THE CROSSFLOW CUP CHRONICLE

Official Newsletter | Corkscrew Challenge Race Report



An Important Message from the Officials

Safety, Accountability, and the Road Ahead

By now, most of you have probably heard that not everything went as planned at Laguna Seca with CSRG. We had four separate incidents involving eight cars that were unfortunately unable to complete the weekend.

Because of this, our group as a whole is currently on probation, and the drivers involved in the contact are under investigation by CSRG. Potential penalties will be ruled on at the July CSRG Board meeting.

Our Commitment: The Crossflow Cup remains completely dedicated to providing a safe racing environment for Formula and Club Fords and drivers of all skill levels. We fully support and back the CSRG Board in their decisions, and we look forward to racing again with a renewed commitment to clean, safe competition.

Heat, Fog, and Fine Tuning: Friday & Saturday Morning

The weekend wasn’t all bad news! After Thursday’s load-in on what must have been the hottest day of the year at Laguna Seca, Friday’s practice kicked off beautifully. Out of 38 entries for the weekend, 28 took advantage of the Friday session. By the end of the day, all 28 were running at least as well as—if not better than—when they rolled off the trailer.

Saturday morning qualifying was delayed by a full hour due to heavy fog. The sun fully broke through just as we finally took to the track, welcoming us back to unseasonably nice Monterey weather.

  • Pole Position: Adam White took pole yet again with a blistering 1:35.7.

  • Historic Formula Ford: James Hakewill secured the second spot in the same Titan that Adam won last year’s championship in.

  • Crossflow Cup: Tim Moser, driving a rent-to-own Crossle, put on an impressive show as the second-fastest Club Ford, followed closely by Todd Willing (who was also pulling double duty competing in Ethan’s A2V championship).

  • Historic Fords Contingent: John Plavan clocked in next, followed by Denny Renfrow.

Infraction Note: Unfortunately, during the final laps of qualifying, Denny Renfrow made contact with Neil Porter as Neil was attempting to exit the track between Turns 9 and 10. Neither car was able to make the race grid, and the incident is currently under investigation.


Saturday Race Results: Wise Eyes & Hard Chargers

Saturday’s race got off to a perfectly clean start. For the first time in years, we had a start judge in the box—our very own Dan Wise. Fortunately, we didn’t need him to make any tough calls; all cars were lined up tight and got away clean!

Saturday Podium & Awards

The Main Event: The Crossflow Raffle!

As always, the Saturday raffle is the major highlight. A huge thank you to our generous sponsors! Here are the weekend's lucky winners:

  • Panasport T-Shirts: Eric Ingrott & Gregg Hoff

  • Porter Racing T-Shirts: Oliver Abate & Robert Kozinski

  • Scott Young Enterprises Certificate: Steve Jeffords

  • Dezzani Digital Art: Roger Karnopp

  • HyTech Exhaust Certificate: Thomas Blackmon

  • Brake Pads: Adam White & Ian Sweeney

  • Ivey Engine Certificate: Ed Abate Jr.

  • Panasport Wheel Certificate: Tim Moser

  • Hoosier Racing Tire: Skip Streets

  • Nova/Avon Tires: Augustine Valero

🎁 The CSRG President's Surprise!

When we reached the free entry drawing, CSRG President Ed Lauber made a thrilling audible. Instead of the usual single free entry, he offered the group a choice: one free entry for Sonoma OR two free entries for Thunderhill.

The crowd overwhelmingly voted for the Thunderhill package! The two drivers racing for free at Thunderhill will be Ed Van Tassel and John Plavan!

Sunday Qualifying: A Format Mix-Up

Sunday morning’s fog was lighter, allowing qualifying to start on time—though not without a hitch.

As a reminder, the Crossflow Cup runs a slightly different format from other CSRG groups. We do not use Friday afternoon as a bonus qualifying. Instead, we grid Saturday morning based on championship standings, and Sunday morning based on Saturday’s race results.

Unfortunately, word didn't quite get to the grid marshals that our Sunday morning session was a pure qualifying session, not a qualifying race. We were accidentally sent out behind a splitter and a pace car. It wasn't ideal, but we adjusted, using best lap times to set the grid for the main event:

  • Front Row: Adam White (Pole) & James Hakewill

  • Club Ford Row 2: Kelly Heil & Skip Streets

  • Historic Ford: John Plavan & Greg Hoff

Infraction Note: On one of the final qualifying laps, Malon Brown spun in Turn 9 and Gregg Hoff ran into him. Both cars suffered damage and neither was able to make the main race. The incident is currently under investigation by CSRG.

Sunday Main Event: A Wild Dash to the Finish

The Sunday main event started fast and clean. James Hakewill surged ahead into Turn 2, holding the lead for the opening laps. Behind him, Tony Delane went off in Turn 6 on lap one, "dirt tracking" his way up the hill to the Corkscrew and setting off on a fierce mission to regain his lost positions.

By lap three, Adam White caught up to James and made a brilliant pass going into the Corkscrew.

Double Trouble & The Red Flag

Right as Adam was making his pass, track incidents multiplied:

  • Tony Delane and Levi Zeidlhack came together between Turns 3 and 4, ending up in the outside tire barriers.

  • On the very same lap, Edd Ozzard went wide in Turn 5. He stayed on the pavement but off the racing line. As he re-entered the track, Steve Gomas was making a move, and Edd came back on just in front of him. The two made contact on the inside of Turn 5.

This brought out the pace car and the "New Red Flag," bringing the entire field into the hot pits.

The Sprint Finish

Once the track was cleared, we were sent back out behind a very fast pace car for what we anticipated would be a single racing lap. The pace car was moving, the restart was even faster, the field spread out, and we actually got two full racing laps to finish off the weekend!

Sunday Podium & Awards

Final Thoughts

We had our share of incidents this weekend. All incidents and those involved will be addressed by the CSRG board in July. We will navigate our group probation together. We will take this experience in stride, learn from it, and actively aim to be better and safer as a community moving forward.

Have a fantastic summer, stay safe, and we hope to see you all at Sonoma over Labor Day weekend with the SCCA for our big series finale!

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