January 2022

Matt's February Update: The 2022 Challenge Begins on the Top Podium Step

Matt's February Update: The 2022 Challenge with Palomar Racing Begins on the Top Podium Step

San Marcos, CA | March 2nd, 2022

This month is one I will look back fondly on as the beginning of a special racing project I get to call home this year.

Together with Palomar Racing, we’ve taken a flying start to our 2022 challenge. We left Willow Springs winning the season-opening NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship round in E2 as well as sweeping the NASA SoCal ST5 sprint races. The program is built on contending for both championships this season with the addition of the national NASA Championships at Laguna Seca and NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill later this year. The first chapter toward these four goals has been written in the record books!

‘Luck is when preparation meets opportunity’. This could be reference to how my performances at the end of last season caught the attention of Palomar Racing to the tune of offering this opportunity. Very serendipitous to meet them last October as my current program was winding down and theirs just beginning. This could also be reference to how we managed to narrowly win the 3.5-hour night race by virtue of all three fundamental components the project is built on; developing the strongest crew, drivers, and car. While it was by no means a perfect race, we needed every one of the factors to pull through on Saturday night!

Grateful only begins to describe my feelings for Palomar Racing’s faith to bring me into their expansive NASA-focused challenge for 2022. We’re off to a strong start and I’d want nothing else but to keep the momentum going! Before we get going, a big thank you to team leader Andy and my teammate Nik for everything thus far.


MY STORY

A quick catch-up; my name is Matt Million, I’m a 21-year-old aspiring professional racing driver and full-time university student from San Marcos, California. I’ve been racing since the age of five spending the next eight years karting across the southwest. In 2014, I transitioned to sports cars in Spec Miata developing and succeeding in the Mazda Motorsports ladder through Teen Mazda Challenge up to winning in Spec MX-5 Challenge in 2018. In 2019, I became a 25 Hours of Thunderhill class winner and in 2020 a long-held aspiration of racing touring cars in Germany was finally achieved. In 2021, the main highlight was becoming E2 class champion in NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship where I drove for GOneppo Racing in a BMW Spec E46. I’m in my final year of studying Global Business at CSU San Marcos with a goal to use these skills to enter professional motorsport given the right opportunity and support.

I love sharing my racing career experiences with hopes that those who read them can find value in following my journey. Thank you for reading!


BACKGROUND

For additional context on my season with Palomar Racing, the ‘challenge’ is in reference to the team’s mission. The E2/ST5 Challenge is a project designed to compete and succeed in the competitive E2 endurance class of NASA WERC as well as the NASA ST5 sprint championship with the same platform; the BMW E36. The team decided on the E36 for its durability, performance potential, and link to the team’s historic racing background. The ruleset is the same for both sprint and endurance allowing us to contest with the same car.

While we are racing our #25 BMW E36 325i chassis currently, there is an E36 M3 chassis in development which will run as the #24 with hopes for its debut by the middle of 2022. The four targets: the season-long NASA SoCal ST5 sprint championship and 6-round NASA WERC endurance series in E2, the national NASA Championships at Laguna Seca in September, and the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill in December.

Palomar Racing’s three-part philosophy for the project: develop the best car for the class, build the most well-rounded and quickest crew, and run the best drivers for the task. It’s flattering to be included in that last piece alongside Nik Romano! It’s extremely unique to be located only a 10-minute drive from their base in Escondido, California as well.

WELCOME TO WILLOW SPRINGS

Rosamond, CA | February 11-13, 2022

I’ve never been quite so relieved to see a race car as I was pulling into the paddock on the sunny Friday morning. After multiple delays in trying to receive essential parts we needed, and generally being pressed on time through January, the Palomar crew pulled together in the 11th hour.

She was ready! The buzz radiated off our core crew of Andy, Mike, and Kevin. Not only was the #25 finally in one piece with all the necessary parts, it was performing above expectation. Without divulging too deep into the class regulations, the horsepower and torque numbers were balanced quite close to where we needed it with our current aero and modifiers. If we had more time to tune, we could’ve run about 100lbs lighter per the regulations but we’d work around it. I was ecstatic to feel the difference about 25 horsepower and 50 torque made with the new S52 M3 powerplant compared to the prior original engine.

With no buffer time between installation and race weekend, I had cautious expectations everything would hold up during testing. Full confidence in Palomar Racing’s work but you can’t be certain until the data is collected! And after dozens and dozens of laps testing everything from qualifying runs, endurance fuel calculating runs, and setup adjustments, I found myself more tired than the car itself! It drove fantastically well all things considered, albeit with some quirks still, with each positive step made in the workshop noticeable.

It was a massive difference. A revitalized machine from the one I put through its paces testing at Buttonwillow three weeks prior. The torque curve was super strong and power was impressively smooth. The added MSW Kinematic shifter setup made rowing gears much more precise and nimble. Small changes to driver ergonomics and switch placement meant she was beginning to feel like a more developed prospect. We had a strong understeer issue which worried us on tire wear but as 85% of everything ran better than expected, it was a factor we could manage.

We spent the evening practicing the refueling and tire change procedures, adjusting headlight direction, and enjoying incredible steak around a fire. I’d be pulling double-duty tomorrow running both the ST5 sprint qualifying and race as well as the final two stints of the 3.5-hour. Excited to get started!

SATURDAY

As I use these updates to document my journey with accuracy, it means being honest at times. Excited to finally get our program started, I was quite tired. Running around in the sun for five days straight between work and here caught up to me and I’d have to manage my energy wisely. Though, a renewed sense of confidence knowing the success of the day relied on everyone. If the car performed, the crew executed on their objectives, and the group energy flowed positively, the Palomar Racing team would get what they deserved regardless of how I felt. Yes, the racing driver is a crucial component and I was going to provide the best performance possible. But overall success in these endurance races especially relies on everyone. That reenergized me a bit. And it turns out your fatigue goes away when you strap into a race car. Who knew?

The plan for Saturday was as follows: Nik to run warm-up, I would qualify and race in ST5, Nik would qualify for WERC, and he would run the first fuel stint of the 3.5-hour while I raced the final two.

Something extraordinary was realized during my ST5 qualifying. While there was lots of traffic to navigate hampering my ability to set a quick lap until late in the session, the car felt… a whole lot better. New Toyo RR’s made a large difference but the dynamics of how the #25 now rotated through T2, T3-T5, and T9 was extraordinary. The difference? Switching to our primary APEX EC-7R Forged rims. Slightly wider and a whole lot more rigid than our testing rim set. Shocking can only begin to describe the difference. On average 1+ second per lap faster the rest of the weekend. An unexpected learning moment!

I qualified at a 1:30:5 which broke the previous NASA ST5 record and subsequently put us pole. I knew immediately there was a couple tenths left on the table for Nik to find in WERC qualifying if he had less traffic than me. I relayed the exciting news and we broke down where to find that pace. Getting out in front early was key for Nik who found the difference and put it on pole for E2 with another record!

By midafternoon it was time for the ST5 sprint. The series broke up the field into two packs and I sat pole for the second group. Having not started pole in a competitive sprint for a few years (and underestimated the potency of our torque), my getaway was fantastic… too good. My leap off the line was judged a false start and we saw the restart flags. My mind had gone back to ultra-competitive Spec Miata mode. Whoops, my bad! After some confusion by the first group, we eventually got underway and not much changed. I was averaging heaps of time over the 13-car ST5 field per lap setting the race lap record and taking the checkered by a sizable margin. I felt great about my performance and consistency to run within two tenths each lap even with a small ABS issue. It all clicked. The first sprint victory of this project is a testament to every improvement Palomar Racing made in the last few weeks. But now my focus was squarely on the primary challenge; the 3.5-hour WERC opener. Although I don’t cover it in this update, Nik went on to win the Sunday ST5 sprint with an excellent performance as well to complete the weekend!

NASA WERC Round 1

The Palomar Racing group was swiftly finalizing car preparations and setting up our pit stall as I sat in the motorhome resting with Nik and his partner Kristen a half hour before the race. I realized how foreign it felt to just be the ‘racing driver’ for once and Nik felt similarly. The value of having a motivated, trusted group who handle the many auxiliary duties of racing cannot be overstated. Although this was our first true test as combined Palomar Racing, what I’d witnessed in the build-up to the season told me this wasn’t an ordinary club racing program. They wanted to ensure success at any sacrifice this year. The atmosphere was right.

Nik took the green flag from pole out of 6 in E2 and 10th of 25 overall in the receding daylight at 4:30 PM. He was locked in a battle with our main rival; the #72 MooreWood Creative BMW E46. Of the unknowns we had entering the race, knowing this team would be a serious threat was very well understood! They’ve been competing in the category for multiple years and run an extremely competitive car and drivers with lightning pit stops. They would be our main competition not only tonight, but likely at all the major events this season. This was going to be formidable test of our group. Eventually, Nik got the better of the fight and slowly crept away to a lead of 5 to 10 seconds.

Just over an hour into the race Nik reported the fuel light was on. This was concerning. If he only stretched the full 17-gallon tank this far, how far could I stretch the roughly 12-gallons (per regulations) I would have after the stop? We definitely could not make a third stop if we wanted to win. I’d need to channel my inner Scott Dixon to stay in command of the race while saving lots of fuel.

Just past sunset and Nik hit his marks in the pit lane and our driver swap was without issue. The strategy of changing our front-left tire after the refueling finished (per regulation) meant our driver change didn’t need to be perfect in a 30 second window but we acted as clinical as possible. Nik relayed one crucial piece of information as he strapped me in; “the headlights failed, be careful out there”.

I heard him but the it wasn’t comprehendible. Three laps into the stint and I was still in disbelief. Was I about to be tasked with two hours at the darkest circuit in California with only the small apex lights? Cherry on top between managing the #72 car, a fuel deficit and rapid tire degradation!

The use of our new Dry Break fueling system was excellent. A Dry Break system effectively locks the fuel can into the mount providing a much safer and faster system than traditional refueling. While common in most major professional racing series, it was forbidden in the E2 category until this year.

My stints went by in a flash. The #25 Palomar Racing E36 felt much better than anticipated. I had the confidence to push a higher pace for the opening 30 minutes or so. It’s important in my internal strategy to gather a well-informed baseline of the car’s potential early in a long stint. That way I’m able to make efficient decisions in managing laps with dense traffic versus desolate ones in an effort to find pace at times, save the equipment at times, or blend the two into hitting a particular lap time or fuel number given the status of our race. I was being held up by an out-of-class Porsche 911 Cup car until I realized his pace was actually what I needed to be setting… and his headlights allowed me to spot my way around Turn 9!

Eventually, I ran up to the #72 MooreWood Creative BMW. After incessantly asking the team if this pass was for the lead, “this pass will put you back onto the lead lap”. Wait, I am down a lap? It turns out they ran a tire strategy we didn’t think was possible; no planned tire changes even with the same Toyo RR compound. They leapfrogged us during our change and I’d now worked for an hour to claw back around a half-lap. This told us we had work to do on our suspension setup for tire wear. Must’ve been pushing a hefty fuel save by this point as I had no opposition making the move to put us on the same lap.

Soon after the only full-course yellow of the race was displayed for a car off in Turn 1. The pit lane does not close under yellow in NASA WERC and I was adamant now was the time for my one and only fuel stop. The team assured me the strategy would work better by stretching a little longer to burn off more fuel in order to avoid any potential overflow. The green flag was flown soon after and I narrowly scythed my way past multiple cars in the busy restart. Watch this restart onboard with me on YouTube by clicking the link here!

About five laps later and I was called to box as I tailed multiple E1 class cars and passed the #72. The splash-and-go stop was excellent. Kevin and David nailed both fuel cans and I was gone in under a minute. As fate would have it, I reentered directly behind the #72 MooreWood Creative entry with no other cars in sight. Obvious their second driver had taken over as the tendencies and driving style had changed. Clarifying with my team that we still remained one lap behind them shifted my internal game plan.

If it had been for position, the pass would happen quick. But it wasn’t for position. With the #72 holding a strong pace and concerns still surrounding our fuel/tires to make the finish, I held back and pressured from behind. It was an opportunity to keep in the draft and save as much fuel (and save the car) as needed. There wasn’t any benefit to forcing a pass and getting 10 to 20 seconds ahead only to be at risk of an additional fuel stop while still being over a minute from the lead. I doubled down on the rearward pressure and tucked in as close as possible for about 12 laps. His pace was fading.

To my amazement, the game plan of pressure worked. One misjudged line on fading tires in Turn 9 and the #72 was off in the dirt at speed. He’d lost about 15 seconds and I was gone up the road. It didn’t make a difference in our plan since stretching fuel another 20 minutes was the priority. Ultimately, we had to accept coming 2nd to the well-proven #72 crew. They’ve had years of development whereas this was our first race in the series. To be on the same lap to finish was going to be an achievement. Then I received the radio call.

“MooreWood is in the pits!” In the off-track at Turn 9, they cut down the right-front tire and had an emergency stop in the final 15 minutes. I took the lead with full priority on nursing our #25 home as gently as possible. There was a three lap deficit to the next closest E2 competitor and I was finally confident we had enough fuel to last, but the left-front tire was down to nothing once again and my pace fell off a cliff. But it didn’t matter. We managed our variables the best and impressively so for a new team. The drivers, the strategy and fuel/tire crew, and the car’s pace and reliability all worked to give Palomar Racing the first E2 class win in the 2022 NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship season.

“Get on the other doorsill and we’re getting a photo!” It came unbelievably down-to-the-wire with MooreWood and that made it worthwhile. We both finished on lap 118 in the end. Also down to wires was our left-front tire. It wasn’t lasting much longer after taking a closer look. People were coming by to say how they watched the tire ‘spark’ as I came down the straight. In a sprint race, you only have a few variables to manage with pure pace a priority. In an endurance race, it can be 10x. Putting together the arithmetic of all the factors is what delivers results. If I had dropped that tire in off a kerb a couple laps before the end, our win could’ve been lost. Also too if we hadn’t gotten all the fuel in during the last stop. Or if I was unable to drive at speed without the main headlight beams. Those are the margins that make endurance race so intriguing and satisfying.


Reflections

Reiterating much of what I’ve already said, I cannot be thankful enough to the Palomar Racing team. It brings me such joy to watch an idea which started on paper late last year transform into a formidable program with high potential to succeed in our ‘challenge’ together.

First, to Andy Anderson. How serendipitous it was for Mike, Kevin, Blair, and yourself to contribute toward GOneppo Racing’s title-clinching pit stop in October last year. Your guidance and vision for this year’s challenge keeps us all motivated and eager to push ourselves. You’ve been nothing but generous to me and shown a hunger to deliver us the tools we need to be winning. I cannot wait to see what this year develops into!

Next to Nik Romano. Without your push to have me integrated in this mission to share driving duties with you, the results of this weekend wouldn’t have been the same. You’re a fantastic driver whose already taught me plenty about car setup, dynamics, and components and I look forward to furthering our relationship and making our teamwork unbeatable. It ‘takes two to tango’ and your abilities inside and out of the car are pushing me to keep learning!

To the rest of Palomar Racing, your commitment to this challenge will be the reason it works. Kevin, your tireless hours of building the #25 and eventually #24 to the performance potential we seek is paramount to the team’s success. Without the car, we wouldn’t be racing! Mike, your enthusiasm, stories, and expertise has rippled through the atmosphere of our group and made it lots of fun to be included in. Thank you for all your hardwork to make the program function! To Blair, your relaxed personality and sense of humor is similar to mine and developing our relationship has translated into your role as crew chief. I’m always at ease knowing you’re on the other end of the radio and am grateful for your commitment. To everyone else, thank you just the same!

Lastly, this year’s challenge wouldn’t be possible without our partners. Thank you to Palomar Solar and Roofing as our primary sponsor along with partners Toyo Tires, BimmerWorld, Apex Race Parts, Frozen Rotors, FastSideways, Massive Brakes as well as NASA SoCal and the NASA WERC series organizers.


In Closing

Thank you for reading and supporting my motorsport journey. Whether it be through these updates, social channels, or in-person, the small interactions truly make a difference. Using my motorsport path as a means to create value for others is very important for me. If you enjoy these reports or are interested in supporting steps toward professional racing, please get in touch! Stay up-to-date on mattmillionracing.com and my social media. Until next time…

Matt Million

San Marcos, CA - 03/02/2022

Matt's January Update: 2022 Season with Palomar Racing & Report from Laguna Seca

Matt's January Update: 2022 Season with Palomar Racing & Report from Laguna Seca

San Marcos, CA / February 1st, 2022

The first month of the year has been a jam-packed introduction to a number of 2022 racing projects. With over 200 circuit laps and four race cars driven before the end of the first month, I’m beginning to feel what the professionals do!

In this update, I’ll discuss three stories from the month: announcing my season for Palomar Racing and car development progress, being called-in to a Lucky Dog endurance team to win at Laguna Seca, and supporting Palomar Racing for VARA University at Buttonwillow.

I’ve been working to have these updates easily readable, engaging, and shorter. I’d appreciate any feedback. Thank you for the support!


MY STORY

A quick catch-up; my name is Matt Million, I’m a 21-year-old aspiring professional racing driver and full-time university student from San Marcos, California. I’ve been racing since the age of five spending the next eight years karting across the southwest. In 2014, I transitioned to sports cars in Spec Miata developing and succeeding in the Mazda Motorsports ladder through Teen Mazda Challenge up to winning in Spec MX-5 Challenge in 2018. In 2019, I became a 25 Hours of Thunderhill class winner and in 2020 a long-held aspiration of racing touring cars in Germany was finally achieved. In 2021, the main highlight was becoming E2 class champion in NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship where I drove for GOneppo Racing in a BMW Spec E46. I’m in my final year of studying Global Business at CSU San Marcos with a goal to use these skills to enter professional motorsport given the right opportunity and support.

I love sharing my racing career experiences with hopes that those who read them can find value in following my journey. Thank you for reading!


story #1: JOINING PALOMAR RACING FOR 2022 + CAR DEVELOPMENT

BUTTONWILLOW, CA / Jan 7-9th

My first laps on-track in 2022 came with a strong relevance and commitment for the next 12 months! Here’s the announcement and background first, then I’ll give a bit of commentary about what it means to me.

I’m immensely excited to announce a major component to my year. I will join Palomar Racing as a driver in their NASA ST5/E2 program which will see full-season competition in both NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship’s (WERC) E2 category and the NASA SoCal Super Touring 5 (ST5) series. The #25 BMW E36 we will run is being developed to the combined ST5/E2 ruleset. Sharing sprint and endurance driver duties with me is Nik Romano and Nico DeCuzzi. Palomar Racing is owned and operated by Andy Anderson, Mike Anderson, and Kevin Desirello with our crew chief being Blair Geil. The team is located in Escondido, California and is primarily supported by Palomar Solar and Roofing. This is Palomar Racing’s first championship outside vintage racing in VARA, SVRA, Rolex Reunion, CSRG, etc.

In addition to the NASA WERC and E2 campaigns will be entry into the 2022 NASA National Championships at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in September. The team is currently developing a second, identically prepared #24 BMW E36 with hopes to enter two cars in the ST5 championship events and possibly in Monday’s WERC 6.5 hour event. The crowning endurance event of our year will be the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill which takes place at Thunderhill Raceway each December. All of the year’s lessons learned will be utilized and applied here!

To give context on how it came together; serendipity, timing, and fitment! It was during last October’s NASA WERC Buttonwillow 3 Hour when I met these gentlemen. Through mutual friend and crew chief Blair connecting us, they became the pit crew for GOneppo Racing in the race Peter Oneppo and I took 1st and secured our 2021 NASA WERC E2 championship. Unaware to me at the time, they were putting together a serious effort for next season and I happened to leave the right impression. Nik Romano, friend and teammate this season, had been working with them to put a ST5/E2 program in place and reached out to me about the opportunity.

This is my first opportunity as a truly ‘sponsor supported’ driver and it definitely raises the personal importance, along with yet another realization that my racing career journey is headed in an encouraging direction. It’s also special to represent a significant local business this season with the team’s headquarters located only a few miles away!

Our 2022 mission is a natural fit and progression for both my racing career and this awesome, motivated small team. I’m honored to contribute my abilities to Palomar Racing’s campaign. Thank you to Andy and Nik especially for entrusting me with the task.

Development Race Debut at Buttonwillow

Our debut weekend came in early January at Buttonwillow Raceway for NASA SoCal ST5. This event was primarily a data-gathering exercise for the car before the season truly began in February. Nik was scheduled to guide the weekend’s races with Nico and I supporting. On the Wednesday before, Nik gave us the news he was suddenly unavailable and couldn’t make the trip. It was now, under poor circumstances, up to Nico and I to collect data!

We acclimated ourselves to the #25 in Friday testing. Immediately it was obvious how much potential this package has. The concept was to combine the BMW E36’s lightness with aerodynamic prowess, reliability, and power. While the ‘power’ aspect is forthcoming with our improved engine scheduled to be ready for NASA WERC Rd.1 in February, the lightness and aerodynamic potential made the car insanely nimble and capable of impressive mid-corner speed.

An unexpected treat to Friday was being able to sample the team’s 1969 BMW 2002 built to B-Sedan regulations. It weighs about 2000lbs, makes around 180hp, and never wants to be below 6000rpm! Honestly, when the Palomar guys told me to shift around 8000rpm I truly believed they were joking. No joking indeed. I’ve never driven any car remotely similar; a raw, uncorked, visceral experience wrapped in a bite-size package. Yet, it’s shockingly intuitive. The dynamics, gearbox, characteristics all encourage a particular on-the-limit driving style that she responds well to. Essentially, if you’re not partially sliding at all times, you’re not going fast enough! What a joy. Please check out this onboard video I’ve published from the experience by clicking here!

I’d race on Saturday with Nico on Sunday. A satisfying qualifying performance, able to secure pole in ST5 from 7 cars with the power deficit and time left on the table as I worked to adjust my driving style to the downforce.

The 25-minute sprint race proved how important it was to be here collecting data. While it was incredible in most corners, all the high-horsepower traffic would heavily compromise this advantage with little to be done in defense on the next straight! I took 2nd battling an unpredictable braking sensation which compromised the speeds further. We learned afterwards the ABS had failed and I was thankful to get to the end safely. In all, it’s exactly what we wanted to find out: create a list of all the ‘must fix’ areas, understand how to maximize our advantages, and put the development work in early.

It was a great first weekend to work with Palomar Racing learning team dynamic, performance expectations, and potential. I’m immensely encouraged by the planned preparation for February and cannot wait to get the season started!


STORY #2: WINNING AT LUCKY DOG LAGUNA SECA

Great run! P1 in class, P3 of 45 overall on Saturday

MONTEREY, CA / January 15-16th

When I received a message from longtime friend Francis Hu that he needed a driver for his Lucky Dog endurance team, it was a quick reply back!

His daughter, who normally took this spot, was unavailable for the January event at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. I was honored to be offered the drive. It was a 6.5 hour race on Saturday and 7.5 hour race on Sunday. I’d be behind-the-wheel of his team’s BMW E46. Although I’ve driven numerous E46’s in recent years, none have been at the incredible Laguna Seca. Knowing I’d return here for the NASA National Championships in September, this would be a wonderful preview and chance to accumulate plenty of lap data. Even with the Lucky Dog series focused on ‘fun’ rather than outright performance, it was a great opportunity.

The team is ‘Ambi-Turners’ and includes co-drivers Myan Spaccarelli and Kimball Williams. For Saturday’s race, our objective was to be classified in B-class and go for the class win. Since the three Lucky Dog categories (A, B, and C) are determined by general lap time range, we’d be on the cusp between A and B. Being the resident ‘pro’, I needed to make sure my pace was dialed back within range of my teammates for the day which was a surprisingly fun challenge.

Kimball took the start and ran consistently between 9th and 12th place overall from 45. One-and-a-half hours later, Francis was strapped in as we excellently met our 5-minute pit stop minimum. Now solidly classified as in B-class, I assessed the fastest in-class time and made sure I’d run as close to that number as possible (about a 1:47:0). Just past noon and we executed my stop cleanly. On a quick lap, our E46 on these series-mandated Hankook RS4’s was capable of high 1:44’s and thus I was involved in lots of mental arithmetic meeting my number through both heavy and sparse laps of traffic! Myan took the final stint of the day by which point we ran 1st in B-class and top five overall. Maintaining consistency, we won the class and climbed to a rather impressive 3rd overall from 45 entries. A unique moment of the finish was I wasn’t able to celebrate on the pit wall with my teammates… because I was right behind the Myan!

Long story made short, my friends at Team Black Swan Search needed a 4th driver to finish in the #62 BMW E30 to maintain stint compliance. Therefore, I took the final half-hour behind the wheel of the car which gave us 2nd in the 25 Hours of Thunderhill just last month! One more ‘bucket list’ item checked off… drive two cars in the same race. To make it even better, I was having so much fun in the #62 after being told to ‘drive as fast as possible’ that I came within tenths of the fastest C-class race lap. It was radioed in on the penultimate lap so I pushed a bit more. Crossing the checkered, it was enough for the fastest lap in class. Great moment!

I’ll keep the story of Sunday’s 7.5 hour brief. It was another fun, well-executed race made even better by taking the restriction off my lap times. The 1:47’s now could become 1:45’s and it was an enjoyable challenge wrestling the well-used Hankook RS4 DOT tires into more speed. With this tire compound giving out and snapping the car around with aggressive inputs, the game of delicacy through dozens of slower race cars was a nice challenge.

My favorite passing zone was the entry of T9 as you could capitalize on traffic running wide and hold a tight, swooping move which was far more efficient than most braking zones to pass in. It’s a delicate balance for a pro caliber driver in Lucky Dog which is an amateur-supported series. In the end, you can have fun going quickly during a stint but need to be mindful of the beginners and remember to just do the job you’ve been told and hand the car off clean!

We finished 6th overall on Sunday after another clean run. Ultimately, it was a skill-sharpening exercise to clock over 100 laps of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in dense, often unpredictable traffic. But all my efforts were second to making sure Francis and the Ambi-Turners team had a fun, productive weekend. Considering it was their first ever Lucky Dog class win and best set of results, I’d say mission accomplished.

Thank you Francis, Myan, Kimball, Eugene, Vivian, and the rest for providing a wonderful weekend.


STORY #3: DEVELOPMENT STRIDES & SUPPORTING AT VARA UNIVERSITY

BUTTONWILLOW, CA / January 21 - 23rd

The final story this month returns to Buttonwillow Raceway, this time for the season-opening VARA vintage club racing weekend. However, there’s no racing to speak about. Each January VARA organizes an entire event dedicated to driver training and their ‘VARA University’ high-performance driving and racing schools.

The Palomar Racing team are seasoned VARA competitors and the plan was to help our fantastic crew chief Blair receive his racing license. While I planned on attending to support and offer advice, the team handed me an important role; to test and develop changes on our #25 BMW E36 ST5/E2 competitor during open Friday testing.

Since our opening event two weeks prior, a number of changes were made to the car. A different front-end geometry, aerodynamic adjustments, brake improvements, and others minor details meant data needed to be collected. In total, I clicked off about 60 laps of Buttonwillow CW13 at pace with various adjustments and notes logged. The most effort I’ve put into high quality, fast laps in a test day for a good while! And again, the strengths of this package shined even brighter as I got my second taste. Even with the engine 30-40 horsepower down from what’s allowed in the category, I could run consistently faster laps than any other E2 category I’ve raced here. In short, great progress on the #25.

Everything in that test elevated my excitement for the season. Immensely grateful to be included in Palomar Racing’s lineup and hope to make it a special season.

We transitioned into Saturday’s VARA University experience. Our crew chief Blair would get his racing license in the team’s #007 BMW E36 while our mechanic Kevin got to live the fruits of his labors; running the #07 BMW 2002 in the school after fixing a lingering engine issue on Friday night!

As I spent the day listening to a wonderful array of vintage race cars and happily supporting Blair and Kevin, our paddock friends who brought their BMW E30 M3 wanted my assistance to coach their young driver Sara and get my feedback on the platform setup. She was already a very competent driver but was ready to move up from basic instruction.

First time driving an E30 M3!

It was very helpful to understand where small improvements could be made and even more helpful to show it from the driver’s seat. When teaching, it’s important to drive the car in a manner your student can tangibly replicate while exemplifying the one to three aspects discussed beforehand. In this scenario, my example was primarily on lessening steering input to maintain a more comfortable balance (allowing for more safe speed with practice) with a secondary focus on firm-yet-smooth brake applications and finally on adjusting car position in certain corners. Undoubtedly the most rewarding part was watching her confidence rise in knowing what she needed to work on instead of generic instruction and applying it!

Thank you Andy, Mike, Kevin, and Blair for the allowing me to support. Thank you also Carl, Mark, and Sara especially for allowing me to practice my driver coaching and sample a wonderful BMW E30 M3! An overall lovely weekend.


REFLECTIONS

Although I didn’t send out a December Update, please click here to visit the article on my website. It covers my experience with Team Black Swan Search at the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill. It was my fourth start in the event as I led a driver team of ‘25 Hour’ rookies. We finished 2nd in class after a fierce battle over the entire (fog-shortened) 17 hour race. Plenty of stories to read!

It was a busy January full of good experiences and people. Headed into February, my sole focus is the NASA WERC Rd.1 for 3.5 Hours of Willow Springs and accompanying ST5 sprint races on the weekend of February 11-13th. I’m excited to deliver my best for Palomar Racing and start our working relationship in front of the competition! I cannot stress enough how these opportunities aren’t common and it’s an honor to be included in this one.

Beyond this, I’ll be putting the headphones on and getting to work on my final semester at university. I’m on target to complete my Global Business Management degree at CSU San Marcos this May and it feels awfully strange yet rewarding. Four years of learning about aspects of my business-related passion and I’m ready to pair it with my racing career!


IN CLOSING

Thank you for reading and supporting my motorsport journey. Whether it be through these updates, social channels, or in-person, the small interactions truly make a difference. Using my motorsport path as a means to create value for others is very important for me. If you enjoy these reports or are interested in supporting steps toward professional racing, please get in touch! Stay up-to-date on mattmillionracing.com and my social media. Until next time…

Matt Million

San Marcos, CA - 02/01/2022