LOCAL INITIATIVES
Racing towards victory happens on the track, but the starting line really begins at the autoshop. FASTx Autosport is San Marcos’s very own race shop specializing in high-performance track cars. They have partnered with Black Flag Sarcoma Racing to build a one-ofa- kind racecar to compete in the 2025 Super Lap Battle at Circuit of the Americas this next weekend. The goal of the race is not to just chase lap records but to race for a bigger mission — to raise awareness and funding for synovial sarcoma research. Callan Spence will be behind the wheel. Taking on this challenge is nothing compared to the battle he has been facing since 2022. At just 16 years old, Callan was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, which is an aggressive and rare form of cancer. Doctors initially thought his tumor was inoperable and advised hospice care. Through resiliency Callan and his family refused to give up and their race for a cure led them to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Through surgery and proton radiation treatments, Callan was declared to have “No Evidence of Disease” in December of 2022. In celebration of his recovery and determination to help others racing for their own cure, his parents Chas and Laura Spence launched the Spence Family Synovial Sarcoma Fund, which has already raised over a million dollars to support research and improved treatments for synovial sarcoma patients. They are also the founders of Black Flag Sarcoma Racing — a motorsports initiative designed to spread awareness and raise donations through competitive racing.
Black Flag Sarcoma Racing is making impacts on the track and in hospitals by supporting the development of Tumor-Glow, which is an advancing cancer treatment developed at the University of Pennsylvania hospital. The treatment uses injectable dyes that make tumors “light up” and helps surgeons identify tumor margins. The success of TumorGlow is expected to help patients and improve surgical outcomes for sarcoma and other cancers. The racing team is highlighting this achievement in cancer research by featuring TumorGlow’s chemical structure on the car’s exterior to display during the Super Lap Battle.
FASTx Autosport was founded by Kevin Fennell who is an experienced race car builder and engineer who built and drove the 2018 NASA TT2 Time Attack National Champion-winning “FASTx Lotus Exige.” Through his passion and drive he founded FASTx Autosport in 2022, where he and his team specialize in custom motorsports wiring, trackside support, driver coaching, and high-performance car builds. Not only building cars but building racers with support and knowledge.
“Since 2022, we’ve been busy making cars fast and helping people enjoy the thrill of motorsports,” Fennell said. “From [the] Champ Car Endurance Series at San Marcos’ own Harris Hill Raceway, to NASA races and time attack events at Circuit of the Americas and beyond, we’re proud to have a growing shelf full of trophies. But this project with Black Flag Sarcoma Racing is bigger than just racing — it’s about making an impact beyond the track.”
The Black Flag Sarcoma Lotus Exige is the most ambitious and meaningful build FASTx Autosport has ever undertaken. The car features a twin-turbocharged, 1,000-horsepower powertrain specifically designed to set record lap times, and they hope to win the Limited Class at Super Lap Battle 2025 on April 12 and 13. Over the past year, the team has dedicated over 750 hours to fine-tuning every single aspect of this car and ensuring the build is ready to safely handle the over 180 miles per hour expected at top speed.
All those hours will pay off as Callan Spence takes the wheel of the Black Flag Sarcoma Lotus Exige at Super Lap Battle where he will be competing against some of the fastest time attack cars in North America. The team’s goal isn’t just to win — it’s to turn every lap into a platform for raising awareness of synovial sarcoma research and treatment advancements.
One can catch the race at the Circuit of The Americas on April 12 and 13 or explore the journey of FASTx Autosport, Black Flag Sarcoma Racing and Callan Spence on the FASTx instagram and youtube channel. The team has been documenting the build and journey to showcase the work it takes to not only build a race car but to build hope, awareness and resiliency against cancer. Follow FASTx on their instagram at @FASTxAutosport and their youtube at FASTx-Autosport. Buy tickets for the race at superlabbattleusa. com. Keep up to date with the Spence family’s race toward a synovial sarcoma cure at their foundation’s website at synovialsarcomafund. com
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But this project with Black Flag Sarcoma Racing is bigger than just racing — it’s about making an impact beyond the track.
–FAST X FOUNDER KEVIN FENNEL
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Callan Spence sits behind the wheel of the Lotus Exige. Photo provided by Fastx Autosport
Soon to take on the Circuit of Americas is a one-of-a-kind 1,000-horsepower twin-turbo Lotus Exige built by FASTx Autosport. Photo provided by Fastx Autosport
