Speed News Vol. 1 Issue 7 August : Page 73
> > Charlie Hayes SPEC MIATA AND SPEC E30 > > Omar Lopez GTS4 This will be the third year that Omar Lopez has entered the NASA Nationals, but the first time he will actually compete. Work in 2010 and a mechanical failure last year kept him from attending, but he has no intention of letting that happen again and has his sights set on the GTS4 Championship with his Porsche 996 GT3. “I have been very focused this year on developing the chassis of the car while continuing to grow my own race craft,” he says. “In doing so, I have seen impressive improvement in my lap times and smart traffic management that will pay dividends in the larger national classes. Despite the lack of competition in the Mid-Atlantic Region this year, I have maintained my motivation by racing the clock.” He has set new records at VIRginia International Raceway and Summit Point. Born in Madrid, Spain, Lopez has been an athlete all his life and grew up with a father who raced a 911 before the family moved to the U.S. He spent his time watching racing on TV and at the local dirt track before starting autocrossing, doing track-driving events and eventually racing beginning in 2009. Now he’s looking to impress in his first Nationals. “Studying the competition in other regions has given me insights on the benchmarks I need to shoot for,” he says. “This has provided me with a great deal of confidence that I can demonstrate a very strong performance and come out on top.” BRETT BECKER Charlie Hayes says his main goal this year is to make it to the Mazda Shootout. Based on his results so far and his impressive surge through the Spec Miata field at last year’s Nationals, he has a pretty good shot. The 21-year-old driver from NorCal is in only his second year of racing, having started at the beginning of 2011. His debut at the 2011 Nationals was less than stellar, but not without its highlights. “I was struggling with just about everything in the dry and full wet. We got lucky with some mixed conditions in the main and I drove from 25th to fourth in seven laps. I spun and was taken out early,” he says. After Hayes started racing, he landed a job with Tim Barber at TFB Performance, who already was helping him with his chassis setup. Barber has a fleet of Spec E30s, so it only makes sense that Hayes adds that class to his repertoire for 2012, with an eye on coming to Mid-Ohio very prepared with both cars. “I feel like it’s anyone’s shot because with racing anything can happen,” he says of his chances in September at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. “I will do all I can to have the best I can provide with my budget.” 73
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