LEXINGTON, Ohio (September 23, 2016) – Joe Moser, of Wilmette, Illinois, more than made up for a narrow E Production loss earlier this afternoon to score a Super Touring Under (STU) National Championship victory Friday in the SCCA National Championship Runoffs presented by Garmin VIRB at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Driving the same No. 63 Hoosier/Honda/King Motorsports Honda Prelude Si VTEC in both classes, Moser shook off any lingering memories of being passed for the E Production win on the last lap with a convincing STU victory less than two hours later. Cameron Maugeri, of Holly Hill, Florida, and Oscar Jackson, of Chino, California, completed the podium.
Jumping from fourth to second at the race start, Moser made what turned out to be the winning race pass on Tire Rack Pole winner Maugeri at the end of the back straight on a lap-four restart after a full course caution period.
Moser opened up to a more than six-second lead in the middle part of the race only to see Maugeri narrow the gap in his No. 72 Krugspeed/Hoosier Lotus Exige in the closing laps.
“I saw Cameron, he was just ticking off lap after lap, doing a fantastic job, and his car was flying,” Moser. “Had I screwed up, or he would have got me, I am not sure I would have had much going for him, but I managed to bring this one home in first this time.”
Despite a nagging misfire, Maugeri led the first three laps but the race restart didn’t go his way.
“Overall my car was pretty good,” Maugeri said. “It was misfiring a little bit, it was something with the heat maybe, I am not sure, but besides that it was good. The first two laps were good but on the restart it just went south. I got nudged and dropped back a couple of spots, but then I just charged back as hard as I could.”
Moser was determined to avoid a repeat of the E Production race, which he led from the start and right up until being passed half-a-lap from the finish.
“I probably drove it a little bit harder at the beginning of the STU race to gap it, but I started having nightmares from my E Prod race,” Moser said. “I gapped in that one too but then Matt Reynolds came back and caught me. I didn’t let it slip away this time, so I am thrilled with that.”
Another double-duty driver like Moser, Jackson finished third in his No. 16 Jackson Racing/BF Goodrich Tires Scion FR-S and then promptly prepared for his race in the Touring 4 class just a little over an hour later.
Fourth place went to David Brand in the No. 3 Krugspeed/BGB Attorneys/Hoosier Lotus Exige, and Charles Tobel rounded out the top five in his No. 4 Novi Wall/Discount Tire/Hoosier Pontiac Solstice.
The Sunoco Hard Charger award went to Alex Phelps who improved four positions to finish eighth in the No. 26 Long Road Racing/Race Engineering Mazda MX-5.
The 53rd SCCA National Championship Runoffs presented by Garmin VIRB, the Pinnacle of American Motorsports, crowns Sports Car Club of America’s Club Racing National Champions this year at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, from Friday, September 23 through Sunday, September 25.
While the live broadcast of all 28 National Championships is available live at SCCA.com, each race will be on demand in the coming weeks.
LEXINGTON, Ohio -- Provisional results for Friday’s Super Touring Under (STU) race at the 53rd SCCA National Championship Runoffs presented by Garmin VIRB at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car and laps complete.
1, (4), Joe Moser, Wilmette, IL, Honda Prelude Si VTEC, 23.
2, (1), Cameron Maugeri, Holly Hill, FL, Lotus Exige, 23.
3, (6), Oscar Jackson, Chino, CA, Scion FR-S, 23.
4, (5), David Brand, Syosset, NY, Lotus Exige, 23.
5, (7), Charles Tobel, New Hudson, MI, Pontiac Solstice, 23.
6, (9), Allan Ferragonio, Freedom, PA, BMW 325is, 23.
7, (0), Eric Thompson, Aberdeen, NJ, Toyota Celica, 23.
8, (12), Alex Phelps, Winston Salem, NC, Mazda MX-5, 23.
9, (13), Thomas Lyttle, Decatur, GA, Mazda Miata, 21.
10, (11), Christopher Itterly, Kalamazoo, MI, BMW E36, 19.
11, (15), Mark Crellin, Springfield, OH, Nissan 200SER, 19.
12, (8), Brennan Stover, Richmond, OH, BMW M3, 15.
13, (10), Brad McCall, Boca Raton, FL, Scion FR-S, 15.
14, (3), John Schmitt, Sunbury, OH, Honda Civic, 12.
15, (2), Max Gee, Mansfield, OH, Honda Prelude, 9.
16, (14), Tim Pitts, Louisville, TN, Volkswagen GTI, 6.
Length of Race: 52 miles
Overall Time of Race: 38:29.822
Average Speed: 80.492 mph
Margin of Victory: 1.965 seconds
Fastest Race Lap: No. 72 Maugeri 1:34.597 (85.391mph)
Lap Leaders: No. 72, laps 1 - 3; No. 63, laps 4 – 23
Sunoco Hard Charger: No. 26 Alex Phelps
Image: Joe Moser drove his No. 63 Honda Prelude to the Super Touring Under (STU) National Championship victory Friday in the SCCA National Championship Runoffs presented by Garmin VIRB at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Credit: Jay Bonvouloir
