Novak Tropics Race Team

Happy to announce that while I won't be racing this weekend, I will be helping out on the pace car! Haven't seen this side of the racing operation yet, so excited to give it a go!

Unless some magic happens tonight, I won't be racing this weekend. Unfortunately there was extra damage not uncovered in the two days of teardown I had before heading to New Zealand, that isn't worth trying to put a bandaid on just for the sake of running. If it was just an out of spec toe or a hood delaminated outside of race damage I'd probably have ran, but both together isn't worth it, especially considering I haven't even looked into my persistent engine stumble

Got out of it pretty easy. Other than fiberglass, there's the extent of the damage after a look over on the lift. A-arm, lower/upper ball joint, upper rocker arm and hood pin. Radiator took a hit so I'll probably source a replacement just in case it starts leaking, but for now it's holding. Also have to straighten the cooling tray up front and fabricate new side skirts, but those were both on the to do list anyhow.

Racing isn't always fun. Hardest crash of my life, got caught up in a big one and took flight, thankfully everyone is OK, and the car still drove on the trailer with only a couple damaged parts, outside the fiberglass.

WHRRI 2026 Race 3 Sunday Afternoon Full Race The full race....

Full Sunday afternoon feature race onboard. Finally got my straight line speed figured out, best race I've been in this season, and unfortunately a 0.300 second margin finishing P2, but great momentum moving to next race weekend!

2026 WHRRI/SCCA Joint Sunday Feature Sunday afternoon feature race for the WHRRI/SCCA joint race 2026. ...

First lap of Sunday Morning race, which shows how T3 can also go bad on a start. Opposite end of the crash I had Saturday. Thankfully no real damage, and was able to make up a spot later in the lap. Rest of race was rather forgettable, lots of local cautions, lots of driving by myself, then an early ending.

2026 WHRRI/SCCA Joint Sunday Class Race Everything interesting that happened, happened in this lap. Crash, pass, then driving around by myself under various local yellows until we got picked up an...

First WHRRI 2026 race weekend in the books. Started off with a new paddock spot in the front of the paddock!

Saturday quali was a crapshoot, with a disabled car parked between turns three and four we circulated under double yellow for almost the whole time. They let us effectively have a green-white-checkers to finish the session, with a lot of cars in semi warm tires the results were all jumbled up. Started the Saturday race 2nd, and more or less held pat all race through mayhem and carnage to finish there. There was a black flag all coming to two to go, but mercifully they eventually checkered the race instead of sending us back out on cold tires to do more damage. Unfortunately my front brakes seized on pit road after they released us to impound, and I came in on a tow hook. Saturday night involved changing the master cylinder and rebleeding brakes, but with no obvious culprit I'm still scratching my head.

Sunday we all decided to behave. As is normal on the first race weekend, a number of the new SRF racers broke up the SR field so there wasn't much class action, but some good out of class racing did ensue and I finished the day with a second and a third. Car is on the trailer in one piece with only minor work to go through, so all in all a good weekend!