The weekend of racing was coming up with a lot of anticipation, and excitement.  Everyone was looking forward to running the three mile track.  Dave Smith, Jim Schenck, and Gary Cheney from Factory Five came out from the east coast.  Unfortunately they couldn't bring their cars due to a scheduling problem.  Saturday morning rollled around with nine cars prepped and ready to do battle.  Bryan Dobyns was driving the Lawson Team #11 usually driven by Dan Lawson (who was recovering from a virus).  Practice Saturday morning revealed Bob Lawson was going to be a force clocking in at 2:03 and some charge the fastest lap ever turned by a roadster, until Bryan's came in with a 2:01:41!!!  Qualifying was crowded, and no one matched their early morning speeds, but the faster guys were all in the 2:04 range.

Bryan started Saturday's race on the pole, with Donny Edwards on the outside.  The green dropped for the race as Bryan and Donny fought for positions screaming into turn one, Donny squeezing Bryan to the inside.  Neither one noticed that Bob Lawson had pulled up almost even  after a great start on the outside of row two.  But Bob couldn't hold thru the turn spinning.  Bryan came out in the lead and drove a flawless race never looking back for the win.

Donny dropped back and Dave Lang pulled up as Donny's engine started to run flat, eventually Dave made a bold pass going into turn one after drafting Donny down the long front straight, coming in second.  Donny nursed home the Evans @1 to third.  The ever improving Keith Delaney came in fourth, Al Butterfield (driving the just delivered Bondurant blue #55) took fifth, Bob Lawson drove hard to catch back up managing sixth, with Ed Gavin taking seventh, Lance O'Pry (driving the other Bondurant just delivered red number 56) finished eighth, with Mike Easton coming in ninth.

NASA had the roadster's running all by themselves, featured for the weekend, which was really great!  Sunday came with everyone itching to get back on the track.  Qualifying was run without incident, with Bryan setting the fast time of the weekend with a 2:01:32!  Donny ended up with a 2:03 and change, the rest were Dave Lang, Keith Delaney, Bob Lawson, Al Butterfield, Ed Gavin, Lance O'Pry, and Mike Easton.

The start of Sundays race was intense as Donny was determined to beat Bryan.  Again, they tore off inches apart flat out into turn one, but again Bryan came out on top, with Donny hot on his tail!  Donny got great momentum coming off turn fifteen onto the front straight, drafting Bryan back into turn one, Bryan left little room to the inside down the straight, but Donny went two tires off their fists in the air saluting the excitement.  Before lap three was completed, Bryan again had passed Donny back!

Further back, Bob Lawson was having a battle with Keith Delaney for fourth and fifth passing each other back and forth.  Dave Lang was pushing hard in third to catch the two leaders, but spun on the backside of the track and came back on in seventh, calmly battling back to fifth after a couple of laps.  Meanwhile, Bob and Keith were nose to tail until Keith spun in the off camber turn three.  Bryan had built up quite a lead by this time when the whole course went yellow, for debris, closing up the entire field!

When the green flag dropped everyone took off hard, Donny pressing extremely hard knowing the end of the race was near.  Coming down the back straight into turn fourteen, Bryan hit water on the track while braking (later determined to be from Dave Langs car which had a hole in the radiator from his off track excursion) causing a violent spin, Donny hot on his tail went off turn fourteen to avoid Bryan's spinning car, leaving Bob to thread the needle coming onto the front straight in first.  Donny caught back up passing Bob who stayed with him pressing hard!  Bryan had fought hard to get back to third, closing in on the two leaders.

Coming out of turn six, Donny went off track, then shot back across right in front of Bob almost getting the car under control, but went too off on the other side as Bob passed by.  Donny had taken out his oil cooler and was smoking badly, but it was the last lap so he stayed in it, but couldn't keep Bryan from passing.

Bob came down to the checkered flag fist in the air, with Bryan coming in second, then Donny, and unofficially, Keith Delaney, Al Butterfield, Lance O'Pry, Ed Gavin, Mike Easton, and Dave Lang, who dropped out finished last.

It was one of the most exciting races seen in some time.  What a great race!

It was a great show, and had many taking, as did all the roadster racing all weekend!

Jim Schenck may have gotten orders for no less than three cars, of people wanting into the action.

I look forward to seeing you all at the next race!  Keep your wheels down, and your speed up!

Dan Lawson

P.S.  By the way, the Lawson's cars left the track to Sacramento Airport to meet up with Dick Stewart (father of Collin) who is towing them back to Dobyn's shop, so they will be able to compete at VIR, at the end of July, and Mid-Ohio in mid-August, and of course the Nationals on Labor Day!  We are looking forward to seeing everyone back East soon!  "Lets go racing".

Race #3

Thunder Hill Park, Willows, Calif.

May 2^nd , 2004

Running at Thunder Hill is so much fun it should be illegal, as many found out at the 25hr Enduro. So everyone was looking forward to getting back on the track.

Two new entries came for their first race. The beautiful Pewter number 6 of Rick Anderson, and Kim and Farra Snook's equally beautiful light blue #90, although the Snook's couldn’t make it, Keith Delaney, and Nancy Thompson brought the car down from Oregon. Keith is an experienced racer having won the trans-am championship a few times.

This race afforded our largest field since the series inception, and not everyone was there.

We had a total of eight cars! All pitted together and looking good!! We turned a lot of heads.

There are another four cars that didn’t make it for various reasons; we could very well have had 12!!!!!!!!!!!

Saturday morning came everyone suited up and out we went, it was great!

From the start it was evident that Donny Edwards driving Bob Evan’s #1 was going to be very fast, equally Dave Lang driving the other Evan’s car #20 had the pedal to the floor. Both Lawson cars were running well, the steady Mike Easton getting faster all the time was out, and Keith Delaney was getting used to the saddle again. Ed Gavin made his first race of the year, and Rick Anderson was taking his final test for his comp. Lic.

Oh,by the way, “Okie Joe” came out to help this weekend.

Donny’s car had trouble right away with over heating, as has been the case all year so far, so did Keith’s car. And Ed Gavin blew out his master cylinder. Dave Lang’s car had a horrible shake. So everyone came in to work on the cars.

Qualifying went well but only a couple of the cars made it through the whole session still having problems. The Lawson’s had already put a head on the #1 car (which had a bent valve).   We had reconfigured Keith's car's water hoses and fixed his overheating problem.

Saturdays race started with Bob, and Donny on the first row. (Dave Lang couldn’t start)

Donny got the jump with Bob and Dan on his tail. It stayed that way for quite a few laps until slower traffic became an issue and Donny used his experience to put some cars between him and Bob and Dan. Unfortunately with one lap to go the car quit again leaving a frustrated Donny on top of turn five…. Watching as Dan and Bob passed by coming in first and second, Keith came in third, with Mike Easton 4^th, and Rick Anderson 5^th.

After eating at the barbeque it was decided to put the other head on the #1 car, which now had THREE bent valves in the old head that was still on. The Lawson’s supplied the extra head to match the one already on the car, and Don Vaught (crew of the Lawson team) and Mike Easton tore into it. Finishing up around 11 that night. Dave Lang had broken a shim in his rear end but couldn’t get another made until the next morning by a guy at the track.

Sunday rolled around and after the first session it was clear that Keith had found his legs as he rolled off about 6 seconds from his lap times from the day before! Donny’s car ran the whole session! But Dave was still having trouble with his rear end and couldn’t locate the problem.

Qualifying came around with no problems as Donny set fast time with a 2:05:24 and Dan Lawson just behind within a thousandth of a second. Setting the stage for a fast start.

Finally someone notice on Dave’s car that the three link had ripped out of the frame. It was torn apart and rewelded to try to get Dave’s car ready for the race.

The start of the race saw Donny on the inside and Dan on the outside, and as we were pulling out onto the track here came Dave’s car! Starting at the back of the field due to no time in qualifying.

The green drop and Donny and Dan went into turn one screaming, but contact to Dan’s left rear tire sent both him and Donny spinning with the entire field passing before either could get back on the track. Bob Lawson was leading the first lap with Dave Lang shooting up from his last place starting spot. On the second lap Dave passed Bob in turn nine taking the lead and never looking back driving a flawless race. As Donny and Dan got going again they started picking off the cars at the rear of the field, with Donny passing Dan going into turn eleven. Both had worked their way back up to 5^th and 6^th respectively. Keith running in fourth was Donny next conquest moving him to third as he was on a mission back to the front, turning in a new one-lap record of 2:03:59! His next man in front of him was Bob Lawson but after the confrontation with Dan on the first lap some damage had been done to his tail pipe and the car was overheating again and he had to pull out. Dan had come up on Keith who was running fourth closing in on Bob, Dan and Keith had a fierce battle for five laps with Dan finally catching Keith trapping him behind a slower BMW going into turn two. Dan set off after Bob and caught up but ran out of time as the race finished with Dave Lang, Bob Lawson, Dan Lawson, Keith Delaney, Rick Anderson, and Mike Easton rounding out the field. The contact at the beginning of the race was just two cars running extremely close with Donny’s right front just making slight contact with Dan’s left rear tire, no actual body contact.

Everyone had a great weekend with lot’s of good racing. Seeing eight roadsters coming down for a start all-together was exciting and we were the talk of the track.

The next race will be in Fernley Nevada, an extremely fast track, and it looks like we will have even more cars there- maybe Ten!

We hope to see everyone come on out and enjoy the weekend with us. Till then keep your wheels down…later.

Dan Lawson