SUMMIT POINT, WV (May 5, 2013) – Temperatures in the high 60s and sunny skies led a chamber of commerce weather day at Summit Point Motorsports Park for Round Eight of the SCCA Eastern Conference Majors Tour, the top level of SCCA Club Racing.
Seven group races and 27 Runoffs-eligible classes were featured in Sunday’s races.
Brian Price grabbed his fifth Touring 4 win in six tries after missing the opening weekend at Sebring, solidifying his series lead in the No. 51 RP Performance/Unlimited Auto Body Mazda Miata. Price battled early with the No. 75 Meathead Racing Mazda Miata of Mike Collins, then opened up a one-second gap that he maintained to the finish.
Danny Steyn worked to create a gap in the No. 39 Adept Studios/Rossini/OPM Mazda Miata, and then ran alone while growing his lead in Spec Miata. The win was Steyn’s third of the season, and his seventh podium finish in eight races this season to increase his class point lead.
Mechanical difficulties kept Sedat Yelkin from a Saturday victory in the No. 74 Everclear Swift 014/Toyota, but there were no such issues on Sunday. Yelkin started on pole and continued to stretch his advantage, which grew even larger as his closest competitors pulled off with mechanical issues of their own.
Paul Schneider stretched his Formula Enterprises point lead with an unexpected win on Sunday in the No. 73 Performance Motorcars of Charlotte/Syvel Images Formula Enterprises/Mazda. Schneider appeared to be locked into the runner-up position when, on lap 20, leader Scott Rettich’s No. 71 OVR/Alliance Autosport/PDI Communication System Formula Enterprises got into a tire wall, ending his day four laps short of the finish.
The Formula Vee field picked up where Saturday’s race left off, with five cars stuck together for the last half of the race and the run to the checker.
With three to go, the odds were just about even that any one of those cars - Jonathan Weiseith in the No. 61 JK Technologies Protoform P3, Roger Siebenaler in the No. 2 Autowerks/Hoosier Tire Mysterian M-2, Stephen Oseth’s No. 72 DBM Racing/Hoosier Tire Vortech, the No. 80 Hoosier/Butler Engines/Roxannes Racer’s Wedge SB-1 of Stephen Davis and the No. 17 Ars Inc/Veesport Racing/Autowerks Vdf-2 of Richard Shields – could have been the first to the checkered flag.
Oseth, Davis and Shields got an advantage as the pack worked through lapped traffic, creating just a small gap over the other two for the final trip around the 2-mile track. Davis got the better of the field, taking his third win and seventh podium of the season in the Eastern Conference. Oseth and Siebenaler filled the podium.
George Winkler’s No. 27 Winkler Automotive Service Center Ford Mustang Boss 302S in Touring 1 and Matthew Pullano’s No. 17 PullanoPT.com/Phoenix Performance Chevrolet Corvette in Touring 2 each swept the weekend with wins on Sunday at Summit Point and extended their point leads.
In a reversal of Saturday, point leader Brian Kleeman’s No. 88 ICS Learning Group/DWW Motorsports Nissan fell behind the No. 4 Nissan/Hoosier/Carbotech/Red Line Nissan 350Z piloted by Rob Hines early in the 23-lap race. The two swapped the lead on lap four, and Kleeman worked to keep Hines behind for the duration to the checkered flag.
The Spec Racer Ford battle came down to three after 11 cars ran in a line for the opening stages of the race - the No. 17 Alliance Autosport/PDI Communications SRF of Scott Rettich, the No. 7 Ayres Racing SRF of Tray Ayres, and the No. 58 Cottage Senior Living of defending National Champion Cliff White.
Running nose to tail, the trio swapped the lead position several times. With four laps to go and trying to pass lapped cars, Ayres fell just enough behind to fall out of the lead threat without help. It didn’t come, relegating him to a third-place finish behind the pair.
With Rettich leading, the stage was set for White to use the draft down the front straight for the final lap and grab the lead in the most popular passing zone for these cars. That plan was thwarted, however, when a car spun into the gravel trap in the corner.
White popped out to make the pass and seemed to have the run, but saw the local yellow being displayed and quickly pulled back into line. With the tight, twisty portion of the track remaining, Rettich held White at bay and took the checkers.
In the big bore group, Russ Snow drove away from the GT-2 field, ripping off a best lap of 1:14.504 to reset his own track record in the No. 20 Carbotech/Hoosier Chevrolet Corvette. Amy Ruman’s No. 23 McNichols & Co/Goodyear/Ruman Racing Chevrolet Corvette swept the weekend in GT-1 with yet another strong performance.
In GT-3, Steven Lustig drove his No. 51 Autosport Auto Group/Luna Sueno Acura Integra to victory, breaking the 19-year old track record in the process, with a time of 1:19.340.
The day ended with a battle in E Production for the overall lead in the group. Kevin Leigh, who won on Saturday in his No. 97 Hoosier Tire/JBS Racing BMW Z3, led early from the pole and appeared poised for another victory.
Steadily, though, Rick Kavitski cut into the gap through the latter stages of the race and with a few laps to go had his No. 2 RDK Engineering Mazda Miata less than a second behind. That lead vacillated as the pair worked through traffic, with Leigh still in the lead.
Leigh was poised for victory anyway, but Kavitski spun in the final corner, still pushing hard. Kavitski stalled in the middle of the track and could only watch as Leigh raced to the checkers.
Rounds Nine and 10 of the Eastern Conference Majors Tour continues to New Jersey Motorsports Park, May 31 – June 2.
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SUMMIT POINT, WV. - Provisional race winners for Sunday’s SCCA Eastern Conference Majors Tour Round Seven at Summit Point Motorsports Park. Drivers are listed by Class: name, hometown, and car.
American Sedan: Jeffrey Werth, Silver Spring, Md., Chevrolet Camaro B-Spec: Robbie Davis, Richardson, Texas, Mini Cooper C Sports Racing: Jacek Mucha, Laval, Quebec, JMS 016cp/Mazda D Sports Racing: Dennis Hanratty, Mechanicsburg, Pa., West WR1000/Suzuki Formula 500: Michael Brent, Bethel, Conn., Invader QC-1/Rotax Formula 1000: Alex Mayer, Harleysville, Pa., Elon DP-04 Formula Atlantic: Sedat Yelkin, Austintown, Ohio, Swift 014/Toyota Formula Continental: Chuck Moran, Oakton, Va., Van Diemen RF99/Ford Formula Enterprise: Paul Schneider, Charlotte, N.C., Formula Enterprises/Mazda Formula F: Mike Kelly, Rosedale, Md., Zink Z10c Formula Mazda: Sam Ryan, White Haven, Pa., Formula Mazda Formula Vee: Stephen Davis, Danielsville, Ga., Racer’s Wedge SB1/VW E Production: Kevin Leigh, Harrisonburg, Va., BMW Z3 F Production: Jerry Hinkle, Catonsville, Md., Lotus Seven H Production: Brad Davis, Summerville, S.C., Mini Cooper GT-1: Amy Ruman, Kent, Ohio, Chevrolet Corvette GT-2: Russ Snow, Eden, N.C., Chevrolet Corvette GT-3: Steven Lustig, Chester, N.J., Acura Integra GT-Lite: Robert Lentz II, Chantilly, Va., Nissan Sentra SER Spec Miata: Danny Steyn, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Mazda Miata Spec Racer Ford: Scott Rettich, Camden, Ohio, Spec Racer Ford Super Touring Lite: Sebastian Landy, Great Falls, Va., Mazda MX-5 Super Touring Under: Eric Heinrich, Milton, Mass., BMW M3 Touring 1: George Winkler, Fredrick, Md., Ford Mustang Boss 302S Touring 2: Matthew Pullano, Endicott, N.Y., Chevrolet Corvette Touring 3: Brian Kleeman, Baltimore, Md. Nissan 350Z Touring 4: Brian Price, Middletown, Va., Mazda Miata
Summit Point Raceway Double Majors 2013 U.S. Majors Tour
