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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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 July Update: NASA Utah 6 Hour Preview