Matt's December Update: Ending the Year at 25 Hours of Thunderhill

Matt's December Update: Ending the Year at 25 Hours of Thunderhill

Whew! It’s been a whirlwind of a racing year. It ends this time at the ‘longest endurance race in the United States’, NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill. It was my 4th time in the race and a first with Team Black Swan Search. An absolutely lovely group of people and personalities that have all, in some shape or another, made my 2021 season possible. For the team and the rest of our four drivers, it was their first 25-hour experience! Here’s the highlights of how our 2nd in-class result unfolded in 439 laps, 1,200 miles, and 17 fog-shortened hours.

Team Black Swan Search with drivers Matt Million, Ryan Keeley, Greg Gomolka, Kasra Ajir, and John Artz take the #62 BMW Spec E30 to 2nd place in the E3S class and 16th of 36 overall.

Along with this month’s update, look out for a ‘2021 Season In Review’ article soon!

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 in the Mazda Motorsports ladder through Teen Mazda Challenge up to successes 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 first realized. For 2021, my season is NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship where I drive for GOneppo Racing in a BMW Spec E46. We’ve now clinched the E2 championship title with two wins and five podiums. I’m in my final year of studying global business at CSU San Marcos with a goal to enter professional motorsport given the right sponsorship funding and opportunity.

I love sharing these experiences with hopes that those who read them can find value in following my journey. Thank you for the support!

HOW IT CAME TOGETHER

My journey to the 2021 edition of this race unknowingly began at a cold Willow Springs in February. I spend the weekend helping Oceanside Motorsport’s many Spec E30 drivers find a bit of pace through data coaching. It reconnected me with friends and acquaintances like John Artz and Ryan Keeley who I got to learn more about their 2021 plans and ambitions. It’s frankly incredible that showing up to a single race meeting with no other goal but to help coach and reconnect with people can lead to awesome opportunities. Genuine, caring racers who I’ve developed the honor to call some of my best friends this year.

The ‘meat’ of the 25-hour program started to develop in autumn. Neil Daly, racer and owner of Oceanside Motorsport, was planning a serious effort with his Spec E30 in the E3S class. John Artz, also racer and owner of the partnered Team Black Swan Search, was planning his own effort too. Since the 2020 edition of the race was cancelled due to the pandemic, both gentlemen had real ambitions to go win in-class. We had a small civil war brewing!

Decided to enter the 25 Hours of Thunderhill has to be the most challenging grassroots-level race in North America on multiple fronts. Not only do you need a car and crew capable of going twice-around-the-clock plus two full test days, it takes a not insignificant budget to pursue which isn’t always available in grassroots paddocks. However, it’s an immensely attractive event full of unique challenges, intense camaraderie, racing heroics, and incredible stories of endurance racing triumph and tribulations. Thus, the stage was set. Both men now focused to build their arsenal and go head-to-head as friends and competitors to win E3S against whoever else showed up in the competitive ‘spec’ class!

WELCOME TO THUNDERHILL

The grass was lush green, the air was beautifully temperate, and John and Kerri Artz had just pulled into the Thunderhill Raceway paddock midday Wednesday to unload for their team’s first 25 Hour. They worked to unload their humble setup as the open-cockpit prototype team next door was fabricating an entire pit building with an army of people. The contrast in this race is unparalleled and very entertaining!

The bulk of our team arrived late Wednesday. I flew from San Diego with our mechanical and engineering crew; Ryan Lindsley, Mark Farmer, and Pete Bush of the renown BIMMERSPEED group. The same people who delivered my World Racing League double victory at VIR in September. We couldn’t have enlisted the help of better people!

QUALIFYING

Golden hour. Friday at 4:30pm is truly when the festivities begin. Qualifying for the production classes (E0 through E3S) got underway in the twilight sky I very much love. As lead driver, it was my responsibility to set the qualifying lap before handing off the car for Keeley and Ajir to get additional night laps in before the race.

My mission was clear. Set a lap I considered to be unreachable by the rest of the class as early as I could. One small compromise stemmed from a lack of clarity on our car’s weight. We suspected anything under a half tank of fuel could be underweight as we worked to add plates to the passenger seat. To be safe, I’d qualify with a full tank. Not great for performance, but ensuring legality is usually the right call!

Cool winter air, new Toyo Tires, and a more spacious track since ES and ESR cars now had their own qualifying session after the production cars. One warm-up lap in and the first flyer gave me an indication of our weight issue; setting the same personal best I had on worn out tires in the morning. That 2:07:9 wouldn’t be enough for pole. Another lap in and 2:07:6. Again, not what I felt was representative of myself nor the tires. Incredibly, I had enough open circuit for another flyer. I radioed in that it was my last regardless if my time improved or not. But it had to. I felt a small sense of frustration in myself that I couldn’t pull out my potential, and this set the tone for a magic lap.

It wasn’t one or two corners of gain, it was all 14 corners where I squeezed tenths from. The Spec E30 is a strange car at the limit. The suspension hates quick inputs, and it takes increased patience to get the most from one. I had to ‘set’ the car far before I was ‘turning’ it. Combined with using a few inches of each corner and bettering my pedal transition times with input smoothness and across the line. 2:06:7. Now that was a lap time I knew was enough. And if it wasn’t, there wasn’t anything left I could’ve done in the moment! Indeed, it was pole. Better yet, it set us 23rd of 36 overall in a car which should’ve been 31st. Watch the lap by clicking here!

RACE DAY

It didn’t take long on race day to discover our biggest fear. The fog. It had been forecasted yet stayed away all weekend up until Saturday morning. It cleared a few hours before green flag at 11:00am but would it come back in the night? Didn’t matter for now. What mattered was a clean, undramatic opening stint which put us ahead of the class and on the right sequence. The parade ended and I strapped in excited but locked to this task.

The ceremonies subsided and I gazed forward past the ten rows of cars ahead. It makes a lot of sense to have an experienced driver starting this race. It’s astounding the types of shenanigans I’ve seen on lap one here previously; a mixture of different driver skills combined with a dauntingly ‘open’ race plan means some teams are pushing hard and others not pushing at all. There’s plenty of jitters to sort through at the beginning of 25 hours I suppose also!

We take the green and before I can even reach the start, there’s a puff of smoke as one of the race leading Radical's spins and parks in the middle of Turn 1. Being in the middle of a 40-car field leaves not many options. I make the split-second choice to go through the dirt as keeping on the circuit was a higher risk of running into other avoiding cars. I nearly take his wing endplate off but reenter cleanly in disbelief this can happen so early. I’ve lost a spot or two but know how long this first stint is. After a couple of laps easing up to pace, I make decisive moves on the E3S-leading Miata’s and regain top position. And after another six-or-so laps of putting in a rapid pace I break free of the class and reset to the team’s game plan.

My opening 1-hour-30-minute stint flies by and I’m handing off the car to team owner John Artz with a half-lap lead over the class. Time to find lunch, debrief with our group, and try to rest a bit ahead of my first proper double stint in early evening.

We entered the ‘meat’ of the race; not focusing too heavily on the timing monitors, but instead working to improve our pit stops each stint and rotate through our five drivers before I began a long night alongside fellow young driver Ryan Keeley. For our team comprised of multiple smaller groups (BIMMERSPEED as car chief and main crew, Black Swan Search providing spotters and pit helpers, various others with specialties like data acquisition), I was very proud of how the teamwork came together. Each immensely motivated to make this year’s 25 Hour count, as for most of them it was their first ever! With the plentiful experience of BIMMERSPEED’s Ryan Lindsley with Mark and Peter, it synchronized the procedures and helpers. And with my previous three trips to race this event, I worked to ease the comfortability of our drivers.

5:00pm came around. We decided to double stint Greg Gomolka as his pace was quite good and it would Keeley and I more time in full darkness. It was tough to contend with our friends and rivals in the #14 ‘Pink’ Spec E30 from Oceanside Motorsports. While the ultimate pace might not have been in their favor, the driver lineup was arguably quicker and more acclimated to these events and their pit work was extraordinary. Many months of practice went into cutting down their fuel time and refining each aspect of the pit process. Very tough to match! Thus, we sat around 3rd-or-4th in class with a deficit of about 3-to-5 laps.

Ryan Keeley was expecting to start his first stint, with the firm plan to begin our ‘high pace’ night run and catch the #14, when it came to haunt us. The fog returned! Within a matter of five minutes at dusk, the track had become engulfed in thick white clouds to the point of race officials bringing out the red flag. The visibility was gone and it was getting better no time soon.

An emergency driver meeting was held at the tower as team’s tarped their cars on the front straight entering ‘parc fermé’ conditions. The race finish would be pushed from 12:00pm to 3:00pm and we’d eagerly await the paddock alarms to sound telling us we were going back to racing. But it was 6:00pm and the fog wasn’t leaving until morning. The Black Swan Search crew ate hot chicken soup before slowing finding their rest places. Our BIMMERSPEED gentlemen wouldn’t be sleeping and were ready to awake us when the time came.

I found a small semblance of comfort in our driver RV and attempted to sleep. Very, very odd to force oneself to sleep at 8:30pm when I should’ve been in the car racing for the next three hours! It was cold, wet, and we made the mistake of turning off the heater.

One restless night had passed and the sound of blaring cop sirens filled the paddock. “Drivers! We will begin moving from the grid at 5:00am! Get to your cars immediately!” It was 4:30am. The driver who took the red had to restart which meant poor Gomolka was getting Navy Seal treatment as he went from sleep to racing in twenty minutes!

The race restarted with most of the fog subsided. This was far earlier than anyone expected to go back racing. I had expected a 10:00am start time so this was a pleasant surprise! Gomolka soon pitted to hand off to Keeley who began his double stint in the twilight dawn casting over the circuit. He put in a fantastic three hours; steadily gaining small chunks of time on the class leader and nearly gaining a lap on his own.

9:30am - Strapping in for the next four hours

9:00am. Six hours of racing remain. Keeley is finishing his second stint. We heavily considered keeping him in for a third as he continued to gain little by little on the #14 Oceanside Motorsports car. With roughly four stint lengths of 1-hour-30-minutes left, crew chief Lindsley made the executive decision to swap drivers now in order to get my three stints in and have Keeley fresh for one last charge to the finish.

9:30am. The stop was smooth and undramatic. The race context was entirely different, but it reminded me of when I boarded Keeley’s Spec E46 for my herculean, miserably humid three hour stint at the WRL race at VIR earlier in September. My role was to put in a clinical couple of hours to hopefully move us onto the lead lap, but to do so I’d need to claw back four minutes in four hours. It’s a unique mentality in these races; when you’re not launching from the pits to battle for position, but working as hard as possible to get your teammate into that position for the final hour. I love that.

I was having a blast. The crew was able to change the left-rear tire this stop so the car felt… mostly fine. Always a unique compromise of grip each stint in these ‘production’ classes since we can only change one tire per stop without incurring a penalty. Some stints the front is hooking up great, others it’ll wash out every corner. I dealt with the latter in this one! But time flew by as I remember taking back one lap from the #14 with relative ease. Fun!

The second stint was not. The left-rear tire was heavily worn when I came in for my first stop. As Mark and Peter prepared to change it, they noticed the right-front was showing cords. They made the right choice to change the RF instead, but it left me in a world of struggle to compensate an unwieldy sliding rear. I kept pushing and a vibration worsened lap after lap. Eventually the car felt as if it had rocks as tires. 2:08’s became 2:10’s and slowing as I just couldn’t hold the rear end through Thunderhill’s many long corners. Lindsley and I desperately wanted the tires to hold out until my next fuel stop. And it nearly did! Three more laps until I entered my window pushing 2:12’s holding on for dear life. The tire let go and began deflating across the Turn 5 ‘bypass’ and I was headed in early! Luckily no other dramas incurred as I brought it back safe.

I nearly decided to swap with Keeley a stint early. The car felt so terrible on the shredding tire that I lost a lot of energy and confidence trying to hold on. I stayed in. And it was absolutely the right choice.

It’s honestly insane how quickly my outlook changed. It became a completely new car with the replaced tire and my enthusiasm was back. 2:12’s became 2:07’s immediately. The closest I’ve felt to the racing version of ‘a second wind’; everything flowed so naturally and I was running qualifying times without any additional effort. I ran across the class leading #14 and passed to put us within two laps. Even with the heavily shortened race, we could have a chance by remaining utterly persistent and attacking! Roughly halfway through this stint I got the radio call from Ryan Lindsley telling me to back off a few seconds in order to extend the 1-hour-30-minute pit window. Sometimes you get to show your potential; other times you have to listen to your team and put their best interest ahead of yours!

At the end, I handed off the car back to Keeley after spending four hours in the cockpit. I was surprised how much energy I still had! Rehydrating the best I knew how, we watched Keeley take the baton and rise to the closest we’d been since the start; less than three minutes behind the lead from over ten minutes at its furthest. But as the time ticked down, it just wasn’t likely. One of the other Mazda Miata teams in podium contention had to serve a 5-minute penalty and thus we solidified 2nd place behind our friends in the #14 Oceanside Motorsports entry.

While it wasn’t the full 25 hours, it was honestly more exciting to see the energy light up in the team once we crossed the line. For nearly all of them, they had just successfully finished the grueling 25 Hours of Thunderhill in their first attempt - on the second podium step in the E3S class no less!

It was an honor to compete for John and Kerri Artz’ Black Swan Search team. To be provided the opportunity to race and assist John, Greg, Ryan, and Kaz complete their first was a great leadership experience for me and I truly enjoyed it. Ryan Lindsley and the BIMMERSPEED crew put on a show of expertise with clinical strategy and stops all race, and a special thanks to our volunteers who made the pit stops, food, spotting, and fun environment possible.

REFLECTIONS

To keep this brief, I’ll just say this was a fantastic closer to my 2021. This year was one of tremendous personal growth. I felt the highest highs and absolute lowest lows at some points of the year. I had to define, and redefine, what I wanted to be and why I was doing any of this. Through it all, some of the best performances of my career occurred as well as forming relationships with seriously great people in motorsport. It wasn’t easy at times to continue, but I’ve never been so happy I stuck to it.

It all culminated at this year’s 25 Hours of Thunderhill. I’d built strong repour and many friendships over the year with nearly everyone that contributed to Black Swan Search’s effort. It felt like I’d found a true racing family before we even began the race! On top of that, it was one of the first races I was drafted in as the ‘professional’ component. Where my experience, expertise, ability, passion, personality all made a difference in the process of my inclusion on the driver squad. I’ll continue to look back and smile on how the small areas of progress culminated to this moment.

To Kerri, John, Ryan, Greg, Kaz, and everyone who has believed in me; I want to keep making you proud!

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. And until next time…

Matt Million

San Marcos, CA - 12/28/2021

Million, Team Black Swan Search Finish 2nd in 25 Hours of Thunderhill

Million, Team Black Swan Search Finish 2nd in 25 Hours of Thunderhill

WILLOWS, CA - December 5th, 2021

Matt Million, with Team Black Swan Search, finish 2nd in the E3S class of the 2021 25 Hours of Thunderhill. After qualifying pole, Matt got the team off to a good start in the #62 Spec E30 entry supported by BIMMERSPEED. The race was evolving as a red flag for fog halted the race after 7 hours. The race resumed after an 11-hour delay and concluded at 3:00pm the following day after a total of 17 racing hours. Team Black Swan Search would finish 2nd only two laps behind main competitors Oceanside Motorsport.

I must thank John & Kerri Artz for graciously allowing me to be their lead driver, Ryan Lindsley and the BIMMERSPEED crew, my teammates Ryan, Kasra, and Greg, and everyone else who contributed to this year’s effort. As much as I’d liked to see a full 25 hours run, I hope you all had as much fun in the camaraderie of this group as I did.

More to follow… ‘Matt’s December Update’ will recap the race in detail coming this month.

Matt’s October Update: First Championship Clinched with Late Winning Pass

Matt’s October Update: First Championship Clinched with Late Winning Pass

BUTTONWILLOW, CA - Well, this was it. The final race with GOneppo Racing and teammate Peter Oneppo in the 2021 NASA WERC season. Bittersweet to conclude such a fun, rewarding season that pushed me to seek new heights and connected me with fantastic people.

Million, GOneppo Racing take 1st place in the E2 class in Round 5 of NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship with a pass in the final five minutes. With an overtake on our championship rival in the final half hour, Matt Million and Peter Oneppo also clinched the E2 championship title.

Million qualified and took pole position in the E2 class with a time of 1:59:74. This set the them 1st in the class of 8 entries and 11th of 33 overall. In the race, they also took a remarkable 7th overall through strong pace, consistency, and strategy.

This month’s update covers the story of this weekend. Also included is a reflection from my World Racing League debut at VIRginia International Raceway’s 8 + 8 Hour event in September. Driving for RKMotorsports in a GP2 class BMW Spec E46, Matt and teammates incredibly won the back-to-back races against all odds. An engine failure early in testing nearly left the team without options. Matt’s first visit to the famed VIR is a story you won’t want to miss!

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 in the Mazda Motorsports ladder through Teen Mazda Challenge up to successes 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 first realized. For 2021, my season is NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship where I drive for GOneppo Racing in a BMW Spec E46. We’ve now clinched the E2 championship title with two wins and five podiums. I’m in my final year of studying global business at CSU San Marcos with a goal to enter professional motorsport given the right sponsorship funding and opportunity.

I love sharing these experiences with hopes that those who read them can find value in following my journey. Thank you for the support!

EVENT BACKGROUND

To learn more about how the season has gone thus far, I encourage a visit to mattmillionracing.com and scroll through the ‘News’ or ‘Photos’ sections.

We came into Buttonwillow completely equal on points with our title rival; Bitteracing. Sitting at an even 365 points occurred from both of us having one win, two second places, and one third place each. Championships don’t get much closer! And there’s reason for it. The #88 Bitteracing Spec E46 is nearly identical to our #45 since the team owners race against one another in the NASA SoCal Spec E46 series. Their drivers Ryan Bittner and Ryan Keeley are quick and ran a great program this season.

While there is one more round of NASA WERC in November, both of our teams chose to forfeit the event due to a clash with the Spec E46 sprint finale at Chuckwalla Raceway. With nobody else in contention to take the title, we agreed to make this the ‘winner take all’ showdown. Game on!

Life, in the form of college and work, got in the way of Peter and I after our first win together in the Utah 6 Hour in July. We’ve remained active however; In September, I joined Ryan Keeley’s RKMotorsports team to make our World Racing League debut in Virginia (which we incredibly won, story below) and Peter got to lap Washington’s finest road racing circuits since he moved to Seattle.

But this race was a chance to clinch a first ever championship for us both. Our #45 was maintained by BIMMERSPEED, we enlisted the help of Palomar Racing to conduct our pit stop with the support of crew chief Blair, and had the advice of HQ Autosport on our side. The pieces in place to knock this out of the park, but racing can be an unpredictable mistress!

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15TH - RACE DAY

The weather was a tad chilly. Perfect conditions. Testing commenced in the morning and ran until evening. Then, it was time for the qualifying at 5:00pm and the race from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. The first hour as the sun set below the horizon and the final two in darkness.

I woke up energized and motivated. Lovely to again pilot the #45 for the first time in two months. The blue-and-orange livery with our names on the quarter window with tidy EnduroBright illuminated number panels made our small operation feel professional.

This season has been driven by my desire to get closer to ‘professional’. Being included in an incredible driver search opportunity this February shaped this approach greatly. Since then, I’ve been coming to races better prepared, equipped, and with a clear mission. Always be ready for the step into professional ranks because you never know when it shows up. Much appreciation to Peter Oneppo for allowing me to shape this program in this manner.

Testing was drama-free. The car felt as flexible and manageable as it always had, even on worn out tires. The #45 setup runs softer than other Spec E46’s I’ve driven which helped it’s ability to deal with Buttonwillow’s many fierce kerbs and quick elevation changes. Love these touring cars.

The fuel strategy for three hours is tricky. We’re allowed to start with a full tank of about 15 gallons which takes about 1 hour 30 minutes to run dry pushing at a normal pace. Per regulation, we can only refuel two 5-6 gallon jugs meaning 12 gallons to complete the final half at most. It’s possible to one-stop but it requires fuel saving (short-shifting, lift and coast, etc.) which makes it hard to maintain front running pace and no guarantee you’ll make it. With one or two full-course-yellow periods, we could save enough to avoid a second stop. Without any yellow, our plan was to run hard and accept the late splash at the benefit of running a quick pace. With some yellow laps, we’d be avoiding the second stop at any means necessary.

Qualifying went fine. Definitely hit our target although I felt there was more to extract. I got to grid early and worked to build the buffer zone around me. Coming into the first flyer, I was passed by an ESR class entry who sent it off into the dirt ahead. I kept my head and tires cool to reset for another. It took three additional laps but I finally hit a mid-1:59 target time I knew wasn’t being beaten. The conditions were sub-optimal with a hot surface and my tire pressures far exceeding where I preferred them. Mission accomplished, setting Peter Oneppo to start from E2 class pole of 8 entries and 11th overall of 33.

RACE START

Oneppo maintained the lead easily for the opening 20 minutes… because we ran under full course yellow due to a car beached in the dirt from start incident. This worked to our benefit; we began saving plenty of fuel and the E2 pack remained tight. Peter knew his objective. Stay within touching distance (20-30 seconds) of the class leaders and hand the car over clean. If he did that, I’d be in position to close the gap. Having raced here with Peter in the April event getting within 10 seconds of the leader, I knew my own objective as well.

Peter fought amongst the top three but nightfall saw Bitteracing’s plan come to fruition. Ryan Keeley was on full attack to put as much time between us as possible. And it was working. By the time of our fuel window, Keeley was over 40 seconds ahead in the distance in 2nd place while the class leading #46 Lucas Racing Spec E46 another 10 seconds up the road.

Oneppo out, Million in with an hour and a half remaining

Pulling the helmet straps on as our pit stop neared, I channeled the energy required of me. The task of closing such a large gap was immense, but our title couldn’t end like this. This was the most confidence I felt all season. The refueling and driver swap was clean and undramatic. I held a long gaze as the fuel door shut and received signal to launch.

Radio silence in the opening laps. I didn’t want time interval updates for a while. I needed to find my flow and the limits quickly. If I could tap into my potential early enough and sustain it, just maybe it could be enough.

The most unconsciously-aware stint of the season. Within three laps, I set my tempo to a 95% pace I knew was possible to hold strong for an hour. Not yet the time for high risk. But time for clinical laps maximizing the finer details of track limits with a hint of conservation in my shifts. Knowing the times Keeley was setting in the daylight on new tires, seeing my pace was better gave me the confidence I could gain at a consistent rate.

After 40 minutes, I began getting curious. Still not seeing Bitteracing on my horizon was slightly concerning. That’s when the radio call came in. “You’re closing on 2nd. 15 second gap now, at this pace you’ll get to him in 3 or 4 laps”. Two laps later, I became the tail of a 4-car E2 battle. No wasted energy. I passed one entering Grapevine and another exiting Cotton Corners with strategic positioning. Bittneracing was next. Before I could make a decisive move of my own, he pressured himself off Sunset corner and I was through. The championship was in our hands after over two hours on the back foot. But work remained to be done.

I increased pace and found extra tenths through renewed confidence we’d easily make it on fuel now. The radio message came. “30 minutes remaining, you are 26 seconds behind 1st and you’re averaging a second or two faster per lap”. 95% pace became 98%. Time now to push hard for any chance in succeeding.

Kerbs taken with a precise aggression, corner entries squeezed for more speed, cutting down transition time between the pedals. Do all of this while maintain the same level of consistency. Scything through traffic became an artistic dance.

With 10 minutes remaining, it was target acquired. I ran up on the E2 leading #46 Spec E46 with urgency in Phil Hill. Navigating traffic through Riverside helped the gap close to nothing. Through Bus Stop now preparing an optimal entry into Grapevine to match alongside and shuffle into the lead. From there, no looking back.

White flag as I crossed the line. No longer was there headlights in the mirror. The #46 had ran out of fuel a couple corners later. The tactics by Oneppo and I worked. My pace was calculated to make the move and make it across the finish.

Checkered flag. What a stint. I could hardly believe it. Never give up! Sometimes these days end up how you dream them to be. But wow, it seriously took the best version of myself to do it. The most consistent drive of my life.

The grueling humidity in my three hour stints at VIR last month played a massive factor in the belief I could pull this off with relentless consistency. Was there laps I could’ve maximized better? Definitely. But as a complete performance, this might’ve been my best yet. Motivated confidence in myself, my toolset, and the situation.

In summary, I couldn’t justify bringing Peter Oneppo the championship without the race win. So Peter, there you go. Thank you for allowing me into this effort in 2021 and I’m immensely glad it paid off. Enjoy the title and two race wins!

Watch my qualifying lap and full night onboard by clicking here.

September Update Recap: Back-to-Back WRL Wins in Virginia

The following is taken from my September Update. Click the link here to read the full article on mattmillionracing.com!

Saturday Grid: Gomolka, Keeley, Million, Musser

ALTON, Virginia - It’s fair to say the result we achieved at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) wasn’t one we expected, but a monumental story none of us will forget!

RKMotorsports swept the weekend with back-to-back class wins in the 2021 World Racing League 8 + 8 Hour event at VIR with drivers Matt Million, Ryan Keeley, Greg Gomolka, and Jordon Musser.

They took 1st in GP2 from 11 entrants both days in the #87 BMW Spec E46 and finished 15th and 16th in overall standings of over 70 entries. This comes after an engine failure early in Friday testing left the team scrambling for options. This month’s update covers the highlights of this experience.

In July, I was approached by friend Ryan Keeley to drive for his team RKMotorsports in their WRL debut at Virginia. Our car is the #87 BMW Spec E46 prepared and crewed by San Diego-based BIMMERSPEED led by veteran owner Ryan Lindsley. Keeley and I would be accompanied in driver duties by Greg Gomolka, local racer from San Diego, and Texas-based driver Jordon Musser.

Our #87 ahead of a GP3 and two GTO entries

World Racing League (WRL) is quickly becoming a primary U.S. championship for club-style endurance racing with a professional atmosphere. It consists of four classes; GTO is the fastest and most numerous (populated with Cayman GT4’s, M4 GT4’s, Audi RS3 TCR’s, etc.) followed by GP1, GP2, and GP3. One special aspect which makes the series so competitive is how closely matched each class is.

Arriving late on Thursday evening, I was struck by the dense, rainforest-like environment alive with energy and humidity. Stunning atmosphere and welcomed first visit to this storied racing circuit.

I had the privilege of piloting the first warm-up. This marked the first laps of VIR for myself, the team, and the car. My simulator homework hadn’t been far off but some differences shocked me. Despite the grandiose magnitude given off by the scenery, the circuit itself felt narrow and condensed. The rhythm was absolutely thrilling. Unfortunately, the day was short lived. The engine expired around 10am and the team sprung to action locating a new unit and beginning the process of replacing it. The job was finished by dinnertime with our BIMMERSPEED crew ensuring confidence we’d be racing tomorrow!

Ryan completed his stint and Greg was next to go. With an approximate fuel range of 1-hour-30-minutes, I was thrust into the race at the three hour mark.

Quickly I understood what made WRL such a viciously competitive and enjoyable series. A copious amount of cars vying for the same real estate with a surprisingly good driver quality. At one point I became the tail of a multiple car train winding up the world famous esses at full speed thinking to myself “this is incredible”! Sometime in the stint, I set my best lap of the day and the second best of the GP2 class of a 2:10:851. I’d gained lots of confidence through areas like T16 and T17 along with the braking zone of T1 and the patience required for T3.

Crew Chief Ryan Lindsley watches on

The second stint was rather straightforward. Fewer Code 35’s, less traffic, more honed in on a consistent flow. I’d check in with the pit wall every so often to relay fuel numbers and gain affirmation my pace was sufficiently moving us ahead. This was confirmed a few times per hour as I’d gain back a lap from the GP2 leader or those in podium contention. I developed more efficient methods of passing slower cars and managing faster traffic as I became familiar with VIR’s subtleties. It was a long hour-and-a-half stint with the heat, humidity, and lack of airflow but the promise I made to myself was one of persistence through difficulty. It eventually became the most grueling stint of my career. I exited the car and laid flat on the ground for an hour completely drained. We regained over four minutes and now sat on the lead lap. The effort was well worth the pain!

Exhausted-yet-jubilant winning crew!

One hour later and one hour to go, Jordon worked himself to 2nd within a minute to the leader and closing. We paced around our pit glued to the timing screen. Jordon made a decisive move into T1 with 15 minutes remaining and sealed our fate as we all watched in awe. Four laps of disbelief later and we hung over the wall cheering and hugging. The emotions hit harder than we expected. It was proof every lap mattered. If I opted to let my times slip one second per lap over the course of an hour, no way this occurs. Same goes for the efforts of the other three drivers and our crew. From no engine to 1st in class and 38 positions gained overall. Tomorrow was another 8-hour race day. Could we pull off a miracle twice?

Ready deliver the opening stints early on Sunday.

The race got underway and I chased down the pole-sitting #525. We sliced through the GP1 field and checked out from the rest of GP2. It was a high pace to match but I needed to stay within range. I worked on more effective traffic management.

it is remarkable what one night of quality sleep can do for comprehension and muscle memory. Each spot of weakness seemed to become my best areas of the circuit. Taking the inside kerb of T10 quicker and more decisive, charging Oak Tree Bend with a softer brake release to make up heaps of time scything through traffic, rotate and commit the car earlier in T3 to match traffic under braking into T4 for a getaway up the esses. Crew Chief Ryan Lindsley decided on a fortuitous time for my splash-and-go.

My second stint was a blur. Lots more open track compared to my first stint. Now having escaped from the slower GP1 traffic, I was unleashed to extract what was available to me in the #87 RKMotorsports Spec E46. There exists a 10-to-15 lap segment in this second part of my 62 opening laps which had just a half-second spread. It’s bizarre how much time there is to cut out being effective in traffic. Not like these laps had no traffic; they had a fair amount. But through hours of studying and unconscious competence from the weekend, the path of least resistance seem to open up and the confidence of car placement and abilities rises. Rising to the point where it doesn’t matter if you run up on two cars or seven cars in a lap; the variables enter the mental computer and spits out a better formula each time.

With 15 minutes remaining, Jordon caught the GP2-leading #525 BMW E46 and made his move on the outside of T5. Cheers erupted and we were pinching ourselves. The competitor made a mistake working to retake the lead and we crossed the line with a sizeable gap. Again? What are the chances we lead no laps outside the final half-hour and win against the odds… two days straight!

What a special event. Without BIMMERSPEED’s expertise and excellent strategy, no way we would’ve made this happen twice. My gratitude for their work is immense.

It was an unexpected showcase of adaptability having never been to VIR, never been in a WRL event, and never driven this Spec E46. To complete a total of 132 laps between the two races at a consistency and window which pushed my own limits higher was motivating.

The decision to accept more mental and physical adversity in the scorching cockpit to perform a higher level uplifting our chances of success meant the world to see it actually mattered. Clichés sometimes ring true. ‘Never give up’. If I did, or anyone else this weekend, the result would definitely not happen. Live by the mantra, ‘how you do anything is how you do everything’. Aim high and surround yourself with others of similar tempo. An honor to contribute in RKMotorsport’s first endurance win - twice!

I highly encourage you to read about the rest of this incredible weekend. Click here to visit the article on mattmillionracing.com!

REFLECTIONS

Race win, E2 champions for GOneppo Racing at Buttonwillow in October

It’s been a remarkable few months. A culmination of potential, determination, and execution. Above all though; people. Without the people who believed I was the right fit for their racing program and gave me a chance this year, these results wouldn’t exist.

Back-to-back 8-hour wins for RKMotorsports and BIMMERSPEED at VIR in September

I thought winning the Utah 6 Hour would be this year’s highlight. Never been so satisfied to be wrong! To debut in WRL in Virginia and deliver on our potential gave me a massive confidence boost. Rolling that energy into our NASA WERC finale made a difficult task feel possible.

Grateful for any opportunities I’ve been fortunate to create or land on where I get to better myself as an aspiring professional driver and become a more ‘complete’ motorsport athlete. I hope the effort is recognized and cannot wait to see what the future holds.

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. And until next time…

Matt Million

San Marcos, CA - 11/03/2021

Million, GOneppo Win Dramatic NASA WERC Rd.5, Clinch E2 Championship

Million, GOneppo Racing Take Dramatic Class Win in NASA WERC Round 5 at Buttonwillow and Become E2 Class Champions

Into the darkness (Photo by Herb Lopez)

BUTTONWILLOW, CA - Matt Million and teammate Peter Oneppo take a dramatic class win for GOneppo Racing in Round 5 of NASA WERC at Buttonwillow Raceway.

The three-hour night race also clinched the E2 class championship for GOneppo Racing with a mutual agreement to forfeit the final round at Thunderhill next month.

Peter started the race from class pole out of eight in-class and 11th overall in a field of 30 entries. Pitting from 3rd in-class and handing the car off to Million with one hour and 20 minutes remaining, Million left the pits with over a minute gap behind 1st.

Matt would make a pass for 2nd on the #88 Bitteracing Spec E46 entry with 30 minutes remaining, which put the championship in favor of GOneppo as the two teams went into this race tied in points.

Matt made the pass for 1st with only two laps remaining on the #46 Lucas Racing Spec E46 entry.

Matt wishes to thank GOneppo Racing, BIMMERSPEED, Serenity EHS, and his family/friends for their continued support.

More to follow… ‘Matt’s October Update’ coming soon.

Matt's September Update: Surreal Double Win on WRL Debut in Virginia

Matt’s September Update: Surreal Winning Debut in World Racing League at Virginia

ALTON, Virginia - It’s fair to say the result we achieved at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) wasn’t one we expected, but a monumental story none of us will forget!

RKMotorsports sweeps the weekend with back-to-back class wins in the 2021 World Racing League 8 + 8 Hour event at VIR with drivers Matt Million, Ryan Keeley, Greg Gomolka, and Jordon Musser.

They took 1st in GP2 from 11 entrants both days in the #87 BMW Spec E46 and finished 15th and 16th in overall standings of over 70 entries. This comes after an engine failure early in Friday testing left the team scrambling for options.

This month’s update covers the highlights of this experience. Further, there is a small recap of my month seeing some of America’s most iconic circuits.

MY STORY

A quick catch-up; my name is Matt Million, I’m a 21-year-old aspiring professional racing driver and full time college student from San Marcos, California. I’ve been racing since the age of five, spending the next eight years karting across the state. In 2014, I transitioned to sports cars in Spec Miata developing in the Mazda Motorsports ladder through Teen Mazda Challenge up to success 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 first realized. For 2021, my season commitment has become NASA’s Western Endurance Racing Championship. I drive for GOneppo Racing in a BMW Spec E46 and after 4 of 6 rounds we are tied for 1st in the E2 class standings. I am also entering my final year of university studies with hopes to find my way into professional motorsport within the coming years.

I love sharing these experiences with hopes that those who read them can find value in following my journey. Thank you for the support!

Our GP2 class #87 being followed by a GP3 Mazda and two GTO Cayman’s

background

In July, I was approached by local racer friend Ryan Keeley to drive for his team RKMotorsports in their WRL debut at Virginia. Our car is the #87 BMW Spec E46 prepared and crewed by San Diego-based BIMMERSPEED led by veteran owner Ryan Lindsley. Keeley and I would be accompanied in driver duties by Greg Gomolka, local friend and racer from San Diego, and Texas-based hot shoe Jordon Musser. Jordon was a last-minute callup to replace our original fourth driver who became injured in the prior weeks. We’re immensely happy he was able to join; likely couldn’t have done this without him!

A bit of context on the series; World Racing League (WRL) is quickly becoming a primary U.S. championship for club-style endurance racing with a professional atmosphere.

It consists of four classes; GTO is the fastest and most numerous (populated with Cayman GT4’s, M4 GT4’s, Audi RS3 TCR’s, etc.) followed by GP1, GP2, and GP3. One special aspect which makes the series so competitive is how closely matched each class is. For reference, my best lap of a 2:09 in our GP2-classified BMW Spec E46 was only four to six seconds off the GTO leaders at any given time. Add in a mandate for road legal DOT-complicit tires of 180 tread wear and you get a tight field where drivers can really make the difference!

It all began at 6:00am Thursday in Terminal 1 of the San Diego airport. Gomolka and I flew together into Raleigh before picking up our rental and arriving at VIR just ahead of sundown at 7:00pm. The series’ check-in process for drivers was efficient and simple. We spend the remainder of the evening catching up with one another. I was particularly struck by the dense, rainforest-like environment alive with animals, energy and humidity. Stunning atmosphere and a beautiful circuit!

FRIDAY

Ryan and Peter pulling the engine from #87

Oh, how a day can change quickly!

I had the privilege of piloting the first warm-up. This marked the first laps of VIR for myself, the team, and the car. My simulator homework hadn’t been far off but some differences shocked me. Despite the grandiose magnitude given off by the scenery, the circuit itself felt narrow and condensed. The rhythm was absolutely thrilling, diving from corner to corner with various rumble strips, commitment levels, and visibility.

Unfortunately the day was short lived. As Jordon took the car out for his first laps, the engine decided to expire. The fortunate part was to have it happen at 10:00am. Our team sprung to action and rallied together assessing how to take the engine out and locate a new one!

The engine was out by noon, the backup had arrived an hour or two later, and Ryan Lindsley with his BIMMERSPEED crew finished their installation around 9:00pm. Us drivers decided it best to leave the crew to their work and make sure we arrived well rested. We received an encouraging text at dinner which allowed us to actually get some sleep!

saturday

On the Saturday grid; Greg, Ryan, myself, and Jordon

Our hotel lobby chat revealed the good news. “Car is ready, engine is healthy, and dyno numbers are strong”. Talk about a jolt of enthusiasm! Now it was (hopefully) on us drivers to take the baton and deliver. The atmosphere on grid felt quite professional! 70 endurance touring and GT cars on the pit lane in the chilly, dense morning air.

Missing out because of yesterday’s early failure, Ryan’s first lap of VIR would be taking the green at 8:30am gridded somewhere around 50th overall. His ability to learn very quickly had a new standard!

A clean getaway and Ryan found himself in the middle of GP2 doing his best to comprehend a new circuit in the heat of battle. Team expectations for today centered around seeing the checkered in eight hours. With so many unknowns, it was ‘trial by fire’ for all of us to adapt. But with an experienced crew and Jordon’s series knowledge, we maintained strong optimism and a supportive environment which propelled us forward.

Ryan completed his stint and Greg was next to go. With an approximate fuel range of 1-hour-30-minutes, I was thrust into the race at the three hour mark.

Quickly I understood what made WRL such a viciously competitive and enjoyable series. A copious amount of cars vying for the same real estate with a surprisingly good driver quality. At one point I became the tail of a multiple car train winding up the world famous esses at full speed thinking to myself “this is incredible”! Sometime in the stint, I set my best lap of the day and the second best of the GP2 class of a 2:10:851. I’d gained lots of confidence through areas like T16 and T17 along with the braking zone of T1 and the patience required for T3.

Chasing down a GP1 entry ahead

At the end of my first stint, I dealt with our first and only fuel scare of the event. The car fuel starved and shut off with just five seconds of warning. Cycling the ignition for 15 or 20 seconds felt like an hour. Luckily, it didn’t occur again and our time lose was minimal.

The second stint was rather straightforward. Fewer Code 35’s, less traffic, more honed in on a consistent flow. I’d check in with the pit wall every so often to relay fuel numbers and gain affirmation my pace was sufficiently moving us ahead. This was confirmed a few times per hour as I’d gain back a lap from the GP2 leader or those in podium contention. I developed more efficient methods of passing slower cars and managing faster traffic as I became familiar with VIR’s subtleties. It was a long hour-and-a-half stint with the heat, humidity, and lack of airflow but the promise I made to myself was one of persistence through difficulty. It eventually became the most grueling stint of my career.

Into the pit lane on cue. Driver change, window net up, door shut, and I nearly collapsed climbing over the wall. Without a doubt the most fatigued I’ve been after a race performance. I lied on the ground with legs cramping, water pouring, and seeing stars. My training regiment allowed me to run flat out in 95% humidity and 90 degrees for three hours and nothing more! I could’ve backed off the intensity and conserved. But I knew the deficit we needed to claw back and we weren’t reaching without a miracle. I needed peace of mind knowing I did everything possible in the cockpit to get us there. We regained over four minutes and sat on the lead lap.

As I prayed to the gods of hydration and slowly regained cohesive thoughts after an hour, the picture of our race came sharply into focus. Jordon left pit lane in podium contention. One hour later and one hour to go, he worked himself to 2nd within a minute to the leader and closing.

Ryan Lindsley watches intently as we enter the final two hours sitting in 2nd place

We fought against a fueling deficit. The #21 BMW E46 we were racing had a fueling system designed to the rules and gained roughly 15 seconds per stop on us. Thus constituting how hard we needing to push. Matching their final pit call with one of our own, they locked into a battle with 30 minutes remaining.

None of us were internalizing what was happening. We paced around our pit glued to the timing screen. Jordon made a decisive move into T1 with 15 minutes remaining and sealed our fate as we all watched in awe. Four laps of disbelief later and we hung over the wall cheering and hugging. So much for having no expectations…

The entire celebration was unsuccessfully holding back tears while relearning how to walk my sickened self. The feelings hit harder than I’d thought. From no engine and nearly no testing to class winner and gaining 38 positions in overall standings.

Top step of GP2 for Saturday!

It was proof every lap mattered. If I opted to let my times slip one second per lap over the course of an hour, no way this occurs. Same goes for Jordon’s effort with Ryan and Greg’s quick learning ability. None of us received a single penalty or suffered a mishap on pit lane.

sunday

Getting ready deliver the opening two stints!

If yesterday was our peak, it would’ve still been a milestone achievement. The morning conversation centered around “well, let’s go do it again!” After another eight hours of racing, was it a stretch to even consider it possible?

The decision was made to mix up our driver lineup order. I’d be starting and remain in for a double stint of 2-hour-30 to 3 hours. Greg and Ryan follow with a single 1-hour-30 apiece with Jordon closing the show with a full stint and splash.

My goal was to maximize the cold temperatures and new Cooper Tires to build a large gap behind. Knowing how close it came yesterday, we didn’t want to repeat the nail-biting finish!

The race got underway and I chased down the pole-sitting #525. We sliced through the GP1 field and checked out from the rest of GP2. It was a high pace to match but I needed to stay within range. I worked on more effective traffic management, more cautious to the new set of Cooper Tires, and got into a deep rhythm. Each lap was averaging nearly a second up on my afternoon pace yesterday. The conditions and tires helped, along with more confidence passing in different areas.

But overwhelmingly, it is remarkable what one night of quality sleep can do for comprehension and muscle memory. Each spot of weakness seemed to become my best areas of the circuit. Taking the inside kerb of T10 quicker and more decisive, charging Oak Tree Bend with a softer brake release to make up heaps of time scything through traffic, rotate and commit the car earlier in T3 to match traffic under braking into T4 for a getaway up the esses.

Crew Chief Ryan Lindsley decided on a fortuitous time for my splash-and-go. A Code 35 was thrown for oil covering the T14 and T15 apexes and looked like a lengthy clean-up. It cut my first stint 15 minutes short, but it was the perfect storm to knock out our splash early (instead of later on like the prior day).

My second stint was a blur. Lots more open track compared to my first stint. Now having escaped from the slower GP1 traffic, I was unleashed to extract what was available to me in the #87 RKMotorsports Spec E46. There exists a 10-to-15 lap segment in this second part of my 62 opening laps which had just a half-second spread. It’s bizarre how much time there is to cut out being effective in traffic. Not like these laps had no traffic, heck they definitely had a fair amount. But through the hours of studying and unconscious competence from the weekend, the paths of least resistance seem to open up and the confidence of car placement and abilities rises. Rising to the point where it doesn’t matter if you run up on two cars or seven cars in a lap; the variables enter the mental computer and spits out a better formula each time!

After an hour and a half of my best performance in the event (and likely the year), I turned the car over to Greg who was motivated to keep the momentum rolling. I don’t remember much in this time, probably since I was consuming copious amounts of nutrition drinks and had all the confidence Greg and the crew knew how to replicate yesterday. An hour and a half later, Ryan Keeley got his second chance to turn laps on VIR after fearing he might not turn any. Keeley improved and ran ridiculously consistent; everything he needed to do keeping us on the lead lap and in the fight.

Keeley entered his fuel window and suddenly a car was sent sliding across the grass into Turn 1. “Ryan, box this lap!” The timing was perfect. Code 35 called, a well-executed stop, and Jordon was now installed entering Turn 2 as the yellow flags became green. This situation had shocking resemblance to yesterday. We again put ourselves in position to win, and it was on Jordon to make the final move once again.

Back-to-back! Top of GP2 for Sunday’s eight hour

He closed the gap little by little and our final fuel splash put us within 10 seconds of the lead. With 15 minutes remaining, Jordon caught the GP2-leading #525 BMW E46 and made his move on the outside of T5. Cheers erupted and we were pinching ourselves. The competitor made a mistake working to retake the lead and we crossed the line with a sizeable gap. Again? What are the chances we lead no laps outside the final half-hour but still win… two days straight!

What a special event. Without BIMMERSPEED’s expertise and excellent strategy, no way we would’ve made this happen twice. My gratitude for their work is immense.

Maybe the most surprised was the Cooper Tires representative who told us on Friday they had special hats for class winners using their product. He’s not only familiar with us now, but might have a hat shortage to deal with. We apologize…

REFLECTIONS

The flight home with Greg tells the story. “Did… did that really happen?”

Maybe there’s something to be said about ‘taking the pressure off’. If I came home having driven a couple laps of VIR and showcased my abilities in a positive light, it would’ve been a success. What we got was a whole lot more. To pair three determined drivers and a capable car that have never been to VIR with a heavily experienced crew and Jordon who brought WRL experience turned out to be a fantastic combo.

‘Small California team’ pulls it off!

It was an unexpected showcase of my fitness and adaptability having never been here before or driven this Spec E46. Completing a total of 132 laps at a consistency and window which pushed my own limits higher was motivating.

The decision to accept more mental and physical adversity in the scorching cockpit to perform a higher pace uplifting our chances of success meant the world to see it actually mattered. Clichés sometimes ring true. ‘Never give up’. If I did, or anyone else this weekend, the result would definitely not happen. Live by the mantra, ‘how you do anything is how you do everything’. Aim high and surround yourself with others of similar tempo.

Still, I remain in elation for my friend Ryan Keeley. Someone not much older than me with a spirited vision of team ownership, filled with integrity and dedication to his racing rarely seen. An honor to contribute in RKMotorsport’s first endurance win - twice! Neither of us could’ve predicted this, but knowing how much sacrifice went into pulling together this program, there was no result more fitting.

I sincerely hope results and performances as difficult as these are noticed by those who understand the sacrifices it takes and the potential that exists. You’ve got to ‘cut your teeth’ to make a name! Now, I return to the middle of my college semester as a senior at Cal State University San Marcos.

AROUND THE UNITED STATES

Besides the race weekend in Virginia, I’ve found myself at a number of America’s finest race circuits in the month of September. In the first weekend of the month, I jumped at a last-minute chance to drive up with and coach a friend in PCA Club Racing at Road America… In-between, I saw my delightful grandparents in Valparaiso, Indiana. One perk of a grandfather who is a lifelong professional pilot was the express travel down to Indianapolis! Very memorable day.

The weekend at Indianapolis was spent supporting GAS Motorsport, a local SoCal group specializing in air-cooled Porsche race cars who ran 5 entries in the PCA Club Race event. It all took place during Porsche’s inaugural Sports Car Together Festival which put us on the support bill for Carrera Cup North America and Porsche Sprint Challenge. Although I didn’t get any laps in, it was fantastic to learn this new circuit and experience the storied Speedway for the first time.

There was a three day break I spent at home doing college schoolwork before it was back to the airport and headed to Virginia International Raceway. An incredible adventure that turned out to be! Returning home, a short two day break for schoolwork was followed by a day-long drive north to Thunderhill Raceway for more PCA Club Racing. This time it was to coach my friend Sean Neel in his bid for an air-cooled Spec 911 championship. A fun weekend with people who’ve become quite special in my journey.

WHAT’S NEXT

Next up on the calendar is back to my main championship for this season; Round 5 of 6 for NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship will take place at Buttonwillow Raceway on the evening of Friday, October 15th. We return to a 3-hour race format which means two drivers and one-or-two pit stops. I’ll pair up with codriver Peter Oneppo once again for Team GOneppo. We are tied for 1st in the E2 standings with Team Bitteracing and their BMW Spec E46 so the championship will truly come down to this race and the finale at Thunderhill next month.

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. And until next time…

Matt Million

San Marcos, CA - 10/06/2021

Million, RKMotorsports Win Back-to-Back on WRL Debut in Virginia

Million, RKMotorsports Win Back-to-Back on Debut in Virginia

R-L: Gomolka, Keeley, Million, Musser

RKMotorsports sweeps the weekend with two wins in the 2021 World Racing League 8 + 8 Hour event at VIRginia International Raceway with drivers Matt Million, Ryan Keeley, Greg Gomolka, and Jordon Musser.

They finished 1st in the GP2 category from 11 entrants on both days and finished 15th and 16th in overall standings of 70 entries.

Search for “Matt’s September Update” which chronicles the weekend in detail. Coming October 6th, 2021

Matt's August Update: Preparation Key in Utah 6 Hour Victory

Matt's August Update: Preparation Key in Utah 6 Hour Victory

L-R: Drivers Matt Million, Sean Neel, and Peter Oneppo share 1st place in the E2 class!

TOOELE, Utah - Headed into this event, I knew we had a chance. What I didn’t expect was the perseverance it would take for chance to become reality! Preparation, resilience, and jubilation are the words to describe GOneppo Racing’s effort to perform a top Utah 6 Hour result. But result aside, it was simply a fun and rewarding experience!

Matt with co-drivers Peter Oneppo and Sean Neel win the 2021 NASA Utah 6 Hour for GOneppo Racing in the 7-car E2 class and finish 16th of 38 overall at the Utah Motorsports Campus. Continue reading to follow the weekend’s storylines from Matt’s perspective!

MY STORY

A quick catch-up; my name is Matt Million, I’m a 21-year-old aspiring professional racing driver and college student from San Marcos, California. I’ve been racing since the age of five, spending the next eight years karting across the state. In 2014, I transitioned to sports cars in Spec Miata finding success in the Mazda Motorsports ladder through Teen Mazda Challenge up to wins in the semi-pro Spec MX-5 Challenge in 2018. In 2019, I became a 25 Hours of Thunderhill class winner and in 2020 my long-held aspiration of racing touring cars in Germany was first realized. For 2021, my season commitment has become NASA’s Western Endurance Racing Championship (WERC). I drive for GOneppo Racing in a BMW Spec E46 and after 4 of 6 rounds we are tied for 1st in the competitive E2 class standings. I am also entering my final year of university studies with hopes to progress into professional motorsport within the coming years.

I love sharing these experiences with hopes that those who read them can find value in following my journey. Thank you for the support!

Setting The Stage

After the latest round at Willow Springs in May culminated in a third straight podium without a win, there was no question I wanted the top step in the next event, the Utah 6 Hour, more than anything to keep our championship hopes alive.

This is an important event for me, the team, and our paddock at-large. While it helps that Utah Motorsports Campus makes for a beautiful destination, it’s also the most important pro-am enduro in the West behind only the 25 Hours of Thunderhill. Coming from SoCal, a long trip and long race duration require planning months in advance. Both Peter Oneppo (team owner and driver) and I agreed we undoubtedly had to run a high-quality effort to go there with a chance at success.

A well-prepared car, well-defined objectives, and an experienced and motivated volunteer team. The first of those was taken care of at the Bimmerspeed shop in San Diego, the second accomplished in due course, and the third was as follows:

Each person knew one another and worked in prior events alongside us. Andrew (reliable and strong fueler), Spencer (all-around mechanical genius of the BMW E46), Owen (aspiring engineer and ‘runner’), Steve (crew chief and detail-orientated), Diane (wonderful helper of many things), and my parents (lifelong supporters of course!) Our crew would rock. I’d be racing alongside teammate Peter with the ‘rad’ and very experienced Sean Neel as our 3rd driver.

FRIDAY & SATURDAY MORNING

Before race weekends, I will spend time on my home simulator preferably driving the circuit I will be competing at. It wasn’t until the first session in Friday testing when I noticed how much it helped this time! Setting out to apply what worked on the simulator, I was immediately finding pace in areas I wouldn’t have tried otherwise. With long straights and varying smooth radius corners, this circuit can be tricky to get up-to-speed. Friday was a resounding confidence boost on pace!

It was satisfying to know we had speed to contend for an E2 win. But with six hours of racing, three to four pit stops, and my two teammates needing to also learn quickly meant we still had plenty of unknowns. Overall, Friday went smooth and the crew relished it. We returned to our AirBnB greeted by my parents who won ‘most valuable crew members’. A hearty dinner of pasta, salad, and meats for our 10 member team was excellent! I was happy knowing our crew would be well and ready for tomorrow.

With no warm-up, the first on-track session was qualifying in late afternoon. After our group photo and a long discussion, we decided to qualify on Friday’s used Cooper Tires set to save our new set for the race start. Sean Neel had the opening stint and we to give him the most confidence possible, taking into account it was his first time at UMC and in our #45 GOneppo entry. Plus, we chose to run Cooper’s for their longevity as well as being a grooved compound; crucial in rain!

As the qualifying driver, I gave it my best but the circumstances weren’t ideal. Traffic was hectic as faster class entries struggled to get up to speed while a full course yellow ended the session after two laps to retrieve a stricken vehicle. I was a bit disappointed with how my laps turned out knowing a better time existed. However, to start 2nd in class and put Sean ahead of multiple E1 and E0 class entries was objective complete. P2 of 7 in class, P29 of 38 overall.

THE RACE

Dark skies looming and pace lap underway at 6:00pm. There would be a light shower during Sean’s opening stint with a thunderstorm lurking. We had confidence in his ability to manage this stint. If he stayed within reasonable range of the leaders and applied his masterful fuel saving ability, we’d be in good shape.

I took to the grandstands to be spotter for the next hour. Exciting, and slightly unnerving, to watch the lead four in E2 dice back-and-forth. I reconvened with the team and before long, Sean maintained within 15 seconds of the leader and was preparing to pit after a wonderful fuel stretching two hour stint. As he was about to stop, our pit setup (amongst other teams) was nearly blown into the track as stormfront winds hit like a brick wall. Undeterred, my eyes fixated on pit entry. Three, two, one, box box. A well-rehearsed driver change got me strapped in 20 seconds before fueling finished. Perfect stop.

Photo by Chance Hales Photography

It was 8:00pm, one hour to sunset. My introduction to the race was rather tame. A full course yellow came that lap for wind-scattered cones on the 900-foot main straight. I immediately began fuel conservation. Every ounce saved would help us avoid a late race splash. The 15-second deficit to the leader was now nullified. Steve, our crew chief, radioed in with “make moves as soon as possible. Once lightning rolls in, they could stop this at any point”. Time to turn the next few laps into a sprint! Think big picture, but move forward with intent and urgency. Locked into this mindset I found my way from 4th to 1st in three laps through a combination of focused aggression and conscious traffic management.

From here is when my job truly began. I had three tasks in mind; the first to build a gap large enough to relieve pressure off Peter Oneppo’s late stint. The second was to put fuel mileage in a three stop window rather than four. Finally, I wanted to show what I was capable of and make a statement through quick, consistent laps.

Photo by Chance Hales Photography

The fastest laps came just past twilight as distant lightning strikes lit up a purple sky. This circuit can be difficult to find a rhythm, almost like Le Mans in the sense of medium-and-long straights funneling into sharp, smooth bends. I found my rhythm and entered a ‘flow’ for those 30 minutes ahead of darkness clicking away laps and edging seconds out on our competitors.

But the rain quickly began to trickle in and I was searching for every bit of dry track. Over an hour in and the car reached fuel starve. Spotting another class leader off in the gravel of T11, it was a sprint to the lane to beat a potential full course yellow. The crew was drenched but performed flawlessly and I was away with a full tank! While the track surface wasn’t full wet conditions yet, visibility diminished heavily in the spray of traffic. A sign the surface was worsening came when the E1 class leader passed by to promptly then hydroplane off two corners later!

Now fully dark and fully wet with a fantastic rhythm. But 30 minutes following the pit stop… BOOM. Lightning strike three miles away made it daylight for a split second. Red flag. The crew put a tarp over me and I meditated in the quiet cockpit for 20 minutes until we returned to yellow flag conditions.

Green flag and I contended with the spray of 20 cars ahead. Visibility was extremely low but all the rain experience I’ve gathered in recent years gave me confidence to make the most of it. By the lap charts, I continued to stretch our lead. However it felt like time was slowing down. The intermediate-style Cooper Tires were overheating, the standing water worsened, and the remaining 40 minutes was an exhausted exhibition of car control and mental strength! After three hours in the cockpit, I pitted for our final scheduled stop to hand over to Peter with one hour remaining. My job was done and he was away with a one lap lead over 2nd place.

Photo by Chance Hales Photography

I had to relinquish my feeling of control and disconnect from being a driver to put on the ‘teammate hat’. How can I help? Grab a headset and go be the best coach/spotter possible! Peter had to get up-to-speed fast in terrible conditions and I wanted to relieve some pressure. On a mission for the top spot, the 2nd place Bitteracing Spec E46 was charging hard and finding tons of time as rain lightened and surface dried. Peter did fantastic to remain calm, pick up his pace gradually, and bring it home without a single mistake. Our advantage was too much to overcome. GOneppo Racing crossed the line at midnight to finish 1st in E2 and 16th overall! Honestly, it’s hard to internalize these things when they happen… our season’s effort was to be finally rewarded in champagne. Winning as a driver is special, but watching what it meant to the team was the real smile. Surreal.

REFLECTIONS

Preparation paid off.

The most striking takeaway was a better understanding of ‘team’. Motorsport cannot function without a group of specialized skillsets. Be it engineering, operations, training, pitting, etc. I put more responsibility weight on my shoulders to organize our weekend and find the right crew to become GOneppo Racing. Though it was this extra effort which allowed the metaphorical weight to feel lighter in the cockpit; knowing the car is meticulously checked over, the pit stops would be spotless, the crew chief knows exactly the calls I prefer to hear, etc. It adds up to make your lap times quicker!

I learned of weaknesses I had in understanding specific team aspects earlier this year. I strive to continue improving these aspects, my performance, my brand, and hope the progress is noticed.

Screenshot (159).png

Photo by Chance Hales Photography

My fourth race of the season, I’ve noticed sustaining pace and an ability to manage objectives over long stints has become better. Endurance racing is an artform of optimizing laps to the conditions, minimizing time loss, being smart, outmatching competitors deep in a stint, and so on. In the rain of this race in particular, it was easy to feel ‘on edge’ for a long time which was a detriment to my energy levels at times. While rain experience helped, I want to improve balancing conscious rain racing fundamentals with a natural reliance on feeling out grip levels.

At the end of it all, it was Peter Oneppo who left us with the lasting smile. The champagne bottle he opened in preparation for my podium sip accidentally sprayed in the middle of everyone. Forgetting about the pressure build-up at altitude, we laughed as overall winner Andy Lally chimed in with “it happens to the best of us”. Well Andy, I hope to one day have as many accidental champagne celebrations as you!

VIDEO

If you have a few minutes or hours to spare, I’d be elated if you checked out my full stint onboard video. It will be a challenge to capture another one this beautiful. The mountains, fading daylight, frequent lightning strikes, and a mixture of GT and touring cars. Click here to visit the video on YouTube.

Included in the video description is a list of timestamps to skip to the highlights. Unless you want to enjoy all three hours, then be my guest!

The #87 RKMotorsports Spec E46 I will compete in next month.

WHAT’S NEXT

August will be a month without racing. Hard to believe it’s the first month of 2021 I don’t find myself at a circuit! It puts into perspective how special the year has been so far. I plan to spend time with friends and family, enjoy the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and plan ahead for my senior year at CSU San Marcos starting in September.

My next race will be a number of ‘firsts’. I will partner with Ryan Keeley, driver in SoCal Spec E46 and our main competitor in Utah, in World Racing League’s 8+8 Hour at VIRginia International Raceway on the weekend of September 17-19th for RK Motorsports. It will be our debut in the championship as well as an exciting first visit to the storied Virginia circuit! Look for a race preview to be posted and sent ahead of race week.

Round 5 of 6 for NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship will take place in October from Buttonwillow Raceway where I will compete with GOneppo. More to come on that later.

In Closing

Thank you to everyone who follows and supports my journey. Whether it be through these reports, social channels, or in-person. 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. And until next time…

Matt Million

San Marcos, CA - 8/18/21

Million Wins 2021 Utah 6 Hour with GOneppo Racing

Million Wins 2021 Utah 6 Hour with GOneppo Racing

Final Stop with 40 Minutes Left, Million Swaps with Oneppo - July 31st, 2021 - Utah Motorsports Campus

TOOELE, Ut - After a race marred with rain storms and lightning strikes, GOneppo Racing with drivers Matt Million, Peter Oneppo, and Sean Neel take victory in the E2 class.

Thumbnail by Chance Hales Photography. More to come…

Matt's July Update: NASA Utah 6 Hour Preview

Matt's July Update: NASA Utah 6 Hour Preview

Halfway through the 2021 NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship, Matt heads next to the calendar’s ‘crown jewel’ Utah 6 Hour. A special event for mixing one-off professional entries alongside regular series competitors with 40 teams entered, the 9th annual NASA Utah 6 Hour will begin on Saturday, July 31st at 6:00pm local time from Utah Motorsports Campus.

Matt will race once again for GOneppo Racing in their BMW Spec E46 competing in the competitive E2 class. Matt’s codrivers for the event include team leader Peter Oneppo and experienced racer Sean Neel in what will be their biggest effort of the season.

I encourage you to continue reading to find livestream and live timing information to follow the weekend!

MY STORY

A quick catch-up; my name is Matt Million, I’m a 21-year-old aspiring professional racing driver and college student from San Marcos, California. I’ve been racing since the age of five, spending the next eight years karting across the state. In 2014, I transitioned to sports cars in Spec Miata finding success in the Mazda Motorsports ladder through Teen Mazda Challenge up to wins in the semi-pro Spec MX-5 Challenge in 2018. In 2019, I became a 25 Hours of Thunderhill class winner and in 2020 my long-held aspiration of racing touring cars in Germany was first realized. For 2021, my racing season has become NASA’s Western Endurance Racing Championship (WERC) as I continue full-time university studies hoping to progress into professional motorsport in the near future.

I love sharing these experiences as a young aspiring professional with hopes that those who read them can find value in following along. Thank you for the support!

THE SEASON SO FAR

What began as a faint possibility to partner with GOneppo Racing and contend for the E2 class championship has not only become a very real possibility, but continues to grow into a formidable endurance racing team in the West!

IMG_6061.jpeg

Round 1: Sonoma

With team leader Peter Oneppo unable to contest the season-opening Sonoma 2.5 Hour, Matt competed in a similar E2 class Spec E46 with a different codriver under the GOneppo Racing banner. Finishing 2nd out of 11 was a sign of potential.

IMG_6246.jpeg

Round 2: Buttonwillow

The second round was the Buttonwillow 3 Hour night race in April, our first event as an official pairing. I qualified on class pole from 13 cars and Peter maintained a great first stint. We swapped during our one scheduled pit stop near half-distance. Closing in on the leader, a red flag would end the event 30 minutes short and we settled for 2nd. Encouraging to see the top step within grasp.

187509299_4357186454325504_1067010942794013454_n.jpg

Round 3: Willow Springs

The third round, Willow Springs 4 Hour in May, nearly saw our potential realized. For a second time, I narrowly qualified the #45 Spec E46 on class pole over a competitive field. Peter took the opening stint and I raced the final 2 hours. We fought amongst the top three for the duration although a miscalculated tire strategy meant 3rd was our finishing position out of 9.

And there is a quick recap of our season so far. For in-depth reports, visit mattmillionracing.com/news. What comes next will be our biggest challenge. The longest and most unique event of the series; The Utah 6 Hour!

race preview: the UTAH 6 HOUR

The Utah 6 Hour is the fourth round of six in NASA WERC for 2021. It takes place at scenic Utah Motorsports Campus (formerly Miller Motorsports Park) outside of Tooele, Utah during the last weekend of July. The event uses the ‘outer loop’ layout which is just over three miles in length. The race is split in half between fading daylight and darkness, making the task of success even more tricky. 40 cars are entered with 8-10 competing against us in E2.

The race is special for a number of reasons. Since it isn’t apart of the NASA SoCal or NorCal regions, it definitely feels like a ‘fly-away’ round of the series. The logistics are more complex to the other rounds with a 700+ mile trip coupled with a 6-hour race distance calling for more crew members, more consumables like tires and fuels, and so on.

OUR PREPARATION

Our #45 GOneppo Racing BMW Spec E46 will have an all-new look upon arrival in Utah. Apart from traditional pre-race maintenance at the BimmerSpeed shop in San Diego, the car now wears a bright blue and orange livery accompanied by team partners Serenity EHS, BimmerWorld, BimmerSpeed, and others. Reach out and learn how you can support our team as a partner!

Throughout this season, I’ve derived my learning value not just the racing experiences, but as a ‘team manager’ as well. To help organize budget, understand shipping logistics for the car and equipment, and grow our team of two into a small army of ten has been worthwhile and likely relevant to my future career in the sport. This year’s Utah 6 Hour would be especially rewarding take a class win to give back to our group and effort behind-the-scenes.

However, I’m quite excited to zip up the race suit be back doing what I know best; competition! UMC is a fantastic high-quality, smooth circuit and being at 4000ft above sea level makes the daily training routine worth the effort. The dynamic of multi-class racing here is unique with professional teams entering GT4 and GT3 machinery. My goals include putting in another top qualifying performance, establishing high consistency and traffic management efficiency during my double stint, and working closely with our crew chief and my two teammates in extracting our ultimate potential.

Matt & Sean winning 2020 NASA WERC Rd.2

THIRD DRIVER

In searching for our third driver, one driver fit the mission statement of our program; Sean Neel.

We first met in June 2019 when I joined the Technik Competition team. Together, we won that year’s 25 Hours of Thunderhill in a similar BMW E46. Outside of endurance, Sean is the current points leader in PCA Golden Gate Region’s Spec 911 category. He brings a wealth of knowledge, excitement, and understanding of our team and endurance racing. Welcome Sean!

HOW TO FOLLOW

Every time that GOneppo Racing enters the circuit, there will be a livestream broadcasting from the car to YouTube. Find the link (and more) below.

UTAH 6 HOUR - TIMETABLE

(Local Time: MDT) (PDT +1)

FRIDAY, july 30th

Practice: Multiple sessions

SATURDAY, JULY 31st

Qualifying: Est. 3:30pm (20m)

Race: 6:00pm - 12:00am (6h)

FOLLOW MATT for live updates

Instagram: @mattmillionracing

Facebook: Matt Million Racing

Twitter: @MillionRacing

YouTube: Matt Million Racing

LinkedIn: Matt Million

Website: mattmillionracing.com

Contact: matt@mattmillionracing.com

LInks

Onboard Livestream: GOneppo Racing on YouTube

Live Timing: Search for NASA Utah on racehero.io/events or download the app

NASA Utah Website: nasautah.com

NASA WERC Website: facebook.com/DRIVENASA.WERC

In Closing

Thank you to everyone who follows and supports my journey. Whether it be through these reports, social channels, or in person. Using this motorsport path as a means to create value for others is of crucial importance for me. If these reports provide value or you are interested in supporting my step into professional racing, please get in touch. Stay up-to-date on mattmillionracing.com and my social media channels. Until next month… all the best!

Matt Million

San Marcos, CA - 7/28/21

Matt's May Update: Pole, Podium in Willow Springs 4-Hour

MATT MILLION’S MAY UPDATE: POLE, PODIUM IN WILLOW SPRINGS 4-HOUR & FUN COACHING EXPERIENCES

May 21st, 2021 - Willow Springs, CA | Photos by Herb Lopez

191574536_201435345165788_1836132070768915539_n.jpg

Hello! This month’s update focuses on a productive, tire-cording podium finish at NASA WERC Round 3 at Willow Springs, where myself and Peter Oneppo took the GOneppo Racing Spec E46 to a third straight class podium amidst a long 4-hour into the night. Also reflected on is unexpectedly coaching a friend and sampling his fantastic Spec Boxster along with some updates on what’s up next.

A quick catch-up; my name is Matt Million, I’m a 21-year-old aspiring professional racing driver and college student from San Marcos, California. I’ve been racing since the age of five spending eight consecutive years competing in karts. In 2014, I transitioned to sports cars in Spec Miata at age 14 finding success in the Mazda Motorsports ladder through Teen Mazda Challenge up to wins in the semi-pro Spec MX-5 Challenge in 2018. In 2019, I became a 25 Hours of Thunderhill class winner and in 2020 I achieved a long-held aspiration of racing touring cars in Germany. For 2021, my racing season has become NASA’s Western Endurance Racing Championship (WERC) as I continue full-time university studies hoping to eventually move into professional sports car racing or similar in the future.

I thoroughly enjoy sharing my experiences as a young racer through these reports with hopes you guys can take away some value from following along. Thank you for the support and recommend these to a friend (if they’d be interested!)

Setting the Stage

After coming within seconds of an E2 class win alongside Peter Oneppo for GOneppo Racing in Round 2 at the Buttonwillow 3h, we knew the possibility existed to go after the series’ most competitive title if we had a strong next round. That next round came five weeks later at Willow Springs with a twist. Still starting in daylight and ending late at night, this time we’d be racing a 4-hour which called for two pit stops and the potential for tire changes. Another reason why this series is appealing; with 4 of the 6 rounds running into darkness combining race lengths from three to six hours, the variety allows for different approaches (not to mention hours of unique night racing).

To restate a few points from last month’s update, being the endurance driver for GOneppo this season has become my main 2021 focus for a couple reasons. First and foremost, it keeps me in the cockpit and competing competitively on a semi-regular basis. While I’d absolutely love to be proving myself in SRO/IMSA or European championships, the budget to do so is out of reach currently so to keep racing and learning is better than sitting home! The E2 category in NASA WERC is becoming more competitive than it ever has been. Any small setback or be lapping off the pace and expect not to be winning or on the podium!

Second, the Spec E46 platform is a great all-rounder in terms of performance, chassis dynamics, and challenge. The class we compete in is full of these cars which makes it feel like endurance spec racing. Last, being with GOneppo has provided me a cool experience of autonomy in formulating race plans, crew roles, setup, and essentially helping figure out how to keep improving and win this championship!

I’ve made it clear to myself, and hopefully others can see it as well, that any smaller series or team I’m fortunate enough to race with in grassroots motorsport is treated with the same commitment and dedication as if it were professional. The way I view it, if I’m not using the chances I have now to prepare myself for when pro racing become a reality then I won’t be ready when those days come. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity, right?

Welcome to Willow Springs, Round 3 of 6

Iconic Willow Springs. A circuit many from Southern California have turned laps on for multiple decades. Arrived Friday morning for this one-day event greeted by high winds. We didn’t plan on a big testing program, simply just get both myself and Peter a good warm-up and collect baseline data. In my years around Willow Springs, I’ve never felt winds this strong.The entry of T8 was so vicious I nearly understeered straight off the circuit in the outlap to then receive snap oversteer in the middle of T9. Fortunately it died down before qualifying because that wasn’t very pleasant!

Our competition for this round was strong as well. Notably, three other Spec E46’s came with winning potential; the #11 Racewerkz entry which succeeded at Buttonwillow, #189 Bealeocity Motorsports entry with friend and pro driver John Capestro-DuBets in the lineup, and the points leading #88 Bitteracing entry that has become our championship rival. In total, 9 cars made up our class for this round.

Qualifying

Also for the second time, I had the pleasure of qualifying the car. The task was slightly different here; 5:00pm marked the start of a combined 30-minute practice/qualifying where teams could freely work pit stops. This didn’t sway us from our strategy for pole position! Be on grid early, build the right gap, and set one flying lap at optimal tire conditions before reaching traffic. Timing and scoring difficulties delayed the session and our persistence to be ready early paid off; everyone came off the pit lane in a line.

The calculations ran through my mind; installed was new Toyo Tires rubber, a 30lbs ballast for post-race weight security and a full fuel load (to be prepared for the 20-minute turnaround after the session). The GOneppo machine was as heavy and grippy as possible. Knowing I’d have just one try after a slow outlap to build heat into the tires, my commitment had to be 100% while understanding the handling would be totally foreign than in practice. Cresting T7 on the outlap, Peter informed me the last car had left pit lane. I held off until T8 to begin attacking. We timed it right!

The lap was good. Certainly there was more pace to extract as I compensated for the weight, but it felt good given the variables. Crossed the line as faster traffic passed from behind and slower traffic was ahead. 1:32:54. 1.7s better than I managed in the windy practice session. I thought it could be enough for pole but regardless that was the only flyer I was attempting! These tires had to go 4 hours around the most abrasive track we race on. Unstrapping at the trailer, timing showed our competition got within three tenths and couldn’t improve. GOneppo Racing on pole again! Absolutely love these situations. One lap to lock in and make it count!

You can watch my driver’s eye from qualifying by clicking here. It was a stable and precise lap, not the most wild to watch but quick enough to put us on pole!

The Race

Peter would again take the opening stint as he did last month for strategic reasons. He’d pit at or after the 1-hour-30-minute mark using up all 16 gallons of fuel then driver change during the first stop at sunset and set me up for a one-stop plan during my 2-hour-30-minute run.

The dynamic between us has developed its fun, productive moments. Putting him on class pole for the second time has encouraged growth on his opening stint management. It’s a little added incentive to stay up and fighting from the top! He started P8 of 33 overall.

He got a brilliant jump and pulled out a gap on second place. For a while, he was making this look easy. Though we surely weren’t under the illusion. Before long the #11 Racewerkz Spec E46 had climbed the field to pass us after 15 minutes as they started with their quickest driver. Not a big worry. As long as we maintained on the same lap and matched their pit calls, no doubt I could contend in the night.

Our crew consisted of fellow racers Eirik as crew chief and Kartik as the first fueler alongside our experienced fuel man Andrew. For a group assembled on short notice, they each did a fantastic job working efficient and clean leaving the ultimate outcome on myself and Peter.

Exceeding our fuel window, Peter came in on target and on the lead lap. Driver change was clean and not rushed as the fuel would take a little over one minute. I knew this would be a long double stint but eager to adapt with the car’s condition and play our hand toward the finish.

Didn’t take but a single lap to understand this wasn’t the car I drove in qualifying! The tires had far more wear than expected as we approached half distance and I’m told to conserve them as much as possible. Thus my first goal is established; extract the most pace while keeping away from excessive tire slip (sliding the rear, pushing the front). Willow Springs has become the ‘cheese grater’ of circuits on the West Coast with the long corners compounded with an increasingly rough surface. With a high average speed, saving tires and maintaining quick laps isn’t a simple puzzle.

The Spec E46 benefits from a decent degree of rear slip, a driving style I couldn’t utilize right now. Averaging 1:35’s was slightly better than our competitors also starting to conserve. Small gains now could lead to a big payoff in 2 hours.

Within 20 minutes, the sky tinted orange faded to black and I was settled. With no truly slow corners, managing traffic here is high risk and high reward. Slingshot around a Miata in T9 and gain big time on a competitor forced to wait, but fail to spot the race-leading prototype in the same corner and it very well could be a short evening. This first multi-class experience here reminded me a bit of Le Mans with all the speed and ‘straightaway chess’ passing cars.

For the majority of my race I was devoid of a proper in-class podium battle. Occasionally I’d come across an E2 car down the order, but between the our various strategies I didn’t run across our main three rivals often unfortunately! That’s when it gets crucial to refocus on minimal time loss through traffic and make the most of solitary laps. This became exponentially more difficult as suddenly all left-side grip vanished and had to manage a very tricky car. 10 laps of fighting traction and I called the first feeling of fuel starvation to the crew.

192583283_10161153192334502_4717345999080909977_n.jpg

Pitting that lap for my only scheduled fuel stop, the damage was clear. Both left-side tires were shredding themselves to bits. Originally we thought one tire was all we might have to change in this race, not two! Per E2 rules, only one tire can be changed in the hot pits per stop. I’d have to make an unscheduled stop to replace the other which cost us easily two minutes (a little over one lap). Other teams faced similar struggles but made decisions to replace them earlier during the first fuel stop would put us on catch-up!

Initially a bummer to fall behind, once the second tire was fitted it felt like an entirely new race. Honestly, I couldn’t believe the difference! The performance in replacing them along with a bit of electrolytes and an urgency to gain back time lost resurged my confidence. With a bit more ‘belief’ to add to my challenge, I entered my sharpest flow of the evening in the final 45 minutes.

The pace I could set earlier was good but now everything clicked on a different intensity. I found a way to gain 1-2 seconds per lap consistently into the 1:33’s and 1:34’s, a good amount up on our rivals. T2 far more entry speed, entry of T3 deeper with more precision, exit of T4 crisper, T9 became wider and later, eyes further, air cooler. A mission to finish strong. Those final laps raised the spirit and enthusiasm of my own performance. Imperative to end off on a strong personal satisfaction of giving it your best!

The potential we had was obvious in the final three laps; spotting the tail of #88 Bitteracing and catching rapidly. Crossing the checkered directly behind but realizing our extra stop meant it would’ve only have been to unlap ourselves. We finished P3 of 9 in the E2 class, P9 overall. Still, satisfying it was to see that the car’s pace never faltered in 4 hours of racing. It came down to tire life and strategy, along with long-duration confidence to hold the pace. Endurance racing is a game of costs and benefits, conservation and flat-out, risks and rewards. Not the win we were capable of, but fantastic to share the podium with Peter once again and a reminder you’ve got to love the great and less-than-great days in this sport. The momentum in our small program is growing!

Do check out the complete onboard video of my 2+ hour night stint by clicking here. It’ll give you a better sense of everything discussed! Also posted on the Matt Million Racing channel on YouTube is a 10-minute driver’s eye highlight which you can view by clicking here. Not enough? Here’s a link to our race from onboard the livestreaming camera which features a cockpit and rearview camera angle along with a speedometer (quite cool!)

Weekend Reflections

Overall, we executed a clean race and pushing a pace easily matching or exceeding the leaders. Proud of it! The decision to pull me in for the unplanned rear tire change was a tough one for Peter with hindsight telling us we could’ve replaced it during our driver change stop. But that’s endurance racing. So many variables in play that to miss one should be expected in a developing team. Taking it as a learning experience and ensuring that fate will not follow us next month in the Utah 6 Hour, I can assure you!

Rather interestingly, lap 134 of the 136 laps we completed was only two tenths off my personal best in the race of a 1:33:8 set on lap 125. I believe it speaks nicely to continual improvement both during the races and behind-the-scenes; I was standing on the podium reminiscing over little gains to be better next time! Being this was the first time I’d driven Willow Springs in the dark I kept working on myself to look further, balance weight better, pass traffic sooner, carry in more speed to a particular corner, etc. Great experience nonetheless and I know Utah will be epic!

From Willow Springs to Buttonwillow

With the NASA WERC race occurring on Friday evening this time, a weekend clash with my commitment to help coach friend Sean in PCA Golden Gate Region Spec 911 was able to mostly be avoided. While my role with him and Aether Motorsports relies on Friday testing to set laps and work data, I’d have to rely on my many years around Buttonwillow to jump into the team Saturday morning without the extra day!

With only a few hours sleep from the prior night’s race and plenty of caffeine, I was driven through the day knowing a nice bed awaited me that evening. However it was just before that comfortable night’s sleep while having dinner with our small group at Catrina’s Mexican in Wasco when my ears perked up. On Sunday morning, I’d be tasking with something I wasn’t planning to do; drive and teach!

Matt, friend and former teammate of mine in winning 25 Hours of Thunderhill who competed against me in the prior night’s race, was there to race his Spec Boxster. It was his first time in this car since March 2020 and he made a clear desire of wanting to get back up to speed and get the mind back into a sprint racing rhythm. After a discussion, I was offered to run the car in Sunday warm-up to offer a second opinion on the setup and use my data to find trends we could learn from to make him faster. It’s incredible how a small opportunity can refocus your entire outlook on a weekend! I wanted to give Matt a professional job, work hand-and-hand on improvements, and help his confidence rise for his Sunday races.

I arrived to the BR Racing garage early the next morning. Having an actual race engineer to help with seat fitment and be on radio with was an awesome extra which made the situation feel a bit more special. My sole objective was to be professional, deliver a quality session and assessment, and make sure he had tangible points to improve upon for his races through theoretic talks and data. Quite fun!

You can click the link here or view the video posted in this article to watch a few laps from my session, I recommend it! I didn’t fit well in the seat, ran on old scrub tires, and had never driven an actual Spec Boxster before. But once I saw the MoTeC dash light up and popped the steering wheel on, I was quietly giddy with excitement. Great little session it was. The Boxster’s mid-engine weight transfer is something to constantly keep in mind especially not being accustomed to it. Easy to trail-brake too far into the corner and loose the rear. The throttle is your friend to settle it and straighten up, so throttle aggression (while being smooth onto the pedals, obviously) is needed to extract a bit more from the lap. It was useful also to have fellow Boxster racer Mark out playing with me and allow for a quicker get-up-to-speed! My times were a couple seconds up on Matt’s best and a few tenths shy of the pole time set in Spec Boxster that day. The feeling took me back to my Spec Miata days… only with an awesome data dash system, a smooth gearbox and steering rack feel, and more horsepower! Awesome fun to wield around my favorite Southern California circuit Buttonwillow.

Thank you so much for the offer to help, Matt! Glad we were able to extract quality data, have good chats, and see you improve in the races with an epic battle in the end. Made my job as a last-minute coach feel very proud and privileged.

Because I’m running out of space in this report, I’ll just leave one last video link; setting data laps at Willow Springs in an exhilarating 1986 Porsche 911 3.8L racing car built to POC GT3 regulations. Had the chance to coach my friend in his fantastic 911 once again and it’s an absolute joy to drive. Check it out by clicking here, it might make you remanence on the ‘old days’ of racing!

What’s Next

The next stop in NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship is Round 4 of 6; the championship’s annual trip east for NASA Utah 6 Hour in the evening of Saturday, July 31st taking place at Utah Motorsports Campus. I will again compete with GOneppo Racing alongside Peter Oneppo and an undetermined third driver. The race will again be livestreamed onboard our #45 BMW Spec E46 at GOneppo Racing on YouTube. Click this link to visit the page and subscribe so you don’t miss it. If you can’t tune in live, subscribe to Matt Million Racing by clicking here and you’ll be notified once highlights are posted from the event. Be sure to download the Racehero.io app for your device to follow live timing during the race.

With no race currently on my calendar for June, I might have my ‘June Update‘ as a 2021 review-so-far and preview the next six months of my racing. While each trip to the track this year has varied between racing, coaching, or supporting friends, I’ve been fortunate enough to somehow drive 12 different race cars across 7 circuits in California in between my full load of college classes! It’s rather surreal how five months ago I didn’t have much, if any, firm racing plans. Now with a short summer break, I’m able to breathe and realize how far I’ve grown as a driver and as a person. I’m in this journey for the long game, I enjoy it too much not to be!

In Closing

A few quick thank-you’s; to Peter Oneppo, who I’ve now spent my last two races with and am excited to continue toward the front next month in the ‘Utah 6 Hour’! To my parents of course, who’s undivided support of this often tricky motorsport career path is always so appreciated and special to have supporting me. And to Matt and Sean who have graciously allowed me into their racing programs and given me the freedom to help find ways to do it better. Thanks also to Herb Lopez for the awesome photography!

Finally, thank you to everyone who follows my journey. Whether it be through these reports, my social channels, or saying hello. Providing value is of crucial importance for me. If these reports provide value of enjoyment or potentially if you interested in helping me step into professional racing, please get in touch! Stay up-to-date on mattmillionracing.com and the social media links below and until next month… cheers!

“The race is long - to finish first, first you must finish” - Garth Stein, The Art of Racing in the Rain

Matt Million

San Marcos, CA - 6/02/21

Matt’s April Update: Pole, 2nd Place Through Darkness At Buttonwillow 3-Hour

Matt’s April Update: Pole, 2nd Place Through Dust and Darkness At Buttonwillow 3-Hour

April 17th, 2021 - Buttonwillow, CA

Hello! This month’s update reflects on a wild and dusty 2nd place finish in Round 2 of NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship at Buttonwillow Raceway, where GOneppo Racing with Matt Million and Peter Oneppo took the second podium spot in a competitive 13-car field in E2.

A quick catch-up; my name is Matt Million, I’m a 21-year-old aspiring professional racing driver and college student from San Marcos, California. I’ve been competing since the age of five where I spent eight years racing in karts. In 2014, I transitioned to cars in Spec Miata at age 14 finding success in the Mazda Motorsports ladder through Teen Mazda Challenge up to semi-pro Spec MX-5 Challenge in 2018. In 2019, I became a 25 Hours of Thunderhill class winner and in 2020 I achieved a long-held goal of racing touring cars in Germany. For 2021, my racing plans primarily involve the NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship (WERC) as I continue full-time university studies hoping to move into professional sports car racing events in the future.

I love sharing my experiences as a young racer through these reports with hopes that those who read it can take away value or enjoyment from following. Thank you for the support!

SETTING THE STAGE

Interestingly enough, my preparation for this second round of NASA WERC started before realizing I’d compete in the first round at Sonoma Raceway! Now after two rounds, I'm in contention for a championship in E2 which is both awesome and rather unexpected!

I’ve decided to focus on this championship in 2021 for a few reasons; it has a great schedule on the West Coast offering good opportunity to compete at a high level, spend hours in the seat, and has a competitive-yet-friendly paddock. While the budget to move into professional racing isn’t available right now, this is a fantastic ‘stepping stone’ for my situation. Two 3-hour events at Buttonwillow, two 6-hour races at Utah Motorsports Campus and Thunderhill Raceway, and the upcoming 4-hour at Willow Springs this month to complement the season opening 2.5h at Sonoma Raceway.

I reached out to my former 25h Thunderhill-winning crew chief and SoCal Spec E46 race director Peter Oneppo to put together a program for the April and May events at Buttonwillow and Willow Springs, respectively. We had the right alignment of objectives and here we are competing together!

I’ve also developed a fondness for the Spec E46 platform; a balance between sports car and touring car where aggression must be controlled in a way that manages its weight and preserves tires. Though, the steep torque and overall ‘playfulness’ makes it a fantastic car to do battle with over long runs. Would love to keep learning these cars and possibly other touring car platforms someday!

FRIDAY TESTING

Friday testing was rather uneventful in a good way, so I’ll spare the word count here. Busy weekend it was as I got the feeling racers couldn’t wait to be back competing. Each sprint class was 15+ cars and our 3-hour would have 38!

Compared to the Technik Competition BMW E46 I raced here last June, there are a few subtle differences. The GOneppo machine runs Toyo RR’s which are mandatory to compete in Spec E46 sprint racing whereas the former Technik car used a slightly grippier Hankook rubber designed for endurance. The Toyo’s are consistent and long-lasting but lack an initially grippier edge you’ll feel on the Hankook’s. Also different was dampers; GOneppo running Spec E46 mandated 1-Way single adjustable while the Technik car ran 2-Way again designed better for endurance racing. Still, the similarities outweighed the differences.

The GOneppo car feels more lively on limit and reaches the limit sooner. I would’ve liked a bit more initial ‘bite’ for cornering however the Toyo’s can handle a good amount of tire slippage and stay within competitive range. So all in all, minor adjustments but the same philosophy.

SATURDAY QUALIFYING

Qualifying had to be sharp; the session immediately after was the ST5 race group that Peter was racing in which meant I needed to get my lap done to get him on grid!

Typically, it’s best to complete your fastest lap in as few laps possible anyway. After the third or fourth, tire pressures have risen to the point where improvement is difficult. But this is motorsport and plans can get thrown out of windows.

I got to grid early ready to rock with a clear mission of putting Peter on the front row for the race (since he would be the starting driver). I knew the task was achievable given my experience and results in similar situations here at Buttonwillow.

The intensity of qualifying is a challenge I love; it comes down to a calm focus, raising your confidence, and forgetting about the world. Many drivers can set fast laps, but doing it when the pressure is on consistently time after time is a skill I’ve worked to develop. While variables of a race might fall outside your control at times, the variables in one qualifying lap is much more controllable. It’s often a game of your mind!

I had built a sizeable gap around me as I entered onto the first flyer. All is well for ten seconds until a pack of slower cars leaves the pit lane late directly ahead. Abort!

Trying my best to pass them before the next lap, it wasn’t going to happen. Keeping the tires cool and fuel burn low, I dove into hot pits in an attempt rejoin in clear track. Crew chief Sean Neel timed me out to perfection but I’d only have the chance to set one lap. While tire pressures had risen, one lap was all that mattered. It wasn’t perfect but a 1:59:79 was enough to put GOneppo Racing on E2 class pole by a few tenths. Peter would start ahead of the ravaging E2 field and that made me the happiest teammate!

THE RACE

The two-or-so hours preceding an endurance race is when a small, spirited crew shines. Setting up the pit box and moving equipment, changing to our enduro tire set, refueling the car and jugs, cooking (and finding the time for) dinner, last minute strategizing of the plan. It’s all occurring simultaneously and literally it can’t happen without teamwork!

Peter felt confident and our encouragement worked to keep him in the mindset. The time was 6:15pm. Green flag for the 38-car field across five classes. Our grid spot paid dividends as us and the second place car separated from the rest which locked into a massive battle. Being the second driver in rotation is nearly as difficult as starting. It takes experience in accepting that whatever happens on track before the driver change is out of your control. All you can do is control your performance! While I had the usual pre-stint jitters, the genuine confidence I had in Peter and our operation outweighed that feeling.

A notable highlight was having crew chief Sean Neel at my side. He’s great communicator who understands the anticipation. Calm, methodical, reassuring. A demeanor that reverberates through a team. Because even though we’d have to refuel, change drivers, and repair part of the car in an unknown state, our focus was higher than our the heart rates.

His stint lasts until the sun dips behind the mountains, spending approximately 1-hour-40-minutes in the car. Peter kept up a fantastic consistency to pit from the top five and on the same lap as the leader. Our original plan had him boxing about 20 minutes earlier, but a full-course yellow to retrieve a stricken car late in the first hour pushed out our fuel window far enough to give confidence we could make it on a single stop. But ‘could’ was the magic word as I’d have to keep a close eye on our fuel and attack only when necessary to catch and pass in-class cars. A three hour race starting with approximately 16 gallons and only being allowed to refuel 10 gallons (if you do the math, it’s a close call).

Peter stops on cue. The driver change is complete in less than a minute and we wait on the fuel. No spills, no mistakes. I’m sent on my way ready to apply my first performance goal in the quickly fading daylight.

The first goal was to acclimate quicker on the out-lap. Jumping onto a dark circuit with an unknown surface condition in the middle of traffic takes practice to execute! Ready yourself as much as possible to reach that high level mentality then slow down the mind and rely on natural inputs. The human brain can process far more sensory information when it reaches the flow state, so practice reaching it quickly!

Settling into the flow with a great feeling; tires felt right, radio communication was precise, and I honed in on the top few cars from 5th. However it was soon realized this wasn’t to be an ordinary night stint. For whatever reason, the Buttonwillow silky dust was in full effect. If a car dropped a wheel onto it, an impossibly thick cloud hung over that section for multiple laps. It took bravery (and a faint glimpse of taillights ahead) to drive through them at speed!

Though, myself and most others managed them well. 15 minutes into my stint and I’d slipped past two in-class cars to put us 3rd chasing the leaders. It was an incredibly fun and rewarding stint. Judging the best route through traffic, managing conditions, then settling into a lonely set of laps of you versus lap time targets.

The second performance goal I set was quicker passes against in-class cars. I wanted to catch and make a decisive move before they’ve realized what’s happening. Wait too long to make a move and it’s easier for them to adapt for counteracting! My favorite of these moments was the pass for 2nd. Team Bittneracing was about three corners up when I began closing. One lap later it became two corners and the opportunity began to unfold. After ‘Bus Stop' corner, a small dust cloud slowed him up as I used the taillights to guide me through at a higher speed. Carrying extra momentum through ‘Riverside’ corner, I tapered my closing rate enough to dive underneath and match him under braking into ‘Phil Hill’. We went side-by-side through to the exit as another dust cloud helped me solidify the position (skip to 20:55 in my ‘Driver’s Eye’ video to watch the move). Afterwards, it’s about leaving no doubt and setting off down the road!

Passing in endurance racing are not passive, like a track day, however they cannot be purely aggressive either like a sprint race. They must be studied, calculated, and executed to be as clean and as “time efficient” as possible. The artform requires plenty practice and application!

I encourage anyone interested to view my ‘driver’s eye’ video of the complete stint. Easily one of the most action-filled 40 minutes I’ve spent in a race car. If you’re even remotely a fan of endurance racing, you’ll appreciate watching it! Click here to watch or at the thumbnail above.

With a half-hour left to run, the race met an unfortunate early end. A collision at Bus Stop due to poor dust visibility left three cars damaged and unable to return to the pits. I happened to be exiting Grapevine when I received a radio message to enter with caution and came through the accident scene not long after. Thankfully the drivers came away fine, but it was immediately clear the race would end under yellow. A number of pace laps and the checkered was thrown.

IMG_6252.jpeg

We finished 2nd with only two cars separating us from the class leader. I understood the severity of the situation, but it’s frustrating as a racer to see the win right in front of you slip away under slow, monotonous pace lap! Allow the final 30 minutes to run and it would’ve been tough to deny us. But that’s the magic, and despair, of endurance racing. It’s why we’re drawn to it!

WEEKEND REFLECTIONS

Overall, it’s hard not to be satisfied with our day. The variables in our control were accomplished with planning, intent, and purpose. We didn’t suffer any obvious mistakes or setback and the race came down to both fortunate and unfortunate timing. On a day where our car ran in 7 separate sessions between us, the constant motion of driving allowed us to do just that; flow!

On a slightly different note, jumping into these events as the ‘endurance’ driver has taught me more than on-track performance recently. Establishing great relationships has provided an opportunity to help manage and guide these endurance programs with growing autonomy. Graduating from university next year with a degree in global business management, these weekends have increasingly relevant toward the skillset I want to build. It’s also fantastic way to keep active in my racing career of course! While I’d love to move into professional motorsport or continue racing in Germany given the budget, I’m having more fun with my racing than ever right now.

But if you walk away from a race weekend thinking you did everything right, you’re missing out! Learning comes through reflection and there’s been a couple points of improvement we’ll make as a team for the next event. Some aspects to organize in team structuring, some in elevating my own performance potential, some in general car setup. Applying what you’ve learned can be the most rewarding parts of a race weekend, regardless of result.

WHAT’S NEXT

It’s a nice feeling to plan on competing for a full championship again! Next up is Round 3 of 6 for NASA Western Endurance Racing Championship which will take place at “the fastest road in the West” for 4 Hours of Willow Springs in the evening of Friday, May 21st. Consistency will be beneficial as I’ll team up once more with GOneppo Racing in search of the top podium step this time. This event will also begin in daylight and finish under the stars which adds to the endurance challenge and atmosphere I love about this series and type of motorsport. I’ll be nighttime proven before tackling 24h Daytona or Nurburgring… one day! I will also have a small update from a fun ‘Lucky Dog Racing League’ weekend next month.

Like Buttonwillow, our race will be livestreamed onboard the #45 BMW Spec E46 at GOneppo Racing on YouTube. Click this link to visit the page and subscribe so you don’t miss it. If you can’t tune in live, subscribe to Matt Million Racing by clicking here and you’ll get notified once I post the race. Be sure to download the Racehero.io app for your device to follow live timing during the race.

IN CLOSING

A few specific ‘thank you’s’ this month. First and foremost, thanks to Peter Oneppo for the chance to team up as your endurance driver while allowing me to help manage the endurance component of a busy weekend. Second thank you is for Sean Neel, a righteous friend and driver stepping up as our crew chief and delivering! Truly makes me appreciate the importance of the role when its performed well. Thank you Andrew and Zack for fueling an efficient pit stop, and a special thanks to my family for cooking a wonderful dinner for our crew.

Finally, thank you to everyone who follows my journey. Whether it be through reports, my social channels, or reaching out to say hello! Every interaction means so much, truly. Stay up-to-date on mattmillionracing.com and the social media links below, and until next month… cheers!

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” - Michael Jordan

Matt Million

San Marcos, CA - 5/04/21

Matt's March Update: Podium at Sonoma and Unexpected Chances

Matt Million’s March Update: Podium at Sonoma and Unexpected Chances

March 28th, 2021 - Sonoma, CA

Hello! This month’s update reflects on a late call-up to race the NASA WERC season opener at Sonoma Raceway and finish 2nd in class, as well as touching on what’s happened in my racing since February. I then expand on my racing outlook for the year.

A quick catch-up; my name is Matt Million, I’m a 20-year-old aspiring professional racing driver and college student from San Marcos, California. I’ve been competing since the age of five spending eight years racing in karts. In 2014, I transitioned to cars in Spec Miata at age 14 finding success in the Mazda Motorsports ladder through Teen Mazda Challenge up to semi-pro Spec MX-5 Challenge in 2018. In 2019, I became a 25 Hours of Thunderhill class winner and I achieved a long-held goal of racing touring cars in Germany during 2020. For 2021, my racing plans remain fluid as I continue full-time university but aim to compete in more pro-am sports car events throughout the year.

I love sharing my experiences as a young racer through these reports with hopes that those who read it can take away value or enjoyment from following along. Thank you for the support!

ARRIVING AT SONOMA

Arriving at Sonoma Raceway on the Thursday evening ahead of the NASA NorCal weekend, I wasn’t planning to race. My main role was data and coaching support for endurance team Technik Competition and their Porsche Boxster competing in the 2-hour-30-minute first round of NASA’s Western Endurance Racing Championship (WERC). Of course I wanted to be racing! But as no clear opportunities with teams presented themselves and an effort to save finances for bigger races this year, I decided being in the paddock to serve a role was better than sitting home!

On the Wednesday before, I reached out to a fellow San Diego racer Mike Beale who I noticed signed up for the Spec E46 sprint races and the WERC event as a solo driver. I offered to give coaching help for the test day if wanted. He mentioned he wasn’t able to attend Friday, but his E46 would be there and I was free to do laps for collecting data on setup and driving tips for when he arrived. Not a typical coaching day, but a unique chance to help build his notebook (and take my first laps around Sonoma since 2017!)

Thus, I now became driver support for two entries! With the helping hands of fellow Spec E46 friends, I was able to run his car for three sessions and effectively be my own engineering and pit crew for Friday. Thankfully, the Technik team’s Boxster was running great and the driver’s were pleased with the day which allowed me more time to extract and dial in this Spec E46.

AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY

This weekend would be special in another way; also entered in the WERC race was a mighty Mercedes-AMG GT4 from team JMF Motorsports by Conquest Racing West. Two months prior, I had been selected to take part in a 2-day driver search initiative with the group at Buttonwillow Raceway. It was perhaps the most incredible racing opportunity of my life. Being included among six of the country’s most deserving young drivers for a chance to join the team and race their AMG GT4 on route toward professional sports car racing.

I have so many humbling, encouraging, positive reflections from the experience. How a single ‘out of the blue’ phone call led to stepping into a powerful homologation racing machine with a professional team for the first team… in less than a one month span. Thinking ‘there’s no way I can prepare in time’ to then perform at a level higher than I ever thought possible, caught between reality and the realization of my wildest professional endurance racing aspirations.

If you are interested to read more, visit my article on mattmillionracing.com. I want to again thank everyone involved in providing me the opportunity. It was nice to quickly chat with all of you in the Sonoma paddock, hope your first event went well!

Now to continue with the report..

SATURDAY

Saturday morning at Sonoma was spent getting Mike up-to-speed for his sprint races, the afternoon spent conducting driver and fuel stop practice with Technik Competition, and at 5:00pm I found myself assisting in the 50-minute WERC qualifying session for both!

As I find myself not having the resources to race as much as I’d like, finding ways to contribute (with data, coaching, spotting, being a helping hand, etc.) has been a valuable way to keep active while understanding aspects of the sport better. Never know how one seemingly small skill you pick up in the paddock will impact your future career, or how a single smile and handshake can come around later on!

While Mike planned to drive the 2-hour-30-minute event solo, he was reminded of how physical the Sonoma circuit can be. The Spec E46 could last about 1-hour-25-minutes with its roughly 16 gallon fuel capacity, after which the pit stop could only refuel 10 gallons (which is the maximum per E2 class refueling regulations). If he felt too fatigued to continue at a competitive pace, I was asked to be ready as reserve driver to finish the final hour. ‘Man, I might have a chance to race’, I thought to myself. I’d be getting to bed early ready to perform if called upon!

I’ve had a mentality shift on my racing career since I began college, as racing became more difficult to pursue. Putting on a fireproof driving kit to compete in race cars is a privilege and not an expectation. If situation or opportunity arises, you must ‘flip the switch’ and compete at a high level to extract as much learning as possible from it. Because who knows the next time you get to apply it! Still unsure if I’d be in the race tomorrow, I was ready.

SUNDAY - RACE DAY

Beginning bright and early at 8:00am, this was to be a different endurance challenge for teams and drivers. Typically, each race is held in the evening with day fading to night. While track conditions might start slippery or ‘greasy’, the darkness brought cooler temperatures and a cooler racing surface to compromise low visibility. This race would see drivers manage the slickest conditions of the day on a cold, damp surface similar to the ambient weather in Wine Country.

I climbed up Sonoma’s massive grandstands to spot for Mike’s opening stint. Fully suited and booted, ready if needed! 30 cars took the green flag across five classes, 11 of which in the E2 class that both Mike and Technik Competition competed in. Success in this class wasn’t easy as teams were well prepared. Technik ran away in 2nd as Mike maintained about 7th through his stint.

I made my way to our pit box after half an hour to coordinate stops. Luckily we avoided ‘double stacking’ (both cars pitting at the same time) since the Boxster was scheduled in just past the first hour, earlier than Mike. Their stop and driver change was nearly perfect, but got hit with a 5-minute penalty for a small fuel spill. Soon I got the radio call from Mike that had my headset flying off and helmet on. Pitting in 10 minutes to have me finish off the race! With many teams ahead making mistakes or serving penalties, he was up to 5th.

With no pre-rehearsed stop for our car, I stressed it didn’t matter loosing a few seconds as long as we did it calm and tidy. Took slightly longer than needed, but no speeding, no fuel spill, and a clean swap. I engaged third gear cresting out of the pit lane up to T2 still yanking tight my shoulder belts. Thinking to myself, ‘One hour to apply the lessons learned in adaptability’. Go time!

A bit of early confidence to feel the Toyo Proxes RR tires remained surprisingly fresh after the first stint. Important to sustain pace in a Spec E46 is keeping the rear tires underneath you and not ‘overheating’ through slides at corner entry, which isn’t easy in a relatively large and lively BMW 3-series! Through discussing data with Mike, I also noticed how the torque is a valuable asset. Coming from Spec Miata’s, I was accustomed to revving the engine high and dropping gears when possible. In this car around Sonoma, holding 4th instead of 3rd in T6 and 3rd instead of 2nd at T11 turned out to be just as quick (and less shifts)!

And with that, set my best times of the weekend after two laps. Right on pace with the leader. Maybe we had a shot!

Around six laps in, a bright green E46 came out from pit lane. 3rd place was in sight, but not without a fight! A couple laps of battling and my move came inside of T7 capitalizing as he ran wide, utilizing the passing JMF Motorsports AMG. Grinning ear to ear at hopping into a door-to-door race, the best was still to come.

The class-leading Bittneracing E46 left the pits directly in front of me with rapid Shaun Webster behind the wheel. This was for lead, I thought! What followed next was easily the most fun, competitive, rewarding 20-minute battles I’ve had for a long while. Nose to tail, back and forth, late braking and defensive moves, timing slower and faster traffic to gain an edge. I nearly pulled the perfect T7 crossover but I couldn’t make it stick. Ultimately the move was made as I picked a better path through traffic on the front straightaway. I love endurance racing.

By this point, we both lost track of time and objective. He was informed by his crew that I was one lap behind and he pulled back to save fuel. Noticing this, I assessed my own fuel situation. Having driven the car to fuel starvation on test day, a quick realization occurred that there was no way I’d cross the finish without a ‘splash and dash’ at this pace!

Channeling my inner Scott Dixon, this was a great chance to apply efficient fuel saving. Focusing on short-shifting and releasing the throttle earlier to carry momentum in a bid for fuel economy. Saving fuel isn’t the challenge, doing it while maintaining a similarly rapid pace is! Downhill sections meant less throttle and more coasting, braking needed to be later as I wasn’t carrying the same speed, mid-corners had to be quicker and sustain more momentum, and so on.

30-minutes of performing this dance and I managed to stay within a second or two of my target pace. Toward the end I got a feeling I saved too much and leaped to set fast times with five minutes remaining. It wasn’t too much. It was spot-on! Rounding T11 coming to checkered, the thirsty E46 gasped and RPM’s dropped. On fumes, I had crossed the line to take 2nd place! An exciting balance of quick laps, tight racing, multiclass challenges, and being my own fuel engineer. Planning to have onboard posted on my YouTube page shortly!

Reflections

Ultimately, I learned it’s usually better to have one main focus for a racing weekend (as it can be tough to balance two roles for two teams). But when opportunity presents itself, it’s worth the additional effort (and running around the paddock) to make the most of it! Thoroughly enjoyed.

It’s taught me also not being afraid to reach out and offer to help mutual friends and acquaintances in the sport. The way to establish a good reputation among the paddock is to be there, talk to people, show your passion, and deliver high level efforts!

Thank you Mike Beale for the chance to help coach and end up on the podium together. Hope you enjoyed the weekend as much as I did. Thank you also to Peter, Matt, and the rest at Technik Competition for giving me the flexibility to pursue this. Special thanks to Andrew and Owen for conducting our pit stop, this isn’t possible without you boys!

WHIRLWIND OF TRACK SUPPORT

Without this race, my March update would’ve been on driver support days (which has been fun, but not as exciting to write about!)

Through the benefits of online college and an expanding network in the paddock, I found myself in four different cars at four different circuits during March, make that eight cars on seven circuits counting February! Truly humbling to help these drivers make improvements, knowing that I still have plenty to learn myself.

On the prior weekend, I went to the NASA SoCal event at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana to help some Spec E46 racers. Primarily working with GOneppo Racing, it was exciting to be a spotter as driver Peter moved from 6th to 3rd after discussing a little data. It was also a good chance to get comfortable in his car as we will be together in the second round of NASA WERC at Buttonwillow next month. I was able to run morning warm-up to set a data ‘reference lap’ around Auto Club Speedway roval, which you can watch the onboard video of by clicking here.

Three days before that, I had a unique day with a friend in his Porsche 911 GT3 RS around Chuckwalla Valley Raceway. After driving a handful of air-cooled 911’s recently, it was exhilarating to feel how far these rear-engine machines have come. A private track event with only a couple cars, we spent over two hours drilling the basics of pedal releases, steering inputs, and understanding the ‘limit’. Unbelievable performance for a car you can get groceries in. One cool experience to add in my notebook!

Earlier in the month, I was at Willow Springs assisting my friend Sean Neel set up his SP911 for this season in PCA Golden Gate Region. Definitely a ‘first’ for me to pull off track and watch snow fall from the sky!

While coaching and supporting isn’t the same as racing myself, it keeps me active and refining fundamentals along with building relationships. It’s made me more appreciative of the days I get to compete.

WHAT’S NEXT

On the immediate horizon is NASA’s Western Endurance Racing Championship Rd.2 at Buttonwillow Raceway. I’ll be partnered in the 3-hour race with Peter Oneppo in his BMW Spec E46 for GOneppo Racing. This series has become my racing home as of late with hours of competitive racing with the added challenges of endurance. I am hopeful to compete in all six rounds this season and look forward to them tremendously! The following event is 4 hour at Willow Springs in May, I hope to bring good news on that in my April update.

Beyond this, I’m working diligently on a potential return to Germany in 2021 but no guarantee it can happen this year. An ultimate endurance racing goal of mine is the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, a goal I hope to achieve sometime in the next few years. But in order to be eligible, I’ll need to complete multiple events around the circuit to gain experience and credentials. I might be finishing up college before heading toward that goal full time!

There are also some pro racing and scholarship opportunities in the U.S. that I am pursuing this year. I hope to have news on these soon. Stay updated by following my links below or visiting mattmillionracing.com/news.

Of course, if you’d like to know how you can be involved in my racing journey, please contact me directly at matt@mattmillionracing.com.

THANK YOU

Thank you to everyone who follows my journey. Whether it be reading these reports, following my social media, or visiting my website at mattmillionracing.com. Reach out! It would mean a lot to hear from some of you.

Cheers, Matt Million

San Marcos, CA - 4/06/21

Matt's February Update: An Incredible Opportunity

Matt Million’s February Update: An Incredible Opportunity

Buttonwillow, CA

Hello! In this monthly update, I describe one of the most surprising and unique opportunities of my racing journey. Being one of six young drivers vying for the chance to race this year in a Mercedes-AMG GT4 with a professional team. A surreal 4-week period from unexpected phone call to performing at my highest level with future on the line. Expect a regular ‘March Update’ soon, where I discuss what I’ve been driving and announce a few racing plans.

A quick catch-up; my name is Matt Million, I’m a 20 year old aspiring professional racing driver and college student from San Marcos, California. I’ve been competing since the age of five when I spent eight years racing in karts. I transitioned to cars in Spec Miata at age 14 finding success in the Mazda Motorsports ladder through Teen Mazda Challenge up to semi-pro Spec MX-5 Challenge in 2018. In 2019, I became a class winner of the 25 Hours of Thunderhill and in 2020 I achieved a long-held goal of racing touring cars in Germany. I love sharing my experiences as a young racer through these reports with hopes that those who read it can take away value or enjoyment from following along. Thank you for the support!

Where do I even begin…

“1 NEW MISSED CALL”

Let’s start at the beginning. Friday, January 8th, 2021. Early afternoon as I hiked up my favorite trail listening to a ‘Dinner with Racers’ podcast. A call came from an unknown number and I thought ‘that’s strange’. Minutes later an email comes in. “Hi Matt, this is Jeremy Shaw. I tried leaving a voicemail but your mailbox was full. Call me back when you get a chance”. If you recognize that name, you’ll understand my heart-stopping moment. If you don’t, Jeremy is the founder of the Team USA Scholarship for young drivers and a highly respected individual in motorsport. No, I was not expecting any call!

I immediately ring back and I’m informed of a sports car racing opportunity being put together in California. A professional team, Conquest Racing West, is putting together a 2-day driver search with plans to select drivers to race this year’s NASA WERC season with a Mercedes-AMG GT4 in preparation to enter pro series’ beyond. With Jeremy's expertise, they are seeking two promising young drivers. The car’s generous owner will cover the costs wishing only to contribute back to the sport he loves and give worthy talent struggling for budget and opportunity a shot. This is a scenario young drivers fantasize about but never expect it might actually show up one day!

My reaction after the call was ‘This is wild. I’ve never driven anything even close to that fast before. Heck, I’ve never driven for a professional team or been a participant of any driver selection process. I also didn’t realize Jeremy knew who I was!”

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU CHANCES…

There was no guarantee I’d be chosen or even if I’d hear back, just that my name was put as a possibility. Being in a state of uncertainty over what racing I could pursue being a full-time student and having a limited budget, the easy choice was made to put everything aside and make this priority.

Was I ready? Could I ever be ready? Was this the right moment? Doubts came in but they didn’t matter. I would be ready. I needed to start preparing.

Immediately I learned as much as I could; researching the team and its crew to better grasp the organization and goals. Starting to gather AMG GT4 onboard videos to study. Set up the virtual car on my home simulator in Assetto Corsa Competizione to start understanding its dynamics and setup possibilities.

No news until the following Friday. I was driving to Laguna Seca ready to help some friends in a 14-hour enduro when I received an email. Paraphrasing, but it stated ‘Congratulations, you’ve made it to the next stage of our selection. We’d like to have a virtual interview with you’.

Unbelievable, super cool. If there was one thing I learned besides racing in my Teen Mazda Challenge years, it was speaking and presenting myself in situations like this. Ecstatic to learn more about them, the opportunity, and speak face-to-face (virtually)!

The interview was done in my backseat in the paddock the next day. It went well! Smooth, informative, big smile on my face. I was told I’d be included in the search and my 2-day evaluation was set for February 3rd and 4th at Buttonwillow Raceway. The way I saw it, I had 15 days to prepare to climb the steepest mountain of my life. An intense feeling of fortune, gratitude, and nervous excitement. Time to start climbing.

PREPARATION

Each day, I’d put myself in a headspace of focus and performance while also making sure to balance it with a humble, calm, communicative aura. While I altered my physical training a bit, so much preparation was mental. To be at one with the driving challenge ahead and entirely present with team was the goal. Each driver was sent a 53-page manual of the AMG GT4 driver controls to which I printed in full color to highlight and scribble on for sometimes hours per day. When I hopped in the cockpit, I wanted to feel as if I’d driven it already. The exact 2-day plan was left a bit vague as I got the feeling they wanted to assess how we adapted and approached the days ourselves.

Speaking of other drivers, I’d be lying to say I didn’t feel like a minnow amongst sharks when names were announced. Four of the other five were past Team USA Scholarship winners and everyone was immensely talented and worthy. Most had some professional open wheel and/or sports car experience and I thought multiple times ‘man, do I seriously belong here or deserve this?’ But perception can often be reality. I had to assure myself I did belong. If you can’t believe in your own chances, no one else will!

WELCOME TO BUTTONWILLOW

If you’ve ever been to Buttonwillow Raceway, you’re likely familiar with the ‘wonderful’ Motel 6 racers will stay at being in the middle of nowhere outside Bakersfield, California. Strange it was to arrive there on a Tuesday, still looking as questionable as ever. But none of that mattered. My sleep wasn’t too great as it’s pretty much impossible for the brain to shut off when this event is sitting right in front of you. In my favor at least was prior experience at the circuit. It’s a fantastic combination of high-commitment corners, narrow hairpins, and medium speed flowing sections. Though the AMG would be completely alien compared to the Spec Miata I was used to racing here!

ORIENTATION DAY

The driver search was spread across three days; day one would see the first three drivers go through orientation and have on-track evaluations for day two, while the second group of three came on day two to orientate before driving on day three. As I was in the second group, I made a conscious decision to not interfere too much with the team and other driver’s test day. I felt a duty of respect to give those drivers a full chance to make an impression as I would hope they’d do the same if roles were reversed. In hindsight, I could’ve been more proactive in getting to know the team better (and them getting to know me) but it felt like the right decision in the moment.

Though, it was a nice day to briefly meet everyone involved. Especially to express gratitude and chat with the team manager, bond over European motorsport and espresso machines with team founder, and begin to understand the passion, kindness, and aspirations of the new team owner. It was helpful to observe how the crew operated and to get myself familiar and comfortable in the car for tomorrow.

ON-TRACK DAY

The test plan was this; each driver gets four sessions of 10 laps a piece in the car. The two sessions before lunch focused on familiarizing us with the machine and circuit. The session after lunch we’d each receive a new set of grippy Michelin S8M tires to perform a mock qualifying and a final session where we worked on consistency managing used rubber. After each session, we would have a one-on-one debrief (which I thoroughly enjoyed). The rest (communication, feedback, analysis, decisions) was up to us.

Before we got started, we got taken for an informative rental car lap and learned a heap of useful tips on the AMG’s characteristics around twisty, bumpy Buttonwillow. The team manager then made a mistake of getting out, handing us the keys, and telling us to learn the track a little more. Racing drivers will be racing drivers! 15-minutes of tire squealing and laughing later, it was time to start.

The Mercedes presented a number of new challenges for me; apart from simulators I’d never driven a factory-built ‘homologation’ race car, never driven with a sequential paddle gearbox, never used left-foot braking outside of karts, and hadn’t driven with over 250hp before (over 500hp in this case). A Spec Miata laps this 1CW layout in 2:11-12 while this was at least 15-20 seconds faster per lap for context!

I’d be the first driver in rotation. Almost like presenting your class project first, helps to not overthink it! All those wonderful mechanical noises, gearbox whine, perfectly crafted buttons, cockpit ergonomics (the most comfortable race car I’ve ever been in). Installed in the car, I flipped a few switches and she roared to life on the pitlane. Grinning ear-to-ear as it dropped from the air jacks and I traveled down the lane with smile turning to a jaw-drop once I disengaged the pit limiter. There is no preparation possible for that brutal acceleration pinning back your head, and the visceral sensation of being thrown around in a carbon fiber cocoon! Unreal feeling, this is what a true race car feels like. Thankfully through my studies and simulator prep, I found myself at-home within a lap or two. I focused on what I felt, saw, and heard that wasn’t initially obvious. Thinking of Ross Bentley’s ‘Speed Secrets’, to drive this fast on the limit you need to fine tune mental clarity and awareness. I settled into a 70-75% rhythm and expanded my sightlines to the speed. Solid warm-up!

For the second session, I needed to work on my braking. In this level of race car, the brake pedal becomes a ‘pressure plate’ rather than a lever, a tool to fine tune its immense stopping capacity. Trust in the ABS system is what I needed to find! The Bosch digital dash has lighting indicators showing whether the front or rear was close to locking up, indicators I needed to see to know I was near deceleration limits. I achieved much more sharp and precise stopping during the session. Truly satisfying to know my left foot worked as well as my right when it came to the middle pedal! The release point in these cars with a ‘pressure plate’ feel is much more difficult to feel than a regular car and you must adapt the ability to feel tiny differences. Like any race car, the way you ‘squeeze and ease’ the pedals matters a ton and it helped me find lots more confidence in the AMG. However, lap times stayed about the same. For this session, tires were put on for each of us that were far past their initial grippy state and we struggled keeping the rear under control under acceleration! Definitely a session of quick adaption, especially for me. I had tried a different seat padding for this run, only to have it nearly fall out from behind me from lap five onwards! My endurance racing background prepared me for these moments, when you still need to perform a task regardless of whatever uncomfortable situation you’re in.

After a good debrief, it was lunchtime. Quickly afterwards it was back to business. I needed now to hone in on performance, consistency and technical feedback. Getting my helmet on in those minutes before hopping in, I closed my eyes for a few seconds and brought myself to ‘lock in’. There could be no lapse of focus or judgement for these ten laps.

Entirely honest, I can’t recall much detail from these next two sessions. I was in a state of mind cognitively aware that one miscalculated brake release in one corner of one lap could be the difference between success and failure. When it came to what I controlled in these laps, it had to be my best.

The qualifying simulation was first. While I’m sure my learning from the morning sessions played a role, the difference between old and new tires was shocking. The AMG went from a 500-horsepower race car to a 500-horsepower guided missile. Knowing the importance of correctly warmed new tires, the out-lap was spent gradually building up tire pressure and matching the surface temperature to internal temperatures. It wasn’t long after rounding the final corner to begin the first timed lap that I entered a flow state of challenge and belief.

I couldn’t believe the times when they flashed across the dash; 1:49. Four entire seconds better than what I managed earlier. Either these new tires were magical and there’s less fuel onboard than I initially thought or I’ve entered the matrix. Both firm possibilities. I recall seeing 1:49’s every time I glanced down, thinking to myself pinned through the esses each lap, ‘Will this be enough? It’s all I’ve got!’ While times weren’t officially shared, I’m pretty confident those were the quickest laps the car saw. At least I know for sure the predictive lap timer had a new personal best. But it’s well understood in motorsport that the best times don’t always correlate to succeeding or winning the race. Still, I knew I could leave this experience knowing I gave it my all.

For the final session of the day, the task was on managing tires and piece together all the little details. From debriefs, we determined I had a bit of time to gain across Phil Hill. It became a goal to slow the car quicker, settle it earlier, and carry a few more miles per hour over the top. Most importantly, I was satisfied with the consistency. Each time was within a few tenths again, ending the day with no mistakes. There was a feeling I pushed the tires hard in the prior session, as I would’ve liked to be marginally closer to my previous pace. Nonetheless happy with how I managed, stayed on-target, and kept within my limits as if we were deep into an endurance stint. Good test of physical conditioning as well, as spending even an hour and a half in the AMG GT4 puts serious strain on your auxiliary muscles. I felt it the day after! One final debrief with the engineer as I stopped in the box, and a last debrief about the day as a whole.

The final task was to fill-in a printed track map with your notes from the day. Where you could’ve improved, what you did well, what you want to work on, etc. Some final thank-you’s and smiles and the day concluded. On my way home, I gave fellow driver Marco a lift back to his hotel. We had a good half-hour chat about racing, life, our struggles, and our aspirations. I told him regardless of what happens with this, he has an open invite to come back to California for some local endurance races we can run together. Always lend a hand when possible, you never know what friendships could become.

Overall, I was proud. Proud to give an accurate picture of my capabilities given experience, background, and the information I had. Able to leave with the satisfaction of no mistakes and not a single wheel off track. And to now have friends and acquaintances in professional sports car racing, my absolute passion. I wish I had more time to connect with them. Though, I’m pinching myself at the opportunity to even be there. To study, apply, and drive flat-out in a brilliantly fast and muscular AMG GT4; the likes of which I thought I’d never get to drive (let alone get the chance to race). To now understand that I’m far more capable of what I thought. How a single phone call from a few gracious people can lead you down a path of total self-improvement and the realization of your wildest dreams. Whatever news came next would ultimately be what was meant to be. Grateful.

IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY, KEEP GOING

The phone call came the following day. I was not chosen to continue with the program. It’s a difficult call to make and even more difficult to receive. In full honestly, it was painful to accept at first. As any competitor who dedicates themselves so deeply to a sport where these opportunities are everything will tell you, it’s highest highs and lowest lows.

I was confident I had showed enough. But in these moments you get two choices. Feel wronged and let ego win or use it as the most impactful learning moment possible. The second choice needs to prevail every time.

After weeks of reflecting, I understand better where I fell short and what to do to improve. My communication with the team and each member should’ve been better. I was often nervous, too in-my-head about performance that it took away from learning each crew member. Having not dealt with a professional team before, I’ve learned a lot about interactions and expectations. To my understanding, the decision to narrow us six drivers down to two was incredibly tight. To go toe-to-toe against five of the most deserving and talented young drivers in the country is something I should be immensely proud of. It’s not often you get to directly benchmark yourself against racing drivers you watch from afar aspiring to become!

A massive motivator behind my excitement was to continue my racing career while lifting an immense cost from my family’s shoulders. I don’t come from a racing family, nor one of wealth. Getting me to this point has been a monumentally selfless endeavor from them, one that often came at hefty time and financial burdens. I’m certain if I keep going and apply what I learn, the day will come when I’m able to give back to them.

It simply wasn’t meant to be right now. In my heart, I believe being included and being a part of something incredible was meant to be. Whether the reasons are personal growth, further opportunity, or something I don’t yet know. This pushed me like no other challenge in motorsport. Smiling at the fact it happened it all and use it to build into a better driver and person.

In ClosinG

A lesson for any up-and-coming racer with a passion for the sport and unsure of their ability to continue in it. Keep going. Be honest, be genuine, dedicate yourself, get your mission out to more people. There is no promise your path will be quick or easy, nor should it be. Make certain you are as prepared as possible, even with no clear path ahead. Because in that day you least expect it, you could receive information shifts your path. In my case, three weeks to prepare and perform at the highest level with the promise of nothing expect what you make of it.

Falling short in these moments was never a fear, I’ve realized. The fear was I’d never be included in a moment like this; a search, a shootout, a scholarship, some recognition or chance for me to showcase the effort I’ve pushed so hard for in motorsport against the odds. Something that allowed me to keep going. I believe if it can come true once, it can happen again. I’m much better prepared for the next one.

To Jeremy, Danny, Eric, John, and everyone involved in the driver search. A sincere thank you. I wish the best this season and look forward to cheering your team and drivers. Hope we stay in good contact!

I look forward to announcing some racing plans for 2021 soon. Thank you everyone.

From my favorite novel The Art of Racing in the Rain,

“The true hero is flawed. The true test of a champion is not whether he can triumph, but whether he can overcome obstacles - preferably of his own making - in order to triumph.”

Cheers, Matt Million

San Marcos, CA - 3/23/21

Matt's January Update: Endurance Shakedown at Laguna Seca

MATT’S JANUARY UPDATE: ENDURANCE SHAKEDOWN AT LAGUNA SECA

January 17th, 2021 - Monterey, CA

Hello! This month’s update is a race weekend reflection from my trip to Laguna Seca debuting Technik Competition’s new Porsche Boxster in a 14-hour endurance event. I also give news about an exciting upcoming opportunity, the details of which will be included in next month’s update.

A quick catch-up; my name is Matt Million, I’m a 20 year old aspiring professional racing driver and college student from San Marcos, California. I’ve been competing since the age of five where I spent eight years in karts. I transitioned to race cars in the Spec Miata category at age 14 developing in the Mazda Motorsports grassroots program up to Spec MX-5 Challenge in 2018. In 2019, I became a class winner of the 25 Hours of Thunderhill and last year I achieved a long-held goal of racing in Germany. I love sharing my experiences as a young racer through these reports with hopes that some who read them can take away value or enjoyment from following my journey. Thank you for the support!

Kicking off 2021, January’s race was set in beautiful Monterey at famous WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. This just the second time I’ve raced during the first month of the year. Maybe one day that’ll change again at Daytona… maybe!

Similar to Daytona’s Rolex 24 Hours, this was a long one. A total of 14 hours split with six and a half on Saturday and seven and a half on Sunday being organized by the Lucky Dog Racing League, a growing amateur endurance series.

I’d rejoin Technik Competition, whom I won 25 Hours of Thunderhill with in 2019. Our mission this weekend was entirely different however. The first competitive shakedown of their new Porsche Boxster project set to contest the NASA WERC and 25 hour later this year. I drafted myself in to help develop the car which meant providing quick and consistent stints to aid in setup baselines, data and tech, and give suggestions on next steps. Basically, we weren’t here to win. We just needed to turn continual laps.

Welcome to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

My first laps at Laguna Seca since the 2016 Teen Mazda Challenge season opener. A cool chance to assess how far I’ve come as a driver since then. I’d be lying to say I hadn’t missed the corkscrew dive into Rainey Curve!

On tap for Saturday was a combined practice and qualifying followed by the race start at 10am. If that morning was any indicator for the rest of our weekend, it didn’t look promising. I hopped in for the second part of practice and all was fine until the shift knob came off in my hand into T5. No, that shouldn’t happen. We pounded it back on and, slight spoiler alert, it turned out to be the only time a part fell off the car thankfully.

Not the case for electrical issues however. A bad engine ground meant firing up became a regular challenge but one we eventually overcame. I was the starting driver, first pilot for her maiden flight! Stints like this give me better appreciation for racers in decades past when you never truly knew what could go wrong or when. Forcing you to walk a fine line between effective data gathering while steadily raising the limit but not so sudden you get enthralled in battle and forgot the mission objective.

I was surprised how quickly I felt at-home. All the different driving situations recently must’ve helped my adaption. An hour passed with just one trip to the pits for a preemptive mechanical check-over.

The car felt unsettled and numb, however, with a tendency to step out dramatically with tiny amounts of opposite lock which isn’t a recipe for confident lapping. We made an adjustment of disconnecting the rear bar and adding two clicks of rear rebound stiffness. Step into the right direction! We now felt what the platform was doing and could give inputs in correlation.

Ride onboard with Matt for 2 laps of WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca driving for Technik Competition in their new Porsche Boxster endurance race car. Footage...

After cycling through the other three drivers, this was already a success. But to our delight the Boxster kept going just fine. I was back in and ready to push a bit quicker and harder. This stint would be the best for both me and the Boxster. Click here to watch our fastest laps of the event from onboard with me!

I can best describe it as a ‘mid-engine Miata with a Flat 6’. With the bulk of the weight over the rear axel, I found myself extracting my best times with very delicate inputs on corner entry and planting to full throttle earlier on exits. The turn-in rotation will catch out anyone expecting it to have the weight transfer of a Miata! I was having to do many small corrections through the mid-corner as I fought a lack of grip with the semi-slicks. And with the engine behind, cockpit temperatures were impressively cool. After six hours we completed day one with a collective shrug, smile, and mechanical check-over.

That evening, it was straight to the SUV to turn my backseat into a decently-lit interview studio. I had a very pleasant chat with two gentlemen involved in an upcoming motorsport program and it was surreal to talk with them. The next monthly update should fully explain what it was about!

Entering Sunday, we had much higher confidence that the car was capable of what we’d throw at it over the next seven and a half hours. So much confidence that we’d actually look at the race standings from time to time! Still, this was a very new project with lots to develop so our attentiveness couldn’t drop.

My task in the cockpit today was to push the car’s fuel mileage capabilities. Turns out that the lightness and efficiency of the Boxster makes it fantastic on fuel! I spent an entire two hours on a single tank. I was able to use the long duration to work on flow mindset and consistency and I came away quite proud of the tight spread in my times over dozens of laps. The track was hotter and tires quickly lost their edge from the day prior. Good lessons in adaption.

Overall, it went far better than expected. Never did we go back paddock for any broken components nor did we slow down due to an issue. All four of us drivers got multiple hours of quality laps and plenty to discuss.

Being able to extract driver data from the AIM computer during each fuel stop was very helpful to coach my teammates on-the-fly! It’s satisfying to be able to illustrate exactly what they’ve got to do to find pace; speed, corner, RPM, inputs, mindset, etc. I’d love to do more formal coaching in the future.

It’s a pleasure to race with Technik Competition again. First time I’d seen many of them since we won Thunderhill. While they definitely make time for fun, what makes them special is an attitude toward precision, organization, and performance excellence which is a bit unusual in these paddocks. Reflective of this, we finished 7th of about 45 on Sunday.

They provide me a racing home to sharpen driving and data skills as well as learn team management, business, and preparation for my future in motorsport. Thank you Peter and Matt for the weekend as well as Nicolas, Molly, Owen, and Andrew for making it productive and enjoyable.

What’s Next

Another semester of studies at CSU San Marcos begins this week. I’m now into my major of global business and it’s going well! Another semester of online classes gives more time to pursue racing, a perk to odd times.

Coming up soon, I will be a participant in an incredible racing opportunity. I cannot divulge details yet but it will be a thrilling experience and very possibly the most influential in my journey thus far. Opportunities like this are rare, but they are the moments that show how much sports car and endurance racing means to me and how far I’ve come. It’s been a fantastic chance to grow myself into a better racing driver and a better person. I’m absolutely humbled to be included and will be completely prepared to give my best performance inside the cockpit and showcase my personality and passion outside of it.

I must once again thank everyone reading. Taking time out of your day to read these make you a part of this. The support truly means the world to me. I have to thank my parents, family, and friends for the obvious support as well.

Please get in touch with me over social media or email. I’d love to have a chat! You can find me at the links below or at mattmillionracing.com.

Sign up for my monthly updates by filling out the form on the ‘Contact Me’ page!

Cheers, Matt Million

San Marcos, California - 01/26/21

November/December Update: Final Races in Germany & Flight Home

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER UPDATE: FINAL RACES IN GERMANY & FLIGHT HOME

Matt’s final monthly update from Germany in 2020 sharing stories success and failures in racing, life under partial lockdown in Europe, and reflecting on a truly memorable experience. This is a long one (sorry)!

This update begins during the second leg the flight back to San Diego. The day started early in Berlin, transitioning to Frankfurt a few hours ago and I’m currently over the Atlantic on Lufthansa due to land in Washington, D.C. before rushing myself through customs and onto my domestic flight home.

A quick catch-up; my name is Matt Million, I’m a 20 year old racing driver and college student from San Marcos, California. I’ve been competing since the age of five where I spent eight years in karts. I transitioned to race cars in the Spec Miata category at age 14, developing and finding success in the Mazda Motorsports grassroots program up to Spec MX-5 Challenge in 2018. In 2019, I became a class winner of the 25 Hours of Thunderhill.

From back to karting days, I’ve been obsessed with European touring and sports car racing. The dream was Germany and all goals led racing there. But not coming from wealth or a racing family dynasty, I knew the financial hurdles of that leap might be impossible. In late 2019, I came across a competitive, cost-effective spec touring car cup there. I had to make this work. Just one team actually took my inquiry seriously, and my family and I weighted the variables and commitment. Before I knew it I was off to test at Hockenheim in February. The pandemic happened, pushed the season from March to July and I finally got clearance to fly in September. My college work now virtual, I deciding to live there for about three months and finish the season with JAS Rennsport. I returned to California late November and here we are today.

Some quick feelings; It’s mindboggling I was able to enter Germany at all. So much energy went into researching clauses, exemptions, and the most current news on international travel. Forced to miss the opening two rounds of the championship before my incredible team boss Lars was able to get Lufthansa clearance for me. I made a promise to race for them this year and a promise to myself to not give up on my first chance to race here. Well, I made it. Of the three remaining BMW 318ti Cup races we planned to do, only one event went forward. Luckily, we got to do three additional club races of which the latter two are in this report. Wild times and immensely grateful.

Obviously, there’s many more takeaways I could give but in an effort to not have this be a thousand pages I’ll jump into the final race reflections from Germany.

And now I sit under a dim light with a cup of coffee, choosing to write these stories before finishing my final term papers. Hope you enjoy!

Where We Left Off

The last update I shared was Saturday, October 24th. I hit ‘send’ on that report from the attic of (my teammate) Luca Alpert’s village near Börßum. That evening we drove to the Motorsport Arena Oschersleben, a superb highly regarded circuit in the Saxony-Anhalt region near center of the country.

Welcome to NATC Oschersleben 1 - October 25th, 2020

After BMW 318ti Cup Round 4 at Nürburgring was cancelled, an opportunity came up to race the following weekend. With cases low in the area, the NATC (North German ADAC Touring Car Cup) was holding their next event at Oschersleben on October 25th. With the BMW 318ti Cup finale (originally planned) at the same circuit in 3 weeks, it attracted 15 fellow 318ti Cup cars to the 2-hour endurance race. Great competition.

As far as race track commutes go, driving to Oschersleben is unrivaled. From Luca’s home, it’s a one hour drive across gorgeous country roads, quaint villages, and the expansive landscape of farmland and wind turbines. The NATC typically holds one-day events on Sunday so the paddock arrives Saturday evening to unload into their garage spots and cook-out with plenty of meats and beers.

Luca and I surveyed the track and I received a hefty earful of information! This is his and JAS Rennsport’s home circuit, having done triple as many laps here than anywhere else. Did my best to absorb all his knowledge of the grip levels, cambers, kerb profiles, lines, cones, pit entry and exit tips. Videos and racing simulators are good tools, but walking it reshaped my perspective of the place!

The practice session was short but straightforward with quite the 27-car traffic jam to navigate in the first lap. I stopped for a routine tire check, performed a mock standing start from a designated area of the pits (that was a first) and got in four laps before swapping to Luca for the final 10 minutes.

During our 20 minute qualifier we realized something was wrong. While my times kept lowering as my track knowledge grew, there was a feeling of power loss. Luca finished off the session falling short of my best by a number of tenths. P7/16. Our times were over a second slower than Luca’s best lap here. He gave a rightfully displeased debrief to our team and we searched for answers but couldn’t yet determine the issue. The car wasn’t healthy so we just had to race our own race, drive clean, and learn along the way.

Race time! The NATC uses European-style standing starts. Since I’ve never experienced one, I would drive the first hour and hand off to Luca for the second. The red lights went off and I made two positions into T1, entering four-wide. Cars everywhere jostling for position, what a moment!

Engaged in a tight battle with two competitors made the first 40 minutes a blur. Did my best outdrive the power deficit and maintain position, but losing a second or more per lap adds up. Proud of the performance I gave, the most ‘in it’ I’ve felt in these few European races so far. The knowledge was accumulating! No mistakes, better pace. As with all of these weekends, the race session itself doubled or tripled my seat time at each circuit. I became more in-touch with Oschersleben’s rhythm. Here’s some notes:

  • Utilize the slight ‘banking’ of each corner. Don’t run too wide in the fast sweepers, let the curving ‘bowl’ of the track hook you.

  • Maximize the green patches of runoff. Done correctly, you can extend the track width an additional half-car length in most exits. That adds up during the lap.

  • Keep the speed up. Might seem obvious, but especially important here. Each corner has a similar maximum and minimum speed, no major philosophy change from corner to corner. Engage the rhythm of Oschersleben, stay in it!

First of two mandatory pit stops completed clean and on time. I noticed afterwards that sections of the circuit could be held flat out when they couldn’t before. More power loss. Reported it to the team and we decided turning on the engine fan might help. Immediately back on the radio, “it feels like I gained 10 horsepower!” Later we discovered the reasons for this; a broken thermostat and broken catalytic converter (mandated on European race cars). My 1:52 laps became 1:50’s again and the fastest laps of our day came soon after. Click here to watch my onboard from those laps!

With 50 minutes left, a Code 60 was deployed for a stricken car. For Americans unfamiliar with this procedure, imagine a full-course yellow but without a pace car. In theory it keeps the gaps between cars equal as the field slows to 60kph until the flags are retracted. NATC regulations permit pit stops during Code 60, so I was called to box immediately and driver changed. Luca got settled as the Code 60 continued for a few laps. He wasn’t so fortunate with the power issue though, as the car became hardly capable of 1:52’s again. Races like this make you truly appreciate the ones where everything runs smooth. Have to believe it builds a better driver able to deal with these situations!

We finished P6, better than expected. Managed the race well all things considered. Completed the 2 hours, maintained position, and had some good battles without a scratch. Frustrating but character building.

Little did we realize our result arriving at the podium ceremony. “Matt and Luca, you guys got third.” Third? How?

During the Code 60 when we driver swapped, a number of 318ti Cup’s ahead failed to meet the minimum lap time while traveling at 60kph. Basically they were deemed to have gained an advantage under the slow laps and got penalized for it; 1 or 2 laps deleted. No penalty for us, we leaped to 3rd! Didn’t expect it nor even consider the chances. Strange podiums are still podiums and we were happy to take it today! Some consolation for what very well could’ve been a better result. Luca and I reentered the JAS Rennsport garage stall holding our hardware up high ensuring happy confusion from the team. It felt nice to see our group smiling after a tough day. Turns out following the rules in motorsport pays off at times!

One or two days following, the German government announced a partial lockdown for the month of November. Schools remained open, but restaurants and shops became take-out only. On the sports front, professional racing like the DTM could continue but pro-am competitions could not. The remainder of the BMW 318ti Cup was cancelled.

The next NATC race was back at Oschersleben one week later, taking place on the Sunday before lockdown. Our last chance to race in 2020, we duly signed up.

Back to Oschersleben: NATC Endurance 11/1

For the second consecutive weekend, we headed back to Oschersleben to compete in effectively the same race. We made a swift decision to enter and ensure we’d close the year together knowing that this was it. With the final two championship races in November were cancelled, this is all we had!

On our drive there, Luca and I became distracted by a landmark on the route. October 31st is a German holiday called ‘Reformation Day’. It commemorates Martin Luther’s efforts toward religious and social reform during the 16th century. People spend the day traveling or visiting family and friends. We came upon on the former east-west border town of Hötensleben to find a local club of classic DDR vehicles like the Trabant, Barkas, and Wartburg. The meeting point was inside the former Inner German Border and part of the old wall and a guard tower still standing. Neat!

Oschersleben’s paddock opened earlier this week so we got to complete a track walk in daylight. A piece in Ross Bentley’s ‘Speed Secrets’ book makes more sense now. The benefit of walking a circuit after you’ve already driven it helps a lot more. Easier to focus on the bits you know are important and learn why they are.

To save words on this email report, click here to read the rest of this reflection! Slight spoiler alert, our power issue resurfaced to plague us worse but we did eventually solve it and the race help put in perspective how much this entire German endeavor has meant to me.

November’s ‘Partial Lockdown’ in Germany

The month of November was quiet as the weather became chilly and shops closed. Still, I had plenty of coursework as a global business student to catch up on dived up by long runs on the countryside trails in my city of Brunswick. On the weekends, I’d see Luca and his family in their small village and enjoy more cultural immersion (and practice my German)!

I took the opportunity to travel nearby. Hopped on a short train ride to the forested, hilly center of Goslar an hour south. The next week I took it the opposite direction to see Hannover. Very cool! The ‘Deutsche Bahn’ (German train network) is awesome; clean, fast, and on-time where you can buy tickets through an app and commute to anywhere as fast or faster than you could with a car.

On the 21st, I drove three hours east to the outskirt towns near Berlin where my team owner Lars Winkler lives. I enjoyed a final dinner with him and his wonderful wife Andrea, both of whom have served effectively as my parents! Afterwards, they gave me a small present containing a trophy engraved with ‘Matt, thank you for the 2020 season’. I struggle for words to describe their generosity. Believing in me, helping me settle in here, and providing so much to the overall experience. More than I could’ve imagined. We set off to the airport the following morning.

From Berlin, I transferred flights and stamped the passport in Frankfurt, setting off to Washington D.C. I miraculously made my transfer there by speeding through customs and running across the airport and onto my plane to San Diego. On the final approach, the pilot aborted landing due to fog and came to Los Angeles. We attempted to fly back, but aborted again and made L.A. our final destination. After 28 hours of travelling, I was back breathing California air. What a journey.

Final Reflections

Probably the closest I’ve come to a life-altering experience in my 20 years. Upon arrival, I faced a steep wall of learning with a new country, culture, and racing environment. Since departing, the most valuable takeaway has been understanding more about myself; as a driver and a person.

Although I came to Germany for 72 hours in February, I entered the country this time with fresh eyes. I’d always dreamt to live here at some point. But right now? Nope, no way I could’ve predicted that!

It was the longest I’d ever been away from home and the first time I could integrate into a new world, one I’ve always wanted to try. All the German cultural elements that I’d only ever read about was surreal. Even small things like getting groceries. “Wait, I can hardly read anything. How do I pay? What are the expectations here?” So many small things become a challenge.

The rationale to chase life as a racing driver is often emotion driven. Sure, it’s the only way of life I’ve ever known. But can I realistically continue it?

The further I go, the more I realize how each step has shaped me more certain, more resilient, and into a more complete driver. It’s difficult to think how different my life would look if I hadn’t been in a kart at five. So many competitive traits paired to a mentality and skillset only motorsport could teach. Seeing my maturity develop. Understanding how to have a better Sunday race compared to the Saturday, and then a better weekend, and a better next season and so on.

There were times in Germany that I felt the weight of my overall goals. 6,000 miles from home, problems can feel heavy sometimes.

Jumping across the pond into a new car, a new team of people that speak a different language, new regulations and standards, compete against serious teams and drivers who’ve invested lots into their programs, and race on tracks they’ve been on for years ahead of you. I mean really, how am I going to do this?

But these are just thoughts that run through your head in situations that mean a lot to you. Do I truly belong here? Can I turn this into more? What comes after this? These feelings were especially strong in the first race weekend, but soon my confidence grew alongside my knowledge of this alien place.

Of course I want to be here. Of course I can do it. This leap was suppose to be a challenge, as beginning anything usually is. Managing all the expectations I’ve had making this European transition.

In full honesty, I surprise myself sometimes with how far I’ve come as a driver and how impressed I am at my own abilities. As well as how I can put pieces together outside of the cockpit to keep going.

No racing driver, despite what they might portray, ever goes absent without doubt. But the more I overcome these milestones, the more I trust I’m headed in the right direction.


Thank You

The list of people that deserve a genuine ‘thank you’ grows every year. First and foremost, my parents. Without Pete and Tamara deciding to put little Matt in a kart and do everything in their power to support me, chasing life as a racer would never have been possible.

I surely wouldn’t have made the leap this year without Lars Winkler and Luca Alpert. The only team in the series to take me in, they got me the clearance I needed to fly, provide me with transportation and temporary accommodation, and were unbelievably excited to have me join their racing family. We had a productive, fun time together with so much learned about a championship new to all of us. Luca is an impressive young driver, fast and full of passion for the sport. We’ll race together again someday!

To the rest of my family, you’ve made these stories worth telling! To everyone at Technik Competition and those I’ve met around it, those who I’ve met through my Spec Miata and karting, and everyone else who continues to follow and wish the best, sincere thanks.

What’s Next?

With the difficulties to plan anything concrete, especially overseas, there’s still uncertainty for my racing in 2021. I would love to compete in more DMV BMW 318ti Cup with JAS Rennsport given the travel situation becomes better, my coursework won’t interfere, and I can secure the personal sponsorship needed. It would be fantastic to keep the momentum going and continue the progress of my aspirations in Germany. The 24 Hours of Nürburgring is the ultimate goal, as well as supporting domestic championships. Looking forward to each step, but pieces need to be put together. Please reach out if you’re considering how to help!

In January, I’ll be racing with my awesome friends at Technik Competition. This time is a different challenge; we’ll be giving the team’s new Porsche Boxster its race debut at Laguna Seca for the Lucky Dog Racing League season opening 14-hour race. Love working with this rad, dedicated group of endurance fanatics.

The next time you’ll hear from me over email will likely be a January update. Until then please get in touch with me over email, phone, or social media!

Cheers, Matt Million

San Marcos, CA - 12/13/2020

Oschersleben Race Recap: Power Issues in NATC Endurance Rd.4

Oschersleben Race Recap: Power Issues in NATC Endurance Rd.4

My race recap from NATC Endurance Round 4 at Oschersleben with JAS Rennsport. A broken catalytic converter ensured that our day wouldn’t live up to potential, but fortunate to be able to race one last time before Germany’s November lockdown. Onto 2021!

Oschersleben, DE - November 1st, 2020

For the second consecutive weekend, myself and JAS Rennsport headed to Motorsport Arena Oschersleben to race in the NATC Endurance series. We didn’t originally plan to compete in NATC again, but with the news of Germany’s lockdown beginning on November 2nd we made a swift decision to go race one last time this year. The chances of our final BMW 318ti Cup race in mid-November happening became very slim, so we had to take this opportunity!

With NATC races often being a Sunday-only event, Luca and myself drove to Oschersleben midday on Saturday. We meant to get there sooner but got rightfully distracted by a landmark on our route! October 31st is Halloween each year for Americans, and this is the same in Germany (but not as big). This day represents a more important holiday here called ‘Reformation Day’. It commemorates Martin Luther’s efforts toward religious and social reform in Germany during the 16th century. People here will spend the day sightseeing or with family and friends.

When Luca and I came upon on the former East/West border town of Hötensleben, there was a local club of classic DDR vehicles like the Trabant, Barkas, and Wartburg. No choice but to stop and go take a look. The meeting point was inside the former Inner German Border and I got to see part of the old wall, a guard tower, and read fascinating history!

Eventually we did arrive in Oschersleben. The paddock and circuit was opened earlier than last Saturday, so we got to complete a track walk in daylight. After racing here the prior weekend, part of Ross Bentley’s ‘Speed Secrets’ book now makes more sense to me. The benefit of walking a circuit after you’ve already driven it helps a lot more than walking it before. It’s easier to focus on the bits you know are important and learn why they are important. More rubber here? Track limits? Off-camber banking? It makes more sense! We finished our walk three carbon fiber pieces and two BMW logo’s richer with Luca collecting discarded race car treasure.

The drive into Oschersleben early Sunday was one of the prettier drives I’ve had. We stopped at a bakery to grab some Brotchen (German rolls) because it isn’t breakfast here without that. While it had been dry up until this point, that soon changed. Rain came about 15 minutes ahead of practice. Luca started the 30 minute session and boxed just before halfway to driver change. With so many new circuits, conditions, and situations to quickly adjust with I feel my adaption skills have improved so much recently. Piecing together prior rain driving in the car and dry Oschersleben knowledge was a satisfying challenge. In those 5-6 laps, I matched Luca’s best from earlier in the session and felt good!

We next had the important discussion over who would qualify. Was it more beneficial to use Luca’s experience here to potentially get a quick lap early or give myself more time to learn Oschersleben in mixed conditions? We decided the latter would be best and it ultimately turned out to be. The circuit was in a state of drying and each lap I found large amounts of time. I also got the chance to tail Nürburgring 24h winner Christopher Rink for a few laps in his Smyrlis Racing 318ti Cup. I learned a lot about the chassis dynamics of our car and what inputs were required to eek out a better time in the damp. Luca and I had a fantastic discussion after the session and I felt like I unlocked more potential with this package.

Rather unexpectedly the clouds soon cleared and the race was completely dry. I was honestly looking forward to the rain, but this meant a better comparison to last weekend’s race could be made. The only difference was Luca would be the starting driver this time. Having a couple experiences now of apprehensively watching timing screens and doing jumping jacks fully suited waiting for my stint has made me appreciate the simplicity of being a starting driver! Luca got a fine start and engaged himself in a three-car battle for 2nd place. After 20 or so minutes, his pace started to fall off. Seeing his times on the monitor gradually slow meant something wasn’t right. A disparity of a couple tenths is normal, but loosing seconds often means issues. We driver swapped at half-distance and he gave his synopsis.

“The car is loosing power worse than last week. Just bring it home and have fun.” It seemed to loose power the hotter it became, so a close eye had to be kept on the temperature and the fan switches. Last week’s average times of 1:50’s weren’t possible. I was doing 1:53’s and soon 1:55’s flat out. It’s a shame considering how energized, confident, and ready I felt when I burst out of the pit lane. Having prior track knowledge (the first time for me in Europe) made a massive difference and I was instantly comfortable. Alas, all I could do was the best the car could that day! We finished ways off the podium. The team understands the issue not to be engine, gearbox, or traction related. Closer inspection on the catalytic converter (used on European race cars for noise restriction) proved that it was broken and the exhaust wasn’t functioning properly. We hope it’ll solve our immediate problems but we’ll have to wait until next year to get back on track. It’s not unexpected for a first-year team to any motorsport series to come across issues and fixes. With myself a newcomer to European motorsport, it’s fair to say we all had lots to gain by racing in the condensed 2020 season. I’m glad we collected data and experiences for the next time!

After JAS Rennsport had packed and left, there was still a sprint race to come into the fading daylight in Oschersleben. Likely the last time at a race circuit in Germany this year, I made my way deep into the infield terraces and hills. What a stunning location, time of day, and set of vehicles for a motor race! The sky turned purplish-blue as I watched overlooking the Shell-S corners.

It was a race to forget, but a day I’ll remember. Regardless if the outcome was a true reflection of your abilities or not, more is learned from lackluster days than outstanding ones most times. I’ll have plenty of offseason time to reflect and prepare better, and the same goes for JAS Rennsport. Still unsure of what my 2021 race plans will look like, I can’t wait to start preparing for whatever comes next.

Sometime in the final days of November, I’ll be publishing a complete look into my 2020 German racing endeavor that’ll go into more detail of my thoughts and specific experiences. Expect a good couple of paragraphs talking about the people, food, and cultural immersion! Though it’s likely I will ramble on about the food for too long.

Thank you to Luca, Lars, Kai and the rest of JAS Rennsport for your support and passion. I wouldn’t have made this first leap to Europe without you. And to my family with special thanks to Karen and Deana. This isn’t possible without all of you.

Cheers, Matt Million

First Podium in Europe: NATC Oschersleben Race Recap

First Podium in Europe: NATC Oschersleben Race Recap

My race recap from NATC Endurance Round 3 at Oschersleben with team JAS Rennsport. This turned out to be the first podium of my season in Germany!

Oschersleben, DE - October 25th, 2020

After the cancellation of BMW 318ti Cup Round 4 at Nürburgring, an opportunity appeared on our race calendar the following weekend. The NATC series was holding their next event at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben. With the BMW 318ti Cup season ending at the same circuit in 3 weeks, we jumped at the chance to race here! And so did many others, with a total of 16 BMW 318ti Cup teams entered. Love having good competition!

Of all the commutes to racing circuits, driving to Oschersleben is far and away my new favorite! Coming from Brunswick and picking up my teammate Luca near Börßum, it’s a one hour drive across gorgeous country roads, quaint villages, and the expansive landscape of central Germany.

We arrived on Saturday night ahead of another single day race meeting on Sunday. Luckily our pit garage mates had two electric scooters fit with headlights. How convenient right? Luca provided me all his circuit tips from his years of racing here as we sped around the dark track, laughing each time on of us would hit a kerb that wasn’t meant for a scooter!

We head back that night to get good rest at Luca’s house. Daylight saving time ends in Europe a week before America, so the extra hour of sleep was nice! Being a ‘home circuit’ for Luca and JAS Rennsport, we had a garage full of family and friends.

The practice was about as straightforward as it could’ve been. 30 minutes, 16 BMW 318ti Cup cars and 27 entries in the endurance race total. Traffic jam for the first two laps as everyone figured out how to drive again! I came in for a tire temperature check, did a mock standing start out of the pits (that was fun), and went out for a clean 3-4 laps before boxing and swapped to Luca for the final 10 minutes.

Though it was during the 20 minutes of qualifying that suspicions of an unhealthy car were realized. While I gained nearly a second from driving adjustments and doubling my seat time, I felt a lack of rear traction and power. Luca jumped in next hopeful for a fast time, but ended up falling short of my time by a number of tenths. Session ends, P7. Qualifying nearly two seconds slower than his time in March, Luca gave a rightfully displeased debrief and we searched for answers. Our 318ti Cup wasn’t healthy but realistically all we could do was sink our teeth into the race, drive clean and consistent, and learn along the way.

Race time! A unique feature of the NATC series is the use of standing starts, meaning my first standing start would come here at Oschersleben. My launch was timed well enough to pass two cars before T1, but a car behind timed it even better and we entered Hotel corner probably four wide. Been awhile since I’ve had an exciting start like that, with cars everywhere jostling for position and track real estate.

The opening 40 minutes was a relative blur for me, engaged in a battle with two competitors from Smyrlis Racing. I did my best to drive as if everything was perfect, only focused on going forward. And I achieved that, proud of a performance which was definitely the most ‘on form’ of my few European races so far. As with all these events for me in 2020, the race itself effectively doubled or tripled my seat time at each circuit. I became more in-touch with Oschersleben’s rhythm. Here’s some notes:

  • Utilize the slight ‘banking’ of each corner here! Don’t run too wide in the fast sweepers, let the curving ‘bowl’ of the track hook you.

  • Maximize the patches of runoff. Done correctly, you can extend the track width an additional half-to-full car length in most exits. That adds up during the lap!

  • Keep the speed up. Might seem like an obvious statement, but especially important around here. Each corner here has a similar maximum and minimum speed, so no major philosophy change to the different corners. Find the rhythm of Oschersleben, stay in it!

It was still frustrating though how much we lost corner exits. Putting down power normally isn’t an issue for a 140hp car, but with mandated open differentials instead of LSD’s it’s imperative to have the rear wheels planted. Our team chief believes it’s something with the rear axle and hopes to have a solution soon. Maintaining between 6th-8th position was all we could do, as I engaged myself in a mental flow around the fast and narrow Oschersleben.

I was called in for our first of two mandatory 4-minute pit stops just before entering the second hour of the race. Clean stop and right on time, but I noticed now how some sections of the circuit could be held flat out when they couldn’t before. A loss of power? Too hot? Reporting it on the radio, I took their recommendation of flipping on the fan. I was immediately back on the radio to say ‘it feels like we’ve gained 10 horsepower back’! We later discovered the reason for this; a broken thermostat failing to understand the engine temperature and pulling back power. My 1:52s turned back into 1:50s and the fastest few laps of our day came soon after. Take a look at my video to watch these laps from onboard. Fun laps around this circuit!

With about 50 minutes left, a Code 60 was called for a stranded 318ti Cup. For Americans unaware of what that is, imagine a full-course yellow but without a pace car. In theory it keeps the gaps between cars equal as everyone slows to 60kph until Code 60 flags are retracted. With NATC regulations permitting pit stops during these situations, Luca immediately called me to box and got his helmet on faster than ever before. Clean stop and Luca got settled behind the wheel as the Code 60 continued for a few laps. Luca wasn’t as fortunate with the broken thermostat issue, and the car pulled back power even with the fan on and he had to manage 1:51-1:52s for his 40 minutes to the checkered. I felt for him, but it’s races like this that make you truly appreciate the ones where all goes right. Have to believe it builds you into a better driver able to deal with difficult situations! Luca took us to P6 at the end, which honestly isn’t too bad given our circumstances. We completed the 2 hours, maintained position, had a few battles on circuit with competitors (and our own car), and brought it home continuing to build ourselves. Not a bad day in the overall context!

Little did we realize our result would flip 180 degrees arriving at the podium ceremony. “Matt and Luca, you guys got third!” Third? Are those results correct?

They were right. During the Code 60 when we driver swapped to Luca, a number of 318ti Cup’s ahead failed to meet the minimum lap time while traveling at 60kph. Basically, they were deemed to have gained an advantage under the slow laps and got penalized for it; a penalty of 1 or 2 laps deleted. With no penalty on us, we leaped to 3rd! No, we didn’t expect it. Weird podiums are still podiums, right? It’s definitely some consolation for what should have been a slightly better result for us. What solidified it for Luca and I was the walk into garage bay #28, holding our hardware up high and the hilarity of happy confusion from our team. We celebrated, and it felt awesome to see our group smiling again. Turns out that following the rules is sometimes the better choice in motorsport, and we reaped the rewards of that today.

To wrap up, with the announcement that BMW 318ti Cup Round 4 at Blister Berg is cancelled and the most recent news of Germany going into partial lockdown beginning November 2nd it’s doubtful that the season finale at Oschersleben will happen. We have decided to return to Oschersleben again this weekend for NATC Endurance Round 4, which will likely be our final race of the year given the lockdown. I look forward to sharing with you all again soon!

Special thank you to Luca, Lars, and JAS Rennsport as well as my family, Karen, and Deana.

Cheers, Matt Million

Two New Replacement Dates for BMW 318ti Cup

BMW 318ti Cup Round 4 & 5 RESCHEDULED AND RELOCATED for COVID Concerns and Border Challenges

As the news of cancellation broke, the JAS Rennsport team and myself were disappointed to not experience an epic weekend of racing at the Nürburgring for the BMW 318ti Cup and supporting races. The organizing body for the weekend, MSC Bork e.V. im ADAC, declared the event cancelled in light of increased COVID-19 cases in nearby regions of western Germany. The news broke late on Tuesday, October 13th with the event due to start on Thursday. The last-minute decision is understandable but sad indeed.

The season finale round at Autodrom Most in Czechia on November 13-15th will be rescheduled as well. Travel difficulties between Germany and Czechia because of the pandemic led to this decision.

Series organizers have recently confirmed replacement venues and dates for both lost events. Blister Berg will serve as the effective replacement for Nürburgring and take place on November 6-8th, while Motorsport Arena Oschersleben will take the season finale the following weekend on November 13-15th.

Weekend Reflection: NATC Endurance at Lausitzring

Weekend Reflection: NATC Endurance at Lausitzring

As I write this update from Germany, I’m halfway through my 3-month stay here. It’s been a whirlwind of learning, new experiences, and impactful moments. The racing has been a joy and I look forward immensely to keep embedding myself deeper into German motorsport. A foundation to refine in Europe hopefully over the next few years. My online university work hasn’t let up though!

Klettwitz, Germany - October 11th, 2020

With a few weeks before the next BMW 318ti Cup race meeting, myself and JAS Rennsport decided to compete in an additional race weekend with a primary objective on getting quality seat time in our car, after a frantic mixed condition weekend at Sachsenring left me wanting some proper long and dry running!

The race meeting was with NATC, a club organization for touring cars in the north of Germany. Each of their meetings features a 110-minute endurance race similar in length to the BMW 318ti Cup. We decided to enter their October event at DEKRA Lausitzring.

Myself and Luca (Alpert, teammate) arrived after a 3-hour drive on the autobahns. Check in to the event and say hello to JAS Rennsport, help unload our truck, and take an extremely picturesque track walk in the evening before race day. Then its time to enjoy Buletten and Schnitzel on a Brotchen roll, of course! With only about a dozen cars entered for our race, I’d get plenty of open track to refine my driving techniques in this unique platform as well as learn one of Germany’s most popular circuits. A couple of fellow 318ti Cup competitors joined us with Cerny Motorsport, long established front runners in the main championship. A great benchmark to have!

With me on endurance duty, Luca would hop in and race the Youngster Sprint race so that we could share notes and data. Practice went well and his prior experience at the circuit helped raise my pace quickly. Unfortunately though, Luca suffered a power steering failure at the end of his qualifying session and with only a 10 minute gap before the grid to race closed, we missed our chance and I was to start from the pit lane. But we got the car fixed in time!

Spending a consecutive two hours aboard a race car teaches you a lot. You’re able to enter the flow state for much longer and deeper than a traditional sprint race. It’s an especially useful state-of-mind to reach while you’re early on in bonding with a particular race car or circuit (both in my case here). Before this, I had roughly two and a bit hours combined behind the wheel of a 318ti Cup car which came in many short sessions. I was finally able to shift my mental actions in the car from conscious to unconscious, which gave a lot of clarity on the miniscule details required to drive this car quick. Honing in the brain on everything from the weight balance, pedal pressure and release points, or the effects of taking a kerb one or two meters deeper. To gain a second on average from qualifying, and another second per lap from beginning-to-end in the race was super rewarding! What seems like a minor improvement in one corner will manifest into a sizeable gain throughout the entire lap, then a full stint, then the entire race. Reaching flow is the best teacher in racing. And it was fantastic to reach it again!

The actual ‘racing’ itself took place mostly with a 5-10 second gap to the leaders that came as a result from the delayed pit lane start. I was able to complete a three-wide pass on two competitors in the first 30 minutes, but after the first round of two mandated stops one of them leapfrogged us on a better timed pit call and that gap roughly remained going forward.

Turns out that 110-minutes of racing for a single driver drains a lot of energy and fluids! With mandated closed windows on race cars here and lacking to realize the cockpit vents weren’t on, it made for a warm double stint! Truth be told, likely the most sweat I’ve produced in a race yet! A total of 56 laps were achieved, with my personal best coming at lap 52. To reiterate my feelings from above, it was a productive experience and I leave feeling more confident with the package!

With three minutes remaining, the power steering pump failed once again and we had to retire the car with a lap to go. Shame not to see the checkered, but our objective was completed. As well as the JAS Rennsport team learning a lot about this issue and will make sure it doesn’t occur when the stakes matter, that’s the nature of testing!

By the time of failure, that gap to the leader had not changed much at all. I’m pleased to have matched similar pace to very experienced 318ti Cup drivers like Florian Sternkopf and Henry Cerny, but I’ve still got plenty to learn.

As for upcoming races, my next race should’ve been last weekend in the Eifel mountains. Unfortunately, both the season ending BMW 318ti Cup races at Nürburgring and Autodrom Most had to be cancelled for various COVID-related reasons. It’s a shame, we were ready to have a packed schedule of driving around the ‘Ring but alas it wasn’t meant to be. Instead, the organizers have found replacement dates at Blister Berg on November 6-8th and Oschersleben on November 14th-15th and they will be great events.

Though, the JAS Rennsport team and myself will be back in the NATC Endurance series at our home circuit in Oschersleben this weekend on October 25th! There is an increased entry of 15 competitors from the 318ti Cup and it will be a truly spectacular experience. That’s all for now!

Special thank you to Luca, Lars, and Kai at JAS Rennsport, my family, Karen J, and Deana C.

Cheers, Matt Million

Click the link HERE and request to subscribe to my monthly email reports!

FOLLOW MATT

Instagram: @mattmillionracing

Facebook: Matt Million Racing

YouTube: Matt Million Racing

LinkedIn: Matt Million

Contact: mattmillionracing@gmail.com

FOLLOW JAS RENNSPORT

Facebook: JAS Rennsport

Million’s First Race in Germany: Sachsenring Weekend Report

Million’s First Race in Germany: Sachsenring Weekend Report

OBERLUNGWITZ, DE - Sept. 26th 2020

One-hundred minutes of rain battles at the Sachsenring in BMW 318ti Cup’s third round saw JAS Rennsport drivers Matt Million and Luca Alpert finish 7th in a competitive 28 car field.

In my European debut, I couldn’t have asked for much more. Given our circumstances, we’re incredibly proud of the result and potential we showed from 14th on the grid. Here’s my report on a completed first weekend in the BMW 318ti Cup!

The fun of the weekend started 5 days prior to arriving in Oberlungwitz! I had driven three hours across the autobahns from JAS Rennsport’s Fürstenwalde headquarters to my new temporary home in centrally-located Brunswick. For the next 9 weeks, I’m living here to be close to my teammate Luca. It’s a lovely area and I’ve had a joy accustoming myself to Germany here and exploring its many parks and sights!

So, last Thursday myself and Luca took off down autobahn’s A2, A14, and A72 southeast to Sachsenring. My loaned Peugeot 206 chugged along well! I wasn’t so keen taking it over 130kph (80mph) so we sat in the right lane most of the drive. We arrived just ahead of dusk and met up with our team boss Lars to get unloading and move the 318ti Cup into our garage on the main pit lane. Luca and I then got to complete a track walk in the last glimpse of daylight (and in the dry, thankfully!) and it gave us a close look at the elevation, grip levels, and curves of the circuit that was new to both of us. At 3.7km (2.3 miles) in length it’s roughly equal to Laguna Seca, with the elevation changes not far off either! Grip seemed low, and we jotted down mental notes of a potential rain line.

The rain definitely came early Friday morning however. It was a soggy mess walking from the hauler’s sleep room to our garage. This was the weather we expected! It wasn’t an early dash for us getting on circuit, with BMW 318ti Cup practice from 11:30 to 12:00pm. Ample time for a coffee and the standard breakfast of bread, cheese, and meat that I’ve come to enjoy. Though, we had plenty to watch for on track. A private testing session at daybreak and our sister sprint series, the DMV BMW Challenge, were on track before us. A healthy number of competitor teams took the chance to add in the additional practice, and it was frankly frustrating to sit and watch them get the laps we desperately needed ourselves. It wasn’t in our budget this round and we missed the deadline. Sometimes it’s hard to quantify the value of track time until you don’t have it!

The rain had subsided but official practice got underway on a damp surface. Luca took the opening half and provided me with his baseline feedback on how the car handled along with his thoughts on the improvements made since August. I took to the circuit for only 3 laps before a red flag was thrown for a stranded car, and with oil on the track it was the end of the session. Here’s some bullet points I extracted from the short introduction to this car and Sachsenring.

  • Rock-solid stability with this chassis! More predictable and balanced than the one I drove at Hockenheimring back in February. With much better brake cooling than I experience back then as well. Also a more comfortable seating arrangement, visibility, and dash layout. The JAS Rennsport guys went to work perfecting the car during the lockdown!

  • The BMW 318ti model that the series runs is about 8 inches shorter than a regular 3 Series. In the wet, you really feel the lack of weight over the rear! Get ready to have quick hands and control slides with instinct while using the throttle as a tool for that.

  • Sachsenring is rad! The topography changes are sharp, the race surface is smooth but lacks any built-up grip, the kerbs are surprisingly friendly in the wet, and has fantastic variety of corners for touring car racing.

Conditions swiftly shifted and we realized our 40 minute evening qualifier was to be bone dry; no water on track or the sky! Knowing the race would be full wet, the game plan changed to Luca setting 3-4 quick laps early and hand off to me for the remaining time to maximize my learning. All things considered, it went quite well! I was reminded just how much I love hustling a car continuously closer to its limit, piecing together each bit of information absorbed. Though, it simply wasn’t enough time and interference with faster class cars meant our quick lap was taken from early in the session. Checkered flag; P14 of 28. Initially, it was disappointing. Once we sat down to communicate and view some data, our spirits gradually lifted. The reality was that we had a number of small factors going against us that we’d have to overcome with time, patience, and adaptability. We changed potential excuses into accountability for our growth and looked forward to learning.

The rain would bring a degree of neutralization, and the longer race distance played into our styles well. We had total confidence in each other’s tendencies, especially in the wet. If our many iRacing endurance races over the lockdown taught us anything, it was to adapt quickly and make zero mistakes. If we did that, we’d be darn happy in our first weekend together!

The pitter-patter of rain on the hauler all night switched me into race mode. The first of these race days for me in the faraway European nation. Still difficult to comprehend at times, but not this morning. Sharp and eager to get going. Luca would take the opening stint and I’d take the second. His experience in the series and knowledge of procedures made it an easy choice, and give me good data to work from next time.

And it turned out to be a fantastic decision. He made quick work of a couple cars ahead on the start and maintained position and pace with the top 10. Watching his progress from the paddock timing monitors did little justice to what he was doing! Sliding and passing around the outside of the fastest corners, epic stuff! He then faced two full-course yellows, with the second coming right at the driver change time window. The green flew, and Luca dove to the pits with 45 minutes remaining. The series mandated 3m40s minimum pit lane time gives plenty of time for fuel and swap. Once belted in, Luca gave me his mental notes. A masterfully timed stop and I was on circuit after 3m41s. Can’t beat that! So good that we even leapfrogged a few frontrunners ahead.

Though, it was ‘baptism by fire’ for me in the cockpit to learn everything I could in full wet conditions! Within 3-4 laps, I was chopping seconds off my lap times and edging closer to the leading pace. My driving style is always a conservative one initially. I much prefer building my pace gradually and establish a stronger foundation than overcook my limits early and make mistakes! After settling nicely into the top 10 and mimicking rain tactics from cars ahead, another full-course yellow bunched us up for a 20 minutes sprint to the end.

Multiple cars made mistakes at or around the restart, and I continued climbing. My consistency was improving as well, as I found the optimal rain tricks and my driving went from ‘avoid the unknown’ to ‘take advantage of the known’. It was an epic flow! I had cut the gap in half to 5th and 6th by the end, but time was out. Checkered flag as I reached their tails. “First race, P7! Great job, you were closing!” over the radio from Luca.

Handshakes, elbow bumps, and photos all around. I got an obligatory hug from team boss Lars stepping out of the car. It was a risk and an unknown variable for him to accept me into his team this (delayed) season. Of course, he had known about my past racing experience and we became fast friends, but it’s an entirely different pressure to perform in front of the person giving you the opportunity of your young career. It wasn’t a win, or a podium, but it was absolutely the most myself and Luca could extract that day. And he recognized that.

Our competitors have a lot of depth and experience in their programs, and it showed. But internally, my performance showed me that I can reach that level and quickly. The same goes for the JAS Rennsport team and Luca. It’s early days still, but we are energized to have had this difficult yet positive weekend. Great momentum heading to the next round!

The BMW 318ti Cup heads next to the famed Eifel circuit of the Nürburgring GP on October 17-18th. I’ll be sending a small preview a couple days ahead of the event for you to follow along with. I’d be one ecstatic child if you told me years ago that I’d be about to turn laps on my dream German circuit, I can’t wait!

But before that, I’ll be racing solo in the NATC series at Lausitzring on October 11th with the JAS Rennsport car and team. It will be a valuable weekend and 110-minute race experience to get additional race kilometers under my belt at a new venue. Grateful once more for the opportunity, and I look forward to sharing it with you all soon.

If you enjoy these reflections, please don’t hesitate to reach out with any comments or questions! I love connecting with those who find my motorsport journey interesting or influential to them. So again, say hi!

A massive, understated thank you to my family and close supporters who’ve believed in my motorsport journey and helped me to this point. Definitely wouldn’t be doing this without your support! A special shout-out to Karen and Deana whom I’ve had the pleasure of sharing this piece of my career with, and lastly a warm thank you to JAS Rennsport for accepting me into your passionate, caring motorsport family. We have awesome days ahead of us!

In the meantime, you can keep in touch with myself, the team, and series at the links below:

FOLLOW JAS RENNSPORT

FOLLOW THE BMW 318TI CUP

FOLLOW MATT

Cheers, (Prost),

Matt Million

For Inquiries…