Laps for Laguna Race Report!

The Bugle Sounds, the Charge Begins

The 2022 season got underway at Laguna Seca on May 21/22. A new format of double race weekends meant a different approach for our racers, keen on hauling the largest amount of points possible for the weekend. 

Round 1: 
Blue skies and sunshine welcomed the field of 36 cars as they took to the track on Saturday morning to knock the rust off, warm up engines and tires, and start their respective 2022 campaigns. A mixed bag of strategic approaches saw the grid take shape, with most of the grid taking 7-8 laps to find their fastest time. In the end however, overall and HF pole was secured by Andrew Wait in his Titan, followed by Martin Lauber, Danny Baker, and Hoosier runner Dan Cowdrey. Brian Swanson showed his winter's efforts payed off with a CF pole, followed .04 sec back by our 2021 CF champ Kelly Heil. 

The grid rolled off at 2:15 sharp to begin their pace lap, polesitter Andrew Wait showing up moments before the largest grid of the weekend was released; a last minute battery failure taking the focus away from any possible pre-race jiitters.  The field formed up nicely coming out of turn 11 for what was to be a fairly late green. The top ten went 3 and 4 wide heading down to turn 2 and commenced a four wheeled mosh pit, with Wait, Lauber, and Baker at the point, followed closely by Cowdrey, Romak, Carter, Heil, Porter, Swanson, and Colyvas rounding out the top ten. Wait and Lauber traded the lead for the first few laps with Baker never far behind but the real action was happening further back. Not much further back...

James Hakewill was trying to sort an ill-handling Crossle, while simultaneously fight his way forward and fend off the attacks of Jay Streets in his "new" Titan Mk5 and Ed VanTassel's Mk6. James would eventually come out in 11th place but admittedly still stumped by the handling woes. Perennial Club Ford podium runners Dan Wise and "the Mongoose" Jeff Rothman had eventful runs (Dan having more luck with his tire pressures in the afternoon than he had in the morning), and the pair would split Tom Minnich's Tiga at the finish. 

Chris Schoap was marching his way forward from his 29th place starting position, setting his fastest lap on the final lap and winding up in 25th, less than a second adrift from the Crossle pair of Jim Lynn and series newcomer Dalmo de Vasconcelos. 2 points and the $150 Wine Country Motorsports gift card for our Reilly & Company Hard Charger went to Paul Kitchen; he finished up a sneeze out of the top ten. The HF podium was Wait, Lauber and Baker while the CF podium was Heil, Swanson, and Neil Porter. 

Round 2:
8:30 Sunday morning and our racers were primed and ready to attack second round qualifying! The traditional CSRG oil down in the session before ours meant that the track wasn't ideal for fast laps straight off, and for most of our drivers their qualifying times were set on lap 6. Times were about a second slower than they had been on Saturday, most drivers chocking this up to the aforementioned slick track conditions. Wait again ended up P1 at the end of the session, but Jellyman Kelly Heil pulled out a rocket lap on his final tour and found 1.5 seconds to end up .3 off pole on the outside front row, and class pole. Baker was to start an uncharacteristic 6th (which would later complicate his race), but the standout of qualifying was Ed VanTassel with a 10th place run, a stellar effort in a stacked field in difficult conditions. Art Hebert had his transponder issues from Saturday sorted and stuck his Titan outside row 6. And our long haul driver of the weekend all the way from New York, Fred Greis was continuing to enjoy his return to the FF fray and learn his way around Laguna. 

Another late green flag meant the whole of the field was on the front straight before the slobberknocker commenced. This made for incredibly close quarters heading into T2 but all 35 cars made it through safely! The battle at the front was all Andrew Wait and Martin Lauber; the 3rd thru 9th place battle was fast and furious with Heil, Cowdrey, Baker, Swanson, Romak, Carter, and Dr Nick Colyvas who was still coming to grips with his defection to the Titan Army. Cowdrey led the second echelon but was admittedly on old tires, and so he struggled to hold pace and keep the car pointed forward so the pack battled while the lead pair got away. Baker's Lotus was able to run frontline pace once he got clear of the scrum, but it was for naught as he couldn't close the gap to the dogfighting duo and their Titans.  Jack Wilson was having a great run, on his way to earning the Reilly & Company Hard Charger award, eventually finishing behind the charging Steve Yarborough in his bright red Crossle.

Like all the sessions before it, our race went green flag the whole way and in some cases it was a arduous balancing act to keep the early race pace up. Stamina was an area the mid pack didn't lack though, and the battle for 15th to 21st included Jay Streets, James Hakewill, the ever-improving Tom Minnich, Mike Wirrick (also continuing to coming to grips with his Titan), Chris Schoap and Dan Wise!

As the checkered flag fell, Wait again took top honors with Lauber P2 and Baker P3. Kelly Heil was running solidly in the lead of CF until the start of the penultimate lap when he spun exiting T11, handing the top spot on the podium to Brian Swanson, in his first Crossflow Cup class win! Heil ended up P2 with Neil Porter again taking the third spot on the CF podium. 
 

Historic Ford Podium Race 1
1st - Andrew Wait (Titan Mk6)
2nd - Danny Baker (Lotus 61)
3rd - Martin Lauber (Titan Mk6)

Club Ford Podium Race 1
1st - Kelly Heil (Crossle 30F)
2nd - Brian Swanson (Van Diemen RF80)
3rd - *Not Pictured* Neil Porter (Crossle 35F)

Masters Division Podium Race 1
1st - Dan Wise (Crossle 25F)
2nd - Jeff Rothman (Royale RP31)
3rd - Rob Thull (Titan Mk6)

Dalmo heading to grid

The Club Ford battle of Minnich/Wise/Rothman

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS

More than a few hearty souls hung out for the party on Saturday night and they were rewarded with some frosty beverages as well as some great prizes. Steve Romak donated three Romak Iron Works soft coolers. Steve Yarborough donated a 5 gallons of race fuel (won by Jay Streets). And SRS donated a pair of aluminum double feeler gauge handles. The champagne spray was light for our first race, but likely the 2 race schedule hampered what is usually a rather aggressive champagne fight!

Historic Ford Podium Race 2
1st - Andrew Wait (Titan Mk6)
2nd - Martin Lauber (Titan Mk6)
3rd - Danny Baker (Lotus 61)

Club Ford Podium Race 2
1st - Brian Swanson (Van Diemen RF80)
2nd - Kelly Heil (Crossle 30F)
3rd - Neil Porter (stunt double pictured) (Crossle 35F)

Masters Division Podium Race 2
1st - Chris Schoap (Titan Mk6)
2nd - Dan Wise (Crossle 25F)
3rd - Jeff Rothman (Royale RP31)

Steve Romak's Titan glistening in the morning sunshine

POINTS STANDINGS:

HISTORIC:
Andrew Wait - 24
Danny Baker - 16
Martin Lauber - 16
Steve Romak - 12
Wade Carter - 9
Dan Cowdrey - 8
Nicholas Colyvas - 7
Jack Wilson - 4
Paul M Kitchen - 4
Art Hebert - 3
James Hakewill - 3
Alex Dodd - 2
Chris Schoap - 2
David Sandlin - 2
Edward Lauber - 2
Edward VanTassel - 2
Ernie Spada - 2
Frederick Greis - 2
Jay Streets - 2
Jonathan Kitchen - 2
Mike Wirrick - 2
Robert Thull - 2
Steve Jeffords - 2

CLUB:
Brian Swanson - 21
Kelly Heil - 21
Neil Porter - 14
Daniel Wise - 11
Tom Minnich - 11
Jeffrey Rothman - 8
Dalmo de Vasconcelos - 6
Jim Lynn - 4
Alan Dezzani - 2
Richard Hybels - 2
Steve Yarborough - 2

full list (give or take a point or two due to transponder issues) on website here

In a field of great looking Formula Fords, the Heil Bros' Crossle and the Reilly & Co. Titan of Nick Colyvas are always standouts

UPCOMING RACES:
Thunderhill in September. We have a bit of a long lull before our next rounds, but we will return with a vengeance! Thank you so much for being a part of the action!!!

From "back east", Fred Greis joined us for his FF rebaptism

Laps for Laguna - 5 days away

5 DAYS OUT - KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: 

• Laps for Laguna, May 21-22

• Paddock load-in, Friday starting at 1pm

• Registration & Tech, Friday starting at 2pm

• Event Schedule

• Drivers Meeting 7:45 am @ Cruisin' Cafe (free breakfast for drivers too!)

  • SAT Quali 1, at 8:40am

  • SAT Race 1, at 2:20pm

  • SAT Party, 5:30ish at SRS Paddock

    • Saturday race awards, wine, beer, prizes, and champagne

  • SUN Quali 2, at 8:30am

  • SUN Race 2, at 11:35am

  • SUN Podium at 12 noon (following the race)

    • No champagne on Sunday so folks can drive home safely (and not smelly)

CROSSFLOW CHECKLIST:

• Scales - open Friday , as soon as we load in and set up

  • If you did a lot of work to your car or your physique over the winter, it would be a good thing to roll across scales BEFORE qualifying begins and get your weight slip

• We are currently at 37 cars - 24 HF's and 13 CF's so we should have great battles all throughout the grid!

• Some new faces, and some new cars on the grid this weekend:

  • Dr. Nick Colyvas will roll off Saturday morning in the stunning papaya orange ex-John Anderson Titan

  • Fred Greis, who will be joining us all the way from New York will be out for the first time in a MkIV Titan

  • Dalmo de Vasconcelos has added a Crossle 45f to his stable and will be seeking Club Ford glory

  • Ernie Spada will be making the trek down from the PNW with his gorgeous Mk6 Titan

  • and long-time SCCA FF and FC competitor James Hakewill will make his Crossflow debut this weekend in one of Neil Porter's Crossle's

• Stickers/Patches will be available at the compound all weekend for anyone who needs them

• Awards & Adults Beverages on Saturday night as per usual!

• Our weekend giveaways (must be present to win!) are donated by SRS

• ALL the above will be located at SRS paddock area

A WORD FROM YOUR CROSSFLOW CUP TEAM:

Remember, this is the first of our double race weekend format. Two separate races (with two separate qualifying sessions) means double the fun! Champagne will only be at the Saturday night awards, the Sunday awards will be "dry" for your drive home!

Laps for Laguna Info

CROSSFLOW CUP SEASON OPENER: Laps for Laguna

• 22 days away...

• Enter online here through Motorsports Reg

• Registration closes in 15 days but LATE FEE KICKS IN THIS SAT - APRIL 30th so sign up now and save money!

• Paddock load-in, Friday, May 20th

• Tech - CSRG forms are electronic, bring your car, gear and logbook

• Event Schedule - to be released the week of the event

• Garages available - email Geoff Pitts: Race.Director@csrgweb.org

• Other CSRG rules and info

USUAL SITES & SCENES:

• Scales - open Friday late afternoon (whenever Ethan gets them set up), open Saturday @ 8 AM

• Awards & Adults Beverages (Saturday after the last race, the last checkered flag)

• ALL the above will be located at SRS paddock area

WHAT CAN YOU DO:

• Please send us photos of your car, new paint, fresh tires, time to start 2022 and let us show off on social media!

• Please paypal ethan@shippertracingservices.com your $200 donation so we can order trophies, and of course buy beer and wine for the party :)

• Please donate gift certificates, swag, prizes for our party drawing!

NEW POINTS: DOUBLE DOWN ON RACES

• This year, we are having TRUE DOUBLE RACE WEEKENDS! What does that mean? Well, it means you have Q1 and Race 1 on Saturday, then Q2 and Race 2 on Sunday. Each qualifying and race are separate. You start all over again with Q2 on Sunday so if you have a bad run on Saturday, you get a chance to start fresh on Sunday. This will give everyone a chance to take two bites at the apple.

• This year we are adding a Hard Charger to our list. The driver who makes up the most positions (in either CF or HF, not both) will be awarded 2 points. Most of our hard chargers are traditionally starting deep in the field so we figured they needed some recognition too!

• Points for:

  • Green Flag Start (1 point for all who take the green)

  • Pole - each class CF and HF (1 point each)

  • Hard Charger - one hard charger each race (2 points)

  • Points: 10 - 1st, 8 - 2nd, 6 - 3rd, 5 - 4th, 4 - 5th, 3 - 6th, 2 - 7th, 1 - 8th

  • Max points haul for a weekend (Pole/Start/Win = 12 points, do it both days = 24 points, do that 3 times for a perfect season = 72 points!)

MASTERS, LISTEN UP!

• This year, as promised, we are bumping the Masters class age of eligibility to 65

• The rule will now read: The Masters Division, rewards the top finishing drivers who are 65 or older by January 1st of the current race season. Regardless of class, eligibility is based solely upon age. Drivers that have a class podium finish will not be eligible for the Masters award in addition. (Example: Racer X finishes 3rd in Historic Ford, is 66 years old. He or she cannot also accept a Masters award.)

• To be included, you MUST email rebecca@shippertracingservices.com (please earlier than later)

• ***Masters is not a points classification, just a race weekend trophy***

Kicking off the 2022 Season

Getting ready for the 2022 Championship Season!

Hello drivers! Remember us? Well, we are FINALLY nearing the first race of the 2022 Crossflow Cup season. We are so excited to get going again and to see what 2022 has in store for us with close racing and a tight points fight from front to back!

NEWS:
Some of you may already know, but for 2022 we are going to feature double race weekends! Saturday AND Sunday afternoon races will count for points. We will still do our Saturday night party with awards, drinks, and good times, but Sunday post-race there will be a short podium ceremony as well with the second set of trophies given out. The points breakdown/structure will be the same as 2021 with points given back through 10th place, as well as points given for pole (one each weekend per class) and fastest laps (each class, each race).

This year we are asking for a "membership fee" to cover costs of trophies, beer/wine/champagne, swag, giveaways, etc. We are asking each driver to paypal $200 to cover these expenses. Think of it as $33 each race, to contribute to the cost of the fun. Once this is paid you will be eligible to collect points for the Championship! Please paypal to ethan@shippertracingservices.com

SPONSORSHIP:
Without layingallthe costs at the feet of the racers, we are actively looking for sponsors to help with deferring costs for the season. This could be a weekend award, giveaways. etc. Prep shops, perhaps you would be willing to offer up something in the form of a "gift certificate". Anything helps keep the fun factor high and the racers wanting to come back for more.

We are looking forward to a great season! Thanks and you'll be hearing from us again very soon-
Your Crossflow Cup Team

2022 Season Schedule

Cheers to 2022! Season Schedule Released

As you know we surveyed everyone and value the feedback to help shape the direction for 2022. The two takeaways from our survey was that you guys REALLY wanted to see Thunderhill back on the calendar, and you also really didn't want to see events with big entry fees. So we tried to keep those things in mind as we started to put a calendar together. As most of you also know, many 2022 schedules were released very late this year and there were several conflicts already. So what we have is three races to start with, with the plan to add one or possibly two more over the coming weeks. We have been flooded with emails and text messages over the past weeks to get the schedule out so we wanted to do that now; we will update all of you moving forward.

The Crossflow season will start a little later than usual this year, starting with the Laps for Laguna event on May 21/22. We then move to Thunderhill for September 9/10/11. And we will close out the season as per usual with the CSRG Charity Challenge at Sonoma on October 1/2.


TIRES
Some of you may know that Avon has started construction of a "new" compound tire: the A46. This is supposed to slot somewhere between the old A25s and the A29s we currently allow. This tire was constructed to accomplish a few things for the UK Formula Ford racers, and it may help some of our racers too. The construction and carcass is exactly the same as the A29. However the compound is designed to get up to temperature a little more quickly than the A29. It was designed to be run in the UK where temperatures are often colder (and wetter) than what we deal with over here. For the 2022 season, Crossflow will be approving this tire, along with the already legal A29 and Hoosier VFF.

Recently, Crossflow set up a test day at Sonoma with three of our fastest racers. A control driver on Hoosiers, and two of our regular front runners on Avon's. The A46 proved to be NO faster than the Hoosier, which we already know to be of close pace to the A29. Wear rate was quicker than the A29 (something that will be mitigated by those running at an more leisurely pace), but it showed that it is not as fast as the A25 was, so we have nothing to fear from people choosing to run the A46.

So why are we allowing the A46? A number of reasons. We feel that by going to the A29's we did a good job in reigning in the rampant spending on tires that we were seeing. The unintended consequence of this was that the midpack and tail-enders struggled on the 29's on cold mornings and on opening laps of races. We had more first and second lap spins this year than we have in the past few years. We think that the A46 will slot in nicely with those of you who have talked to me about missing the A25.

Additionally, we think that allowing another tire that isn't faster, but makes its laptime in a different way will give our drivers and crews another tool in the toolbox. Not everyone's car works with the same shocks, ARB's, gears, etc. By the same token, not everyone's driving style works with the same tires. This additional option will allow us the opportunity to help close the competition up and make our races even more exciting.

Finally, if you have talked to me at all over the past year, you know I am all about inclusion. The SOVREN guys to the north have approved the A46 (as the PNW isn't known for the 325 sunny days a year that we are blessed with..). And our friends to the south in the FFDC run almost exclusively on Hoosiers. I want us ALL to be on equal footing. The more people that come race with our group, the better our series gets. Simple as that. So get a set of A29's, A46's or Hoosier VFF's and come out and join us!

RULE CHANGES
First and foremost and effective immediately, Crossflow Cup will not be allowing any engines built by Picks Racing Engines. We have all heard the rumors and paddock gossip over the past few years. We don't want to get into any of that. We are a small series, we know 99% of you. We know those of you who build your own engines, and we know those of you who send your engines to Jay or someplace else. The simple fact of the matter is that that particular engine builder has a credibility issue. So if you are planning on running with us and have a Pick engine, please contact us now so we can handle this in advance.

2022
We will send another email in January with more information, possible test days, schedule additions (fingers crossed) and membership information. Thank you all for all for a great 2021, we wish you a Happy Holiday season and look forward to racing in 2022!

SONOMA, THE BIG FINALE

The final race…

Round 6 of the Crossflow Cup, our hottest race of the year in more ways than one! The Championship battles were blazing, air temp was in the mid 90's and track temps were over 130 degrees in the middle of the day!

36 angry Kent engines roared on track at 8:30 sharp to start the day. It was already warm at this point, and although track conditions weren't perfect, it was the best conditions of the weekend as temps continued to climb and the usual track oildowns worked against us as the weekend rolled by. The JARS stable came out strong, with Martin Lauber and Dr. Nick Colyvas locking out the top two spots early in the qualifying session, before eventually relinquishing the front row to Steve Romak in his now-familiar orange Titan, flanked by Andrew Wait in a very strong performance ending the session P2, only a scant .2 adrift. The rest of the top 10 were mostly familiar faces: Heil, Cross, the aforementioned Lauber and Colyvas while Wade Carter and Greg Hoff (both in their second Crossflow appearances) lined up 7th and 8th. And the final two spots in the top 10 were occupied by Brian's; Forster and Swanson in that order. The session was cut short however with just under 10 minutes remaining though after an unfortunate incident with Jay Streets and Paul Kitchen left us one car shy for the afternoon session. Further complicating matters, the timing loop neglected to pick up around a half-dozen otherwise perfectly functioning transponders. 

The sun was high in the sky as our gunfighters rolled out to start the final race of the season, and what a barnburner of a race it was to be. Andrew Wait jumped out to an early (and sizeable at one point) lead, followed by Colyvas, Romak, Heil (Club Ford leader), and Lauber. Colyvas departed the event at the beginning of the second lap, leaving Wait with a bit of breathing room.

Further back, newcomer Spencer Canon in his pretty Lola 340 moved up 3 spots on the opening laps, beginning a charge that would see him as high as 23rd before eventually finishing one spot back in 24th. Friends Rob Thull and Tom Minnich (making his Club Ford debut) began a racelong battle, duking it out with Jeff Rothman's Royale and Dan Wise's Crossle. Paul Kitchen didn't waste his time scything through this battle though, moving up nearly 15 spots to take the hard charger title for the race!

The battle for the final spot on the Club Ford podium was fierce as Neil Porter managed to stay on the tail of 2nd place Brian Forster's Tiga, but never out of reach of Brian Swanson's Van Diemen. Unfortunately the latter duos battle came to an ignominious end a few laps from the end when Porter spun and Swanson got tangled up while avoiding it. But this elevated Tom Duncan's PRS to the final Club Ford podium spot. 

Phil Ribbs left his high revving Formula Junior at home this weekend and joined the Crossflow craziness with a lovely Lotus 69. Phil had a great racelong tussle with Mark Keller, Steve Jeffords and George Jewett. George came out the best of this pack at the stripe though. I think Phil will be back for more!

While all this was going on though, the peloton (led by Jellyman Kelly Heil) had closed down on Wait and a hand to hand battle at 100mph was to ensue. Weaving in and out through lap traffic, the lead pack fought it out, swapping positions and lines for the final 3 laps of the race. Heil found his way though first and stretched out a gap, leaving Wait, Lauber and Romak in a three way battle for second, with Carter just adrift ready to pounce at a moment's notice. Passes and repasses occurred as the laps wound down, in typical FF fashion. As the leaders headed for T11 on the last lap, Lauber and Romak were side by side, and that would be how they would finish. Lauber taking for the Historic Ford win, Romak off to his side just inches behind, Wait in 3rd and Carter just off the podium. Andrew would have to settle for fastest race lap when it was all done, having fought it out to the end. Heil came home with the overall win and Club Ford win, with Forster P2 and Duncan P3. 

Club Ford Podium
1st - Kelly Heil, 2nd - Brian Forster, 3rd - Tom Duncan

Historic Ford Podium
1st - Lauber Team, 2nd - Steve Romak, 3rd - Andrew Wait

Masters Division
1st - Greg Hoff, 2nd - Ed VanTassel, 3rd - Chris Schoap

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS:

Although our points race was the the first race after lunch, quite a few hearty souls hung around for the festivities. And with good reason, there were lots of prizes and awards to be handed out!

Shippert Racing Services again offered up the prizes for giveaway's. This time another pair of suit dryers were handed out, and the ante was upped with FOUR Longacre digital tire pressure gauges given away. Last time out, we did our "Champagne Sponsors" on the podium and that proved to be a success. So this time there was no less than 50 bottles of bubbly available to be sprayed en masse. Each bottle was custom labeled with the 2021 Crossflow Cup season's events listed out.

Our championship podiums were up next. Club Ford saw Dan Wise's consistency earn him the bronze spot, the always quick Brian Forster in the silver spot, and Kelly Heil taking the top spot. Kelly and his brother Kris were put through the ringer this year. From a mysterious ignition problem that dogged them early in the year, to a small off track excursion that put a ding or two into their beautiful green and white, Ivey powered, Crossle 30F at Laguna Seca early in the summer. Together they fought back from adversity to take the Cypress Lane Trophy! Well done gentlemen!

Historic Ford had some familiar faces. Our perennial championship podium finisher Martin Lauber (in fact, he has been on the championship podium 4 out of the last 5 years) took the bronze spot. Steve Romak showed his consistency and pace at the front with one race win to earn the second spot on the championship podium. But Mr. Three-peat, Danny Baker was able to come home with his third consecutive Crossflow Cup Historic Ford championship and his first Cypress Lane Trophy! Danny opened his 2021 account with a string of wins. His Competition Touring Cars prepared/Ivey Engines powered Lotus 61 was incredibly strong and unbeatable early in the year, winning the first half of the season with bonus points for poles and fastest laps. Can he do it again next year? Time will tell!

Awards were up next! Colin Cross won the rookie of the year for 2021. Although Colin isn't a rookie in the purest sense of the word, he's a rookie to vintage racing. And he's returning to the cockpit after a long layoff. Colin purchased his Van Diemen late in the spring, and was quickly a force to be reckoned with on the track, fighting through adversity, engine problems, and learning how to race on treaded tires and did it all smiling. He will be a threat to the frontrunners next year!

Jay Streets handed out his Garagiste award. This year, the Garagiste was given out to the "long haul" guy: the one who started AND finished every race of the season. Towing to all 6 rounds, and making every green flag lap of every single race was none other than Dan Wise. Congrats Dan!

Next up was our Best Appearing Ford winner. This year, we felt that the choice should really go to someone who does their own work. Someone who puts long hours and effort into making their car look podium ready. The clear choice was Marty Benck with his beautiful tri-colored Titan. For those of you that haven't seen Marty's work in the past, he is known for beautiful sympathetic restorations. The Titan is the latest in his long line of gorgeous machines. Marty missed the party as he was affecting some repair work to be ready for Sunday's races which is why he's not pictured. But if you have a chance next season sometime, seek him out in the paddock and take a look at how it should be done!

Our season MVP award went to Steve Romak. Steve has come a long way in a couple short seasons. He is a bona fide contender every weekend, he has a great attitude and nothing but friends in the paddock. That's not a task easily accomplished but Steve does it with aplomb.

The Ivey boys once again made and donated a beautiful trophy for the Crossflow Cup. This award is our series' highest honor. The recipient represents all the best attributes of our group: camaraderie, competition, respect for one's fellow competitor, and a winning attitude on and off the track. Series founder Andrew Wait was the obvious choice this year. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Andrew for his efforts on our behalf. He is a weather gauge in the paddock, an agitator for our best interests, and has a clear read on what FF racers want and like. There's not a person in the paddock who doesn't know Andrew, and vise versa. He has led this group of misfits open wheel racers to become what is (in our opinion!) the best vintage series on the west coast. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do for the Crossflow Cup, Andrew. And congratulations!

Rookie of Year: Colin Cross Garagiste: Dan Wise Crossflow Cup: Andrew Wait MVP: Steve Romak

Best Appearing Ford: Marty Benck
photo by Vincent Puleo

CLUB FORD 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP
1st Kelly Heil
2nd Brian Forster
3rd Dan Wise

HISTORIC FORD 2021 CHAMPIONSHIP
1st Danny Baker
2nd Steve Romak
3rd Marin Lauber

POINTS STANDINGS:

HISTORIC:
Baker, Danny - 46
Romak, Steve - 40
Lauber, Martin - 35
Wait, Andrew - 30
VanTassl, Ed - 18
Lauber, Ed - 16
Ballantyne, John - 13
Colyvas, Nicholas - 13
Schoap, Chris - 12
Streets, Jay - 12

full list (give or take a point or two due to transponder issues) on website here

CLUB:
Heil, Kelly - 47
Forster, Brian - 40
Wise, Dan - 28
Swanson, Brian - 24
Dezzani, Alan - 22
Cross, Colin - 21
Lynn, Jim - 16
Duncan, Tom - 14
Hill, Ralph - 11
Jaremko, Mark -11

UPCOMING RACES:

Stay tuned for a 2022 schedule...

FUN-DING THE FUN

Thanks so much to our sponsors and those of you that have helped out with either your efforts or financial contributions throughout the season. This couldn't have happened without the help and assistance from Ivey Engines, Scott Young Gearboxes, Shippert Racing Services, and of course our series pointskeeper Dana VanTassel! Thank you all so much! See you in 2022!!

CSRG: The final Crossflow Cup race of 2021

We are 4 days from CSRG.
The final race.
The Championship.

 If you have already registered for this weekend, you have this information, but if not, here it is...

• CSRG Event Schedule (Group 6)

Paddock:

• Paddock load-in will be no earlier than 6PM on Thursday, September 30th

• Prior to that, the staging area will be in Lot 2

• CSRG Staff will direct load-in

• Paddock Map (also note new Grid location)

• Friday morning is a Blood Drive, NOT a test day like previous years

Tech:

• At the Driver's Lounge

• Friday 7:30am-12:30pm, 1-6pm

• Saturday 7:30am-12:30pm

Registration:

• At the Tech Center

• Friday open at 9am

• Saturday/Sunday opens at 7:30am

• eWaiver

Scales:

• At the SRS Compound, across from Garages 5-8

• Friday open 1pm

• Saturday open at 8am

Party:

• 5:45-ish -- after the final session, after the final checkered flag

• At the SRS compound, across from Garages 5-8

• Awards, adults beverages and prizes!

• Must be present to win:

  • 2 Longacre Digital Tire Gauges

  • 2 Suit Dryer Hangers

• Trophies:

  • Championship

  • Crossflow Cup

  • MVP

  • Rookie of the Year

  • Best Ford

SATURDAY:

• 8am Driver's Meeting in the Grandstand

• Qualifying at 8:30am

• Race at 2:00pm

• Party 5:45pm-ish

MASKS A MUST - MASKS A MUST - MASKS A MUST

23 days til the Season Finale

CROSSFLOW CUP SEASON FINALE with CSRG @ SONOMA

• 23 days away...

• Enter online here through Motorsports Reg

• Paddock load-in, Thursday, Sept 30th (6pm or later)

• Tech - CSRG forms are electronic, bring your car, gear and logbook

• Event Schedule - to be released the week of the event

• Garages available - email Geoff Pitts: Race.Director@csrgweb.org

• Other CSRG rules and info

USUAL SITES & SCENES:

• Scales - to open mid-day Friday, open Saturday @ 8 AM

• Stickers/Patches - for sale!

• Awards & Adults Beverages (Saturday after the last race, the last checkered flag)

• ALL the above will be located at SRS paddock area

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS:

• We really, really want to take advantage of the opportunity to have a highlight video from this season. HOWEVER, we need YOUR video to do so...

• Please purchase a spare flash drive so you can hand us your previous race video(s)

• Please also email or write down where the highlights start in your video ("great pass around turn 5 lap 6 in the feature race, or fast-forward to 13:52, etc…")

• Please bring these to CSRG and hand off to Rebecca

• Or, upload to the Drop Box Folder

OTHER NUTS & BOLTS:

• If anything changes for the CSRG weekend, we will note it in our next email

• Thank you to all of those that participated in the survey, we have received some excellent feedback

Championship Trophies, still up for grabs!

Rose Cup Race Recap

Photo by dbpics.com

RACE REPORT #5:

***Thanks to Darrell LeBlanc for hosting Round 5 of the Crossflow Cup. He has also graciously provided us with the following race report and photos! Disclaimer however, while the race report does NOT reflect which cars were running on Crossflow Cup legal tires, the points will. And a special thanks to our pointskeeper Dana VanTassel for being paddock police and keeping tabs on who was running what tires for us! ***

Round #5 of the Crossflow Cup too place July 9-11 with perfect Portland weather in the 80's all weekend.

25 cars took to the track for Friday morning practice. Ralph Hill got off to a fast start in his Crossle 35F with a 1:24:03, followed by John Greeven in his Crossle 32F with a 1:24:41. Historic Ford practice saw Bob Posner's Titan post a 1:24.82, followed closely by Wade Carter's Titan 1:25:31. Since this was a three day event, two qualifying sessions allowed drivers to get used to the track and have multiple opportunities to set their qualifying time for Saturday's feature race. In the Friday afternoon qualifying session, Crossle 32F's topped the Club Ford timesheets with Mark Jaremko (past SCCA DSR National Champion) setting a time of1:24:38 and Quinn Posner two tenths behind with a 1:24:58. Dan Cowdrey, in his Crossle, led the Historic Fords with a time of 1:24:73, followed by Bob Posner a few tenths behind. Saturday mornings qualifying saw Ralph Hill take pole with a 1:24:01, but John Greeven found a new line around the track with a 1:24:12. Dan Cowdrey topped the Historic Ford timesheet with a 1:24:15. The top seven drivers were separated by less than half a second - a hint of what was to come that afternoon.

Saturday afternoons feature race saw 24 cars take the green flag, with Mark Jaremko finish first overall with a best lap of 1:24.29. Ralph Hill finished second in Club Ford and second overall. Ralph grabbed the fastest lap of the race with a 1:23.95 - the only driver to dip into the 1:23's all weekend. In Historic Ford, Ed Van Tassel got his first win of the year, beating Bob Posner by two thousandths of a second. Some drivers were running on fumes at the end of the 30 minute race, with Ed running out of gas on the cool down lap.

At the conclusion of Saturday's exciting Feature Race we honored our Master's Division racers which consist of racers 60 years or older on race day. All of our Master's podium winners did exceptionally well in the Feature Race with Masters first place John Greeven finishing 4th, our second place Russ Werner finishing 7th and our third place Brian Forster finishing 8th overall in the Feature Race. These fine racers fit the definition of a Master: a class for competitors over the usual age for the highest level of competition.

Masters Division
1st - John Greeven
2nd - Russ Werner
3rd -Brian Forster

Club Ford Podium
1st - Mark Jaremko
2nd - Ralph Hill
3rd - Quinn Posner

Historic Ford Podium
1st -Ed VanTassel
2nd - Bob Posner
3rd - John Ballantyne

POINTS STANDINGS:

HISTORIC:

Baker, Danny 46

Romak, Steve 31

Lauber, Martin 24

Wait, Andrew 23

Lauber, Ed 16

Cowdrey, Dan 14

VanTassel, Ed 14

Ballantyne, John 13

Colyvas, Nicholas 12

Streets, Jay 12

full list on website here

CLUB:

Heil, Kelly 34

Forster, Brian 31

Swanson, Brian 23

Wise, Dan 23

Cross, Colin 21

Dezzani, Alan 19

Lynn, Jim 15

Hill, Ralph 11

Jaremko, Mark 11

Posner, Quinn 10

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS:

Thanks to the Ivey's for hosting the Portland round party at Ivey Engines HQ! A great time was had by all!

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
Please share any onboard video with our Crossflow Cup Drop Box. Just a quick 10-15 seconds (or if a longer video note where to start to see the highlight of a good pass, restart, close finish, three-wide, etc). If you are having technical difficulties, message us for a physical address to mail your flash drive to.

UPCOMING RACES:
CSRG @ Sonoma: October 1-3 (season finale!) stay tuned for updates and countdown

FUN-DING THE FUN

Many people have asked how they can help the series - prizes for the party, beer, wine, even donations via paypal ethan@shippertracingservices.com

Rose Cup Races- 26 days out!

Photo by James Kim

ROSE CUP RACES: 26 DAYS OUT
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO...

• Rose Cup Race: July 9-11

• Register here $475 entry fee (3 days, 5 sessions)

• Test Day, Thursday July 8th ~$400 (see link above)

  • Track walk/slow drive first thing in the AM

  • If more than 10 FF's sign up, we'll get our own group!

• Weekend Schedule

  • Friday 10:30am practice, 2:55 Q1

    • Party @ The Ivey's - drinks, food, prizes!

  • Saturday 10:35 Q2, 3:15 Points Race

    • HF & CF winners get a VICTORY LAP!

  • Sunday 9:35am Race 2 (then head home!)

• COVID protocol:

  • Masks are optional(!)

• Portland FF gears:

  • 1st 18:32

  • 2nd 20:30

  • 3rd 22:29

  • 4th 25:26

• Supplementary Regulations

• Any questions you don't see answered here:

  • Try the Rose Cup Website or email

  • Darrell LeBlanc: darrell@fopir.com go to guy for maps, hotels, where to get a good burger, any other event/weekend questions

A WORD FROM YOUR CROSSFLOW CUP TEAM:

We will not be able to attend due to previous commitments. In the meantime we are happy to answer any questions or you can reach out to Darrell (email above). We hope to get a full report back about the best FF racers and groups as we have been seeing all season long. We will be following you on Race Hero from the paddock at Watkins Glen! We are down to the final two races, the Championship is not locked in, so if you need points, GO.TO.PORTLAND!

Now you can get back to cheering on former Formula Ford driver Josef Newgarden at Detroit today!

CSRG @ Laguna: Race Report

Photos by James Kim

LAGUNA, RACE #4
(a.k.a. the Steve Romak Show)

Round 4 of the Crossflow Cup, took place under sunny skies and warm weather of the Monterey Peninsula in June. After the cold and gray weather of Round 3, it was a welcome change!

38 cars took to the track at 11:30 AM on Saturday to start qualifying, with Martin Lauber's familiar blue Titan striking first, topping the timesheets in the early part of the session. A heated battle for the top starting spot ensued; pole position was held for a bit by Art Hebert and Danny Baker at different points before Steve Romak in his bright orange Titan eventually put his stamp on the session with a 1:39.138. Baker's Lotus locked out the 2nd spot, followed by Hebert and perennial Formula Ford Drivers Club front runner Todd Strong, who put in a solid effort in his Titan to start him off on the outside of the second row.  A few spots back, the Club Ford pole was snagged by Kelly Heil, followed closely by Brian Forster's Tiga and Colin Cross in a strong qualifying effort in only his second Crossflow Cup appearance.

4:30 was the scheduled race time and 19 rows of cars lined up nice and tight behind the pacecar for what was to be a very slow but clean start. When the green flag flew, the mosh pit began! Steve Romak immediately took the point, but Baker, Martin Lauber, Art Hebert, Todd Strong, Andrew Wait and Ed Lauber were all in lockstep behind. Other than Baker, Nick Colyvas' and Kelly Heil's cars were the only dissenters in Titan Town, with the Crossle and the Merlyn duking it out on lap one on the run to turn 5.  The heated battle ended early for Heil though, as he found himself in the Turn 4 wall a lap later. This was to be a deciding factor later in the race. 

Local yellows covered the scene of the incident in 4 so racing continued around the 2.238 mile course, as battles raged between locals and out-of-towner's, Kim Madrid's Crossle fought it out with Tom Minnich's Titan, Lotus 61's driven by Kitchen's (of both the elder and younger variety), and Brian Swanson's Van Diemen RF80.

Chris Locke's beautiful blue Merlyn made a really strong showing, hanging out inside the top 10 all day, besting both Brian Forster and Tom Duncan's Club Fords. Locke ended up on top of the Master's division podium for his efforts, flanked by Jay Streets in 2nd, and Ed VanTassel in the 3rd spot. 

After 7 laps, race control decided to put out a full course yellow quelling the fights, and the field circulated behind the safety car for a few laps before the checker waved. An unfortunate halt to what was a dominant performance by Steve Romak, who came through to win his first Crossflow Cup race, followed home by Baker and Lauber. The Club Ford podium was home to Colin Cross (another first time Crossflow Cup winner), Brian Forster, and Tom Duncan. 

The points battles are really heating up with two rounds remaining; so if you need points you'll want to go to Portland next month! Both of the Cypress Lane trophies are still completely up for grabs with the top 3 in both classes still in striking distance of taking the honors. 

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the dangerous situation of the incident in turn 4 and how our drivers dealt with it. I heard many mea culpas on the part of most of our drivers; I feel like most of you were very uncomfortable with racing past a car lap after lap in a precarious position. I cannot expect you to come in to pit lane en masse and say "please stop this race". What you can do, however, is reach out to CSRG and voice your opinion. Thank you all for being heads up and racing safely past what could've been a very regrettable situation. 

So in closing for Rebecca and I, we thank you all so much for another great weekend! Looking forward to Round 5 already!

Historic Ford Podium

1st - Steve Romak
2nd - Danny Baker
3rd - Martin Lauber & Art Hebert

Club Ford Podium

1st - Colin Cross
2nd - Brian Forster
3rd - Tom Duncan

Masters Division

1st - Chris Locke
2nd - Jay Streets
3rd - Ed VanTassel

Champagne Sponsors

Podium finishers were asked to a select "champagne sponsor" to let someone spray bubbles on their behalf this round

POINTS STANDINGS:

HISTORIC:
Baker, Danny - 46
Romak, Steve - 31
Lauber, Martin - 24
Wait, Andrew - 23
Lauber, Ed - 16
Colyvas, Nicholas - 12
Kitchen, Paul - 9
Cowdry, Dan - 8
Monahan, Tim - 8
Hebert, Art - 7

CLUB:
Heil, Kelly - 34
Forster, Brian - 26
Wise, Dan - 22
Cross, Colin - 21
Dezzani, Alan - 19
Swanson, Brian - 19
Lynn, Jim - 15
Duncan, Tom - 7
Keller, Mark - 6

full list on website here

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS:

Being the last race of the day has its benefits, as a bumper crop of smiling faces attended the post race festivities. The new Crossflow Cup koozies were a hit, and we changed up the usual champagne spraying by asking our podium finishers to select a "champagne sponsor"; someone who had never had the opportunity to spray the ceremonial victory bubbly before. It was quite entertaining to see!

Shippert Racing Services offered up the prizes for the drawings this time with a pair of driving suit dryers going each to Andrew Wait and Jim Lynn respectively. An Amsoil care package with spray cleaners and engine fogger went to Ed VanTassel, and Steve Romak continued the theme of the weekend by winning the Longacre digital tire pressure gauge!

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
Please share any onboard video with our Crossflow Cup Drop Box. Just a quick 10-15 seconds (or if a longer video note where to start to see the highlight of a good pass, restart, close finish, three-wide, etc). If you are having technical difficulties, message us for a physical address to mail your flash drive to.

UPCOMING RACES:
Rose Cup @ Portland: July 9-11 (more details coming in the next few days!)
CSRG @ Sonoma: October 1-3 (season finale!)

FUN-DING THE FUN

Many people have asked how they can help the series - prizes for the party, beer, wine, even donations via paypal ethan@shippertracingservices.com

CSRG @ Laguna - 3 days away!

Photo by James Kim

3 DAYS OUT - KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: 

• CSRG @ Laguna, June 5-6

• Laguna COVID waiver

• Paddock load-in, Friday starting at 9am

• Registration CSRG Speedwaiver, Friday starting at 2pm

• Tech, Friday starting at 9am

• Paddock Map for registration/tech/etc locations

• Event Schedule

  • Drivers Meeting 8am - stairs to suites

    • SAT Qualifying 11:30am

    • SAT Race at 4:30pm

    • SAT Party at 5pm - right after our race!

CROSSFLOW CHECKLIST:

• Scales - open Friday 1pm-ish, Saturday 8am

• Stickers/Patches - NEW sticker available for purchase this weekend!

• Awards & Adults Beverages (come in your drivers suit!)

• Our weekend drawing (must be present to win!) for prizes will include:

  • Two Racing Suit Dryers

  • One Longacre Digital Tire Pressure Gauge

  • One Amsoil Care Package

• ALL the above will be located at SRS paddock area

A WORD FROM YOUR CROSSFLOW CUP TEAM:

We have heard all the positive feedback about the 3:1 schedule (P/Q/R1 on Saturday, R2 on Sunday) unfortunately, it was not available to us this weekend. We did want you to know we will try again for future events, especially those without a test day on Friday. As always, this is YOUR race series, we are just trying to facilitate it the best we can for you.

CSRG at Laguna - 11 days!

Photo by James Kim

CSRG RETURNS TO LAGUNA, June 5-6

• Enter online here through Motorsports Reg

• Paddock load-in, Friday the 4th (exact times TBD)

• Tech - CSRG forms are electronic, bring your car, gear and logbook

• Event Schedule - to be released the week of the event

• Garages available - email Geoff Pitts: Race.Director@csrgweb.org

• Other CSRG rules and info

USUAL SITES & SCENES:

• Scales - to open mid-day Friday, open Saturday @ 8 AM

• Stickers/Patches - for sale! (be sure to check out our latest sticker design!)

• Awards & Adults Beverages (Saturday after the last race, the last checkered flag)

• ALL the above will be located at SRS paddock area

DROP US THAT VIDEO

• Any onboard video from the last race? Upload to the Drop Box Folder or email us for a physical address to send your flash drive to

LOOKING AHEAD:

• Rose Cup Races - registration is OPEN

• Registration Fees: Race Entry $475; EARLY BIRD $425 by June 1!

• Thursday, July 8th will be a Test Day

Masters - Race Report!

Photo by James Kim

RACE REPORT #3, FROM GLOOMY LAGUNA

Rolling into round 3 of the championship, we had 34 racers answer the call to arms. This was the first time for our series to run with Masters, and they were kind enough to give us a practice session Saturday morning to help our racers get up to speed with the new A29's that most of our drivers would be on for the first time since 2018. Unfortunately though, the trend of cold and gloomy Monterey weather for 2021 continued and  we were greeted by gray skies and rain on Saturday morning. Formula Ford racers are nothing if not determined though and 29 of our racers braved the weather to test their mettle for practice! Lots of slides and spins, but fortunately lots of heads up driving was on display by the Crossflow competitors and everyone made it through the wet session with no one much worse for the wear than some dirty racecars. 

Qualifying was a bit drier, but still cold. Lots of drivers came into the pits to make setup changes as the session went on, adjusting their cars to the cold weather, the new tires, and the heated competition on track.  The grid was set after 20 minutes of madness with Dan Cowdrey in his yellow Titan taking the top spot, followed by Danny Baker, Martin Lauber, Brian Forster's Tiga in 4th (Club Ford pole position), and Colin Cross who was making his return to the cockpit after a long respite rounding out the top 5. 

Of course, typical of the class, the grid looked nothing like that by the time the group got to Turn 2 on lap 1! Fanning out 4 and 5 wide as they crested the hill, all in hot pursuit of a familiar little green Lotus... Baker, Cowdrey, Martin Lauber, Cross, Romak, Forster, Heil, Ed Lauber, Ballantyne and Wait with 24 of their closest friends ready to trip over them at any moment. 

While the fight at the front was mostly the usual suspects, there were some interlopers as well! John Ballantyne (who came all the way from Montana to race with us) was keeping the guys in the top 10 honest in his first FF visit to Laguna. Ed Van Tassel (on his way to his first visit to the top step of the Masters podium) duked it out Oliver Ramleth and a returning Steve Hoogs. The three of them crossed the finish within tenths of one another. Tom Minnich made some serious gains in the race, moving up 8 spots and resetting his personal best laptime in the process to finish a whisker behind Dan Wise's Crossle. But the big gain of the day was "Lawnchair" Will Jackson in his Titan. As he told us all during the party, Will struggled with a shift linkage issue that hampered him in the early sessions. Using some frontier medicine and some parts off a chair, they managed to get it fixed just in time to make it to grid for the race, only to have a dead battery and need to be push started off! Will worked his way forward having a great run in the process. 

Overall, our drivers did a great job showing the Masters group what FF racing is all about! Hopefully when we return to Laguna in 3 weeks for CSRG and round 4 of the championship, someone will pack some sunshine in their trailer...

Photo by James Kim

Masters Division
1st - Ed VanTassel
2nd -Jay Streets
3rd - Brian Swanson

*Note if you are over 60 and we don't have you noted for Masters, please email us*

Photo by James Kim

Club Ford Podium

1st - Kelly Heil

2nd - Colin Cross

3rd - Brian Forster

Photo by James Kim

Historic Ford Podium
1st - Danny Baker
2nd - Steve Romak
3rd - Nora (and Martin) Lauber

POINTS STANDINGS
HISTORIC

Baker, Danny - 37

Romak, Steve - 19

Wait, Andrew - 19

Lauber, Martin - 17

Lauber, Ed - 13

Colyvas, Nicholas - 11

Cowdrey, Dan - 8

Kitchen, Paul - 8

Monahan, Tim - 8

Ballantyne, John - 4

Jackson, Will - 4

Matheson, Kris - 4

Streets, Jay - 4

full list on here

CLUB

Heil, Kelly - 32

Dezzani, Alan - 18

Wise, Dan - 18

Forster, Brian - 17

Swanson, Brian - 13

Lynn, Jim - 12

Cross, Colin - 9

Dupuis, David - 5

Hybels, Richard - 5

Keller, Mark - 4

Posner, Quinn - 3

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS
While it was mighty chilly, folks still gathered on Saturday night for a beer and to revel in the moment and relive battles on track. We had 5 GREAT giveaways from our sponsors this time. Jay and Colin Ivey were on hand to draw the names for the $200 Ivey Engines gift certificates, this time they went to Brian Swanson, and Chris Schoap. Scott Young Enterprises, (the official gearbox parts and service supplier of Crossflow Cup) gave away one Mk box dog ring each to Brian Forster and Dave Sandlin. And finally, the helmet paint by Lechner Racing Design went to Danny Baker! Even though it was cold all day, we had a lot of hearty folks hang around the party for a while! Thanks for coming to all of you!!!

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
Please share any onboard video with our Crossflow Cup Drop Box. Just a quick 10-15 seconds (or if a longer video note where to start to see the highlight of a good pass, restart, close finish, three-wide, etc). If you are having technical difficulties, message us for a physical address to mail your flash drive to.

UPCOMING RACES:
CSRG @ Laguna, June 5-6 register HERE
Rose Cup Races @ Portland, July 8-11 register HERE
CSRG @ Sonoma, October 1-3

Thanks from Ethan & Rebecca, see you soon!

Photo by James Kim

FUN-DING THE FUN

Many people have asked how they can help the series, if you want to contribute, sponsor, donate to keep the good times rolling - please feel free to reach out or paypal ethan@shippertracingservices.com. On race weekends too, if you have some down time before the party, come on over to help set up, you can be the first to be served some wine or beer!

Masters: 7 Days Out, Know Before You Go

Photo by James Kim

7 DAYS OUT - KNOW BEFORE YOU GO: 

• Masters Speed Festival, May 15-16

• Online Entry Form - still time to register!

• Paddock load-in, Friday the 14th, from 12-5pm

• Friday registration, Garages 21-24, from 12-6pm

• Event Schedule UPDATED as of 5/5

  • Drivers Meeting 8am

    • SAT Practice 10:05am

    • SAT Qualifying 1:15pm

    • SAT Points Race 4:00pm

CROSSFLOW CHECKLIST:

• Tech (bring your helmet and logbook and we will hand you a sticker)

• Scales (open Saturday @ 8 AM)

• Stickers/Patches

• Awards & Adults Beverages (Saturday after the last checkered flag, 5ish)

• Our weekend drawing (must be present to win!) for prizes will include:

  • Two Mk box dog rings from Scott Young Enterprises (value $250/ea)

  • One custom helmet paint job of your choice/design from Tony Lechner at Lechner Racing Design

• ALL the above will be located at SRS paddock area

A WORD FROM YOUR CROSSFLOW CUP TEAM:
We are trying something different with the schedule this weekend. Traditionally as you know, we start our weekends off with Saturday AM qualifying. But since most everyone will be scuffing in their brand new A29's, we thought we would try something new and give you a practice session first off. This is untimed, and its just to get the cobwebs off and scuff in those tires.

INFO - Masters Speed Festival, May 15-16

CROSSFLOW CUP, ROUND 3 INFORMATION:

• Online Entry Form

• Paddock load-in & Registration, Friday the 14th, from 12-5pm

• Event Schedule

• Hotel Room Blocks: Hyatt & Marriott

USUAL SITES & SCENES:

• Tech (bring your logbook and we will hand you a sticker)

• Scales (open Saturday @ 8 AM)

• Stickers/Patches

• Awards & Adults Beverages (Saturday after the last checkered flag)

• ALL the above will be located at SRS paddock area

TIRE TALK (are you tire-d of it yet?)

• As of today, Roger says the A29's will be here and available for all to run, so we will FINALLY be making the change to A29's for the whole of the grid (or Hoosiers).

• Don't throw away those 25's, you can always use them up on non-Crossflow sessions (Test sessions, Sunday sessions, etc)

DROP US THAT VIDEO

• Any onboard video from the last race? Upload to the Drop Box Folder

LOOKING AHEAD:

• Registration is OPEN

LOOKING AHEAD:

• Rose Cup Races - registration is OPEN

• Registration Fees: Race Entry $475; EARLY BIRD $425 by June 1!

• Thursday, July 8th will be a Test Day

Race Report #2, from Sunny Sonoma

RACE REPORT #2, FROM SUNNY SONOMA

What a weekend! The cars! The sunshine! Good friends and fierce battles; exactly what we have come to expect from the Crossflow Cup over the years. There were stories from front to back on the grid, and there was racing from front to back as well. We had 42 cars take to the track for Qualifying Saturday morning. Danny Baker in his Lotus 61, and Kelly Heil in his Crossle 30f took the Historic Ford and Club Ford pole positions respectively, locking out the front row. Filling out the top 5 were the usual cast of characters: Steve Romak, Andrew Wait, and Nick Colyvas. 

The lead group of five took off at the green and began duking it out immediately. But the real race was happening at the back side of the top ten... 

A scrum of racers that included (at various points, and in no particular order as it changed every lap): Will Jackson, Mitch Roth, Paul Kitchen, Brian Swanson, Ed VanTassel, Mike Wirrick, Chris Locke, Brian Forster in his recently rebuilt Tiga, our long haul champ John Ballantyne and newcomer Greg Hoff as well as a few more that came in and out of this group. Kris Matheson and Ed Lauber both made appearances at some point in this dogfight, but managed to break free of it in the later stages. This pack was going at it hammer and tongs for the bulk of the distance and showed that the spirit of FF racing is truly alive and well in our series. 

Returning to the FF ranks for the first time in 2 years was Tom Minnich who was welcomed back by being ensconced in a battle with Rob Thull's Titan,  PNW'er Ron Bonham, Jim Lynn in his Crossle, and everyone's favorite bus driver Chris Schoap. 

The race was not without some heartbreak however, as we lost a few drivers due to mechanical issues. Martin Lauber had an issue with a fuel leak causing him a lot of discomfort in the cockpit, Oliver Ramleth had an issue that prevented him from finishing, and Jonathan Kitchen lost a drive donut. 

We still had 37 drivers running at the checker however, and we were complimented by Race Control as having an incredibly clean race. Not a single call of contact or passes under yellow, lots of drivers signalling to one another with raised hands, and overall exactly the type of racing we want to have in our events. Well done gentlemen, we knew you could do it!!!

Masters Division
1st - Jay Streets
2nd - Ed VanTassel
3rd - Mike Wirrick

Photo by James Kim

Club Ford Podium
1st - Kelly Heil
2nd - Brian Forster
3rd - Brian Swanson

Photo by James Kim

Historic Ford Podium
1st - Danny Baker
2nd - Steve Romak
3rd - Andrew Wait

Photo by James Kim

POINTS STANDINGS

HISTORIC

Baker, Danny - 26
Wait, Andrew - 14
Colyvas, Nicholas - 10
Romak, Steve - 10
Lauber, Martin- 10
Lauber, Ed - 9
Monahan, Tim - 8
Kitchen, Paul - 7
Matheson, Kris - 4
Streets, Jay - 3

*full list on website

CLUB

Heil, Kelly - 20
Dezzani, Alan - 15
Wise, Dan - 13
Lynn, Jim - 11
Forster, Brian - 9
Swanson, Brian - 7
Dupuis, David - 5
Posner, Quinn - 3
Keller, Mark - 2
Epifani, Paulo - 1
Hybels, Richard - 1

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS

Before we could get to the awards, we had 4 giveaways at the party. Once again, the crew at Ivey Engines gave us two $200 gift certificates to give away; this weekend being won by Dave Sandlin and Alan Dezzani. Shippert Racing Services gave away two Amsoil care packages of engine and gear oil which were won by Kelly Heil and Jeff Rothman. Remember guys and gals, you must be present to win!!!

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

Our very own racecar driver/producer, Mitch Roth has set up a Drop Box for the Crossflow Cup. Please send any onboard highlights you have, 10-15 seconds (or if a longer video note where to start to see the highlight of a good pass, restart, close finish, three-wide, etc). This will be a great way to capture some race highlights. Thank you to Mitch for collecting and producing this in advance!

UPCOMING RACES:

*Masters Speed Festival @ Laguna, May 15-16 Entry Form
(note, Crossflow Cup does not need to pay membership fee, just entry fee for Masters event)
CSRG @ Laguna, June 5-6
Rose Cup Races @ Portland, July 8-11
CSRG @ Sonoma, October 1-3
*Masters Speed Festival specifics and details email to follow next week!

FUN-DING THE FUN

Many people have asked how they can help the series, if you want to contribute, sponsor, donate to keep the good times rolling - please feel free to reach out or paypal ethan@shippertracingservices.com. On race weekends too, if you have some down time before the party, come on over to help set up, you can be the first to be served some wine or beer!

CSRG this Weekend @ Sonoma!

Photo by Vincent Puleo

We are 4 days from CSRG.
The second race of the season.
The first race at Sonoma.

 If you have already registered for this weekend, you have this information, but if not, here it is...

• CSRG Event Schedule (Group 6)

Paddock:

• Paddock load-in will be no earlier than 3PM on Thursday, April 8th (this is a Test day through Sonoma Raceway)

• Prior to that, the staging area will be in Lot 2

• CSRG Staff will direct load-in

Tech:

• Tech Form

• Friday, Roving Tech (Henk will be walking around tech'ing cars)

• Saturday, 7:30am-12noon, in front of the Driver's Lounge

• Tech first THEN head to registration

Registration:

• Media Center - say hi to Petey!

• Everyone MUST complete a speed-waiver to show on their phone

• Thursday afternoon, as soon as allowed

• Friday at 8:00am

• Saturday/Sunday at 7:30am

Scales:

• At the SRS Compound, across from Garages 3-4-5-6

• Friday open at 12 noon

• Saturday open at 8am

Party:

• 5 o'clock-ish -- after the final session, after the final checkered flag

• At the SRS compound, across from Garages 3-4-5-6

• Awards, adults beverages and prizes!

• Must be present to win:

  • 2 Certificate's from The Ivey's

  • 2 Amsoil Oil packages from SRS

SATURDAY:

• 8am Driver's Meeting in the Grandstand

• Qualifying at 10:35am

• Race at 3:00pm

• Party 5ish

MASKS A MUST - MASKS A MUST - MASKS A MUST

Upcoming CSRG, Tires and more!

Photo By Vincent Puleo

Hello Crossflow Racers,

We are only 14 days out from CSRG. Here is what you need to know...

• Register HERE on Motorsports Reg if you haven't already

• Entry Form

• Tech Form

• Other CSRG Info (Rules, Drivers Handbook, Bylaws) can be found here

Pre-race weekend Testing...so.much.track.time.

• Thursday, Test day through Sonoma Raceway

• Friday morning Testing through Sonoma Raceway

• Friday afternoon Testing through CSRG (when you register for the event)

Paddock/Party/Other...

• Paddock load in may be possible Thursday, BUT those Testing do have the right to paddock and use of the garages on Test days (first come, first serve) otherwise wait til 5pm for guaranteed access

• Party at SRS compound - awards and adult beverages!

• Scales at the SRS compound

• MASKS A MUST

RULES/POINTS
Since we are a series that runs our events under the auspices of other sanctioning bodies, our points totals will be based on the results the sanctioning organization publishes. Therefore for any rules infractions, we rely upon that sanctioning body (HMSA/CSRG/SOVREN/Masters/etc) to enforce their rules and punishment. If there are any protests or questions, we are reliant upon the sanctioning bodies rules to file a complaint or protest that race weekend, on site. We cannot be at every corner to spot the race and do rely on the event organizer, event staff to enforce the rules and standards. Ergo, when that sanctioning body posts the results, that's how we award points. Make sense?

TIRES
We are today two weeks out from load-in day at the CSRG David Love Vintage Races. Talking with Roger Kraus today, he does not yet have the shipment of A29's in. So, as we promised, we will continue the tire rules from the HMSA event last month. If you have A29's, great. If you only have A25's that's fine too. And because we probably haven't been clear about this, the Hoosiers have ALWAYS been legal to run with us. So if you have been sitting on the sidelines with your Hoosiers wondering what all this Avon insanity was all about, come on and join the fun anyways! Roger has said he expects the shipping container to arrive the week of the DLVR. Humblest apologies from all of us here for this tire mess, and we really appreciate your patience while this situation plays itself out.

Now, onto the next tire topic. There is a rumor going around that the series will be opening up to ANOTHER tire later this season. This is not true. Avon has sent over some pre-production tires to be tested so they can get a handle on the market. But to be clear: it is our intent to have everyone on either the A29 Avon, or the Hoosier VFF moving forward. A third option would only be chosen after a open book test was conducted with multiple runners from our grid. For our series to grow and prosper we need rules stability. We cannot express more clearly that we want nothing to do with a "tire of the day/week/month" scenario. For us to bring in an option C tire when we are still dealing with the hangover of the A25/A29 transition would not be fair to you guys. To wit:

Ethan's I Have a FF Dream Speech:
I have a dream, fellow Crossflow'ers. That dream is a simple one. I dream that Historic Fords and Club Fords can run anywhere on the West Coast without feeling that they are on the back foot. I really WANT folks to come and run Hoosiers alongside the A29's. I dream to have big grids where people can run one set of tires for more than just one weekend (or just one day). I dream for those same big grids to be able to run with us, I want the same big grids with the Formula Ford Driver's Club down south, I want those same big grids to run up north with SOVREN. And we would love it if those grids didn't have to require different tires for each area.

Now, can we stop talking about tires and get on with the racing?!?!?! See you guys in 2 weeks...

Your Crossflow Cup Team

EYES ON THE APEX:

• Masters registration is now open!

• CSRG @ Laguna

• Rose Cup Races @ Portland

• CSRG @ Sonoma

Aaaaaand if you are still with us, enjoy the Crossflow Cocktail of the evening:
Hendrick's and tonic, with slice of lime. Cheers!

CSRG Info & Tire Talk

Photo Credit: Vince Puleo

CSRG @ Sonoma - only 22 days away!

• Registration is OPEN

• Load in late Thursday evening/Friday AM

• Tech Form

• General Rules, Handbook, etc can be found HERE

• Friday morning is a test through Sonoma Raceway, Friday afternoon testing through CSRG registration (above)

Tire Talk - update!

We have had many calls and emails about this. The plan is still to go to A29's as soon as possible; however at the moment, Roger Kraus is still waiting on his tire shipment. We want to do what is the fairest for both the competitors and also to look after Roger (as he looks after us!). If the shipment of tires arrive by Friday, March 26th, then we will be going to the A29 for Sonoma. If Roger does NOT have his stock by next Friday, then we will continue allowing A25's. This "deadline" will allow two weeks for everyone to get tires ordered/shipped if they are indeed in stock and we feel this is the fairest way to deal with this situation. We appreciate all of your patience in dealing with this unexpected/unprecedented situation as it develops!