Infineon Raceway consists of a wonderful combination of challenging corners, elevation changes, and even an intimidating wall and hairpin, to boot. ACR Progress driver, Joseph Duarte, set out on March 21^st to begin his quest for what many enthusiasts seek at one point in their lives: a professional racing license.

To achieve this goal, Joseph will have to work tirelessly in order to progress up the ranks of HPDE-1, 2, 3, and 4. After becoming a seasoned driver and receiving satisfactory remarks and grades from his various instructors, he will finally gain the opportunity to prove that he is a fully competent and prime candidate for a NASA racing license.

Sporting a daily-driven 2005 Honda Civic-Si (or, EP3, as many Honda fans prefer to call it) Joseph Duarte has performed only the most basic modifications that will enable him to acquire useful information in pursuit of a more refined driving technique as well as responsive HPDE car.

With driver skill and car modification on opposite ends of the priority spectrum, ACR Progress intends to focus full energy on driver development. Therefore, car modifications will be limited to simple (yet invaluable) changes--primarily, tires and alignment. Upon graduation to HPDE-4, the team has determined that it would be most pragmatic to retire the EP3 as a HPDE/daily driver and upgrade to a dedicated track car, such as an early '90s Civic or Miata.

Being the first time at Infineon, ACR Progress did not truly know what to expect. However, NASA and Infineon presented a warm and friendly atmosphere for amateurs, as well as exceptional, well-maintained facilities. Joseph's assigned instructor, Dave, was a substantial asset in Joseph's driving education, as Dave was a seasoned Civic (EH) racer himself.

The first session was slow and easygoing, as Dave was extremely adamant that Joseph learned the proper racing line, practiced proper safety etiquette, and became fully aware of the walls that could, needless to say, cause irreversible damage to both car and driver. To Joseph's pleasure, Dave asked Joseph to practice following him in sessions two and three, in order to further bridge the racing line synapses in Joseph's mind. In the fourth and final session, Dave rode shotgun and allowed Joseph to demonstrate what he had learned. Dave praised Joseph's learning curve and etiquette, and indicated his satisfaction with Joseph's first day with superb marks on his driver review sheet. As a rough estimate, Joseph was clocking a steady 2:37:XX at Infineon towards the end of the day. This was a significant difference in pace, from the 3:00:XX that HPDE-1 was averaging during the first session.

And so begins the ACR "Progression" of one of the many steps to be taken. Each step will be conducted prudently and conscientiously, as we aim to earn our rite of passage into the world of professional motorsports.

Nestled in the flat, California inland lies the famed Thunderhill raceway, where many enjoy its exciting array of high-speed corners and straights, especially the challenging corner #5, where men are separated from boys. Here, Opak Racing-Spoon Sports US approached its second race in the Western Enduro Racing Challenge 5-race series...

After experiencing a stream of hard luck at our previous race at Buttonwillow, Team Opak-Spoon was armed with the surefire intent of winning and giving it our all. Edmun, Gaby, Veronica, Mark, Jeff, and the crew worked tirelessly to properly make adjustments to the vehicle and ensure that everything would be OK.

The CL7 being tuned

The crew kickin' back at lunchtime

On Friday, after running the car through a few test laps and making dampening adjustments, Jeff and Mark were kind enough to allow Joseph and I to ride along as Jeff blazed around the track a couple times. Needless to say, it was a mind-blowing experience! From the sheer acceleration of the Spoon-tuned K20 engine, to it's blaring, F1-like exhaust note, to the ever-increasing lateral G's it hungered for, the Spoon CL7 is truly a well-balanced racing machine. Of course, it would be nothing without the world-renowned test driver and coach, Jeff Lepper! Thank you, sir!

Come race time, Gaby and Veronica were ready to rock, with Veronica manning the cockpit first. She assured us that she was ready to race hard, and had lots of great coaching from Jeff as well as advice from others. When we started the race, everything seemed to be fine, but about 50 minutes into the 3-hour enduro, we noticed sudden inconsistencies and a great increase with her lap times. "I'm feeling dizzy," Veronica reported over the radio.  Immediately, Mark and  Samar addressed her concerns and instructed her to pit as soon as possible. Zombie-eyed and pale, I instantly knew that Veronica had been silently suffering in the cockpit, as the hot racecar acted like a furnace, draining her of all necessary fluids. Looking as if she had just been forced to endure the core of a blazing inferno, the medical team quickly escorted her out of the vehicle and into the pit area, under the forgiving shade of our tent. Veronica, eventually driven to the local clinic, had her spirits revived after she received the necessary hydration to replenish her fatigued body. It was a moment of intense worry and concern for the health of our young Peruvian driver, but we all rejoiced and were thankful for her instantaneous recovery. That scene alone exemplified to me the sheer importance of adequate hydration and physical conditioning for any racecar driver.

Let's roll!

Following this episode, Gaby suited up early to take the wheel and drive the CL7 back on track. Returning to a good pace, Gaby laid down excellent lap times and raced the CL7 an entire 2 hours without giving up. Gaby's unrelenting determination to race beyond her allotted 1 hour and 30 minutes and help her fellow driver proved to us that our drivers are priceless, and nothing short of admirable. Good work, Gaby! Good work, Veronica!

Victory!!

At the end of the day, Gaby, Veronica, and Team Spoon succeeded in pushing the Accord Euro-R to a very respectable 2nd place finish in E0! Excellent work, team.

There, the president of the US headquarters, Edmun, gave us a peek into the paddock where they kept the Fit, and Integra Type-R (unfortunately, the Type-R had some wreckage, so it's currently without a motor; also, there is talk about possibly an engine swap for the Fit?!). Down below at the track, Spoon/Opak had the new Civic Type-R and Accord Euro-R ready to run, however, they were only using the Euro-R, due to rainy weather.

The Civic Type-R looking pretty

Accord Euro-R - The flagship enduro car

Other than the cars, we were able to meet the new drivers for Spoon USA, Gaby dela Merced from the Philippines, and Veronica Peyon from Peru. Both girls are highly talented race car drivers, having several podiums and top finishes in road racing and even F3 in their respective countries. Being able to meet and speak to them was of course a great honor. Although they are considered celebrities in their home countries, Gaby and Veronica are down-to-earth and very modest, easygoing people. Anybody would love hanging out with them!

Gaby & Veronica relaxing before the race

A month down the road, we were again invited to come down to Buttonwillow Raceway in Southern California, to hang out and help out Spoon/Opak for Gaby and Veronica's first race. The girls are currently competing with the Euro-R in NASA's Western Endurance Racing Challenge (WERC), a 5-event series, which will conclude with the infamous 25 Hrs of Thunderhill Enduro. At Buttonwillow, we were hustled in as crewmen and aided the team whenever they needed something done. "Stepping stones" is the proper expression to describe our work there, as I started out washing and detailing the car, to now helping uninstall/install the Euro-R's coilover suspension, as well as various other tasks at the shop (which is currently still under construction, and at an undisclosed location!)

Making final preparations

The powerplant

Ready to roll!

The first race of the season was a mindblowing experience, not only because we were able to help out with a great race team, but because so much went wrong! A dead battery prevented us from starting at the green flag, electrical problems caused power steering problems for the driver, and an unexpected corded tire called for an emergency tire change. To top it off, we were nudged off the track 5 minutes before the end of the 3-hour enduro, and electrical problems prevented the car from starting. We did a lot, we learned a lot, and most importantly, we've progressed as we help out and attend more and more races.

On grid

Mental prep

Almost time...

This coming Saturday we will be attending WESC Round 2, at Thunderhill Raceway. We hope the girls can race hard and the Euro-R will survive another 4 hours of hell! In addition, I am looking forward to putting the Fit through HPDE-1, so I will hopefully have some pictures and GoPro vid to share with you guys.

Being WyoTech's first annual car show, some of us were unsure of what to expect. Some shows are good, others not so much... However, WyoTech did an undeniably good job pulling this one off.

Even though we were placed in the boonies at first (although I did see one avid 240 fan snapping shots of Christian & Nick's cars!) and didn't get much exposure, we made the right move when we  scouted for a new location near the enormous Scion crowd, who came out strong with various mind-blowing xBs and tCs. Being the only imports there, it was a tad intimidating at first. However, everybody there seemed totally laid back and not hillbilly import-haters. Some even snagged a couple of the ACR business cards that we had on display on our windshields!

With clean classic muscle cars, and creative customs, it was definitely a great professional event with delicious free food. After enjoying some good cooking, we all chilled out, rode the awesome ACR pocket bike, slept, snapped some awkward pictures (see below), and choked on the disgusting new Monster drink being handed out.

ACR didn't take any trophies this time, but I think we all had fun. (Especially after, for those who decided to stick around!)

First up, in Run Group #3, was Jommel in his gutted Civic EG hatchback. He put down some pretty respectable times, while greatly decreasing his time each run. I had the grand opportunity to ride in his car during a fun run, and am pleased to say that it felt quite impressive with the weight reduction and rear sway bar. Great job bro, and we can't wait to see how our hatch runs with the T1R setup you have planned for the future!

Christian and I then gridded up in Run Group #4 with his race ready 240SX and my "Odyssey" (as Jommel so dubbed it!) Christian got me pretty nervous since his times were only a few tenths of a second off mine! Although he wasn't pushing it too hard, (I'm a little scared after he told me that!) his car kicked some serious ass. I wish he would have been able to do some fun runs, because I'm positive he could have dipped into the 59s if he wanted to. (A few wiring problems prevented this)  :(

Lastly, Joseph surprised us the most! While he put down some EXCELLENT times during Run Group #6, besting at a 65.408, he blew everybody out of the water when he threw down a 63.300 during fun runs. Let's remember that his Miata is completely stock, and riding on Fuzion HRi tires! Damn, son!  ;D I have to note that it was fun to watch him stomp on the modified Mustangs and Camaros in his run group.

After everbody's run, we all headed to Jommel's place, shot some pool, played some ping pong, and pigged out on some great food. Thanks man! Highlights of the night included Joseph's failed bunny hop on the bicycle, and Christian's amazing wheelie. (Really wish we caught that on video)  :D

ACR gettin' ready

First one up!

Lil' topheavy!

240SX power!

The after party!

The alarm goes off.

My clock reads 4:30. My eyes struggle to  open as I am still dazed as to why I am waking up so early on a Sunday morning.

I glance around; there is a helmet, a tire pressure gauge, and my pair of cheap driving shoes waiting to be slipped on. Next to me, my car keys patiently wait for me to grab them and go.

What is this all for? But of course, nothing else but an autocross.

After throwing everything in the car and driving off to meet up with the rest of the crew at Great Mall, Mike, Jeff, Joseph, and I embarked on the long journey to Marina.

Being the first UFO event that I've been to, I was pleased to find that they were more lenient than another club I've frequented in the past, and that there was a wide variety of cars that showed up! From Mustangs, to minitrucks, to Civics, to stock 240SXs, to fully prepped Evos, it was a very enjoyable event to watch as well as participate in.

While Mike threw down some excellent low 58s with his R-comp ES Miata, Joseph also put down some VERY respectable numbers running on his craptacular Fuzion HRi tires! In addition, Jeff surpassed some obstacles and tore up the circuit, achieving a personal best in the low 57s! Congrats to all of you! To my surprise, the Fit handled quite respectably and I am pleased to have regained much confidence in it's abilities.

UFO put on an excellent event, and I was especially pleased with the friendliness of the people that attended. It was a very positive and fun environment, and we hope that everybody can join us next time we head out!

After weeks of planning, ACR's Midnight Run was finally set in stone.

With no prior experience of hosting such an event and only hopeful speculation for a nice turnout, ACR was extremely fortunate to have the pleasure of having many clean rides show at the Evergreen Valley meet spot as the Saturday sun disappeared under the horizon.

After a brilliant photoshoot opportunity, (thanks Roddy & Joe for the pictures!) and a strange suspicious van eyeing several clean JDM rides, the lineup took off to In-N-Out to grab some juicy burgers and fresh drinks. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to catch up much on what was going on before this point (because of prior engagements), and much of the people that had originally met up for the photoshoot had left! However, I was happy to meet some members of Team ASTIG, such as Hung (the driver of a stunning EF sedan) and some of his comrades (one with an S13 that looked like it was right off the showroom floor!)

After everybody parted and went their ways (it seems that many were ill-informed and unaware of the fact that there was an actual run planned for that night!) we had two remaining guys left that hung out with us the rest of the night. Those two were Christian (rocking a 240SX) and Chris, who sported a classic black late-80s turbo Supra.

Refusing to allow the night to fall into the torturous hands of monotony, we decided to ditch the idea of running the original route and went with a much more local road that would prove to be more fun and intoxicating than we could have ever imagined. Beginning as an unsuspectingly ordinary multi-lane residential road, San Felipe turns into a carving, sweeping two-lane route that allows the driver to escape the busy surburbia and enter the privacy of the last bit of hidden countryside in Evergreen. Using the long straightaway next to an abandoned farmhouse shack as our "rest area," we made runs back and forth between this point and the dead end that San Felipe eventually leads to. Virtually void of traffic and law enforcement, it was a perfect place for us to enjoy our vehicles with rest assurance that we wouldn't be disturbing others. Minutes soon turned into hours, and lengthy conversation kept us intrigued over the walkie-talkies as well as between runs. Extant's horrible 180 degree turn, our understeering Hondas, Christian's drift-happy 240SX, and the Wangan Midnight-style black Supra kept things interesting as we blazed down the twisty pavement illuminated subtly by the night sky.

Although we didn't have as many people to stick around and run the route as we had hoped, the Midnight Run turned out to be an undeniable success, as people either left with great pictures, full stomachs, or the satisfaction of a most pleasurable drive.

Thanks to everybody who came out, including everybody from Team ASTIG, Roddy, Christian & Chris and everybody else who I may be forgetting to mention!

Roads that contain lots and lots of history behind them always seem to be the ones that are most fun to drive. Because, not only does the driver have the chance to pilot their machine to his/her comfortable limits, but they get to see incredible sights, people, and doses of history otherwise unknown to him/her. We found that exhilaration on Hwy 25, but now we were able to experience it a little closer to home and have the pleasure for two great guys, Mike and Jeff, to join us, as well.

Although there was a numerous amount of vehicles slowing down traffic on 92, once we hit Skyline it was free sailing. Sportbikes, Harley riders and muscle cars blazed through the twisty highway as the lineup kept up. Towering California redwood trees and plenty of greenery populated the landscape and also kept the bright sun out of our eyes. With light-moderate traffic, great scenery, and awesome cars & bikes, Skyline was really an enjoyable run for everybody.

Perhaps the best part of the drive was being able to, surprisingly, get parking and a table for seven at the famous Alice's Restaurant! Serving up classic American food, Alice's truly satisfies the stomach. While some of us savored juicy hamburgers and others got a dose of garlic fries, Alice's amazing food and extremely friendly and hospitable atmosphere will definitely have us coming back for more.

Afterwards, we rolled out and drove the next stretch of Skyline, then junctioned to Hwy 1 through Alpine Rd. and Hwy 84. Though it was a little nerve-wrecking at times, Alpine's narrow, uneven, bumpy and sometimes one-way road conversion was a blast. It honestly felt like we were in a jacked-up episode of Initial D! The 84 was much more accommodating however, for it had wide lanes, well-paved surfaces and plenty of room for drivers to and fro.

Our last stop was at a beautiful state beach off Hwy 1. Besides the unforeseen parking fee, we enjoyed ourselves as we took some great group photos, shared stories, and hung out.

Thanks to everybody who came out and made this happen! When the weather gets better, we should definitely run something like this again!