Race 1 footage from the SVRA Road Atlanta Grand Prix where we seized the engine late in the race.  we were up to 5th position at the time....

A great start to the VROC Race at Road Atlanta!!!!

​Photos from our race weekend at the SVRA Road Atlanta Grand Prix.

​The STANMECH Technologies, Good Cars Only, Gabo Solutions #77 Formula Mazda Team had an eventful weekend at the SVRA Road Atlanta Grand Prix.  We ran with Group 2 & 9 – a fine collection F2’s, Formula Atlantics, Indy Lights, F3000’s and Formula Fords.  The weather was perfect for three of four days, with a mix of both sunny & cloudy/slightly rainy days, ranging from the 14's to the mid-20’s Celsius. Over the course of Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, we were on track a total of 7 times; 3 on track practices during the Thursday test day, followed by one practice, two qualifying sessions and Race 1.  We did not start Race 2 – more on that issue later.  It has been a very long time since we were at Road Atlanta last and we had never been there with the #77 Formula Mazda – over the course of the track day and the practice sessions, we improved our lap times substantially to a respectable 1:32.000

​We definitely had our work cut out for us, as most everyone in our race group had much more horsepower than we did.  In the first qualifying session, we qualified 6th of 19 race cars, 1st in our 9F2 class. In the second qualification session, we qualified 7th of 19 race cars, 2nd in our class. In Race 1, our race group included some  high powered open wheel race cars, including 6 Swifts, 3 Brabham’s, 2 Crossle’s, 2 March’s, 2 Dallara’s and more – the competition was stiff for our diminutive Formula Mazda.  We started in 7th position and and began to make up position quickly, by lap 10 we were in 5th place lapping at 1:30.000.  Then disaster struck.  At the apex of corner 10 B, our small but mighty 13B rotary engine seized.  This caused the transaxle to lock up and spin the car.  Luckily, we were in a low speed part of the track and not on the race line.  The marshals showed a local waving yellow and the race continued for two more laps.  Sadly, we could not get the engine re-fired and had to be towed into the paddock.  We were scored in 17th place.  Once back in our paddock spot, Bill Vallis and I spent 60 minutes problem solving the engine seizure, but to no avail, the engine would not turn over…… we were done for the weekend!!  At that point, we decided to load the trailer to prepare for the 15 hour trip back to Canada, the next day - the 30th of March.

Overall, we are declaring the weekend a success – the track as fantastic, the #77 Formula Mazda was a dream to pilot, the event was packed with competitors and the entire weekend was very well run. Despite our engine challenges, our race car performed flawlessly.  Of course, we need to give a big shout out to our sponsors; STANMECH Technologies, Good Cars Only, Gabo Solutions.  A very special thank you to Bill and Shirley Vallis of Vallis Motor Sport for their excellent track side support, and their commitment to the long drive to Road Atlanta. 

Click here for more photos from this race weekend.
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A very big thank you to the SVRA for hosting such a great event!!  And last, but certainly not least, we want to thank our long suffering and tormented family which follows us from race track to race track allows us to continue to do the racing thing……….

The STANMECH Technologies, Good Cars Only, Gabo Solutions #77 Formula Mazda is ready to be transported to our fabrication shop at Vallis Motor Sport.  Here are some pictures of the work we have performed over the last few days here at Subject Motorsports worldwide headquarters in Burlington.

The car will be off to Vallis Motor Sport during the first week in March for some final engine tuning and preparation for our first race of the season at the SVRA Road America Grand Prix at the end of March.
As always, a very big thank you to our sponsors; STANMECH Technologies, Good Cars Only, Gabo Solutions , to our race engineer Ken Ferrell, and to Bill and Shirley Vallis of Vallis Motor Sport for their excellent maintenance and track side support. Stay tuned to our Facebook page and to our website for ongoing updates.
And last, but certainly not least, we want to thank our long suffering and tormented family which follows us from race track to race track and allows us to continue to do this crazy racing thing……….

​The STANMECH Technologies, Good Cars Only, Gabo Solutions #77 Formula Mazda is still in the shop at the Subject Motorsports worldwide headquarters here in Burlington.  Over the course of the last 10 days we have completed a long list of maintenance and repair items, including: transmission service, chassis inspection, installation of new racing harness, installation of new radiators, installation of new data system, cleanup and repair of the bodywork, and repair the rear wing.  We have just started to rehang the bodywork back on the car in preparation for it be shipped down to our fabrication shop at Vallis Motor Sport.  Here are some pictures of the work we have performed over the last few days.

The car will be off to Vallis Motor Sport during the first week in March for some final engine tuning and preparation for our first race of the season at the SVRA Road America Grand Prix at the end of March. 

As always, a very big thank you to our sponsors; STANMECH Technologies, Good Cars Only, Gabo Solutions , to our race engineer Ken Ferrell, and to Bill and Shirley Vallis of Vallis Motor Sport for their excellent maintenance and track side support. Stay tuned to our Facebook page and to our website for ongoing updates.
​
And last, but certainly not least, we want to thank our long suffering and tormented family which follows us from race track to race track and allows us to continue to do this crazy racing thing……….

Over the past few weeks, we have been installing the various sensors and subsystems to support our updated AiM EVO4S data logger.  Included in our installation has been a four port CAN data hub, a four port channel expansion module and and an AiM Formula wheel with integrated display.  For sensors, we have installed two magnetic speed sensors for the left front and left rear wheels as well as water temperature, steering angle, front brake pressure, throttle position and oil pressure.  Additionally, we plan on installing 4 shock potentiometers in March.

Over the last 5 days, we have been learning AiM Race Studio 3 software, calibrating the various sensors and setting up the multiple pages of the integrated display.  We are not quite completed, but we are getting very close!!

The screen for the integrated display is very easy to read and looks awesome!!  Stay tuned for more updates in the next few weeks.

We want to take this opportunity to wish everyone the very best for the holiday season!!!  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!! 

The STANMECH Technologies, Good Cars Only, Gabo Solutions #77 Formula Mazda has been in the shop at the Subject Motorsports worldwide headquarters here in Burlington since the 8th of November.  Over the course of the last several weeks we have been performing a long list of maintenance and repair items, including: transmission service, chassis inspection, installation of new racing harness, installation of new radiators, installation of new data system, cleanup and repair of the bodywork, and repair the rear wing.  Here are some pictures of the work we have performed over the last few weeks.

We suggest that you stay tuned to our Facebook page and to our website for ongoing updates.

As always, a very big thank you to our sponsors; STANMECH Technologies, Good Cars Only, Gabo Solutions , to our race engineer Ken Ferrell, and to Bill and Shirley Vallis of Vallis Motor Sport for their excellent maintenance and track side support. 

And last, but certainly not least, we want to thank our long suffering and tormented family which follows us from race track to race track allows us to continue to do this crazy racing thing……….

​We were honoured to receive the 2018 WRRC Driver of the Year Award from the Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs - Ontario Region during the month of November.  This prestigious award is given by the Workers Recruitment and Retention Committee of the CASC and is “awarded to the driver that best exemplifies the spirit of grassroots racing with a desire to grow the sport in the region and shows a willingness to assist with the growth of the volunteer base.”  

​Quite frankly, we are humbled by this recognition…….