|
Radicals Win Top Positions at ARC Exhibition Race!
Pictured above is John Morris crossing the finish line in First place driving his newly delivered SR3 Turbo.
On November 22-23, 2003, members of Team Radical West traveled to Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, California to participate in the Northern California Racing Club’s annual event….THUNDERFEST.
Team members who participated in the event included John Morris, Justin LaJoie, Fabian Okonski, and Ken Melgoza. Radical West Mechanics John Stover and David Thompson (recently flown in from England) and Service Manager, Marc Brewster, provided track and race support for the event.
American Racing Club’s inaugural Exhibition Race was held on Sunday, and was, by all accounts, a huge success. The race was the highlight of NCRC’s open track weekend. The participants all had the opportunity to match-up with some great drivers in a wide variety of cars.
Radical West Racing is proud to announce that the awesome SR3’s finished in 3 of the top 4 positions as follows:
1st - John Morris - Best Lap Time 1:52.9
3rd - Fabian Okonski - Best Lap Time 1:54.0
4th - Justin LaJoie - Best Lap Time 1:56.2
Pictured above from L-R, Dave Mills, Troy Allison (Co-Founders of NCRC), Fabian Okonski, John Morris, and Luc Noel.
The race was exciting between the top contenders. John Morris was driving his newly delivered SR3 TURBO machine. Luc Noel qualified on Saturday in the pole position in his powerful Trans Am Mustang with 800 Horsepower. Morris quickly passed Noel on the first corner, and maintained his lead position for a good part of the race. Then, Morris got caught in traffic with a few other racers, and Noel passed him on the next-to-last lap. Morris knew he had to make his move quickly, and passed Noel once again inside a double apex corner with 5 cars, just before the white flag signifying the final lap was dropped. After Morris, Noel finished, followed closely by fellow Team Radical West members Okonski and LaJoie.
Congratulations to the organizers of this exciting event, Dave Mills and Troy Allison, co-founders of the Northern California Racing Club, a subsidiary of the American Racing Club. Troy and Dave are also new Radical Owners, with their SR3’s being delivered next week.
Troy and Dave plan to hold four ARC races in 2004 at a variety of venues in Northern and Central California. Radical West plans to be an active participant in their well-organized and enjoyable events. ARC races will be exciting, financially friendly, run by a customer oriented team that will provide venues with innovative formats; formats not frequently seen in club racing.
To be added to the mailing list for upcoming Track Events sponsored or attended by Radical West Racing, please click here. Or, call us TOLL FREE: 877-VET4FUN.
Radical West Racing Cars Participate in the Viper Finals Invitational at Texas Motor Speedway
Pictured Above is Radical West CEO John Morris with his Trophy for 2nd Place
Members and friends of Team Radical West packed up their Radical Extreme Sports cars and headed on out to the legendary Texas Motor Speedway to participate in the Viper Days finals celebration weekend.
It was a cold, blustery day on Friday, ideal conditions for the convertible Radicals. As severe weather moved in, the track was closed for several hours on Friday as racers waited out the storm.
Finally the weather cooperated on Saturday and the awesome Radical SR3’s expertly driven by John Morris, Justin LaJoie, Ken Melgoza, John Dearing, and Ken Adelberg had their chance to make an appearance on the famous Texas Motor Speedway racetrack.
Cris Schade, a skilled driver and Viper Owner, had a chance to test drive the Radical on the track as well.
The Radicals, racing against performance-enhanced Vipers and one-of-a-kind special Competition Coupes with experienced drivers at the wheel, turned in impressive times within the Radical Class with times as follows:
John Dearing - 1:36.3
John Morris - 1:36.8
Ken Adelberg - 1:38.3
Justin LaJoie - 1:39.3
Justin LaJoie, of Team Radical West, also turned in an impressive final time of 1:39.3.
Team Radical West would like to thank the sponsors of Viper Days, Courtney and Skip Thomas, for their gracious invitation to participate in the exciting Viper Finals event. All of the participants had a great time and look forward to further Viper Days events in the future.
Radical West News - November 2003
|
Radical West Racing News |
|
Totally Unfair……Totally RADICAL
November, 2003
|
|
Radical Drivers Sweep Top Positions at SCCA Buttonwillow Race
|
| On October 25-26, 2003, at Buttonwillow Raceway in Central California, Team Radical West made a spectacular showing, as the awesome Radical SR3 machines ended up in the top three positions on the podium.Fabian Okonski and Justin LaJoie, of Team Radical West, placed second and third respectively, after a challenging race on the Buttonwilow three mile track that included speed, finesse, and a couple of offs.It was an exciting day for all of the racers at Buttonwillow, with a total of 32 cars in the run group at the starting line. In the CSR class Radicals swept 1st, 2nd, and 3rd positions on the podium both Saturday and Sunday.Team Radical West member and President, Justin LaJoie, was leading the race in his class in Saturday’s race until he spun off the track in Lap 9, where he ended up in a “back of the pack” position. After fighting his way quickly up to the front, Justin managed to edge his way back into 3rd place in Saturday’s race.On Sunday Justin was in second place trying to catch the leader in his class, and he spun in Lap 4 leaving him in the back of the group once again. Justin fought his way back up again through the group of skilled CSR drivers to the 3rd place level in his class. After his two offs in the Buttonwillow race, we now call him Justin “LaSpin”.
Fabian Okonski has some vivid memories of the first race, “I’m feeling a bit nervous but fairly confident. I’m gridded on the outside of the grid, about half way back. As the green flag drops I’m immediately boxed in and by the time we’re around the first corner, I’ve lost about 6 positions including getting passed by DJ, Mark, and Justin. Over the next couple of laps I pass several cars and now most of the CSR crowd is all lined up with DJ, Mark, Justin and myself.” Fabian ended up in 2nd place on both Saturday and Sunday. As he recalls, “COOL! My first podium! 2nd place in CSR and 11th overall. Plus I turned fastest lap of the CSR’s at 1:47.8″
Fabian was happy about the race weekend overall. As he says, “All in all, a very satisfying weekend for me. The car was perfect and I didn’t make any stupid mistakes. Learned a ton! Can’t wait for the next one!”
DJ Johnson of DJ Johnson Racing, a fellow Radical SR3 owner and friend of Team Radical West, placed first both days in his yellow SR3. Mark Dalen, also an SR3 owner, of Midlife Crisis Racing, placed fourth on Saturday.
Congratulations to Team Radical West and to all of the TOTALLY UNFAIR…TOTALLY RADICAL drivers!
|
|
Team Radical West Gains FOUR New SR3 Owners
|
| Radical West Racing is pleased to announce the addition of 3 new team members, as Radicals begin to dominate the racetrack at Track Events and SCCA Races. Congratulations to the proud new owners of Radical SR3 racecars.Ken MelgozaKen Melgoza, from Ladera Ranch, California, of KM Racing, has owned his Midnight Blue Viper GTS for several years and driven it in track events throughout the region. After he test drove the Radical SR3 on a few occasions with Team Radical West, he was sold on a Silver SR3 with yellow accents.Troy AllisonTroy Allison, Co-Founder of the Northern California Racing Club and American Racing Club was amazed with the performance, quality, and sleek looks of the Radical and decided it was a must for his track car. Team Radical West met him at one of the NCRC’s well-organized events. He ordered a Bright Red Radical SR3.
Dave Mills
Dave Mills, Co-Founder of the Northern California Racing Club, was similarly impressed with the performance of the Radical and ordered a Hot Yellow SR3 from the factory in England. Dave is eagerly awaiting its arrival via container ship into the USA during the next few weeks.
Ken Adelberg
Ken Adelberg is a Dodge Viper owner and active participant in many Viper Track Events throughout the region. Soon Ken will soon be a new member of Team Radical West as he ordered an Electric Blue SR3 and is awaiting its arrival into the United States - just in time for races and track events in the upcoming months.
Both Kens, Troy, and Dave will join Team Radical West members and other Radical owners as they continue to be seen more and more on racetracks across the region. The ultimate goal of Radical West Racing is to create our own “Totally Unfair - Totally Radical” class and begin a race with a full 32-Radical car grid.
|
|
Radical West Racing NOVEMBER Events
|
You are cordially invited to join us at any of November events listed below. Call us or send us an email for additional information. Be sure to bookmark Radical West Racing as our site is updated frequently. Our latest schedule is located on our home page. November 7-9, 2003 - Viper Days Invitational
at Texas Motor SpeedwayNovember 15-16, 2003 - SCCA Double Regional
Arizona Motorsports ParkNovember 19, 2003 - Motorsports Club
Willow Springs International RacewayNovember 22-23, 2003 - Thunderfest
Sponsored by Northern California Racing Club
Thunderhill RacewayNovember 29-30 - Green Flag Driving Event
Buttonwillow Raceway
|
|
Radical West Racing Fully Equipped for Arrive and Drive Services
|
| For the motorsport enthusiast who prefers not be concerned with the details, we call our service “Arrive and Drive,”” because that’s exactly how it works. Radical West Support Staff provides complete Radical vehicle storage, transportation and trackside support to professional racing teams, individuals and club racers alike.Recently, Radical West took delivery of its new 4-car trailer from Progressive Industries in Phoenix, Arizona, and drove it back to Radical West headquarters in Anaheim Hills.Adding to the fleet of trailers to haul race cars to track events and races for Radical West’s Arrive and Drive program, CEO John Morris stated, “Our new 4-car capacity trailer will enable us to serve our clients more efficiently. We now have the ability to transport seven Radicals to the track for our Arrive and Drive clients.”The new trailer comes equipped with a lift for stacking cars, and an area to store supplies such as tires, spare parts, and race fuel. |
|
Radical West Welcomes New Master Mechanic from England
|
| Radical West is pleased to announce a new addition to our staff….Simon Shepard from Peterborough, England. Simon works as a mechanic at Radical Motorsport, Ltd., and recently visited us in California where he assisted us at various races and track events in September. While he was here, Simon expressed a desire to move to the United States, and after obtaining permission from the factory, we offered him a position here at Radical West Racing.Simon’s skills will be essential to our growth and overall business plan for Radical West Racing, as he is an excellent mechanic, and thoroughly acquainted with all of the intricacies of the powerful Radical machines. Simon will be on board at Radical West effective mid-November, 2003. |
|
Radical West Racing’s Plans for 2004 and Beyond…
|
| All of the staff at Radical West would like to thank all of our loyal clients for their business and support. There’s always something exciting happening here, and It’s been a thrilling ride since our first visit to the Radical Motorsports, Ltd. factory in July of this year.We’ve raced through the first 90 days since we signed our Radical Distributor Agreement in September, 2003. |
- Radical West Racing has purchased 13 cars in the past 90 days from the factory in England. Four of the cars are currently enroute via ocean shipment in large containers.
- We are currently carrying over $100,000 in Radical Parts and Inventory in our 7300 square foot warehouse in Anaheim Hills to serve our clients as efficiently as possible.
- The FIRST Turbo Version of the SR3 in the United States is currently on order and scheduled to be air freighted to Radical West upon its completion in November 2003.
- Radical West Racing has formed an alliance with the Northern California Racing Club and will be attending 30 Track Events during the next year with NCRC alone in the next year! Troy Allison and Dave Mills have each ordered an SR3 so they can enjoy the “Totally Unfair…Totally Radical” advantage.
|
|
Stay tuned for MORE Radical West Racing announcements during the next few months.
|
|
Thanks for reading the Inaugural Edition of Radical West Racing News.
We wish you and your loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving, and Safe Racing! |
|
