PR - Subaru WRX Wins USTCC Seasone Finale - Subaru Enthusiasts Car Club of the Sierras

GarySheehan · 2003-12-03, 10:05 AM

Sheehan Motor Racing Wins USTCC Finale at Infineon Raceway

Martinez, CA: Gary Sheehan drove the Subaru of America/Cobb/Stoptech/DMS WRX to a dominating win at the 2003 USTCC season finale, ahead of Tom Lepper’s 2nd place Honda Accord and Ali Arsham’s 3rd place Honda Civic.

The coldest race weekend of the year began clear and windy. By the end of the first qualifying session on Saturday the provisional pole was held by Lepper’s Accord with a laptime of 1:51.8. Sheehan’s Subaru WRX was 0.4 seconds behind in the number two position. The teamSMR crew was looking forward to second qualifying on Sunday because the car was responding very well to new suspension tuning. The team was confident the lap times would drop as the weekend continued.

Sunday was again cold, but calm and sunny. Additional alignment and shock adjustments were made prior to qualifying in an effort to beat Lepper’s Accord in qualifying. The changes worked extremely well and Sheehan set his all time fastest lap at Sears Point. Sheehan claimed the pole with a 1:50.646 lap time, a full second faster than the Accord of Lepper. USTCC rules required the pole winning Subaru WRX carry an additional 25 pounds of REWARDS weight during the race.

The final race of the season began with a false start, causing the field to lap the track and regrid for the standing start. The next green flag was a keeper and the All Wheel Drive of Sheehan’s WRX launched him into an early lead. Within the first few laps the WRX stretched the lead out to 2.5 seconds before the Accord rallied and took some of that time back. The Accord could not maintain the pace of the Subaru and began to drop back. The rest of the race was uneventful and Sheehan claimed the flag to flag win.

“The car was just awesome this weekend!” Sheehan said after the race. “This is the best the car has handled all year and we owe a lot to the DMS shocks and the assistance that DMS North America has provided to get our car sorted out. The balance was near perfect in the corners and the car just planted in the braking zones. I think if we had these shocks on the car from the start of the season, we would have taken the championship home this year.”

Claiming maximum points for the weekend wasn’t enough to allow the Subaru WRX to capture the championship and the team finished the season with 690 points, just 8 points shy of the number one spot. The team grabbed 2 pole positions, three race wins, three 2nd place finishes and one 3rd place finish, finishing every race on the podium. These results are made even more impressive considering the Subaru WRX was 400 pounds heavier than its nearest competitor and the most limited with restrictor plates and other power reducing rules as mandated by the USTCC in 2003.

Sheehan Motor Racing would like to thank the following business partners for making the 2003 season such a success; Subaru of America for providing their support for a third consecutive year, Cobb Tuning for providing outstanding power delivery and engine reliability, Stoptech Brakes for the best braking performance in the USTCC and their constant pursuit of braking excellence, DMS North America for their combination of suspension tuning knowledge and amazing 50mm strut technology, Hotchkis Tuning for their race proven suspension products that allow a huge amount of adjustability, Rev-Lab for making the car easier to drive with their rugged steering products and SPI Motorsports with C-West for the aerodynamic solutions that kept the racecar on the track.

MikeSTI · 2003-12-03, 11:11 AM

You the man Gary

hey want to take a year off and let me drive

you know now that the car is dialed in and all anyone should be able to win

j/k

ArthurS · 2003-12-03, 11:14 AM

Congrats! Way to make us proud.

sperry · 2003-12-03, 11:15 AM

Considering the power reduction and weight penalties, mad props to Gary! All podium finishes!! :shock: That rules!

So Gary, gonna give the championship another run next year? How about going N/A and running a 2.5RS in the SpeedTC World Challenge?

I'd bet a 2.5RS tuned out for WC would make just about as much power as your restricted WRX!

MattR · 2003-12-03, 11:15 AM

Yeah Congrats Gary,
That's a good bit of momentum to carry into next season..

sperry · 2003-12-03, 11:21 AM

Damn that's a sweet picture... I need a bigger version for my desktop!

ArthurS · 2003-12-03, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sperry

Damn that's a sweet picture... I need a bigger version for my desktop!

I agree with Scott. Got a high-res image Gary?

dknv · 2003-12-03, 12:59 PM

Congrats Gary! Awesome driving, I wish I had been at Sears Point to have seen it!

What are you going to do in the off-season?

GarySheehan · 2003-12-04, 11:13 AM

Hey everyone,

Plans are still being figured out for 2004. In the offseason I'll be working with our partners to decide where we will end up next year.

As requested, hear are some wallpaper sized images for you guys. They were taken by Head-On Photos. They are in 1024x768 format. Enjoy!!!

http://www.teamsmr.com/images/2003Se...ss1024x768.jpg

http://www.teamsmr.com/images/2003Se...0S1024x768.jpg

http://www.teamsmr.com/images/2003Se...n21024x768.jpg

Gary
Sheehan Motor Racing
www.teamSMR.com

sperry · 2003-12-04, 11:31 AM

Awesome, thanks Gary!

ArthurS · 2003-12-04, 11:56 AM

Awsome Pics!

GarySheehan · 2003-12-04, 05:45 PM

Had to add one with the SECCS logo!

http://www.teamsmr.com/images/2003Se...n71024x768.jpg

Gary
Sheehan Motor Racing
www.teamSMR.com

sperry · 2003-12-04, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GarySheehan

Had to add one with the SECCS logo!

YES!

MattR · 2003-12-04, 10:05 PM

Very Cool, I love seeing that, thanks Gary!

2003-12-03, 10:05 AM	#1
GarySheehan EJ22 Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 172 Never let the driver work on the car...	PR - Subaru WRX Wins USTCC Seasone Finale Sheehan Motor Racing Wins USTCC Finale at Infineon Raceway Martinez, CA: Gary Sheehan drove the Subaru of America/Cobb/Stoptech/DMS WRX to a dominating win at the 2003 USTCC season finale, ahead of Tom Lepper’s 2nd place Honda Accord and Ali Arsham’s 3rd place Honda Civic. The coldest race weekend of the year began clear and windy. By the end of the first qualifying session on Saturday the provisional pole was held by Lepper’s Accord with a laptime of 1:51.8. Sheehan’s Subaru WRX was 0.4 seconds behind in the number two position. The teamSMR crew was looking forward to second qualifying on Sunday because the car was responding very well to new suspension tuning. The team was confident the lap times would drop as the weekend continued. Sunday was again cold, but calm and sunny. Additional alignment and shock adjustments were made prior to qualifying in an effort to beat Lepper’s Accord in qualifying. The changes worked extremely well and Sheehan set his all time fastest lap at Sears Point. Sheehan claimed the pole with a 1:50.646 lap time, a full second faster than the Accord of Lepper. USTCC rules required the pole winning Subaru WRX carry an additional 25 pounds of REWARDS weight during the race. The final race of the season began with a false start, causing the field to lap the track and regrid for the standing start. The next green flag was a keeper and the All Wheel Drive of Sheehan’s WRX launched him into an early lead. Within the first few laps the WRX stretched the lead out to 2.5 seconds before the Accord rallied and took some of that time back. The Accord could not maintain the pace of the Subaru and began to drop back. The rest of the race was uneventful and Sheehan claimed the flag to flag win. “The car was just awesome this weekend!” Sheehan said after the race. “This is the best the car has handled all year and we owe a lot to the DMS shocks and the assistance that DMS North America has provided to get our car sorted out. The balance was near perfect in the corners and the car just planted in the braking zones. I think if we had these shocks on the car from the start of the season, we would have taken the championship home this year.” Claiming maximum points for the weekend wasn’t enough to allow the Subaru WRX to capture the championship and the team finished the season with 690 points, just 8 points shy of the number one spot. The team grabbed 2 pole positions, three race wins, three 2nd place finishes and one 3rd place finish, finishing every race on the podium. These results are made even more impressive considering the Subaru WRX was 400 pounds heavier than its nearest competitor and the most limited with restrictor plates and other power reducing rules as mandated by the USTCC in 2003. Sheehan Motor Racing would like to thank the following business partners for making the 2003 season such a success; Subaru of America for providing their support for a third consecutive year, Cobb Tuning for providing outstanding power delivery and engine reliability, Stoptech Brakes for the best braking performance in the USTCC and their constant pursuit of braking excellence, DMS North America for their combination of suspension tuning knowledge and amazing 50mm strut technology, Hotchkis Tuning for their race proven suspension products that allow a huge amount of adjustability, Rev-Lab for making the car easier to drive with their rugged steering products and SPI Motorsports with C-West for the aerodynamic solutions that kept the racecar on the track.

2003-12-03, 11:11 AM	#2
MikeSTI EJ205 Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 2,354 Car: 2004 STi Class: TSM I can't complain	You the man Gary hey want to take a year off and let me drive you know now that the car is dialed in and all anyone should be able to win j/k __________________ Cobb Stage 2

2003-12-03, 11:14 AM	#3
ArthurS EJ207 Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 3,707 Car: 2011 Chevy Battle Wagon	Congrats! Way to make us proud. __________________ Captain Murphy: I dub thee Sir Phobos, Knight of Mars, beater of ass. Be a hitter, babe.

2003-12-03, 11:15 AM	#4
sperry The Doink Real Name: Scott Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 20,335 Car: '09 OBXT, '02 WRX, '96 Miata Class: PDX/TT-6 The way out is through	Considering the power reduction and weight penalties, mad props to Gary! All podium finishes!! :shock: That rules! So Gary, gonna give the championship another run next year? How about going N/A and running a 2.5RS in the SpeedTC World Challenge? I'd bet a 2.5RS tuned out for WC would make just about as much power as your restricted WRX! __________________ Is you is, or is you ain't, my con-stit-u-ints?

2003-12-03, 11:15 AM	#5
MattR El Matador Real Name: Matt Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 10,660 Car: 2012 Toyota Tacoma Class: ?	Yeah Congrats Gary, That's a good bit of momentum to carry into next season.. __________________ "Dallas..We have a problem.”

2003-12-03, 11:21 AM	#6
sperry The Doink Real Name: Scott Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 20,335 Car: '09 OBXT, '02 WRX, '96 Miata Class: PDX/TT-6 The way out is through	Damn that's a sweet picture... I need a bigger version for my desktop! __________________ Is you is, or is you ain't, my con-stit-u-ints?

2003-12-03, 12:59 PM	#8
dknv EJ207 Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: 39n53, 119w90 Posts: 2,698 Car: RX-8 Class: CS maybe	Congrats Gary! Awesome driving, I wish I had been at Sears Point to have seen it! What are you going to do in the off-season?

2003-12-04, 11:13 AM	#9
GarySheehan EJ22 Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 172 Never let the driver work on the car...	Hey everyone, Plans are still being figured out for 2004. In the offseason I'll be working with our partners to decide where we will end up next year. As requested, hear are some wallpaper sized images for you guys. They were taken by Head-On Photos. They are in 1024x768 format. Enjoy!!! http://www.teamsmr.com/images/2003Se...ss1024x768.jpg http://www.teamsmr.com/images/2003Se...0S1024x768.jpg http://www.teamsmr.com/images/2003Se...n21024x768.jpg Gary Sheehan Motor Racing www.teamSMR.com

2003-12-04, 11:31 AM	#10
sperry The Doink Real Name: Scott Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 20,335 Car: '09 OBXT, '02 WRX, '96 Miata Class: PDX/TT-6 The way out is through	Awesome, thanks Gary! __________________ Is you is, or is you ain't, my con-stit-u-ints?

2003-12-04, 11:56 AM	#11
ArthurS EJ207 Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 3,707 Car: 2011 Chevy Battle Wagon	Awsome Pics! __________________ Captain Murphy: I dub thee Sir Phobos, Knight of Mars, beater of ass. Be a hitter, babe.

2003-12-04, 05:45 PM	#12
GarySheehan EJ22 Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 172 Never let the driver work on the car...	SECCS logo Had to add one with the SECCS logo! http://www.teamsmr.com/images/2003Se...n71024x768.jpg Gary Sheehan Motor Racing www.teamSMR.com

2003-12-04, 10:05 PM	#14
MattR El Matador Real Name: Matt Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 10,660 Car: 2012 Toyota Tacoma Class: ?	Very Cool, I love seeing that, thanks Gary! __________________ "Dallas..We have a problem.”

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