Chess Giant Racing Squares up with the Giants at Jersey Road Racing Challenge
Photos: Sam Draiss Photography
Millville, NJ - Chess Giant Racing by StudioVRM made its race debut under its new team colors among a field packed with Porsches, Ferraris, and even a Norma M30 LMP3 Prototype, finishing the three-race weekend with three class wins and three mid-field finishes in a fulminant 21-car field.
The successful weekend was not without its hiccups, however. A bizarre issue with the team's motorhome resulted in a mandatory evacuation late Friday night, and the team opted to skip Qualifying to prioritize the well-being of its crew. Despite starting from the back with the second least-powerful car in the field, the Honda-powered team posted respectable finishes while scrapping with GT and Touring cars in other classes when the opportunity arose.
Roger Maeda - Driver - 22 Chess Giant Racing Honda Prelude TC
Heat Race 1: 1st in ITE, 16th overall
Heat Race 2: 1st in ITE, 10th overall
Feature Race: 1st in ITE, 13th overall
Fastest Race Lap: 1:31.495
"I think we got the maximum we could from the car this weekend, and there is no way we can be disappointed by these results. After they split the Big Bore field in half, our race group was basically all high-powered GT and Touring Cars, including a Norma M30 LMP3 car. Just to finish the race off the back row is an achievement in itself.
My personal favorite moment of the weekend was a drag race to the finish with BRT's Martin Szwarc, who had returned to NJMP Thunderbolt with his now-supercharged 300hp Civic Si. At the same time, we need to apologize to his teammate and brother Dan Szwarc, with whom we had some unnecessary side-to-side contact on the main straight during the 2nd Heat Race of the weekend.
As far as the car, this weekend revealed some serious shortcomings with front mechanical grip as well as some quirks with the car's power delivery through Thunderbolt's two slow left-hand corners. We will spend time this winter getting those weaknesses addressed so we can start 2027 with the speed and power worthy of the Chess Giant name."
Chess Giant Racing would like to thank its team and crew for enduring the unexpected challenges of the weekend. We also would like to send a special thank-you to Felecia Murray and her son Spencer for travelling over 900 miles just to support us this race weekend.
All Photos by Sam Draiss Photography
StudioVRM.Racing would like to thank our partners, The Chess Giant, Blue Leaf Technologies and Bad Guys Worldwide for their unwavering support and dedication as the team works to make a mark in the no-holds-barred SCCA Improved Touring E class.
Thank you for making all of this possible!
