2011 Great American ISF All Star 2.4 Hour Endurance Race

 

 

 

The 2011 edition of the Great American ISF All Star 2.4 Hour Endurance Race will be known for an incredible track, mechanical breakdowns, and new teams. In the end it was the established team of John Wiedemann and Mike Lack that took home the honors.

The 2011 2.4 hour race began with a shock and awe attack at the sheer size of the replica of the Suzuka layout at Oconomowoc Raceway.
The surprises continued when it comes to the teams. Three time defending co-champion Mark Walzak and former champion Mike Fitzlaff were late scratches from the event, leaving teams to scramble for drivers. Walczak’s championship winning teammate John Shea was paired up with his longtime Ferrari teammate Everet Kamikawa. Dean Strom teamed up with ISF rookie Mike Block. Matt Hayek made his first 2.4 hour appearance and made it even more of an event by driving with his son Alex who was making his ISF debut.

One the teams were sorted the start of the race was a familiar site of the ISF with Shea streaking away to a quick two lap lead over the field. Once the other drivers got to grips with the massive Suzuka layout the gaps stabilized. At the end of the first 18 minute stint it was Shea over Wiedemann, Strom, and the elder Hayek.

The start of the second heat turned out to be great for two teams as Kamikawa and Lack took over for Shea and Wiedemann respectively. Both drivers were fast and steady throughout and the gap was still two laps. Mike Block had taken over for Strom and soon got a lesson in how different these cars were to drive than the GT cars he is used to. The speed and braking caught him off guard and several deslots had them far back in third place. Nipping at their heals was Alex Hayek. Making his competitive debut in the high horsepower cars he had trouble adjusting and soon there was no doubt about who was in fourth place.

The third stint saw Kamikawa stay in the car for another go. Wiedemann rotated with Lack while Strom and Matt Hayek returned to their cars. Again Kamikawa and Wiedemann streaked away spending most of the first half of the 18 minute segment running side by side. Just after halfway Wiedemann’s car didn’t slow in the “spoon turn” and his car went flying off the track. In the time it took for him to return to the track and get the car sorted Kamikawa increased the lead to five laps. He maintained that gap until the last three minutes when several consecutive offs at the chicane approaching the main straight cut his lead to one lap at the end. Strom meanwhile seemed to find his footing and made up some ground on second place after they had discovered a loose wheel hub. His teammate helped by threatening to kick him down the stairs of the teams hauler if he went off. Hayek drove steady and increased his speed to close the gap to third place.

The fourth segment was to be the one that changed the course of the race. Shea lead at the start but that would be short lived. His car began slowing at a progressive rate. It wasn’t long before Lack took the lead and was never in trouble of being bested. Mike Block was charging to try and make up some time on what would now be a second place finish. After starting the round 55 laps down to the leaders he cut the gap to 42. Alex Hayek was back in his car and was smooth for most of the round to close the gap to second place as well.

Lack stretched the lead by several laps in the 5^th segment. Kamikawa was at the wheel of a steady but slowly dying car with lap times often one second or more behind the other cars. Strom had a reasonably steady run to not lose ground to the 4^th place car of Alex and actually took over second place from Kamikawa who didn’t have the car to put up a fight. 

With Lack and Wiedemann running away from the field, Shea stayed in the stricken car for the 6^th segment. The times got slower and slower and the gap between second and third place got larger and larger. Mike Block was still charging and cut the gap to 22 laps to Lack. Matt and Alex Hayek split the segment and stabilized the gap to Block but gained ground on Shea in third. All teams gained massive ground on Shea when he pulled into the pits and the team stripped down the entire car. Going back out Shea was turning laps as fast as the beginning of the race. Block still racing hard to cut the gap to Lack started to spin in the esses losing valuable time. So much time in fact that Shea was able to recapture second place overall by one lap.

The 7^th segment began with a problem car but it wasn’t that of Shea, it was the car of Lack that began to handle shabbily. Several times in the hairpin and the chicane, Lack spun as he tried to accelerate out of the turn. The car seemed slower so he tried to compensate by getting on the gas earlier which resulted in the spins. With it obvious that the lead car was in trouble, Strom handed off driving duties to Block in the hopes that his home track knowledge would allow them to close the gap to put pressure on Wiedemann and Lack. Block cranked out fast laps repassing Shea for second and got back to within 31 laps of the leader. Shea’s car fell off again and he finished the heat 58 laps off the lead with the Hayek team closing the gap to third place from 99 laps to 62.

The final 18 minute segment of the 2.4 hour race had some drama and Wiedemann took the wheel of the now ailing car and tried to drive within the car to maintain the gap. Block drove all out for the first half and his strategy seems to be working when the gap shrank to 22 laps. Kamikawa was in his car but not getting any better results than Shea but was able to save a third place finish. Matt Hayek started but handed driving duties to Alex so he could have the honor of finishing the race.

In the end Lack and Wiedemann won with 1,090 laps. Strom and Block had 1062. Kamikawa and Shea had 1009 and Matt and Alex Hayek finished with 937. The event and the track was a success. Block invited the drivers to a future race and officials are considering moving an ISF regular season event to Suzuka in 2012.

 

 

 

2011 ISF Season Review Movie

2010 ISF Season Review

The "Samurai Brothers" of Mike Faruta, Bill Nakosaki, and Justin Satozaki did their magic again on this version of the ISF 2010 Season Review.
This version contains a lot of long video clips so you really get good natural sound and driver dialogue.
The soundtrack is once again  barn burner that features the Scorpions.
Enjoy!
Steve "The Wrench" Ratchett

Ferrari Rules 2009 F1 And GT At Runaway Bay

Ferrari Rules F1 And GT At Runaway Bayby John Wiedemann
7/16/2009

Waukesha, WI - Runaway Bay, sounds relaxing doesn't it? It was anything but relaxing as the F1 and GT divisions of the ISF visited the track on Thursday evening for the Red Stripe "Last Call". John Shea was victorious in a down to the wire battle to the finish with Mark Walczak in the F1 feature. Everet Kamikawa trashed the field with a dominant feature win in the GT division.



With only four races remaining on the F1 schedule, now is the time to show what you got. Mike Fitzlaff set fast time at his home track to begin action for the evening. Strong heat race wins went to Mike Lack and Everet Kamikawa sending them forward to take on Mark Walczak and John Shea in the B main. While Shea held the early lead in the B main, Lack was making up ground in the second half when Walczak ride left the racing surface, hit the wall and bounced back into Lack. The accident damaged Lack's car and he lost valuable laps while making repairs. Back on track, Lack quickly made up some of the laps but finished in fourth when time expired, less than a half lap behind Walczak in the final transfer spot.

Walczak, the only racer not running on option tires, easily took the lead in the first half of the F1 feature. With twenty laps between himself and the leader, Shea was hard on the throttle in the second half while Walczak tried to hold on in a difficult lane with the traction less option tires. Shea flew through the field but struggled with handling making the battle for the lead tighter than he would like. With fifteen seconds left in the race, Shea finally took the lead over Walczak and finished the feature with a two lap advantage over Walczak. Fitzlaff scored a podium finish, just two laps behind Walczak and Kamikawa exited the race just after the halfway break in fourth. Shea's win makes it two in a row and the third on the season, extending his point lead in the division.

Tonight's event marks the midpoint for GT division racing. Larry Rotter has been at the top of the GT World and was looking to continue the same racing fortunes at Runaway Bay. Unfortunately for Rotter, tonight's race may be a preview of the rest of the GT season. John Wiedemann set fast time, for the first time in his ISF career, and went on to hold off John Shea and Mike Fitzlaff for the fast heat race win. Everet Kamikawa knocked off Rotter and Corey Galbraith beat Mike Lack by three laps to win their respective heat races. Shea ended the B main in just four laps after losing control and flying completely off the track. In the feature race, Kamikawa jumped out to the early lead while Wiedemann stalled on the start and quickly went a lap down. Crawling back into second place, Wiedemann was able to race side by side with Kamikawa for a few laps until Kamikawa's Ferrari would pick up the pace and pull away. By the end of the first half, Kamikawa had a four lap cushion over Wiedemann as the two moved to the outside lanes. Kamikawa continued his blistering pace, putting more laps on the field. Wiedemann settled in to second place, trying to hold his ground over a charging Galbraith. As the race closed in on the conclusion, the only battle left on the track was the battle for second. Kamikawa had the win in hand and Fitzlaff pulled off with handling issues. While Galbraith was turning faster laps, Wiedemann's steady pace and Galbraith's off track excursions allowed Wiedemann to finish second with a five lap lead over Galbraith. The win by Kamikawa was his second in a row, moving him into the points lead and serving notice on the field that he has the car to beat.

Next week, July 23rd, the ISF series again heads down to the Southshore Speedway and Emporium for GT and GTP racing action. The Maxim/FHM/Stuff Grand Prix will be featured on the track that is hidden somewhere in a grassy field on the south side of Milwaukee.

INTERNATIONAL SPORTSCAR FEDERATION
Official Finish, Event # 2009-13-116
Red Stripe "Last Call"
July 16, 2009
The Raceway at Runaway Bay
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F1 Grand Prix Category -- 16 Minute Final
Fin. Str.
Pos. Pos. Driver Car Laps Status
1 2 John Shea Ferrari 161 Running
2 3 Mark Walczak Red Bull-Renault 159 Running
3 1 Mike Fitzlaff Jordan-Peugeot 157 Running
4 10 Everet Kamikawa Ferrari 79 Running
5 4 Mike Lack Jaguar 100 Running
6 7 Corey Galbraith Arrows-Cosworth 97 Running
7 5 Larry Rotter McLaren-Mercedes 92 Off
8 6 John Wiedemann Jaguar 91 Running
9 9 Dan Margetta Red Bull-Renault 84 Off
10 8 Dean Strom Williams-Honda 78 Off

Fastest Qualifier -- Fitzlaff; 4.178 seconds.
A Main -- 1. Shea; 2. Walczak; 3. Fitzlaff; 4. Kamikawa. (Fastest Lap -- Shea; 4.616 seconds)
B Main -- 1. Shea; 2. Kamikawa; 3. Walczak; 4. Lack. (Fastest Lap -- Shea; 4.549 seconds)
Fast Heat -- Not Contested.
Reg. Heat -- 1. Lack; 2. Rotter; 3. Wiedemann. (Fastest Lap -- Rotter; 5.279 seconds)
Slow Heat -- 1. Kamikawa; 2. Galbraith; 3. Margetta; 4. Strom. (Fastest Lap -- Kamikawa; 4.978 seconds)
Qualifying -- 1. Fitzlaff, 4.178; 2. Shea, 4.203; 3. Walczak, 4.290; 4. Lack, 4.434; 5. Rotter, 4.566; 6. Wiedemann, 4.584; 7. Galbraith, 4.677; 8. Strom, 4.686; 9. Margetta, 4.695; 10. Kamikawa, 4.861.

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GT Category -- 12 Minute Final
Fin. Str.
Pos. Pos. Driver Car Laps Status
1 4 Everet Kamikawa Ferrari 575-GT 142 Running
2 1 John Wiedemann Ford GT 133 Running
3 7 Cory Galbraith Ford GT 128 Running
4 2 Mike Fitzlaff Corvette C5 107 Off
5 3 John Shea Corvette C5 4 Accident
6 8 Mike Lack Ford GT 109 Off
7 5 Larry Rotter Toyota Supra 106 Running
8 6 Mark Walczak Aston Martin Vanquish 94 Running
9 10 Dean Strom Corvette C4 92 Off
10 9 Dan Margetta Ford GT 44 Off

Fastest Qualifier -- Wiedemann; 4.242 seconds.
A Main -- 1. Kamikawa; 2. Wiedemann; 3. Galbraith; 4. Fitzlaff. (Fastest Lap -- Kamikawa; 4.651 seconds)
B Main -- 1. Kamikawa; 2. Fitzlaff; 3. Galbraith; 4. Shea. (Fastest Lap -- Shea; 4.323 seconds)
Fast Heat -- 1. Wiedemann; 2. Shea; 3. Fitzlaff. (Fastest Lap -- Fitzlaff; 4.882 seconds)
Reg. Heat -- 1. Kamikawa; 2. Rotter; 3. Walczak. (Fastest Lap -- Walczak; 4.222 seconds)
Slow Heat -- 1. Galbraith; 2. Lack; 3. Strom; 4. Margetta. (Fastest Lap -- Lack; 4.767 seconds)
Qualifying -- 1. Wiedemann, 4.242; 2. Fitzlaff, 4.356; 3. Shea, 4.393; 4. Kamikawa, 4.451; 5. Rotter, 4.474; 6. Walczak, 4.633; 7. Galbraith, 4.831; 8. Lack, 4.832; 9. Margetta, 4.856; 10. Strom, 4.878.

 

John Shea's F1 Ferrari in victory lane for the third time in 2009.

John Shea celebrates winning the F1 race at Runaway Bay.

Two wins in a row for Everet Kamikawa's GT Ferrari.

Everet Kamikawa shoots down the competition with a super quick Ferrari in GT action.

The F1 podium at the Red Stripe "Last Call": Mike Fitzlaff (3rd), Mark Walczak (2nd), Rusty Wallace (media hound), John Shea (winner)

The GT podium at the Red Stripe "Last Call": Corey Galbraith (3rd), Everet Kamikawa (winner), Rusty Wallace (lurking), John Wiedemann (2nd)

The line up for the F1 feature race at Runaway Bay: Mike Fitzlaff, Mark Walczak, Everet Kamikawa, John Shea

GT racing action at Runaway Bay as Everet Kamikawa chases Larry Rotter into the infield portion of the road course.

 

Kamikawa, Shea, Fitzlaff Enjoy 2010 Deckertring Victories

Kamikawa, Shea, Fitzlaff Enjoy Deckertring Victoriesby John Wiedemann
6/24/2010

West Allis, WI - John Shea, Everet Kamikawa and Mike Fitzlaff visited victory lane in the Duel at The Deckertring F1/GT/LMP event on Thursday evening. Shea outdueled F1 competitor Mark Walczak in a thrilling victory while Kamikawa drove to a two lap win over Shea in the GT race. Fitzlaff's Nissan won the LMP division uncontested.

The F1 race started off with all of the competitors running on the option tire. Kamikawa struggled early in the race with a wheel rub, slowing his car down and causing handling problems. Even with the wheel issues and a couple pit stops to try and correct the issue, Kamikawa only found himself down by five laps when the field pitted to put on the preferred sticky tires. At the halfway break, Shea led Walczak by a half lap with Mike Lack three laps behind.

With the race resuming for the second half Shea would need to maintain the lead on one of the difficult outside lanes while Walczak ran quick laps on the inside groove. Off track excursions proved to be the undoing for Walczak as he was brought in to serve a twenty second penalty. More "offs" for Walczak added up and with just over two minutes left in the race, the next deslot would put him out of the race. Going for broke, Walczak was able to reel in Shea to get back on the lead lap. A wreck with one minute left in the race was the unreeling for Walczak and his race was over allowing Shea to cruise to the win. Walczak maintained second followed by Lack and Kamikawa.

In the companion class Fitzlaff found himself the only driver running the LMP type car, securing the winning points and a spot in the final. Joining Fitzlaff in the feature race was the Camaro of Walczak, the Corvette of Shea and Kamikawa in the Ferrari. Handling issues plagued Walczak from the start of the race and with fourty-five laps run in the race, he parked the Camaro in the wall. Shea also battled deslots which allowed Kamikawa to cruise to a five lap lead by the halfway point. In the second half, Shea came back as Kamikawa now battled the handling gremlin. With time running out Shea worked his way to two laps behind Kamikawa but time was not on his side. Kamikawa held on for the win, his second in the Ferrari 575-GT.

 

Everet Kamikawa took home the GT victory at The Deckertring.

 

ISF Reduces 2010 Schedule

ISF Reduces 2010 Schedule
by John Wiedemann
2/8/2010

Change has come to the ISF for the 2010 season. The initial change is that the schedule has been compacted in preparation for the biggest change in series history. The ISF series will move to a fall/winter schedule.

The following is a statement from the league:

You will notice the schedule has been reduced by a few events and this was done for various reasons, but in the immediate timeframe it was to facilitate a shorter 2010 season to move the series to a fall / winter program for the 2011 season.

Moving ISF to fall / winter will open up the ARA stock car series to return to spring & summer time racing. The ARA is only running 10-12 events at most, so that will be much easier to fit into a limited spring & summer timeframe instead of the 18 races that ISF has been running most recently.

We will run the 2010 ISF schedule as outlined below, take a short break, and then start on the 2010-2011 ISF (2011) schedule sometime in early fall. We anticipate about 14 races for the ISF 2011 season, which we feel will work well for our track owners who host events in all three of the local basement slot car leagues.


ISF 2010 Schedule
DATE , EVENT, LOCATION, DIVISIONS
May 6 Rapids Invitational Rapids International Raceway GTP, F1GP
May 20 Waukesha Grand Prix Raceway at Runaway Bay GTP, GT/LMP
June 17 Brookfield Grand Prix Raven Raceway GTP, GT/LMP
June 24 West Allis Grand Prix Walczy World GTP, F1GP
July 1 XtraLaps.com Grand Prix Lack Track GTP, F1GP
July 8 Duel at The Deckertring The Deckertring F1GP, GT/LMP
July 15 Rapids Grand Prix Rapids International Raceway GTP, GT/LMP
July 22 Road Westallica Grand Prix Road Westallica GTP, F1GP
July 29 Muskego Grand Prix Badger Raceway GTP, F1GP
August 5 St. Francis Grand Prix South Shore Speedway GTP, F1GP
August 12 West Bend Grand Prix Lack Track F1GP, GT/LMP
August 19 The Turtle Trot Turtle Creek Park Raceway F1GP, GT/LMP
August 26 Last Call Raceway at Runaway Bay F1GP
September 2 Deckertring 1000k The Deckertring GTP

2010 Season Review Preview

In 2010 there were many fine moments. This is a quick 4 minute preview of the full video.

Enjoy!

Steve "The Wrench" Ratchett

Lack Wraps At 2009 Rapids Grand Prix

Lack Wraps At Rapids Grand Prixby ISF Media
8/20/2009

INTERNATIONAL SPORTSCAR FEDERATION
Official Finish, Event # 2009-17-120
Rapids Grand Prix
August 20, 2009
Rapids International Raceway

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GTP Category -- 16 Minute Final
Fin. Str.
Pos. Pos. Driver Car Laps Status
1 3 Mike Lack Tamiya Jaguar XJR9 212 Running
2 7 Mike Fitzlaff Castrol Jaguar XJR9 209 Running
3 9 Nick Bartolone Radical Toyota CV89 156 Off
4 1 Mark Walczak Red Bull Jaguar XJR7 134 Off
5 2 Cory Galbraith Tenoras Toyota CV89 30 Off
6 10 Larry Rotter Denso Toyota CV89 118 Running
7 11 John Wiedemann Silk Cut Jaguar XJR9 100 Running
8 4 John Shea Minolta Toyota CV89 99 Off
9 8 Dean Strom GBP Peugeot 904 99 Off
10 6 Dan Margetta Red Bull Toyota CV89 88 Off
11 5 Everet Kamikawa Marlboro Toyota CV89 31 Off

Fastest Qualifier -- Walczak; 3.826 seconds.
A Main -- 1. Lack; 2. Fitzlaff; 3. Bartolone; 4. Walczak. (Fastest Lap -- Not Recorded)
B Main -- 1. Fitzlaff; 2. Bartolone; 3. Lack; 4. Galbraith. (Fastest Lap -- Not Recorded)
Fast Heat -- 1. Lack; 2. Walczak; 3. Galbraith. (Fastest Lap -- Not Recorded)
Reg. Heat -- 1. Fitzlaff; 2. Shea; 3. Margetta; 4. Kamikawa. (Fastest Lap -- Not Recorded)
Slow Heat -- 1. Bartolone; 2. Rotter; 3. Wiedemann; 4. Strom. (Fastest Lap -- Bartolone; 4.088 seconds)
Qualifying -- 1. Walczak, 3.826; 2. Galbraith, 3.876; 3. Lack, 3.880; 4. Shea, 3.886; 5. Kamikawa, 3.907; 6. Margetta, 3.993; 7. Fitzlaff, 3.993; 8. Strom, 3.995; 9. Bartolone, 4.062; 10. Rotter, 4.121; 11. Wiedemann, 4.314.

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F1 Grand Prix Category -- 16 Minute Final
Fin. Str.
Pos. Pos. Driver Car Laps Status
1 4 Mark Walczak Red Bull-Renault 172 Running
2 1 Mike Lack Jaguar 168 Running
3 10 Larry Rotter McLaren-Mercedes 164 Running
4 3 John Shea Ferrari 33 Withdrew
5 2 Dean Strom Williams-Honda 83 Off
6 6 Dan Margetta Red Bull-Renault 108 Off
7 8 Corey Galbraith Arrows-Cosworth 106 Running
8 11 Everet Kamikawa Ferrari 95 Running
9 7 John Wiedemann Jaguar 51 Off
10 9 Nick Bartolone Williams-Honda 20 Running
11 5 Mike Fitzlaff Jordan-Peugeot 17 Off

Fastest Qualifier -- Lack; 4.060 seconds.
A Main -- 1. Walczak; 2. Lack; 3. Rotter; 4. Shea. (Fastest Lap -- Walczak; 4.317 seconds)
B Main -- 1. Walczak; 2. Rotter; 3. Shea; 4. Strom. (Fastest Lap -- Not Recorded)
Fast Heat -- Not Contested.
Reg. Heat -- 1. Walczak; 2. Margetta; 3. Wiedemann; 4. Fitzlaff. (Fastest Lap -- Walczak; 4.497 seconds)
Slow Heat -- 1. Rotter; 2. Galbraith; 3. Kamikawa; 4. Bartolone. (Fastest Lap -- Rotter; 4.818 seconds)
Qualifying -- 1. Lack, 4.060; 2. Strom, 4.095; 3. Shea, 4.131; 4. Walczak, 4.142; 5. Fitzlaff, 4.184; 6. Margetta, 4.190; 7. Wiedemann, 4.231; 8. Galbraith, 4.310; 9. Bartolone, 4.416; 10. Rotter, 4.524; 11. Kamikawa, 4.654.

2009 Great American 2.4 Hour All Star Challenge

John Shea and Mark Walczak repeated as overall champions in the 5th annual 2.4 Hour Great American All-Star Endurance Challenge.

Shea and Walczak also topped the GT class in the newly reformatted race. Dan Margetta and Corey Galbraith won the LMP division.

There were several new rules for the 2009 race:
-drivers were allowed to choose a teammate before the race, unlike past years when drivers were randomly paired together
-no qualifying was held
-there was a GT class in addition to the LMP division
-teams could race whatever division they chose as long as they completed 4 segments in each class of car
-There would be an overall winner and class winners
-Teams were randomly assigned a stock 440X2 chassis supplied by the league
Shea and Walczak teamed together. John Wiedemann and Mike Lack continued their partnership from the Jaguar team. Past endurance champions Mike Fitzlaff and Everet Kamikawa were also teammates.
Margetta was forced by circumstances to be Galbraith's partner.

The first heat saw three of the teams start with GT cars and Margetta start in a LMP.
Kamikawa took the early lead in a Ferrari F40 followed by another F40 of Wiedemann.
Shea started in third, however handling problems on the newly designed Corvette C5 dropped him off the pace while Margetta passed him into third place by quarter distance. Margetta continued to pass cars and finished the stint seven laps
in front of the field while Kamikawa held the GT lead.

The second heat saw all the drivers in GT cars. Mike Fitzlaff sped away and was several laps in front of the field before being beset by handling problems. Mark Walczak started the heat in the Corvette, but strategy had him switch with Shea just after the start. Fitzlaff's troubles allowed Shea to gain several laps back with Mike Lack close behind.
At the end of the second heat race it was Shea with a two lap lead on Fitzlaff and a three lap lead over Lack in GT. Margetta led LMP by the fact they were the only ones to have run that division so far.
Corey Galbraith started in the C5 Corvette before being relieved by Margetta at halfway.
At the end of the second stints:
Shea and Walczak had a two lap lead over Kamikawa/Fitzlaff and a three lap lead over Wiedemann/Lack. Margetta and Galbraith led the LMP division.

Heat three saw most teams continue with GT while Margetta took the LMP back on track. Margetta had a killer stint to start to build a large lead in LMP.
This is the heat that sealed the GT division for Shea/Walczak. Kamikawa started but completely lost focus and had several early offs and penalties. By the time he recovered, Shea had built enough of a lead to switch with Walczak without suffering a time penalty.
Wiedemann started for his team and was steady but had several offs. A smart move to change drivers allowed Lack to stay within shouting distance of Kamikawa for second place in the division, 21 and 29 laps behind Shea respectively.

The fourth segment saw three teams complete the GT portion of the progam. Walczak started and switched to Shea to avoid a large penalty towards the end of the segment.
In a desperate attempt to gain ground, Fitzlaff and Kamikawa split the heat to aviod any long time penalties.
Lack suffered mechanical failure on a set of tires and fell off the pace.
Galbraith started in GT but also decided to change drivers to avoid a long penalty. Margetta tried to make up time, however fatigue from his LMP stint taxed him.

At the halfway point the standings looked like this:
GT
Shea/Walczak 693 laps
Kamikawa/Fitzlaff 661 laps
Wiedemann/Lack 639 laps
Margetta/Galbraith 225 laps
LMP
Margetta/Galbraith 368 laps

The fifth heat saw three teams run their LMP cars and Galbraith back in the GT car.
Walczak used his home track knowledge and his own car to have a penalty free stint and take a one lap lead over Margetta/Galbraith's total (after one LMP heat), seven over Fitzlaff and 11 over Lack.

Heat six saw all teams run LMP. Margetta continued his teams strategy of running all LMP heats to scorch the field and win the heat by seven laps.
Wiedemann and Kamikawa made it interesting, however it was clear that Margetta/Galbraith had the car to beat in LMP, while Shea/Walczak wondered if their huge lead in GT would give them the overall title.

Heat seven had Galbraith start GT, however two quick offs forced Margetta back into the car in order to avoid any penalties as any loss of time would take away their chances at the overall title.
The only way to win it was to close the GT gap to Shea/Walczak as much as possible and then rely on ther LMP lead to hold up/
Margetta's GT car had burned through its tires and he didn't have the grip he needed. He and Galbraith finished well off the pace set by Shea/Walczak sealing their GT title.
The stock tires had worn almost completely down, forcing Fitzlaff and Lack to constantly pit for tires. Both finshed well off the pace and were out of the running for either division title.

Going into the final segment, the standings looked this way:
GT
Shea/Walczak 693 laps
Kamikawa/Fitzlaff 661 laps
Wiedemann/Lack 639 laps
Margetta/Galbraith 637 laps
LMP
Margetta/Galbraith 554 laps
Shea/Walczak 531 laps
Kamikawa/Fitzlaff 483 laps
Wiedemann/Lack 469 laps

Shea started the eighth segment and tried to stay even with Margetta. He couldn't. That forced Walczak back into the car.
While he couldn't make up ground to Margetta, he didn't lose much.
Margetta finally had tire issues having used the same chassis in the previous seven segments. A late switch to a new chassis and no penalties kept him in front during the segment, however he couldn't make up enough ground to wipe out Shea and Walczak's large GT lead.
Lack also started, but gave way to Wiedemann when he ran into big time penalties. Kamikawa started and Fitzlaff took the Nissan car home.
Margetta and Galbraith would win the LMP class title, while Shea and Walczak would win the GT class and overall titles.

The final LMP standings were:
LMP
Margetta/Galbraith 722 laps
Shea/Walczak 700 laps
Kamikawa/Fitzlaff 627 laps
Wiedemann/Lack 595
GT
Shea/Walczak 693 laps
Kamikawa/Fitzlaff 661 laps
Wiedemann/Lack 639 laps
Margetta/Galbraith 637 laps
The final Overall standings were:
Shea/Walczak 1393 laps
Margetta/Galbraith 1359 laps
Kamikawa/Fitzlaff 1288 laps
Wiedemann/Lack 1234 laps

Steve "The Wrench" Ratchett

Shea and Ev Win 2009 South Shore

Kamikawa And Shea Maximize Stuff At South Shoreby John Wiedemann
7/23/2009

St. Francis, WI - Everet Kamikawa swept three fourths of the feature racing at South Shore Field in the FHM/Maxim/Stuff Grand Prix. After winning the GTP feature and leading the first half of the GT feature, handling difficulties and John Shea had other plans for Kamikawa.

John Shea captured the pole for the GTP division while Mike Lack won the fast heat race. Kamikawa and Larry Rotter dominated their heat races. Add these together and all the ingredients were in place for a dog fight of a feature race. The racers did not disappoint.

Shea took the early lead with Lack and Kamikawa following closely behind. At the end of the first half, only four laps separated the top three. Switching lanes for the second half Lack and Kamikawa worked their way past Shea and left him behind to settle the race between themselves. At the end, it was Kamikawa in front with a slight one lap advantage over Lack. Shea survived to hold on to third with Rotter finishing fourth.

As much as the mid-race break helped Kamikawa in the GTP feature, it hurt him in the GT event. Shea again was the quickest in qualifying, but Kamikawa had the dominant car in heat races and the B feature.

The first half of the feature was all Kamikawa as he built a two lap lead over his competitors. But, the pace that he ran in the first half would not work in the second and handling issues forced him out of the race prematurely. The same characters in the GTP feature race were also racing in the GT race. Shea took the lead over Lack and Rotter in the second half. Not giving in easily was Lack as he tried to chase down Shea, but once again this evening, Lack would have to settle for the runner up spot as Shea took the checkers in front. Rotter claimed the final spot on the podium with his third place run.

INTERNATIONAL SPORTSCAR FEDERATION
Official Finish, Event # 2009-14-117
Maxim Grand Prix
July 23, 2009
South Shore Speedway
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GTP Category -- 16 Minute Final
Fin. Str.
Pos. Pos. Driver Car Laps Status
1 6 Everet Kamikawa Marlboro Toyota CV89 278 Running
2 2 Mike Lack Tamiya Jaguar XJR9 277 Running
3 1 John Shea Minolta Toyota CV89 260 Running
4 7 Larry Rotter Denso Toyota CV89 256 Running
5 3 Dan Margetta Red Bull Toyota CV89 101 Accident
6 9 Mark Walczak Red Bull Jaguar XJR7 147 Running
7 8 Cory Galbraith Tenoras Toyota CV89 146 Running
8 4 Mike Fitzlaff Castrol Jaguar XJR9 102 Running
9 5 John Wiedemann Silk Cut Jaguar XJR9 93 Running

Fastest Qualifier -- Shea; 2.850 seconds.
A Main -- 1. Kamikawa; 2. Lack; 3. Shea; 4. Rotter. (Fastest Lap -- Shea; 3.006 seconds)
B Main -- 1. Kamikawa; 2. Lack; 3. Rotter; 4. Margetta. (Fastest Lap -- Margetta; 3.139 seconds)
Fast Heat -- 1. Lack; 2. Shea; 3. Margetta. (Fastest Lap -- Lack; 3.026 seconds)
Reg. Heat -- 1. Kamikawa; 2. Fitzlaff; 3. Wiedemann. (Fastest Lap -- Wiedemann; 3.014 seconds)
Slow Heat -- 1. Rotter; 2. Walczak; 3. Galbraith. (Fastest Lap -- Walczak; 3.370 seconds)
Qualifying -- 1. Shea, 2.850; 2. Lack, 2.944; 3. Margetta, 2.985; 4. Fitzlaff, 2.992; 5. Wiedemann, 3.098; 6. Kamikawa, 3.125; 7. Rotter, 3.156; 8. Galbraith, 3.208; 9. Walczak, 3.229.

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GT Category -- 12 Minute Final
Fin. Str.
Pos. Pos. Driver Car Laps Status
1 1 John Shea Corvette C5 199 Running
2 2 Mike Lack Ford GT 197 Running
3 9 Larry Rotter Toyota Supra 181 Running
4 5 Everet Kamikawa Ferrari 575-GT 157 Running
5 3 Dan Margetta Ford GT 129 Running
6 5 John Wiedemann Ford GT 156 Running
7 8 Mark Walczak Aston Martin Vanquish 113 Off
8 7 Cory Galbraith Ford GT 112 Off
9 4 Mike Fitzlaff Corvette C5 100 Off

Fastest Qualifier -- Shea; 2.823 seconds.
A Main -- 1. Shea; 2. Lack; 3. Rotter; 4. Kamikawa. (Fastest Lap -- Kamikawa; 3.005 seconds)
B Main -- 1. Kamikawa; 2. Lack; 3. Rotter; 4. Margetta. (Fastest Lap -- Kamikawa; 3.142 seconds)
Fast Heat -- 1. Shea; 2. Lack; 3. Margetta. (Fastest Lap -- Margetta; 3.039 seconds)
Reg. Heat -- 1. Kamikawa; 2. Wiedemann; 3. Fitzlaff. (Fastest Lap -- Kamikawa; 3.139 seconds)
Slow Heat -- 1. Rotter; 2. Walczak; 3. Galbraith. (Fastest Lap -- Rotter; 3.318 seconds)
Qualifying -- 1. Shea, 2.823; 2. Lack, 2.934; 3. Margetta, 2.947; 4. Fitzlaff, 2.955; 5. Kamikawa, 3.064; 6. Wiedemann, 3.232; 7. Galbraith, 3.277; 8. Walczak, 3.348; 9. Rotter, 3.371.

Kamikawa And Shea Dominate 2009 West Bend

Kamikawa And Shea Dominate West Bendby John Wiedemann
7/2/2009

West Bend, WI - The ISF drivers travelled to the northern most circuit on the schedule for the West Bend Grand Prix presented by XtraLaps.com. Everet Kamikawa and John Shea made the trek north worthwhile with wins in the GTP and F1 divisions respectively.

Mike Lack started off the GTP racing action by putting his Jaguar on the pole, for the second straight race, at a pace eight tenths of a second quicker than his pole run at the same track earlier this year. Lack went on to win his heat race and Kamikawa blazed to his heat race win. Kamikawa remained on fire in the B main, winning the race with ease setting up a battle with Lack in the feature.

Kamikawa really let loose in the A main. Drivers that tried ot run with him soon found themselves driving over their heads and out of control. John Wiedemann and Lack fell behind in the first half of the race and decided to let Kamikawa run while they battled for second between each other. When the race ended, Kamikawa held a fourteen lap lead over second place. Wiedemann was able to sneak ahead of Lack to take second with Lack finishing third. Mike Fitzlaff struggled with contol issues and finished fourth.

Dominance was the theme of the night as John Shea's Ferrari was the class of the field in the F1 division. Shea captured the pole in qualifying and easily won his heat race. The second heat was captured by last week's F1 winner, Mike Fitzlaff. Walczak,Wiedemann and Dan Margetta transferred to the B main to take on Fitzlaff. Margetta struggled mightily in the B main with handling issues and crashed out sending the other drivers on to the A main.

When asked if he was ok, a despondent Margetta responded, "Well duh, I didn't drive all the way up here to finish fifth, and wherever the heck I finished in GTP." He was later seen pushing media members away from the post race buffet.

Shea quickly showed that his car was on another level as he lapped through the field in the first during the first portion of the race. Wiedemann, Fitzlaff and Walczak were left behind to battle for the scraps of second place. During the second half Wiedemann and Fitzlaff were able to pick up the pace while Walczak succumbed to handling issues. What was a twenty-five lap deficit was whittled down to six laps by Wiedemann. To get those laps back, Wiedemann pushed his ride to the limit and beyond, but in the end it wasn't enough as Shea took the win, his second of the season.

On tap next week, the GTP and GT division take to the quick and hilly Turtle Creek for the Turtle Trot.

INTERNATIONAL SPORTSCAR FEDERATION
Official Finish, Event # 2009-11-114
XtraLaps.com / RacingWisconsin.com Grand Prix
July 2, 2009
Lack Track
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GTP Category -- 16 Minute Final
Fin. Str.
Pos. Pos. Driver Car Laps Status
1 6 Everet Kamikawa Marlboro Toyota CV89 226 Running
2 2 John Wiedemann Silk Cut Jaguar XJR9 212 Running
3 1 Mike Lack Tamiya Jaguar XJR9 207 Running
4 4 Mike Fitzlaff Castrol Jaguar XJR9 103 Running
5 5 John Shea Minolta Toyota CV89 125 Running
6 7 Mark Walczak Red Bull Jaguar XJR7 104 Running
7 8 Larry Rotter Denso Toyota CV89 102 Running
8 3 Dan Margetta Red Bull Toyota CV89 70 Running

Fastest Qualifier -- Lack; 3.545 seconds.
A Main -- 1. Kamikawa; 2. Wiedemann; 3. Lack; 4. Fitzlaff. (Fastest Lap -- Lack; 3.828 seconds)
B Main -- 1. Kamikawa; 2. Wiedemann; 3. Fitzlaff; 4. Shea. (Fastest Lap -- Wiedemann; 4.018 seconds)
Fast Heat -- 1. Lack; 2. Fitzlaff; 3. Wiedemann; 4. Margetta. (Fastest Lap -- Wiedemann; 4.005 seconds)
Reg. Heat -- 1. Kamikawa; 2. Shea; 3. Walczak; 4. Rotter. (Fastest Lap -- Shea; 4.026 seconds)
Qualifying -- 1. Lack, 3.545; 2. Wiedemann, 3.711; 3. Margetta, 3.767; 4. Fitzlaff, 3.793; 5. Shea, 3.827; 6. Kamikawa, 3.977; 7. Walczak, 4.084; 8. Rotter, 4.227.

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F1 Grand Prix Category -- 16 Minute Final
Fin. Str.
Pos. Pos. Driver Car Laps Status
1 1 John Shea Ferrari 183 Running
2 2 John Wiedemann Jaguar 177 Running
3 6 Mike Fitzlaff Jordan-Peugeot 170 Running
4 4 Mark Walczak Red Bull-Renault 145 Running
5 5 Dan Margetta Red Bull-Renault 64 Running
6 7 Larry Rotter McLaren-Mercedes 106 Running
7 8 Everet Kamikawa Ferrari 88 Running
8 3 Mike Lack Jaguar 59 Running

Fastest Qualifier -- Shea; 3.675 seconds.
A Main -- 1. Shea; 2. Wiedemann; 3. Fitzlaff; 4. Walczak. (Fastest Lap -- Shea; 3.791 seconds)
B Main -- 1. Walczak; 2. Fitzlaff; 3. Wiedemann; 4. Margetta. (Fastest Lap -- Fitzlaff; 4.324 seconds)
Fast Heat -- 1. Shea; 2. Walczak; 3. Wiedemann; 4. Lack. (Fastest Lap -- Shea; 3.902 seconds)
Reg. Heat -- 1. Fitzlaff; 2. Margetta; 3. Rotter; 4. Kamikawa. (Fastest Lap -- Kamikawa; 4.589 seconds)
Qualifying -- 1. Shea, 3.675; 2. Wiedemann, 3.784; 3. Lack, 3.840; 4. Walczak, 4.018; 5. Margetta, 4.172; 6. Fitzlaff, 4.292; 7. Rotter, 4.349; 8. Kamikawa, 4.479.

 

Everet Kamikawa put his ride in Victory Circle at the Lack Track.

The Ferrari of John Shea in Victory Circle.

The GTP podium: Mike Lack (3rd), bear, Everet Kamikawa (winner), John Wiedemann (2nd)

F1 podium: John Wiedemann (2nd), John Shea (1st), Mike Fitzlaff (3rd)

GTP feature lineup: Mike Fitzlaff, John Wiedemann, Mike Lack, Everet Kamikawa

The field lined up after qualifying at the Lack Track.

An interloper finds that it is not a good idea to mess with the victory circle photo celebrations.