Mid-States Masters Claim SCCA U.S. Majors Tour Conference Championships
TOPEKA, Kan. (July 14, 2016) – The 2016 Mid-States Conference SCCA U.S. Majors Tour has reached its conclusion. Upwards of 400 drivers competed in Mid-States events this season, but only 29 get to claim a Conference Championship.
The Mid-States Conference began its 12-round calendar late in February. Round One and Round Two took place at NOLA Motorsports Park in Avondale, Louisiana. April then saw two Conference events, the first being Round Three and Round Four at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit in Jennings, Oklahoma; followed by Round Five and Round Six at MSR-Houston in Angleton, Texas. An additional two events also landed in May, with Round Seven and Round Eight at Circuit of St. Louis in Madison, Illinois; and Round Nine and Round Ten at Pueblo Motorsports Park. The Conference then took a month off before wrapping up in early July with Round Eleven and Round Twelve at High Plains Raceway in Deer Trail, Colorado.
Points are awarded to the top 20 finishers in each Class. Winners earn 25 points, and 21 points go to second. Points are then doled out to others starting with 18 and descending to a single point for the 20th finisher. Only the best eight races count towards a driver’s point total.
Michael Pettiford managed to claim two Mid-States Conference Champion trophies this year driving two different cars. Pettiford grabbed the top spot in Touring 1 with a Chevrolet Corvette, and then drove a Pontiac Solstice GXP to the Touring 2 championship. And in a unique occurrence, two Corvette drivers, Dane Smith and David Fershtand, each scored exactly 50 points during the course of the Mid-States Conference schedule to become co-champions in the GT-1 Class.
The Prototype 2 Class champion was decided by just five points and went to Jay Messenger who drove a Carbir/Mazda MX-1 to double wins at the Mid-States Conference finale at High Plains Raceway. And the Touring 4 championship was an all Acura RSX affair won by only 3 points by Stanislas Czacki over Jeff Jensen.
Below are Mid-States Conference Champions with Class: Name, Hometown and Car.
-American Sedan: B. Thomas Himes; Slidell, LA; Ford Mustang
-B-Spec: John Phillips; Sealy, TX; Toyota Yaris
-E Production: Matt Reynolds; Fair Oaks, TX; Mazda Miata
-F Production: Randy Wagner; Tulsa, OK; Mazda Miata
-H Production: Chris Albin; Maryland Heights, MO, Volkswagen GTI
-Formula 1000: Kevin Roggenbuck; Woodinville, WA; Firman RFR 1000
-Formula Atlantic: Dwight Rider; Aurora, CO; Ralt RT-41
-Formula Continental: Barry Gilbert; Englewood, CO; Van Dieman RF-03
-Formula 500: John W. Walbran; Saint Louis, MO; Scorpion 2006
-Formula Enterprises: Clifford Maxwell; Leander, TX; Formula Enterprises/Van Diemen
-Formula F: Stephen Meyer; Longmont, CO; Piper DF5
-Formula Mazda: Larry Howard; Kansas City, MO; Formula Mazda
-Formula Vee: Charles Hearn; Houston, TX; Vortech/VW
-GT-1 (Co-Champion): David Fershtand; Fort Worth, TX; Chevrolet Corvette
-GT-1 (Co-Champion): Dane Smith; Springdale, AR; Chevrolet Corvette
-GT-2: Jim Valdez; Denver, CO; BMW E46
-GT-3: George Walker; Tulsa, OK; Mazda Miata
-GT-Lite: Larry Svaton; Alvin, TX; Fiat X1/9
-Prototype 1: Kirk Kindsfater; Eaton, CO; Speads RS11
-Prototype 2: Jay Messenger; Mulshoe, TX; Carbir/Mazda MX-1
-Spec Miata: Max Nufer, Glencoe, MO; Mazda Miata
-Spec Racer Ford: Jim Tibor Jr., Silver Plume, CO; Enterprise SRF
-Spec Racer Ford 3: Grayson Strathman; Jennings OK; SCCA Enterprises SRF3
-Super Touring Lite: Scott Bettinger, Haysville, KS; Mazda Miata
-Super Touring Under: Anthony Simmers; Boulder, Colorado; Volkswagen GTI
-Touring 1: Michael Pettiford; Louisville, CO; Chevrolet Corvette Z06
-Touring 2: Michael Pettiford; Louisville, CO; Pontiac Solstice GXP
-Touring 3: Robert Schader; Lafayette, CO; Nissan 350Z
-Touring 4: Stan Czacki; Truth or Consequences, NM; Acura RSX
The SCCA Majors Tour is a gateway to the SCCA National Championship Runoffs Presented by Garmin VIRB being held September 19-25 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Drivers earn an invite to the annual event by participating in a minimum of three separate U.S. Majors Tour events and have a minimum of three individual race finishes, all in the same Class. Competitors must either finish in the top 10 of a Conference Class with 20 or fewer participants, or be in the top 50 percent of a Class with more than 20 drivers. Another route to the Runoffs is to score points in the top 50 percent of the Nationwide point standings within a Class.
The Sports Car Club of America, Inc., founded in 1944, is a 67,000-member motorsports organization that incorporates all facets of autocross, rally and road racing at both club and professional levels. With headquarters in Topeka, Kansas, the SCCA annually sanctions over 2,000 events through its 115 Regions and professional subsidiary. Much of the SCCA’s activities are made possible with support from the following Official Partners: Chevrolet, the Official Truck of the SCCA; Garmin VIRB, the Official Camera of SCCA; Hawk Performance, the Official Brake Products of SCCA; Mobil 1, the Official Oil of SCCA; SafeRacer, the Official Safety Provider of SCCA; Sunoco, the Official Fuel of SCCA; and Tire Rack, the Official Tire Retailer of SCCA. To learn more, please visit www.scca.com.
Photo: Matt Reynolds on his way to an F Production Mid-States Conference Championship
Photo Credit: Hallett Foto Shoppe
