Leaf-laden trees were again green and the terrain rolling as always during the Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA® Super Tour (HST) annual visit to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The May 15-17, 2026, gathering hosted by SCCA’s Ohio Valley Region as part of the Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing program saw action on the track’s Club Course, which is 2.4 miles with 15 turns and includes the old-school chicane prior to The Keyhole.
The day opened with a second round of 25-minute qualifying for the final three run groups. Skies then opened up and the action was halted for a few hours due to lightning and the need to sweep water from the circuit.
Because of the delay, races were shortened to 15 minutes. Still, all eight run groups did get their races in to discover the first set of victors, all of which walked away with commemorative bottles of Mazza Vineyards sparkling wine.
Back in the Saddle and Raising Awareness
A few years have passed since Erick Zanner, of SCCA’s Ohio Valley Region, was out on track. It was 2023 when the H Production driver last competed with SCCA. But that’s not to say he has been inactive. Instead, Zanner shifted his focus to Volunteer work because he wanted to give back to the Club.
“I never realized how many people it took to put on a race until I started my Steward in Training effort,” Zanner said. “It was mind blowing to me. Absolutely unbelievable. It truly does take a village, and it’s quite an impressive village at that.”
Zanner has spent time working Pit & Grid, Sound Control, Emergency Services, Starter, and even Registrar. This weekend at Mid-Ohio, however, he has come out of retirement to compete for the first time in the B-Spec field driving the No. 07 EPC/JDM Motorsports Mini Cooper.
It’s a triumphant return to say the least, especially considering Zanner was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer about one year ago. He’s currently undergoing treatment at The Ohio State University James Cancer hospital but is taking the opportunity this weekend to have some fun while increasing awareness for Pelotonia, a grassroots organization raising money to make cancer research go faster.
Zanner could be easily spotted out on course because his racecar was emblazoned with a green Pelotonia Arrow. It’s a unifying symbol of commitment that represents motion, action, and progress. That is certainly fitting since Zanner progressed nicely in Saturday’s race, completing the entire event that was ultimately won by Matt Downing in the No. 36 www.CERA.net/misFIT Racing Honda FIT.
Coming from Canada with Goodies
The Hoosier Super Tour has now traversed the United States for a decade. Since the series’ inception in 2017, plenty of friends from north of the border have popped in to have #funwithcars. Some Canadians get out of the snow early for events in California or the Southeast. A quick trip south for races at Portland International Raceway, Road America or Watkins Glen International are equally common. Mid-Ohio, too, sees its fair share of folks from north of the border.
Aidan Shimbashi, 20, is one such character who made the trip south from Ontario, Canada. He ran the No. 72 Clearly Canadian Mazda in Spec MX-5 (SMX) on Saturday during his first year as a Club member and Hoosier Super Tour competitor.
Shimbashi has a background in karts, as well as Spec Miata competition in Canada. In 2026, he has already run HST events in SMX at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, and VIRginia International Raceway.
“These are really well-run events, and it’s a lot of fun,” he said about HST weekends. “The racing is really clean, which I very much appreciate.
“We’ve made steady progress race to race, and we just keep getting better and better,” said Shimbashi, who is working with Hendricks Motorsports as he eyeballs a future in IMSA competition.
As for his appearance in Ohio, Shimbashi isn’t showing up empty handed. With him are a couple cases of flavored sparkling water from sponsor Clearly Canadian. As a ‘thank you’ to Volunteers, two cases of Clearly Canadian – plus some swag – are being doled out during HST race weekends where he’s running this year.
Shimbashi’s learning experience continued Saturday at Mid-Ohio with a 16th place finish in a race won by William Wallis in the No. 52 Mazda Motorsports/Advanced Autosports MX-5 car. But when it comes to sponsorship activation, Shimbashi is certainly winning.
Saturday Race Winners
Below are provisional race winners from Saturday’s Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour conducted at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course located halfway between the cities of Cleveland and Columbus. Each entry includes Car Class: Driver Name, SCCA Region, and Car.
American Sedan®: James Jost, Philadelphia Region, Ford Mustang GT
B-Spec: Matt Downing, Ohio Valley Region, Honda FIT
E Production: Cam Ebben, Milwaukee Region, Mazda MX-5
F Production: Mason Workman, Ohio Valley Region, Mazda Miata
H Production: Matt Brannon, Ohio Valley Region, Fiat X 1/9
Formula Atlantic®: Reilly Harris, Neohio Region, Van Diemen DP04
Formula Continental®: Chris Campanale, Detroit Region, Van Diemen RF05
Formula Enterprises® 2: Dean Oppermann, Chicago Region, SCCA Enterprises FE2 Mazda
Formula 600: James Weida, Indianapolis Region, Scorpion W1
Formula F: Jonathan Kotyk, Buccaneer Region, Mygale
Formula Vee®: Andrew Whitston, Milwaukee Region, Protoform P2
GT-1: David Pintaric, Mahoning Valley Region, Ford Mustang
GT-2: Tony Ave, Central Carolinas Region, Nissan 350Z
GT-X: Madison Aust, Texas Region, Hyundai Elantra N TCR
Prototype: Gary Peck, Blackhawk Valley Region, Stohr WF1
Prototype 2: Richard Colburn, Cincinnati Region, Nostendo 1
Spec Miata: Max Stallone, Texas Region, Mazda Miata
Spec MX-5: William Wallis, San Francisco Region, Mazda MX-5
Spec Racer® Ford Gen3: S. Sandy Satullo III, Neohio Region, SCCA Enterprises SRF3
Super Touring® Lite: Gavin Wardle, Utah Region, Mazda Miata
Super Touring® Under: Chip Herr, Susquehanna Region, Audi A4
Touring 1: Brian Goodman, New England Region, BMW M3
Touring 2: Chip Herr, Susquehanna Region, Audi RS3 LMS TCR
Touring 3: Ethan Jacobs, Milwaukee Region, Mazda MX-5
Touring 4: Madin Workman, Ohio Valley Region, Mazda MX-5
Look for More Sunday at Mid-Ohio
One more day of HST competition remains for Mid-Ohio with action starting Sunday, May 17, at 8 a.m. Eastern Time. Races for all eight run groups are slated to be 35 minutes or 20 laps in conditions forecast to be a bit warmer than the previous two days.
Spectators are most certainly welcome to come out and enjoy the action. Tickets are only $10 per person, and Mid-Ohio season ticket holders get in for free. If you can’t be trackside, the next best option is HST’s online broadcast produced by DriversEye Live. That’s available for free at SCCA’s YouTube page. Commentary will again be provided by longtime SCCA National Championship Runoffs® announcer Greg Creamer and Mid-Ohio’s very own Tom Michaels. Sunday victory podium celebrations can also be viewed at the Summit Racing Equipment SCCA Road Racing Facebook page.
As always, live HST Timing & Scoring is also available throughout the weekend at scca.com/live.
Photo: Saturday’s Hoosier Super Tour B-Spec victory at Mid-Ohio went to Matt Downing
Photo by Jeff Loewe
