Uncompromisingly fast…

San Ramon, CA – Justin Crickenberger joined Team RPM for the 2022 United States Touring Car Championship season chasing the Sportsman SP class Championship. He is running a 10th generation Civic Si previous ran in SRO TCA but modified by RHMS for competition in USTCC.

Whilst testing on Fri, a few changes were made overnight for Sat, that proved to be the right ones. Fast out of the gate, very close to eclipsing the track record in his first outing with the car. After qualifying one on Saturday, it was decided that we’d save some tires (This class has limited tires for the season – 3.5 sets to be exact). Being able to save tire wear, can make a huge difference in the season. As such, Justin decided on watching the Sun warm-up and qualifying two from the sideline, closely monitoring the lap times. Although the competitions lap times got closer, they weren’t faster, and Justin was still able to claim Pole Position.

The standing start saw some slow starts and a stalled car. This created an opportunity for Justin to put distance on his P2 competitor. Justin had to avoid the other cars by going through the grass on the infield, since there was too much going on with all the other cars avoiding the stalled front row starter. From then on, it was all about hitting his marks and remaining focused on the win. And a win he got! Pole Position, fastest race lap in class and the win. Grand Slam in his first outing with a new car! What a race weekend for Justin.

Also, this was Team RPM’s first time fielding a car in the SP class. Coming back with a win was such a great and well-earned result for the team as well.

Justin Crickenbergeer reviews his Round ONE performance:
“I had a great weekend at Thunderhill taking home the win. At the start a car had stalled and a few others were a bit slow getting off the line which allowed me to take advantage of an opportunity to put distance on the rest of the SP field. It was good to have the car's first competition outing to be such a success. Not only with a win but valuable data to take forward into Sonoma. It was great working with RPM this weekend. We have developed a good relationship and look forward to carrying this momentum into Sonoma for round 2.

About Red Panther Motorsport (RPM)
A leading California based professional racing team. RPM competes in the Hankook Tires United States Touring Car Championship (USTCC) race series and has won multiple class Championships. For more information, please see and visit www.RedPantherMotorsport.com and also like us on our social media channels.