ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (September 20, 2012) – Sage Marie, of Huntington Beach, Calif., survived a thrilling three-way battle to win the first B-Spec Shootout Presented by Pirelli World Challenge at the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs. The B-Spec Shootout ran as a sub-class to the National Championship race in Showroom Stock C at Road America on Thursday. Marie’s No. 45 Honda Racing/HPD/BFGoodrich Tires Honda Fit started third, then spent the race swapping positions with Joel Lipperini’s No. 81 BFGoodrich Tires/Honda/Racelabz/Hawk/Red Line Honda Fit and the No. 10 Continental Mazda of Naperville MAZDA2 of fast qualifier Shawn Young. Marie, who the third Pirelli World Challenge B-Spec race at Miller Motorsports Park this year, crossed the finish line 0.720-second ahead of Lipperini, followed by Young in third place. “When you put these cars together with some good drivers and everybody is having a good time, it makes for a really exciting event,” Marie said after the race. “What’s great about B-Spec, too, is that there are so many venues. You can be here at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs, you can be in the Pirelli World Challenge races on a big, professional stage. The cars are very versatile, and hopefully that helps them catch fire.” The three podium finishers win free entries to every Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car-B race in 2013. In addition, Marie won $3,000 in cash, Lipperini took home $1,500 and Young earned $500 from the Series to support the program. The cars used in SCCA Club Racing B-Spec class at the Runoffs and the Touring Car-B class in Pirelli World Challenge are identical, except for the tires. Club Racing rules require treaded street tires, while all cars in Pirelli World Challenge run the Pirelli P-Zero slick. To qualify for the prizes, each B-Spec competitor ran special Pirelli World Challenge B-Spec Shootout number boards during the 13-lap race. Jonathan Start, the 2012 Touring Car-B Champion in Pirelli World Challenge, was also a race participant at the Runoffs. Having recently completed its 23rd consecutive season, the Pirelli World Challenge is one of North America's top production car-based racing championships. Divided into four separate categories (Pirelli World Challenge GT, Pirelli World Challenge GTS, Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car and Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car B-Spec), each race features thrilling standing starts, adrenaline filled door-to-door action and world-class drivers. The Pirelli World Challenge features cars from the world's most popular manufacturers – race-prepped versions of the cars driven on the streets. Sanctioned by SCCA Pro Racing, the series races at North America's premier road and temporary street courses. More information on the Pirelli World Challenge Championships is available at www.world-challenge.com.