John LaBrie, of Draper, Utah, competed in all but two of the 12 Western Conference races. Of the eight that counted toward the championship, LaBrie racked up five wins and three second-place finishes. That record allowed LaBrie to run away with the conference title.

“Frankly, it's been a goal of mine since I started racing in the Majors,” LaBrie said. “The competition was so much tougher. I really thought it was out of reach, as there was a significant step up when we started going against the best guys in the west. We couldn't be more pleased.”

Like many amateur racers, travel to the racetrack was one of the large hurdles that LaBrie overcame.

“Living in Utah, we have to travel several hundred miles, or more, to every Majors race,” LaBrie said. “Like many in the SCCA, I work for a living and have to align my days off to my race schedule, which is always difficult.

“To compound things, my mechanic lives in Seattle. So, I tow the car to and from the events and fly him in to meet us. It takes a bit of planning, but we've done it long enough now it's not too bad but it certainly isn't easy. Aside from some fiberglass repairs in the paddock we really didn't have any major issues.”

For LaBrie, the Majors at Thunderhill Raceway Park proved to be a pivotal moment in the season.

“At the Thunderhill Majors we had three excellent drivers show up – Gary Hickman, Larry Vollum and Randall Cook,” LaBrie said. “I had never bested any of them and if I wanted to podium that would have to change. We qualified third with our personal best, but in the race Saturday I dropped to fourth by the exit of Turn One and my work was ahead of me. Hickman dropped with a mechanical early in the race, and I stayed on Cook’s wheel as he hounded Vollum for the top spot. I stayed on Cook's tail and Vollum pulled ahead by several car lengths as I tried to find a way around the very wide Cook.

“About three-quarters into the race, I finally passed Cook into Turn One and with four laps to go set my sights on catching Vollum. I was reeling him in and on the penultimate lap I got him in Turn Nine and managed to pull about a four-second gap on him by the finish line!

“To cap the weekend, we took second in the race the following day and it was then that I realized that the championship was within reach. It was a great weekend!”

LaBrie made sure to give each of his supporters a shout out.

“Without my wife, none of this would be possible,” LaBrie said. “To my mechanic and friend, TJ Meisch, I owe a huge thank you. TJ is a great mechanic and fabricator and is a tireless worker. I am lucky to have him in my paddock.

“Finally, Bug & Weed Mart has stepped up each year with their financial support and we sincerely appreciate it. We're pleased to have finally brought them a championship of their own, and look forward to 2016 and beyond.”