Bender Hits Pay Dirt at Mazda Raceway by Winning Touring 4 Championship

MONTEREY, Calif. (October 12, 2014) – Daniel Bender, of Northbrook, Illinois, notched his first National Championship title in convincing fashion at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs® at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Tom Wickersham, of San Ramon, California, came home second, followed by Izzy Sanchez, of San Mateo, California.

In a race that saw two full-course cautions that lasted for a total of three laps, the story of the day came when Bender made the most of the second restart to take the lead. In the race that averaged 69.586 mph around the 11-turn, 2.238-mile course, Bender was hounding Sanchez for the lead from the start.

On the lap-nine restart, Bender, in his No. 15 Bravo Trailers/BFGoodrich Tires/Autobarn Mazda Mazda MX-5, got the run he needed and was able to complete the outside pass in Turn Two to take the lead from Sanchez. From there, Bender flexed his muscle by walking away from the field finishing with a six-second margin of victory.

“This is awesome,” Bender said. “I’ve been coming to SCCA events even before I could walk. In past Runoffs, I’ve been in Spec Miata. To be able to bring it home by running a good, clean race is unbelievable. I’m not sure it’s hit me yet, but it will.

“During the first restart, I was able to watch Izzy to see if I could get an advantage somewhere. I knew getting a clean run from Turn 11 was going to be important. On that second restart, I was able to get to the outside and stay with him all the way to Turn Two. The MX-5 is a little lighter, so I was able to go deeper on the brakes. I got through Turn Three and was able to take over the lead completely. From there it was all about being consistent.

“Having experience in the SCCA Pro Racing Mazda MX-5 Cup has been very helpful here. The drivers there are all so good and I think racing there, in such an evenly-matched environment, has helped me here where we have many different types of cars.”

Once Bender got around Sanchez, Wickersham smelled blood in the water and was determined to get to second. However, it wasn’t until the penultimate lap that Wickersham was able to pass Sanchez for the second position. Wickersham put his No. 01 Maine Straight/Competition Autowerks Mazda MX-5 in the right place to make his way around Sanchez in Turn Two. The pass earned Wickersham the GoPro Hero Move of the Race.

In the No. 78 Corona Bumper Service Mazda RX-8, Sanchez started from the Tire Rack Pole Position. For seven green-flag laps, Sanchez was under constant attack from Bender for the top spot. Once Bender was by, Sanchez needed to turn his focus to holding of the charging car of Wickersham.

“I was able to put it on the pole with a really incredible lap,” Sanchez said. “The car was not the same, today, as it was for qualifying. So, we didn’t have the same speed. But, I had enough to try to stay in front of them for a little while. It was a great fight.

“One of the last times I was at the Runoffs was in 1983, when I won a National Championship. I’ve been racing since then, but I’ve just never been back to race for a Championship. To be on the podium is great, especially in the company of really fast kids. I’m very excited.

“I was racing a Mustang earlier this year, and since we were coming back to this track I thought showing up with a Ford wasn’t a great idea. I’ve raced Mazdas in the past and won Championships in those cars. I’ve always been a fan of Mazdas and am happy to be back as part of the Mazda family.”

Finishing just off the podium, in fourth, was Ali Naimi, of Morgan Hill, California, in his No. 14 OffLineRacing.com/Hoosier/Hawk Performance Mazda MX-5.

Lee Niffenegger, of Santa Clarita, California, was the only non-Mazda to finish in the top five in his No. 42 Honda Racing/HPD/BFGoodrich Tires Honda Civic Si. He finished fifth, which was his eighth top-five Runoffs finish.

In the No. 42 Honda Racing/HPD/BFGoodrich Tires Honda Civic Si, Lance Steward was the Sunoco Hard Charger improving six positions from his 12th-place starting spot.

The 51st SCCA National Championship Runoffs®, The Pinnacle of American Motorsports, will crown Sports Car Club of America’s Club Racing National Champions at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Friday, October 10 through Sunday, October 12. The live broadcast of all 27 National Championship races is available live at SCCA.com, along with live timing and notes. Each race will be on demand at a later date on SpeedcastTV.com.

MONTEREY, Calif. -- Provisional results for Sunday’s SCCA Touring 4 National Championship at the 51st SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, with finish position, starting position in parenthesis, driver, hometown, car and laps complete.

1, (2), Daniel Bender, Northbrook, IL, Mazda MX-5, 20. 2, (3), Tom Wickersham, San Ramon, CA, Mazda MX-5, 20. 3, (1), Izzy Sanchez, San Mateo, CA, Mazda RX-8, 20. 4, (6), Ali Naimi, Morgan Hill, CA, Mazda MX-5, 20. 5, (4), Lee Niffenegger, Santa Clarita, CA, Honda Civic SI, 20. 6, (12), Lance Stewart, Miami, FL, Ford Mustang V6, 20. 7, (7), Matthew Staal, Torrance, CA, Honda Civic SI, 20. 8, (5), Timothy Wise, Santa Cruz, CA, Mazda MX-5, 20. 9, (9), Lynne Griffiths, Menlo Park, CA, Ford Mustang V6, 20. 10, (11), Tony Lopez, Fremont, CA, Ford Mustang V6, 20. 11, (10), Brian Husting, Irvine, CA, Chevrolet Cobalt SS, 6. 12, (8), Stan Czacki, Truth Or Consequences, NM, Acura RSX Type-S, 6.

Overall Time of Race: 38.35.652 Average Race Speed: 69.586 mph Margin of Victory: 6.633 seconds Fastest Race Lap: Daniel Bender, 1:45.466 (76.392 mph) Sunoco Hard Charger: #17 Lance Stewart Lap Leaders: Laps 1-8, Izzy Sanchez; Lap 9-20, Daniel Bender

2014 SCCA National Championship Runoffs