2020 SpeedSF Challenge Season Recap
2020 - good, bad, best, worst, terrible, great - so many words can describe the year it was, but what is undeniable is the need for speed could not be taken away from our dedicated drivers! The number of broken (and re-broken) class lap records across multiple classes and tracks made that very clear.
Thanks to a multitude of SpeedSF events happening throughout 2020, the chances were definitely there to rack up the points and solidify one’s placement in the SpeedSF Challenge standings! Below are the 2020 season podium placers. Those who did not participate in at least 4 events throughout the season did not qualify for the season podium.
Group S1
Steve Melson in an Audi R8 and Gordon Peng in a Corvette C5 Z06. Who would have thought it would be this close? Steve took 1st place with 135 points and 3 Challenge wins while Gordon took 2nd place with 131 points and 2 wins - wild.
Group S2
Gary Yeung and the Dirty Mango S2000 did it again! The duo ran away with 1st place thanks to a 175-point showing for the season along with 7 Challenge wins, while Steve Melson got away with 144 points and 3 wins for a 2nd place overall finish for the season while also being behind the wheel of a Nissan 300ZX.
While on his SpeedSF Challenge farewell tour, Steve Chi took 3rd place overall in this group with 103 points and 2 wins thanks to some proper driving in his BMW E92 M3.
Special mentions:
Thomas Huber, for two 2nd and two 3rd place finishes
Melody C, for one 3rd place finish and two 4th place finishes.
Group S3
Another showing of dominance here with Kevin Schweigert taking home 1st place in the first 9 Challenges of the season. BRZ, Supra, whichever, he drove it like he stole it, and the 225 points showed. 2nd place belonged without question to Gary Wong with the TayTay S2000 thanks to achieving 199 points for the season.
David Fitz-Randolph was sitting comfortably in 3rd place with his 164 points driving a no-nonsense boosted NA Miata in anger.
This class was by far the most stacked of the Groups, with mere tenths separating 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in multiple Challenges.
Special mentions:
Ken Yip, for getting close to coming in 3rd with consistent performance but missed too many events
Matt Ales, for beating our regulars with a 1st place finish. Please come to more events!
Sean Yepez, for beating our regulars at his only event of the year
John Lee, for a 3rd place finish at his only event of the year
Group S4
Track Dad Matt Belter dominates once again in his Subaru BTZ and reigns supreme! 222 points and 5 wins for the 2020 season is impressive. No longer a rookie, he comfortably beat out 2nd place S2000 driver Sohan Kota’s 3 wins and 130 points by a wide margin.
Luckily, 3rd place S2000 driver Jason Parraga was not a threat to Sohan thanks to his 83 points and 2 wins for the season, though that kept him just 4 points ahead of the S2000/Sexy Natasha duo in 4th place.
Special mentions:
Jeremy Yeung, for a 2nd and a 4th place finish
Gabriel Rothman, for a 1st and 2nd place finish at the only two events he joined this season
Richard Rozporka for a 2nd place finish in his WRX
Billy Yang for a win his only event.
Group S5
7 wins and 175 points and S5 domination - not bad for a newcomer driving a once-unloved-by-the-masses chassis. Pretty sure along with Joe McGuigan, the MRS/MR2 platform became cool again and shows it reigns supreme over the Miata in the S5 class. Thanks, Tony Rodriguez!
Zoe Downing, not to be shown up by a mid-engined Toyota, put on quite a season-long showing in her NA Miata. With 2 wins and 166 points, she was certainly a threat to Tony’s 2020 maiden Challenge campaign. Consistency was crucial for Zoe’s 2nd place overall performance, so major props to her!
Special mentions:
Kona for a few good finishes in his Miata
Mike Jensen, Joseph Nagy, Alex Cao, Daniel Doer, and Matt Winstanley for their 2nd place finishes at their only respective events of the year
Looking forward to the 2021 Challenge season!
Rd 1 - 02/28 WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Rd 2 - 04/10 & 4/11 Thunderhill West CW &CCW
Rd 3 - 05/09 Sonoma Raceway
Rd 4 - 06/13 Sonoma Raceway
Rd 5 - 06/27 Buttonwillow Raceway CW13
Rd 5 - 07/02 WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Rd 6 - 08/07 Thunderhill East 3 miles
Rd 7 - 09/04 Thunderhill 5 miles
Rd 8 - 10/03-10/04 Thunderhill West CW & CCW
Rd 9 - 11/28 WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Rd 10 - 12/11 Thunderhill East Cyclone
Rd 11 - 12/12 Thunderhill East Bypass
Thank you to everyone for a great 2020 season! As we’ve said before, driver mods are the best mods. Seat time guarantees faster lap times more than just modifications (though they do help!)
Thank you to our sponsors Wine Country Motorsports, 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!