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Introduction

Welcome to 2020 and the real start of the SpeedSF Challenge! 25 drivers came to play on this relatively cool day, all vying for the Fast Boi title at Thunderhill East’s Cyclone configuration! Round 1 featured 3 broken class records for this configuration. What can we say? Records were made to be broken!

Class S1

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Seems like it’s easier to podium these days as long as Gordon stops showing up! Anthony Zwain took home first place in his E46 M3 thanks to his 01:56.432 lap time. Additionally, he beat Gordon Peng’s previous record of 01:58.053 which was set in Gordon’s Corvette C5 Z06! 2nd place Scott Smith set his best lap time of 01:59.175 in his Porsche 911 GT3 while “Bruce Lee” took home 3rd place with his 02:02.378 lap time in his 2018 Camaro ZL1 1LE!

Class S2

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1 participant, 1 winner! Math is so fun. Steve Melson took his 1991 Nissan 300ZX out for a stroll here in Willows for a 2:00.033 lap time. The car is just as impressive as the drive, too! Without Gary Yeung tearing it up in S2, it seems like this class is up for grabs!

Class S3

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The class with dem hot boiz. Kevin Schweigert piloted his 2015 Subaru BRZ to a 1st place win thanks to a 01:57.560 lap time, completely O B L I T E R A T I N G Joe McGuigan’s previous S3 Cyclone config lap record of 01:59.834. All those mods from McGuiGui and all Kevin had to do was cram in more air.

2nd place was taken home by Kenneth Yip in his 2011 BMW M3. A 02:01.739 lap time serves him right, coming in here slower than a Class S2 300ZX. STRIP THE INTERIOR ALREADY :D.

3rd place’s Neal Wiebmer proudly laid down a 02:02.734 lap time in his 2013 Scion FR-S. Needs MOAR air - time to turn it up!

Class S4

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Here we go again. Not content with destroying S1, S2, and S3 class, it appears S4 is next on his list. While other champions go up in weight class, Gary Yeung just wants to make life harder for everyone else.

Introducing Dirty Natasha, she and Gary took home 1st place with a 02:03.947 lap time. Is this even legal?

Track Dad Matt Belter took home 2nd place in his 2017 Subaru BRZ thanks to an ever-improving 02:05.776 lap time. Joe McG’s coaching has really been helping it seems! Go Track Dad, go!

David Fitz-Randolph’s 3rd place finish is respectable with a 02:07.964 since it’s a 1995 Mazda Miata. Our sources say he is considering cramming more air into his engine too but only time will tell!

Class S5

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Hm, looks like we have the makings of a familiar face making frequent appearances at our events this year! Before we get to that, can we just talk about how Mia Yeung looks just like Gary, except looking in a Miata? 1st place in looks and lap time, 02:11.666 was the fast lap for the group thanks to the true hero of the day: Florenza’s Miata!

2nd place, also in a Miata, was Chris Lee in his 1994 Spec Miata. Though not present for the event because he was “looking over data” during lunch, Chris’ dad Anthony took the 2nd place medal and photo in his stead. 02:13.907 was the fastest lap of the day for Chris; a well-earned one at that!

3rd place, the familiar face with charm and grace: Zeeshan Khan. Could have taken home 2nd place but was just a tad bit slower, though a 02:14.578 is nothing to scoff at with Zeeshan’s Miata. Just please keep coming to our events!

Class X

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Two participants, two podium placers!

Mark Davidian took home 1st place and broke the Cyclone config Class X lap record thanks to the excellent piloting of his 2016 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, placing a 01:52.454 lap time for his efforts, beating out the previous lap time of 01:55.036 set by Dominic in his Dodge Viper ACR.

2nd place was taken home by Anthony Zwain in his 2017 Shelby GT350. For his efforts, a 02:02.590 lap time was set! That GT350 is as loud as it is fast!

Conclusion

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A great start to the Thunderhill double-header! Excellent work by our drivers who won their places and THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the SpeedSF Challenge! For those who are still chasing podium finishes, more seat time, coaching, and watching videos of the track will certainly get you there!

Round 2 will be posted shortly - the second day of the Thunderhill double-header of the SpeedSF Challenge at Thunderhill Raceway East on February 23, 2020, we want to say that we truly appreciate our sponsors and participants as it would not be possible without them!

We thank our sponsors Wine Country Motorsports, G-Loc brakes, Titan7 Wheels, Necksgen, and Charles Schwab for their continued and valued support. Please visit their respective websites to show your support and let them know SpeedSF sent you!