WRPM 2010 Race Update

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WRPMotorsports Driver Willie Phee starts the 2011 Pro-IT season with a podium at American Road Racing Championship at Road Atlanta Raceway. WRPMotorsports driver Willie Phee finished 3 rd at round one of the 2011 pro- IT Championship, but carded a DNF in the American Road Racing Championship. “To start to 2011 Pro-IT season with a podium is a great start and put me ahead of where I started to 2010 season, unfortunately the DNF (did not finish) in the ARRC Championship was a real set back. I believe I had a top 5 car this year and was looking forward to having a great race, but the transmission failed on lap 9 and that ended our day” said Phee. Qualifying for the ARRC would be at 8:00 am on Friday morning with the Pro-IT qualifying just before lunch. Phee would qualify 6 th overall for the ARRC and 4 th in class and 12 th overall for the Pro- IT race. There would be a second ARRC qualifying session after lunch however a rain/sleet storm would leave the track very slick so the morning times would stand for final qualifying. “I was please with my ARRC qualifying” said Phee. “I felt that the quickest time would be in the morning, but I didn’t think we would get rain in the afternoon. I did expect Pro-IT qualifying to be a little slower and it was”. Phee would qualify with a 1.44.5 for the Saturday ARRC race and a 1.45.2 for the Friday afternoon Pro-IT race. In the Pro-IT race Phee would drive a steady race running consistent 1.45’s in the race and running as high as 8 th overall until a full course caution bunched up the field for a one lap sprint to the finish. Phee would move up one spot in class and 3 spots overall to finish 3 rd in class and 9 th overall. “On the start I could see the third place car just a few cars ahead of me” said Phee. “We were running nose to tail; a good pace and I could see that he wasn’t getting away, on lap 4 he bobbled and all 4 of us got by”. “I put in a few good laps to get a gap and pulled out a 6 second gap on the 4 th place car. I was comfortable in 3 rd as the 2 nd place car was several seconds in front of me. On lap 20 a full course caution came out and bunched up the field, but I had several lapped cars between me and the 4 th place car. When the green came out it would only be for one lap so I knew I could cruse to the podium spot” said Phee. The start of the ARRC Championship race would take place at 8:00am Saturday morning so the track would be cold and slick. Phee would line up 6 th on the outside of row 3. At the start Phee would make a move to get to the inside and jump into third position going into turn one. Phee would lose a couple of spots in the ensuing laps but stayed within striking distance of the 5 th place car. Then on lap 9 going down the back stretch the final drive broke bring Phee’s race to an end. “I had a great start, jumped into 3 rd and stayed consistent with my lap times. I dropped back a few positions as the track didn’t have enough heat in it for me to be comfortable going flat out. I was staying close to the 5ht place car and felt that I could make up the distance late in the race, unfortunately the transmission blew up on lap 9 and my race was done”. “It was really disappointing because the car was running well and I really felt like the car would have carried me to and easy top 5 position”. “Oh well there is always next year”. “I do have to thank the crew at OPM for their support this year and I look forward to their support for next year” said Phee. The next race is scheduled for March 19-20, 2011 at Road Atlanta Raceway in Braselton, GA.

November 5-7, 2010 – Road Atlanta Raceway, Braselton, Georgia

2009 Race Results

September 4-5, 2010 – Barber Motorsports Park, Birmingham, Alabama

WRPMotorsports Driver Willie Phee Clinches the SCCA Pro-IT Championship For the Second Consecutive Year at Road Atlanta Raceway. WRPMotorsports driver Willie Phee finished 1 st at the final round of the SCCA Pro-IT Championship and is crowned champion for the second year in a row. Phee would also go on the finish 4 th and 2 nd in the two scheduled SARRC Championship races on the same weekend. “To clinch the championship with a win and to do it two years in a row was fantastic. I really have to thank the crew at OPM for all of their hard work throughout the racing season. They always gave me a great car to drive” said Phee. “I also have to thank all of the other sponsors that helped this year, especially Optima Batteries for coming on at mid-year. In addition to the Pro-IT win Phee also competed in two South Atlantic Road Racing Championship races and collected a 4 th and 2 nd in the Saturday and Sunday races. “I really should have had another podium on Saturday” said Phee. “I was battling with the 3 rd place car all race long and I think had him covered but I missed a shift on the last lap coming out of turn 3 and lost my momentum. Totally my fault” said Phee. “Finishing 2 nd on Sunday kind of made up for the missed shift on Saturday. It was another great battle with 3 other drivers. The pressure was on all race but I managed to save the tires and pull out a small gap at the end”. Qualifying on Saturday would be in unusually cool weather for a September in Alabama. The first session would be for Pro-IT where Phee would qualify 3 rd in class and 15 th overall with the top 3 ITA cars all together on row 7 and 8. The Pro-IT race would be held mid-morning on Sunday. The second qualifying session would be 15 minutes later for the SARRC race and Phee would qualify 3 rd in class again and 11 th overall for the Saturday afternoon race. The start of the Saturday SARRC race Phee would line up on the outside of row 5. Going into turn one several cars went wide forcing Phee off track and allowing several cars to get by. “Going into one at the start was a little sketchy but there is enough run off room since the gravel trap was paved over”. “I tried to make up a few places in the hairpin and managed to get back to 4 th position. It took me until lap 10 to catch and pass for 3 rd place, the whole time I was holding off the 5th place car. The last 5 laps we were nose to tail, I had a slight gap going into the last lap, but missed a shift going up the hill out of turn 3, that killed my momentum and allowed the 4 th place car to get by me”. “It was a good race but disappointing to finish off the podium for the first time this year” said Phee. A very short 12 minute qualifying session on Sunday morning would set the grid for the afternoon SARRC race. Phee would qualify 3 rd in class (again) and 7 th overall. The Pro-IT race would be the first race Sunday morning just before lunch time. The first start was waved off so there would be a second pace lap. At the start Phee would jump into first place by turn one and never relinquish the lead. “This time starting on the outside worked great for me as the inside lane bunched up and allowed me to get a run around the outside and into the lead” said Phee. “I could see the 2 nd and 3 rd place cars about 2 seconds behind me for the majority of the race, I just tried to maintain consistent lap times and managed to pull out a 6 second gap by the end of the race”. The Sunday SARRC race saw Phee starting on the inside of row 4. “At the start I held my inside line and stayed in 3 rd place for the first 4 laps. On lap 5 I made a pass in the hairpin and moved into 2 nd , I dropped back to 3 rd on lap 8 and stayed close to the second place car. I could see that I was faster on a few of the turns so I decided to try and pressure the second place car and get him to use up his tires” said Phee. It worked as planned as Phee would get beck into 2 nd on lap 13 and open up a 4 second gap by the finish. “I could see that the 2 nd place car was over slowing for the corners and really sliding the car trough the turns so I knew he was running out of tire”. “I out braked him in the hairpin and slowly pulled away”. “Not a bad weekend, to clinch the Pro-It championship and finish on the podium in the second SARRC race made up for finishing off the podium in the first SARRC race” said Phee. The next race is scheduled for October 9/10 at Roebling Road Raceway in Savannah, GA.

October 9-10, 2010 Roebling Road Raceway, Bloomingdale, Georgia

WRPMotorsports Driver Willie Phee Finishes on the Podium at the SIC Championship Race . WRPMotorsports driver Willie Phee finished 3 rd at the SIC championship and final round of the SCCA South Atlantic Road Racing Championship (SARRC) and finished 7 th overall in the final points after competing in only 5 races. Phee would also début a new paint scheme (see photo below) with returning sponsor Optima Batteries on the second WRPMotorsports Integra and go on to finish 2 nd in the Enduro Championship Finale and 5 th overall in the ECR Championship. “To finish on the podium in the SIC was very gratifying, especially since the final race has all of the best drivers from the entire Southeast Division in attendance. The crew at OPM did their usual great job and gave me two great cars for the weekend” said Phee. “I also have to thank Optima Batteries for providing sponsorship for the Enduro car for next season”. Qualifying on Saturday would be for the SIC Championship race and the Enduro Finale. The first session would be for the SIC where Phee would qualify 4 th in class and 13 th overall. The second session would be for the Enduro where Phee would qualify 2 nd in class and 14 th overall just behind the pole sitting ITA car. The Enduro race would be held late Saturday afternoon. “There was a second qualifying session for the SIC but I knew the track would be slower so I decided to save the car and the tires for the Sunday race” said Phee. At the start of the Saturday Enduro Finale, Phee would line up on the outside of row 7. “I was within 8/10’s of a second of the pole sitting car and I knew the race would be an hour and a half so I just wanted to maintain a pace until the first pit stop, plus I could see the first place car about 2 to 3 seconds in front of me” said Phee. At the start and for the first 18 laps Phee would maintain his 2 nd in class position turning lap times within 1 second of his qualifying time. “I was planning on making a late pit stop around the one hour mark so I could maintain a consistent pace and I figured the first place car would make their stop at halfway.” Phee would steadily move up through the field running as high as 2 nd overall before his pit stop on lap 45. Phee would rejoin the race 2 nd in class and 11 th overall after the 5 minute mandatory pit stop and had two cars between him and the first place car. By lap 55 Phee had closed the gap and was running directly behind the first place car. The race would end on lap 59 with Phee finishing 2 nd in class and 10 th overall. “I just ran out of time” said Phee. “This was the first Enduro I’ve done all year so I wasn’t sure how difficult it would be to run for an hour and a half, but I actually felt pretty good. Good enough to run for at least another hour” said Phee. The SIC race would be the first race after lunch Sunday afternoon. The start was a little slow but Phee would get a good jump and move into second in class before turn one. “The pole sitter missed a shift and was backing up through the field, cars were backing off and I managed to get to the inside and make up several positions” said Phee. “I got hung up going through the final turn and was shuffled back to 3 rd at the end of the first lap. I could see that I was opening up a gap on the 4 th place car, I had about a 5 second gap and then the course went double yellow on lap 7 and I ended up losing the gap I had built up”. The race would be under caution for 4 of the 20 laps which allowed the 4 th place car to catch right up to the back bumper of the WRPMotorsports Integra. At the re-start Phee would hold off the challenge of the 4 th place car until lap 13 when he was passed going into turn one. “I could see it coming, there was a slower car going into the final turn, I had to lift for just an instant and he maintained his momentum and got by me going into one”. “I stayed close and tried to keep the pressure on. With 5 laps to go I could see the he was braking earlier and getting a little loose in the turns.” “With 3 laps to go he bobbled in the final turn and I got by him on the straight and into turn one.” “I knew he was running out of tires so I put in 3 quick laps at the end to get a gap for the finish” said Phee. WRPMotorsports driver Willie Phee would go on to finish 3 rd in class and 10 th overall in the Championship race. “It was a good weekend to finish on the podium in both races, especially with the competition that was here this weekend” said Phee. The next race is scheduled for November 5-7 at Road Atlanta Raceway in Braselton, GA.

July 17-18, 2010 – Road Atlanta, Braselton, Georgia

A Triple Podium For WRPMotorsports Drive Willie Phee at the SARRC Championship and Pro-IT Championship at Road Atlanta Raceway WRPMotorsports driver Willie Phee finished 1 st at round 5 of the SCCA Pro-IT championship, 2 nd in race one and 3 rd in race two of the SARRC Championship at Road Atlanta Raceway in Braselton, Georgia. “It was a great weekend, and to be on the podium for all three races, especially after starting next to last in the Sunday SARRC race was very gratifying” said Phee. Two races on Saturday meant qualifying in the morning and racing in the afternoon. The first qualifying session would be for the 15 lap SARRC race at 8:00 am in the morning. “I knew with 20 minutes I would have enough time to get the tires warmed up and get at least 2 or 3 good laps in” said Phee. Phee would qualify 1 st in class and 7 th overall for the Saturday SARRC race. “I had a good start, but got held up when a couple of the faster ITS cars got a run on me down the back straight. I’m faster than they are in the turns but they have the speed down the straights”. “By the end of lap 3 I had dropped back to 12 th overall and 3 rd in class”. “I moved back up 2 spots by lap 6 and could see the second place car about six seconds ahead”. “I knew I had to try and run some quick laps to close up the gap and closed in with 3 laps to go”. “As we entered turn 6 he made contact with a lapped car and spun so all I had to do was maintain a good pace to finish 2 nd ” said Phee. Phee would end the race 2 nd in class and 8 th overall. Qualifying for the Pro-IT race was held at 11:00 and the times would be a little slower than the first session. Phee would end up qualifying 2 nd in class and 11 th overall in the 20 minute session. The 45 minute Pro-IT race would be the last race of the day, typically late in the afternoon so track conditions would be less than ideal. “My main competition was just in front of me and I knew I needed a good start to try and get by in turn one” said Phee. Phee would get the start he was looking for as his main competition was held up and dropped back several positions. Over the course of the 26 lap race Phee would average a 1.5 second faster lap time than the second place car, finish 1 st in class and 9 th overall. “Even though I qualified 2 nd I knew I had the race pace to finish on top” said Phee. Sunday started out overcast with a threat of rain throughout the day that never materialized. Unfortunately the qualifying session would only be 10 minutes, so getting a good lap early would be crucial. “It usually takes me a couple of laps to get up to speed and with only 10 minutes to qualify managing traffic would be critical”. “I had one decent lap but started to catch traffic so I backed off hoping to get one more try at a fast lap but the session ended just when I was going to put a flyer in” said Phee. In spite of the short session Phee would still qualify 2 nd in class and 13 th overall. “The second SARRC race would start just after lunch time, unfortunately the grid workers never announced the formation signal and several of us were late to the grid. That meant starting 25 th overall and last in class instead of my qualifying position” said Phee. “That meant being extremely patient on the start and for the first couple of laps because of the speed differential of as much as 10 seconds per lap between my qualifying time and the cars at the back of the grid” said Phee. Phee would make up 6 positions by the end of lap one (so much for being patient) and steadily moved up in the short 15 lap race. By lap 8 Phee had moved into 3 rd in class and 13 th overall where he would finish the race. “I waited just a little too long to get going” said Phee. “I was trying to stay out of trouble and not get into the in class battles that were going on in the slower classes, and I didn’t want to ruin their race by stuffing up the inside in a turn and causing them problems”. “Besides the 2 nd place car was long gone by the half way point so there was no sense in abusing the car” said Phee. “To make it to the podium after starting at the back was something I wasn’t sure I could do, but the car performed great and the team kept me motivated and moving forward” said Phee. The next race is scheduled for September 4/5 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL.