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Afara Kim Carlos Espinosa Chuckwalla Valley Raceway Honda ICB Motorsport Motorsports Nasa Arizona Phil Robles UMS Time Attack

CVR | Drive and Dash

Last weekend I got the opportunity to go to Chuckwalla Valley Raceway for a NASAAZ track event. Initially I had no plans of attending, however Phil was running on Sunday and I decided to tag along. I had to work that Saturday so the plan was to leave after work. As fate would have it, I woke up super late and this prevented me from getting all my stuff ready before I left for work. This meant that I would have to return home after work before heading out to the Robles’ residence, therefore – late (Again! Damn it!). Luckily when I got to the house, Phil was still getting some last minute things ready. Since Chuckwalla was not around the corner, he wanted to make sure he had all the essentials and more. Paul and Nolan were supposed to join us but at the last minute something came up and they were not able to go.

 

I was looking forward to this trip for two things. One, Phil has new updates on his car and I wanted to see it first hand at the track. “What are these upgrades?” you ask; well he is running 17″ wheels and behind the front wheels sits a jaw-dropping new brake set up. If you are wondering, Dan at Rcrew Racing designed the brakes and not only do they look amazing but they also perform admirably. Phil told me that the force of the brakes was incredible and a little punishing and that he was still getting used to the feel of the brakes. A couple weeks prior to this event, he built a front splitter at home and this was his first time running with it.

 
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Say hello to my not-so little friends.

 

The second thing I was looking forward to was getting the opportunity of some long exposure photography. Since CVR is in the middle of nowhere, it is super dark, therefore no light pollution. I’ve never mixed cars and long exposure/night photography, so this was going to be another first for me.

 

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I am sure some of you have seen this photo already since we posted this on our FB page already.

 

Once we got to the track, we realized there was little to no parking available. After we drove around we found an open area near the Honda Challenge guys who even made some space for us. The unloading and setting up for the night was completed rather quickly. One of the air mattresses we brought did not have the blower to inflate it. We had to be innovative and ended up having to use an air compressor with a blowgun. Although it took forever and we probably woke up a few people, it worked! Genius at its best!

 

After taking one shot as a test bed, I realized that there was a full moon which completely ruined the darkness of a moonless night that I wanted. After a few adjustments on the camera and few more beers, we decided to call it a night. The weather at that point was comfortable but somewhere around 4am, the cold crept in and it got freezing cold. It got so cold that we decided to get the generator going and hook up a small heater that Phil brought.

 

Meanwhile as this was going on, I headed outside to take a piss and also to check on the camera and set it for one more shot. When I went outside I realized that it was way darker than before. After checking the sky I noticed that the moon had come down pass the horizon and the stars were shining brightly. I knew that the last shot would be my best since it was pitch black. I set the camera to 125 minutes and went back to sleep.

 

Morning came way too soon and Phil was on the move to get going. He had to install the front splitter and go to tech before his first session. Like a true geek, I was excited to see how the image came out. I knew that the camera had finished taking the long exposure and it was still processing/writing the file to the CF card, so I left it alone and helped Phil. After I helped Phil out, I had some coffee, a quick breakfast and I eagerly
went to check the camera. To my dismay the stupid batteries ran out of juice! I was hoping for the file to be completed but after a quick charge, no file was written. This was a bummer but at least I was able
to capture a few frames. Still, massive FAIL!

 

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First test shot | 65 minutes exposure. Funny thing is only one car drove by but it looks as if a handful of them drove by.

 

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Andy Hope’s CRX next to the Honda Challenge cars.

 

Once the drivers met for the morning meeting, the sessions started coming rather fast and just like that everybody was on full swing.

 

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All put together and ready to go!

 

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Very nice Integra with a JDM Type R front end.

 

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Nissan GT-R. Not sure what to say about the passenger.

 

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FT-86

 

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I really like the lines of the Porsche Cayman. I wish Porsche would make one with the powertrain/drivetrain of the GT-3.

 

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Phil Robles and his EG mixing it up with some Corvettes. Since he is in TT3, he gets to go at it with much powerful cars. This however doesn’t mean he is not competitive.

 

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Jeremy Renshaw and his E36

 

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Another shot of Phil. I wish I had access to take photos on the other side of the track. You know to have the sun behind me.

 

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E46 M3

 

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After his first session, Phil told me he was a little lost out there due to the lack of seat-time. Even then, he was doing low 2-minute laps.

 

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Jeremy pulling into the pits.

 

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Mean looking 240Z

 

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Andy Hope and his CRX skipped the early sessions since he was having some issues and wanted to save it for the Honda Challenge Race.

 

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S14 from # TeamTopFlight. If I recall correctly, these guys spent a long time under the car so it was nice to see them running.

 

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This Porsche GT-3 looked and sounded like not other car that day. I am bummed I don’t have better photos of it.

 

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Larry Luster came out to the track with his EG to hang out. His EG is super clean.

 

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Tony Szirka and his EVO getting ready for the 2nd session.

 

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Beast mode.

 

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Jim Cozzolino and his NSX.

 

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I am not a fan of 928s but this wide-928 was very well executed.

 

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Russell Whelan and his fast R32

 

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Pit entry

 

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Phil managed to run a sub 2-minute lap during his 2nd session. His time was a 1:59:6xx and it is one of the fastest FF times out there.

 

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Big fan of Tony’s EVO.

 

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At the scales making sure everything is in proper order.

 

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Nice E46 M3.

 

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EG on Mugen RNR’s

 

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One of the last session for these guys, Time Attack TA-B

 

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Close up of the new wheel/tire and brake system. Serious business!

 

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J’s Racing themed turbo Honda Fit.

 

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This reminds me of Top Gear.

 

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The highlight of the day was the Honda Challenge H2 race. Andy’s CRX looks rather small compared to the BMW behind him.

 

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First turn was a mad scramble.

 

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Gabe Ortega/Team LBR.

 

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Leland Forbes got the pole during qualifying but was not able to stay up-front during the race. He fell out of the top 3 in the closing laps.

 

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Kevin Gay and his Integra captured third place.

 

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Andy Hope and Eric Dayton kept trading places during the race.

 

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But in the end, Eric Dayton took second place…

 

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Making Andy Hope the race winner!

 

And just like that, the day was over. We got to spend some time with Andy and Larry after the track went cold but eventually we had to pack, load the car and make our drive back to Phoenix.