SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. – While most racing teams are winding down for the winter, starting to look toward next season and fixing all the things that went wrong this year, Robert Davis Racing (RDR) has one more hurdle to clear before they can put their feet up – the National Auto Sport Association (NASA)’s 25-Hours of Thunderhill at the famed Northern California Thunderhill circuit.
This is the third year for RDR at The 25, and, like last year, there’s unfinished work at hand. RDR is set to attack The 25 with the same two specially prepared Mazda RX-8s they ran last year, finishing second in the E2 class and third in E1. Additionally, as they did last year as well, RDR will support a special entry on behalf of Mazda North American Operations, a Mazda MX-5 Cup car being driven by three of the company’s dealers.
“There’s nothing in club racing across North America like NASA’s Thunderhill 25,” said Robert Davis, RDR’s team principal and team manager. “Regardless of the amount of preparation we’ve put into our effort, regardless of how many parts we’ve replaced, regardless of how hard we’ve worked to try to consider everything that could possibly go wrong, we know we’ve missed something. But that’s why we race – to pull together as a team to overcome the adversity of top-level endurance racing. We love it.”
Robert Davis Racing
What is RDR? Why do we race? I have the pleasure to work for Mazda North American Operations, an automotive company that produces amazing products and services. Why do I view it as a pleasure and amazing, simple the people. (Read More)
ROBERT DAVIS RACING RETURNS TO NORTH AMERICA’S
LONGEST AND TOUGHEST ROAD RACE
Watch Live-Streaming
of the event at Justin.TV/teamRDR
RDR Thunderhill 25 Hours, Cont’d
Behind the wheel of the E1-class RX-8 (number 34) will be RDR regular drivers Dennis Holloway, Jim Holloway and Jeremy Barnes. They will tackle the 25 with just three drivers, hoping that the longer amounts of time behind the wheel, combined with less time out of the car, will mean more consistency on the track.
Piloting RDR’s E2 car (number 55), which was built specifically to tackle the rigors of endurance racing, will be the boss himself, Robert Davis, along with RDR stalwarts Ken Saward and Lee Papageorge, backed up by MAZDASPEED Motorsports Ladder alumnus Joel Miller.
Special guests driving the Mazda MX-5 Cup car (number 05) will be Mazda dealers Richard Fisher (The Autobarn Mazda, Chicago), Taz Harvey (Dublin Mazda, Dublin, Calif.) and Pat Lind (Carousel Motors, Iowa City, IA). All three have an extensive racing history in both NASA and the Sports Car Club of America. Harvey also is the defending E1 class champion, having won the class last year in an MX-5 Cup car entered by a private team.
Over the course of the race, the team expects to make more than 60 separate fuel stops with their three racecars, which means nothing happens without a tireless crew. Along with fueling duties, the all-volunteer crew will take responsibility for changing tires and brakes, keeping everyone fed and fixing all the little things that go bump in the night. And in addition to the team’s regular season-long sponsors and supporters, special thanks go to PIAA for supplying a host of lighting products.
RDR appreciates the support of Mother’s Polishes and Waxes, SAFERACER, Hoosier Racing Tires, MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development, Motul, AIM Sports, Racing Hart, Nippon Paint, Racing Beat, SpeedSource, Hawk Brakes, AWR, Classy Car Auto Detailing, Sparco, Pure Power, Whelan, Star Shield Armor, Petrol Eyewear, PIAA, and EMI.
The Pep-Boys Ready
