Fastest Ever Mid-Ohio SCCA Runoffs Qualifying Lap Turned Tuesday
LEXINGTON, Ohio (September 20, 2016) – While temperatures early Tuesday morning started out in the low 60s for the second day of qualifying at the 53rd SCCA National Championship Runoffs presented by Garmin VIRB, the heat jumped up quick at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. In turn, that made Formula Atlantic driver Keith Grant really, really quick.
Grant, who had the FA pole after Monday’s first day of qualifying, set out on track at 10 a.m. Tuesday and managed to lay down the fastest lap an SCCA Runoffs competitor has ever turned at Mid-Ohio in any class. Grant’s lap of 1:16.581 equates to an average speed of more than 102 mph and bested the old record by .019 second. The previous record of 1:16.600 was set in 2005 by former SCCA FA driver Graham Rahal, who now competes in IndyCar.
“It’s an honor to have set the fastest lap,” said Grant, who claimed the 2003 GT-4 SCCA Runoffs crown. “The car was flawless through the whole session. The level of grip came up some today over yesterday, and the track was definitely in a little bit better condition than it was yesterday.
“The secret to a fast lap at Mid-Ohio is getting the car set up right, nailing all your marks and getting a clean lap,” Grant continued. “A fast lap isn’t terrifying when the car is set up well. Actually, at Mid-Ohio, fast feels slower inside the car if you’re doing things correct. Don’t overdrive the car and you can run a fast lap at Mid-Ohio.”
When dawn broke Tuesday on the 13-turn, 2.258-mile course, it looked like temperatures might keep lap speeds down as the second of four qualifying days began for those seeking Tire Rack Pole Awards handed to the fastest in each of the 28 SCCA Runoffs classes. The first two morning sessions ran nearly two seconds a lap slower than Monday. In Touring 3, Derek Kulach maintained the top position, as did Todd Harris in Spec Racer Ford. But then Joe Kristensen hit the track in GT-3 and changed things by cutting his top qualifying time from Monday by .834 second.
“I find the track very slick. I’ve never seen it this slippery besides in the rain,” said Kristensen, the returning Runoffs champion in the class. “The track has changed quite a bit since the last time we were here and we just got to get a handle on it. But we haven’t made any adjustments to the car since Monday. We drove the car a lot harder today and had clearer traffic. But I think there’s still more left in the car and we hope to go even faster.”
James Devenport then continued the mid-morning trend in Prototype 1 by knocking more than a second off his Monday qualifying time to hold the pole in class. Then two-time national champion John Buttermore held station in Touring 2 at the top of the chart with a qualifying lap near what he turned Monday. And defending Formula 500 champ Calvin Stewart cut nearly a second off his Monday time to stay in the running for a Tire Rack Pole Award.
Formula Mazda saw a switch at the top with Jacob Loomis leapfrogging Monday pole sitter Jarret Voorhies. A change has also been seen in Spec Racer Ford Gen3 where Patrick Byrne moved ahead of multi-time Runoffs winner Mike Miserendino by .033 second. There was also a lead change in Touring 4 where Oscar Jackson has ascended to the pole after Tuesday. Monday’s T4 leader, Jim Drago, dropped to fourth while Ryan Kowalewski and Tom Wickersham have moved to second and third, respectively. And Max Gee is now listed at the top of the Super Touring Under pile.
In American Sedan, Tom Sloe’s time from Monday stood up through Tuesday. But things became more interesting because now the top 10 drivers have broken the existing class qualifying Runoffs record at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, which was set back in 2004 by Kyle Watkins who turned a 1:36.868 lap.
“The class has changed cylinder heads since the last time we were at Mid-Ohio for the Runoffs,” said Sloe, winner of the 2009 Runoffs AS national championship. “We’re making more power and getting down the straightaways better. That’s probably the big difference.
“At almost three seconds a lap faster, the car is a handful to drive,” Sloe joked. “But I’m working on making the car better. If I can hook it up, I think I can lower the times even more.”
The warriors in Formula Vee are also setting blistering times compared to previous Runoffs held at Mid-Ohio. Michael Varacins, with four previous Runoffs wins, still holds the pole, but now there are seven others in the class that have outpaced the track’s previous Runoffs qualifying record. And John LaRue, the 1997 Formula F Runoffs champ, currently leads Formula Continental with two others under the previous Mid-Ohio SCCA Runoffs qualifying record. The same has occurred in GT-1 where multi-time champion Cliff Ebben maintained the pole with a quicker lap time, but is being chased by Michael Lewis and Dave Ruehlow who are below the existing track Runoffs qualifying record.
Formula Enterprises ace Scott Rettich set a faster lap Tuesday by almost a second to maintain the pole in that class. Charles Campbell held on to the top spot Tuesday in F Production, and Kevin Boehm kept the lead in Super Touring Lite as the returning national champion. Justin Hille managed to go slightly faster Tuesday to hold the Spec Miata pole position, and six-time champ Andrew Aquilante remained on pole in GT-2 after that qualifying session was shortened due to an on-course incident. But Aquilante is being chased by Trent Hindman, Preston Calvert and Scotty B. White who have all currently broken the track’s existing Runoffs qualifying record.
GT-Lite’s Steve Sargis is still leading the way to a Tire Rack Pole Award in that class, which isn’t surprising since he’s a seven-time Runoffs victor. Neil Verhagen, at 15 years old, leads Formula F for a second day, and defending champion Greg Ira is at the helm in E Production. In Touring 1, former Runoffs winner Ross Murray still holds the lead after two days of qualifying, and Prototype 2 driver Jeff Schafer is more than two seconds clear of his closest competitor.
In B-Spec, former champion David Daughtery still has the pole after Tuesday, but defending class champion John Heinricy is less than two-tenths behind. Alex Mayer, who has been runner-up at the last two Runoffs and never started from pole, remains the Formula 1000 front-runner after two days. And four-time Runoffs victor Tom Feller still leads H Production.
Two more days of qualifying remain before Tire Rack Pole Award winners are named. Below are provisional pole sitters in each class from the first two days of qualifying at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs, presented by Garmin VIRB, with Class: Name, Hometown, Car and Lap Time.
-American Sedan: Tom Sloe; Novelty, OH; Ford Mustang; 1:33.468
-B-Spec: David Daughtery; Fortville, IN; Honda Fit; 1:47.482
-E Production: Greg Ira; Plantation, FL; Datsun 260Z; 1:34.386
-F Production: Charles Campbell; Corry, PA; Mazda Miata; 1:36.742
-H Production: Tom Feller; Holland, MI; Triumph Spitfire; 1:41.368
-Formula 1000: Alex Mayer; Harleysville, PA; JDR 2014 Yamaha; 1:19.983
-Formula 500: Calvin Stewart; Novi, MI; Novakar Blade F600 1:28.528
-Formula Atlantic: Keith Grant; Germantown, TN; Swift 016a; 1:16.581
-Formula Continental: John LaRue; Muncie, IN; Citation Snipe FC; 1:21.962
-Formula Enterprise: Scott Rettich; Columbus, OH; SCCA Formula Enterprises; 1:28.222
-Formula F: Neil Verhagen; Mooresville, NC; Mygale SJ11 Honda; 1:30.109
-Formula Mazda: Jacob Loomis; Corinth, TX; Formula Mazda; 1:27.086
-Formula Vee: Michael Varacins; Burlington, WI; Speed Sport AM-5; 1:38.047
-GT-1: Cliff Ebben; Freedom, WI; Ford Mustang; 1:21.927
-GT-2: Andrew Aquilante; Chester Springs, PA; Chevrolet Corvette; 1:26.124
-GT-3: Joe Kristensen; London, ON, Can.; Acura RSX; 1:31.750
-GT-Lite: Steve Sargis; Frankfort, IL; Triumph Spitfire; 1:36.108
-Prototype 1: James Devenport; Modesto, CA; Norma Auto Concept M20 FC; 1:18.764
-Prototype 2: Jeff Schafer; Las Vegas, NV; Stohr WF1 Hyabusa; 1:20.188
-Spec Miata: Justin Hille; Ypsilanti, MI; Mazda Miata; 1:40.732
-Spec Racer Ford 3: Patrick Byrne; Spokane, WA; SCCA Spec Racer Ford 3; 1:34.526
-Spec Racer Ford: Todd Harris; Portland, OR; Spec Racer Ford; 1:37.618
-Super Touring Lite: Kevin Boehm; Marysville, OH; Honda Civic Si; 1:36.120
-Super Touring Under: Max Gee; Mansfield, OH; Honda Prelude; 1:34.528
-Touring 1: Ross Murray; Marina Del Rey, CA; Dodge Viper; 1:28.656
-Touring 2: John Buttermore; South Lyon, MI; Chevrolet Corvette Z06; 1:31.901
-Touring 3: Derek Kulach, Albuquerque, NM; Nissan 350Z Nismo; 1:37.085
-Touring 4: Oscar Jackson; Chino, CA; Scion FR-S; 1:40.745
Photo: Kevin Boehm leads Super Touring Lite after two qualifying days at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs presented by Garmin VIRB.
Credit: Mark Weber
