September 22, 2012

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Sept. 23, 2012) — Mike Moser, of Milwaukee, Wis., earned his first SCCA National Championship Runoffs® win, topping the H Production class at Road America. Mike Origer, of Barrington, Ill., finished second. Another Wisconsinite, Greg Gauper, from Hubertus, finished third.

Gumout pole winner Moser led the field through Turn One with Origer on his tail, but the fight for the lead would have to wait for three laps, after an opening lap incident in Turn Five brought out a full-course caution.

When racing resumed on lap four, Moser’s No. 01 ETE Reman/RWM Auto/Goodyear Honda CRX led a breakaway pack of four cars (Moser, Origer, Chris Albin and Gauper) until lap seven, when second-place Origer made his move. The Runoffs rookie drafted past Moser and into the lead in Turn One. Moser pulled the exact same move four turns later, however, drafting Origer on the downhill to Turn Five and diving to the inside.

“He overtook me and I figured I’d let him go, but I got a really good run out of Turn Three and into Five,”Moser said. “I out-braked him, went to the inside and was able to get ahead. He was still in my mirror for a couple of laps, but once I got a little distance I settled down a bit and ran my race. Fortunately for me, it turned out good.”

Moser’s re-pass for the lead earned him the GoPro Hero Move of the Race. From that point forward, Moser was able to steadily pull a gap on Origer, setting the Hawk Fastest Race Lap in the process, a 2:40.873 (89.512 mph). He crossed the finish line with a 4.016-second margin of victory.

“This feels great,”Moser said with a grin. “I’m still trying to take it in. Even after the checkered flag, I’m wondering ‘did I really do this?’ I’m looking forward to more in the years to come.”

Starting third, Origer made sure to stick to the back of Moser’s bumper on the start, enabling him to pass Chris Albin, of Maryland Heights, Mo., for second. On the lap-four restart, Albin was all over Origer’s No. 0 Remax/Unlimited NW Volkswagen Scirocco, but became distracted by his own battle for third. This allowed Origer to re-focus his attention on Moser, whom he passed on lap seven, briefly taking the lead.

“I wanted to see if the air was any better out there,”joked Origer. “He [Moser] gave me a little room and I had some speed coming up the front straight. I put my nose in there, but then he decided he was going to take it back. I figured I would follow the leader until the end, but I got myself a bit wide, mid-way through the race in Canada Corner, and I think I knocked my alignment off. It didn’t seem to have the grip that it did before.”

Indeed, shortly after his passing attempt for the lead, the gap to Moser began to steadily increase. Origer would have to settle for second in his first Runoffs appearance.

Driving the No. 15 Rana Mort Racing/Goodyear Honda Civic Si, Gauper fought Albin for third through the first half of the race as Moser and Origer were hooked up out front.

“It was a great race for the four of us,”Gauper recalled. “In all my years of running, I know it’s important to stay in single-file early, because as soon as you break the draft, you’re going to get left behind. I was trying to discipline myself to the point that, even though at one point I had a shot at Chris [Albin], I thought it was more important to stay behind him and push him and keep up with the two Mikes (Moser and Origer).”

At the same time, Origer was making his bid for the lead, Gauper decided it was his time to make a run on Albin for the final podium spot.

“I don’t know what happened to Chris about halfway, because all of a sudden I had a great run on him out of Turn Three and it was like he was parked,”recalled Gauper. “I figured I couldn’t wait for him to get going, so I set off after the two Mikes, but I didn’t have enough to catch them without the drafting help. I think if I’d had Chris to help me push, I might have been able to get closer.”

According to Gauper, the defending HP Champion, collecting the bronze on this day was equally as rewarding as Runoffs gold.

“That was a lot of fun,”smiled Gauper. “I think I worked harder for this third than I did for the win last year. I was whipped out getting out of the car. That was definitely one of the most fun races I’ve run.”

Albin’s No. 3 Hoosier/24-7-parts.com/AMT engines Volkswagen Golf GTI crossed the line in fourth. Jason Isely, of Coto de Cazda, Calif., finished fifth in the No. 99 RACER.com/Hoosier/AST/OS Giken/TRD Toyota Yaris.

Michael Miller, of Walhalla, S.C., earned the Sunoco Hard Charger Award, advancing from 19th to 11th in the 13-lap race.

Now in its 49th year, the SCCA National Championship Runoffs annually crowns Champions in the Sports Car Club of America’s Club Racing classes. The live broadcast of all 28 National Championship races will be available through Sunday at http://www.SpeedcastTV.com/scca and later available On Demand from the same site.

Follow the action on Twitter @SCCAOfficial or the SCCA, Inc. Official Facebook page at facebook.com/sccaofficial. More information is available at http://www.scca.com.

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Provisional Results from Sunday’s H Production National Championship Race, part of the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Road America with finish position, starting position in parenthesis, driver, hometown, car and laps complete.
1, (1), Mike Moser, Milwaukee, WI, Honda CRX, 13.
2, (3), Mike Origer, Barrington, IL, Volkswagen Scirocco, 13.
3, (4), Greg Gauper, Hubertus, WI, Honda Civic Si, 13.
4, (2), Chris Albin, Maryland Heights, MO, Volkswagen Golf GTI, 13.
5, (6), Jason Isley, Coto De Caza, CA, Toyota Yaris, 13.
6, (5), Tim Pitts, Louisville, TN, Volkswagen Golf, 13.
7, (13), Bob Eichelberger, Imperial, MO, Austin-Healey Sprite, 13.
8, (9), Matt Brannon, Columbus, OH, Fiat X-1/9, 13.
9, (14), Tom Broring, Derwood, MD, Triumph Spitfire, 13.
10, (17), Tom Hannagan, Barrington, IL, Datsun 510, 13.
11, (19), Michael H Miller, Walhalla, SC, Austin-Healey Sprite, 13.
12, (18), Rob Horrell Jr, Memphis, TN, Austin-Healey Sprite, 12.
13, (10), William Trainer, Lake In The Hills, IL, Volkswagen Scirocco, 11.
14, (12), Andrew Wright, Murfreesboro, TN, Triumph Spitfire, 9.
15, (11), Jamie Bestwick, Port Matilda, PA, Toyota Yaris, 9.
DNF, (8), W. Jay Griffin, Titusville, FL, Honda CRX Si, 3.
DNF, (15), Jack Schulz, Monett, MO, MG Midget, 0.
DNF, (16), Dayle Frame, DeWitt, MI, Austin-Healey Sprite, 0.
DNS, (7), Ron Bartell, Madbury, NH, MG Midget, .
DNS, (20), John Stanford, Leo, IN, Triumph Spitfire, .

Overall Time of Race: 40:08.224
Average Race Speed: 77.734 mph
Margin of Victory: 4.016 seconds
Hawk Fastest Race Lap: 2:40.873
Fastest Race Lap Average Speed: 89.512 mph
Sunoco Hard Charger: #64 Michael Miller
Lap Leaders: #01, laps 1-13

2012 SCCA National Championship Runoffs

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Sept. 23, 2012) — Don Knowles, of Pittsboro, N.C., scored a flag-to-flag victory Sunday to take his sixth SCCA National Championship in winning the Touring 2 Runoffs® race at Road America. Marty Grand, of Manassas Park, Va., and Todd Napieralski, of Chelsea, Mich., completed the podium.

Starting from his sixth career Runoffs Gumout Pole Position, Knowles got a big jump at the drop of the green flag, opening up a 3.3-second lead by the completion of lap two as his competitors battled behind. Knowles drove his No. 32 Phoenix/Hawk/Hoosier Ford Mustang GT to a 2.984-second victory, averaging 96.414 mph.

“Todd Napieralski’s car and Marty Grand’s car both have more speed at the start-finish line than I do, so I knew that they were going to accelerate harder at the start,”Knowles said. “I knew I needed to get a good start, which worked out for me.

“Once I got a good start, I just tried to focus on running good laps. If they catch me going into Five, that’s one kind of race, if they don’t catch me into Five, then that’s a different kind of race.

“Once I got in the lead, I started talking to myself. ‘You don’t get into this position very often! Don’t mess this up, just hit your marks. Just do your job. Just shut up and drive.’ From my point of view, I never looked in the mirror after the first lap in Turn Five.”

The battle for second was fierce early, with Grand’s No. 43 AMS/UCSPerformance/TRE/Hoosier/Carbotech Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution fending off first Steve Jenkins’ No. 28 Trim-Tex/BRM/HRE Wheels/Fall-Line Porsche 996 and, later, Napieralski’s No. 33 Chevrolet Performance/TPR/BackStreet Performance Chevrolet Camaro.

“Our game plan was to tuck up behind Don and get into second, so that went great at the start,”Grand said. “The fear was that if Todd [Napieralski] and Jenkins battled me too close that Don might get away and that’s what happened. I couldn’t shake them. I tried to get a gap on them, but they were just too fast.”

The Grand/Jenkins battle broke off on lap eight, when Jenkins went off in Turn 14 and ended his day.

“Eventually, I got into a good rhythm and actually began to close the gap a little bit,”Grand said. “But I slid sideways in Turn 14 and lost about two seconds and after that I was just trying to maintain the car.”

Grand was not safe in second, though, as a resurgent Napieralski closed on the Mitsubishi in the final two laps. After getting to his bumper a couple of times, Naperalski’s hope for a silver medal faded in Turn Five on the final lap, as he ran wide, allowing Grand to open up a gap.

“I was experiencing some brake problems in the second half of the race, like all of us were,”Napieralski said. “I started closing on Marty [Grand] late in the race and went over the hill into Turn Five and the [brake] pedal went to the floor. I just started downshifting and pumping the brakes, trying to scrub speed. I went into the sand, but had enough momentum to get out of it and get back on track and nurse it home for third.”

Napieralski earned the Hawk Hot Lap of the race, with a record-setting 2:28.248 (97.135 mph) on lap five.

John Kachadurian, of Chicago, Ill., finished fourth after starting his No. 80 Grey Fox Racing BMW M3 seventh. Alan Kossof, of Wheeling, Ill., was fifth in his No. 2 Kossof Motorsports BMW M3.

Pratt Cole finished sixth in his No. 88 Western Metals Transport Ford Mustang, earning the GoPro Hero Move of the Race for his pass around the outside of Napieralski in Turn One on the fourth lap.

Tom Wickersham, of San Ramon, Calif., started17th and finished 11th in his No. 94 Maine Straight Racing Honda S2000 to earn the Sunoco Hard Charger award.

Follow the action on Twitter @SCCAOfficial or the SCCA, Inc. Official Facebook page at facebook.com/sccaofficial. More information is available at http://www.scca.com.

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — Provisional results from Sunday’s SCCA National Championship Race for Touring 2 at Road America, with finishing position, starting position in parenthesis, hometown, car and laps complete.
1, (1), Don Knowles, Pittsboro, NC, Ford Mustang GT, 13.
2, (3), Marty Grand, Manassas Park, VA, Mistubishi Lancer Evolution Evo, 13.
3, (2), Todd Napieralski, Chelsea, MI, Chevrolet Camaro Z-28, 13.
4, (7), John Kachadurian, Chicago, IL, BMW M3, 13.
5, (9), Alan Kossof, Wheeling, IL, BMW M3, 13.
6, (5), Pratt Cole, Salt Lake City, UT, Ford Mustang GT, 13.
7, (8), Brian Kleeman, Baltimore, MD, Ford Mustang GT, 13.
8, (11), Bill Baten, Indianapolis, IN, Ford Mustang GT, 13.
9, (10), William Moore, Chagrin Falls, OH, Pontiac Solstice GXP, 13.
10, (12), James Leithauser, Westminster, CO, BMW Z4 M Coupe, 13.
11, (17), Tom J Wickersham, San Ramon, CA, Honda S2000, 13.
12, (15), Dan Spirek, Parker, CO, BMW Z4 M Coupe, 13.
13, (14), Chris Outzen, Sudbury, MA, Nissan 350Z, 13.
14, (16), John H. Baker, Portland, OR, Nissan 350Z, 13.
15, (13), Randy Tauro, Hollis, NH, Nissan 370Z NISMO, 12.
16, (4), Steve Jenkins, Glenview, IL, Porsche 996, 7.
DNS, (6), Cooper I MacNeil, Hinsdale, IL, Ford Mustang GT.

Overall Time of Race: 32:21.628
Average Race Speed: 96.414 mph
Margin of Victory: 2.984 seconds
Hawk Fastest Race Lap: 2:28.248, Napieralski
Fastest Race Lap Average Speed: 97.135 mph
Sunoco Hard Charger: #94 Tom Wickersham
Lap Leaders: #32 Don Knowles, laps 1-13

2012 SCCA National Championship Runoffs

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Sept. 23, 2012) – Michael Varacins, of Burlington, Wis., may have started and finished the Formula Vee race at the front, but it was by no means an easy SCCA National Championship Runoffs race at Road America for the Wisconsin native. Varacins drafted past Roger Siebenaler, of North Hero, Vt., at the finish line to take the win. Gary Blanarik, of Baden, Penn., finished third behind Siebenaler.

The Formula Vee race began with two early caution periods. The first to retrieve the No. 77 ARS Inc/Veesport Racing/AutoWerks Volkswagen VDF in Turn Six, which belonged to third-starting Rick Shields, from, Bridgeville, Penn. Shortly after the restart a second full-course caution was issued when the No. 37 Irion Filtration/Noble Racing/Goody Vortech FV of Charles Hearn, of Houston, Texas, came to a stop upside down on the front straight. Both drivers walked away from their respective incidents.

Racing resumed in earnest on lap five with Varacins leading Blanarik, Chris Jennerjahn and Siebenaler into Turn One. On the following lap Blanarik and Jennerjahn breezed past Varacins on the front straight for the top two positions, but Varacins had the lead right back on the following lap.

“I think I was pretty quick through the back section, so going into Turn Five on the first lap, I made it difficult for the guys to go around me because I knew if I could get through Five in the lead we could maybe stretch it out,” Varacins said. “That was my main mission. The first couple times I did it I was getting annoyed with the full-course yellows, because we’d get spread out, but then there’d be another full-course yellow.

“My strategy changed depending on how many cars were in the pack. I didn’t want to make too big of an issue out of things when I could see so many cars in our mirrors, but once the four of us (Varacins, Siebenaler, Blanarik and Jennerjahn) broke away, then I had a little more leeway to dice around a little bit. I didn’t want to be at the end of that train because if someone made a mistake, then the first two cars were gone. I kept fighting to make sure I was no further back than second.”

For the final two laps, Varacins and Siebenaler broke away from Blanarik and Jennerjahn who were in their own battle for the final podium spot. In true Formula Vee fashion, the win came down to drafting strategy on the final lap.

“On the last lap it was Roger and I,” Siebenaler said. “I was a little surprised to see him go by coming into 12. I was okay with leading out of Turn 14, because I wasn’t sure he’d be able to get me at the line. I was willing to take that chance and see if it happened.”

Siebenaler made his move in Canada Corner, but Varacins had the momentum coming out of Turn 14 and drafted past Siebenaler at the finish line, winning his second Formula Vee Championship by 0.101-second. The pass won Varacins the GoPro Hero Move of the Race.

“This one feels better than the first,” Varacins said. “After you win the first one, you think that you’re going to have more of them, but the last two years, wins have been few and far between. When you win the second one, you appreciate it more than the second one, so this is great.”

Second-starting Siebenaler fell back to fourth early, but knew that was the name of the game in Formula Vee racing.

“I got a pretty good start, but that doesn’t do you any good here because there’s two other straightaway for everyone to get by you,” Seibenaler said. “That’s pretty much what happened and I knew it was going to happen. I was content staying there, because I knew the guys in the pack were pretty fast. I figured I’d work my way back when the time comes.”

Seibenaler worked his way back to a battle for the win. After exchanging the lead with Varacins on seemingly every lap, the time came for the defending FV Champion to pick his spot for the final run to the finish line.

“My strategy was obviously the wrong strategy,” lamented Seibenaler. “I passed him [Varacins] going into Canada Corner and I probably shouldn’t have. I should know better than that. I thought I may have had an opportunity if I could ace Turn 14 coming onto the front straight and maybe I could pull him up the hill. That didn’t work; he had good momentum up the hill and drafted past me. I knew I was a sitting duck. It was going to happen to one of us. I should have waited a few more corners.”

Fourth-starting Blanarik had hoped to stay with the leaders to the end, but his fight with Jennerjahn allowed the leaders to pull out of reach.

“Chris got really sideways coming into Turn 14 and I checked up because I thought he was going to come across in front of me and I had to really tighten up my line,” Blanarik recalled. “I pulled in front of him and we tried to work together to catch back up, but we couldn’t make up the gap.”

With six Runoffs starts in Formula Vee on his resume, Blanarik also knew that his position relative to Jennerjahn would be key to claiming his first Runoffs podium.

“I was hoping that he would pass me going into Canada Corner, so I held the inside, gave him the pass and he took it,” Blanarik said. “I kind of had a feeling he would. Then, I waited behind him coming into Turn 14, which he had already had a problem there, so I’m sure he was a little nervous, and I was able to run him up the hill for the draft pass.”

Despite setting the Hawk Fastest Race Lap and a new record at 2:40.938 (89.475 mph), Jennerjahn, of Hardford City, Ind., just missed the podium in his No. 48 Jennerjahn Machine, Inc. Vortech. Charles McCormick, of Clarkston, Mich., finished fifth in his No. 69 RSE Incorporated Vortech CM1.

Gary Kittell, of Tully, N.Y., earned the Sunoco Hard Charger Award for climbing from 24th to 13th in his No. 76 Autowerks/Hoosier Caracal D.

Follow the action on Twitter @SCCAOfficial or the SCCA, Inc. Official Facebook page at facebook.com/sccaofficial. More information is available at http://www.scca.com.

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Provisional Results from Sunday’s Formula Vee National Championship Race, part of the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Road America with finish position, starting position in parenthesis, driver, hometown, car and laps complete.
1, (1), Michael Varacins, Burlington, WI, Speed Sport AM-5, 13.
2, (2), Roger Siebenaler, North Hero, VT, Mysterian M2, 13.
3, (4), Gary Blanarik, Baden, PA, Silver Bullet , 13.
4, (5), Chris Jennerjahn, Hartford City, IN, Vortech , 13.
5, (9), Charles McCormick, Clarkston, MI, Vortech CM1, 13.
6, (15), Ron Whitston, Neenah, WI, Protoform P2, 13.
7, (6), Jeff Loughead, Darien, IL, Vortech CR04, 13.
8, (14), Stevan Davis, Danielsville, GA, Racer’s Wedge SB-1, 13.
9, (8), Jonathan Weisheit, Baltimore, MD, Protoform P-2, 13.
10, (7), Andy Pastore, Watertown, MA, Citation 89FV-06, 13.
11, (10), Dennis Andrade, Brush Prairie, WA, Vortech 5, 13.
12, (22), Jim Dziewior, La Grange, IL, Citation Speedsport, 13.
13, (24), Gary Kittell, Tully, NY, Caracal D, 13.
14, (18), Gavin Sweeney, San Francisco, CA, Crusader Formula Vee, 13.
15, (25), Guy Bellingham, Brantford, ON, BRD AFV02, 13.
16, (23), Stuart Delaney, Plymouth, MI, Adams J, 13.
17, (20), Ron Wake, Lafayette, CA, Mysterian M4, 13.
18, (27), Terran Swanson, Petaluma, CA, Caldwell D-13, 13.
19, (17), Donnie Isley, Fletcher, NC, Agitator 016a, 13.
20, (26), Tyler Hunter, Denver, CO, Volkswagen Vortec, 13.
21, (31), Brian Swanson, Petaluma, CA, Mysterian M4, 13.
22, (33), Mike Landon, Zionsville, IN, Dunlap SL2, 13.
23, (29), David Satterley, Belleville, MI, Protoform -2, 13.
24, (34), Chris Elwell, Moscow, PA, Womer EV-3, 13.
25, (35), Hughie Maloney, Freeland, PA, Womer EV-3, 13.
26, (28), Rick Ruckman, Nettie, WV, Mysterian M2, 13.
27, (19), Brandon Abbott, Livonia, MI, Vector AM-1, 12.
28, (21), Robert Neumeister, Pueblo, CO, LYNX Querida, 12.
29, (36), Jack Maloney, Potomac, MD, Lazer Mk 2.5, 10.
30, (30), Russell Fredericks, Northport, NY, Caracal D, 7.
DNF, (12), Lisa Noble, Manhattan, KS, Vortech 817, 2.
DNF, (11), Charles Hearn, Houston, TX, Vortech FV, 1.
DNF, (3), Rick Shields, Bridgeville, PA, Volkswagen VDF, 0.
DNF, (13), David Scaler, Flemington, NJ, Vortech FV, 0.
DNF, (16), Andrew Abbott, Livonia, MI, Vector AM-1, 0.
DNF, (32), Mark Felsen, Denver, CO, Vortech FV, 0.

Overall Time of Race: 40:49.156
Average Race Speed: 76.434 mph
Margin of Victory: 0.101-second
Hawk Fastest Race Lap: 2:40.938
Fastest Race Lap Average Speed: 89.475 mph
Sunoco Hard Charger: #76 Gary Kittell
Lap Leaders: #65, laps 1-5, 7-13; #48, lap 6

2012 SCCA National Championship Runoffs

Dixon Dominates Formula 1000 Race in SCCA Runoffs at Road America

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Sept. 23, 2012) — Brandon Dixon, of Tuscaloosa, Ala., led flag-to-flag in dominating fashion to capture his second-career Formula 1000 title at the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs® at Road America. Mike Beauchamp, of Green Bay, Wis., and Jake Latham, of Broomfield, Colo., completed the podium.

Dixon started from the Gumout pole position in the No. 7 Citation Engineering/Hoosier Tire Citation Suzuki and got a great jump at the start. He took the lead in Turn One and never looked back. Dixon won by more than one lap over Beauchamp.

“On the opening lap, J.R. Osborne was strong,”Dixon said. “I thought he had chance to be a very strong competitor. But, it looked like he had engine problems on the second lap. At that point, there was a pretty big gap. I tried to keep focused, hit my marks and not make a big mistake. There was no reason to drive 10 tenths, but drive hard enough to make the car work well and stay really focused.

“Both [wins] mean a lot to me. Last year, it was disappointing with no one to blame but myself. I wanted this win this year. I wanted it a lot.”

Dixon turned the Hawk Performance fast race lap with a 2:07.543 (112.903 mph), which set a new Runoffs fast race lap record.

Driving the No. 25 Gyrodynamics/Slick Eyewear Van Diemen, Beauchamp started ninth and was in the top five by lap three. On lap six, Beauchamp passed Michael Crowe, of Jamestown, Ky., for third. At this point, Beauchamp and Latham swapped spots several times. In fact, this battle lasted until the penultimate lap when Beauchamp made his final move, passing Latham for a second-place finish.

“I got kind of a bad start,”Beauchamp said. “A lot of the guys behind me got around me. But, attrition played a part. Traffic played a part. I was able to run Jake down a couple of times. Then, he ran me down. Some guys dropped out. Some spun right in front of us, in fact. That certainly helped us move up. it’s incredible to be here.”

Latham started seventh in the No. 5 SCR Performance/GDRE/Rocky Soft Stohr Suzuki and made a brief appearance in the top three by lap five, but soon came under fire from Glen Cooper, of Roswell, Ga., Beauchamp, and Crowe and was shuffled back to fifth.

Undaunted, Latham persevered and was in second with one lap to go. But, Beauchamp got around him on the final lap and Latham had to settle for his second consecutive third-place Formula 1000 National Championship finish.

“I had a real bad start because I was being very conservative,”Latham said. “it’s a new car and I’m not used to open wheels. I wanted to make sure I made it through Turn One. After that, a couple of cars I out-qualified were ahead of me, I was able to get by them. I spent the whole race trying to chase down people.

“The Formula Atlantics had a big affect on my race and I know for Mike [Beauchamp] as well. When they [Formula Atlantic cars] came by Mike would pass me and I would have to pass him again. At the end, you saw how close it was. That last lap was entertaining. There was an Atlantic car right in the middle of us, and I ended up right behind Mike’s wing going through the Kink. I couldn’t quite get him on the brakes into Canada Corner. I thought I might be able to get him through Turn 14. But, he kind of got crossed up and a little bit sideways. I had to brake a little bit on the way out. It was just a run up the hill to the line to see who had a better drive. It was an unbelievably thrilling time.”

Daniel Robinson, of Marquette, Mich., finished fourth in the No. 24 Frontier Medical Devices Novak Van Diemen RF99 and was awarded the Sunoco Hard Charger for his efforts. He started 13th.

Jeremy Hill, of Toronto, Canada, finished fifth in the No. 00 Hoosier Tire Photon VD07 Suzuki.

Follow the action on Twitter @SCCAOfficial or the SCCA, Inc. Official Facebook page at facebook.com/sccaofficial. More information is available at http://www.scca.com.

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Provisional Results from Sunday’s Formula 1000 National Championship Race, part of the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Road America with finish position, starting position in parenthesis, driver, hometown, car and laps complete.

1, (1), Brandon Dixon, Tuscaloosa, AL, Citation Suzuki, 13.
2, (9), Mike Beauchamp, Green Bay, WI, Van Diemen , 12.
3, (7), Jake Latham, Broomfield, CO, Stohr Suzuki, 12.
4, (13), Daniel Robinson, Marquette, MI, Novak Van Diemen RF99, 12.
5, (2), Jeremy Hill, Toronto, ON, Photon VD07 Suzuki, 12.
6, (12), Juan R Marchand, South Haven, MI, Van Diemen RF98-2 Suzuki, 12.
7, (11), Terry Biner, Sandy, UT, Firman F. B. Suzuki, 12.
8, (10), Alex Mayer, Harleysville, PA, Elan Elan, 12.
9, (8), Glenn Cooper, Roswell, GA, RFR F1000 Suzuki, 10.
10, (15), John LaBrie, Draper, UT, Phoenix Suzuki, 10.
11, (3), Brian Novak, Dearborn, MI, Nova-Piper F1000 Suzuki, 9.
12, (6), Michael Crowe, Jamestown, KY, Van Diemen Suzuki, 8.
DNF, (14), Christopher Ash, Centennial, CO, Speads Suzuki, 5.
DNF, (5), Larry Vollum, Portland, OR, Stohr Suzuki, 3.
DNF, (4), J.R. Osborne, Englewood, CO, JDR 012 Suzuki, 1.

Overall Time of Race: 28:40.878
Average Race Speed: 108.782 mph
Margin of Victory: 1 lap seconds
Hawk Fastest Race Lap: 2:07.543
Fastest Race Lap Average Speed: 112.903 mph
Sunoco Hard Charger: #24 Daniel Robinson
Lap Leaders: #7 — Laps 1-13

2012 SCCA National Championship Runoffs

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Sept. 23, 2012) – After 11 SCCA National Championship Runoffs ® starts, Jason Byers, of Livonia, Mich., finally claimed his first National Championship, beating defending champion Michael Mallinen, of Liberty Lake, Wash., for the Formula Atlantic title. Keith Grant, of Germantown, Tenn., finished third.

At the drop of the green flag it was Grant who launched into the lead, but he was never comfortable there, with Byers and Mallinen all over his rear wing. By lap two, Byers made the move in Turn Five to reclaim the lead.

“I was driving hard, doing some drafting, making sure I hit my corners right and just made the best of my situation at the time,” Byers said. “Being the third car in line, they [Grant and Mallinen] were definitely punching a hole for me, so I was able to work with that.”

Mallinen followed Byers around Grant and gave chase to the No. 28 Swan/Hoosier Swift .014a Toyota. Mallinen’s No. 71 Hoosier Tires/TRD/Swan Racing Swift .014a Toyota streamed past Byers on the front straight to start lap three, but Byers took the spot right back in Turn Five. It was an exchange that would continue for the remainder of the 13-lap race, which the Formula Atlantic class shared with the Formula 1000 (FB) class.

“We (Byers and Mallinen) had two real close ones,” Byers recalled. “Coming down the center straight (from Turn Three to Turn Five) he gave me less than an inch. I was running half the left tire off the track and squirming down the straightaway. At least it felt that way. On another exchange I caught an FB (Formula 1000) coming into Turn 14 and I lost a little gap and Mike was able to draft me coming into Turn Five. Again, he left me a little less than an inch on the exit. But, I wasn’t going to give up. I really wanted this one.”

The pair’s lap 11 exchange in Turn Five earned Byers the GoPro Hero Move of the Race Award.

On the final lap, Byers crossed the line with only 0.643-second on Mallinen who turned the Hawk Fastest Race Lap and a new Formula Atlantic record at 2:01.496 (118.522 mph). Despite this, Byers faced no serious challenge from Mallinen for the lead. He claimed his first Runoffs win by 1.050 seconds.

“Fortunately, they didn’t give me the ‘one to go,’ otherwise I probably would have screwed up,” joked Byers. “So I just kept it as clean and quick as possible. I was very thankful to see the checkered flag. This feels very satisfying.”

Though he is only officially credited with leading one lap at the line, Mallinen not only had a great start, but made several clean passes on Byers for the lead. The 2011 FA Champion was clearly having a fun race at Road America.

“The start was great,” Mallinen said. “I had a wonderful start and Jason [Byers] did not. I went up the inside and had about an inch to spare against the inside wall, but made it through. I dropped behind Keith [Grant] and the first three or four laps were hectic and everybody was nose-to-tail. Jason and I were lucky enough to get in front of Keith. Then, I focused on Jason. He and I had a wonderful battle. It was great racing. We both gave each other an inch, but no more, and we were both right on each other.”

Grant led the race early thanks to a poor start from Byers, who admitted after the race that he missed a shift.

“At the start I don’t know what happened to Jason, but he hesitated and I pulled ahead of him,” Grant said. “After that I was going down to Turn Five and I got passed by three people all at once. I made a bad decision and tried to tuck to the inside, but that didn’t work. Once they got by, they just continued to pull away.”

Once Byers and Mallinen pulled away, Grant had to defend the final podium spot from Jeff Kowalik, of Cape Coral, Fla. After a couple brief exchanges, Grant had the final podium spot firmly in hand, but had too much ground to make up on the leaders.

“Jeff [Kowalik] was able to pull up to me a few times when we hit traffic once or twice, but for the most part I was able to maintain a solid gap between us,” Grant said.

“My car wasn’t handling quite as well as I hoped it would, so it was a handful throughout the race. I wasn’t really confident, so I just wanted to maintain my spot. I hoped that I would look up and something might happen that I could finish in the lead, but it didn’t.”

Kowalik finished fourth in his No. 77 Northcentral Mazda/Hoosier Swift 016a Mazda. Lewis Cooper, of Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., was fifth in the No. 60 Martini/Voss Water/St. Charles Wine Swift .014a.

Charles Duncan, of Broomfield, Colo., was awarded the Sunoco Hard Charger Award for starting 10th and finishing eighth.

Follow the action on Twitter @SCCAOfficial or the SCCA, Inc. Official Facebook page at facebook.com/sccaofficial. More information is available at http://www.scca.com.

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Provisional Results from Sunday’s Formula Atlantic National Championship Race, part of the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Road America with finish position, starting position in parenthesis, driver, hometown, car and laps complete.
1, (1), Jason Byers, Livonia, MI, Swift .014a Toyota, 13.
2, (3), Michael Mallinen, Liberty Lake, WA, Swift .014a Toyota, 13.
3, (2), Keith Grant, Germantown, TN, Swift .014a Toyota 1800, 13.
4, (4), Jeff Kowalik, Cape Coral, FL, Swift 016a Mazda, 13.
5, (5), Lewis Cooper, Grosse Pointe Woods, MI, Swift .014a, 13.
6, (7), Richard Zober, Newtown, PA, Swift 016a, 13.
7, (8), Snake Livernash, Spanaway, WA, Swift 008a, 13.
8, (10), Charles C. Duncan, Broomfield, CO, Swift 016a Mazda, 13.
DNF, (9), Bruce Hamilton, Monkton, MD, Swift 016a Mazda Cosworth, 0.
DNS, (6), Sedat Yelkin, Canfield, OH, Swift 014 Toyota, .
DNS, (11), Fabio Castellani, Streamwood, IL, Swift .014a Toyota, .

Overall Time of Race: 26:54.456
Average Race Speed: 115.952 mph
Margin of Victory: 1.050 seconds
Hawk Fastest Race Lap: 2:01.496
Fastest Race Lap Average Speed: 118.522 mph
Sunoco Hard Charger: #99 Charles Duncan
Lap Leaders: #40, Lap 1; #28 Laps 2-9, 11-13; #71 Lap 10

2012 SCCA National Championship Runoffs

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Sept. 23, 2012) – John Black, of Olympic Valley, Calif., captured his second-consecutive GT-3 Championship, winning Sunday’s SCCA National Championship Runoffs® race at Road America. Jeff Dernehl, of Woodstock, Ga., and Paul Young, of Commerce Township, Mich., completed the podium.

Starting from the Gumout Pole Position, Black watched second qualifying Mike Henderson, of El Cajon, Calif., get the jump with his No. 12 Mazda/Redline Oil/Goodyear Mazda RX-7 at the drop of the green. On lap three, Black got a good run out of Turn Eight and drove his No. 17 Murillo Racing Nissan 350Z around the outside of Henderson in the Carousel. The pass earned Black the GoPro Hero Move of the Race.

Once out front, Black slowly stretched out his advantage, taking a 1.959-second victory, averaging 99.485 mph.

“I tried to start the race off a little slower, hoping that the Mazdas wouldn’t get to the top speed that they are capable of,” Black said. “At some point, I thought that all three Mazdas might go by me at the start. I felt pretty lucky that it was just one. Mike seemed to be struggling for the first couple of laps and I was able to get by him in the Carousel.

“I was expecting a battle to the very end, with the tires all worn out and people sliding all over the place. Fortunately for me, I made it to the last lap. If I had to go one more, I think Jeff would have gotten me. I pretty much used up everything in the car by the last lap.”

Dernehl qualified his No. 03 Roswell Outback Auto/RRE/Hoosier Mazda RX-7 fourth, but started third when Mike Cyphert didn’t make the grid. Dernehl was challenged early by Wolfgang Maike, who charged from seventh on the grid but retired after 10 laps.

It was the second-straight year that Dernehl finished second to Black at the Runoffs.

“John [Black] is a very tough competitor and I knew that he was going to be very tough to beat out there,” Dernehl said. “Mike [Henderson] has a very fast car and my plan was to hang in there and let those two battle and keep digging. What I didn’t count on was Wolfgang [Maike]! He really gave me a race. I had to keep my eye on the goal, which was to catch the boys in front.

“Once I was by Henderson, I put my sights on John, but I couldn’t quite close the gap. Toward the end, I could sense he was a bit in trouble. I don’t want to wish anything bad on anyone, but I was hoping he might have a problem on the last lap.”

Young started eighth in his No. 79 Young Racing LLC/Hoosier Tire Ford Probe, but charged to the final podium position, turning the Hawk Hot Lap of the race in the process, with a 2:23.593 (100.283 mph). It was Young’s best finish since coming home second in 1999.

“It feels fantastic being back on the [podium],” Young said. “I didn’t have my heart in this thing at the beginning of the week. A lot of people know that my wife passed away a year ago almost to the day. It was tough coming back, because I happened to be here and she was at home.

“I’ve been having some issues this year, and this was really the first time the car has run right all season. Hats off to the guys that help me. It turned out to be a great week.”

James Hargrove, of Surrey, B.C., finished fourth in his No. 38 RaceEnergy/Analytic Systems Honda Civic, followed by Ken Nelson, of Novi, Mich., and his Nissan 200-SX.

Robert Herman, of Cairo, Neb., finished sixth in his No. 0 Herman Plumbing/Kim’s Auto Repair Mazda RX-7, earning the Sunoco Hard Charger Award for advancing from the 13th starting position.

Follow the action on Twitter @SCCAOfficial or the SCCA, Inc. Official Facebook page at facebook.com/sccaofficial. More information is available at http://www.scca.com.

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Provisional results from Sunday’s SCCA National Championship Race for GT-3 at Road America, with finishing position, starting position in parenthesis, hometown, car and laps complete.
1, (1), John Black, Olympic Valley, CA, Nissan 350Z, 13.
2, (4), Jeff Dernehl, Woodstock, GA, Mazda RX-7, 13.
3, (8), Paul Young, Commerce Township, MI, Ford Probe, 13.
4, (6), James Hargrove, Surrey, BC, Honda Civic, 13.
5, (11), Ken Nelson, Novi, MI, Nissan 200-SX, 13.
6, (13), Robert Herman, Cairo, NE, Mazda RX-7, 12.
7, (14), Brian Haupt, Spring Hill, KS, Mazda RX-7, 12.
8, (15), David Dobry, Plymouth, MI, Eagle Talon, 11.
9, (7), Wolfgang Maike, Santa Barbara, CA, Toyota Paseo, 10.
DNF, (2), Mike Henderson, El Cajon, CA, Mazda RX-7, 3.
DNF, (9), Steven Lustig, Chester, NJ, Acura Integra, 1.
DNF, (10), Jim Speights, San Antonio, TX, Mazda Miata, 0.
DNS, (3), Mike Cyphert, Twinsburg, OH, Toyota Celica.
DNS, (5), Rob Warkocki, Frankfort, IL, Mazda RX-7.
DNS, (12), Jim Stinehelfer, Frisco, CO, Mazda Miata.
DNS, (16), Joe Kristensen, London, ON, Acura RSX.

Overall Time of Race: 31:21.687
Average Race Speed: 99.485 mph
Margin of Victory: 1.959 seconds
Hawk Fastest Race Lap: 2:23.593, Black
Fastest Race Lap Average Speed: 100.283 mph
Sunoco Hard Charger: #0 Herman
Lap Leaders: #12 Mike Henderson, laps 1-2; #17 John Black, laps 3-13

2012 SCCA National Championship Runoffs

Steve Forrer, of Milwaukee, Wis., survived a hairy last two corners to hold off Gumout Pole Sitter Jean-Luc Liverato, of Alpharetta, Ga., for the C Sports Racing crown at the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs on Saturday. Jason Miller, of nearby Sheboygan Falls, Wis., finished third.

Forrer’s No. 84 K-Hill Motorsports/Hoosier/Forrer Supply Ralt rt41/Toyota followed the No. 07 Phoenix/Innotech/Mazda/Hoosier Swift JMS17/Mazda of Jacek Mucha around Liverato at the start of the 13-lap, 52-mile race, with Liverato in tow. When Mucha pulled off in turn five on the second lap with mechanical problems, Forrer and the No. 0 K-Hill Motorsports/Hoosier Tire Swift 014a/Toyota were left to battle for the win.

Liverato kept Forrer in his sights for the full distance, pulling to his gearbox on a handful of occasions but not able to get by. Liverato even pulled alongside the Ralt in Canada Corner on lap 10, but without forcing the issue, didn’t have a chance to slide by.

At the finish, Forrer was only 0.203-second ahead of Liverato, but it nearly went the other way. Forrer had stretched his lead to what seemed like a comfortable distance going into the final lap, but the two came up on a lapped car who seemed to be unaware of the battle for the lead behind him.

Trying to go past, Forrer was squeezed onto the rumble strip in turn 14 and lost his momentum in the final run up the hill, allowing Liverato to close the gap. With a full head of steam and moving to the checkered flag, Liverato then encountered the same lapped car. The two touched, and Forrer had just enough steam to get to the checkered flag. The final move to get to the finish earned Forrer the GoPro Hero Move of the Race.

“it’s cold out there and the first two turns were slippery,”Forrer said. “The tires were cold. I like cold tires. I really do. I think I shine.

“That last lap, coming into Turn Eight I saw lapped traffic and I thought, oh boy. When I got to the start/finish line with one lap to go I thought I was pretty comfortable and do what I had been doing. We caught up to them and they [the corner workers] gave them the blue flag in 13 and 14. I don’t know if their crew told them we were coming. I didn’t know where to go so I went inside and he came down on me — smacked me really hard. I went over the rumble bumps and lost momentum.

“Now I’m going up the hill like ‘this is bad.’ In this sport you can make one move and I made one move on Jean. I would have loved to make another move, but I didn’t want to. I happened to win and that’s great.”

Both Forrer and Liverato turned laps under the existing race record, with Forrer turning the Hawk hot lap in 2:01.230 (118.782 mph). Forrer averaged 116.743 mph through the race.

The runner-up finish was Liverato’s first in CSR, and the second podium finish of his career.

“I think the race pretty much boiled down to the start,”Liverato said. “Steve had a fantastic start. It took me probably a lap and half or so for my tires to come in for me to be able to keep the gas down and get back on the gas when I needed to. The amount of distance Steve put on me, I had to put my head down [to make it up]. Probably three quarters of the way through [the race], I was able to gain it back. I believe Steve was watching his mirrors and saw I was coming up.”

Liverato’s last chance came, of course, in the last corner.

“We going around the Carousel and into the Kink I could see we were catching up to some lapped traffic,”Liverato said. “Of course, I was pretty happy to see that because Steve had enough distance on me that last lap that there was no way I could catch that back. It was pretty exciting to see that. Sure enough, coming out of Canada Corner and going into Turn 13, one of the lapped cars did not see us coming and literally came in on Steve and made contact there. That caused Steve to lose some momentum.

“Then, coming into 14 and back up the hill, I had some good momentum. I thought I could squeeze my way through Steve to my left and the lapped traffic to my right. But, evidentially that lapped car did not see me coming through to his left. He came over on me to my right. There was some contact there. At that point, I still had a little momentum. Of course Steve saw me there and did what I would have done. He kind of moved over and did a nice little block. I think we finished two-tenths apart. It was great race.”

With the battle for the lead in front of him, Miller was left all alone in third place for his first podium finish at the Runoffs.

“From the start, it was quite exciting just watching what was unfolding in front of me,”Miller said. “The car was running really well. Unfortunately, we had some issues during the week. So, we didn’t really have any time to get the car setup properly. For me, I needed to feel it out. I didn’t want to challenge a spot until we knew what the capability of what the car could do. So, the setup wasn’t quite there.

“I just started to feel it out, kind of get into a rhythm and watch the race. These guys [Forrer and Liverato] were going at it, having a lot of fun, and making it fun for the fans. It was certainly exciting for me. I knew if I was consistent and do what I needed to do in the car that potentially we would be in the hunt and hopefully on the podium. And, as a result, that’s what happened.”

Brian French (No. 45 Motorsports Enterprises Ralt RT41/Toyota) and Bob Wheless (No. 09 Parts411.com/Viper Stohr WF1/Suzuki) completed the top five.

Chuck Bona, driving the No. 42 Campbell Dental Car/Kevin Mintz Motorsport Stohr WF1/Suzuki, earned the Sunoco Hard Charger after improving four positions to sixth place.

Follow the action on Twitter @SCCAOfficial or the SCCA, Inc. Official Facebook page at facebook.com/sccaofficial. More information is available at http://www.scca.com.

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Provisional Results from Saturday’s C Sports Racing National Championship Race, part of the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Road America with finish position, starting position in parenthesis, driver, hometown, car and laps complete.

1, (3), Steve Forrer, Milwaukee, WI, Ralt rt41 Toyota, 13.
2, (1), Jean-Luc Liverato, Alpharetta, GA, Swift .014a Toyota, 13.
3, (4), Jason Miller, Sheboygan Falls, WI, WynnFurst CSR Kohler, 13.
4, (6), Brian French, Sheboygan, WI, Ralt RT 41 Toyota, 13.
5, (8), Bob Wheless, Reidsville, NC, Stohr WF1 Suzuki, 13.
6, (10), Chuck Bona, Saratoga, CA, Stohr WF1 Suzuki, 13.
7, (9), Sam Souvall, Salt Lake City, UT, Stohr WF1 Suzuki, 12.
DNF, (5), James French, Sheboygan, WI, Ralt Swift 014 Toyota, 5.
DNF, (2), Jacek Mucha, Laval, QC, Swift jms17cp Mazda, 1.
DNF, (7), David Watson, Kleinburg, ON, Stohr WF1 Suzuki, 0.

Overall Time of Race: 26:43.516
Average Race Speed: 116.743 mph
Margin of Victory: 0.203 second
Hawk Fastest Race Lap: 2:01.230
Fastest Race Lap Average Speed: 118.782 mph
Sunoco Hard Charger: #42 Chuck Bona
Lap Leaders: #07 — lap 1, #84, laps 2-13

2012 SCCA National Championship Runoffs

Scott Tucker, of Overland Park, Kan., grabbed his second title of the week on Saturday at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs®, winning D Sports Racing and becoming the first SCCA Club Racer to break the two-minute lap time barrier in a race at Road America. Lee Alexander, of Las Vegas, Nev., and Tom Bootz, of Evansville, Ind., finished on the podium.

Tucker cruised to a 34.988-second win, averaging 118.308 mph over the 13-lap, 52-mile race at Road America. Tucker was never seriously challenged in the No. 55 West Race Cars/Hoosier West WX10/Suzuki for the lead, especially after turning a lap of 1:59.991 on lap four to become the first to break that historic mark in a race.

With the lap, Tucker will be recognized by the Chicago Region SCCA with a plaque hung in the Road America office, as well as a charitable donation to the SCCA Foundation. Tucker eventually turned the Hawk Hastest Lap of the race with a 1:59.684 (120.317 mph), running three laps under the two-minute barrier. Those fast laps earned Tucker the GoPro Hero Move of the Race.

it’s the fifth National Championship for Tucker, who also won the Super Touring® Over title earlier in the week.

“That was a mission statement when we started this project, we’ve been working on it all year,”Tucker said of breaking the two minute barrier. “I didn’t realize what a big deal it was until we got here and we did it in qualifying. it’s really our crew and team that really did all the underneath the hood work and did all of the development work to get the car where it is today. Today was really an experiment to see what we’ve developed, if it would last 13 laps in a very high strung environment. So far, so good, but we’ll have to tear it down and see where the issues are.

“it’s such a great class, where you have the opportunity to be somewhat unlimited.”

Alexander started third in the No. 48 Factory 48 Motorsports/APE Raceparts Stohr WF1/Suzuki and battled early with Chris Farrell and Lawrence Loshak, until Farrell’s No. 58 C&M Manufacturing/GDR Engines/Hoosier Tire Stohr WF1/Suzuki spun in Turn Five. The spin caught out Loshak’s No. 7 ETE Reman/Moon Supercycle/Goodyear Stohr WF1/Suzuki, who sheared off Farrell’s wing. Though Loshak continued for one more lap, his day ended shortly thereafter.

With that, Alexander was left alone for the remaining laps, battling only the track and the threat of rain.

“I wasn’t really quite sure what happened to Chris and Lawrence,”Alexander said. “I outbroke Chris going into five and then looked in my mirror and they weren’t there. I was all by myself and at that point I knew there was no chance of catching Scott. I just wanted to make sure I put in consistent laps and not do anything really dumb, especially toward the end when it started misting out there. It was getting really slippery.

“It changes so quickly here. It can be drizzling in one corner on one lap, and then the next lap you come around again and it’s not. At that point my crew told me I had enough of a gap, just to take it easy. The worst part seemed to be the back half of the track… but I think we finished just in time.”

Bootz started eighth after changing to his fourth engine of the week in the No. 36 Hoosier/Havoc Motorsports/Bootz Industries Stohr WF1/Suzuki, then survived two spins to finish third. The defending class champion held on for his third career podium finish at the Runoffs.

“To begin the week, we lost an engine in testing,”Bootz said. “Then we lost an engine in testing. And then we lost an engine in the first qualifier. This was on engine number four today, so we didn’t get many qualifying laps. We started in eighth and got by a couple of guys at the start, and just hung in there as good as we could. We tried to keep a few guys in passing distance, and whatever the melee was in Turn Five helped a lot. It was a good run, it’s good to be back here on the podium.”

Greg Bell finished fourth in the No. 33 The Door Company/Young Racing Stohr WF1/Suzuki, while Jim Vogel earned the Sunoco Hard Charger after improving six spots from his starting position to finish fifth in the No. 54 Vogel Investments Stohr WF1 Suzuki.

Follow the action on Twitter @SCCAOfficial or the SCCA, Inc. Official Facebook page at facebook.com/sccaofficial. More information is available at http://www.scca.com.

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Provisional Results from Saturday’s D Sports Racing National Championship Race, part of the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Road America with finish position, starting position in parenthesis, driver, hometown, car and laps complete.

1, (1), Scott Tucker, Overland Park, KS, WEST WX10 Suzuki, 13.
2, (3), Lee Alexander, Las Vegas, NV, Stohr WF-0, 13.
3, (8), Tom Bootz, Evansville, IN, Stohr WF-1 Suzuki, 13.
4, (5), Greg Bell, Metcalfe, ON, Stohr WF1 Suzuki, 13.
5, (11), Jim Vogel, Madison, WI, Stohr WF1 Suzuki, 13.
6, (6), Jim Hallman, Kitchener, ON, Stohr WF1 Suzuki, 13.
7, (12), Richard Colburn, Northbrook, IL, Nostendo Suzuki, 12.
8, (9), Dave Knaack, Neenah, WI, Stohr WF1 Suzuki, 12.
9, (10), Matt Graham, Greely, ON, Critter CSR1 Suzuki, 11.
DNF, (2), Chris Farrell, Salt Lake City, UT, Stohr WF1 Suzuki, 3.
DNF, (4), Lawrence Loshak, Grafton, WI, Stohr WF1 Suzuki, 2.
DNF, (7), Kirk Kindsfater, Eaton, CO, Speads RS11 Suzuki, 0.
DNS, (13), David Locke, Lafayette, IN, Stohr WF1 Suzuki.

Overall Time of Race: 26:22.304
Average Race Speed: 118.308 mph
Margin of Victory: 34.988 seconds
Hawk Fastest Race Lap: 1:59.684
Fastest Race Lap Average Speed: 120.317 mph
Sunoco Hard Charger: #54 Jim Vogel
Lap Leaders: #55 — laps 1-13

2012 SCCA National Championship Runoffs

(edited 9/26 to reflect the correct Sunoco Hard Charger Award)

Rob Huffmaster Cruises to STU Gold at SCCA Runoffs at Road America

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Sept. 23, 2012) — Gumout pole winner Rob Huffmaster, of Clarkston, Mich., drove flag-to-flag to capture his first-career Super Touring® Under National Championship at the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Road America. Joel Weinberger, of Hinsdale, Ill., and Marc Hoover, of Cameron Park, Calif., were second and third, respectively.

Driving the No 7 VirSecServices.com/Hoosier Pontiac Solstice GXP, Huffmaster jumped out to an early lead and was never seriously challenged throughout the 13-lap, 52-mile race. With Huffmaster’s victory virtually in hand, there were only two questions that remained near the end of the STU race, which was run simultaneously with the Super Touring Lite race.

First, what was the margin of victory going to be? Second, would Rob pass Ray (Rob’s dad), who was currently running second in the STL race, before the start/finish line? Had Rob passed Ray it would have ended his dad’s chances to win.

Huffmaster chose to stay behind his dad coming up the hill to the stripe to give the STL leaders one lap to decide their race. Huffmaster beat Weinberger by 10.827-seconds for his first-career STU title and his father won the STL race.

“I thought as I was coming up on him [Ray Huffmaster], if he is in the lead I’m passing him and if he’s not, I’m going to let them go another lap,”Huffmaster said of his decision to slow down before the STU race finish. “He was in second, so I let him go and it obviously worked for him. I was really happy to see that.

“My strategy paid off pretty good at the start. I got a good jump on the guys in to the first turn. The Lotus that dove in actually helped me because it gave me an initial gap so they could not be in my draft going into five. The vacuum pump in the car went out. So I didn’t have any brake assist, at least that’s what I was told. On lap three or four they started closing in on me. I actually thought the race was over for us because the track three very hard braking zones and if you don’t feel comfortable with the brakes, I wasn’t going stay out there. Luckily everything held together in the car.”

Huffmaster turned the Hawk Performance fast race lap with a 2:26.294, which set a new Runoffs fast race lap record.

Weinberger started second in No. 1 Continental Audi/Castrol/BFGoodrich Tires Audi A4. Early on, Weinberger was locked in a head-to-head battle for second with Hoover in the No. 98 Hooverspeed/NRA/AMG/Necksgear Mazda Miata. Weinberger, the defending STU National Champion, passed Hoover in Turn One on lap five and was never seriously challenged again. Weinberger’s second-place finish gave him his third-career STU podium.

“Marc has a really fast car and he is a really good driver,”Weinberger said of his battle with Hoover. “I saw him in my mirror and I wasn’t quite sure where he would brake versus me [going into different corners]. We kind of sorted it out. We gave a lot of racing room to each other. We had a good time. I think I was a little faster in the corners and he was equally as fast in the straight, if not a tad faster.

“Once I was able to get around him and stay around him in Turn One, then I could go into chase mode and see if I had anything for Rob. But, I think Rob was just playing with us and decided once he [Rob] saw me get around Marc he was going to go check out. But, I had a blast. It was a fun race. After finishing first last year, which was great, I am still happy to be sitting at this table.”

“The start was kind of sketchy,”Hoover said. “All of the guys at the front were pretty experienced and we had the Lotus make a dive bomb in Turn One. It kind of made it interesting. It opened up some opportunities. It kind of made it fun.

“Joel and I diced back-and-forth a few times. While I had my tires under me, I could hang with him. We both gave each a lot of room and respect, and had a great time just playing. It was a lot of fun. It was good close racing.”

With Hoover’s third-place finish, he earned his second-career STU podium.

Michael Flynn, of Eustis, Fla., drove the No. 26 Irish Mike’s/BF Goodrich Tires BMW 325 E46 to a fourth place finish. Charles Tobel, of New Hudson, Mich., finished fifth in the No. 14 Discount Tire/Novi Wall Co/Hoosier Pontiac Solstice.

Jim Taggart, of Cary, N.C., was the Sunoco Hard Charger. He started 22nd and finished 6th.

Follow the action on Twitter @SCCAOfficial or the SCCA, Inc. Official Facebook page at facebook.com/sccaofficial. More information is available at http://www.scca.com.

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Provisional Results from Sunday’s Super Touring Under National Championship Race, part of the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Road America with finish position, starting position in parenthesis, driver, hometown, car and laps complete.

1, (1), Rob Huffmaster, Clarkston, MI, Pontiac Solstice GXP, 13.
2, (2), Joel Weinberger, Hinsdale, IL, Audi A4, 13.
3, (4), Marc Hoover, Cameron Park, CA, Mazda Miata, 13.
4, (5), Michael Flynn, Eustis, FL, BMW 325 E46, 13.
5, (6), Charles Tobel, New Hudson, MI, Pontiac Solstice, 13.
6, (22), Jim Taggart, Cary, NC, Lotus Exige, 13.
7, (9), Don Istook, Fort Worth, TX, Audi TT Quatro Coupe, 13.
8, (10), Anthony Simmers, Boulder, CO, Volkswagen GTI, 13.
9, (8), Richard Fisher, Glencoe, IL, Volkswagen GTI, 13.
10, (12), Ronald Pawley, Greenwood, AR, Lexus IS300, 13.
11, (13), Gino Carini, Fox Point, WI, Acura TSX, 13.
12, (14), Michael Pettiford, Louisville, CO, Volkswagen Jetta, 13.
13, (16), Philip Royle, Winnetka, CA, Mazda RX-7, 13.
14, (11), Toby Grahovec, Chicago, IL, BMW Z4 3.0, 13.
15, (15), John De Barros, Marietta, GA, Mazda 6, 12.
16, (18), Michael Jones, South Bend, IN, Subaru WRX Sti, 11.
17, (7), Joseph McClughan, New Braunfels, TX, Mazda 6, 7.
DNF, (3), David Brand, Muttontown, NY, Lotus Exige, 4.
DNS, (17), Tom J Wickersham, San Ramon, CA, Honda S2000, .
DNS, (19), William B Niemeyer, Loveland, OH, Acura RSX Type S, .
DNS, (20), Tom Kraft, Des Moines, IA, Mazda Miata, .

Overall Time of Race: 32:01.448
Average Race Speed: 97.427 mph
Margin of Victory: 10.827 seconds
Hawk Fastest Race Lap: 2:26.294
Fastest Race Lap Average Speed: 98.432 mph
Sunoco Hard Charger: Jim Taggart
Lap Leaders: #7 — Laps 1-13

2012 SCCA National Championship Runoffs