It was bit of a wet one Sunday at VIRginia International Raceway (VIR) as the Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA® Super Tour (HST) closed out its third stop on the 2026 calendar with an April 4-5 event hosted by SCCA’s North Carolina Region along the border of Virginia and North Carolina.
Conditions were dry and cool when the first few of seven run groups headed out on the 3.27-mile, undulating circuit for 15-minute qualifying sessions. However, the weather soon changed, and precipitation made qualifying more difficult for the groups that came later.
Sunday’s schedule included 35-minute or 14-lap races for all contestants. The first two run groups experienced a light drizzle, but the rain became more intense after lunch as group three headed on track for a truly wet race. After that, skies lightened and the precipitation subsided, leaving wet but drying conditions for the rest of the event.
When all was said and done, all seven run groups got full races, and the top three finishers in each car class were awarded their commemorative bottles of Mazza Vineyards sparkling wine.
A Surreal Experience
Last year, Stephen Sauers joined Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing competition in a cherished, factory-built Ford Mustang racecar in the Touring 1 (T1) class at the Regional level. This year, however, he has upped the competition intensity.
In January at Sebring International Raceway, Sauers entered his first U.S. Majors Tour® driving the No. 46 Team Sauers/Carter Racing Ford Mustang TA2 car in the GT-2 class. The member of SCCA’s Buccaneer Region then took part in his first HST event at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in the same vehicle and class.
“I had a pretty good season in T1 last year and I wanted to move up,” Sauers said. “So I ended up buying a Trans Am car and I love it. It’s awesome.”
Still, Sauers admits he’s on the learning curve with the new machine. It required that he get acquainted with a manual transmission, as well as left-foot braking. Nonetheless, he’s really digging the GT-2 class so far.
“I love the competition and I love being challenged,” he noted. “I wanted to move into the U.S. Majors Tour and Hoosier Super Tour, which is a lot more challenging. The drivers there are very good at what they do, and I feel like I can compete with them.”
Sauers fully accepts this season is going to be a learning year for him, which certainly included his very first trip to VIR this weekend. On Sunday, though, he found himself running third in very wet conditions. Not too many laps later, he was second. And when the checkered flag flew, he was first in class – thus securing his inaugural visit to an HST podium.
“It’s a wonderful rush to drive the car wheel to wheel,” Sauers said about his racing adventure so far. “It has been a surreal experience, and all the people make this fun. Even though this is very competitive, everybody is very friendly.”
With a goal of running in the Trans Am TA2 series down the road, Sauers seems to be off to a good start. Expect to see him at a few more HST stops this year, as well as at Road America this fall for a first-time go at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs®.
A Packed Schedule
We first met Sebastian Mateo Naranjo in 2022 when he was 15 years old and appeared at a Sebring International Raceway HST event in the Formula F (FF) field. He’d come from a successful karting background, then went on to claim a silver medal in FF at the 2024 Runoffs.
He shifted focus last year to run in the Spec MX-5 (SMX) field. Switching things up once again this year, you’ll find him in Formula Enterprises® 2 (FE2) for the 2026 Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing season. And if it’s any indication of things to come, he won the Sunday HST race at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta.
“This year is more a confidence builder in a platform that I know and I’m familiar with,” said Naranjo, who ran FE2 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course during the 2024 HST season. “Last year in SMX didn’t go as well as we hoped for. It was a big confidence knockdown. So this year, we’re going back to a platform I’m familiar with.”
While Naranjo is turning back the clock to drive a car he’s familiar with, the one thing the young man can’t do is turn back time. Today, at 19 years old, he’s a freshman engineering student at Clemson University learning to juggle studies with the demands of competition weekends. In the early morning near Braselton, GA, a few weeks back, he was spotted devouring eggs in a hotel breakfast area while scouring textbooks before driving off to slip into a racecar.
“It’s a very tough major. I work ahead and plan ahead,” Naranjo stated. “When I’m at the track, I’m not doing anything school related. I like to keep my attention on one thing at a time.”
That being said, Naranjo hasn’t completely divested his motorsport passion from his college experience. Instead, he is part of Clemson Tiger Racing – a club that prepares students for high-impact careers in motorsports and engineering by providing real world experience in competition, collaboration and innovation. If you can, throw them a bone at the donation page, or maybe just buy some swag.
“Me four years ago is a whole lot different than me today. Me one year ago is a whole lot different than me today,” said the young man growing up and discovering himself. “I’ve matured. I think things over. I reflect on things. I’ve changed as a person, and I’ve changed as a driver. I’ve changed in every way possible. Some things I agree with from my past, and some things I don’t like about myself from the past. But you live and you learn. You reflect on that, then you better yourself.”
Naranjo had a decent weekend, finishing third Saturday and Sunday to victor James Davison in the No. 8 Cruz Associates SCCA Enterprises FE2 Mazda. Immediately after Sunday’s late race, Naranjo climbed out of the No. 51 Mateo Naranjo Racing/Alliance Autosport machine, accepted his trophy and bottle of Mazza Vineyards sparkling wine, then drove several hours back to school for an early morning exam Monday.
Sunday Race Winners
Below are provisional race winners from Sunday’s Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour at VIRginia International Raceway. Each entry includes Car Class: Driver Name, SCCA Region, and Car. An asterisk (*) denotes drivers with a weekend sweep in the class.
*American Sedan®: Michael Kamalian, Atlanta Region, Ford Mustang
B-Spec: Adam Benaway, North Carolina Region, Honda Fit
E Production: Tony Ave, Central Carolinas Region, Mazda MX-5
*F Production: Mason Workman, Ohio Valley Region, Mazda Miata
*H Production: Tom Broring, Washington DC Region, Toyota Yaris
*Formula Atlantic®: Tony Ave, Central Carolinas Region, Swift 016 Mazda
Formula Continental®: Brandon Dixon, Alabama Region, Citation F2000
*Formula Enterprises® 2: James Davison, Florida Region, SCCA Enterprises FE2 Mazda
*Formula Vee®: Donnie Isley, Central Carolinas Region, Agitator 016
*GT-1: Bryan Scheible, Ohio Valley Region, Chevrolet Camaro
GT-2: Stephen Sauers, Buccaneer Region, Ford Mustang TA2
GT-X: Tim Day Jr, San Francisco Region, Ligier JS P320
*Spec Miata: Travis Wiley, Lone Star Region, Mazda Miata
*Spec MX-5: Tyler Gonzalez, Florida Region, Mazda MX-5
Spec Racer® Ford Gen3: Robeson Clay Russell, Central Carolinas Region, SCCA Enterprises SRF3
*Prototype: Darryl Shoff, Philadelphia Region, Elan DP02
Prototype 2: Sherman Chao, Central Florida Region, Ligier JS51
*Super Touring® Lite: Derek Ketchie, Central Carolinas Region, Honda Civic
*Super Touring® Under: Tony Ave, Central Carolinas Region, Honda Civic
Touring 1: Wes Humphryes, Alabama Region, Mercedes-Benz GT4
Touring 2: Russell King, Land O'Lakes Region, BMW M2 CSR
Touring 3: William Bolt, Atlanta Region, Nissan 350Z
*Touring 4: Kevin Fryer, Washington DC Region, Mazda MX-5
Hallett Hangout Ahead
Competitors now have a couple weeks to towel off and get cars dried out before HST’s next event, which is the April 25-26, 2026, visit to Jennings, OK, and Hallett Motor Racing Circuit for a weekend hosted by Ark Valley Race Group. Registration is open now for both Drivers and Volunteers, so get signed up today and prepare for another fantastic weekend around Hallett’s cozy but challenging 1.8-mile, 10-turn circuit.
Once again, action from Hallett will be presented live, online and for free thanks to the popular HST video broadcast. Before then, the VIR weekend can be revisited with on-demand video playback at the SCCA YouTube channel.
Photo: Stephen Sauers leads the way to GT-2 victory Sunday at VIR during the Hoosier Super Tour
Photo by Jeff Loewe
