Radical West Racing News - October 2004
Radical West Racing News
October, 2004
Spring Mountain Grand Opening Celebration Deemed Great Success
A record number of Radicals attended the Grand Opening Celebration
Photo by Kristy Melgoza
On September 25-26, 2004, members and friends of RADICAL WEST RACING and US RACING CLUB gathered together on a hot fall weekend at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch to celebrate the first season under NEW ownership. The event, billed as the “Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch Grand Re-Opening”, was a resounding success according to all who attended the celebration in Pahrump, Nevada, near Las Vegas.
Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch, home of Spring Mountain Advanced Driving School, was recently purchased by investors John Morris and Brad Rambo. Morris (owner of Radical West Racing) and Rambo, both prominent businessmen, have a shared vision for improvements to the Motorsports Ranch. Morris commented, “The entire Pahrump area is booming and we are excited to be a part of history in the making. Brad and I, along with our friends and investors of U.S. Racing Club, can hardly wait to see our plans become reality. When these improvements are completed, Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch will become one of the premier tracks in the nation.”The Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch, home of Spring Mountain Advanced School, a renowned Z06 Corvette School, will continue its current operations under the guidance of Dave Petrie, General Manager. Spring Mountain Advanced Driving School offers intensive 3- and 2-day driving programs. Trasi Pillman, Office Manager and Administrator of the Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch, reports “Classes are filling up quickly for the Fall 2004 and Winter 2005 season, so we recommend that you call us as early as possible to make your reservation.”
The Grand Opening celebration attracted the largest number of Radicals together at one location for the first time in the United States - 17 Radicals were in attendance! The event also included announcements about the Grand Opening of the 2-day Radical Driving School, which begins operations October 7th. Kent Broussard announced that the first Radical School is completely booked, and interest as well as momentum is building for the Radical Driving program in general. Kent reports, “The Radical Driving School uses specially equipped vehicles that have just arrived from the factory in England, and the curriculum is intense! Our students will experience the thrill and adrenaline rush of a Formula 3 race in their own Radical SR3.”
The Grand Opening celebration included a “Radical Men of Spring Mountain” calendar photo shoot, track events, ride-alongs, and a delicious “all you can eat” BBQ under the stars on Saturday night. U.S. Racing Club sponsored the event, and its President Kent Broussard made a presentation to the guests at the BBQ, during which he outlined the plans for future track improvements. Broussard’s presentation included a slide show with track extension drawings, timelines for improvements, investment opportunities and more. For additional information about investing in U.S. Racing Club, you are invited to call Kent Broussard directly at 714-779-5700, or send him an email: kent@usracingclub.com.
Radical West Racing and U.S. Racing Club would like to thank the awesome staff at Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch for making this event such a success. The entire staff, including Dave Petrie, General Manager, Trasi Pillman, Administrator, Victor Resendiz and Dave Roberts, Instructors, and Todd Joyce, Instructor/Mechanic, worked long hours in preparation for a TOTALLY RADICAL celebration. (See picture below of our Spring Mountain staff.) The Radical West Racing staff, including Marc Brewster, Laura Kunde and James Vaughn, also deserve special recognition for their hard work and contributions. In addition we would like to thank Gary Brackle from Advanced Access for his marketing and photography services. We are fortunate to be associated with such quality professionals.
“Dyno Don” Simons Takes First in Class at Willow Springs!
Article by Richard Fite, Director of Racing
Hot times at Willow Springs last weekend.
“Dyno Don” Simons of Team Radical West, took his new, Team TelSoft, Radical SR3 to its first SCCA regional race. Don had only three track days in preparation with the Radical, but years of expert racing in everything from The Toyota Pro-Celebrity Race at Long Beach Grand Prix, to the professional level, Star Mazda Series.
Dyno Don with Richard Fite
It took all that experience and poise on Saturday as he gridded up against the diminutive CSR of Harold Grafton, the current points leader in the SCCA Cal Club Regional Championship. With an aggressive jump at the green flag, Grafton got an early lead on the field with Dyno Don falling back with a failing front tire. Don was forced to slow his pace to nurse the nearly shredded tire to finish second in class, but vowing to be back stronger tomorrow.
On a new set of tires, Don was ready to pursue Grafton on Sunday. Although qualified fourth on the grid, Don lived up to his nickname and jumped into second place for the first six laps, but was forced to watch the other CSR pulling away in the lead. Lesser drivers have thrown their cars off the track by overdriving the track and conditions, but not Don. A bit past the halfway point of the 18 lap event, he passed through a dust cloud containing the stationary Stohr of Grafton, into the CSR lead and second overall. The Formula Mazda of Eric Coomer, the current FM points leader, made things interesting by keeping the pressure on Dyno Don ’till the finish, but not until Don put Grafton’s limping car a lap behind.
Finishing first in class and second overall, Dyno Don, with his friends and team, celebrated a great first race weekend for, Team TelSoft, and Radical West Racing.
Radical Motorsport Announces Launch of NEW SR8
It’s not every day that a small car manufacturer announces a new sportscar complete with an all-new engine and gearbox. The SR8 will out-perform anything on four wheels this side of a Le Mans prototype.
It’s even less often that a company like Radical Motorsport can claim to supply its own engine, especially a small V8. The 2.6-litre 350bhp RPA engine is built by Radical’s in-house engineering arm, Powertec Engineering. 70% of the components are UK manufactured.
The NEW Radical SR8
Mick Hyde, one of the partners in Radical Motorsport reports, “The interest we have had in SR8 to date has been phenomenal. Yes, the SR8 is our most expensive offering to date, but it is also the most unique and best value for money. To watch and listen to the new RPA motor being run on the dyno last week was a near-religious experience.”
Radical West Racing is now taking deposits for the SR8, with deliveries expected to start in December and January.
For additional information about the SR8 (complete with sound clips!) please visit the special link on Radical Motorsport’s website.
Meet James Vaughn
Radical West Racing is pleased to announce the addition of James Vaughn, Jr. to the staff. James, a highly qualified manager and lead mechanic, brings more than 15 years of automotive experience to RADICAL WEST team. With a talent for streamlining operations and maximizing productivity, James most recently worked for 4 Wheel Connections, where he directed all service and logistics operations for the dealership and provided leadership for a 32-person workforce.
James holds a degree in Marketing and International Business, and has a competition racing license with both the RAC and the SCCA. You’ll be seeing James out in the field as he works with the rest of the RADICAL WEST staff at track events this season.
Welcome to the team, James!
Radical West Racing DVD Now Available!
Want to experience the thrill of the racetrack from the driver’s seat of a Radical in the comfort of your own home? You’ll experience racing entertainment at its finest with the NEW Radical West Racing DVD! If you’re prone to motion sickness, best be warned: you’ll feel like you were IN the driver’s seat watching this DVD with video footage compiled and painstakingly edited for your viewing pleasure from hours of track events and Radical Races. With driving excitement, adventure and suspense from beginning to end, our new DVD was very professionally executed by our good friends Ken Melgoza, a Radical Owner, with graphics design by Kristy Melgoza.
The Radical West DVD includes track layouts and video footage of the TOTALLY AWESOME Radicals driving many of the southern California and Nevada race tracks, including Willow Springs, Buttonwillow, Spring Mountain and Laguna Seca.
Please feel free to stop by the shop and pick up your FREE RADICAL WEST DVD. Or, if you would like us to mail one to you, please send an email to Laura Kunde, Event Coordinator, with your mailing address and phone number. Be sure to include a credit card number to cover the $10.00 shipping and handling fee. Laura’s email address is laura@radicalwest.com.
Radical West Racing Welcomes Jim Diepenbrock
Radical West Racing is pleased to announce the addition of our Jim Diepenbrock to the team. Jim will be participating in track events and races along with the rest of his teammates this season. We look forward to spending time on the track with Jim. Find out more about ALL our Radical West team members on our website in the “Radical Owners” gallery.
Jim hails from Sacramento, California, and is the Senior Vice President of UBS Financial Services, the world´s largest investment manager. His specialty is working with affluent investors and Foundations, and he has been with the firm for 23 years. Aside from driving race cars, Jim enjoys surfing with his 14-year old daughter Kelly, and playing on the swing set with Ava, his 17-month old. Jim is married to JJ Diepenbrock. Pictured here is Jim strapping his mom in for a casual Sunday drive around the Thunderhill track. In his spare time, Jim serves as the President of three non-profit organizations.
Radical West Racing’s October 2004 Inventory
Radical West Racing has THREE NEW SR3’s in a container ready to arrive any day. In addition, we maintain a selection of new and demo Radicals on the floor of our showroom in Anaheim Hills. Please stop by to experience this incredible racing phenomenon first hand.
Or, one of our sales consultants can assist you with ordering a Radical from the factory, where your new Radical will be custom built to your own specifications. NOW is the time to order a TOTALLY AWESOME Radical in time for the upcoming season.
Our current inventory includes the following Radicals:
(subject to change without notice)
Make a date with one of these hot models today!
These beauties are arriving soon
from the factory in England
Used SR3 with NEW Engine upgrades
upgrades from Crago Racing - Call for details
on this 195hp deal..
Don’t miss your chance to buy a Radical today! For additional information about pricing and options on any of the above Radical Extreme Sports Cars, please call us at 1-888-SPEED-RW (888-773-3379).
Upcoming Events in October 2004
Below is a list of our October events at Radical West Racing. Our fall schedule is now under way. Please call us or send us an email for more information about signing up and participating in any of these upcoming events. See you at the track!
October 9-10, 2004 - Racer Factory Event
Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch
October 17, 2004 - ATSC’s Concours d’Elegance
Strawberry Farms Golf Course
October 23-24, 2004 - Porsche Club of Las Vegas Event
US Racing Club Event - Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch
Thank you for reading the October Issue of Radical West Racing News. We appreciate your support, and hope to see you soon on the race track!
Call TODAY! 800-391-6891
