Elkhart Lake, Wis. (June 16, 2013) – Eight races, including repeat performances from Saturday’s four groups, highlighted Sunday’s SCCA WeatherTech Chicago Region June Sprints at Road America. All 12 of the weekend’s races were a part of the SCCA Northern Conference Majors Tour Championship.
The morning opened with an overall runaway win from Tom Sloe’s Touring 1 No. 97 Hutter Racing Engines/Hoosier Chevrolet Corvette, but the small yet mighty Super Touring Under class entertained the show.
The No. 04 J. Pauley Toyota/Scion Lexus IS300 of Ronald Pawley led early, but was chased by Eric Wortman until relinquishing the lead on lap nine. Wortman’s No. 85 Automekanika Racing/Stance Suspension Subaru STI had his mirrors full of the Lexus as the pair weaved through traffic.
With two to go, Wortman held a 3.5-second lead and appeared to be getting away. Pawley kept pushing, however, and a good run out of the final corner and up the hill got him back to the bumper of Wortman at the finish.
To the bumper isn’t enough for a win, of course, and Wortman escaped with the victory.
Defending National Champion Tim Kautz led for the first 51-plus miles of the 13-lap, 52-mile race, but a streaking No. 77 Bamford Produce/Rice Race Prep Mygale SJ11 driven by Steve Bamford got a better run out of the final corner and moved into the lead by a foot just before the checkers to take the Formula F win. Kautz’ No. 88 Braeburn/Two Dogg/Hoosier Piper DF3D/Honda kept Bamford at bay in a nose-to-tail battle for the entire race, but needed the finish to be only about 10 feet closer for a victory.
A pair of Badger State drivers walked away from their class fields in the same group. Michael Mueller - a native of Plymouth, just a stone’s throw away from the track – won Formula 500 in the No. 24 MJ Manufacturing/Fibeco/Hoosier/HRP Red Devil/Rotax. Michael Varacins, from Burlington, Wis., walked away from the Formula Vee field in the No. 65 Speed Sport/Veetech/Hoosier Speed Sport AM-5.
Matt Reynolds scored a hard-fought overall win after being dogged by Jon Brakke’s No. 89 Margaret Peterson Bars Mazda Miata. Brakke passed the No. 1 Reynolds Bros. Racing/Jesse Prather Motorsports Miata on lap four, but gave the lead back to Reynolds just two circuits later. Reynolds’ silver streak kept on the point to the finish, getting the upper hand through traffic and earning the checkered flag.
Bob Schader’s No. 05 Hoosier Tires/MiataCage.com Mazda Miata inherited the Super Touring Under lead when Jim Drago’s day ended prematurely, then reached into his bag of talent to hold off the No. 25 Tulsa Radiology Associates/Mazda Mazda Miata of Brian Laughlin to the checkered flag for the win.
East Troy's Ken Kannard (No. 51 Northwest Cable/Hoosier/Mazda Mazda Miata), Oconomowoc’s Jim Dentici (GT-Lite, No. 77 JDM Group/Raglin Racing Honda CRX) and Grafton’s Lawrence Loshak (H Production, No. 01 ETE Reman/RWM Auto/Hoosier Honda CRX) added their names to Wisconsin natives scoring wins this weekend.
Keith Grant’s No. 40 Polestar/Hoosier Swift 014a walked away with the Formula Atlantic race after then-leaders Sedat Yelkin and Jason Byers got together on lap six. Byers’ No. 28 Swan/Hoosier/TRD Swift 014a was finished for the day, and Yelkin’s No. 75 Swift 008 could only circulate for a finish after incident.
Scott Rettich won his fifth Northern Conference Majors Tour race in as many tries in Formula Enterprises, taking the top spot in the No. 17 Alliance Autosport/Springboro Car Wash Formula Enterprises Mazda.
Spec Miata began the afternoon’s bonus races with a battle that was anything but pedestrian.
The Spec Miata lead pack was at least seven cars deep in the lead pack, stretching to as many as 13 early in the race. Jim Drago’s No. 2 East Street Racing Miata was in the top five early in the race, but a spin in turn five on lap seven with Saturday’s winner Justin Elder ended both races prematurely. By lap eight Craig Berry, Erik Stearns, Danny Steyn, and Voytek Burdzy started to pull away from the pack to form just a four-man race.
The next two laps saw position swapping with Berry (No. 29 Berry Marble and Granite/East Street Racing Miata), Stearns (No. 97 East Street Racing/Ed’s 24 Hour Service Miata), and Steyn (No. 39 ADEPT Studios/ROSSINI/OPM Miata). Steyn took the lead twice over Berry with two laps remaining. With all the battling up front the lead pack was increased to seven cars, but Stearns, a native of Van Buren, Ohio, remained patient until he was able to take the lead for good in turn five with a lap and a half to go. Stearns outraced the field to the finish for the win.
The duel between Kirk Kindsfater and James French in C Sports Racing turned into the battle for the win when Lee Alexander’s No. 40 Factory 48 Motorsports/APE Raceparts Stohr WF-Zero and Saturday winner Jason Miller’s No. 0 Kohler/Millenium WynnFurst pulled off track in the early laps in separate mechanical incidents.
The two ran nose to tail around the circuit, even running side by side up the front straight. Kindsfater’s No. 32 Speads RS 11 never relinquished the lead to French’s No. 46 Motorsports Enterprises Ltd. Swift 014, however, for the victory.
The highly stressed big bore machines aren’t always most effective during a doubleheader weekend, but Simon Gregg had no problem with his No. 1 Derhaag Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette on Sunday. Gregg led from the pole, and then drove away for the GT-1 class win virtually uncontested.
The weekend ended with yet another rumble in Spec Racer Ford. The lead pack stretched 11 deep early in the race, with polesitter Brian Schofield, Denny Stripling, and Scott Rettich leading the way.
The veteran trio held their positions, ticking off fast laps as they shed one driver at a time from the rear of the group. For 11 laps, the No. 61 PM Racing SRF, the No. 41 Lightspeed Motorsports SRF, and the No. 17 Alliance Autosport/Springboro Car Wash SRF followed each other’s tire tracks, never wavering.
The three had earned some separation going into the final lap to sort out the podium, and Stripling went for the win with the lead into Turn Five. Schofield was undaunted, reclaiming the lead in Turn 12 and holding it through the final corner to the checkered flag.
The Northern Conference Majors Tour continues at Gingerman Raceway with a doubleheader, July 13-14. The full schedule, as well as results from the June Sprints, are available at www.sccamajors.com.
More information is available at www.scca.com. Like SCCA on Facebook at Facebook.com/SCCAOfficial, or follow on Twitter @SCCAOfficial. Elkhart Lake, Wis. - Provisional race winners from Sunday’s SCCA Northern Conference Majors Tour races at the WeatherTech Chicago Region June Sprints at Road America. Drivers are listed by Class: name, hometown, and car.
American Sedan: Andy McDermid, Howell, Mich., Ford Mustang C Sports Racing: Kirk Kindsfater, Eaton, Colo., Speads RS 11 D Sports Racing: David Locke, Lafayette, Ind., Stohr WF-1/Suzuki E Production: Matt Reynolds, Fair Oaks, Texas, Mazda Miata F Production: Ken Kannard, East Troy, Wis., Mazda Miata H Production: Lawrence Loshak, Grafton, Wis., Honda CRX Formula 500: Michael Mueller, Plymouth, Wis., Red Devil/Rotax Formula 1000: JR Osborne, Greenwood Village, Colo., Citation F1000 Formula Atlantic: Keith Grant, Germantown, Tenn., Swift 014a/Toyota Formula Continental: Christopher Miller, Minneapolis, Minn., Van Diemen Zetec/Ford Formula Enterprises: Scott Rettich, Camden, Ohio, Formula Enterprises/Mazda Formula F: Steve Bamford, Toronto, Ont., Mygale SJ11 Formula Mazda: Darryl Wills, Deer Park, Texas, Formula Mazda Formula Vee: Michael Varacins, Burlington, Wis., Speed Sport AM-5/VW GT-1: Simon Gregg, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Chevrolet Corvette GT-2: Trent Hindman, Asbury Park, N.J., Porsche 911 GT3 GT-3: Rob Warkocki, Frankfort, Ill., Mazda RX-7 GT-Lite: Jim Dentici, Oconomowoc, Wis., Honda CRX Spec Miata: Erik Stearns, Van Buren, Ohio, Mazda Miata Spec Racer Ford: Brian Schofield, Lakeland, Fla., Spec Racer Ford Sports 2000: Michael Bautz, Machesney Park, Ill., Lola T90 Super Touring Under: Eric Wortman, Wheeling, Ill., Subaru STI Super Touring Lite: Bob Schader, Longmont, Colo., Mazda Miata Touring 1: Jerry Onks, Murfreesboro, Tenn., Chevrolet Corvette Touring 2: Tom Sloe, Newbury, Ohio, Chevrolet Corvette Touring 3: Richard Fisher, Evanston, Ill., Volkswagen GTI Touring 4: Michael Scornavacchi, Matthews, N.C., Ford Mustang
Weathertech Chicago Region June Sprints 2013 U.S. Majors Tour
