PORTLAND, Ore. (July 14, 2012) - Saturday’s National races are now history on a picture-perfect day Portland International Raceway, while the field gets set for Sunday’s BFGoodrich Tires NorPac Super Tour.
In addition to Saturday’s races at the three-day Oregon Region Double National weekend, Formula F, Formula Vee and Formula 500 had their qualifying session on Saturday afternoon.
Mark Keller will start the first BFGoodrich Tires Super Tour race on Sunday morning from the pole in his Formula F No. 66 Blackjack Racing Piper DF05 after a lap of 1:22.999. Lance Spiering (No. 28 KBS Mk VII) will start on the Formula 500 pole, with Dennis Andrade (No. 87 D + D Racing Vortech 05) on the Formula Vee class pole in the race group.
Earlier in the afternoon, each of the six race groups got to run their 30-minute timed races.
The day opened with Jim Hargrove’s GT-Lite and overall group win in the No. 38 RaceEnergy/Analytic Systems Honda Civic, after mechanical troubles from early leader Kenneth Shreve’s E Production No. 41 MBR, LLC Mazda RX-7 knocked him from the lead. Hargrove chased down and passed Lans Stout’s No. 6 FMR/Goodyear Nissan Sentra to take the race lead on lap nine of the 20-lap race.
Todd Harris ran away with the Spec Racer Ford class in the No. 24 Pro Drive Racing SRF at his home track during the second morning race.
The Formula Vee race was the appetizer before lunch. The race opened with a four car battle around the 12-turn, 1.967-mile circuit, but within a couple of laps Sunday polesitter Andrade had opened up a sizable gap on the field in his No. 87 D + D Racing Vortech 05.
By the end of the 21 lap race, Quinn Posner had pulled his No. 9 Posner Law Office, P.C. Protofrom to the tail of Andrade and was chasing him over the final lap. Andrade deftly tried to break the draft on the final long run to the checkered flag, but Posner pulled along side and the two crossed the stripe neck and neck.
A quick check of timing revealed that Andrade had scored the win by the slight 0.065-second margin.
The fireworks after lunch began with Collin Jackson chasing Gary Bockman for the GT-3 win, with Bockman’s No. 09 Bockman and Son Inc. Mazda RX-3 ultimately claiming the prize by less than a second.
A large contingent of the ultrafast Formula Atlantic class. James Blackwell led early in the No. 1 Toyota/Scion Reynard, but an early spin put him at the rear of the field and elevated Kyle Kaiser’s No. 18 Mazda Atlantic to the lead. Kaiser took advantage of his spot on the point, rushing away unchallenged to a 26.170-second win.
Spec Miatas ended the racing portion of the day, with Thomas Micich creeping away to a 12.889-second win in the No. 92 Dan’s Auto Center Mazda Miata.
The weekend continues for the BFGoodrich Tires NorPac Super Tour on Sunday morning, with qualifying for the remaining five race groups beginning at 8:30 a.m. Races, scheduled for 23 laps or 35 minutes on Sunday, will begin at 11:00 a.m. PDT.
Admission is free for spectators at Portland International Raceway.
PORTLAND, Ore. – Race winners from Saturday’s National Races at Portland International Raceway, with class, driver, hometown and car.
American Sedan: John Rissberger, Aurora, Ore., Chevrolet Camaro D Sports Racing: Miles Jackson, Seattle, Wash., Stohr 01D E Production: Stephen Epperly, Salem, Ore., Datsun 260Z Formula 500: Lance Spiering, Beaverton, Ore., KBS MK VII Formula 1000: Larry Vollum, Portland, Ore. Stohr F1000 Formula Atlantic: Kyle Kaiser, Santa Clara, Calif., Mazda Atlantic Formula Continental: Russ Werner, Park City, Utah, Van Diemen Formula F: Stan Townes, Santa Clara, Calif., Swift DB1 Formula Vee: Dennis Andrade, Brush Prairie, Wash., Vortech 05 GT-1: Jason Fiorito, Kent, Wash., Ford Taurus GT-2: Steven Streimer, Sherwood, Ore., Porsche GT3 Cup GT-3: Gary Bockman, Portland, Ore., Mazda RX-3 GT-Lite: Jim Hargrove, Delta, British Columbia, Honda Civic Showroom Stock B: Lynne Griffiths, Menlo Park, Calif., Ford Mustang Spec Miata: Thomas Micich, Sherwood, Ore., Mazda Miata Spec Racer Ford: Todd Harris, Portland, Ore., Spec Racer Ford Super Touring Lite: Oscar Jackson, Jr., Yorba Linda, Calif., Mazda Miata Super Touring Over: Pratt Cole, Salt Lake City, Utah, Ford Mustang Touring 2: John Baker, Portland, Ore., Nissan 350Z Touring 3: Scotty White, Auburn, Wash., Ford Mustang
BFGoodrich Tires Northern Pacific Super Tour/Dbl Nat
