Bruce Myers, of Greenland, New Hampshire, captured a hotly-contested Spec Racer Ford battle in the Northeast Conference. He finished in the top five on seven occasions, including three wins. That put him one race short of finishing the season with winning half of the races he had entered. Regardless, Myers felt very pleased with the end result.

“As a competitor, winning the Northeast championship was one of the most satisfying accomplishments because my competition was extremely tough,” Myers said. “SRF drivers are tremendously competitive and every race is a new challenge with up to 10 top drivers pushing for the podium. Earning the checkered in three races this season with double wins at New Jersey in 2014 and 2015 is certainly a major highlight in my racing career.”

While Myers did enjoy many parts of the season, he did still have to overcome some sizeable hurdles to earn his title.

“The season was going well until my frame cracked, likely at The Glen Majors, with complete failure during qualifying at the New Jersey Majors,” Myers said. “I was lucky to have the help from my fellow competitors, especially Randy Youngsma who welded my frame just one hour prior to Saturday's race. That frame defect made the handling tricky in the high speed corners. I have never spun so many times in one weekend. The lowest point was at the Glen when I didn't even make it to the green flag due to contact at the green flag with my entire team there to watch.”

Myers said he feels like this year’s doubleheader event at New Jersey Motorsports Park was the thing that turned his season around.

“The double win at New Jersey was the turning point, especially after the disappointment at the Glen,” Myers said. “I was leading both races and made unforced errors causing me to drop to third in Saturday's race and fifth on Sunday. Being able to come back and win both races gave me the points I needed.”

Myers said he had some vitally important folks to thank for the successes of the season.

“My three key team members include my brother, Ted, my lifelong friend, Charlie, and mostly my wife, Lori,” Myers said. “Ted and Charlie travel from Wisconsin and West Virginia to many of the races and put not only their time, but brain power and slave labor into it.

“I started racing karts at age 11 with both of them at Sugar River Raceway in Broadhead, WI. Both are excellent mechanics and tacticians. My speed demon wife of 27 years has long understood that racing is an integral, and important, part of my life. She has supported my racing budget and weekends traveling since 1983 and helped as crew for many of those years. Also, without the talent and camaraderie of the SRF drivers, the win would not be as sweet! Thanks to Enterprises and all the support I had from Motion Dynamics, Alliance Autosport, Haggerman Racing and PM Racing.”

Greg Gyann, of Woodridge, Illinois, contested all but one race in 2015 and came away with the Northern Conference Majors Prototype 2 championship. What made this more impressive is that this was Gyann’s first year behind the wheel of a racecar.

“It was really special for me to win a Majors championship this year,” Gyann said. “I just started racing this year because my dad does it and I wanted to spend time with him at the races. I started out the year not knowing how I would do and hoping not to embarrass myself, so to actually win the conference was a total surprise.”

Gyann credited the reliability of his car as a reason for his success this season. However, there were some challenges that every amateur and pro racer must face at some point.

“A major reason why I did so well this season was the reliability of my car,” Gyann said. “I finished every race I started, which makes the season a bit easier. The hardest part of the season was just being away from my family, especially my daughter Ella who was only four months old when the season started.”

At first, Gyann was unable to point to a single moment where he realized that the championship was a possibility. But, eventually he was able single out a moment where the thought of a championship became very clear.

“I don't know if there was a single turning point in the season for me,” Gyann said. “But, after winning the June Sprints I started to realize that the car was running really well and I was starting to get more comfortable in it.

“The next race weekend at Gingerman I had to miss the first race for a family wedding. After missing that race I had to start last in the Sunday race and, at that point, figured I was out of it. I got really lucky and wound up winning that Sunday race. I think that was the point at which I realized that winning a championship was actually possible.”

Gyann had some very important people who helped bring him 11 podium finishes, including five wins.

“I could never have done any of this without the support of my dad,” Gyann said. “He, along with the rest of my family, supports me in everything I do and they are the real reason behind any of my success both on and off the racetrack. Winning the Conference was the second best part of the season. The best part was getting to do it all with my dad.

“The other major reason I has so much success this season was because the car was so good. That is 100-percent due to the incredible work and dedication of our crew chief, John O'Conner. Not only did he have the cars running fast, but more importantly we always felt safe because of his attention to detail. Special thanks also to Mike Grosiak, Jody Lift, Dennis Eade, Mike Devins, Critter and all of the other people who helped and advised us along the way.”

Michael Froh, of Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, completed at all but one doubleheader race weekend of the Northern Conference. Froh logged seven second-place finishes and a win in the eight races that counted toward the season-ending points.

To say the least, Froh was excited with his achievement.

“Winning the Majors Northern Conference Championship is the highlight of my 44 years of SCCA racing,” Froh said. “I live in Elkhart Lake and grew up with the Road America racetrack in my backyard. I obtained my SCCA National license in 1972 and raced in my first Road America June Sprints that year. Before that, I raced MGBs for many years and in the last few years of running the MG only raced events at Road America.

“I made the decision to move to a Mazda Miata four years ago and quickly realized the vast improvement in power, handling and dependability that the Miata offered. I expanded my racing to tracks that I had not been to in many years. As I became more comfortable with the Miata, we became very competitive and we decided to shoot for the Conference Championship this year.”

While this was the year that Froh made a concerted effort to travel to different tracks, his biggest challenge each race weekend was to learn a new track.

“Because we had not been traveling to many other tracks in recent years, GingerMan Raceway and Michigan International were completely foreign to me,” Froh said. “I enjoyed the challenge of learning the tracks, but it took quite some time before I felt comfortable on those courses.”

Froh said his turning point came at his home track of Road America, his old stomping grounds.

“I finished second in the June Sprints, and by the time the July RA race came along I realized how quick we were,” Froh said. “I won one of the July races and placed second in the other one.

“In the race that I finished second, I was actually two seconds per lap faster than the winning car, but got hung up in traffic and finished right behind him. We knew, at that point, that with two more races remaining, we would have a shot at the championship.”

Froh made sure to thank everyone he could for the wonderful season.

“I want to thank Jesse Prather for all his help and advice,” Froh said. I knew his father for many years in our MG days and really appreciated the knowledge and skills Jesse developed in the Mazda world. Jesse set up our car and I continue to use his services.

“My crew has been with me for many years. My uncle, Ron Gumm, has been with us since I started racing. Dale Gueldenzopf has been with me for 35 years, Christopher Donlon for 25, my nephew, Joe Walvoord, since he was a kid 20 years ago, Bob Hoopman for the last 10 years and Christopher’s son, Jarred Donlon, also since he was a kid more than 10 years ago.

“Gary Page encouraged me to move to a Miata and helped set up the car for our first year racing it. Also my wife, Susie, who has always been supportive of my racing, continues to encourage me to do my best. I am happiest when she is at the track cheering me on.

“Finally, I would like to thank Road America. My Dad took me to the Road America races as a child in the 1950s and early 1960s. By the late 1960s, I was volunteering to work the races and crew for other drivers in the area. Road America is the finest race facility in America. We are so fortunate to have this venue available to us for club racing and that SCCA has been an essential part of Road America for its entire 60-year history.”

In three races in which he took part in the Northern Conference Majors, Michael Lewis, of Poway, California, captured the pole position and went on to win the race. That record was enough to secure him the Northern Conference title. His record was a reflection of the hard work his team put in throughout the year.

“It’s validation of the effort and hard work put in by me and the crew,” Lewis said. “We set a very high bar for ourselves every year and don’t always get there, but the effort is always total.

“I think the thing that made this championship special is that it’s about as far away from home as we could get! To be able to win running as a visitor on our competitors’ home tracks was definitely special.”

As a resident of California, one of the toughest things for Lewis was the travel done in order to make it to races in the northern and eastern parts of the country.

“As an amateur team we face the same challenges most do,” Lewis said. “My crew is voluntary and I have a business to run, so getting away to the races is always tough. I’d say particularly this year as we participated in a wide range of races in the Eastern United States while we are based in Southern California. The car was gone all year, and still hasn’t returned. So, maintenance had to be squeezed in either before or after race weekends and that prolonged the time away.”

For Lewis, the focus this year was to have fun. With that in mind, a Majors Conference title was not really in mind until the end of the season.

“We actually didn’t start out the year with any designs on a conference championship because we were doing races all over,” Lewis said. “We were hitting tracks we either hadn’t been to for years or had never been to at all. Once the season started to wind down, we noticed much to our surprise that we were in with a chance to win the Northern Conference even though we had done just a few races. At that point, we added one race and it all worked out. Totally unexpected.”

With all the points in the record book, Lewis made sure to thank a couple important people.

“Goodyear tires was a key partner with their support all year,” Lewis said. “I also want to thank my longtime crew chief, Joe Geldert, and Mike Gaglione. They were there every weekend and Tom Irwin helped keep the car looking good. Last, but not least, I want to thank my wife Peggy for her infinite patience.”

J. Patrick Womack, of Burr Ridge, Illinois, was the runaway Touring 3 class winner in the Northern Conference and narrowly captured the nationwide class championship. The Nationwide points came down to race wins to break the three-way tie at the top.

“I realized after about the third race weekend that there was an outside chance of pulling off the nationwide points title, as I had three other strong competitors across the country,” Womack said. “We watched each other closely and it came down to highest finishing place with three of us tied for points. Both Bob Schader and Chad Gilsinger finished tied with me on points. I was just lucky enough to put more overall wins on the board than them and that is what pushed me slightly ahead.”

On paper, it may look like Womack had a fairly trouble-free year. However, in racing nothing goes exactly to plan. Womack’s year was no different.

“My only setback for the year was after the second race weekend at Blackhawk Farms,” Womack said. “I misjudged weather and started the second race on dry tires instead of wets. Upon acceleration I lost the rear and started spinning like a top down the front straight and into the outside wall causing some damage but not destroying the car. I managed to get back on track and get back on the podium.

“Fall Line Motorsports did a fantastic job repairing the car in a short period of time and getting us back out for the next weekend, I really have to thank these guys for their support and professionalism over the years.”

Womack wanted to make sure to bring attention to his best supporters.

“Without the support of my wife, and friends, this would not be a reality,” Womack said. “They allow me to blow out of town for a long weekend to enjoy my passion. It is truly some of the most peaceful time I have in my hectic life, and only racers realize this.

“Running a large BMW Center in the Chicagoland area is stressful and time consuming. So, once I get belted in and can take a deep breath nothing else matters. You have to be 100-percent focused on the task at hand and it is like a drug, you crave the peace more and more.”

Aside from his support system, Womack also wanted to draw attention to the very talented drivers with which he competed.

“I give my T3 competitors great credit as I know most were watching each other very closely from afar,” Womack said. “I know that it is a very talented field. Many race in the Continental Tire Series or Pirelli World Challenge, and I am just an aging BMW salesman.

“I really wish that I could have attended the Runoffs but was given the opportunity to drive a very special car at the Porsche Rennsport reunion and I could not pass that up.

Congratulations go out to Bob Schader for the Runnoffs win. We felt the Nissan really had the advantage this year and Bob proved it with an incredible run at Daytona.”

Last, but certainly not least, Womack wanted to thank some very special people without whom drivers could not race.

“I wanted to make sure to thank all the corner workers and others that donate their time to SCCA so that we can go out and enjoy a very special sport that most outsiders do not understand,” Womack said. “I really feel like part of a special family when at the track and it is a joy to be there with like-minded people.

“Again, thank you to my wife Melissa as well as the whole Fall Line Motorsports team for their hard work and support!”

In 2015, Scott Rettich, of Columbus, Ohio, captured three Majors Conference titles. Concentrating on the second generation of Spec Racer Fords in the beginning of the season, Rettich completed the Southeastern Conference calendar as the top driver in the class. He then went on to capture the SRF Gen3 and Formula Enterprises titles in the Northern Conference.

“It really means a lot to us to win Spec Racer Ford in the Southeast Conference, Formula Enterprises in the Northern Conference, and Spec Racer Ford Gen 3 in the Northern Conference,” Rettich said. “The competition was very strong at each Majors event.”

While earning three titles in two different conferences, it would make sense that Rettich had some stumbling blocks on the way.

“The most difficult part of the season was the Spec Racer Ford Gen 3 Cat Majors,” Rettich said. “We qualified on the pole for the sprint race, but while leading on the first lap a weld broke on our frame and we had to retire from that race. We fixed the car and won the feature race by a couple feet the next day!”

While Rettich spent much many weekends throughout the year behind the wheel of a racecar, there was one race that he said stuck out to him.

“The most exciting race of the season was the final Spec Racer Ford Gen 3 race at Michigan International Speedway,” Rettich said. “If my main competition, Bobby Sak won, I had to finish second to still win the championship. I followed him around the entire race until the beginning of the last lap when I took the lead.

“I led heading onto the oval and he pulled out to pass me on the outside coming to the line, but I held on to the lead by a few inches and came away with the win and the championship!”

On most weekends, Rettich ran in two separate classes. The effort to run two completely different cars in different race groups not only takes planning, but time needed to make sure each car is prepared to a winning level. Rettich made sure to thank those who made the logistics of three championship runs possible.

“I have to thank my parents, my wife, Rebecca Rettich, and our sponsors: PDI Communication Systems, Red Line Oil, Hoosier Racing Tire, and Goodyear Race Tires,” Rettich said. “I would also like to thank the entire Alliance Autosport team including Suren Tchobanian, Al Hostettler, Donny Nuckles, Joe Heretta, Ron Dick, Jonathan Dick, Ned Morrell, Jim Shoemaker, Jerry Cabe, Quinten Nelson, Rick Nelson, Rick Carter, Ray Rivard, Zach Rivard and all of our customers.”

Tyler Thielmann, of Kiel, Wisconsin, ran the entire schedule of Majors races in the Northern Conference. In the eight that counted toward the season-long title, Thielmann was a perfect eight-for-eight. His wins came at Blackhawk Farms Raceway, Road America, GingerMan Raceway and Michigan International Speedway.

Thielmann said he was extremely happy and pleased with the effort of his team.

“It means a lot,” Thielmann said. “It shows that we were able to remain consistent among our competitors and that we were able to be fast when it counted.”

Thielmann said his regular season of competition was relatively trouble-free, but that the issues crept in during the Runoffs at Daytona.

“The most difficult part of the season was the Runoffs,” Thielmann said. “We managed to be almost mistake-free with the car all year only to have multiple issues work against us while at Daytona. I think we were able to show our speed on track while we battled our way all the way up to fourth place, but a water line failure kept us from making any kind of run in the end.”

For Thielmann, he said that he felt the turning point of the season came during the Mid-Ohio Majors.

“The point in the season where we knew a conference title was possible was early on at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course,” Thielmann said. “We have followed the USF1000 pro series in the past, so we knew the caliber of competition was high,” Thielmann said. “This race was not only a Northern and Northeastern Conference but the pro series was there, as well. So, we knew we had to bring our ‘A’ game.

“During Sunday’s race we moved from fifth to being right behind the leader at the finish under wet track conditions. I think this is the race that gave us the confidence for the rest of the season.”

Thielmann made a point to thank each of the people who made his championship run possible.

“My family and friends have been great for support this year and have really been behind us every step of the way,” Thielmann said. “I would also like to thank our sponsors and some of the outside help we received. This includes SO Bright Natural Pet Products, Greg Moon, from Moons Super Cycle; Jerry Hodges, with JDR Race Cars; Don Conner for helping out with data and setup and Bart and Nate Wolf, of Wolf Motorsports.”

Tim Kezman, of Fanksville, Wisconsin, bookended his Northern Conference-winning season with a pair of podiums in the first and last doubleheader race weekends of the season. That record included two wins at Blackhawk Farms Raceway, in the season opener, and a second-place finish and win at Michigan International Speedway. In addition, he also finished as the Southeast Conference T2 champion. Kezman said this season was the highlight of his racing career.

“As a racer, anytime that you have enough success to be crowned a champion it’s rewarding,” Kezman said. “As a true road racing rookie, to win races, Majors titles and then the Nationwide Points Championship in two classes is just unbelievable. I hadn’t been in a racecar for just about 20 years, and that was a short track stock car not a road race car.

“I started the 2015 season with a goal of finishing races, trying to earn the respect of the other racers and not embarrassing myself. To have the type of year that we have had is personally rewarding and a true testament to the people around me. This season is definitely the highlight of my racing activities.”

Kezman said he had a handful of rather sizable hurdles to overcome throughout the season.

“For me there were three challenging elements this season,” Kezman said. “First was the fact that I had never driven a Porsche before, not even on the street. Second was the fact that, with the exception of Blackhawk Farms and Road America, I had never been to any of the other tracks. Every track was a new experience and learning them was very challenging. Third was racing in the rain. Where I come from we didn’t do that. This year we happened to do a lot of it and it was certainly an eye-opening experience.”

Kezman said his focus was not on points for most of the season. But, the possibility of a championship came into focus at Road America.

“I really wasn’t focused on points or championships,” Kezman said. “I needed seat time and we tried to run every chance we got. I think one of the defining moments of the season for me was running second to Andrew Longe at Road America during the June Sprints. It was a full field T2 class competitors. I think we qualified and were running second by the end of the first lap. I was able to hang right with Andrew for the better part of the race. Although we finished second to the kid that won the Runoffs the previous year I thought, maybe we can compete with these guys. That was a real confidence builder.”

Kezman made certain to thank some very important people who allowed him to claim the 2015 title.

“All that we have done in 2015 would absolutely not have been possible without the support of Calypso Lemonade and all the guys at Fall-Line Motorsports,” Kezman said. “From their car prep and setup to their coaching techniques, each and every factor that it takes to build a winning program they possess. Although every individual at Fall-Line is top-notch, I want to specifically thank Mark Boden, for taking me under his wing, Rob May, for his road racing insight and coaching methods, JP Novelli, for his ongoing support, Mike Grady and Kenny Tomczyk, for their efforts on both of the cars, and especially Tom Burek. As a racer, in order to be able to give it your all you need to be able to trust what you are told and that your car is first and foremost safe.

“As my primary Car Chief, Tom’s support, advice and meticulous attention to detail when it came to setups and the maintenance of both our GT-2 and T2 cars proved to be invaluable. I never had any concerns trusting what I was told and believing that my car was as safe and as well-prepped as it possibly could be. All of these guys and all the others unnamed within the organization are certainly one of the primary reasons that we had the type of season we did. I can’t thank them enough.”

John Gyann, of Darien, Illinois, had a rollercoaster year en route to winning the Northern Conference Prototype 1 crown. Gyann overcame a few stumbling blocks to complete five podium finishes that counted toward the championship, including two wins.

“Winning the Northern Conference championship this year was very special for me,” Gyann said. “This was my son Greg's first year racing in SCCA and we were concentrating all season on him. As he began to win race after race, we started thinking that it would be really special for him to win P2 and me to win P1. When it became a reality it was overwhelming.”

While the perfect ending did occur, with both Gyanns taking their respective classes, it was anything but a smooth ride.

“During the season his car ran without a problem while my season was plagued with many odd mechanical issues and a major crash at Road America,” Gyann said.

However, that moment also was a realization for Gyann.

“The crash at Road America was when we realized that it was possible to win the championship if we could finish the race the next day,” Gyann said. “My crew worked through most of the night repairing the car and I jumped in with three minutes to spare and completed the race.”

Gyann made sure to thank a couple very important people for the moment he was able to share with his son.

“I never could have won without the outstanding work and dedication of my Crew Chief, John O'Connor,” Gyann said. “He was sometimes assisted by Mike Grosiak. Special thanks to Critter, Mike Devins, Jody Lift and Denis Eade who all helped make it possible.”