Hot Time on a Snowy Sunday at PittRace SCCA U.S. Majors Tour
Nobody can say that this weekend’s Round Five and Round Six of the Northeast Conference SCCA U.S. Majors Tour at Pittsburgh International Race Complex wasn’t interesting.
A few incidents Saturday that required tire wall maintenance meant the first Group 7 race of the weekend — which encompassed Formula Continental, Formula Enterprises, Formula Mazda and Prototype 2 drivers — was postponed until Sunday morning. Cloudy, cold conditions greeted those competitors, but they were able to complete their event before unseasonable weather rolled into the area.
The Spec Miata Class was next up on the schedule, and pole sitter Tyler Kicera again took an early lead. But soon he pulled into the pits and relinquished the top spot to Ralle Rookey. Then Rookey had a problem and gave up the lead to Nick Leverone who won the race as a combination of snow and sleet began falling on the track.
“I don’t think I’ve ever raced in the snow before,” Leverone said inside the warm tech garage while awaiting the podium presentations. “It was definitely treacherous out there.”
But what Leverone and the rest of the Spec Miata pack faced was nothing compared to what Group 2 pilots in GT-1, GT-2, GT-3, Touring 1 and A Sedan powerhouses had to face in the very next race. By the end of that second event, GT-2 winner Aaron Quine and the rest of his cohorts were dealing with an actual dusting of snow blowing across the circuit.
“This is a first,” Quine said as he climbed from his orange Chevrolet Camaro. “I’ve seen all kinds of conditions, but this may be the first time we’ve competed in the dry, rain, snow and sleet all in the same race.”
Toward the end of the Group 2 race, John Heinricy nosed his car into the Turn 17 tire barrier. He walked away from the incident, but the tire wall soon caught fire. Emergency crews responded to contain the situation, but damage to the safety barrier was deemed too extensive to repair in a timely manner. So officials decided to call a halt to racing for the day.
Round Five and Round Six of the Northeast Conference’s 12-round schedule are now complete. Next up for the Northeast Conference is a June 3-5 visit to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio — a weekend many are approaching as a forerunner to this year’s SCCA National Championship Runoffs Presented by Garmin VIRB to be held Septembers 19-25 at the same venue. More information about those events and the entire SCCA U.S. Majors Tour can be found at SCCA.com/majors.
Below are race results from Sunday’s SCCA U.S. Majors Tour at Pittsburgh International Race Complex with Class: Name, Hometown and Car.
-American Sedan: Tom Sloe, Newbury, OH; Ford Mustang
-Formula 1000: Jason Slahor, Ellicott City, MD; Citation F1000
-Formula Continental: Connor Gawry, Chardon, OH; Van Dieman
-Formula Enterprises: Ray Mason, Blacklick, OH; Ford FE
-Formula Mazda: Matt Machiko, Wexford, PA; Formula Mazda
-GT-1: Ryan McManus, Westfield Center, OH; Chevrolet Corvette
-GT-2: Aaron Quine, Medina, OH; Chevrolet Camaro
-GT-3: Paul Young, Commerce Township, MI; Ford Probe
-Prototype 2: Bill Niemeyer Jr., Loveland, OH; Sorcerer
-Spec Miata: Nick Leverone, Mendon, MA; Mazda Miata
-Touring 1: Joseph Gaudette, Manassas, VA; Chevrolet Corvette Z06
Photo: GT-2 driver Aaron Quine won his event just before racing was halted Sunday at the PittRace Majors.
The SCCA racers were not the heroes on Sunday during the Mid-States Conference Round Eight on the Circuit of St. Louis at Gateway Motorsports Park.
The hosting St. Louis Region, with the help of Formula Enterprises racer Tom Muffler, put on Military Appreciation Day during Sunday’s races. Pre-race ceremonies included the presentation of the colors by the 12th district of Missouri Veterans of Foreign Wars Honor Team, with Senior Airman Denver Murphy signing the National Anthem. Murphy is a vocalist with the Band of Mid-America, stationed at nearby Scott Airforce Base.
Unfortunately for Muffler, he was unable to dedicate a win to the servicemen involved in the opening ceremonies, or those who rode in the pace car as part of the Wounded Warriors project throughout the day. Muffler, while racing for the class lead on Saturday, crashed out of the race, and couldn’t continue on Sunday. David Proudfoot took the Formula Enterprises win in Muffler’s class.
On the track, the Super Touring Lite race was the top class fight for the day, with Cliff Ira coming out just ahead of Brian Laughlin. The rematch of the 2014 SCCA Runoffs presented by Garmin VIRB at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca played out in much the same fashion, with the two working through the busiest group of the day.
Ira pulled a lead in the Fira Motorsports Acura Integra GSX, but the heavy traffic allowed Laughlin’s Tulsa Radiology Associates/Mazda/Hoosier/Jesse Prather Motorsports Mazda Miata to close back up. Following a lap 11 full course caution and a lap 16 restart, Laughlin took the lead onto the banking temporarily, only to see Ira reclaim the lead through the infield section.
Laughlin almost saw it all go away just a couple of laps later, getting crossed up by a lapped car and running into the grass. Laughlin collected it, and then once again reeled Ira in.
Laughlin’s last chance came on the final lap as the pair left the infield section and climbed onto the banking for the run to the finish line. Laughlin dove to the inside in the final infield corner, running side by side with Ira onto the banking. Ira got the better run, and beat the Miata around the banking for the class win.
Jim Drago piloted his East Street Mazda Miata to his second win of the weekend after following Max Nufer’s Nufer Race Engineering Miata early in the race. A bobble by Nufer helped Drago move around to the lead, but soon had Tom Scheifler’s Miata right on his tail. Drago and Scheifler battled to the finish, with Drago crossing just 0.325-second in the lead. Drago later added to his win total with a Touring 4 victory.
The Mid-States Majors Tour continues at Pueblo Motorsports Park on May 28-29 with rounds nine and 10 of the Championship.
More information on the weekend and the U.S. Majors Tour, including results, can be found at SCCA.com.
MADISON, Ill. — Provisional results from Sunday’s SCCA Mid-States Majors Tour Round Eight on the Circuit of St. Louis at Gateway Motorsports Park.
American Sedan: Phillip Smith, New Albany, Ohio, Chevrolet Camaro
B-Spec: David Daughtery, Fortville, Ind., Honda Fit
E Production: Mark Weber, St. Louis, Mo., Mazda Miata
F Production: Eric Prill, Topeka, Kan., Mazda Miata
H Production: Chris Albin, Maryland Heights, Mo., Volkswagen Golf GTI
Formula 500: James Weida, West Lafayette, Ind., Scorpion W1/Rotax
Formula Atlantic: James Wright, Glencoe, Mo., Swift DB-4
Formula Enterprises: David Proudfoot, St. Louis, Mo., Formula Enterprises/Ford
Formula F: David Livingston, Lexington, Tenn., Spectrum 14H/Honda
Formula Mazda: Larry Howard, Kansas City, Mo., Formula Mazda
Formula Vee: Adam Jennerjahn, Hartford City, Ind., Vortech/Volkswagen
GT-2: Tom Patton, Hamilton, Ohio, Sunbeam Tiger
GT-3: George Walker, Tulsa, Okla., Mazda Miata
GT-Lite: Steve Sargis, Frankfort, Ill., Triumph Spitfire
Super Touring Lite: Cliff Ira, Kansas City, Mo., Acura Integra
Spec Miata: Jim Drago, Memphis, Tenn., Mazda Miata
Spec Racer Ford: Steven Rehkemper, Chicago, Ill., Spec Racer Ford
Spec Racer Ford Gen 3: Richard Wiese, Chesterfield, Mo., Spec Racer Ford
Touring 1: Michael Pettiford, Louisville, Colo., Chevrolet Corvette
Touring 2: Michael Pettiford, Louisville, Colo., Pontiac Solstice GXP
Touring 3: David Muramoto, Aurora, Colo., Nissan 350Z
Touring 4: Jim Drago, Memphis, Tenn., Mazda Miata
Having crowned class champions under a brilliant moon and with the roar of dragsters echoing off the mountains, the focus shifts towards the Sunday shootouts. Each driver has three additional runs, scored totally independently of Saturday, to compete with everyone else in their heat based on index times. The top eight drivers from each heat advance to the Top Dog Shootout, with the next eight in the Underdog Shootout, with a lucky eight from all heats together in the appropriately named Lucky Dog Shootout.
Justin Barbry drew first blood, but Randy Adkins dispatched him to go against Jason Rucker to decide the winner of heat 1 of the Top Dog Shootout. In heat 2, Robert Carpenter, fresh off the fastest CS time of the whole event in the morning dial in, keeps up his win streak to face off against John Wolf, who took the win over Lee Chhit, Wolf and Carpenter both in CS FR-S’s. Heat 3 has the super Rabbit of Geoff Zimmer, having knocked out Kristo Kukk and Gregg Henderson, to face off against Todd Kunze in the lone FWD car in STX, his Integra Type R. Randall Wilcox storms to the front to face off with Jinx Jordan to determine the heat 4 winner. With the final heat runs, the shootout was set with Jason Rucker, John Wolf, Todd Kunze, and Randall Wilcox, all having one run to get it done. With the last run done, Randall Wilcox is your 2016 Thunder Valley Match Tour Top Dog.
Over to the Lucky Dog shootout, Brian Katz in his Z06 Corvette took the win over Rob Leslie and Zumkehr. He faced off against Tyler Detota, having beaten out Oscar Judd and Johan Bradwell. After a quick cooldown and last runs, Brian Katz jumped into the top spot in the Lucky Dog Shootout. The Underdogs kicked off with four more heats of knockouts. Heat 1 saw Steve Rife knocking out Charles Kramper and Chett Wohlgamut, to face up against Eric Stahl, himself bumping Brian Nixon and Karl Schultz. Heath Maxey, driving the Wolf FR-S, lead the first half in heat 2, having bumped out Bowie Gray and Chris Sparks. Cindy Duncan, keeping things super consistent despite some early cone trouble rounds out that match, taking out both Johnny Rose and Clay McCool. Wesley Herron outran Michael Lawson and Joeseph Price, to face Curt Bogemann, who bumped out Phil Bedard after a free first round. Heat 4 had Michael Bright in the not-XP 350Z, beating out Andrew Harrison for the top half of the heat, with Dewitt Payne also having a bye on his first round, and bumping Joey Richardson. After final bracket runs, the four in the one run showdown were Rife, Duncan, Bogemann, and Payne. Throwing it all down on his final run, Dewitt Payne ends up as the Underdog winner!
With the sun setting over Bristol Motor speedway, having hosted 187 drivers and countless runs, the Thunder Valley Match Tour comes to a final close. A huge thanks to the East Tennessee Region and all their volunteers for putting together a phenomenally run event. From here, the Match Tour series moves onto Grenada, MS, for the third installment this year, and then off to Pittsburgh for the final showdown. As always, keep your eyes open to SoloMatters online and on Facebook for the latest event updates and autocross happenings!
