MONTEREY, Calif. (October 11, 2014) – Robert Allaer, of Lithia, Florida, led flag-to-flag to capture the Formula Continental® title at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs® on Saturday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, holding off 16-year-old Andrew Evans, of Sammamish, Washington, for the title. Zach Craigo, of Denver, Colorado, joined the pair on the podium.
Allaer led from the Tire Rack Pole Position in the No. 52 Martini/Coors Light/LTD Motorsports Van Diemen RF02/Ford, though he was forced to start his run over after a full course caution to retrieve a car from the Turn Five gravel trap. Allaer once again got the jump on the field, and claimed his first National Championship with a deceptive 1.038-second margin of victory after averaging 84.631 mph in the 20-lap race.
“I can’t believe it,” Allaer said. “I just can’t believe it. I can’t believe I’m even up here, honestly, and the fact that I won is just ridiculous.”
The No. 62 Van Diemen RF02 of Evans had closed to the rear of Allaer’s machine on lap 16, and the battle was on. With Allaer’s tires starting to fade, Evans was on the prowl and Allaer was starting to feel the pressure.
In a one-race Championship, good fortune is always welcome, and the pair caught a lapped car at either the best or worst time, depending on each driver’s perspective. Evans was held up coming down the hill through Turns Nine, 10 and 11, and Allaer began the final lap with a nearly two-second advantage.
That gap proved insurmountable, and Allaer earned his first National Championship. The champ also turned the fastest lap of the race in a class-record 1:27.435 (92.146 mph).
“Right off the bat, Andrew was with me,” Allaer said. “The whole time, I could see him in the mirrors, and he had the pressure on me. I doubt I’ll ever be in this spot with this kid ever again, I see him sitting in this spot and higher. We’re going to be watching him on TV, he’s a great driver. He kept me working the whole time, I think I lost 10 or 15 pounds out there.
“It’s better to be lucky than good, and I definitely got lucky. I didn’t see what happened behind me, but when I came around to start/finish and they said that Andrew separated behind me, I was like ‘oooh, thank you.’ A lot of times you run into lapped traffic and those guys don’t know necessarily that there are two people racing, and I benefitted from it. I don’t know how we would have finished had he stayed with me because he was pushing me so hard, I didn’t have much car left.”
For the 16-year-old in his Runoffs debut, the second place finish was more than acceptable.
“It was a good day,” Evans said. “It’s my first time at the Runoffs, it was a busy week and it was definitely well worth it. It was a good race, and I just had a blast out there.
“We got in the way of some traffic. But everybody finished the race, nobody crashed out, and I’m just glad we finished on the podium.”
Third-finishing Craigo tried to run with the leaders after the restart, but his No. 27 Rocky Mountain Medical Lasers Van Diemen RF02/Ford was just off the pace of the front runners. He was virtually unchallenged from the rest of the field, however, and earned his first Runoffs medal.
“I’m just happy to be here. We barely squeaked through on the points [to qualify for the Runoffs], and had a bad weekend at Buttonwillow. I’m just humbled to be on the podium with these guys, everyone I’ve competed with this year has been incredible. This is a really great group of guys, I’m humbled and honored to be here with them.
“It’s always been a dream of mine. My Dad was a racer, and he never got on the podium.”
James Hakewill kept his No. 88 Van Diemen/Ford in front of the second 16-year-old in the top five, Yufeng Luo, earning the GoPro Hero Move of the Race for his effort. Luo pushed hard in the No. 00 Dave Frietas Racing/HSD Group Van Diemen DP08/Ford. Bill Kincaid earned the Sunoco Hard Charger after improving from 15th on the grid to ninth at the end of the race in the No. 46 Van Diemen RF03/Ford.
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 Saturday’s SCCA Formula Continental National Championship at the 51st SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car and laps complete.
1, (1), Robert Allaer, Lithia, FL, Van Diemen RF02, 20. 2, (2), Andrew Evans, Sammamish, WA, Van Diemen RF02, 20. 3, (3), Zach Craigo, Denver, CO, Van Diemen RF03, 20. 4, (5), James Hakewill, Los Gatos, CA, Van Diemen RF03, 20. 5, (6), Yufeng Luo, Arcadia, CA, Van Diemen DP08, 20. 6, (8), Bob Negron, Morgan Hill, CA, Van Diemen RF99, 20. 7, (10), Michael Manning, Dinuba, CA, Van Diemen RF01, 20. 8, (7), Doug Stout, Pueblo, CO, Van Diemen RF05, 20. 9, (15), Bill Kincaid, Palo Alto, CA, Van Diemen RF03, 20. 10, (13), Peter West, Malibu, CA, Van Diemen RF03, 20. 11, (12), Peter THOMAS, San Juan Capistrano, CA, Van Diemen RF02, 20. 12, (11), Harindra De Silva, Palos Verdes Estates, CA, Van Diemen RF06, 20. 13, (18), Dennis McCarthy, Hartsdale, NY, Van Diemen RF00, 20. 14, (17), Douglas Rocco, Sandisfield, MA, Van Diemen DP08, 20. 15, (9), Robert Armington, El Dorado Hills, CA, Van Diemen RF00, 20. 16, (14), Scott Vreeland, Livermore, CA, Van Diemen RF01, 20. 17, (19), Chuck Raggio, Linden, CA, Van Diemen RF08, 20. 18, (20), Gavin Aitken, Victoria, BC, Van Diemen RF98, 19. 19, (22), Kim Willcox, Stateline, NV, Van Diemen RF01, 19. 20, (23), Greg Coffin, Veradale, WA, Mygale SJ07, 19. 21, (16), Colin Cross, Walnut Creek, CA, Van Diemen RF94, 3. 22, (4), Tom Hope, Downey, CA, Van Diemen RF03, 1. 23, (21), Jeffrey Pietz, Fresno, CA, Van Diemen DP08, 0.
Overall Time of Race: 31:43.980 (84.631 mph) Margin of Victory: 1.038 seconds Fastest Race Lap: 1:27.435 (92.146 mph) Sunoco Hard Charger: #46 Bill Kincaid Lap Leaders: #52 Lap 1-20
2014 SCCA National Championship Runoffs
