BUTTONWILLOW, CA –It’s what you call a heat wave. Temperatures soared to 106 degrees Fahrenheit on Saturday September 2nd when Mason took to the track in his Auto Diagnostic Services Team LMR Formula Mazda to not only gain points in the championship, but also to shake down the car in a last race event before the SCCA National Championship Runoffs.
Mason started from pole position in class and second overall behind a faster Formula Atlantic car. As it turned out, Mason hounded that Atlantic for much of the race being quicker in the corners yet losing out to the Atlantic’s superior horsepower on the straights. About half way through the race, Mason looked at his water temperature gauge and since he had a big lead over second in class, decided to back off a bit to cool the engine down. The overall leader and Mason encountered some traffic and a car that went off course in front of them that brought Mason back on the gearbox of the Atlantic. Mason put in a couple of hard laps but when the temps shot up again he backed off and finished where he started – first in class and second overall. This win vaulted Mason from second to first in the SCCA Southern Pacific Divisional championship points lead.
Although temperatures peaked at 111 degrees, Mason felt fine the whole time. He thanked newest sponsor LA Tri Club on the podium as all his triathlon training really paid off in the heat. His Polar heart rate monitor showed an average of just 77 percent of his maximum heart rate and peaked at only 87 percent during the race.
“The good news is that our data system is working how we want it to with some extra channels to view and everything else ran as expected. I’d like to especially thank Bryce Rubie for coming out and joining our team as a crew member for this event, along with Fred MacIntosh and Sonia. This event also tested out our trailer since we had installed new axles, brakes, tires and electrical system including all brand new LED lights before the event.”
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| Mason thrived in the heat to enjoy the win. |
 Photo by Sonia Mason |
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