Congrats to Jason Saini and Team MER!!!

[altiain]

Congratulations on taking first in ES and the overall win in the 2008 NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill!

After two grueling days and one sleepless and stationary night, the #19 Mazdaspeed/MER1 2006 Mazda MX-5 took the overall and ES class win at the 2008 25 Hours of Thunderhill, racking up a total of 477 laps. The age-old utterance of "slow and steady wins the race" couldn't be more true, but to short-change the Mazdaspeed crew without mentioning their die-hard attitude and utter determination does a disservice to the team and the rest of the participants.

In a race that saw the destruction of one Daytona Prototype, the loss of four (five?) engines and countless competitors, it's amazing that after 18 hours and 17 minutes of track time the first, second and third place overall finishers were separated by less than three seconds. Team Achilles Motorsport #44 1995 BMW M3 took the number two slot (1st in the E0 class), followed by #16 Dreams Motorsports 2009 Honda Civic Si. The Cytosport-challenging #87 Green Alternative Motorsports E85-powered M20F took fourth, with the #29 Mazdaspeed/MER2 MX-5 coming in fifth. All these standings are subject to change over the next week, but the current results can be viewed here.

As impressive as the finish was, it's the field of competitors that truly left us in awe. The endurance format and range of classes means that nearly any kind of car can campaign. The 25 Hours of Thunderhill is easily one of the most awe-inspiring motorsports events we've attended in recent memory and we hope to be back next year -- fog or not -- to bring you even more coverage from the rolling hills outside Willows.

[ken o]

Nice!

Is that a donut on the door?

[smartmx5]

Nice!

Is that a donut on the door?

I am sure it went with all the coffee they needed to stay up for 2 days!
Congrats Team MER.

[MadMerv]

Team MER's record is utterly amazing! Way to go Jason, Shannon and the rest of the team.

[ken o]

What mods did it have?

[CosmosMpower]

What mods did it have?

Nothing but a set of OTS konis and some R comps, I swear!

Oh wait it's not B-stock.

[IPRESS]

It had a bigger fuel cell, air jacks dry break system, not sure on the motor. Mainly had three World Challenge drivers.
Nice JOB.
MER is on top of the MX5 / Miata world these days!

[kverges]

They called it an MX-8 - aft of the engine and all for corners was RX-8, ran Hoosier Porsche Cup car slicks, had air jacks, dry break for refueling, and drove the wheels off of it. The crew was amazing, too.

But it was also the 18 hour race this year due to fog.