared by BGB Motorsports in the Continental Series. “It is so aggressive in GRAND-AM that I have to consciously dial myself back here because we are out there with guys who have historical million dollar cars and to touch them would just be stupid. By the same token, I am pretty comfortable sticking my nose in there and seeing if they are going to give it up, and in most cases they do.”
Local Atlanta driver Lee Davis, in a new No. 333 Cayman that sports the colors of the Advan Porsche 962s, was second fastest with a time of 1:36.476 while Cayman Interseries championship leader Jim McCormick was third quickest at 1:37.197 in his No. 44 Porsche Cayman S that wears the colors of the famous Martini “Baby” Porsche 935. Davis and McCormick practiced in a tight trio of Caymans that also ncluded David Heinemeier-Hansson in his No. 1 Rothmans Porsche-themed car.
"It was an absolute blast,” Davis said. “It was so much fun and those guys are good drivers and it is always great racing with other good drivers. You can kind of predict what they are going to do and some of the other ones out there, maybe not so much, but you are always happy to get in a group of Caymans because you know everybody expects each other.”
McCormick scored a clean sweep of all the races in the season-opening weekend at Sebring last month but is already feeling tougher competition at Road Atlanta.
“In the first quote-unquote practice session today it was essentially like running an enduro,” McCormick said. “There was three of us that were nose-to-tail trying to work our way through 50 other cars so getting your theoretical fast lap – not really – but having a lot of fun and trying to wind your way through and stay packed up was challenging and good. Particularly challenging are the big-bore Mustangs that out-drag you down the straight and then you out break them by about 150 yards. They are pesky and sometimes they don’t like to acknowledge you and turn in anyway.”
Friday’s final practice for the Cayman Interseries is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET.
Created, owned and operated by Napleton Porsche, the Cayman Interseries is open only to 2009 and 2010 Porsche Cayman S models that are raced in near-stock configuration by a competitive group of emerging drivers that typically own the cars they drive. A heritage connection comes in the form of each Cayman’s livery that has a direct and visible link to a legendary Porsche race car from the past. Only in the Cayman Interseries can you see modern interpretations of such famous Porsche race cars as the Wyer/Gulf, Martini and Salzburg 917s, the Al Holbert Lowenbrau and Miller High Life 962s, the Jagermeister/Kremer and Dick Barbour Racing 935s, the Bob Akin/Coca-Cola 935 and 962 and so many more.
Each Cayman’s throw-back color scheme is also matched up with a corresponding Cayman chassis number, which means the rich history of some of the most memorable Porsche race cars to ever hit the track will symbolically continue with an all-new chapter in the Cayman Interseries. Napleton Porsche is the exclusive supplier and preparation shop for the Porsche Cayman S race cars used in the Interseries.
ABOUT THE CAYMAN INTERSERIES
Established in 2009 by Napleton Porsche of Westmont, Illinois, the Cayman Interseries is the world’s only auto racing championship featuring the exclusive use of the 320-horsepower Porsche Cayman S. Sanctioned by Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR), the Cayman Interseries the sprint and endurance racing formats. Races will be run on legendary circuits such as Daytona, Sebring, Road America, Watkins Glen, Road Atlanta and other premier venues. Every competing Porsche Cayman S is exclusively supplied and prepared by Napleton Porsche and each car competes with an assigned and specific heritage livery themed after a famous Porsche race car from the past. Learn more about the Cayman Interseries at www.napletonmotorsports.com. Phone calls direct to Napleton Porsche may be made at (630) 725-0911 and email inquiries can be sent to racing@napletonmotorsports.com.

CI-10-05

WAlter Mitty Update 2

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0500

BRASELTON, Ga. (April 30, 2010) – Steve Jenkins is making both his Cayman Interseries and Road Atlanta debuts this weekend but that didn’t stop the Chicago-based driver from turning the fastest lap times in both of Friday’s opening practice sessions at the 34th Annual Walter Mitty Race presented by Classic Motorsports Magazine and sponsored by Mazda.

Jenkins turned a top time of 1:35.921 on the 2.54-mile road course in morning practice and also set the pace in the afternoon session when he clocked in at 1:36.824. He drives a No. 36 Cayman carrying the winning red with white stripes livery of the famous Salzburg Porsche 917s and Jenkins’ own sponsorship from B.R.M. Watches and LAPS Incorporated, which specializes in on-track high-performance driving experiences.
“After yesterday’s test session I was pretty confident,” Jenkins said. “I usually pick up tracks pretty quickly and this one has a handful of blind corners that are initially pretty freaky, but once you know where the road goes, you just rely that Mother Earth hasn’t changed since the last lap. It’s a fun track and I am having a ball.”
After running relatively free and clear of his class competitors in the morning session, Jenkins was able to mix it up with some of the other Caymans in the afternoon run.
“I ran with Lee Davis a bunch this session and that was fun,” said Jenkins, who also drives a GS-class Porsche Cayman prepared by BGB Motorsports in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Series. “I got caught in a little vintage traffic and he got by me on the front straight but I kind of pimped him into a little vintage traffic in the back and got back by him. It was a lot of fun. Lee runs in GRAND-AM as well so I am real comfortable running around him, he is a good guy.”
A locally-based Atlanta driver, Davis is driving a new No. 333 Cayman that sports the colors of the Advan Porsche 962s. He was second fastest on the day with a morning session time of 1:36.476 on a Road Atlanta circuit he knows very well.
“My experience at Road Atlanta probably goes back six or seven years,” said Davis, whose Cayman also carries backing from Luna C Clothing. “I started in the Panoz Racing School, which was the first time I was ever on the track, and I have also driven in Porsche Club events and Driver Education programs before getting into racing. I would have no idea how many laps I have done out here, but I love the track. It is such a beautiful place and such a historic place, and it’s great having all of these historic cars here as well. It makes it so much fun, and fun for fans to come out and take a look at them too.”
Cayman Interseries championship leader Jim McCormick was Friday’s third quickest driver with a morning lap time of 1:37.197 in his No. 44 Porsche Cayman S that pays tribute to the famous Martini “Baby” Porsche 935. The weather was near-perfect Friday with sunny skies and temperatures around 80 degrees, but tomorrow’s predicted rains showers don’t bother McCormick in the least.
“It is tougher competition this weekend,” said McCormick, who scored a clean sweep of the weekend’s races at last month’s Sebring opener. “There was so much traffic today, I doubt if anyone really got a clean lap. Tomorrow we start running by ourselves, with just the Caymans, and that will be more indicative. Then there is the rain. The rain is coming and Jim likes the rain. I love racing in the rain.”
Saturday’s schedule includes qualifying in the morning before the first of the weekend’s two sprint races that afternoon. Sunday starts with a one-hour enduro race in the morning before the second and final sprint race closes the Cayman Interseries weekend that afternoon.
NOTEWORTHY
- The Cayman Interseries competitors compete in HSR’s Group 5 category under the designation of 5C (Group 5 Cayman) and were among a strong and crowded field of nearly 60 GT and other production-based race cars that posted practice times Friday. Jenkins is used to races with large fields. “My GRAND-AM experience helps huge,” Jenkins said. “It is so aggressive in GRAND-AM that I have to consciously dial myself back here because we are out there with guys who have historical million dollar cars and to touch them would just be stupid. By the same token, I am pretty comfortable sticking my nose in there and seeing if they are going to give it up, and in most cases they do.”
- David Heinemeier-Hansson, in his No. 1 Rothmans Porsche-themed Cayman, was the fourth fastest driver Friday with a morning lap of 1:37.243. His lap of 1:37.341 was also a solid effort for second fastest in afternoon practice, especially considering he missed the opening part of that session. “I missed about half of the run,” Hansson said. “I was back at the hotel thinking I had another hour thanks to being on Chicago time. They called me about four minutes before and I jumped in my rental car and raced down here and made half of the session.”
ABOUT THE CAYMAN INTERSERIES
Established in 2009 by Napleton Porsche of Westmont, Illinois, the Cayman Interseries is North America’s only auto racing championship featuring the exclusive use of the 320-horsepower Porsche Cayman S. Sanctioned by Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR), the Cayman Interseries is conducting its first official season in 2010 and will crown a pair of champion drivers in both the sprint and endurance racing formats. Every competing Porsche Cayman S is exclusively supplied and prepared by Napleton Porsche and each car competes with an assigned and specific heritage livery themed after a famous Porsche race car from the past. Learn more about the Cayman Interseries at www.napletonmotorsports.com. Phone calls direct to Napleton Porsche may be made at (630) 725-0911 and email inquiries can be sent to racing@napletonmotorsports.com.

CI-10-06

LAPS, Inc. First event of the year

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 09:06:02 -0500

After returning from a rough weekend at Barber Motorsports Park, running in Grand-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, Monday brought me the first LAPS, Inc. event of the season. As the Pro Instructor for LAPS in 2010, I was there bright and early, and looking forward to a fun day of instructing, as well as lapping in a Cayman Interseries car, on the Autobahn CC Full track. For this event, I was scheduled to instruct a first timer on the track. Lauren is a 16 year old girl, who has a bunch of Karting experience but had never been on the track in a car. We took it slow, as she learned to use her mirrors, point faster cars by, and learn the 23 turn full track at Autobahn. as the day went on, she gradually increased her speed, and became more confident and smooth, checking her mirrors regularly, and driving the line consistently. I hope she had fun, it was fun for me to teach her, and watch her become comfortable in the car. She has great Parents, and a bright future in her race car!!

I also was able to drive the Cayman S Interseries car for the second time while at Laps. It was great fun to get some more time is this cool little car, and Im feeling quite at home in it now. The day at the track culminated in a “fun” race, where the grid was reversed, and I started behind all of the “GT” cars, and ahead of the gaggle of Spec Miatas. I passed all the GT cars in the first lap, and was then brought in by a black flag. This flag was thrown, as Shawn and Bob (the LAPS owners and head instructors) felt the need to “say Hi”. I rejoined, and had to fight hard to get back out front. It was a great way to end the day, and hopefully fun for all.

As always with LAPS, the day ended with dinner and a few beers at a local restaurant. Bench racing occurred and stories were told, and everyone left with a smile on their face!

If you are looking for a great track day group. Look no further than LAPS, inc.