2006 Results
11.19.06 - WEBB, LERNER & BROWNE FINISH 2ND AT CAL CLUB ENDURO
10.14.06 - WEBB & SAMPSON REIN IN 2ND PLACE DESPITE ENCOUNTERING PRANCING HORSE
05.06.06 - WEBB & SAMPSON TAKE 2ND AT WESTERN STATES ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP
Webb, Lerner & Browne Finish 2nd at Cal Club Enduro
Scott Webb, Preston Lerner and Tommy Browne combined efforts behind the wheel of the Team Automobile Magazine Nissan 240SX to finish 2nd in class and 7th overall at the annual Cal Club 4-Hour Enduro at Buttonwillow Raceway Park on Sunday, November 19. The race began in the fog of a late fall morning, and the unique modified Le Mans start saw 100 meter high-hurdle star Tommy Browne sprint across a damp track to tap the hand of driver Preston Lerner, who then fired the engine and launched the Nissan onto the front straight next to the BMW of John Norris.
The damp track surface made for an exciting turn one as the field went three wide heading into the braking zone, but discretion was the better part of valor and the race continued incident free. From a 7th place overall qualifying position, Lerner had the Nissan as high as 4th position early in the race. With a lifting fog and brightening sky, lap times continued to drop on the drying track as Lerner chased Norris for the better part of 30 laps; setting his fastest lap time of the race just prior to the team’s first pit stop at the 1hr-15min mark. But it was during this first pit stop that Team Automobile’s bid for class victory met a hurdle of its own.
Slippery track conditions and reduced traction at the start of the race meant that fuel consumption was lower than anticipated. During the stop the tank filled sooner than the refueling crew of Allen, Bruce and Andy, as well as tactician Emily had expected, resulting in some fuel dripping into the catch pan. Unfortunately, remaining damp spots on the track from the overnight rain was mistaken for a fuel spill by a track official, and soon after joining the race, driver Tommy Browne was recalled to pit lane to serve a one-minute stop-and-go penalty. Browne found himself in 12th place after the penalty, but putting his years of racing experience to work, he immediately began working his way up through the field. Browne turned his fastest laps of the weekend and was able to climb into 8th place only nine laps later, a position he would hold until Team Automobile’s second pit stop at the 2hr-40min mark.
After a flawless pit stop, Webb climbed into the 240SX on lap 68 and set out to recover more time and positions. The well-balanced Nissan is easy on tires and its predictable handling is a real benefit for endurance racing. Even after 3 hours of tough competition the car was quick enough to post lap times quicker than in qualifying, with the fastest lap of the race occurring on lap 85 of 106. Equipment is certainly pushed to its limits during races of this distance, and Webb noticed a noise from the right front corner not too long into his stint. After passing the #4 Mazda RX-7 for position on lap 98, Webb began to drive in preservation mode, just as the low-fuel light illuminated as well. The final laps of the race were nail-biters for the team as Webb made his troubles known to the crew, and the engine stumbled at the exit of the long and fast Riverside corner on the final lap, but the tough Nissan persevered and crossed the line in 2nd place in class and 7th overall.
Early indications point to a right-front hub failure causing the noise that Webb heard from the cockpit; and it would appear that the rotor being captured by the brake caliper was the only thing keeping the wheel and tire attached to the car. Complete results are available at http://www.mylaps.com/results/newResults.jsp?id=452708 and see attached files for larger versions of the embedded images.
Automobile Magazine – http://www.automobilemag.com
Nissan Motorsports – http://www.nissanusa.com/nismo/
Sampson Racing Communications – http://www.sampsonracing.com
LA Auto Show – http://www.laautoshow.com
Cal Club (SCCA) – http://www.calclub.com
Webb & Sampson Rein In 2nd Place Despite Encountering Prancing Horse
Driving the number 60 Sampson Racing Communications Mazda RX-7, Scott Webb and Shawn Sampson survived 3-hours of tough competition to finish 2nd in the EO class and 4th overall at NASA’s Western Endurance Racing Championship at Buttonwillow Raceway Park on Saturday night. After thunderstorms moved southeast overnight, sunny skies and mild temperatures greeted racers Saturday morning for the initial on-track testing and qualifying sessions. Of course with NASA’s random starting order policy, qualifying times are merely a gauge of potential; but the starting order gods were kind to the SRC team, as they started the race on the outside of the front row next to the EO-class Honda Civic Si of Andy Hope.
At the drop of the green flag the EO-class Honda Civic Si of Taz Harvey managed to out-power the RX-7 down the front straight, slipping into 2nd place heading into turn one. A quick spin by Webb exiting the Cotton Corners complex towards the end of lap one found the SRC team in 7th as the cars crossed start/finish for the second time. The intense action didn’t stop there for Webb, as the Ferrari 360 Modena of Johnny Pag spun while diving inside into turn one on lap two, slamming into the side of the SRC RX-7 and dropping Webb even further down the order. Webb made his way into 10th place overall by the end of the lap, and began clawing his way back through the field. “This wasn’t exactly how I had planned to start the race,” quipped Webb, “but Shawn got on the radio told me not to worry about it, and that helped me maintain focus and get on the with the job at hand.” Working his way through traffic as darkness enveloped the circuit, Webb managed to work his way up to 1st in class and 2nd overall behind the ES-class Team Stuttgart Porsche 911 by the time the team called him in for a pit stop and driver change on lap 45, about 1hr:50min into the three hour race.
After a well orchestrated pit stop, Shawn Sampson’s talent and experience behind the wheel paid great dividends as soon as he exited pit lane, as he posted ever-faster lap times in his successful quest to improve track position. About 20 minutes into his stint behind the wheel, however, Sampson radioed the crew that he was suffering from fumes inhalation and wanted to pit for fuel and to repair to the fresh-air hose that had been dislodged in the contact with the Ferrari earlier in the race. While the crew commenced refueling Webb climbed into the car and finished reattaching the air hose just as the last drops of fuel entered the tank. Sampson rejoined the track in 4th place overall (2nd in class) and fought his way back up into 3rd before encountering oil from a blown engine in turn one on lap 68, briefly leaving the paved racing surface. This dropped the SRC RX-7 only one position in the overall standings as Sampson crossed the finish line on lap 80 with a 2nd place position in class (4th overall), only seven seconds ahead of the NN Racing EO-class Honda Civic of Taz Harvey and Roger Foo, and one lap behind the EO-class-winning Civic Si of Andy Hope.
The suspension and aerodynamic improvements made by the SRC team between races resulted in a car that is far more consistent and easier to drive; both critical characteristics of an endurance racing machine. Encouraged by two 2nd place finishes in two attempts this year, Sampson and Webb have already begun to plan for an assault on the entire Western Endurance Racing Championship in 2007. Stay tuned for updates.
Results by class: http://www.mylaps.com/results/newResults.jsp?id=437645
Overall results: http://www.mylaps.com/results/newResults.jsp?id=437645&ShowPerClass=0
Sampson Racing Communications - http://www.sampsonracing.com
Western Endurance Racing Championship - http://www.nasaproracing.com/enduro/werc/schedule.html
Webb & Sampson Take 2nd at Western Endurance Racing Championship
After three hours of hard-fought racing, Scott Webb and Shawn Sampson crossed the finish line in second place in the competitive EO class, and third place overall in Saturday’s Western Endurance Racing Championship at Willow Springs Raceway. Scott Webb arrived at Willow Springs early Saturday morning to find the Sampson Racing Communications team fully prepared for the task at hand. The team decided that Webb would drive the car for the morning practice session to get familiar with the car and to reacquaint himself with the 2.5 mile circuit, one of the fastest road racing tracks in the country, as it had been almost ten years since Webb’s last race there. Webb quickly came to grips with the Sampson RX-7 and the track itself, but noted an excessive oversteer condition that seemed abnormal. Air pressure in the left-rear tire was found to be less than half that of the other tires, and the team thankfully discovered a small crack in the wheel itself and were able to switch to a spare before the race itself (Webb previously experienced wheel failure at the 2004 25 Hours of Thunderhill).
NASA has adopted a random starting order procedure for their endurance races, so Webb found himself starting the race near the back of the 22-car field as the race went green at approximately 6:25 pm. Using cautious aggression and benefiting from great spotting information fed through the radio by Mona Sampson, Webb managed to carve his way up into the top three in short order. The Mazda’s handling improved with each passing lap as the 13B rotary engine consumed fuel, and lap times eventually dipped into the low 1min-35sec bracket before darkness fell and Webb was called into the pits for a driver change, a full tank of fuel and the installation of the light bar.
After a flawless pit stop by the Sampson Racing Communications team, Shawn Sampson took over driving duties for the second half of the race and never put a wheel wrong under difficult driving conditions. Faced with darkness, dust and an oil-slicked track, Sampson kept applying pressure to the first-place Bullet Performance BMW, but to no avail. Although both teams were forced to make late race “splash-and-go” fuel-only pit stops, the gap between first and second remained until the drop of the checkered flag at 9:25 pm.
After their initial success, Webb and the Sampson Racing Communications team have already begun discussions about Webb joining the team again for endurance races later this year. The next Western Endurance Racing Championship event is in September at Infineon Raceway (formerly Sears Point Raceway).
For all of your motorsports or business communication needs, be sure to contact Sampson Racing Communications at www.sampsonracing.com.
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