ACRL: Team Salinas Las Vegas finale report

Jansen Is Lone Team Salinas Entry At Las Vegas ACRL Finale

Dave Jansen had his NACS/Nortel Team Salinas Super Sports 2000 Lola back together from last week's Sears Point incident, and was raring to go at the Las Vegas season finale for the American City Racing League's first East/West combined event. Jansen, along with most of the drivers, found the infield road course to be very "busy," with lots of turns and few straightaways. Two races were scheduled for the weekend: the final point race for both the Eastern and Western ACRL Divisions on Saturday, and a special one-hour enduro on Sunday. Jansen would run the Lola solo in both events, as Dave Ferguson was unable to get to Las Vegas to co-drive the enduro.

Jansen got a good start in the Saturday points race, dicing with Margie Smith-Haas and Brad Pierce for fifth place. The Lola was handling well, and Jansen was waiting to capitalize on any mistake by the other drivers. On lap 10, he was overtaken by the Eastern Division Sports 2000 leader, A.J. Smith, separating him from Smith-Haas and Pierce. Jansen tucked in behind Smith, the 2001 Daytona 24-hour Prototype winner, and stayed with him to the checker. Jansen finished on the lead lap, taking seventh in the Super Sports 2000 class, and also capturing seventh in the points championship for the season. Team Salinas finished sixth in the Team Championship chase, hampered by having a single car entered in the season finale.

Skies threatened for Sunday's enduro as a front moved through the Las Vegas area, but the track stayed dry. Each team was required to make a timed five-minute pit stop, during which teams could make a driver change, refuel the car, and perform any other necessary work. Most cars came in at the halfway point, but Jansen stayed and soon found himself in the lead. Unfortunately, he eventually had to make his stop, and the Salinas crew added fuel to get him to the end of the race. Jansen drove a steady race, developing the "rhythm" that longer races demand, and came home in fifth place, one lap down, after 65 laps of racing. The Lola performed flawlessly, and the race ran under green from start to finish. A tired but happy Jansen declared the result a success.

The American City Racing League is a professional racing series for Super Sports 2000, Sports 2000 and Sports 1600 cars. The series is sanctioned by Grand American Road Racing and the National Auto Sports Association, and has both an Eastern and Western Division. The Western Division, of which Team Salinas is a part, ran a seven race championship series for 2001, with the Las Vegas enduro a non-points event.

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