EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (May 25, 2011) Matt Murray, from Westport, Conn., took his first Gumout Super Challenge win of his Tire Rack® SCCA ProSolo career last weekend, coming from behind in the final round to snag the honor. Murray was topped 223 competitors in the shadow of New Meadowlands Stadium, site of the 2014 Super Bowl. Murray bested the H Stock field in his 1996 Hoosier Racing Tire BMW 318i to make the 32-car Gumout Super Challenge field, where he had never advanced past the first round of the elimination-round bracket. They say the first win is the hardest, and once Murray, as the 22 seed, knocked off 11 seeded Courtney Cormiers A Street Prepared-winning 2006 McGeorge Toyota Chevrolet Z06, he never looked back. Murray eliminated B Street Prepared winner Cy Lee (2006 Mitsubishi Evo) and E Stock winner Scott Thursby (1995 G-Fab Mazda Miata) in the next two rounds to advance to the semi-finals. In the round of four, Murray squared off against Eric Simmons, from Macungie, Pa., who finished second in D Stock driving a 2011 JSC Speed Inc. Subaru WRX. Murray dispatched Simmons to advance to the final. Over in the other semi-final round, Street Touring Sport runner-up Ian Baker, from Herndon, Va., advanced his 1988 Toyo Tires/Strano Parts/SSC Tint Honda CRX to face Jeff Jacobs, who finished third behind Murray in H Stock class competition. Baker topped Jacobs 2008 MiniMainLine.com/Helix MiniSports Mini Cooper to advance to the finals against Murray. In each round, competitors run from both the left and right sides to determine the winner. Murray started on the left side, slightly longer and slower than the right side, and was just about three-tenths of a second behind Baker for the winner-take-all lap. The two crossed the final stripe nearly side-by-side, with Murray just ahead for his first career victory. Simmons topped Jacobs in the consolation round to take third place. In the Ladies Challenge, Heather Everetts 2007 Strano Performance Parts Ford Mustang Shelby topped Denise Kuglers 1990 DART/InMotion Tire/Evans Tuning Honda CRX. Class competition was also close. Sixteen drivers entered the Formula 125 field, where Jeremy McClintock, from Commerce Township, Mich., won by 0.319-seconds in his 1999 Nut Pack Racing Renspeed FAST. The B Stock field was a family affair at the top of the charts, where Lynn Rothney-Kozlak topped husband Paul Kozlak by just 0.287-second to win the class. The Litchfield, Maine family shared a 2007 Red Haus Racing Pontiac Solstice GXP in competition. The Tire Rack SCCA ProSolo Tour continues this weekend at the Memorial Day Weekend Spring Nationals and the Lincoln ProSolo, May 27 28, at the Lincoln (Neb.) airfield. The weekend is the first combined weekend for both the ProSolo and the Tire Rack® SCCA Solo National Tour, which runs on Sunday and Monday of the holiday weekend. For full results from the New Jersey ProSolo and more information on all upcoming Tire Rack SCCA ProSolo events, visit www.scca.com/solo. A direct link to results for the New Jersey ProSolo is available at http://www.scca.com/event.aspx?hub=3&event=17170.
Related News
-
’24 South Texas Solo National Tour Fast Notes
Beeville, TX, was the place to be April 12-14, 2024, for the Tire Rack SCCA® South Texas Solo® National Tour co-hosted by SCCA’s Lone Star and Houston Regions at Naval Air Station Chase Field. Weather conditions were just...Read more -
Keep Autocross Awesome: Everyone Needs to Take This Survey
SCCA® stands for the Secret Car Club of America, and we’d like to keep it that way. That’s a statement that’s not true on oh so many levels. SCCA’s Solo® department would like your assistance in determining the long-term...Read more -
This Speedway Motors Video Lets You Relive the ’23 Solo Nats
“We are at the best place on the planet!” “Holy smokes – it’s just huge, right?” “It’s just fun to get back here and reunite, and have tons of fun!” “So many beautiful machines. It’s the biggest and best car show on the...Read more -
’24 Crows Landing ProSolo Fast Notes
Round five of the SCCA® ProSolo Series saw 178 drivers recording runs at the Tire Rack SCCA Crows Landing ProSolo in Crows Landing, CA, over the April 19-21, 2024, weekend, with a fantastic assist from the San Francisco...Read more -
’24 Charlotte Solo National Tour Fast Notes
zMax Dragway in Charlotte, NC, is known in some circles for its four-wide racing, but for SCCA members on the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Tour, it means one run at a time, the way the autocross gods intended it. During the...Read more