Super GT Cup - Round 2 Buttonwillow Recap

By: Tommy Parry

The brisk weather at Buttonwillow greeted more than a few surprisingly fresh faces for the second event of this year’s Super GT Cup season. Interesting stories intertwined through fate, several drivers hit long-standing goals, and a few went to strange lengths to keep their machinery working. For such a warm, welcoming atmosphere, there was competition galore—as well as a few close calls to entertain the spectators.

Nik Romano was one of the fixtures pleased at the turnout. “For all the time attacks I’ve been to, the Super GT pulls in one of the younger crowds. I’d say most folks there ranged from late twenties to late thirties. Seriously competitive field for such a welcoming group, too,” he added.

Considering the fact that it took place on Mother’s Day, the event was well attended. Some people were willing to risk a little family frustration for the thrills of Super GT, apparently. The banter in the pits, fueled by a long absence between the NorCal and SoCal drivers who don’t see each other outside of these events, was abundant and supportive. Perhaps some were relieved to get away from the typical family obligations.

Supermod: Junkyard Motor Prevails

Unlike some drivers, Frank Pacheco did not return to the Super GT season brimming with confidence. Towards the end of last year’s season, his lightly tuned Camaro SS gave up the ghost. His LT1, lightly fettled with and making about 540 horsepower, fired a rod clean through the block during a late-season test at Chuckwalla. Over the winter and early spring, he picked his head up and began piecing together a replacement to contest the 2022 Super Mod title.

This motor really didn’t have the sort of beginning one would tie to a race-winning engine; consisting of spare pieces he had laying around the garage, bits from four junkyard motors, plus some of the power adders which helped his previous motor make major jam.

Not surprisingly, the new LT, put together with more care than any other motor with parts taken from the scrap heap gets, made a dyno-verified 525 horsepower at the wheels. That’s nothing to sniff at—and a testament to the LT makeup. Strong, accessible parts and a broad aftermarket make these engines the providers of reasonably priced firepower every track rat should get to experience.

Despite the sensational result, Frank couldn’t get too excited about his prospects at that point, since he’s experienced enough to know how quickly things can go south. To protect the ego and make his season starter a little less stressful, he set his sights a little lower. For this event, the main aim was to avoid blowing up.

Nevertheless, the motor went through 500-odd miles of testing without a peep. “That was motivating, but I had to look at the first event as a test session, really. I had no hard miles on the motor.”

His previous time from a test day in December established his starting position for that first session, so he found himself with a clear track before him. The cool weather helped him run a personal best two laps in.

Things only got better once he turned his first hard lap. “The oil pressure was better with this one, and everything just seemed to work harmoniously. After the first session, I checked my times and pinched myself!”

The feeling was almost bittersweet when he realized his best lap was so close to breaking the 1:50-mark, a goal he’s held for the last year or so. However, he couldn’t be too irked—his 1:50.4 was enough for first in Super Mod. He’d have to be satisfied with that.

Mod Class: First-Timers and Overheaters

The weather was unusually crisp and cool for an early May outing in Buttonwillow; ranging from the mid-sixties in the morning to mid-seventies in the afternoon. While the weather encouraged people to wander away from their tents and socialize, it still proved to be too much for some of the less-prepared machines. Not all machines are designed to perform in even mild weather, as Hanno Hagedorn discovered.

Instead of his usual Mod-class S197, Hanno hired another Mustang for this event. A stock loaner from a friend, this 2020 S550 was mainly there because a) it was convenient to do so and b) Hanno couldn’t afford to lose any points. Though it wasn’t a true race car, it had a few traits to help Hanno keep his Mod title chances alive.

It appeared to be a pretty understated car with limited prospects—nobody imagined this middle-of-the-road machine would be winning much—though it had a ten-speed ‘box and a set of Nankang NS-2R going for it. These traits and one major modification to the factory bodywork gave it a fighting chance.

Heading into a warmer afternoon session, Hanno made sure to take the first two laps relatively calmly to help the motor but quickly enough to heat the tires and brakes. That approach worked, as the motor remained cool enough for one flyer.

Meanwhile, Michael Koldus was closely eyeing the timing pages. While his Camaro wasn’t having the overheating issues his main rival’s car was, he couldn’t just lounge around the pits until it was time to put in a lap, then strut out of the ceremonies with a trophy in hand. Hanno is handy, and Michael is relatively new to the series. Actually, he’s very new; this was his second season running Time Attack.

“My girlfriend encouraged me to take the first step and move up into Time Attack last year, but it wasn’t until after Alessandro Sensoli gave me a good piece of advice that I felt I could do it. ‘If you run with the faster guys, you’ll get faster,’ was what he told me.”

“After deciding to go, I set my sights pretty high. I guess I changed my tune pretty quickly,” Michael laughed.

Several years of steady lapping days and four successful events at Buttonwillow gave him plenty of confidence, and he set several ambitious goals as a result. Finish on the podium, run a lap under two minutes, and bring the car home in one piece.

In the end, Michael got all he wanted—or nearly all of it. A lap time of 1:59.491 put him third in the Mod class, and the car didn’t complain a bit. Though he was about five tenths behind Hanno, his foray into a newer, more competitive series couldn’t be described as anything but successful.

Street: Sub-2 Sans Spending

For the last year, Nik Romano’s been hustling around Buttonwillow CW13 in his budget 2007 Mustang GT. His curiosity and limited budget pushed him to pose and answer a controversial question.

“It’s a big, dumb car—but how dumb is it, really?”

Throughout his brief ownership of the car, he’s been motivated to see precisely how much money it takes to lap Buttonwillow under the two minute-mark.

The S197 cost him a meager $6,000, though it took another $9,000 to get it into fighting shape. Now, it’s quick, sturdy, and confidence-inspiring, so Nik can unleash his tail-out style and climb curbs without worry. Still, for a car this simple, 120 seconds seems like a genuine barrier.

Thankfully, the S197 is a platform that provides more than its reputation might suggest. All it took to make it an abusable lapping machine were Bilstein shocks and Ford Racing springs, Steeda panhard bar and swaybars, Carbotech pads, 18x10” Apex VS-5RS wheels wrapped in Maxxis RC-1s,a junkyard Torsen, and a Corbeau seat. With only 1.7° of negative camber at the front end, he really didn’t have that much car underneath him—or so it would seem.

In Nik’s talented hands, the meat-and-potatoes Mustang rounded 13CW in 1:59.15. If it can do that, it clearly has enough athleticism to compensate for whatever intellectual shortcomings it might have.

The second event of the year could only be described as successful. Many hit their goals, some enjoyed close competition, and the supportive chats weren’t just pleasantries to soothe the nerves; drivers, especially the more experienced ones, helped others out throughout the day. “The faster drivers were giving advice on car setup, providing feedback through videos and data, and offering moral support. After every session, you had folks reviewing videos and analyzing data—often for their closest rivals!” Frank reported.

Although the winners weren’t able to enjoy the typical champagne showers on the out-of-order podium this time, the indoor celebrations made up for the absence of bubbly with camaraderie and a feeling that the 2022 season will be one for the books. Provided the entry list continues to grow—and fewer scheduling conflicts down the road suggest it will—the drama and competition will only improve.