Rose Cup win in RC3 for Rick Wright!
No matter what happened, it would be hard to top last year's Rose Cup Races. With AR drivers winning in all three classes and two more on the podium, it was just one of those special years in 2022, especially with Tom claiming the overall win. With our involvement in Trans-Am this season, some of our clients were focused on saving their equipment for the Portland round of that series. But we still had two of our three "Thieves" in attendance for Rose Cup. Kevin Roggenbuck piloted the Audi R8 LMS, the car's first race since the 25 Hours of Thunderhill in December in the RC1 class of the big bore Rose Cup race. We also had Rick Wright pilot our E46 M3 (his former car) in the RC3 class.
Kevin qualified 4th in a big RC1 field, and Rick qualified 1st in RC3. The race didn't go as planned for Kevin, as he had a spin between turns 11 and 12. He had to recycle the car to restart it, and by then, he was a lap down to the leaders. Rick meanwhile had his hands full battling Scotty B White in a Dodge Viper for the first half of the race for the class lead. They were in a gaggle stuck around some GASS stockcars that were slow in the turns and fast down the straights. Rick was able to prevail for the win after 25 laps! Considering he had to pull double duty over the weekend, also piloting his Spec Racer Ford in a different group, he did an excellent job staying focused and consistent in the feature race to get 1st place honors!
We always enjoy having both Kevin and Rick around. Their infectious personalities certainly raise the team's morale, and it was great to see both of those neon and black "camo style" liveries out on track together for the final time before we wrap the M3 in our team colors here shortly.
Our customer Chris Woods also competed in his first-ever race at Rose Cup with his new E36 that we just finished building for him. He was in the RC3 class as well and did a great job hanging with some much faster cars. Eddie helped Chris dial in his suspension settings for the weekend by adjusting the MCS shocks and tire pressure changes that made a big difference, helping him drop nearly a second over his previous personal best. Chris has been attending the Rose Cup races for many years as a fan from the grandstands. He tells us, "It was an achievement just to be out there competing in the race after watching it for so long. I had a blast!"
We love this race based on its emphasis on fun. It brings all the NW's best amateur racers together for a no-points race. And for those that didn't know, Rose Cup is the longest-running amateur race West of the Mississippi. We are passionate about it and look forward to supporting it next year and beyond. Hopefully, we will also be back on the top step of the overall podium at some point in the future!