ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (September 19, 2012) – Wednesday’s qualifying confirmed Gumout Pole Positions and set grids for 12 of this week’s SCCA National Championship Runoffs® races, and saw another driver reach a Road America milestone that no SCCA Club Racer has before.
For the past several years, a handful of SCCA SafeRacer National Series classes have been approaching the two-minute barrier for a lap around the four-mile circuit. On Wednesday, that record was finally breached. Scott Tucker, of Overland Park, Kan., drove the No. 55 West Race Cars/Hoosier West WX-10/Suzuki to a lap of 1:58.997 (121.011 mph) to become the first SCCA Club Racer under two minutes in an official timed session, and put Tucker on the class provisional pole with one qualifying session to go on Thursday morning.
The first of eight races are set to be run on Thursday, with 12 classes having now completed their qualifying.
Each class had three 30-minute qualifying sessions to turn their fast lap at the 4-mile circuit, and Brian Husting, of Irvine, Calif., used nearly all of his 90 minutes to take the Showroom Stock C pole. Husting turned a lap of 2:48.560 (85.430 mph) in the No. 65 BFGoodrich Tires/Team Associated Chevrolet Cobalt on his final qualifying lap, moving just 0.167-second ahead of Charlie James’ No. 0 SafeRacer/Alpine Stars/BFGoodrich Tires Hyundai Tiburon. James had been the provisional polesitter through the first two sessions in the class.
Mike Lewis, of Poway, Calif., pirated the GT-1 pole with a fast lap of 2:04.584 (115.585 mph) in the No. 12 Goodyear/Cyclo/Redline Oil Jaguar XKR. It will be the first time in three years that the GT-1 polesitter has not been Cliff Ebben. The Appleton, Wis. native will start second in his No. 36 McMahon Group/Stumpf Ford/Hoosier Ford Mustang.
John Buttermore, driving the No. 52 Hoosier/Carbotech/Stoptech Chevrolet Corvette, lowered his Touring 1 pole time to 2:20.424 (102.547 mph) on Wednesday. Tucker, running three classes this week, did the same in Super Touring Over, dropping his fast lap in the No. 55 Hoosier Porsche 996 to 2:15.473 (106.294 mph).
Corey Fergus, of Powell, Ohio, and Scott Rettich, of Camden, Ohio, each extended Gumout Pole streaks to a fourth-consecutive year. Both set their fast times on Tuesday – Fergus in the Sports 2000 No. 00 Hoosier Tires/Carbotech Brakes Carbir CS2 Ford, and Rettich in the No. 17 Alliance Autosport/Springboro Car Wash Formula Enterprises Mazda.
In addition to the 12 classes that finalized their grids on Wednesday, six other classes posted qualifying times in at least one session. Brian Schofield set a new qualifying record in Spec Racer Ford, with a 2:37.873 (91.213 mph) in the No. 61 PM Racing SRF, and the 2010 National Champ holds the top spot through two of the class’s three sessions.
Eight classes will crown National Champions on Thursday, and 12 additional classes will be out for qualifying in the new-for-2012 rolling schedule that includes both qualifying and racing on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and a full day of races on Sunday. Five more classes will award Gumout Pole Positions on Thursday.
Follow all the live timing and scoring at www.scca.com/runoffs. Live Twitter stream is available @SCCALive. Follow this week’s activities on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SCCAOfficial.
The SCCA National Championship Runoffs®, The Pinnacle of American Motorsports, will crown Sports Car Club of America’s Club Racing National Champions for the 49th-consecutive year in 2012. National Champions will be crowned Thursday, September 20 through Sunday, September 23.
Each race will be broadcast live on www.speedcastTV.com. ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Polesitters in 12 classes following Wednesday’s qualifying sessions for this week’s 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Road America, with class: name, hometown, car, fastest time (speed). * - Denotes better than existing track record.
Sports 2000: Corey Fergus, Lewis Center, Ohio, Carbir CS2/Ford, 2:15.826 (106.018). Formula Mazda: Douglas Peterson, Bonita Springs, Fla., Star Formula Mazda, 2:14.877 (106.764). Formula Enterprises: Scott Rettich, Camden, Ohio, Formula Enterprises/Mazda, 2:14.007 (107.457). GT-1: Mike Lewis, Poway, Calif., Jaguar XKR, 2:04.584 (115.585). GT-2: Pete Peterson, Lumberton, N.C., Toyota Celica, 2:15.992 (105.889). *Super Touring Over: Scott Tucker, Overland Park, Kan., Porsche 996, 2:15.473 (106.294). Touring 1: John Buttermore, Wixom, Mich., Chevrolet Corvette, 2:20.424 (102.547). Showroom Stock B: Luke Wilwert, Marysville, Ohio, Honda Civic Si, 2:42.252 (88.751). Showroom Stock C: Brian Husting, Irving, Mo., Chevrolet Cobalt, 2:48.560 (85.430). Formula Continental: Gerald Szykulski, Edina, Minn., Van Diemen DP08 Ford , 2:10.218 (110.584). Formula F: Tim Kautz, Geneva, Ill., Piper DF3D Honda, 2:20.563 (102.445). American Sedan: Andy McDermid, Howell, Mich., Ford Mustang, 2:26.361 (98.387).
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – Provisional polesitters following Wednesday’s qualifying sessions for classes still to qualify at this week’s 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Road America, with class: provisional pole sitter, hometown, car, fastest time (speed); second place driver, hometown, car, fastest time (speed). * - Denotes better than existing track record.
C Sports Racing: Jean-Luc Liverato, Alpharetta, Ga., Swift 014a/Toyota, 2:02.486 (117.564); Jacek Mucha, Laval, Quebec, Swift JMS17/Mazda, 2:02.709 (117.351). *D Sports Racing: Scott Tucker, Overland Park, Kan., West WX10/Suzuki, 1:58.997 (121.011); Lawrence Loshak, Grafton, Wis., Stohr WF1/Suzuki, 2:02.785 (117.278). E Production: Jon Braake, Fargo, N.D., Mazda Miata, 2:28.946 (96.679); Greg Ira, Plantation, Fla., Datsun 240Z, 2:29.744 (96.164). GT-Lite: Robert Lentz, Chantilly, Va., Nissan Sentra SER, 2:34.784 (93.033); Kent Prather, Wakarusa, Kan., Mazda Miata, 2:35.154 (92.811). Spec Miata: Denny Steyn, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Mazda Miata, 2:43.656 (87.989); Todd Buras, Melbourne, Fla., Mazda Miata, 2:43.692 (87.970). Spec Racer Ford: Brian Schofield, Lakeland, Fla., Spec Racer Ford, 2:37.873 (91.213); Steve Fogg, West Linn, Ore., Spec Racer Ford, 2:38.583 (90.804).
2012 SCCA National Championship Runoffs
