 In one week from now I will be traveling to California to race the 11th running of the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill, presented by Hawk Performance. To say that I'm excited would be an understatement. This race, in mine and many other's opinions, is one of the biggest endurance races in the world.
What makes it so special you ask? Well first of all, we race around the clock not once, but twice (plus another hour), making this the longest endurance race in the country and one of the longest races in the world. Secondly, factory participation from manufacturers, such as Mazda, has increased in recent years. Last year, Mazda debuted three SKYACTIV Mazda 6 Diesel racecars, driven by both Professional and Amateurs. Other manufacturers, including Lexus and Acura, have also increased factory participation for this race. Another reason the 25 Hours of Thunderhill is considered one of the biggest and most premier endurance races in the world is the list of drivers that are competing. Drivers such as Mike Skeen, Ryan Eversley, Kurt Busch (yes, the NASCAR Kurt Busch), Al Unser Jr., and many more professional drivers from around the globe will be competing in this years 25 Hour race. A total of 64 cars will take the green flag on December 6th. The cars will vary from Prototypes, to Porsche GT3 Cup cars, to lower horsepower cars such as Mazda Miatas and BMWs. The cars will be put into different classes according to power and weight. There will be a huge difference of speed between the faster prototypes and some of the lower horsepower cars, making the race even more challenging. Now, you're not only concentrating on racing for position with other cars in your class, but you're also concentrating on keeping the car safe and making no contact while passing or getting passed. The team I am driving for, A+ Racing, will field two Mazdas in the E3 class. With our car's driver lineup, I feel that we can compete for the win in our class. I can't wait to be back in the drivers seat for this challenging race! The full entry list can be seen here: http://www.nasa25hour.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/driverlist.htm Last year, NBC Sports aired an hour long special on the 25 Hours of Thunderhill. “'Survive the 25,' originally aired on NBC Sports, highlights the triumphs and struggles of four teams vying for victory at the 2013 NASA 25 hours of Thunderhill. This episode is presented by Mazda and Hankook tire.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTuFF0zeX5g&feature=youtu.be
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 Josh and teammates Camden Murphy, George Clos, and Jamie Clos drove a near perfect race, resulting in a first place finish at the first annual ALM 12 Hours at the Autobahn. After qualifying mid-pack, Clos-Line Motorsports slowly drove their way through the field. Even with an unscheduled pit-stop to replace a broken hub during Josh's first stint, the team showed their dominance by coming back and taking the lead at the ten hour mark. Clos-Line Motorsports never looked back and drove on to a class win by over one lap! To read more, follow the link to Josh's blog on the North American Sportscar website: http://nasportscar.com/josh-bilicki-files-part-2-of-his-blog/ |
