Final Results: http://www.nasa25hour.com/25hr_final_straight_up.pdf
Fina Results by Class: http://www.nasa25hour.com/25hr_final_by_class.pdf
Motorsports Solutions/Ehret Porsche Wins USAF 25 Hours of Thunderhill
WILLOWS, Calif. (December 9, 2012) - The No. 00 Motorsports Solutions/Ehret Family Vineyards won the tenth running of the United States Air Force 25 Hours of Thunderhill today. As the laps, and clock, was winding down as the two Motorsports Solutions Porsches were locked in a battle for the overall win. The ES Class No. 00 and No. 64 Porsche 997s battled over the last four hours for the overall win. At 7:30 a.m. the No. 64, leading at the time, pitted for a motor mount fix. The time in the pits relegated the 64 to third place, putting the team car, No. 00, into the lead. With three hours remaining he 64 Porsche was in chase mode, trying to make-up a six lap deficit. With just 90 minutes remaining the curtain closed on the No. 64s chances when an electrical problem sidelined the 997 leaving the 00 at the head of the field alone, 16 laps ahead of the closest pursuer.
The three-hour mark witnessed close battles in the E1 and E3 classes. In E1 at the three-hour mark, just two laps separated the No. 55 CJ Wilson Racing Mazda Miata from the No. 49 949 Racing Miata. With less than an hour to go the E1 combatants were on the same lap within 30 seconds of each other. The No. 49 would eventually take the win.
The winning No. 00 Motorsports Solutions/Ehret Family Vineyards Porsche 997 Cup car was driven to victory by Pierre Ehret, Tyler McQuarrie, Anthony Ward, Christian Bollrath and Memo Gidley.
"It was my second 25 hour race, my first time I came in second," Anthony Ward said. "We finished one better today. I found it very difficult to drive. There is a lot of traffic out on the track. You never get more than two or three turns in row that are clear. We had a few mechanical issues. In the last 15 minutes of the race we had a rear axle go. The crew made quick work of that repair. Earlier, we hit someone and knocked out a radiator, had a misfire issue with the engine and flat spotted some tires. This is a monumental effort to run a 25 hour race. Sometimes you are down 30 laps and not out of it. You just can never give up."
The No. 49 949 Racing Mazda Miata took top honors in the E1 Class. "It was a dog fight," Emilio Cervantes, driver, said. "It was a 25 hour sprint race. We were never really more than a lap two ahead at any one time. We would lead and then they would, it was crazy. We were really cognizant of the timing the yellow flags. If you look at the lap charts and lap times I think we had less deviation in time. In the long run, that was the difference. We had a few little issues. We had a belt tensioner go. I put the car off and did some agricultural racing, but other than that it ran perfectly."
The No. 79 Atlanta Motorsports Group Mazda Miata took the win in E2. "It was a typical 25 hour race," Tony Silva, crew chief, said. "It was cold and stressful. The hardest part is pulling back on the drivers and not allowing them to go full bore and beat the car up. Steady pace, perfect pit stops, no penalties and no mechanical failures was the key. Our biggest drama was the radios going in and out. We used a little Morse Code to get us through."
In E3 it was the No. 30 Miata Cage.com Mazda Miata in front at the checker. "This is one of the most enjoyable races we do all year," Sean Hedrick, driver, said. "All of our drivers are mechanical. We build the cars as a team and drive it as a team. The fact that we have a great Mazda product underneath and great guys working it makes the difference. We had a late race, unexpected brake change, but other than that it went great. This is our second win. We won it in 2010.
The Factory 48 Motorsports Radical team overcame three motor changes to take the win in ESR. "Starting on the overall pole was a great start," Jeff Shafer said. "We went from the front to nearly the back by the first turn, but it was a bit of ego boost to come back through the field. Things were going good. We made a pit stop and then we were missing cylinder. We had to do a motor change and 7 p.m. and then ran another four hours and had to change it again. After that it ran great and we almost able to come back and win the race overall."
The Hankook Tire/El Diablo BMW M3 took win in E0. "It was an up and down event for us the whole time,"Peter Gugenti. "We got one lap in qualifying on Friday and were deep in the pack. We made our way back up through the field. About four before the end, we put fresh tires on it and adjusted the car and put a lot of pressure on P1 causing them to blow their motor. After that it was smooth sailing to a nice class win."
USAF NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill Class Winners:
E1 No. 49 949 Racing Mazda Miata
E2 No. 79 Atlanta Motorsports Mazda Miata
E3 No. 30 Miata Cage.com Mazda Miata
E0 No. 31 Hankook Tire/El Diablo BMW M3
ES No. 64 Motorsports Solutions Porsche 997 - overall winner
ESR No. 48 Factory 48 Motorsports Radical
USAF NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill Top Five Overall:
No. 00 Motorsports Solutions/Ehret Family Vineyards Porsche 997 Cup ES
No. 18 Davidson Racing RCR/Eagle ES
No. 48 Factory 48 Motorsports Radical ESR
No. 31 Hankook Tire/El Diablo BMW M3 E0
No. 2 TFB BMW E30 ES
Class Top Three Finishers:
E1
No. 49 949 Racing Mazda Miata
No. 55 CJ Wilson Racing Mazda Miata MX-5
No. 69 Atlanta Motorsports Group Mazda Miata
E2:
No. 79 Atlanta Motorsports Group Mazda Miata
No. 9 Sector Purple Racing Mazda Miata
No. 38 Team Krider Racing Nissan Sentra
E3:
No. 30 Miata Cage.com Mazda Miata
No. 02 Miata Cage.com Mazda Miata
No. 77 Reign Motorsports BMW 325
E0:
No. 31 Hankook Tire/El Diablo BMW M3
No. 16 Edge Motorworks/Apex Race Parts BMW M3
No. 44 Achilles Motorsports/Hoosier Tire BMW E46
ES
No. 00 Motorsports Solutions/Ehret Family Vineyards Porsche 997 Cup - overall
No. 18 Davidson Racing RCR/Eagle
No. 66 Lynam Racing Silverado
ESR:
No. 48 Factory 48 Motorsports Radical
No. 2 TFB BMW 325
No. 10 CRE - Achilles Tire - AIM Catfish
USAF NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill Race notes:
70 cars took the green flag.
47 cars took the checkered flag.
Winner covered 6 laps or 1,953 miles
Largest single make in the race was 27 Mazda Miatas.
Oldest car in the race a 1969 Datsun 510, newest 2013 Mazda2, 2013 Scion FR-S, 2013 Acura ILX (2)
Fast lap of the race was put in by the No. 17 Davidson Racing Norma, a time of 1:42.999 on lap 66.
A crew from NBC Sports followed Factory 48 Motorsports, 949 Racing, Davidson Racing and Hankook Tire/El Diablo throughout the weekend collecting footage for a documentary style program focusing on the triumphs as well as the hardship of the teams while competing over 25 hours. The show will air sometime in early spring.
The eleventh running of the USAF NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill will take place Dec. 7-8, 2013.
For additional information, please contact NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill Media Director, Kyle Chura at kyle@kcapr.com or (248) 821-0468. More detail can be found at nasaproracing.com or nasa25hour.com.
On board the Factory 48 Motorsports
It's a bird! It's a plane!....Wait...It's a Saturn!!! Team Thunder Valley Racing Survives the 25...Again!
After five consecutive years running the 25 Hours of Thunderhill, 2012 would be the year Team Thunder Valley Racing would stand down and cheer their friends on at the 25...or, so they thought. Team TVR fields their Factory Five Racing Coupe and Challenge Series Roadsters as regular competitors in sprint and endurance racing, including every 25 Hours race since 2007. A disastrous roll in qualifying at last year's 25 presented the team with an almost insurmountable challenge. The car was badly damaged, but in the spirit of "winners never quit," the team pulled an all night repair on the car, and not only completed the 25 Hours, but went on to win the 6 Hour portion of the race, securing the 2011 Western Endurance Racing Championship (WERC) in the process. The Factory 48 Motorsports entry comes back to 3rd place overall
The Factory 48 Motorsports entry comes back to 3rd place overall and a class win after 2 engine changes and 2 flat tires put them deep in the field midway through the race.
Acura ILX Endurance Racers Prove Their Speed at 25 Hours of Thunderhill
All-new ILX Developed, Prepped and Raced by Team of Honda Associates
TORRANCE, Calif. (December 11, 2012) - Developed and prepared by Team Honda Research-West, the competition version of the new 2013 Acura ILX proved its speed at last weekend's 10th annual 25 Hours of Thunderhill endurance race, leading qualifying in the competitive E1 class and setting fastest race lap in the class en route to a fifth-place finish.
Motorsports Solutions Porsche leads at 19 Hours into USAF 25 Hours of Thunderhill
WILLOWS, Calif. (December 9, 2012) - With the sun about rise over Thunderhill Raceway, the No. 68 Motorsports Solutions Porsche has retaken the lead 19 hours into the United States Air Force 25 Hours of Thunderhill.
Lynam Racing Silverado leads at 12 Hours into USAF 25 Hours of Thunderhill
WILLOWS, Calif. (December 8, 2012) - The No. 66 Lynam Racing Silverado is leading the United States Air Force 25 Hours of Thunderhill at the 12 hour mark.
Factory 48 Motorsports Radical leads at Six Hours into USAF 25 Hours of Thunderhill
WILLOWS, Calif. (December 8, 2012) - The No. 48 Factory 48 Motorsports Radical is leading the United States Air Force 25 Hours of Thunderhill six-hours into the race.
Thunder Valley Racing Fields First Saturn Racecar in the History of the 25 Hours of Thunderhill
Factory 48 Motorsports Radical on Pole for USAF 25 Hours of Thunderhill
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. (December 7, 2012) - Jeff Shafer dove the No. 48 Factory 48 Motorsports ESR Class Radical to the overall pole position for the United States Air Force 25 Hours of Thunderhill that takes the green flag tomorrow, Sat., Dec. 8 at 11 a.m.
BimmerWorld M3, MAZDASPEED, Datsun 510 joins 73 Car field for USAF 25 Hours of Thunderhill; Royal Purple offers prize for E3 winners
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. (December 5, 2012) - BimmerWorld has their BMW M3 prepped and headed to Willows, Calif. for the United States Air Force 25 Hours of Thunderhill. Joining one of the newest cars on the grid, will be the oldest - a Datsun 510 entered by Taz Harvey. Not be left out, Mazda built a Mazda 2 on the floor of the PRI Show in 25 hours to run the 25. Seventy-three cars are scheduled to take the green flag on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. for the twice around the clock plus one-hour race.
RJ Racing is Ready to Defend Their 2011 E3 Victory: 2012 WERC E3 Champs Look to Repeat Their 2011 25-Hour Success
NOVEMBER 29, 2012 - RJ Racing (RJR) is pleased to announce that they will be providing comprehensive written and pictorial coverage of the National Auto Sport Association's (NASA) 25 Hours of Thunderhill on TheRaceSite.com, InTunedOnline.com, and RJRacing.net. Throughout the event, RJ Racing will be blogging as well as providing updates via its social networking channels, providing exciting behind-the-scenes access to race fans around world. RJR's media team will also be gathering interviews throughout the paddock from the 70+ entries and posting them on RJRacing.net.
Motorsports Solutions and CJ Wilson Racing Ready for USAF 25 Hours of Thunderhill
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. (November 29, 2012) - Motorsports Solutions is preparing its Porsche and CJ Wilson Racing Group will field two Mazda Miata MX-5 racers in the tenth running of the United States Air Force 25 Hours of Thunderhill. The aluminum anniversary race is attracting a strong field of cars. So far 71 entries are confirmed for the December 8-9 twice around the clock plus one-hour race.
Davidson Racing and Bauer Post Entries for USAF 25 Hours of Thunderhill
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. (November 14, 2012) - Davidson Racing has entered a Norma Sports Racer and Bauer Limited Production will field their Catfish in the tenth running of the United States Air Force 25 Hours of Thunderhill race that is less than a month away. With over 75 cars on the entry list, the 25-hour race to be run on December 8-9 is looking to be one for the record books.
Team Honda Research - West and Rimicci Corse Prepare for the USAF 25 Hours of Thunderhill
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. (October 30, 2012) - The United States Air Force 25 Hours of Thunderhill race is just over a month away with plenty of high profile entries preparing for the twice around the clock plus one hour race to be run at Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows, California on December 8-9. Two exciting entries are the Team Honda Research - West Acura ILX and the Rimicci Corse Fiat 500 Abarth.
Toyo Tires® Offers VIP Treatment for Racers Competing in the 25-Hours of Thunderhill™
October 31, 2012
Toyo Tires® Offers VIP Treatment for Racers Competing in the 25-Hours of Thunderhill™ While on Toyo® Proxes® Competition Tires
CYPRESS, CALIFORNIA - Toyo Tires® will offer VIP treatment this year for competitors racing in the 25-Hours of Thunderhill™ exclusively on Toyo® Proxes® RR DOT competition tires or the full-slick Proxes® RS1™. Giving loyal Toyo Tires racers the competitive advantage, registered participants will receive free mounting and balancing services from AIM Tire on all preorders and via trackside service from December 5th-9th at Thunderhill Raceway.
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