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For those that are interested, I’ve got some video up from Laguna: http://mikeskeen.com/raceblog/static.php?page=Skeen-Racing-Video
The photo gallery also has some pics from the weekend.
Here’s the first part of the article on SPEEDtv.com (the rest is on my site if you can’t wait): http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/reviewed-skip-barber-mx-5-cup-racing-series/
mskeen wrote:
Thanks for the shout out. How about some name dropping next time… Let me prompt you:
“Unfortunately, I had to miss an event I had planned to run in my SpecE30 with NASA Southeast, where my plan was to lap amateurs like Craig Geiger during a sprint race.”
Nice job Mike (on the article and the outstanding performance).
I was snooping around on the Skip Barber site and read this:
[quote]G5R1 (MX-5 Mazdaspeed Challenge)
The second group of ‘‘history making’’ Skip Barber MX-5 racers saw Michael Skeen on pole by a healthy 1 second over Gray Gregory, with John Tukivakala and Mike Monticello on the second row. At the start Skeen stayed up front but in Turn Four in the scrum for P2, Gregory and Tukivakala got together, Gregory also going four-off. With those two coming into the pits for their required safety checks, Skeen led with Monticello second and Al Delattre third. On lap three Greenberg put a pass on Delattre. Skeen was stretching his lead every lap, knocking off amazingly consistent laps: nothing but 1:51s, bracketing two laps in the :50s! With five laps to go, Aaron Hollander finally got around Delattre so the final order was Skeen, Monticello, Greenberg, Hollander, Delatttre, Michael Luzich, Tim Suddard, Gregory and Tukivakala.
G5R2 (MX-5 Mazdaspeed Challenge)
Skeen elected to start at the back for his second race, which put Monticello on pole, Greenberg second, Hollander third and Luzich fourth. Monticello led at the green while Hollander briefly held second and Gregory third. But lap two saw Gregory get around Hollander and now went after Monticello. Those two checked out and even though this was only the second race ever for Monticello – he’d done lots of track days and track testing as a writer for Road & Track, but had never raced a car before – he never succumbed to the pressure and edged Gregory by a half-second at the finish. Pretty impressive… Gary Manheimer was also impressive, coming up from row four on the grid to finish third, while Greenberg did a fine job consolidating fourth place, a tick or two in front of Hollander. Tukivakala and Luzich rounded out the runners. And what of Mike Skeen? He worked his way to third place three laps in, but his day ended when third gear packed it up. That’s racing…[/quote]