LEXINGTON, Ohio (June 2, 2013) – The 2013 BFGoodrich Tires SCCA Super Tour from Mid-Ohio came to a close Sunday, with 28 class races serving as Round Four of the U.S. Majors Tour Northern Conference.
Following Saturday’s long delay for track barrier repair, final qualifying for the seven race groups was cancelled, and grids were set based on the fastest time from Friday afternoon’s qualifying session or Saturday’s race. Sunday’s race schedule ran smoothly, and despite threatening clouds, was dry all day.
After leading flag-to-flag in Race Group One on Saturday, polesitter Eric Heinrich got away slowly from the green on Sunday and Charles Tobel made a big move from third overall to the lead in his Super Touring® Under class No. 14 Discount Tire/Novi Wall Co. Pontiac Solstice. Heinrich’s race ended by Turn Three, where his No. 10 BFGoodrich Tires/2002racing.com/Pagid BMW E30 M3 spun, and collected Ron Pawley’s No. 04 J Pawley Toyota/Scion Lexus IS300.
Tobel led Raymond Huffmaster for the opening 12 laps before his car went off song and Huffmaster’s No. 17 Huffmaster Security/Hoosier Pontiac Solstice moved to the front, where he would remain to take the overall and class win. As on Saturday, Touring 3 was a nose-to-tail battle between Chad Gilsinger and Kevin Boem. Gilsinger kept his No. 07 BFG/HPD/H&R/Recaro/BRM Acura TL SH-AWD out front the entire way to take his second win of the weekend, but it was Boehm that set the new Touring 3 class track record, with a 1:39.301 in the No. 95 BFGoodrich/Honda Performance Honda S2000 CR.
Andrew Salzano finished second to John Schmitt in Super Touring Lite on Saturday, but got the win on Sunday in his No. 25 HART/BFGoodrich/HPD Honda Civic Si. Salzano took the lead after early leader Schmitt got loose in the Esses. In Touring 4, it was a repeat of Saturday’s race, where Michael Scornavacchi got out front early in his No. 24 Hoosier/Phoenix/Carbotech Pontiac Solstice, but Greg Vandersluis took the lead on lap 16 with his No. 93 Carbotech/BFGoodrich/Ford Racing Ford Mustang and won the race.
Compared to Saturday’s drama-filled run, GT-1 was a veritable walk in the park for Tom Smith and his No. 62 USA Metal Recycling Chevrolet Camaro, who led flag-to-flag to take the overall Group Three win. Trent Hindman, who won overall Saturday in his GT-2 No. 41 Cirocco & Ozzimo/DFL Interiors Porsche 911 Cup, came from behind to pass early class leader Steve Jenkins’ No. 28 HAMMER Nutrition/BRM/Fall-Line Porsche 911 Cup and record the win. Jenkins was busy fending off Joe Koenig’s No. 70 DrywallArt.com/Hoosier Tire BMW M3 and the No. 4 #stuffshootersays Porsche 911 Cup of John Kachadurian for the remainder of the race, and they finished in that order to complete the top four.
Tim Myers Jr. (No. 33 BFG/Cbeyond Cloud/Carbotech Porsche 996) took his second-straight Touring 1 win, as did Aaron Quine, in his Touring 2 No. 97 Hutter Performance/Stupid Fast Tires Chevrolet Corvette, and Michael Cyphert (No. 76 Toyota Motorsports/TRD/RedLine Toyota Celica) in GT-3.
After retiring with a mechanical problem Saturday, defending National Champion Edward Hosni captured American Sedan® in his No. 17 Lasco Ford/Hoosier Tire/Steeda Ford Mustang, passing early leader Dane Smith’s No. 26 USA Metal Recycling Chevrolet Camaro on the outside of Turn Seven, earning a GoPro HERO3 for the GoPro “Hero Move of the Weekend.”
Spec Miata again put on a great show for spectators and racers alike in Group Four. Polesitter Jason Knuteson led from the start in his No. 05 East Street Auto/Mitchell Racing Mazda Miata with a train of 15 similar cars in tow for the first 10 laps. On lap 16, Knuteson spun in Turn One, promoting Erik Stearns, who was never far behind in his No. 97 Miata. From there, Stearns held off a charging Michael Novak, who started eighth in the No. 9 Roush/Caldwell Race Prep, to win by 0.917-second. Bruce Anderson II completed the podium in his No. 17 Senson Racing Group/Autotechnik Miata.
The small bore race for E, F and H Production and GT-Lite featured battles for the win in each. Polesitter Sam Halkias (No. 83 Catawba Island Marina/Halkias Performance) went side-by-side with fellow E Production competitor Joe Moser’s No. 63 Hoosier/King Motorsports Honda Prelude into the Keyhole on the opening lap, with Moser taking the lead. Moser grew the advantage to some 10 seconds before rolling silently into the pit lane on lap 15 with a broken motor.
By then, Halkias had already fallen behind the fierce battle for the F Production lead between Kevin Ruck’s No. 73 Hoosier/Honda/Cobalt Acura Integra and Charles Campbell’s No. 89 Campbell Brothers Racing/Jesse Prather Motorsports Mazda Miata. The two ran nose-to-tail through traffic and on the penultimate lap, Ruck slowed with a flat tire and pulled off the track. That Campbell had smooth sailing from that point on to take the overall and F Production win.
The battle for H Production was also tight, with Matt Brannon leading early, but then spinning his No. 2 Midwest-Bayless Italian Auto Fiat X 1/9 in some fluid on the track, falling well behind the No. 11 Performance Tuning Volkswagen Golf of Tim Pitts. More than a dozen seconds behind, Brannon cut his fastest laps of the weekend and caught Pitts, passing him for the lead for good on lap 17. Dayle Frame and Andrew Wright traded third in HP several times in the closing laps, with Frame earning the position in the No. 80 Dr. Melinda’s Many Acts of Kindness Austin-Healey Sprite.
Bill Pintaric took his second-straight GT-Lite win in the No. 87 Kryderacing/WRP Investments Nissan 200SX, but was never far ahead of second-place Bryan Floyd’s No. 70 Burntwaffle Enterprises Nissan.
Sedat Yelkin dominated Group Six for winged open wheel and sports racing cars, taking a 32-second overall win in his No. 75 EVERCLEAR Swift 008 Toyota. Dudley Fleck was out front in C Sports Racing, but tangled with a lapped car in the Carousel turn, which disabled his No. 74 Mazda/Hoosier/Coors Light Van Diemen Mazda. That allowed Jacek Mucha, who was not far behind in the No. 07 Swift JMS016, to take the CSR lead and win, second overall.
It was a battle of former Sports 2000 National Champions in that class, with Saturday’s winner, seven-time Champion John Fergus leading early, but 1995 titlist David Doran taking the lead and speeding off to a six-second win in the No. 77 Doran JE-1.
While Tim Kautz (No. 83 Braeburn/Two Dogg/Hoosier/Euroquipe Piper DF3D Honda) and Michael Mueller (No. 24 MJ Mfg/Fibeco/Hoosier/HRP Red Devil) sped off to class wins in Formula F and Formula 500, respectively, Formula Vee offered the drama for which it is famous.
Saturday’s winner Michael Varacins (No. 65 Speed Sport/Veetech/Hoosier Speed Sport AM-5 Volkswagen) and Gary Blanarik (No. 3 Sewickley Car Store Silver Bullet Volkswagen) had a back-and-forth battle throughout the final 19-lap contest, with Blanarik taking the top spot on the final lap as they negotiated traffic.
The next SCCA U.S. Majors Tour Northern Conference race is in two weekends at the Weathertech Chicago Region June Sprints, June 14-16. The BFGoodrich Tires SCCA Super Tour’s final event of the 2013 season is scheduled for Watkins Glen International, July 5-7.
For full results from the weekend, please visit www.scca.com/midohiost.
LEXINGTON, Ohio – Race winners from Saturday’s BFGoodrich Tires SCCA Super Tour US Majors Tour event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, with class, driver, hometown and car. American Sedan, Edward Hosni, Galloway, Ohio, Ford Mustang. B-Spec, Joel Lipperini, Pittston, Pa., Honda Fit. C Sports Racing, Jacek Mucha, Laval, Quebec, Swift JMS016. D Sports Racing, Ralph Provitz, Macomb, Mich., S08 S08. E Production, Sam Halkias, Westerville, Ohio, Triumph TR6. F Production, Charles Campbell, Corry, Pa., Mazda Miata. Formula 1000, Brian Novak, Dearborn, Mich., Nova-Piper F1000. Formula 500, Michael Mueller, Plymouth, Wis., Red Devil. Formula Atlantic, Sedat Yelkin, Austintown, Ohio, Swift 008. Formula Continental, Chris Livengood, New Bethlehem, Pa., RFR FC. Formula Enterprises, Scott Rettich, Camden, Ohio, Formula Enterprises. Formula F, Tim Kautz, Geneva, Ill., Piper DF3D Honda. Formula Mazda, Steve Jenks, Walpole, Mass., Star Formula Mazda. Formula Vee, Michael Varacins, Burlington, Wis., Speed Sport AM-5. GT-1, Tom Smith, Springdale, Ark., Chevrolet Camaro. GT-2, Trent Hindman, Asbury Park, N.J., Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. GT-3, Mike Cyphert, Twinsburg, Ohio, Toyota Celica. GT-Lite, William Pintaric, Youngstown, Ohio, Nissan 200SX. H Production, Matt Brannon, Columbus, Ohio, Fiat X 1/9. Spec Miata, Erik Stearns, Van Buren, Ohio, Mazda Miata. Spec Racer Ford, Scott Rettich, Camden, Ohio, Spec Racer Ford. Sports 2000, David Doran, Cincinnati, Ohio, Doran JE-1. Super Touring Lite, Andrew Salzano, Marysville, Ohio, Honda Civic Si. Super Touring Under, Raymond Huffmaster, Clarkston, Mich., Pontiac Solstice GXP. Touring 1, Tim Myers Jr., Atlanta, Ga., Porsche 996. Touring 2, Aaron Quine, Medina, Ohio, Chevrolet Corvette. Touring 3, Chad Gilsinger, Marysville, Ohio, Acura TL SH-AWD. Touring 4, Greg Vandersluis, N. Olmsted, Ohio, Ford Mustang.
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BFGoodrich Tires Mid-Ohio Super Tour/Majors 2013 U.S. Majors Tour
