PLastex Top Rookie Brings Car with Storied History to USTCC

After 6 years with SCCA the VT Racing Team sought more of a challenge so the Team switched to the U.S. Touring Car Championship and Tim Hunter was named “Plastex Rookie of the Month” at Thunderhill.

VT Racing Team’s car, a Volvo C30 was built for Volvo by 3R Racing in 2010. In 2011, Volvo won the Pirelli World Challenge with it. When Tim Hunter contacted 3R racing to see they might build one for VT Racing he discovered one of the three cars they built for Volvo was for sale. He’s been racing the car for six years, including making parts for it with his 3D printer.

For Thunderhill’s season opener, he concentrated on a lot of changes to the race team’s trailer. He rebalanced the trailer which made it easier to tow on the arduous ten hour drive from Newport Beach to Thunderhill. It rained all day Friday and poured the last one hundred miles. When he arrived he had a much more comfortable paddock experience.

Heavy rain continued Saturday. The race car didn’t have wet tires so he “the rookie” hung out in the new command post happy to have a warm, dry place during the deluge. He adjusted the race strategy by setting the car up to use slick tires.

It drizzled Sunday morning during the qualifying race so the qualifying times were more similar to a neighborhood run to the grocery store than worthy of a race track. His wife would have been happy to see Tim capable of driving slowly and cautiously. He qualified dead last— a new experience for Tim.

The clouds broke in the afternoon. The sun came out and drivers put on slick tires and changed their car set ups. VT Racing was late so started at the back.

The green flag dropped. Tim passed two drivers and was starting to make his way thru the pack when a full course yellow flag came out in order to clear a broken car fairly far ahead. The pack bunched up and on the re-start VT Racing was able to blast past four cars. But only able to get up to fifth in class. It was not the result the team wanted but they brought the car home in one piece!