April and May Updates
- SWMS Secretary
- May 22
- 3 min read
To SWMS Members:
Hello all, May is here and the spring race season is alive and well. I have a few bits of news and updates I want to share:
I've had a few questions along the lines of "is SWMS still racing?" and "does the track still have dedicated road racing run groups?" Absolutely, yes to both! In general, the overall responsibility for organizing, operating, and managing each race weekend is now with our friends at Suika Circuit. You can register for race weekends by searching "Suika" on Motorsportreg. When you sign up, the run groups will look very familiar...Vintage, Contemporary, Spec Miata, Legends, Karts. But what does this mean if you've raced with SWMS in prior seasons?
You'll find the regular group of SWMS members, lined up in the paddock just as we always have. We haven't gone anywhere! SWMS still issues VMC-accredited road race licenses.
The 2025 season of race weekends at Suika Circuit is called "Motorland Fest." Plenty of racing, cool DJ tunes in the pits, lunchtime car shows, after race chitting and chatting, evening festivities, and more. Family friendly, Eric and the Suika team are pouring enormous energy into making the weekend fun and filled with things to do in between race sessions.
Each Motorland Fest weekend has two primary groups, which have been sharing the schedule and track within their own separate run groups:
Super Laps, which is a time attack format with amazing drivers and seriously fast cars.
Super Cup, which are the race groups. SWMS participates within Super Cup. The name may be new, but once you are on the track the racing is exactly the same.
The total number of cars per weekend is significantly increased, with 75+ cars now participating. This is fantastic news and confirmation that there are many here in NM passionate about cars, driving, and racing! If you have been to any of the Motorland Fest weekends this year, the schedule is jam packed and the days have been a bit long, so as to cycle through all the run groups and cars. Eric and the Suika team having been taking feedback and each Motorland Fest the schedule has been tuned and optimized in search of the perfect new schedule. But the shear number of cars and groups continue to completely fill Saturday and Sunday. As such, and perhaps by popular request, there will be a trial run of some changes for the upcoming June Motorland Fest:
Super Laps dedicated to Saturday (no Super Cup or road racing).
Super Cup dedicated to Sunday (no Super Laps).
Both days start at 9AM and are planned to wrap up on-track activities by 3PM.
Additional details about a Friday 3PM to 6PM test and tune you can 'bundle' with your race weekend will be available soon from Suika.
I support a trial run of this new format and everyone at both Suika and SWMS will be very curious to see how it goes. We are all learning and this seems like a good format to try out as a data point. Perhaps this is one step closer to the mythical perfect schedule.
Last but not least, a few quick other topics:
SWMS has had a limited run of professional stickers printed in memory of Marci Luders. I will try my best to get these out to everyone at the upcoming race weekends.
At the April Motorland Fest 2, SWMS's very own Fred Cordova cracked off a 1:32.860 in his Datsun 510, a new SWMS Vintage group lap record, bettering the prior Vintage lap record of 1:34.681!
Many in the SWMS group were out and about racing in Colorado during May. But we are all planning to run at Suika for Motorland Fest 4 on Sunday, 6/8/2025.
Together with all of us at the SWMS Board, I hope to see you at an upcoming Suika Circuit event.
Andrew Sanford
SWMS President
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