2003 Results
CIRCUIT CITY TEAM PROTOMOTIVE AT 25 HOURS OF THUNDERHILL (12/10/03)
Scott Webb, Johnny Kanavas and brothers Jim and Joe Jordan, drivers of the #13 Circuit City Team Protomotive Miata, were forced to retire with engine failure in the 18th hour of the 25 Hours of Thunderhill this past weekend. The race was billed as "Severe Endurance Racing," and it did not disappoint, with harsh weather and treacherous track conditions challenging teams from the start of the race.
Although it was the first time for Webb and Kanavas with Team Protomotive, the team showed instant signs of chemistry that would prove invaluable even before the race began. Just after qualifying the night before the race, the #13 Miata developed engine management problems and an oil leak that required immediate attention. The Protomotive crew of Stormy McInery, Jon Pino and Dave Behrmann, and Kanavas Kompetition crew chief Brian Mezger, tackled the problems with methodical precision, and the car took the grid the next morning with all problems solved.
The 11:00 am drop of the green flag was preceded by drops of rain that wouldn't let up until the sun went down. "Dry" tires were on the car as the race began, since the rain fell only minutes before the start. Kanavas would pilot the Circuit City Miata for the first couple of hours, and brought the car from 11th in class up to 5th before handing over to Webb some time in hour three. Rain continued to fall, and standing water became an ever-increasing concern, eventually causing the Miata to exit the racing surface and become mired in mud. Retrieved by the track safety crew, the Protomotive Team immediately switched to full-tread Toyo RA-1 tires and began a quest to regain valuable time and track position with the new-found grip.
As darkness fell, the rain tapered, and lap times improved with nearly every passing circuit of the challenging Thunderhill course, despite the ever-increasing presence of mud and other slippery substances just off line. After Webb's first stint behind the wheel, both Jordan brothers were clicking off laps that drove the Circuit City Miata up the leader board and back into contention. The brilliant Sylvania Xenarc HID lights, supplemented with IPF rally lamps, meant that the Protomotive drivers could attack the un-lit track. Star Shield Armor headlight savers ensured that this advantage would last all night long.
The team continued to reel in their competition when Kanavas reported a lack of power, and then tell-tale noises from under the hood some time after 4 am. Within a lap, the engine in the Miata was sporting new ventilation to the crankcase and ceased running altogether. Although disappointed not to finish the race, all of the Protomotive team members were satisfied and proud of their accomplishments over the preceding hours, and they vowed to take to the track in anger again soon.
SCOTT WEBB VICTIM OF BUMP & RUN AT LAGUNA SECA (9/7/03)
Over the weekend of September 6 and 7, the SCCA Miata Challenge shared billing at the Visa Sportscar Championships at Laguna Seca with the exotic American Le Mans Series prototypes and GT cars and SCCA Pro Racing's very popular SPEED World Challenge Touring and GT machines. Webb started the weekend with a 21st place qualifying position (out of 49) on some old borrowed Toyo Proxes tires. Webb made quick progress in the race and stuck his nose into the top 10 before locking up the brakes and spinning in the Andretti hairpin. He was able to recover to finish 16th, just behind teammate Johnny Kanavas.
In race two, starting positions were the same as the day before, and Webb again gained positions just after the green flag. Unfortunately, on a restart after a full-course yellow flag, Webb was hit in the left-rear wheel while turning in to the tight turn 11 leading onto the front straightaway (photo courtesy of SpecMiataWest.com). The resulting spin dropped Webb from contention, although he was very lucky not to have been collected by the rest of the closely bunched field. Webb finished a disappointing 26th.
SCOTT WEBB TAKES ROAD AMERICA BY STORM (8/10/03)
With the 6-hour Cal Club enduro behind them, the next stop for the San Dimas Auto Racing team was rounds 5 and 6 of the Mazdaspeed Miata Cup Presented by Hankook Tires Atlantic Tour at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. Road America is widely regarded as one of North America's finest road racing tracks, and at four miles long with plenty of elevation change and nerve-challenging top speeds, not to mention daily thunderstorms, it did not disappoint.
Scott Webb's #51 Star Shield Armor car was unloaded at Road America freshly rebuilt after a first-lap crash at Portland that saw Webb's title hopes fade. After testing on Thursday, Webb showed that he and the car were back up to speed by posting the fifth fastest time during the first official practice session on a drying Road America track. The wet track surface, from overnight and early morning thunderstorms, served to negate the power advantage held by some of the other competitors - an advantage that became evident as the weekend went on.
Drafting and horsepower became the keys to success down the long tree-lined straights, and finding a suitable drafting partner was important for posting fast times. Webb and teammate Johnny Kanavas hooked up for Friday's qualifying session, and with some bump drafting at speeds approaching 120 mph, they managed to post times that put them 17th and 15th on the grid of 35 cars, respectively. Although posting top-ten lap times in the race itself, a thunderstorm unleashed a downpour with two laps to go that resulted in a 360-degree spin, sending Webb back to 20th at the checkered flag.
Later that same day, Webb and Kanavas headed out to qualify for Sunday's race, but Kanavas' hood flew open on the warm-up lap, forcing Webb to go it alone. Without the help of a drafting partner, Webb still managed to post a time that put him 18th on the grid for Sunday morning's race. By concentrating on smooth driving and consistent lap times, Webb was able to make the most of the short seven-lap race, finishing in 14th position, right behind San Dimas Auto Racing teammates Andrew Fernandez and Johnny Kanavas. The points accrued by Webb at Road America brought him from ninth to sixth in the Pacific Tour points standings. Official session-by-session results and points standings can be found at www.sccaproracing.com/miata.
The Road America weekend marked the third event this season that Spec Miatas supported the CART Champ Cars. As was the case at Laguna Seca and Portland, tens-of-thousands of racing fans were on hand to watch some of the nation's top drivers do battle on the track. The SCCA Pro Racing announcer for Road America did a great job promoting the Miata drivers, and according to San Dimas crew members, spent a fair amount of time describing the benefits of Star Shield Armor paint protection film. As an added benefit, Saturday's race was broadcast live and in high definition on HDNet, and rebroadcast on Thursday, August 8.
SCOTT WEBB FINISHES 3RD AT 6-HOUR ENDURO... IN THE WRONG CAR! (7/29/03)
Scott Webb, driving with Sig Knapstad and car owner Jim Colombotos, took third in class honors at the See-Ya! Motorhomes 6-Hour Enduro at Buttonwillow Raceway Park this past Saturday evening. The trio piloted the Metro Racing Sports Toyota, an updated version of a car that used to support IMSA sports prototypes several years ago.
Webb's original ride, the San Dimas Auto Racing/Sylvania/Star Shield Armor Spec Miata succumbed to terminal overheating problems within the first half hour while racing in triple digit ambient temperatures. As luck would have it, Webb had secured a second drive with the Metro Racing Sports Toyota team about two hours before the start of the race. Webb was assigned starting driver duties to give him time to recover from the heat before getting in the Miata, and he took the green flag having completed no laps in practice or qualifying. Starting from eighth overall, Webb brought the car in for the team's first pit stop at just over the one-hour mark in third position overall and in class, and set the fastest lap for the car in the process.
Sig Knapstad took over driving duties from Webb and promptly found himself in survival mode as a thunderstorm pelted the track with rain for 30-45 minutes. Wisely, the team decided to bring the car into the pits to wait out the surprise monsoon, as they had nothing but slick tires. Jim Colombotos took to the track next, and drove quick and steady until handing back over to Webb for the final 30 minutes of racing. Webb brought the car to the checkered flag at 11 pm, but not before losing fourth gear halfway through the final lap. "The Metro Racing Sports Toyota was an amazingly quick and fun car to drive," enthused Webb. "With an open cockpit, slick tires, a powerful engine, a big wing, slower traffic and a dark track, I felt like I was at Le Mans in a prototype. I can't thank Jim enough for giving me an opportunity behind the wheel. Without this ride, I would have sat on the sidelines for the second year in a row!"
SCOTT WEBB FACES MAJOR SETBACK AT PORTLAND MIATA CUP (6/24/03)
Scott Webb's race on Sunday in Portland, OR ended on lap one with a bang and a resounding thud, as the #51 Star Shield Armor (www.starshieldarmor.com) Miata was unceremoniously punted off the track and head-on into the tire wall in Turn Five at Portland International Raceway. Although able to rejoin the race, the resulting suspension and chassis damage relegated Webb to back-marker status, where he finished a disappointing 27th out of 31 cars, dropping him from fifth to ninth in the Mazdaspeed Miata Cup Presented by Hankook Tires (www.sccaproracing.com/miata) Pacific Tour championship points standings.
Hopes were high heading into Round Five of the series in Portland after Webb led both of the previous races at Buttonwillow. Ever-changing track conditions, due to repeated rain showers during practice and qualifying, made learning the track difficult, and all four San Dimas Auto Racing (www.sandimasauto.com) teammates were further down the speed charts than has become normal this year. Webb qualified 17th, behind Johnny Kanavas in 14th and Andrew Fernandez in 15th, and a few cars ahead of Bob Wright in 21st. The start of the race was a mess, with several cars locking brakes and swerving off line before the green flag flew, but miraculously, the field made it through the trouble-prone Festival Chicane without a significant incident.
It was in Turn Five that the race unraveled for Webb, as Johnny Kanavas describes: "It was all I could do to stay clear of the carnage and save the car. Christian Miller came sliding across my nose and slammed into the right side of Webb, sending all three of us off track." The contact with Miller, purportedly caused by contact from Luis Sanchez behind him, sent Webb through the still-wet grass and straight into the tire wall. Ever the racer, Webb responded to queries from corner workers about his physical condition with "How's my car?" After corner workers pulled one of the front fenders away from the tire, Webb slipped and slid his way back onto the track to rejoin the race in last place. Hoping for rain, Webb pressed on in a quest for points, coming up short by two positions by the end of the 28 lap race.
"I guess Star Shield Armor needs to develop true body armor for the #51 car before the next race at Road America," commented Webb. "The one bright spot of the day came during the cool down lap, when all of the great Portland fans gave me a standing ovation as I rounded Turn Five and the scene of my accident!" The San Dimas team now turns its attention towards Rounds Five and Six of the Atlantic Tour at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, August 1-3. Once again, Pro Spec Miatas will support the CART Champ Cars at one of the world's great racing circuits.
Thanks to Star Shield Armor (www.starshieldarmor.com), San Dimas Auto Racing (www.sandimasauto.com), the LA Auto Show (www.laautoshow.com), Sampson Communications (www.sampsoncommunications.com), Overboost.com (www.overboost.com), Mazdaspeed (www.mazdamotorsports.com), Hankook Tires (www.hankooktireusa.com), Sunoco (www.sunocoinc.com) and SCCA Pro Racing (www.sccaproracing.com) for their support of the Webb Racing team and/or Mazdaspeed Miata Cup Presented by Hankook Tires.
SCOTT WEBB TAKES 12TH IN MIATA CHALLENGE AT LAGUNA SECA (6/16/03)
Driving the #51 Star Shield Armor (www.StarShieldArmor.com) Spec Miata, Scott Webb climbed from his sixteenth starting position to finish twelfth out of 52 Spec Miatas in the second annual Spec Miata Challenge at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Webb crossed the line sandwiched between San Dimas Auto Racing (www.SanDimasAuto.com) teammates Johnny Kanavas (11th) and Andrew Fernandez (13th). For the second year in a row, the Miata Challenge race upstaged the CART Champ Cars, Toyota Atlantics and Barber Dodge cars with thrilling, side-by-side action all race long. Unofficial results can be found at www.SpecMiataWest.com.
Webb's race was not without incident, as he was hit from behind more than once exiting turn two on the first lap, and then later in the famous corkscrew. Both incidents of contact resulted in dramatic slip angles, but Webb was able to maintain control of the car and continue on, losing only a couple of positions in the process. Calling the race on the new Sampson Communications (www.SampsonCommunications.com) radios was spotter and WebbRacing.com webmaster Meredith Fischer, and she provided valuable updates (and damage reports) that enabled Webb to adjust his strategy during the race.
The team will load the new truck and trailer on Tuesday and hit the highway on Wednesday to contest round five of the Mazdaspeed Miata Cup Presented by Hankook Tires this weekend at Portland International Raceway. Once again a fleet of Miatas will run in support of the CART Champ cars, providing Pacific Northwest racing fans with one of the best shows in motor racing. Fans can keep track of the weekend's action at http://www.sccaproracing.com/miata/.
Webb Racing Limited would like to thank its sponsors Star Shield Armor, San Dimas Auto Racing, the LA Auto Show (www.LAAutoShow.com), Sampson Communications and Overboost.com (www.Overboost.com) for their continued support. Star Shield Armor produces exclusive paint protection film that preserves paint finishes while protecting surfaces vulnerable to stone chips, bug damage, abrasions and weathering. Star Shield is one of the nations leading marketers of paint protection film, supplying kits to original equipment vehicle manufactures in the automotive, RV and big-rig truck markets, in addition to expert installers throughout North America. Star Shield also produces a new line of headlight protection film that protects expensive headlight lenses from costly damage. Visit Star Shield Armor at www.StarShieldArmor.com.
SCOTT WEBB LEADS BOTH MIATA CUP RACES - PLACES 2ND IN ROUND 3 OF PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIP (5/27/03)
Scott Webb, driving the #51 Star Shield Armor/LA Auto Show Spec Miata prepared by San Dimas Auto Racing, had a memorable Memorial Day weekend at rounds three and four of the SCCA Mazdaspeed Miata Cup Presented by Hankook Tires at Buttonwillow Raceway Park. Starting from sixth on the grid in round three of the championship, Webb capitalized on a great start to eventually take command of the race and lead several laps, eventually finishing second behind race winner Izzy Sanchez. Webb secured a front-row starting position for Sunday's round four, and led several laps early in the race, only to fall off the track mid race chasing down eventual winner Bobby Carter.
In his first Miata Cup event as an owner/driver, Webb started the race weekend at Buttonwillow with a "special" setup on the car engineered by Andrew Fernandez, team principal of San Dimas Auto Racing. Qualifying on Saturday netted the team a sixth place starting position, which was far enough towards the front to grab third into turn one at the start, and to take the lead of Saturday's race on lap four. Webb led four of the twelve laps, but was eventually caught and passed by Izzy Sanchez, Bobby Carter and teammate Johnny Kanavas, and pushed back to fourth for a short while. Heading into the final turn on the last lap, contact between the leaders enabled Webb and Kanavas to make a run to second and third respectively, with only 18/1000ths of a second separating them at the line, and less than ½ second covering the top four finishers!
Sunday qualifying saw Webb post a time that put the Star Shield Armor/LA Auto Show Miata on the outside of the front row for the start, where Webb was able to take the lead from pole-sitter Bobby Carter to lead laps one, two and three. While pursuing Carter into the very fast Talladega turn on lap five, Webb chased his car into the "gray" and eventually off the track, rejoining the field in fifth. Several laps later, Webb was forced wide and off the track once again, whereupon he fell back to eleventh, a spot he held until the finish.
"This weekend we proved that we have what it takes to contend for race wins in this ultra-competitive series," commented Webb. "Andrew gave me a great car all weekend, and if we can find additional sponsorship soon, we'll be climbing up the championship standings all season long!" The team plans to compete next in the Miata Challenge race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in support of the CART Champ Cars June 13-15, and then in the Mazdaspeed Miata Cup Presented by Hankook tires at Portland the following weekend, once again supporting the CART Champ Car World Series.
Special thanks go out to San Dimas Auto Racing for an incredible car, and sponsors Star Shield Armor, the LA Auto Show and Overboost.com. Star Shield Armor produces exclusive paint protection film that preserves paint finishes while protecting surfaces vulnerable to stone chips, bug damage, abrasions and weathering. Star Shield is one of the nations leading marketers of paint protection film, supplying kits to original equipment vehicle manufactures in the automotive, RV and big-rig truck markets, in addition to expert installers throughout North America. Star Shield also produces a new line of headlight protection film that protects expensive headlight lenses from costly damage. Visit Star Shield Armor at www.StarShieldArmor.com.
MAZDASPEED MIATA CUP PRESENTED BY HANKOOK TIRES - PHOENIX INTL RACEWAY - ROUNDS 1 & 2 (4/6/03)
Scott Webb managed to climb into the top ten with a ninth place finish by the time the checkered flag ended the second of two rounds of the Mazdaspeed Miata Cup Presented by Hankook Tires this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway. With a twelfth place finish in race one, Webb leaves Phoenix eleventh in points, with 31 (based on unofficial calculations).
The brand new #51 WebbRacing.com Spec Miata built and prepared by San Dimas Auto Racing ran like a top all weekend. Like any new race car, however, there is still development work to be done to bring the car closer to the front. The same can be said for the driver, and plans are in the works to get Webb more seat time this year in order to challenge the front runners consistently. "With only a few races under my belt in these cars, it's difficult to perform at the level of drivers who pilot Spec Miatas on a regular basis," says Webb. "It is our goal to bridge the gap this year and bring my performance up to a level it was previously with the Spec Racer Ford."
The weekend began with testing on Friday. With a brand new set of Hankook's to scrub, the first session was spent slowly getting up to speed and getting some heat into the tires. Lap times continued to drop, although not without some dramatic moments. No changes were made to the car except to tire pressure, to ensure consistency as Webb re-acquainted himself with PIR's wall-lined circuit. Qualifying on Saturday netted a twelfth starting position, a position Webb would hold at the end of Saturday's race. After a great start, where Webb passed several cars diving into turn one, Webb was forced to play defense as faster cars in qualifying attacked to regain lost positions.
Sunday morning, the team made a camber change to the front suspension of the car that netted an improvement in front-end grip. The down side was that the car was difficult to drive, with a loose condition that made the exit from the front straight down into turn one an exciting challenge - exciting enough to result in two spins. A rear bar change in the rear between qualifying and the race made the car easier to drive, but it took away some of the edge that made it quick through the infield sections. It was a compromise that kept the car on the track for the race, though. From another twelfth starting position, Webb made another great start. This time, he successfully defended the challenges from faster cars, and ended the race in 9th spot.The racing in Phoenix was close and clean. Webb consistently found himself door-to-door with other Miata drivers in both races, with nary a scratch as a result. The team hopes to make an announcement in the coming weeks regarding a challenge for the season championship. The next race for the series is May 23-25 at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, near Los Angeles.
Thanks to San Dimas Auto Racing for a great car, and Mazdaspeed, Hankook Tires, the LA Auto Show, Overboost.com, Modern Image Signworks, Sunoco Fuels and SCCA Pro Racing (see for complete results) for their great support of the team and/or series.
