As a part of our expanding editorial content, Mike Hearne had the opportunity to spend a little time with Jason Saini. This interview kicks off a continuing series from the people that make the sport of autocross what it is. Jason, one of the rising stars in road racing, got his start like a lot of us; in a plain old econobox that he drove to work everyday. Given his first taste of competition along with a lot of hard work he has enjoyed great success in Solo and is now ‘living his dream’.
MH How did you get started in autocrossing?
JS I became a fan of auto racing going to the Cleveland Grand Prix each year as a kid – once I decided I wanted to try my hand at racing, I found the SCCA at the Cleveland Auto Show booth… they told me about autocrossing, but It still took a while to find out where to actually compete! My fist event was a Solo1 at Nelson Ledges with the Corvette club.
MH Did autocrossing sound like something that fit your goal of racing?
JS Well, It was the nearest thing that I could afford to do… I had a 1990 Ford Escort, and I knew that I couldn’t afford to go road racing – so autocrossing was a means to an end for me, especially seeing guys like Peter Cunningham and Randy Pobst make the transition from Solo to road racing at that time. Once I started autocrossing, I gained a love for it as a sport and a discipline also. I knew I wanted to win a championship, especially before I tried my hand at road racing. I tend to want to succeed at something before moving onto something new!
MH What was that first autocross experience like in your Escort?
JS I pried the hubcaps off, took out the floor mats, and pumped up the front tires! It was awesome, driving on a track and seeing the high hp Corvettes – definitely an awesome day. I ended up doing a 1:34 around Nelson Ledges, from a standing start, on street tires, in a stock Escort LX. I looked up the ITC results from the recent regional race, and they were running 1:32′s! I won my class, and definitely got hooked! There was no turning back.
MH What was your first “traditional” autocross like?
JS I drove up with my buddy Phil, and all I remember is thinking ‘how do you navigate that sea of cones!’ We walked the course, and it became more clear. Throughout the course of that day, I came to understand the new challenge. The good thing for me was that I was driving such a slow car! It gave me plenty of time to see where to go, and helped me learn to drive at the limit since the limit was so low… I always try to tell people to start in a slow car!
MH How old were you when you started autocrossing?
JS I was 18. You had to be 18 in those days, so as soon as I was ‘legal’ I started. I had watched a video of the Russell Racing School, and I learned a lot about driving from that video – I watched it hundreds of times! It was good to get that ‘classroom’ training before I ever drove competitively.
MH How many seasons did you run the Escort?
JS Let’s see. I did 4 or 5 seasons. I even ended up doing the Toledo Pro Solo and Evansville National Tour! It wasn’t until I bought my Corrado that I quit driving it. By the end, the Escort was a woefully under-prepared DSP car. I probably did over 75 autocrosses in that car!
MH What were the hardest aspects of autocrossing for you in the beginning?
JS I was very lucky, I think the combination of the Russell video and some natural ability made it come pretty easily – especially since I wasn’t really in a competitive car for the class. I could just run for fun and try to improve. Visually it was challenging at first, so I really concentrated on getting the course visually in my head – to where I could drive a run in my head before I went on course. Not to try to know where to brake, not that specific – just to know what maneuver was coming up next. I tried to focus on momentum and keeping the speed up since the car had no horsepower.
MH How often and where were you running locally?
JS I was pretty much running every chance I got – both at Firestone and Goodyear. [These two facilities are headquartered in Akron, OH, Â where rogues-racing.com is based , and used to be regular venues for local autocrossing- Ed.] Both venues were great, the courses were great, and I remember the people were fantastic. There were several people that kept coming up to me and saying that I had a future In driving, and that I should stick to it. That really stuck with me, and I don’t know if I would have pursued it so hard without those words of encouragement. I have very fond memories of those days!
MH At what point in time did you wander out of the local scene and compete at SCCA National and Divisional events?
JS I’d say after two or three seasons, I stared running CenDiv events, and tried my hand at the Tour/Pro. One particular summer – either my third or fourth season, I did the entire local series, CenDiv Series, Evansville Tour, and Toledo Pro Solo – that was a busy year. I think I did 28 events out of 52 weekends, over half the year! I ran BFG R1′s and could get a whole season out of one set… gas was cheap, and the car got like 38mpg! I stayed on people’s floor, and slept in the car sometimes. That was a fun season!
MH How did you stack up against the competition in the Divisional / National events? Was it what you expected?
JS It was good to run in higher competition events… I remember running against the likes of Per Schroeder and Jack Burns. Names I’d read about In Sportscar Magazine! I usually finished 3rd through 5th, which was usually about mid-pack or better. I’d say It was what I expected – I knew I didn’t have a shot to win, but I tried hard and worked on getting as close to the top guys as possible. I think I finished 3rd in HS in the CenDiv series that year, which I was pretty proud of given the uncompetitive nature of the car!
MH Back when you were racing the Escort what were some of the mods? Just BFG R1s?
JS I had Koni yellows, and a bigger front sway bar – and a cherry bomb! [Laughs]
MH What did you graduate to after the Escort?
JS Another uncompetitive car! Not sure what I was thinking – at the time, I thought it would be cool to take an uncompetitive car and ‘make’ it win… It was a pretty foolish thought. I got a Corrado VR6, and when I got it the car was In CS with Miata’s! Not my smartest move!
It got moved to GS, with the Probe V6, and then it was pretty good – until the Type R came out!
MH Pretty safe to assume that experiment did not last long! What did you do next?
JS I ran it for a while, and finally – triumphantly won a National tour in It! I was stubborn… not only did I stick with the Corrado, I got another one as my next racecar after a several year break from racing! I went to the Solo 2 Nationals in a Neon, one of the first years they were eligible – I borrowed it. I thought I was going to walk right in and win a championship… I begged, borrowed, stole and slept on floors to get there. I ended up not eating/drinking enough – and was dehydrated and hypo-glycemic when I ran… I drove the worst I had in my life, and finished 38th or 43rd or something!
MH You’re won 2 National Championships and a Pro Solo in an S2000. Was King Motorsports [North American distributor for Mugen parts, Honda race car prep - Ed.] responsible for the S2000 ride?
JS Not responsible – but they helped out! I took the Corrado to Nationals and finished 14th, one out of the trophies. A friend and myself watched Gary Thomason do some runs in his S2000 which he went on to win AS with. I was a Honda fan, and was hooked watching it run. My friend and I hatched a plan to share the payments on one and run it together – then Juliann joined us to run Ladies, and we split it three ways! I knew King from some races I’d helped them with, and Scott had faith in me and helped us with labor and discounts and such. It was exciting. I felt like we were sponsored, and the three-way split meant I could run a car that I could never afford on my own!
MH That is a great story. Other than Scott from King Motorsports who were some of the people that helped you from the beginning all the way to the top of B Stock?
JS Well, all those who gave me words of encouragement in the early days, then the two partners Brad Lamont and Juliann Pokorny, for splitting the car. Juliann would go on to play a bigger (biggest?) role. Then King for their support, and for Scott ultimately telling me to race a Mazda Miata!
MH It’s pretty clear that seat time was the biggest factor for you getting better. As a beginner I’ve been taught 3 simple things: 1. Brake way earlier than you think 2. Look way ahead 3. Go Slow to Go Fast. Do I have it right? Any other advice to get better?
JS Those are all good fundamentals. It makes it sound ‘easy’ but it’s true. About all I’d change is make looking ahead #1. I still have to remind myself to do that to this day! Seat time definitely helped, but I had some natural ability. In my first season, I had the chance to drive an ESP Mustang in fun runs. I’d never driven on race tires, never driven RWD, and on my first run I matched the owner’s time, and the second run I beat it by almost 2 seconds! After that, I really was hooked and thought I might have a chance in this game!
MH How hard was it to win a National Championship two times?
JS It was tough. Competition was tough, and we had to develop the car. I was third the first year, second the next – and then won the following two years. Being third gave me the confidence to fight for the win… you have to be close to a win to gain that confidence, and then once you win you get another boost… It’s an important step as a driver; you have to believe in yourself. I always did, but something changes when you actually have a shot at a win… It charges you up! I’ve carried that momentum to this day!
MH When you were developing the S2000 would you make major changes to the setup or did you find a setup that was consistent?
JS We tried lots of different things. Penske shocks, then Moton; different valving, different sized front sway bars. It was a pretty good learning experience in how car setups work. We had help from King, and eventually from Moton. It was tough, but an important experience.
MH Once you found the right pieces / parts would you make large adjustments in shock settings, tire pressures, and sway bars?
JS Once we found the right parts/valving; we’d make really small changes to tailor the car each event. It took three seasons to get there, but once we had it dialed in it was really good… that was a very fun/balanced car to drive!
MH Did you prefer running on concrete or asphalt?
JS I didn’t really have a preference. It was more site dependent – there were asphalt lots that were great, concrete that were not so great. We had the car working really good on both, so I liked both! It’s good to work on being good at both; versatility is one of a driver’s most valuable assets
MH So you’re standing on top in 2004. Scott from King is telling you to go road race a Miata. How did you make that happen?
JS We wanted to run a Honda, and really dreamed of racing with Realtime. Living in Chicago, and knowing Scott – I knew all the Realtime guys – I just assumed it would be best to try to work with the people I already knew. It was a hard leap to run Miatas! This is where Juliann comes in again. We were living together then, and Juliann sold her beloved condo to help fund our first spec Miatas. We are renting them to this day! Then she helped me build them. King put in the cages, and we did the rest. Juliann learned how to paint cars and painted them. We decided to go straight into the Pro Miata series in ’04, and started out at Road Atlanta that May. It was a whole new world. More money, more travel, more prep… there were some long nights!
MH In 3 years of road racing you’re now a professional race car driver in the Speed World Challenge Touring Car series. That is amazing. How did you do it?
JS It’s really hard for even me to believe. My goal was always World Challenge, and when we stared racing Miatas I honestly put a 5-year cap on it. If I wasn’t in World Challenge in five years, we’d stop running Pro Miata and move back to just local club racing for fun. We made the decision to make a run at a career, and just went to work. When the Miata Cup was set to be replaced after our second season with the MX-5 cup, we didn’t have the funds to continue. We knew we needed to be in the MX-5 cup, and since I had finished 7th and 5th in the Miata cup, with a pole and podium along the way – I had that same taste of success as a confidence boost.
I took that confidence boost to a Mazda dealer In Chicago, and asked for them to sponsor me with a car. After one meeting, the owner agreed to let me ‘borrow’ a car that I’d give back to him after two seasons in the championship… I was second the first year, and won the second year! With Mazda’s ladder system, I was awarded the drive for ’08. It’s honestly quicker than I ever imagined we could make it. It’s just such a dream come true. Mazda’s ladder is the most important driver development program in motorsports.
MH Where would you be without Mazda?
JS I honestly think I would be club-racing a Honda, and trying desperately to find a sponsor to run a one-off World Challenge race to prove myself. It would be such a long shot; I know I would never have achieved my goals without them
MH You’re the 1st rookie to win a Touring Car race since 2005. You’re currently 5th in points with one round left. Will you be back with Tripoint next year?
JS We haven’t fully decided yet. I’d love to return, and would love to lend my talents to help Mazda win for as long as I have the abilities. The ladder system provided for just one year but I hope to become a regular factory Mazda driver. I won’t know for sure for a little while, but early indications are positive.
MH What is your ultimate goal? Stay in Touring Car? Move up to GT, ALMS, or something I haven’t listed?
JS For sure my ultimate goal has always been to race at LeMans. I’d love to race a Mazda at LeMans and help them get another victory there. In the meantime, I just want to run as much professional racing as I can. Team MER, my own team is running Koni Challenge now and I’m driving an RX-8 in that. I hope to run the Rolex 24 and the Rolex GT series in the next few years. My immediate goal is to keep developing my skills in Touring Car, and fighting for a Touring Car Championship. There’s that whole ‘need to succeed before moving on thing again! I just want to have a long career racing cars. It’s what I’m good at, and what I enjoy above all else. I just feel so lucky that it appears that I might have the chance to live my dreams!
MH What’s it like at the limit in an S2000 on an autocross course vs. your Mazdaspeed 6 at the limit on a race track?
JS The limit is the limit. That’s why the Escort was such a great car to learn on. The only difference between cars is what speed that limit happens. In the Escort, it happened so slowly that I wasn’t afraid. When I got into faster cars, it came easily. The S2000 was twitchy at the limit, and so is the Touring Car. I’d say they actually drive pretty similarly! The Touring Car is even more knife edge; it’s a real race car for sure. I recently got the chance to drive a rare historic Mazda RX-7 – the 1991 IMSA GTO Championship winning car. It’s basically a 600hp Trans-Am car. I was very nervous to drive it, but it drove like a car – the limit was higher, but it was a familiar feeling to me!
MH How did the skills you learned in autocrossing translate to road racing? Can a successful road racer be successful in autocrossing?
JS It took a while to smooth my inputs for racing. I still am too harsh sometimes with my inputs. Autocrossing is so much more violent than road racing. It takes quick hand and foot movements to get a car through the tight course. I think it’s much harder for a road racer to make themselves be ‘harsh’ than it is for an autocrosser to learn to be smooth!
MH Bigger adrenaline rush: a perfect run at the Solo Nationals or the perfect lap at your favorite circuit?
JS Well, I’ll tell you… nailing a run at Nationals, when there are only three runs with everything on the line is one of the highest adrenaline rushes. Racing in a high stakes race (with a Championship on the line, etc.) is the only track activity that comes close to that focused intensity. It’s one of the other things that make National Solo a great prep for road racing. It makes you able to compete in the pressure cooker environment.
MH How did you get involved with Motorsport Enterprises Racing? What is your role?
JS When the MX-5 Cup came out, I got the call from Jim Daniels, who’s my current teammate In Touring Car. He was working with Shannon McMasters, who was one of the creators of spec Miata to build an MX-5 team. Shannon wanted to build the business into a premier pro racing team so we moved to Texas and became partners with him. My role is varied, owner type duties. I build all the transmissions and of course driver coaching, engineering/testing and driving for the team. We have a racing school too, so teaching there is a duty as well. When I first moved to Texas 2-1/2 years ago, I lived in our gooseneck trailer for two months. It’s just so amazing where we’ve come from those days, just a couple short years ago!
MH Will Jason Saini be back at the Solo Nationals? You made a comeback in 2007 after a break. What was that experience like?
JS I plan to come to Nationals whenever I can. This year wasn’t a possibility due to a scheduling conflict. I still have so many friends in Solo, and I miss the community. I will definitely be there when I can! Going in, 2007 was interesting. Like I was saying earlier, it’s harder to get harsh after being smooth. I hadn’t autocrossed all year, so the first day I was being too smooth, and wasn’t competitive. The second day, I was close to the top time. Lesson learned, I will do some practice next time!
MH When will you know your status for 2009?
JS With Touring Car?
MH Yes.
JS Well, budgets are being decided now. There will likely be new cars built because the current 6 is being replaced. There are some rules changes coming for Touring Car, so there are many variables. I’d like to think that I’ll know my status for next year by November, not sure when it will be a public announcement.
MH Do you have a backup plan?
JS Yeah, we’ll be running Koni Challenge with MER, so that would be my backup plan. I’ll likely do that either way.
MH Excellent….Jason, thank you so much again. I just scratched the surface. You’re one of my heroes coming from the Akron Sports Car Club to where you are now.
Join the forum discussion on this post - (2) Posts
You must log in to post a comment.