New PittRace Layout Gets Rave Reviews at Saturday Majors

WAMPUM, Pa. (August 15, 2015) – Sports Car Club of America SafeRacer Club Racing drivers got their first official taste of the newly-expanded PittRace circuit Saturday, for the penultimate round of the 2015 SCCA U.S. Majors Tour Northeast Conference Championship.

Seven run groups held 25-minute races after 25-minutes of qualifying before lunch, with the temperature hovering around 90 under mostly sunny skies. The expanded circuit now features 19 corners over 2.78 miles, with dramatic elevation changes, all to the liking of the SCCA racers.

The best battle of the day was for the overall and GT-Lite class win in Race Group 4. Polesitter and Conference Champion Kyle Disque, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, got the early jump on second-starting Bobby Lentz, of Chantilly, Virginia, but the gap between the two was never more than one second throughout the duration of the race. Disque’s Toyota TRD/Hoosier Toyota Tercel and Lentz’s FGR/Hoosier Nissan Sentra SE-R traded the lead multiple times as they weaved through traffic around the 2.78-mile circuit. In the end, it was Lentz who came out on top to take his fifth win of the season.

By virtue of his E Production class win, also in Group 4, Chris Dryden, of New Freedom, Pennsylvania, clinched his season title for the Northeast Conference in his PayPal BMW Z3. Charlie Campbell, of Corry, Pennsylvania, won F Production in his Campbell Brothers Racing/Jesse Prather Motorsports/Hoosier/Carbotech Mazda Miata, having already clinched the season points title.

David Dickerson, of Toms River, N.J., was a double winner on the day, taking Spec Racer Ford and Prototype 1 in his Performance Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine-sponsored machines. Dickerson took the P1 class points lead with the win, and can clinch that title on Sunday. John Heinricy, of Clarkston, Michigan, was the other double winner on the day, winning both American Sedan (TAR/Hoosier/Hawk/Mobil 1/Heinrocket Pontiac Firebird) and B-Spec (Matick Chevy Chevrolet Sonic).

Other drivers making moves to the top of their Championship standings with only Sunday’s race remaining included Jack Busch (GT-1), Joe Sammut (Formula Enterprises).

Sunday’s seven 16-lap races get under way at 9:45 a.m.

To follow the action, please visit www.scca.com/sccalive. For a full list of results, please visit www.scca.com/pittmajors.

WAMPUM, Pennsylvania – Class winners from Saturday’s 25-minute SCCA U.S. Majors Tour Northeast Conference Round 11 races at Pittsburgh International Race Complex with class, driver, hometown and car.
American Sedan, John Heinricy, Clarkston, MI, Pontiac Firebird.
B-Spec, John Heinricy, Clarkston, MI, Chevrolet Sonic.
E Production, Chris Dryden, New Freedom, PA, BMW Z3.
F Production, Charlie Campbell, Corry, PA, Mazda Miata.
Formula 1000, Jeremy Hill, Toronot, ON, Photon VD07.
Formula 500, Russell Strate Jr., Alden, NY, Rocketech.
Formula Atlantic, Denny Sideri, Uniontown, OH, Griffith GR93.
Formula Enterprises, Joe Sammut, Locust Valley, NY, SCCA Formula Enterprises.
Formula F, Chris Horan, Canonsburg, PA, Swift DB3/Honda.
Formula Vee, Gary Blanarik, Baden, PA, Silver Bullet/VW.
GT-1, Jack Busch, Torrington, CT, Ford Mustang.
GT-2, Tim Kezman, Franksville, WI, Porsche 997.
GT-3, Paul Young, Commerce Twp, MI, Ford Probe.
GT-Lite, Bobby Lentz II, Chantilly, VA, Nissan Sentra SE-R.
H Production, Ron Bartell, Madbury, NH, MG Midget.
Prototype 1, David Dickerson, Toms River, NJ, Radical SR3.
Prototype 2, Doug Piner, Chapel Hill, NC, Dauntless MX-1.
Spec Miata, Tyler Kicera, Manheim, PA, Mazda Miata.
Spec Racer Ford, David Dickerson, Toms River, NJ, SCCA Spec Racer Ford.
Spec Racer Ford 3, James Goughary, Jupiter, FL, SCCA Spec Racer Ford.
Super Touring Lite, John Schmitt, Sunbury, OH, Honda Prelude.
Super Touring Under, Eric Heinrich, Milton, MA, BMW M3 E30.
Touring 2, William Moore, Chagrin Falls, OH, Chevrolet Camaro.
Touring 3, Chad Gilsinger, Marysville, OH, Acura TL SH-AWD.
Touring 4, James Place, San Antonio, TX, Acura Integra.