PDQ Motorsports (formerly RNR Racing) wins E2 class in 25 Hours of Thunderhill (long)
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PDQ Motorsports (formerly RNR Racing) wins E2 class in 25 Hours of Thunderhill (long)
Tracy, CA:
PDQ Motorsports (formerly RNR Racing) wins the E2 class at the
2004 25 Hours of Thunderhill
PDQ Motorsports fielded our H4 Honda Challenge Civic coupe in the 2004 25 Hours of Thunderhill. While no stranger to endurance racing, the team has been concentrating on the Honda Challenge sprint races the last two seasons.
In 2002 the team took the NASA NorCal E2 Championship capping it off with a class win (E2) and 2nd overall finish in the 12 Hours of Thunderhill. In 2003, the team won the NASA NorCal Honda Challenge H4 title. The team did compete in the 2003 25 Hours of Thunderhill but an hour 23 engine swap left us disappointed in our finish. With a 2004 2nd place in the NASA NorCal Honda Challenge H4 championship under our belt we got ready for the 2004 25 Hour. It was with high hopes that we approached this year’s event.
The team is fortunate to have sponsorship from key players in the performance car market. Auto Innovations, ACT, Cobalt Friction, Griffin Motorwerke, PDQ Motorsports, Rota Wheel and Toyo Tires. We proudly use the products and display the decals of these great companies. Without you, we wouldn’t be able to succeed.
Preparation is key in any event that tests a cars durability. The NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill, presented by the United States Air Force, tests a car to the limits and beyond. The car was completely gone thru with a fresh engine prepared by Griffin Motorwerke being installed. The transmission was checked and an ACT HD clutch and Streetlite XACT flywheel was called into duty. Suspension travel and alignment was checked and double checked at Auto Innovations. Toyo RA-1 tires were mounted and balanced onto Rota Wheels 15”X7” Slipstream wheels by Auto Innovations as well. Several sets of Cobalt Friction pads supplied by PDQ Motorsports were bedded in for the event.
It was at the track on the Friday test day that the team started to gel. Although most of the team was returning members of our endurance efforts, there were to be several new members. The team practiced driving, driver changes, fueling and tire changes. We also had a meeting where strategy and rules were discussed. Satisfied that we could work well as a team, we went out for a pre-race dinner of pizza and beer. Our driver lineup consisted of: Mike Davirro, Roger Foo, Bill Hagerty, Jeff Lepper, Tom Lepper, Derek Ramsey and Mike Quan, the team owner. Our crew consisted of: Bill Beverly, Orlando Cagatao, Jimmy Chilcot, Shawn Hughes, Robyn Lepper, Lisa Lepper, Emmett McKnight, Barrett Mitchel, Humberto Ortiz, Mike Ponce, Garrett Weldy & Pat Wong.
Saturday, race day, started early for us. We did a few last minute things to the Civic and were about to get the car to pregrid when our friends from GOTO Racing placed a ‘taxi’ sign on the car. Our team is all about having fun so we immediately adopted the sign. We left the sign on the car in pregrid only removing it for the race. We used it in the pits to transform our pit into a ‘taxi stand’. It magically found its way back onto the car after the race.
After an awe inspiring display by the Air Force, who came back to sponsor the event again, the race started. We started in 7th place out of the 23 strong E2 field because of the strong qualifying run by Tom Lepper. Everything was looking good until the third stint was being driven by Derek Ramsey who reported a strange noise from the right rear. Turns out the rear hub bearing failed even though all new bearings were installed in the car for the race. An emergency visit to the paddock resulted in us slipping to 18th place. While I am pleased that we were able to replace the hub and four tires in less than nine minutes, I know that we could have been faster if we had time to assemble the parts and tools before the car arrived!
Now near the back of our class, we started hunting down those in front of us. Excellent driving and precision pitstops allowed us to move up thru the field. All of the drivers’s did their best efforts of driving quickly, consistently and saving the car. One of the important stops saw us going back paddock again. This time it was a planned stop. We did a driver change, front pads, four tires and checked fluids in four minutes. (See, I told you my guys were good!) Don't worry, fuel was done in the pits!
The pre-dawn hours found us in 3rd place trying hard with a car that was hurting. A bad call on my part left the front pads on one stop too many. This resulted in wrapped rotors for the rest of the race. A miscue in the pits, which I blame on sleep deprivation, meant that we forgot to add oil at one of the stops. The engine went into a safe mode which moved the fuel cut down to 6500rpm instead of the 7400rpm where it normally is. Poor Mike Davirro had to drive the car in that condition in the low light conditions. Even though the car was fighting him, he brought it back in 2nd place. Luckily, the next driver, Tom Lepper, didn’t have to deal with the engine problems after we added oil! Tom got into the car and immediately stated closing on 1st. By the time Jeff, the next driver, gave the car to our finisher, Bill, we just needed to keep rolling for 20 minutes to secure our victory. Because we knew the lap times, we knew that it would be numerically impossible for anyone to catch us if we just kept running. Run we did with Bill turn in fast times just ‘cruising’ around. We were able to take the checkered with our friends, GOTO Racing, right by our side.
After the race, with the ‘taxi’ parked in the pits waiting for the impound inspection, I couldn’t believe the race results. Months of planning and sacrifice had paid off. The team had functioned as a well oiled machine. We had overcome unfortunate mechanicals. I sat on the pit wall and tried to savor the moment when…. an ice cold cooler was dumped on my by Jeff and Barrett!! We couldn’t stop laughing and smiling.
My personal thanks go out to all who helped with this year’s team. I told you before that every one of you is important and everything you do makes a difference. (A special thanks to those not often thought about or appreciated, by those who don’t race, are the team moms. Robyn & Lisa made sure we ate & drank. They prepared us hot food!) I told you that I would put you up against anyone in the field. You all proved me right. I couldn’t have been more proud.
Mike Quan, Team Owner, PDQ Motorsports H4/E2 Civic
PDQ Motorsports (formerly RNR Racing) wins the E2 class at the
2004 25 Hours of Thunderhill
PDQ Motorsports fielded our H4 Honda Challenge Civic coupe in the 2004 25 Hours of Thunderhill. While no stranger to endurance racing, the team has been concentrating on the Honda Challenge sprint races the last two seasons.
In 2002 the team took the NASA NorCal E2 Championship capping it off with a class win (E2) and 2nd overall finish in the 12 Hours of Thunderhill. In 2003, the team won the NASA NorCal Honda Challenge H4 title. The team did compete in the 2003 25 Hours of Thunderhill but an hour 23 engine swap left us disappointed in our finish. With a 2004 2nd place in the NASA NorCal Honda Challenge H4 championship under our belt we got ready for the 2004 25 Hour. It was with high hopes that we approached this year’s event.
The team is fortunate to have sponsorship from key players in the performance car market. Auto Innovations, ACT, Cobalt Friction, Griffin Motorwerke, PDQ Motorsports, Rota Wheel and Toyo Tires. We proudly use the products and display the decals of these great companies. Without you, we wouldn’t be able to succeed.
Preparation is key in any event that tests a cars durability. The NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill, presented by the United States Air Force, tests a car to the limits and beyond. The car was completely gone thru with a fresh engine prepared by Griffin Motorwerke being installed. The transmission was checked and an ACT HD clutch and Streetlite XACT flywheel was called into duty. Suspension travel and alignment was checked and double checked at Auto Innovations. Toyo RA-1 tires were mounted and balanced onto Rota Wheels 15”X7” Slipstream wheels by Auto Innovations as well. Several sets of Cobalt Friction pads supplied by PDQ Motorsports were bedded in for the event.
It was at the track on the Friday test day that the team started to gel. Although most of the team was returning members of our endurance efforts, there were to be several new members. The team practiced driving, driver changes, fueling and tire changes. We also had a meeting where strategy and rules were discussed. Satisfied that we could work well as a team, we went out for a pre-race dinner of pizza and beer. Our driver lineup consisted of: Mike Davirro, Roger Foo, Bill Hagerty, Jeff Lepper, Tom Lepper, Derek Ramsey and Mike Quan, the team owner. Our crew consisted of: Bill Beverly, Orlando Cagatao, Jimmy Chilcot, Shawn Hughes, Robyn Lepper, Lisa Lepper, Emmett McKnight, Barrett Mitchel, Humberto Ortiz, Mike Ponce, Garrett Weldy & Pat Wong.
Saturday, race day, started early for us. We did a few last minute things to the Civic and were about to get the car to pregrid when our friends from GOTO Racing placed a ‘taxi’ sign on the car. Our team is all about having fun so we immediately adopted the sign. We left the sign on the car in pregrid only removing it for the race. We used it in the pits to transform our pit into a ‘taxi stand’. It magically found its way back onto the car after the race.
After an awe inspiring display by the Air Force, who came back to sponsor the event again, the race started. We started in 7th place out of the 23 strong E2 field because of the strong qualifying run by Tom Lepper. Everything was looking good until the third stint was being driven by Derek Ramsey who reported a strange noise from the right rear. Turns out the rear hub bearing failed even though all new bearings were installed in the car for the race. An emergency visit to the paddock resulted in us slipping to 18th place. While I am pleased that we were able to replace the hub and four tires in less than nine minutes, I know that we could have been faster if we had time to assemble the parts and tools before the car arrived!
Now near the back of our class, we started hunting down those in front of us. Excellent driving and precision pitstops allowed us to move up thru the field. All of the drivers’s did their best efforts of driving quickly, consistently and saving the car. One of the important stops saw us going back paddock again. This time it was a planned stop. We did a driver change, front pads, four tires and checked fluids in four minutes. (See, I told you my guys were good!) Don't worry, fuel was done in the pits!
The pre-dawn hours found us in 3rd place trying hard with a car that was hurting. A bad call on my part left the front pads on one stop too many. This resulted in wrapped rotors for the rest of the race. A miscue in the pits, which I blame on sleep deprivation, meant that we forgot to add oil at one of the stops. The engine went into a safe mode which moved the fuel cut down to 6500rpm instead of the 7400rpm where it normally is. Poor Mike Davirro had to drive the car in that condition in the low light conditions. Even though the car was fighting him, he brought it back in 2nd place. Luckily, the next driver, Tom Lepper, didn’t have to deal with the engine problems after we added oil! Tom got into the car and immediately stated closing on 1st. By the time Jeff, the next driver, gave the car to our finisher, Bill, we just needed to keep rolling for 20 minutes to secure our victory. Because we knew the lap times, we knew that it would be numerically impossible for anyone to catch us if we just kept running. Run we did with Bill turn in fast times just ‘cruising’ around. We were able to take the checkered with our friends, GOTO Racing, right by our side.
After the race, with the ‘taxi’ parked in the pits waiting for the impound inspection, I couldn’t believe the race results. Months of planning and sacrifice had paid off. The team had functioned as a well oiled machine. We had overcome unfortunate mechanicals. I sat on the pit wall and tried to savor the moment when…. an ice cold cooler was dumped on my by Jeff and Barrett!! We couldn’t stop laughing and smiling.
My personal thanks go out to all who helped with this year’s team. I told you before that every one of you is important and everything you do makes a difference. (A special thanks to those not often thought about or appreciated, by those who don’t race, are the team moms. Robyn & Lisa made sure we ate & drank. They prepared us hot food!) I told you that I would put you up against anyone in the field. You all proved me right. I couldn’t have been more proud.
Mike Quan, Team Owner, PDQ Motorsports H4/E2 Civic
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From: Delaware, OH, 43015
Re: PDQ Motorsports (civicrr)
2 thumbs up for a great team. We teamed up with them last year, sharing pit and paddock space. They helped us learn a lot of things that we put to use this year with the TL. Congrats guys, you deserve it!
ps. Robyn is the best track mom ever!
ps. Robyn is the best track mom ever!
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 635
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From: Fairfax, Va, Fairfax
Re: PDQ Motorsports (civicrr)
Whoooooooooohooooooo! Way to go guys 
Proves that us little H4 cars can really mix it up with the other highpowered race cars 
Regards,
Jon P. Kofod (whose going to have to run the 25 one of these years)
Proves that us little H4 cars can really mix it up with the other highpowered race cars Regards,
Jon P. Kofod (whose going to have to run the 25 one of these years)
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From: In the boonies
Re: PDQ Motorsports (FLATOUTRACING)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by FLATOUTRACING »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Whoooooooooohooooooo! Way to go guys Proves that us little H4 cars can really mix it up with the other highpowered race cars
</TD></TR></TABLE>
I think H4 WCHC cars running mid pack against H1 cars already did that
Glad to see you guys get first in E2!
what pace were you guys running and whats fastest lap
Proves that us little H4 cars can really mix it up with the other highpowered race cars </TD></TR></TABLE>
I think H4 WCHC cars running mid pack against H1 cars already did that
Glad to see you guys get first in E2!
what pace were you guys running and whats fastest lap
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From: Northern, CA, USA
Re: PDQ Motorsports (I BENCH 140)
Three laps of mid 2:07. Had to radio the drivers to slow down a couple of time. 
Really, I did. I didn't want to run the car that hard.
I would say that we averaged high 10s as a team. The drivers were faster during the daylight stints than the night for obvious reasons. The pace was much faster than in years past. The competition was much tougher than in the past two years. There were more entries. There were a lot of pro teams trying to take home the prize. I am not sure if it is still up, but the driver's list had some some pretty serious lineups.
As an FYI, we averaged 2:14 to take the 12 Hour in 2002, IIRC.
Really, I did. I didn't want to run the car that hard.I would say that we averaged high 10s as a team. The drivers were faster during the daylight stints than the night for obvious reasons. The pace was much faster than in years past. The competition was much tougher than in the past two years. There were more entries. There were a lot of pro teams trying to take home the prize. I am not sure if it is still up, but the driver's list had some some pretty serious lineups.
As an FYI, we averaged 2:14 to take the 12 Hour in 2002, IIRC.
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Re: PDQ Motorsports (johng)
Thanks for the kudos guys!
Story posted on my website with some more pics.
http://pdqmotorsports.net/Pix/...x.htm
Story posted on my website with some more pics.
http://pdqmotorsports.net/Pix/...x.htm
a/k/a Jomo
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Re: PDQ Motorsports (jisu009)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jisu009 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Where do you get those Honda pit crew shirts? I have seen a few people with those.... </TD></TR></TABLE>
They are just plain ole Honda technician shirts.
Try here. http://www.automotivewear.com or http://www.automotiveworkwear.com
</TD></TR></TABLE>They are just plain ole Honda technician shirts.
Try here. http://www.automotivewear.com or http://www.automotiveworkwear.com
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From: Cerritos, CA, USA
Re: PDQ Motorsports (civicrr)
Mike,
Thanks for all the help. Luckily we were pitted right next to you. From toe plates to a welder, you guys have it all. More than anything though, you are super cool, especially under pressure. You guys (crew and drivers) deserve as much as anyone the E2 victory and an awesome overall placing. Looking forward to racing with you soon.
Thanks for all the help. Luckily we were pitted right next to you. From toe plates to a welder, you guys have it all. More than anything though, you are super cool, especially under pressure. You guys (crew and drivers) deserve as much as anyone the E2 victory and an awesome overall placing. Looking forward to racing with you soon.
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From: Montreal, Canada
Re: PDQ Motorsports (Johnny Mac)
Excellent story. I dream of competing in this event at some point. Covering the distance from here to California is an endurance event in its own right though. I hope we can get a 24-hour race on the East Coast at some point, that would make things a little easier.
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From: at last finally back to sweet home, sunny north cali, usa
Re: PDQ Motorsports (civicrr)
wow who's the hot shoe that pulled 2:07's? is it fooster? that's flying for sohc power!!! so maybe roger really does *not* brake for t9. what's your typical race weight mike? i pulled some 2:06.7 on my delsol couple of weeks ago in the bypass configs. i think with some minor tweaks she can do 2:05's or *maybe* into the 4's.
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Re: PDQ Motorsports (ghettoracer)
Yep, got the shirts from automotiveworkwear.
The car has a min. weight of 2335 with driver. Note that is an extra 30 lbs above the regular H4 weight due to the cage being welded to the chassis in a couple of spots.
Modified by civicrr at 4:40 PM 12/8/2004
The car has a min. weight of 2335 with driver. Note that is an extra 30 lbs above the regular H4 weight due to the cage being welded to the chassis in a couple of spots.
Modified by civicrr at 4:40 PM 12/8/2004
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From: Los Angeles, CA
Re: PDQ Motorsports (civicrr)
Nice job guys! You were the class of the field all weekend. We (the #37 Circuit City Miata) couldn't match your speed or reliability this year. We need a little better handling down the straights!
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Re: PDQ Motorsports (ghettoracer)
Thanks guys! You don't know how much it means to get these comments from my fellow racers. It is especially gratifying to hear it from those who have run these long enduros.
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From: cali
Re: (ITACRX)
via http://www.nasaproracing.com
"Other notable wins were the E2 victory by Mike Quan's PDQ Motorsports team that triumphed over the gaggle of E2 Spec Miatas in their Honda Challenge Civic"
zoom-zoom that
"Other notable wins were the E2 victory by Mike Quan's PDQ Motorsports team that triumphed over the gaggle of E2 Spec Miatas in their Honda Challenge Civic"
zoom-zoom that
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Re: (slammed_93_hatch)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by slammed_93_hatch »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">via http://www.nasaproracing.com
"Other notable wins were the E2 victory by Mike Quan's PDQ Motorsports team that triumphed over the gaggle of E2 Spec Miatas in their Honda Challenge Civic"
zoom-zoom that</TD></TR></TABLE>
Sweet. I didn't see that until you posted the link!
"Other notable wins were the E2 victory by Mike Quan's PDQ Motorsports team that triumphed over the gaggle of E2 Spec Miatas in their Honda Challenge Civic"
zoom-zoom that</TD></TR></TABLE>
Sweet. I didn't see that until you posted the link!
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Re: PDQ Motorsports (ghettoracer)
"wow who's the hot shoe that pulled 2:07's? is it fooster? that's flying for sohc power!!! so maybe roger really does *not* brake for t9. what's your typical race weight mike? i pulled some 2:06.7 on my delsol couple of weeks ago in the bypass configs. i think with some minor tweaks she can do 2:05's or *maybe* into the 4's."
A 2.07:605 was from my dad Tom Lepper. He also did a couple of other 2.07's. I did a 2.07:771 and one other 2.07 and a whole bunch of 2.08. BUT I carry a extra 60 pounds on my dad so that means I was faster. HA
Jeff Lepper
A 2.07:605 was from my dad Tom Lepper. He also did a couple of other 2.07's. I did a 2.07:771 and one other 2.07 and a whole bunch of 2.08. BUT I carry a extra 60 pounds on my dad so that means I was faster. HA
Jeff Lepper
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Re: PDQ Motorsports (neonracer88)
It is true. The Leppers were flying. I had to hold them back.
Funny, Tom ripped a superfast lap in the morning & then appoligized when we told him to slow down. Said something like, "...sorry, the car is fast."
Funny, Tom ripped a superfast lap in the morning & then appoligized when we told him to slow down. Said something like, "...sorry, the car is fast."