Best IT Racing at Belle Isle

Here is a new post from Geoff Reeves of Shadow Works. Read the latest on Best IT Racing at Belle Isle on the streets of Detroit, Michigan! Enjoy, and don't forget to check out Shadow Works Clothing for replica crew t-shirts!

We'll be in mid-Ohio next week for the Grand Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge with Skullcandy Team Nissan. Watch for Geoff and driver, Andy Lee, in car 34! Follow us on Facebook for live updates!

BEST IT RACING
World Challenge Series - Belle Isle - Detroit, MI
Saturday, June 1, 2013 (Round 6)

Two weeks ago in Austin, Texas at the Circuit of Americas, Andy Lee placed 2nd place in Round 4 and won 1st in Round 5, while Harry Curtin placed 23rd in Round 4 and 12th in Round 5,  Now the team has converged in Belle Isle to race through the streets of the Motor City, Detroit, MI. Thirty minutes before the 50 minute, 26 lap, sprint race was to begin, the weather soaked the new 13 turn, 2.35 mile course. More than 100,000 square feet of concrete was laid since last year now offering varied grip levels as the cars race on both the old and new track. With the green flag nearing, the rain didn’t last very long and the track dried out in time.

Teammates Andy Lee and Harry Curtin qualified in 6th and 9th place on the grid, ready to repeat the success they had at COTA. From a rolling start, the 24 car field went full throttle. Immediately Nic Jonsson got sideways with a little help and went straight in the wall seconds after the race started. As the race ensued Lawson Aschenbach and Andy Lee fought intensely back and forth for the 5th place. At one point they went 2 wide through 3 consecutive turns edging each other out! It was a great display of driving as the 2 Camaro drivers showed off their abilities.

Driver Harry Curtin

Harry Curtin was right behind this dog fight as he moved up to 8th place. Exiting each apex and powering down the straights he chipped away at the distance to the car in front of him.

25 minutes remained when the race went back to full course caution. Peter Cunningham, who was running 3rd, in his RealTime Acura had residual damage causing his front left wheel to fail and went nose first into a tire wall.

With time winding down, places 3-5 in the GTS series came down to bumper to bumper racing. Lawson Aschenbach, Dean Martin and Andy Lee were attacking and defending each other respectively through the turns and down the straights. Each looking inside and out for room to start a run and make a pass. But as time ran out and the checkered flag waved, the standings held firm. The BestIT Racing Team did great as Andy Lee posted 5th place while Harry Curtin finished 8th.

World Challenge Series - Belle Isle - Detroit, MI
Sunday, June 2, 2013 (Round 7)

Driver Andy Lee

What a day for the Pirelli World Challenge race series. Round 7 took place today on Detroit, Michigan’s Belle Isle street course. Team BestIT is trying to get back on the podium after yesterdays respectable 5th and 8th place finish. Under changing weather conditions the 13 turn, 2.35 mile course was the stage for lots of banging and carnage during the 50 min or 26 lap race.

Team BestIT was sitting great in the beginning with driver Andy Lee on the pole. Teammate Harry Curtin qualified 20th among this tight group of drivers and was ready to reel in his competitors.

Varying the format, this round began from a standing start. As the green flag waved Andy’s reaction time off the line was as fast as it always was to jump out front. Unfortunately, the Black Swan SLS AMG from the GT Class in front of Andy stalled blocking Andy’s run. Barely avoiding a collision, Andy swerved to miss, but found himself in 3rd place. behind drivers Jack Baldwin and  Lawson Aschenbach. Round 7 was an intense session. Drivers fought for every inch and demanded every mile per hour at each track out point and until the last moment at the end of each straight. If ever “rubbing was racing” could be said, today was the first time all season we had seen so many cars rub one another, end up in the tire wall, or take out other cars too. Unfortunately, both BestIT cars became apart of the statistics.

One third into the race, Andy Lee was continuing to battle for first place with Jack Baldwin and Lawson Aschenbach. On the heels of the two, Andy was pressing hard maximizing the momentum of his #20 Camaro. During a left hander his Camaro’s rear end swung a bit too far wide and smacked the cement wall, bounced off which then pushed his front right side into the wall. Andy got the car under control and limped it to a safe place off the racing line and out of the race to his dismay.

Harry Curtin continued to press his way through the field. With 20 minutes before the race clock expired. A full course caution was coming to an end after Tony Gaples had some help putting his Black Dog Camaro into a tire wall. The field got ready to resume racing and everyone was ready for an all out dash until the finish.

The green flag waved and every cars accelerator was floored. The field rounded Turn 1 and a wrecked immediately ensued. Curtin behind it all had no place to go but straight into another car. Trying to prevent serious damage Curtin swerved and isolated the majority of the damage to the front right side of his #29 Camaro. It was not the weekend the team was hoping for after sweeping two 1st place finishes last year. Nonetheless, the team has dealt with adversity before and knows how to persevere, With their OUTSTANDING crew and remarkable drivers, Lime Rock is going to be awesome! BestIT Race Team is coming hungry...


To learn more about Shadow Works, visit their website and follow them on Facebook and Twitter!

Read More

Best IT Racing at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

In April, we joined Shadow Works to follow the BestIT Racing team around at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. It was my first time at this exciting event and working with BestIT! Such a great group of people...professional, focused and a lot of fun! We spent Saturday filming the practice run, then the race on Sunday. 

Geoff Reeves, owner of Shadow Works, is out guest blogger for this one. Who better to write about the weekend than a race car driver.


BEST IT RACING
Pirelli World Challenge Series - Long Beach, CA
Sunday, April 21, 2013

Auto racing can be such an emotional roller coaster. This past weekend didn’t disappoint at the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (LBGP).

For Team BestIT it began 7 days prior to race weekend. Andy Lee and his #20 Crown Seven, Bondurant, BestIT Camaro, was among other drivers participating in LBGP media day. On Lee’s recon lap, before having various media types in his car, he blew his engine heading into Turn 1. After finishing out the day in a Bondurant School Camaro, #20 was packed up and hauled back to home base in Phoenix, AZ. The talented BestIT Racing Crew immediately descended upon the car, swapped motors, tested it, and got the car back in competitive order just before the BestIT Team had to pack up and head to Long Beach for the race.

The BestIT Team

Friday arrived and the first World Challenge practice session commenced. Lee roared through the streets with his new engine, while teammate Harry Curtin, in his #29 BestIT Bondurant Camaro, unfortunately blew his engine during his first lap. Back in the paddock the crew attacked #29‘s engine bay, replacing it with a race ready motor.

After a long evening, the Saturday morning sun peered through the buildings of Long Beach and both BestIT Camaro’s were waiting, ready to be unleashed for the 2nd practice session. Lee laid down the 2nd fastest track time of the field while Curtin, frustratingly, continued to have more engine problems. This time with its hoses. The problem was resolved, but Curtin still hadn’t put down a full lap on the course since he arrived, and the qualifying session was up next.

Car #29 Driver Harry Curtin

Sunday, qualifying and race day. Lee ripped up the street course and posted the fastest time winning the Pole. Curtin, in the middle of a great run, was hit on the left rear quarter panel and spun out by an over aggressive Mustang who tried to pass him on the inside of Turn 1. Fortunately, the majority of the damage was cosmetic and not structural.

The sun panned across the sky, the Grand Prix ended, and it was time for 50 solid, fast paced minutes of World Challenge racing. After a few warm up laps behind the Pace Car, the field regrouped behind the start finish line and started the race from a dead stop. Green waved from the crows nest and both GT and GTS cars unleashed their combined thousands of horsepower from under their hoods. Lee kept first place and even lengthened his lead as the race went on. Curtin battled back and forth with other drivers working his way through the pack.

Car #20 Driver Andy Lee

With over half the race completed, the first full course caution came out. The cars bunched up and swerved back and forth to keep their tire temperatures up. After a few quick laps the pace car pulled off, and the race was back on. The ability for cars to gain ground under yellow proved successful for teams as some were able to gain a position on the restart. On the first full lap back at speed, Lee was aggressive into Turn 8 using all of the track to keep his speed up. As Lee tracked out, his front left side made contact with the retaining wall. Half way down the back stretch, smoke poured from the driver side wheel well. The contact had caused destruction of the front shock, spring and wheel assembly causing Lee to pull the disabled #20 to the side before Turn 10 and not finish.

Curtin continued to drive hard and press the field. With time waning, he stayed his line and worked his way through the field to finish 12th.

It’s been an up and down season thus far for BestIT Racing. Regrouped, the team heads to America’s F1 track, Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX May 17- 19. Hungry and focused, expect to see them on the podium.


To learn more about Shadow Works, visit their website and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

To see more photos taken of the team at LBGP, visit our Facebook page.


We just finished up a video of the team! Check it out on YouTube and leave us a comment!

Read More

Skullcandy Team Nissan at Barber

In early April, we traveled with the team to Birmingham, Alabama for the Grand Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge at Barber Motorsports Park. It was a rainy, cold week with many difficulties.

To give an inside look, Geoff Reeves, owner of Shadow Works and driver of Nissan's car 34, is our special guest.

SKULLCANDY TEAM NISSAN RACING
Grand Am Continental Tire - Birmingham, AL
Sunday, April 6, 2013

The days leading up to race day were less than to be desired. Rainy weather dominated the majority of the week making 4 out of 5 practice sessions at Barber Motorsports Park in the rain, or with standing water on the track. Teams were constantly going back and forth between slick and rain tires depending on what the Doppler showed. Nonetheless, cars still beached themselves in the sand traps or spun off of the track in the grass. Needless to say, rally driving in a road car is not good.

Friday morning’s qualification session came and the uncertainty continued. As the second lap of qualifying got underway, #63 from Mitchum Motorsport lost its brakes in Turn 5 sending the car straight into and up the wall. That brought out the emergency crew which took up the rest of the 15 minute qualification session, giving no one a chance to qualify.

Saturday, race day, arrived and the sunshine was beaming. The starting grid was set based on drivers points. This being Geoff Reeves and Andy Lee’s first race of the season, they found themselves at the back. Considering the history of wrecks during starts on this course, the team didn’t see this as a bad thing, nor was it a good thing. Finally, 3pm rolled around and the Continental Tire Challenge was about to begin.

The fans walked the grid to see the cars and meet the drivers up close. The first round of drivers donned their helmets and settled in their cars as the clocks hands got closer to 4pm. At the appointed hour engines roared to life and the GS cars pulled away following their pace car. Fifteen seconds later, the ST cars pulled away following theirs. As the start of the 3rd lap behind the pace car approached, its lights went dark, pulled into pit lane and the green flag waved violently indicating the start of the race.

Reeves started in car #34. Being his first time competing on the track and with only 10 full practice laps under his belt, the majority of his 65 minutes in the car was spent finding places where he could lose time while battling traffic.

Executing a speedy driver change, Lee got out on track ready to do battle. However, he was called into the pits for a 60 second penalty because of an infraction when Reeves was in the car. GS driver Roger Miller turned into and pitted himself against Reeves in Turn 11, spinning out his GS car. Grand Am called the penalty on Reeves saying it was avoidable. After Lee’s release from the pits, he then got called back for a “drive through” penalty because Grand Am said he did 46 mph in 45 mph pit lane.


With an hour left in the race and Lee making up ground, he radioed across comms saying he couldn’t put the car in gear and pulled the car off the track. Car #34 was out, but not last. After closer inspection the cable from the shift lever to the transmission had snapped, making it inoperable.

After it was all over, Lee and Reeves both stated their disappointment in the weekend. Lee was quoted saying, “That’s racing. Everyone has these weekends, you just try to have as few as possible.” The team will take the lessons learned, go back and plan for their next race at Mid-Ohio on June 15.


To learn more about Shadow Works, visit their website and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

To see more photos taken at Barber, visit the team's Facebook page!

Read More