March 28-29th, 2015 – Waterfall/Area 81 Racing banks multiple series wins at the Buck Muse Memorial

The Waterfall/Area 81 Racing team continued their quest for SARRC and SECS championships this weekend at Carolina Motorsports Park for the SC Region’s SCCA Buck Muse Memorial event. The team exorcised the demons that plagued Car 18 earlier in the month at VIR and entered the weekend with something to prove. Tim pulled off a grand slam by qualifying in Pole Position twice, finishing 1st overall twice, winning 1st place in SECS twice, and posting the fastest time of the event. Richard continued his dominating run in SARRC by qualifying 1st in SARRC, 2nd overall, and his third straight SARRC win of the season. Race 1 featured both Waterfall/Area 81 cars on the front row of the starting grid.

The weekend was not without challenges as Tim’s shifting system malfunctioned and gear shifts were less than optimal. Richard experienced a faulty weld on his oil filter, which leaked oil and pressure. On Sunday, the crew found a blown gasket on the replacement oil filter as he left for the grid, causing him to miss the second race and likely another SARRC win.

Fun Facts – Tim set the track record in F1000 in 2012 at 1:31.339, which has not been broken. Richard qualified less than one second behind Tim in Q1. It was Richard’s first appearance at CMP in the F1000 class.

Tim Pierce, Car 18 – “We really needed the Friday test day to verify that our issues from VIR were resolved. A strong cold front moved in on Friday morning and it looked like the session was going to be a washout. I took a big risk by putting on the rain tires and going out anyway. Fortunately, we got several dry sessions in the afternoon and the car ran very well. It was a huge advantage because it gave me a head start on my competitors by getting acclimated to the track and acquiring setup data. My crew and I worked extremely hard and I’m glad I was able to deliver. Congratulations to Richard on his win as well. It was great having him beside me on the front row.”

Richard Franklin, Car 81 – “ Tim totally dominated the weekend for sure and congrats to him. After his troubles at VIR, he needed the boost. CMP is a technical track and quite a bit rougher than I remember when I ran my Formula Continental there over 4 years ago. I was on track improving every session, and needed one more session to dial in the car. I was fighting front brake lock-up in Turns 1 & 14 which hurt my lap times, and I used up all of the adjustment in the cockpit. We adjusted the car methodically thru Q1, Q2, and Saturday’s race, and it improved immensely. We were ready to race hard Sunday afternoon, but the oil filter gasket blew leaving the garage. Thankfully, it didn’t happen out on track in front of other competitors and there was no harm to the engine. Racing can be cruel at times. I’m really looking forward to going to my favorite track Roebling Road in Savannah next month.

The team continues their 2015 racing schedule in the Jim Stark Memorial Double SARRC/SECS at Roebling Road Raceway on April 25th-26th near Savannah, Georgia. Be sure to stay tuned to www.Area81Racing.com and our Facebook page for updates https://www.facebook.com/pages/Area-81-Racing-Team/173745692673454?fref=ts

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