Collin Jackson, of Langley, British Columbia, Canada, captured his second consecutive Western Conference GT-3 title. To take home this year’s championship, Jackson notched a trio of weekend sweeps at Thunderhill Raceway Park, Pacific Raceways and Portland International Raceway.

“Being the Western GT-3 Champ is great,” Jackson said. “We have some fast guys out west and the friendships are strong! As a multi-year GT-3 Runoff winner and multi-year NASPORT champ I have lots of great memories.”

From the outside, it may have looked like an easy season for Jackson. However, that was not always the case.

“The most difficult part of the season was at Pacific Raceways where I had to race without my wife/race organizer Glenda, as she was in England,” Jackson said. “My good friend Jack Back stepped in, and together we almost figured out how to do most things.

“I was very fortunate to win every race this year, as we had put a full court press on to optimize everything on the car for the 2014 Runoffs. So no real issues just lots of fun.”

Jackson made sure to make a point of thanking those who supported him throughout the season.

“Thanks to Specialty Engineering Inc., in Delta, Canada, who provides all my engine, driveline, suspension optimization engineering and are my secret weapon,” Jackson said. “Also, thanks to my wife Glenda and to Jack Back.”

Daniel Swanbeck, of San Jose, California, edged out the competition by two points in the season-ending standings. He finished on the podium seven times, with a win at Portland International Raceway. His lowest finishing position was fourth, at Buttonwillow Raceway Park.

“This Championship ranks very high for me a mostly because I had never raced in the Majors division before,” Swanbeck said. “I was driving a car totally new to me, a platform I was unfamiliar with and in a very competitive class. This win probably means the most to me because I didn't have any clear expectations, to begin with.

“After my very first race, where I finished second in a large field, I knew that I could fight for the title. The racing stayed interesting until the very end where it came down to a tight battle between me and Rick Payne who went on to win the National Championship.

“It was an all-out effort in the extreme heat of Portland where I earned enough points for the title. I won't forget this one because I didn't find out that I had won the championship until we were on the podium.”

Swanbeck had some hurdles to overcome, but was able to do so like so many champions before him.

“The biggest challenge of the season was probably running on used tires for all but two races,” Swanbeck said. “This just made it difficult to extract the ultimate speed from the car, but it certainly made me get the most out of myself.

“A difficult point for me was at Buttonwillow which was a roller coaster of ups and downs. I went from leading to getting tangled up and sent off track to near last. I drove the rest of that race with a determination I had not felt in some time and it really brought me back. I left the track that weekend with a lot learned and stronger desire to win in the races to come.”

The turning point for Swanbeck, according to him, was the first race of the season. It was there he realized he had the opportunity to take home the title at the end of the year.

“As funny as it sounds, the very first race weekend brought this realization to me,” Swanbeck said. “With a double podium weekend, I was tied for first in the Championship. I believed in myself and knew that if the team and I could keep things going smooth, we'd have a shot at it.

“The championship looked realistic all season until missing the Washington race which lost me a lot of points and the championship lead. Going into the final round at Portland I knew I had to win at least one race, if not both, to clinch the title. In the first race I drove to victory and felt and overwhelming sense of happiness as I took the checkers knowing that the fight was still alive. I think this was the most intense point as well knowing that even with a win, I still had to fight Rick the next day to take it all.”

Swanbeck wanted to thank some people who were very central to his championship success.

“First and foremost, I have to thank my good friend Manuel Leonardo,” Swanbeck said. “Manuel was kind enough to let me share his car with him and ultimately was the person that enabled me to run the season. Additionally, I have to thank my family for all of their support, especially my Dad and Lisa for coming to every race. My Dad has been my crew chief since karting, in my youth, and he has been with me to this day.

“I also would like to thank Manuel's family and friends for their dedication and support all season. Additionally, I would like to thank BigWheels.net for their support throughout the season and Doug Learned Sr. and Jr. of Fast Forward Racing Components for technical support along with the excellent Piper DF-5 they built. Lastly, I want to thank all of the SCCA workers, staff and volunteers for always putting on such great events time and time again.”

Dennis Andrade, of Silverlake, Washington, started the year off strong with a pair of wins at Auto Club Speedway. Andrade’s experience in the class may give him an advantage but the run for the championship title was still close.

“A championship in SCCA Formula Vee is always a greatly satisfying experience,” Andrade said. “Our racing is very competitive and I like it that way. We had a very good car most of the year. As you gain experience with a chassis, it gets easier to make it work to your personal style.”

As the competition is always tight in FV, Andrade said his main focus is to go out each race and drive as hard as possible.

“I really don't think about a Championship during the year,” Andrade said. “Each race is always competitive and I work on preparing the car as best I can. As the last race approaches, I may think of the points, but having a good race is first and the points take care of themselves.”

While most of his racing takes place out west, Andrade said that one of his favorite moments during the season was his trip to the Lonestar State.

“One of the highlights of the year was the opportunity to travel to Texas World Speedway for its ‘last’ race,” Andrade said. “I very much enjoyed the track and the Texas race crowd. Fun people to race with and fun and efficient people that made the event happen.

“The biggest disappointment was not going to the Runoffs. We were in the middle of moving and honestly, Daytona was just too far from Washington - the real one!”

Andrade was sure to thank the anchor of his race team.

“The other half of D & D Racing, Donna Andrade, was instrumental in our championship season,” Andrade said. “It's great to have a partner that knows so much about FV racing and carries so much of the team effort.”

Ed Lever, Bakersfield, California, drove away with the Western Conference title in Formula Atlantic. Lever had not even considered running the Majors, but entered the race at Buttonwillow Raceway Park at the prompting of a friend. From there, the rest was history.

“I was absolutely thrilled to win the championship,” Lever said. “I never thought I could do this, especially in Formula Atlantic. I’ve won regional and divisional titles before in Formula Mazda and Formula S, but Majors events are far more competitive and I really had to up my game.

“In fact, I never planned to run Majors this season because my modified Star Mazda only qualifies as Formula S, which is not a Majors class. But I was encouraged by a friend to compete as FA at Buttonwillow, with 2nd place Saturday and a win on Sunday, a big surprise and very encouraging. After that, I considered running two more Majors at Pacific Raceway and Portland, just to see how I’d do.”

Lever said he had some ups and downs throughout the season, but that he enjoyed his the season very much, overall.

“The extra horsepower from the modified engine was exhilarating - really a test to see if I wanted to move up to a faster car. The answer, of course, was YES, but the strain utterly destroyed a gearbox, a distributor and a few mufflers during competition weekends. Nevertheless, thanks to a great mechanic, Tom Dragoun, and a comprehensive spares package, we were able to finish all the races.

“This was challenging for me, personally, early in the season, since my mom passed away last year and I retired from teaching with some health issues. But by the end of first quarter, I was in great shape again and went on to compete in 20 events.”

A turning point came for Lever when he realized he had qualified for the Runoffs at Daytona International Speedway.

“I should mention that work demands prevented me from competing in 2014, thus missing the chance to participate in the Runoffs at my home track, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca,” Lever said. “Heartbreaking. Not only was the Majors win this year a great honor, but also my gateway to the Runoffs at Daytona.

“After the weekend at Pacific Raceway in Washington, I knew I had a chance. The wins at Portland sealed the deal, so I bought a Swift 014a (a real Formula Atlantic) for the runoffs at Daytona. FA has always been my dream - now a reality thanks to the Majors path - and a wonderful turnaround from last year.”

Lever made sure to point out who had helped him throughout the season.

“So many races, so many issues of all kinds - all masterfully conquered by Tom Dragoun of 7s Only Racing out of Buttonwillow Raceway Park,” Lever said. “I also had great coaching and encouragement from him, as well. I never bothered with Majors events before - because I thought I wasn’t good enough - but Tom [Dragoun], Mike Miserendino and Jack Crone boosted my confidence to work hard and give it my best shot. Thanks to Chris Emmanuel who first convinced me to try FA.

“Many, many kudos to my girlfriend Linda Anderson for her patience and stalwart support, on and off the track, and to my family who made this financially possible. Last but not least, a big hurrah for the fine folks at SCCA who always made me feel at home, no matter where I was.”

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.”

Paul Raby, of Las Vegas, Nevada, has hit the quarter-century mark of his racing career. He said this championship is up there in the rankings as his best moment in the sport.

“I’ve been racing for over 25 years and to me the Western Conference Majors championship is equal to the Southern Pacific Division Championship I won in 1995,” Raby said. “I was 40 years old when I started. To be able to win this now was unexpected.”

Raby said that his year started out on a high note with a properly handling car. Throughout the year, he was able to keep that momentum moving forward until the end of the season.

“The year started out great,” Raby said. “The new Goodyear tire, for some reason, made the handling of my car magic. I went to the first event at Auto Club Speedway and qualified on the pole. Then, electrical gremlins attacked and I could only manage a fourth on Saturday and couldn’t finish on Sunday.

“I couldn’t get to Chuckwalla for that event, but went next to Thunderhill. The car was back and I won both races. At Buttonwillow, I managed two third-place finishes. At that point, I thought I might have shot at the championship. Two fourth places at Portland sealed the deal.”

Raby had some very important people to thank for his success.

“Mike O’Callaghan and all the guys at Flat Out Racing gave me a solid car,” Raby said. “My longtime friend and co-racer Lee Fleming, who was racing an SRF Gen 3, always gave helpful advice.”

Paul Whiting, of Pahrump, Nevada, locked down the Super Touring Lite Majors Western Conference title on the strength of six class wins throughout the season. In the only other two events that counted toward the season-ending total, Whiting finished on the podium.

“Winning the Majors conference championship and national point championship for the STL class was a very satisfying moment having worked really hard this year to earn it,” Whiting said. “These are my first championships so I don't have anything with which to compare.”

Whiting said that he runs his race organization out of his own pocket, which led to some interesting situations throughout the season.

“As a driver who funds, manages and drives for my racing operations, I have overcome every possible setback a driver can face,” Whiting said. “I ran into issues both finacially, gathering the money; and mechanically, having issues at several events but able to either hold on to the win and secure the needed points. Emotionally, having to ignore negative people and those that wish to see me fail and running without family or sponsored support is hard. “

Whiting kept his eyes from the large, overall points picture until he won both races at Pacific Raceways, sealing the title.

“I knew that I kept consistent and gathered points I had a shot at winning the conference,” Whiting said. “I became aware that I had won at Pacific Raceway after sweeping the weekend.”

Whiting made sure to show appreciation for the folks that supported him throughout the year.

“I'd like to thank all my friends and fans who supported me,” Whiting said. “Also, huge thanks to the shop and crew at LDL Speed shop. I also couldn’t have done this without Honda Performance Development, Competition Clutch and Hondata.”

Michele Abbate, of Henderson, Nevada, competed in an 12 of the Western Conference races scoring no lower than second place in the eight that counted toward the Super Touring Under class title. The championship season was not expected as this was Abbate’s first year taking part in SCCA Club Racing competition.

“This Majors Tour Championship is absolutely huge for me and my team – it’s been my favorite year yet,” Abbate said. “Being my rookie year in SCCA Club racing, we weren’t sure what to expect. I started the season off by launching a 30 day all-or-nothing crowdfunding campaign with a goal to raise $10,000 so that we could pursue our first year in the Majors. Successfully funding over 130% of it, we were thankful to even be a part of the series.

“After securing the lead in points, it was truly a surreal feeling. The first championship win of my career was won in 2012, which was the year I earned my provisional race license. It was my first rookie year and I raced with the MotoIQ Pacific Tuner Car Challenge. Winning my first championship in my first year of racing was a pretty phenomenal feeling, but the Majors Tour title ranks just a bit higher because as the team and car owner, it felt good to earn it by ourselves, with our own decisions and all of our own efforts.”

Abbate said the biggest hurdle for her team was figuring out the car as it was one of the only cars of its kind to be road raced in North America.

“We had several struggles, but the major one is being one of the only teams in North America racing on this brand new FT86 (Subaru) chassis,” Abbate said. “We had no one to turn to for help with set up, horsepower, and cons of the car. Thankfully, it is an awesome platform that was meant for road racing, but we are slowly finding small gremlins as we continue to pursue road racing.

“For example, the first race of the year was at Auto Club Speedway; we were fast, on pace even with old used street tires. But, the roval caused fuel starvation after anything less than half a tank. We limped the car through the weekend, but it was something we hadn’t expected. Other minimal issues included things we could address at the track, and finishing every race on the podium is what brought the championship home.”

For Abbate, and her team, the turning point of the season came as the Western Conference headed to the Pacific Northwest.

“Just before Pacific Raceway, in Kent, Washington, was definitely the turning point [of the season],” Abbate said. “Up until that event we were enjoying the Majors Tour for what it is and the experience we were gaining.

“It was just after the Thunderhill races where we realized ‘wait a minute, we can win this thing!’. Initially we didn’t budget to do the races in the northwest region, but for us it meant winning the overall championship, extending our national points lead and learning two new tracks – we couldn’t lose the opportunity. Thankfully, Toyota of Olympia partnered with us and helped us make the long haul up north. With that came one of the most action-packed races to date, for me. I learned more that weekend than I have at any other race and it ended with our second win of the year on Memorial Day weekend. It went so well with the theme of our race car and team this year I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”

Abbate made sure to thank many of the people that made her successful season possible.

“First and foremost, I have to thank my best teammate in life, Anthony Philleo,” Abbate said. “From tearing apart our brand new Scion FR-S to building motivation, success and our first championship together I truly cannot say I would be where I am without him. Together we’ve sacrificed to get to where we are and we are so thankful and happy for what’s to come. I also want to thank my parents for teaching me that if you want something, you have to earn it – thanks for showing me what I am capable of doing on my own.

“From the GRR Racing team we want to thank all of our partners and sponsors who made this championship-winning year possible: Reklaw Design, Delicious Tuning, SEIBON Carbon, Nameless Performance, Five:AD, GTSpec, Weds Wheels, Whiteline, Takata, APR Performance, ACT Clutch, Mishimoto, Raceseng, Driven Steering Wheels, Berk Technology, Driveway Labs, AST Suspension, Keyport, DBA USA, Autometer, and our newest partner, Fuel Safe!”

Eric Boucher, of Auburn, California, won a closely-contested B-Spec battle with Derrick Ambrose in the Western Conference. In eight races, Boucher scored six wins and added a pair of podium-finishes to his 2015 record. Boucher said it was one of his most satisfying seasons of racing for several reasons.

“This championship really means a lot for a couple of reasons,” Boucher said. “Back in 2010, my first year back in racing after a 20 year hiatus, I finished the San Francisco Regional season first in Formula Continental points. Unfortunately, due to the drop race rule, I actually didn’t get the FC regional title. That was a pretty big heart breaker. We were certainly the underdog and we'd put everything we had financially and emotionally into that season so it was a tough one to lose, though I did end up with Rookie of the Year in the region which was nice.

“Following that season I, again, went on a multi-year hiatus from racing, but late last year after recovering financially from 2010 we decided to build the B-Spec Mazda2. Unfortunately, we didn't get it finished until after the first two events. So, all eight of my races counted towards the championship. We had to nail the perfect season, and for all intents and purposes we did. I've had some nice racing successes both in my early twenties as a hopeful pro, as well as later in life as a hobby racer, but this season definitely ranks right up at the top satisfaction wise.”

Boucher faced a few challenges, but they came before the season even started. To say the least, building a racecar from scratch is a time-consuming, difficult thing to do.

“I'd say the toughest part of our season was before it even got started,” Boucher said. “I'd never built a racecar before and, of course, we went way over on both time and budget. Financially, it was a strain on the family and missing the first two Western Conference events really put the pressure on me to perform right out of the box. The car was rock solid and didn't fail me once so we really didn't have any on-track setbacks to speak of.”

Boucher said the turning point of the season came during the team’s first conference race at Thunderhill Raceway Park. The pieces came together for Boucher and his team.

“Our very first race at Thunderhill was actually when I realized we had a real shot at winning the championship, even though we were already two weekends behind in the points chase,” Boucher said. “Having never raced a front-wheel drive car I really had no idea if we'd even be competitive, let alone win races. We got advice on some of the setup and winged it on other parts. On the test day before the event I discovered I was already putting in laps well under the B-Spec track record, and by the end of the weekend we had two race wins and had beaten the old record by over two seconds!

“Of course the rest of the season we were in catch-up mode, but after taking four wins in the next four races we'd positioned ourselves well to get that elusive first championship.”

Boucher made a point of recognizing the people behind the scenes that made his title run possible.

“If it weren't for my amazing wife Wendy, I wouldn't even be doing this,” Boucher said. “She puts up with the ridiculous spending, the travel, and the time I spend in the shop, and she gives me amazing emotional support at the track. I think she's actually as passionate about me winning as I am! Of course now I'll need to take another multi-year hiatus to recover financially, but that's just the nature of the beast I guess.

“I'd also be remiss if I didn't thank all the folks that follow our progress on Facebook. They're always wishing us luck and cheering for us during the weekend. It's nice to have that support.

“Finally I need to thank Derrick Ambrose, my toughest competitor. He'd won the Western Conference B-Spec title the last couple of years so you'd think he'd be the first one to hold any vital information back, especially since we were both running Mazdas. On the contrary. He was a wealth of information both during the build process, as well as during our season-long battle. He's really a great guy and I couldn't have asked for a better competitor on track. We had some good battles, traded a little paint, but we never took each other out and always showed respect for one another on track. He's a true gentleman.”