Updates:

Divaspeed WINS Buttonwillow 6 hour enduro, leads points standing for Championship!
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June 7, 2008;

Please welcome and meet our new team member, Karen Salvaggio. Karen races a factory five with NASA and you can usually find her on top of podium in her class. Karen also owns the website thundervalleyracing.com. This website is a showcase for all women racers in all aspects of racing.

Our sponsor for round 3 of the WERC series came from Cynthia Campagnale at race2learn. Cynthia is a remarkable person who has such a warm heart. The Race2learn program is designed to bring children and racing together in a learning environment teaching children math and science through motorsport racing. It is a fabulous concept and Cynthia is doing remarkable work with children. To learn more, please visit her website at www.race2learn.com...

Ron Carroll prepared Divaspeed’s Acura Integra and gave us a perfect winning car to race in the E-2 class.

The day started with Karen getting up to speed in practice and finding her shift points around the track. Karen has driven Divaspeed’s car only once for a test day at Reno Fernley Raceway so it was important for Karen to take the practice session. She did a terrific job. By lap 3 Karen was already up to enduro speed and had the car all figured out.

Qualifying was the next session. Divaspeed team owner Donna Gilio qualified the car and put it on the pole by lap 2 with a fast time of 2:03 flat. Donna Came in and reported that the car was working great. The team was ready and had prepared a good car for the 6 hour enduro. The weather was fantastic in Sunny Southern California with the temperature around the 80 degree mark.

Team Divaspeed decided to have Karen start the race and drive the first half, then Donna would take the last leg of the race. Each girl was slated to race 3 hours each and only have one driver change.
 
There was 40 cars on the grid and Divaspeed was at 11th place overall. They got the car to grid 1 minute too late as NASA cut-off grid positions, so Karen lost her qualifying position and started from the back of the pack! No big deal, Karen piloted the Integra through traffic and within a few laps, Karen moved Divaspeed up to P-3. Karen drove smart as she kept a consistant pace all the while conserving the Hankook tires and Colbalt Friction brakes. Karen’s radio was not working and the team lost all radio contact with her. She came in for the first fuel stop at around the 1hour 20 minute mark and reported that she felt a small vibration coming from the front. Ron did a quick look over on the car, but could not find anything noticeably wrong with the car. Karen went back out and moved Divaspeed into the lead, but after about an hour more of driving, She came in and still reported feeling a vibration. At this point, the team decided to put Donna in the car and have Karen get her helmut radio fixed so she could get back in the car near the end of the race.
 
Donna drove off the grid and at this point, Team Divaspeed was down 2 laps and was in P-4. Donna’s radio was working and we had radio contact, so Donna put her head down and starting working her way through traffic, driving at a consistant pace of 2:07’s. The car still had a vibration problem, but it wasn’t severe enough to threaten the team’s chance of the car breaking down. Donna reported that it might be a flatspotted tire, but was not sure. Donna felt that the car would make it all the way through the grueling 6 hour enduro. By the 4 hour mark, Donna worked her way from a 2 lap deficit and recaptured the lead for E-2. It was smooth sailing for the rest of the race. Divaspeed performed quick fuel stops and 1 tire change and kept Donna in the car. Donna got on the radio and wanted to put Karen back in the car and let Karen take it to the checkered, but Karen, being a smart team player, decided that it was more important to not take a chance on anything happening and just keep Donna in the car. By the end of the grueling 6 hour race, Donna brought the race2learn sponsored Divaspeed Acura Integra across the finish line in 1st place in E2 and 13th overall. Divaspeed won by 3 full laps on the 2nd place car!
 
Divaspeed would like to thank Cynthia from race2learn for all her support. If it were not for Cynthia stepping up to the plate for us, we would not have been able to make the race. Thank you Karen for driving with us. You’re a wonderful team member and player. Thank you Ron Carroll for preparing Divaspeed with the best E-2 car in it’s class out there. - Donna Gilio