Photo by VelocityMotorsportsNews.com Northern Alberta Sports Car Club (NASCC) at Castrol Raceway Nisku, Alberta
NASCC and SUBWAY Present: Race 4 and GT RACES
This weekend at Castrol Raceway, 9am to 5pm. Come out to watch the last tarmac race of the reason. $10 Admission. Ice Racing is just around the corner. Like our page to stay current with racing updates!!
Road Racing with the Northern Alberta Sports Car Club (NASCC) at Castrol Raceway on the 2.7000 km track with multiple classes of Sports Car racing in 4 groups. You can have a lower horsepower car racing with a GT1 car for a broad range of speeds & control, which is a blast if you are blue flagger. Talking to the NASCC drivers, a well handling car will do better at Castrol Raceway because the road course is tight technical & it can be challenging. The most popular class in the NASCC is the Spec Miata class.
Photo by VelocityMotorsportsNews.com Northern Alberta Sports Car Club (NASCC) at Castrol Raceway Nisku, Alberta
Interview with Northern Alberta Sports Car Club (NASCC) Spec Miata Car 98 Driver Gerard Tobin
Velocity: I am here with Gerard Tobin; you are the one that brought the Spec Miata class over to Northern Alberta Sports Car Club (NASCC).
Gerard Tobin: I am from Calgary, I started it when Race City closed. I built the car not knowing if we had a track to race on, on faith I guess. I was always interested in getting into racing, but it was too hard to figure out if there would be enough cars to race against, which class & all of that. I had some good advice from some other racers that pointed me to the Spec Miata class, out of the States. We were so luckily we got the Edmonton Indy track in the city center before they closed it and a couple of guys saw my car. I built a website to show to show what to expect racing in the class.
Velocity: What’s the website?
Gerard Tobin: http://www.Miatavsmiata.ca The Miata is not a very intimidating car. A lot of guys with families and stuff so they don’t want to risk their necks, but they do want the competition. This class is an excellent combination of driver skill just everything it’s just not going quite as fast as the top end.
Velocity: So it’s a Spec Class, which means it’s not allowed many modifications of any.
Gerard Tobin: Yes it is very restricted regarding adjustments you can make. There are lots of these cars now because the Miata class has run for many years. Now there is a huge amount of data that they could use to help equalize the cars, across everything from 1990 to 2005.
Velocity: Now is there more than one generation where one generation has a difference like you’re running two different classes in one class.
Gerard Tobin: Yes, they did a magnificent job with equalizing them. 1990 up through 1997 are a different chassis, 1990 to 1993 are a 1.6-meter engine, the 1.8 starting in 1999 they changed the frame it’s still 1.8. We use restrictor plates on the throttle body for the newest models, but the higher minimum weight? But we all use the same symmetrical.
Velocity: So you’re all even and you might have some set up can you adjust your suspension.
Gerard Tobin: Yes, you can use the primary one setting and sway bar and ride height.
Velocity: So the best thing is the driver behind it.
Gerard Tobin: That’s right, for the car there is a lot of that parts are interchangeable between the earlier generation and the newest model. So if you come with spares and someone comes with a wheel barring chances are someone is going to have one. You don’t have to carry quite as many spares; there’s a lot more knowledge regarding what might be going on with the car available.
Velocity: That’s great, and I have seen you guys had some close racing it’s the driver that makes the difference how many cars do you have in your class.
Gerard Tobin: Well we had some guys who showed up once a year depending on what’s going on with their life, but it includes those guys were on the 28th right now in Alberta.
Velocity: Did you guys go down to Sonoma.
Gerard Tobin: Yes, we went to Sonoma for the Spec Miata festival it’s one of the bigger regions, they had around 55 entries just for the Miata. The fantastic facility could easily accommodate that many cars in the class, I had to start from the back in one the races because my engine blew up. I ended up disqualifying, and I guess I got lucky and passed 30 cars, so I ended up around 21st. The guys up front were still up a full two seconds faster than my last lap. I cut through the field to get to the front, and it was challenging.
Velocity: That was probably very likely their home track or something like that.
Gerard Tobin: Yeah and we look at that. They are like a 10th variance lap to lap I guess they are very highly skilled drivers.
Velocity: So it is a new class in road racing and was the biggest in the club at the last trophies presentation. The NASCC stated that they appreciated a class going up in numbers.
Gerard Tobin: Exactly with two more tracks we hope we’re going to come through in, which case I think our numbers will explode.
Velocity: Drumheller and Carstairs?
Gerard Tobin: Yeah and Rocky View Motorsport Park so we need to do more to let people know that we’re out there, and it’s available .
Velocity: For someone brand new that has never raced before, wants to get into road racing and looks at the spec class. Starting from nowhere what do they do?
Gerard Tobin: I think they want to consider their resources usually it’s cheaper to buy an existing race car than try to build one yourself. It takes less knowledge & you could probably save 40% buying on one that’s already built. They should make one of the WCMA’s race schools that will teach them all the safety items flagging, race starts, and passing. Come out and watch a bit of racing, talk to the racers. Their first race just starts out at the back with no pressure to win. Go out and circulate and get used to the traffic as they are comfortable with the speed.
Velocity: See that’s good advice no one tells you to start at the back ask for the back.
Gerard Tobin: Yes take the pressure off, we put those orange triangles on your car, so we know which cars they are in. There is a little more caution passing, but the website http://www.Miatavsmiata.ca has got all the information about that. It also has information on safety gear: helmet and suits. You can find links to the WCMA website which has all the documentation you need to fill out to apply for a license.
Velocity: What kind of investment is someone is looking to get into it.
Gerard Tobin: Helmet, race suit it’s probably $1500. The helmet is the most important thing you don’t want to cheap out on that because impacts do happen.
Velocity: Is a Hans device mandatory?
Gerard Tobin: Yes it is.
Velocity: Or Re-gen or New-gen is that the same thing?
Gerard Tobin: I think it could be either one, and there are varying degrees in. But don’t cheap out on the helmet and I think a car you could probably get one for 10 grand and it might come with two spares. It’s pretty much $1000 the brakes will last you most of the season, and the brake pads and the rotors are 30$ each, so it’s cheap. Fuel you use about half a liter a minute of race time making up 192 minutes on the track and that’s really about it.
Velocity: Are you running a special fuel? Or is it gas
Gerard Tobin: Pump gas; the engines are mostly stocked we can make various light adjustments. The other thing that’s good about these you can run 2 drivers or a family. One person can run in the Spec Miata class, and the other person can run in the other classes where the Miata’s can also compete so performance, touring, E is a class also.
Velocity: There’s one gentleman he runs the race, and his daughter runs the other one.
Gerard Tobin: Exactly so if they get the same car they are splitting the cost eventually the entry.
Velocity: Thank you for your time
Gerard Tobin: Thank you
Photos by VelocityMotorsportsNews.com Northern Alberta Sports Car Club (NASCC) at Castrol Raceway Nisku, Alberta
For information on Racing:
http://nascc.ab.ca/contact/
Photos by VelocityMotorsportsNews.com Northern Alberta Sports Car Club (NASCC) at Castrol Raceway Nisku, Alberta
Get involved in Road Racing!
Motorsports Volunteers
Race Volunteers make events happen-from the organizers of the event to the person taking your ticket; it takes a lot of individuals to make an event work. Road Racing Cars Volunteer Positions: Clerk of the Course, Steward, Starter, Chief Course Marshal, Corner Captain, Communicator, Yellow Flagger, Blue Flagger, Safety, Pre -grid, Pit in & Pit out, Rescue personnel: Ambulance crew, Fireman & Clean-up Crew Tow Truck Driver, Pace Car Driver, Timing personnel, Scrutineer (Tech), Registration & Back Gate.
Photo by VelocityMotorsportsNews.com Northern Alberta Sports Car Club (NASCC) at Castrol Raceway Nisku, Alberta
Marshals:
The Marshal meetings will start at 8:00 am Saturday & Sunday at the Race Control Trailer. Please note the morning meeting times have been adjusted to 8:00 am to allow sufficient time to be green & ready by 9:00 am.
Marshal requirements have not changed, please wear your whites and bring extra food and beverages if required. You may also want to bring a lawn chair/bucket as there is no seating at the corners. If you have any friends or family that are interested in marshaling, please bring them along, but make sure you send me their names for the gate list.
For information on Volunteering:
http://nascc.ab.ca/contact/
Photos by VelocityMotorsportsNews.com at Castrol Raceway Nisku, Alberta
Next Race Weekend: NASCC Subway Race 4 including GT Races
Sep 24 & 25 – Race 4 & GT Prize Race
Oct 1 – cancelled, merged into Sept 25 date
https://www.facebook.com/events/464907520383151/
Northern Alberta Sports Car Club (NASCC)
http://nascc.ab.ca/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/19068689376/
http://nascc.ab.ca/contact/
WCMA has been delegated authority for amateur motorsports in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba by ASN Canada FIA. WCMA is affiliated to ASN Canada FIA.
http://www.wcma.ca/new/
http://www.asncanada.com/
http://www.fia.com/
Castrol Raceway Nisku, Alberta Length 2.7000 km
http://www.castrolraceway.com/
Driving directions to Castrol:
Castrol Raceway is located 10 minutes South of Edmonton. Follow Hwy QEII South, take HWY 19 Exit (Nisku/Leduc) West; located 2 KMS West on the left-hand side.