FOUNTAIN, Colo. (May 26, 2013) – SCCA’s U.S. Majors Tour Mid-States Conference concluded Round Six of its 2013 Championship Sunday at Pikes Peak International Raceway, part of the Continental Divide Region’s “Rock the Peak” event.
Like Saturday’s Round Five, the 1.5-mile track, run clockwise for the first time, was bathed in Colorado sunshine initially, but turned party cloudy as the day progressed, while remaining warm.
On Saturday, Formula Vee put on one of the best shows of the day, and Sunday offered a reprise, with a three-car battle for the lead the entire way. Polesitter Lisa Noble (No. 7 Littlefeat.net Vortech), Mark Felsen (No. 4 Fones West Digital Systems/Lynx Wireless Comm Vortech) and Tyler Hunter (No. 22 Vortech) crossed the stripe nearly three-wide to take the one-to-go signal. Hunter got to Turn One first, and was able to pull out a small gap in the infield that allowed him to take a 0.748-second win over Felsen, who edged Noble by inches for second.
Touring 3 had the best battle of the third group for big bore cars. Local Bondurant instructor Tommy Boileau put his No. 34 Bondurant/1-800-FIGHT-MS BMW Z4M on the pole, but it was Saturday’s first-time winner, Derek Kulach, of Englewood, Colo., that got the jump at the start in his No. 00 Zorro Racing/Nissan Motorsports Nissan 350Z. The pair was never more than a couple seconds apart, and when Kulach got loose exiting the first corner, they were nose-to-tail on the final lap. Kulach negotiated the infield section with just enough of a gap to keep his Nissan ahead at the finish by 0.371-second.
Group Four featured a complete repeat of Saturday’s winners. Dwight Rider, of Aurora, Colo., took the overall and Formula Atlantic® win in his No. 11 Ralt RT-41. Russ Lindemann, of Longmont, Colo., won Formula Mazda in his No. 16 Rocky Mountain Tire & Auto Star Mazda. Barry Gilbert, of Englewood, Colo., took Formula Continental® in his No. 3 Van Diemen Ford. Muleshoe, Texas’ Jay Messenger won C Sports Racing in his No. 72 Mazda/Thinkfast.com/Hoosier Mazda SR Challenge. Chris Helt, of Fort Collins, Colo. (Sports 2000 No. 25 Excelle Racing Lola T89/90); Henry Donohoo, of Arvada, Colo., (FE No. 10 Mazda of Lakewood/Drone Motorsport Formula Enterprises); and Steve Ott, of Houston, Texas, (Formula 1000 No. 8 Hoosier/RedLine/RillTec Astra SH-RR1) were the other class winners.
The best battle of Group Five was for the Touring 4 class win, where Stan Czacki, of Truth or Consequence, N.M., and Rick Shively, of Louisville, Colo., ran within a few car lengths most of the race. Shively never could get the pass made and spun on the final lap, with Czacki taking his second-straight win in the No. 00 Whitehead/DGI/BFG/Summit/HPD/Cobalt Acura RSX Type S.
John Longwell, of Kittredge, Colo., took the overall and E Production win, lapping the entire field in his No. 38 LEDfoot Motorsports BMW 328is. Jon Goodale, of Conifer, Colo., won GT-Lite in his No. 04 Mazdaspeed/Hoosier/JoeApex.com Mazda MX-5, beating F Production winner Bill Hingston’s No. 08 Little Bill Racing/Mazdaspeed Mazda Miata for second overall.
Despite qualifying second in Super Touring® U, Michael Pettiford, of Louisville, Colo., got the jump on polesitter Anthony Simmers and never looked back, talking his fourth win of the weekend, the second-straight in his No. 41 GO 4 IT Racing Schools/Hoosier Tires/Hawk Brakes Volkswagen Jetta GLI. The battle for Spec Miata in the final race group was furious in the opening six laps, with the top four positions changing nearly every corner. By lap 10, the lead had settled into the hands of Saturday winner Steven Powers, of Mesa, Ariz., and his No. 2 Amerifirst Financial/miatacage.com/East Street Miata, although he had to fend off a charging Phil Cummings, of Colorado Springs, Colo., late in the 35-lap, 52.5-mile weekend closer.
The U.S. Majors Tour Mid-States Championship next moves to High Plains Raceway, July 6-7.
For full results, visit the event page at www.scca.com/ppirmajors.
FOUNTAIN, Colo. – Class winners from Sunday’s Sports Car Club of America U.S. Majors Tour at Pikes Peak International Raceway, with class, driver, hometown and car. AS, Jim Wheeler, Lenexa, Kan., Pontiac Trans Am. CSR, Jay Messenger, Mulshoe, Texas, Mazda SR Challenge. EP, John Longwell, Kittredge, Colo., BMW 328is. FB, Steve Ott, Houston, Texas, Astra SH-RR1. FC, Barry Gilbert, Englewood, Colo., Van Diemen Ford. FE, Henry Donohoo, Arvada, Colo., Formula Enterprises. FF, Doug Stout, Pueblo, Colo., Van Diemen Honda. FM, Russell Lindemann, Longmont, Colo., Star Formula Mazda. FP, Bill Hingston, Aurora, Colo., Mazda Miata. FV, Tyler Hunter, Denver, Colo., Vortech VW. GT-2, Bruce Phillips, Albuquerque, N.M., Porsche 911 GT3. GTL, Jonathan Goodale, Conifer, Colo., Mazda MX-5. HP, Jerry Oleson, Aurora, Colo., Austin-Healey Sprite. S2, Chris Helt, Fort Collins, Colo., Lola T89/90. SM, Steven Powers, Mesa, Ariz., Mazda Miata. SRF, Craig Reeder, Scottsdale, Ariz., Spec Racer Ford. STL, Bob Schader, Longmont, Colo., Mazda Miata. STU, Michael Pettiford, Louisville, Colo., Volkswagen Jetta GLI. T2, Michael Pettiford, Louisville, Colo., Chevrolet Corvette ZO6. T3, Derek Kulach, Englewood, Colo., Nissan 350Z. T4, Stan Czacki, Truth or Consequence, N.M., Acura RSX.
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Pikes Peak Double Majors 2013 U.S. Majors Tour
