2004 Results
CIRCUIT CITY TEAM PROTOMOTIVE NEARLY MAKES TOP 10 AT 25 HOURS OF THUNDERHILL (12/04/04)
Drivers Scott Webb, Johnny Kanavas, Charlie Buzzetti and team principal Jim Jordan survived 25 hours of hard-fought racing to finish in 12th position in class E2 (out of 23 cars), and 24th overall (out of 59 cars) at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill. Remarkably, 7th through 12th in the heavily populated E2 class were within one lap, with 7th and 8th completing 591 laps, and 9th through 12th completing 590. By adopting a strict endurance-oriented driving strategy, the Protomotive team was as high as 2nd in class and 11th overall during the long night as temperatures dipped into the low 30's, but problems began to surface in the wee hours of the morning that saw the team lose valuable laps.
The team got off to a great start with Charlie Buzzetti taking the green flag in the bright yellow #37 machine. Buzzetti turned in some fast and consistent lap times and eventually turned the car over to Webb who would follow suit and work the team into the 5th position (in class). After making their 2nd, flawless pistop, orchestrated by Brian Mezger and Dave Behrmann, Johnny Kanavas stepped into the car and brought the car up to 4th position. The rotation of Buzzetti, Webb, and Kanavas would be repeated as the race went into the night.
During the late hours of the extremely cold and dark night, both Kanavas and Webb served double duty, driving back to back double-stints in the #37 machine. Each were able to turn in super-consistent lap times over each 3-hour span. "We decided it would be efficient to double-stint the guys during the night which proved to be a good move. At the end of Kanavas' stint we were up to 2nd in class, 11th overall," reported Protomotive Team Principal, Jim Jordan.
A recurring problem with the steering column saw the team pit three times for repairs. The column itself detached from the dashboard, with the result being a lap full of steering wheel and the expected lack of control. The experienced crew of Brian Mezger and Dave Behrmann devised a fix that kept the car on track for remaining hours of the race. Well, the car stayed on track until the left rear wheel decided to break at the exit of the final right turn on the track just after dawn, providing Webb with a bit of excitement heading onto the front straight. "We watched Webb exit (turn) 15 and all of a sudden the left-rear of the car dipped down and he radioed in that there was a problem. Luckily, Scott was able to make it back to the pits, albeit attached to a tow truck, so we could address the problem and get him back on track." commented Crew Chief, Brian Mezger.
During the final 3 hours of the event is when team Circuit City/Protomotive faced their most troublesome times... The plan was to get back to consistent lap times, with their problems now behind them, and make up the time they needed to gather up a top-5 finish for the E2 class. Unfortunately, something in the right front suspension had come loose or broken causing the car's alignment to deviate from spec, ultimately slowing the car substantially. This lead the team to believe that they were having not only handling, but also engine problems. The team hung on to the end, though, and managed to bring the #37 machine home after a grueling 25 hours, ultimately ending up in the 12th position (in class), 24th overall.
One of the keys to the team's climb up the standings throughout the night was the performance of the lighting. The combination of Sylvania's Xenarc HID lamps, IPF rally lights and Star Shield Armor light protection film meant that the lights were strong and bright all night long. Consistent braking was also important, and a single set of Hawk Performance pads provided stopping power lap after lap, and the team saved time in the pits by not having to replace them. Of course the split-second decisions made on track are extremely important, and all four drivers drove to finish, with only one reported incident of contact over the entire race distance.
An amazing array of fast cars and professional drivers started the race, and an equally impressive number of them finished. Complete results and a collection of accounts and photos can be found on the NASA web site at: http://www.nasaproracing.com/enduro/25hour/2004_recap.html
Thanks to Team Protomotive, Circuit City, Sony, Star Shield Armor, Sylvania, IPF, Hawk Performance, Kanavas Kompetition and everyone else who made this event possible.
SCOTT WEBB, JOHNNY KANAVAS & ALAN LEUKHARDT CLAIM PODIUM SPOT AT CAL CLUB 4-HOUR ENDURO (11/20/04)
Scott Webb and Kanavas Kompetition teamed up with Alan Leukhardt of ALive Motorsports to take on the recent Pacific Nights 4-hour Enduro held at Buttonwillow Raceway Park. This is the second race of the 2004 Pacific Nights Endurance Championship. Their sights were set on taking the 2004 Pacific Nights Endurance Championship in the E3-class, and they did just that, along with bringing home another podium finish.
Webb and Kanavas, with last-minute stand-in Richard Beard, finished in 2nd place at the Pacific Nights 6-hour held in July, putting them 2nd in the championship points chase behind the Wild Pony Motorsports team of Chuck Koos and Dave Lemon. Driving the KanavasKompetition.com/ALivemotorsports.com/eprodius.com Mazda Miata were Scott Webb, Alan Leukhardt and Johnny Kanavas. It would prove to be a true test of endurance and skill for both teams.
Prior to the start of the race, the KK/ALive team found a mechanical problem with their yellow #5 car just after qualifying. With only about 25 minutes to spare before the race started, the team had to make some critical decisions and work as fast as they drive. After a brief discussion, the team decided to move to the T-car (back -up car). That's right, ALive Motorsports brought two cars to the event for the team, "just in case". "We discovered a differential leak that was pretty bad, probably a seal, and decided to move to the T-car. We couldn't have made such a decision if it wasn't for ALive Motorsports." said Johnny Kanavas. The team faced a thrash of transferring all 4 sets of brake pads, front brake rotors, tires and radio harness, plus bleeding the brakes, all within about 20 minutes. As the team finished their work, Scott Webb belted into the car in preparation for the start. The team dropped the car onto the ground, drove over to tech inspection for the required tech sticker and made it to the starting grid just as the field began to roll off. Because the team had to switch cars, they were forced to start at the very back of the field.
The team could do nothing but hope that their back-up car was setup decently and would bring no surprises to the team. As the green flag flew, Webb, making a phenomenal start, instantly made up positions. From dead last, the team slotted into the 4th position in the E3 class within the first 5 laps, with the Wild Pony Motorsports team in 2nd. The pace of the race was more like that of a sprint race. The KanavasKompetition.com/ALive Motorsports team settled into a fast and consistent pace as Webb focused on staying out of trouble and turning in some clean laps. At the end of Scott's stint, the team made a flawless pit stop, topping the car off with fuel and belting Leukhardt in for what was to be the team's most interesting stint. As soon as Leukhardt left the pits, he radioed in to report that his seat belts had come unlatched and that he would need to pit to fix the problem. Alan brought the car in and Brian Mezger and Johnny Kanavas tackled the problem and sent Alan on his way. Then, came the real drama... About midway through Leukhardt's stint, he radioed to his team that the car was done, it had lost all power and just shut off in the Star-Mazda corner. "The car just quit. The oil psi gauge dropped and the car just had nothing," explained Leukhardt. This was especially frustrating as right as this happened, the car of Koos and Lemon was beginning to have problems forcing them to pit. Crew Chief, Brian Mezger, informed the team of what had happened to Leukhardt, then radioed to Alan to try and see if the #5 machine would start again. It did and everything seemed fine, so Leukhardt and team continued on. The Wild Pony Motorsports Team had now pulled their car behind the wall and were hard at work, losing several laps in the process.
With about 1 hour and 20 minutes left in the race, Johnny Kanavas jumped on-board the black #5 car after another flawless pit stop orchestrated by Brian Mezger, Tanya Passlacqua and Scott Webb. Johnny's plan was to run flat out through to the end of the race. The Wild Pony team was now back on track, but would see the pits one more time before the end of the race, putting them several laps down. Since the championship points were calculated based on each team's overall finishing position, every spot counted. Kanavas was running in 3rd place in the E-3 class, 9th overall, and worked on trying to hunt down the 2nd place car of Aardvark Racing. With a few laps remaining, the leader of the E3 class experienced a broken suspension component. Both the Aardvark and KK/Alive team began the chase for the coveted position. Unfortunately, the race was nearing the end and the finishing positions would remain the same.
After all the hard work, smart driving and perfect pit stops, the KanavasKompetition.com/ALive Motorsports team brought their black Mazda home to a 3rd place, podium finish and secured the Pacific Nights Endurance Championship for the E3-class by a mere 3 points ahead of the Wild Pony Motorsports team. Remarkably, all ten hours of competition during the championship were driven on a single set of Hankook Ventus Z211 racing tires; the same tires used for the Mazdaspeed Miata Cup Presented by Hankook Tires.
Team Automobile Magazine, for whom Webb drove at the 6-Hour earlier in the year, ran their Nissan 240SX in this event as well. The 4-hour race length meant that the team would only use two drivers for this event. The car won their class again, and secured the 2004 E2 Pacific Nights Endurance Championship - making Webb part of two championship-winning efforts in 2004. Visit the Cal Club web site for 2004 results and standings.
SCOTT WEBB FINISHES 6TH & 13TH AT AUDI SPORTS CAR CHAMPIONSHIPS (10/17/04)
Driving the #51 Star Shield Armor/LA Auto Show/Circuit City Miata, Scott Webb managed to finish 6th in race one and 13th in race two of the Miata Challenge at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Saturday's qualifying session saw 61 cars take to the track at one time in search of that magic lap. Webb headed onto the track with Johnny Kanavas in tow in an attempt to work together for improved lap times, but traffic conspired against the pair, and each was forced to go it alone. Thanks to a great car setup performed by San Dimas Auto Racing's Rick Garcia and Joey Reed, Webb managed to put together a series of laps in the mid 1:49's to claim the 15th starting spot for both of Sunday's races.
Heading into turn one of race one, the trouble began early as cars fought to occupy the same space at the same time; with predictable results. Soon after the restart, Webb began to work his way up through the field by turning consistent lap times and steering clear of trouble. This became more difficult as the skies opened and the rain began to fall. With the entire field of 61 Miatas on tires shaved for a dry surface, and a track glistening with fresh moisture, drivers fought to maintain control in ever-changing conditions. Webb quickly adopted a wet driving line and found critical grip to stay on the track and out of harms way long enough to finish in 6th place.
Race two began without the wall-banging excitement of race one as the field took the green flag, but Webb' race would soon take a turn for the worse. Accelerating out of the world-famous Corkscrew, Webb missed the shift from 2nd to 3rd gears, and immediately found himself surrounded by competitors and forced off line for the quick, downhill turn nine. Unable to scrub off enough speed, Webb's Miata began an agricultural adventure towards the apex of turn ten, where he reentered the track in 25th place. From that point forward, Webb put his head down and worked hard to make his way back up through the field. Over the remaining sixteen laps, Webb passed cars with a vengeance, and eventually recovered to finish 13th.
San Dimas Auto Racing team principal and 2004 Mazdaspeed Miata Cup West Coast Champion Andrew Fernandez won both Miata Challenge races, while fellow San Dimas driver Christian Miller finished 7th and 5th, completing a strong performance by the San Dimas team. Complete weekend results are available at http://www.sfrscca.org/Results/20041017.
This weekend was a reunion of sorts for the Webb Racing team, as former team engineer Joe Smith was on hand for the first time since he and Webb set the Laguna Seca track record and finished 6th at the SCCA National Championships in Webb's Spec Racer Ford in 1997. Since that time, Smith has worked for Swift Engineering designing Champ Cars and Jaguar F1 designing Formula One cars, before returning to the US where he is presently an aerospace engineer.Webb Racing Limited would like to thank the following for their invaluable support: Star Shield Armor, LA Auto Show, Circuit City, San Dimas Auto Racing, RC Engineering, Hawk Performance, ALive Motorsports Miata Rentals, Sampson Racing Communications, Team Protomotive, Eprodius.com, RealTime Racing, American International Motorsports, and Toyo Tires.
SCOTT WEBB NABS 1ST AND 2ND AT SEE YA! MOTORHOMES 6-HOUR ENDURO (7/24/04)
Team Automobile Magazine Takes 1st in Class and 2nd Overall
After six hours of hard-fought racing, a black flag, and a blown tire, the Team Automobile Magazine Nissan 240SX driven by Preston Lerner, John Norris and Scott Webb captured the E2 class victory, 18 laps ahead of second place, and nearly running down the overall race-winning E1 Van Dieman sports racer. Only three laps and less than two mph separated the two class winners as the checkered flag flew at 11:00 PM, PDT. Drivers Lerner and Norris put in inspiring performances over the first four hours of competition to put the Nissan in second position early on, but with a 23 second difference in lap times between the two cars, it didn't look like an overall victory was in the cards. However, gearbox problems plagued the race leader, enabling Webb to begin closing the gap in the final two hours. A mechanical black flag for "sparks" (exposed tire belts), and the subsequent tire failure a few laps later, slowed the progress of the Nissan, and in the end there just wasn't enough time. "Although I didn't have communication with the crew, I'd guessed that the leader was in trouble when I didn't see the purple sports racer come by every few laps," commented Webb. "Thanks to the Star Shield headlight film, all the lights lasted the entire race, and the Technosquare-prepared car just ran flawlessly, so I was able to concentrate on smooth, consistent laps in pursuit of the lead. I had a blast right to the end!"
Team Automobile Magazine would like to thank sponsors Nissan Motorsports, Technosquare, Toyo Tires, PIAA, Hawk Performance and Star Shield Armor for their support.
Kanavas Kompetition Snags 2nd Place in Final Turn
12/1000ths of a second was all that separated second and third in class E3 at Cal Club's annual 6-Hour Enduro, sponsored by See Ya! Motorhomes. In what's been acknowledged as the the move of the race, entering the final turn side by side, the number 3 Kanavas Kompetition and number 7 Team Red Miatas bumped momentarily before Kanavas edged slightly ahead to take the position at the line. The fourth-place number 97 Miata was only another 1.3 seconds back, putting all three cars within 1.5 seconds after 145 laps of the 2.92-mile Buttonwillow circuit. Webb started the race behind the wheel of the Circuit City/Red Bull Miata in the heat of the day, and was scheduled to drive for two hours. But after opening up about half a lap gap over the next car in class, temperature, heat and dehydration forced a change in plans, and Webb brought the Miata into the pits just over an hour after taking the wheel. Kanavas took over next, and spent the next hour braving the heat as well, before handing over to Richard Beard (filling in for Peter Stark), who had never driven a Miata before the race itself. Thanks to wings supplied by Red Bull, both Kanavas and Beard turned fast and consistent lap times for the remainder of the race on a single set Hankook Tires, keeping the Protomotive Miata in contention, and setting up the aforemention photo finish.
Kanavas Kompetition would like to thank Team Protomotive, Circuit City, Red Bull, Racer Magazine, SportsCar Magazine, Sylvania, IPF, Star Shield Armor, eprodius.com and Hankook Tires for making this race possible.
