Area 81 Racing driver Richard Franklin was the fastest car on track at this year's SCR Summer Vacation Challenge PDX/Time Trials at Roebling Road, Bloomingdale GA. This was a Cool Shirt Southeast Div. SCCA Time Trial Event sponsored by The Southern Driver.com. On Saturday, Richard helped instruct the PDX (Performance Driving Experience), which allows street cars to take to the track. As expected for July, the conditions were extremely hot & the lap times were limited by relatively worn tires. After changing tires Sunday morning, the weather proved cool enough to get into the mid 1:13's. During the last session of the event, low 1:13 sec lap times were a result.

Podium positions all around for Area 81 Racing!

Saturday, SARRC/MARRS 1 - Tim Pierce did a great job by qualifying 2nd in FC Class.  Richard struggled with a soft brake pedal to qualify 3rd.  The race was eventful for Richard as he made a pass for the lead in Turn 1.  Tim and Richard battled wheel-to-wheel around the 3.27mile VIR circuit.  Richard later experienced the same brake troubles, causing an off-track excursion in Turn 1, dropping him back to 3rd position.  Finishing order Tim 2nd, Richard 3rd.
 
Sunday, SARRC/MARRS 2 - Richard qualified on Pole Position for the Formula Continental Class thanks to new Hawk brake pads and new Hoosier tires.  In the race, Richard lead for 5 laps, but a hard charging 2002 Van Diemen driver got the best of him in the roller coaster turn 14.  Lapped traffic held up both Tim & Richard in the remaining laps of the race.  Finishing order Richard Franklin 2nd, Tim Pierce 3rd.
 
Overall, a highly successful weekend, considering both Area 81 Racing drivers logged their best lap times ever on VIR's Full Course.  Lap times were within 2-3 seconds of the VIR track record (CFC class).

Both Area 81 Racing teammates qualified very well on a wet track for both SARRC races over the weekend. SARRC 1 was held under dry conditions and Tim Pierce finished 4th and Richard finished 5th. SARRC 2 - Richard started on the front row after qualifying 2nd in damp conditions. Intermittent rain all day made the decision to run slicks or wets a tough one, but by the race, again the track was dry. The cars were changed to slicks and Richard held off most of the fierce competition to finish on the podium in 3rd place. Tim was still able to finish in a respectable 5th position, even after encountering ignition troubles. Overall a great weekend and solid championship points were earned by the team.

March 7th 2010 – Virginia International Raceway - Area 81 Racing wins March Memories SARRC. Area 81 Racing team drivers Tim Pierce and Richard Franklin placed 1st & 2nd respectively at Virginia International Raceway, continuing the momentum from the first race of the 2010 season. Pole winner Tim Pierce and teammate Richard Franklin dominated the front row of the grid and the top of the podium after trading positions twice during the race. This was Tim’s first official win in SCCA/SARRC Club Racing.

Check out the in-car video of the VIR race from the perspective of Car # 81