Tied Up in Majors Southern Conference Championships

Tied Up in U.S. Majors Tour Southern Conference Championships

TOPEKA, Kan. (August 25, 2017) – The SCCA® U.S. Majors Tour® Southern Conference has concluded its 2017 calendar.  More than 550 racers took part in the Southern Conference’s 12-round season that held court at six venues from February to May.  Drivers who excelled over those four months rightfully earned a Southern Conference Championship.

Several Southern Conference class championships ended in ties. Jonathan Goodale, in a Mazda MX-5 Miata, Michael Kamalian, driving a Mazda Miata, and Peter Shadowen, in a Honda CRXsi, all share the GT-Lite conference crown this year.  Dual champions were named in GT-3 as Bill McGavic, piloting a Mazda RX-7, and Mike Vess, behind the wheel of a BMW M235iRacing, ended the season point chase in a dead heat.  And in GT-2, Steven Pounds, piloting a Maserati GranTurismo, and Marc Sherrin, in a Chevrolet Camaro, both garnered 106 conference points during the year.  However, Pounds claims the GT-2 top spot due to his two victories at Texas World Speedway during the conference’s finale.

Spec Racer Ford Gen3 was also a hotly contested battle this season.  More than 100 SRF3 drivers scored points in the Southern Conference, but it was Gary Glanger who ultimately emerged atop the heap.  However, Jacob Loomis was only two points behind, Whitney Strickland three points off, and Grayson Strathman four points back.  The chase for the Formula Mazda Southern Conference Championship was very close, too.  Jarret Voorhies claimed victory, but Nicholas Malone was only four points back, and Brad Yake only two points behind Malone.

There were also two classes where the margin of victory was only seven points.  Kirk Kindsfater, in a Speeds RS11, claimed the Prototype 1 conference championship over Bryan Putt’s Elan DP02 by a mere seven points.  And seven points was the winning gap for Spec Racer Ford conference champion Richard Baldwin, who bested Dave Ogburn III.

The Southern Conference launched into its calendar with Round One and Round Two at Texas World Speedway in College Station.  The next six conference races then took place during Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour weekends.  The first was at NOLA Motorsports Park in Louisiana, followed by a stop at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, and finally a visit to Hallett Motor Racing Circuit in Jennings, Oklahoma. Motor Speedway Resort Houston then hosted Round Nine and Round Ten of the Southern Conference U.S. Majors Tour before the season came to a close where it all started back at Texas World Speedway.

Conference points are awarded to the top 20 finishers in each class.  Winners earn 25 points, and 21 points go to second.  Points are then doled out to others starting with 18 and descending to a single point for the 20th finisher. Only the best eight races count towards a driver’s point total.  Below are Southern Conference Champions with Class: Name, Hometown and Car.
-American Sedan®: Brian Himes; Slidell, LA; Ford Mustang
-B-Spec: John Phillips; Sealy, TX; Honda Fit
-E Production: Matt Reynolds; Fair Oaks, TX; Mazda Miata
-F Production: Kyle Baker; Angleton, TX; Mazda Miata
-H Production: James Stevens; Swansea, IL; Toyota MR2
-Formula 1000: James Michael; Fort Worth, TX; Stohr F1000
-Formula Atlantic®: David Zavelson; Austin, TX; Pro Formula Star Mazda
-Formula Continental®: Randall Smart; League City, TX; Van Diemen RF94
-Formula 500: Jack Walbran; St. Louis, MO; Scorpion 2006
-Formula Enterprise: Paul Schneider; Charlotte, NC; SCCA Mazda Formula Enterprises
-Formula F: Bruce Cerveny; Houston, TX; Piper DF5
-Formula Mazda: Jarret Voorhies; Kissimmee, FL; Formula Mazda
-Formula Vee®: Charles Hearn; Houston, TX; Volkswagen Vortech
-GT-1: David Fershtand; Fort Worth, TX; Oldsmobile Cutlass
-GT-2: Steven Pounds; Cypress, TX; Maserati GranTurismo
-GT-3 (tie): Mike Vess, Plano, TX; BMW M235iRacing
                   Bill McGavic; Arcadia, FL; Mazda RX-7
-GT-Lite (tie): Peter Shadowen; West Palm Beach, FL; Honda CRXsi
                      
Michael Kamalian; Marietta, GA; Mazda Miata
                       Jonathan Goodale; Conifer, CO; Mazda MX-5 Miata
-Prototype 1: Kirk Kindsfater; Eaton, CO; Speeds RS11
-Prototype 2: Jim Rawson; Houston, TX; Stohr 01D
-Spec Miata: Chris Haldeman; Mckinney, TX; Mazda Miata
-Spec Racer Ford: Richard Baldwin; Covington, LA; Spec Racer Ford
-Spec Racer Ford 3: Gary Glanger; Dallas, TX; Spec Racer Ford Gen3
-Super Touring® Lite: John Roberts; Grapevine, TX; Mazda MX-5
-Super Touring® Under: Luis Rivera; Angleton, TX; Mazda Miata
-Touring 1: Eric Ritchie; Katy, TX; Chevrolet Corvette Z06
-Touring 2: James Smith; Alvin, TX; Chevrolet Corvette
-Touring 3: Thomas Vincent Stephen; Dallas, TX; Porsche Boxster
-Touring 4: Lowell Huston; Friendswood, TX; Mazda Miata MX-5

The U.S. Majors Tour is one pathway to the 2017 SCCA National Championship Runoffs® being held September 25 through October 1 on a road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana.  U.S. Majors Tour drivers qualify for the Runoffs by participating in three U.S. Majors Tour weekends and starting at least three U.S. Majors Tour races in the same car class over the course of the season.

The Sports Car Club of America®, Inc., founded in 1944, is a 67,500-member motorsports organization that incorporates all facets of autocross, rally and road racing at both club and professional levels. With headquarters in Topeka, Kansas, the SCCA annually sanctions over 2,000 events through its 116 Regions and subsidiary divisions. Much of the SCCA’s activities are made possible with support from the following Official Partners: Chevrolet, the Official Truck of the SCCA; Hawk Performance, the Official Brake Products of SCCA; Mobil 1, the Official Oil of SCCA; Sunoco, the Official Fuel of SCCA; and Tire Rack, the Official Tire Retailer of SCCA. To learn more, please visit www.scca.com.

Photo: Jarret Voorhies led the pack to a Southern Conference Championship in Formula Mazda
Photo Credit: Mark Weber