![]() Once he got back on his feet, he said, he ended up back in cars because that was what he knew. As serious an injury as it was, it might have been a stroke of luck. Riefner initially launched his career in law enforcement as a police officer in Eagle Lake, Fla., but a back injury put him on the sidelines. “But I also realized real quickly that autocrossing wasn’t for me because I didn’t enjoy standing in the sun working for other people all day for three or four minutes of driving time.” “I realized I loved that style of driving, the lefts and the rights, car balance and making the car dance and that type of thing,” he said. ![]() He soon discovered that autocross wasn’t enough. He then discovered autocross, and competed in events in his native New York and in Florida. Like some other NASA racers, Riefner started out drag racing, “ever since he had a driver’s license,” he said. “I grew up reading about Porsche cars and Porsche drivers and their accomplishments, the type of racing that wound up having relevance to the street cars and that transfer of technologies that added to the heritage of Porsche, and I guess that’s what I enjoyed.” “I liked watching circle track racing, but I never caught the bug to do it,” he said. Those formative years spawned a career in motorsports for Riefner and his brother, who now works for Penske Racing in North Carolina. One of the first racers to be issued a competition license by the NASA Florida region, Riefner grew up in a racing family, watching his father race on the asphalt oval at Sunshine Speedway in St. It’s precisely that focus on winning that has taken Riefner from rookie to one of the top road racing series in North American motorsports in little more than a decade. “I’m very competitive by nature and anytime that I have been able to win through accomplishment, be it car preparation or outdriving somebody, it’s just winning.” “Winning in general is the thing I enjoy the most and look forward to the most about racing,” Riefner said. The differences between Davis and Riefner are probably greater than their similarities, but their approach to competition is the same. If former Oakland Raiders team owner Al Davis had been involved in motorsports instead of football, NASA Florida region’s Nick Riefner would be just the kind of guy he’d recruit for his racing team. Starting the first of the year we will have a year-long TT series with points and prizes.N-Tech Motorsport, Central Florida Roofing LLC, BDH Construction, Campbell Law of Lakeland, Fla. We want to encourage everyone to get in on the competition. We are trying to keep it as simple and fair as possible. Our rules are being finalized now ( follow the discussion on our Facebook group). ![]() We will be having our own Time Trials starting in the coming weeks. Take a minute and click those links and see what class you would likely fall under. ![]() In NASA I should be in TT4 (I’m still trying to figure this one out). As an example, my Miata would be in the M3 class – Max M3 because it is 2.6l or under, full aero, added supercharger, etc. Unlike NASA, SCCA doesn’t look to horsepower specifics, but more general items like added forced induction, modified suspension, etc. In SCCA, there’s a tree you follow to find your Category and Class. Some, like NASA, use a ‘ calculator’ to figure out what class you fit in based on power to weight ratios and even require you to have dyno results for your car. In all organizations, the idea is to keep the field as even as possible. Keep it under control and on the track, and you’ll be quicker anyway! SCCA allows up to 3 wheels off-track, NASA is a little more complicated, and some only allow up to one wheel off track before your fastest lap for that session is thrown out. Keep in mind you have to keep it on the track at all times. During your session, your fastest lap counts towards your overall standing. The exact format can vary by organization, but generally, you start your session just like a normal track day with the primary difference being you have a transponder in your car keeping track of your lap times. In short, it’s you against the clock, fastest lap wins.
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