
Hometown Race Car Team Season Comes to a Close
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By: Pete Petersen
Community Writer, Race Car Enthusiast
Photo Courtesy of:
Brad Bernstein
Photo Description:
Larry Mason, driving in race car number 12.
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Grand Terrace Home Town Race Car Team Larry Mason’s Formula Mazda sponsored and maintained by Tom Englesman, owner of Auto Diagnostic of Grand Terrace, closed its 2015 race season at the Auto Club Race Way in Fontana, Saturday Oct. 17 with a photo finish of 4th place, and on Sunday with a very hard earned 2nd place to the winner’s circle of the AAA Track.
This track is a premium, but very challenging with a straight away capable of speeds up to 150+ mph.
Per Video Creations, you will note some of the area’s finest and most challenging cars and drivers there.
LMR Racing in our 2015 race season had our hometown race car in the pits and some race rules.
Our LMR racing season ended Sunday Oct. 18, where it started Jan. 17 this year in the winners circle with 1st place on Saturday Jan 16 and 2nd place Sunday Jan. 18.
March 21, LMR was at the 17-turn challenging Chuckwalla Race tournament in Desert Center, CA in the winner's circle on Saturday March 21 with a hard fought 2nd and with new tires on Sunday, March 22.
April 12, we had a hard earned 4th place at Thunder Hill Race Way Park in Willows, CA.
May 2 and 3, Buttonwillow Raceway Park, at 1st place, but a judgement decision stated the race car had to finish the race with the four tires with which they qualified.
A new tire failed putting LMR in the pits for a lesser quality used tire on in record time and back in the race to earn 1st place but only to be ruled out of the winner’s circle by an unheard of and never previously exercised rule.
On May 24 and 25, another 4th place at Pacific Raceway, Kent, WA.
July 4 and 5 at Portland, Or., International Raceway put LMR in the pits following a high speed spin-out hitting the wall backward at 100+ mph smashing our five speed stick transmission, rear air foil and the whole right side of our race car, putting it in Auto Diagnostic shop for some very pricey and extensive time consuming repairs for Tom Englesman and his race car maintenance team.
Mason walked away without injury this time, and even came up with a team name.
"We're calling it Auto Diagnostics Services Team LMR," said Mason.
However, our car was good as new for this week’s race.
Our Mazda rotary engine has performed flawless for the last five years, but is due for a major overhaul.
If you would like to have your name as a local business sponsor on our race car in the winner’s circle in 2016, contact Larry Mason at LMR.USA.com, or visit Tom at Auto Diagnostic in our city.