When asked to consider the many challenges laid down by the 11-turn Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, most racers would immediately point to the infamous Corkscrew.
For GoPro cameras strapped to the cockpits of our super-advanced Lola SRW Formula 3 cars, however, it appears every yard of the 2.24-mile circuit is fraught with danger. View the action below to find out how one particular GoPro case met its end.
Rest in pieces, old friend!
With the Jim Russell F3 Series action taking a break until April, here’s a look back at one of the most entertaining battles from the 2014-15 Winter Series.
After two of Race 2’s top three qualifiers spun off the track on the first lap at Sonoma Raceway, their chances of winning the race were all-but-over. However it didn’t stop them giving it a damn good try. Read an extract from the Race 2 report below, or watch the video as Simraceway‘s Liam Jenkins take you through the action.
“The eminently watchable recovery runs of Jastremski and Frank would add yet more sparkle to an engrossing race. In the end, Jastremski was able to reel the pack in, finishing a creditable tenth. Frank, meanwhile, pulled off the “pass of the weekend” as he closed on the dog-fighting Roy Block and Jim McGuire into turn 9. McGuire had Block all set up for a pass but as both were pinching on the right-side of the road, the charging Frank saw a gap on the outside. After passing McGuire, he made a move on Block as they turned in for the tight chicane. The pass didn’t materialize, however, and despite coming out of the chicane with good momentum, two further stabs at the Argentinean saw Frank come up just short on the finish line.“
Read the full report.
Round 6—the final race of the Jim Russell F3 Winter Series by Simraceway—saw Kevin Woods claim his second pole position on the trot.With fellow front-runner Chase Murray unable to attend the second race of the weekend, top Championship contender Brian Frank got to see an open track ahead for the green flag in P2.
The battle for third on the grid was very close. Third spot was changing hands every lap with six different drivers in the frame. Ultimately Pat Daly put together a great session and threw down a 1:27.272 on lap 9 of qualifying—his fastest of the weekend. John Schauerman finished fourth with a time of 1:27.449, while Gus Doppes (1:27.661) would start fifth, Bill Sheilds (1:27.788) sixth, Jim McGuire (1:27.816) seventh and Doug Tuttle (1:28.229) in eighth.
Click here to read a full race report and view the race gallery and leaderboard.
The final two rounds of the Jim Russell F3 Winter Series by Simraceway were greeted by more beautiful weather in Monterrey. Many lessons had been learned since the previous month’s visit to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca and the multitude of upgrades developed by the Simraceway technical staff, allied with the drivers’ increased familiarity with the famous old track, brought a significant drop in times from January’s rounds.
Lining up in first place was Kevin Woods, whose mighty effort in the Lola SRW F3 saw him post a time of 1:24.128—a new lap record for the car by a margin of over 3.5 seconds! Alongside him at the front of the grid was Championship leader and winner of the previous two rounds held at Laguna Seca, Chase Murray. The next six drivers qualified within a second of each other, with Brian Frank—a strong finisher in the last round—inside row two.
Click here to read a full race report and view the race gallery and leaderboard.
The third race in the Jim Russell F3 Winter Series by Simraceway saw a very different landscape as this was the inaugural “away” race for the Lola F3 cars and the first in many years for a Jim Russell Championship. A glorious weekend greeted racers and Simraceway crew alike at the world famous Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. From Zanardi to Andretti Laguna Seca and it’s infamous corkscrew has been a haven for many an epic open wheel battle and now the Jim Russell F3 series drivers would get a taste of it for themselves.
Click here to read a full race report and view the race gallery and leaderboard.
Don’t let that bite in the air fool you, at the Simraceway Performance Driving Center, we’re out in full force! The new calendar has been hung and January is shaping up to be a fantastic month with everything from 2-for-1 karting to Jim Russell F3 Winter Series racing at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca!
Find out what’s going on in January at the PDC.
Race 2 of the Jim Russell F3 Winter Series by Simraceway saw a whole different side of mother nature as the drivers were treated to a clear and dry (well, dry-ish!) Sonoma Raceway.
Another tight qualifying battle saw the top two, John Jastremski and Chase Murray, fight it out for the entire session–both risking taking the edge of their Pirelli slicks for the race but seeing that P1 start as an important part of standing taller on the podium at the end of the day. Unfortunately an error at turn 2 late in practice meant that Roy Strandberg could not finish off his weekend, but some good strides in competitiveness will give him something positive to build from as the Winter Series continues at Laguna Seca in the New Year.
Click here to read a full race report and view the race gallery and leaderboard.
When sign-ups for the Jim Russell F3 Winter Series by Simraceway opened up and were sold out in three days, we knew this was going to be an exciting “off-season”–and so it was!
A new influx of drivers was met by the northern California “storm of the decade” in the week leading up to the race weekend, making it difficult to become acquainted with the Simraceway F3 Lola. The tech team was kept busy fixing a couple of missteps by the rookies but all cars were present, shiny and accounted for on the morning of race 1.
Click here to read a full race report and view the race gallery and leaderboard.
Our online simulation’s popular Hot Lap Hump Day YouTube series had a very special addition recently. Usually featuring in-game footage, this special episode took a lap with a driver from our Jim Russell F3 Series Race of Champions, held last month. Featuring the dulcet tones of our up-and-coming commentator, Liam Jenkins, the footage provides a unique perspective on what it feels like to turn a lap of Sonoma Raceway in our industry-leading Formula 3 car.
If you want to take this awesome open-wheeler through the twists and turns of Sonoma Raceway, check out our F3 courses and experiences–there’s bound to be one for you!
The 2014 Jim Russell F3 Racing Series “Race of Champions” took place at the weekend. Check out our Facebook page for a series of photos from what turned out to be an eventful day. And remember, you can still register for next year’s Jim Russell F3 Racing Series, for ultra-affordable open-wheel racing!
With the 2014 Jim Russell F3 Racing Series over for 2014, this weekend sees the prestigious “Race of Champions” take place around Sonoma Raceway. To stand a chance of tasting the champagne next season, find out how to register for the 2015 series by heading to our dedicated page!
The 10th GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma took place at our home track of Sonoma Raceway last weekend, with Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon securing his first win at the venue since 2007, following a chaotic climax to the race. As life gets back to normal here in beautiful Wine Country, the IndyCar Series season marches on to its conclusion on Saturday at Auto Club Speedway. We wish the best of luck to all drivers.
Ever wondered how it feels to pilot an open-wheel racer? Check out our range of courses featuring our industry-leading Lola SRW F3 car, or find out about our low-cost Formula 3 series, where you can race for as little as $1,295!
It was Round 10–the curtain call for the 2014 Jim Russell F3 Racing Series–and, once again, Chase Murray starred in qualifying with Kevin Woods close behind. The rest of the field was stacked up even more tightly, with an extremely small margin from front to back.
Click here to read a full race report and view the race gallery and leaderboard.
Another hot, sunny Californian day greeted the penultimate round of the 2014 Jim Russell F3 Racing Series at Simraceway Performance Driving Center’s home base of Sonoma Raceway. A full grid was raring to go with arguably the fastest two drivers of the series, Kevin Woods and Chase Murray, ready to go toe-to-toe for top spot.
Click here to read a full race report and view the race gallery and leaderboard.
To say race 8 of the Jim Russell F3 Racing Series was exciting may be an understatement, so let’s go with barnstormer! In fact the buzz was high before the race as an extremely tight qualifying session had everyone ready for an action packed event. On the front row were Doug “Ninja” Tuttle and race debutant, and Hammer Nutrition guru, Brian Frank.
Click here to read a full race report and view the race gallery and leaderboard.
A little something old and new greeted Race 7 of the Jim Russell F3 Racing Series as a new group of racers were enticed to sample the best damn series on the West Coast! After an intense training session the day before, everyone was raring to go for Saturday’s race. Cooler temperatures than we’ve seen of late saw Chase Murray back on pole with a dip into the 1.38’s, followed by fellow front runner Doug Tuttle, who was hoping to get some points on the table after being taken out of the running last race weekend.
Click here to read a full race report and view the race gallery and leaderboard.
With the tarmac getting ever stickier on a scorching day for race 6 of the 2014 Simraceway F3 series It wasn’t going to take long for the Pirelli tires to get to working temperature nor as it came to be the drivers heating up the action on track. Race 6 saw a new poleman as Tim Adolphson put in a flyer late in qualifying to out gun fellow front row starter Doug Tuttle.
Click here to read a full race report and view the race gallery and leaderboard.
SKUSA headed back to Sonoma in style last weekend with the Simraceway Performance Karting Center hosting Round 4 of the California ProKart Challenge. With over 130 entrants, including 25 S1 Class drivers, and hundreds more watching, two beautiful Californian days saw a host of fiercely-fought, exciting contests. Read on to find out more!
As the hot sun of Sonoma in June baked the track, the Hammer Nutrition station was kept busy as each driver new it was going to be a long hot race 5 of the Simraceway F3 series. With some of the main protagonists unavailable Chase Murray had it all his own way in qualifying , but all eyes were on the battle for the other positions as lap by lap grid positions swapped back and forth , and in a last lap charge Doug Tuttle secured the other illustrious front row spot.
Click here to read a full race report and view the race gallery and leaderboard.
JRF3RS Race Report 4 Now Online
The report from race 4 of the Jim Russell F3 Racing Series, along with gallery and leaderboards is now available here:
Race Report
