TOPEKA, Kan. (August 27, 2018) – The SCCA® U.S. Majors Tour® Northeast Conference has wrapped up its 2018 racing season. More than 600 drivers were involved in the Northeast Conference’s 12-round season that visited six different venues. Drivers who amassed the most points in each of the 28 different classes have grabbed Northeast Conference championship honors.
Three competitors have now managed to claim class championships in two different conferences. Formula Continental® ace Charles Moran, driving a Van Dieman RF99, has now claimed that class championship in both the Northeast Conference and Southeast Conference. Touring 1 racer Hugh Stewart, driving a BMW M3, has done the same in both conferences. Then in Formula Mazda (FM), Nicholas Malone shares the top spot in the Northeast Conference with Brad Yake who earlier this year claimed the Southeast Conference’s FM championship.
Only a handful of points decided several Northeast Conference class champions this year. In Touring 2, Andrew Wickline and his Ford Mustang took home the championship by five points over the Ford Mustang GT of Michael Lavigne. The winning margin was four points in Formula Enterprises 2 as Keith McDonald only slightly got the better of Todd Vanacore, both driving SCCA FE2 Mazdas. Four points was also the final gap between GT-1 combatants James Mcaleese and Scott Quaile, both driving Chevrolet Camaros. It was Quaile who ended up with the crown.
In Spec Racer Ford Gen3, which featured 100 entrants in the Northeast Conference this season, only a couple points separated the champion from the runner-up. In that class, Jeffrey Lehner came home the winner by only two points over Scott Rettich. And in Formula 500, Brian Heun and his QRE QC-1 Invader earned the Northeast Conference championship by a single point over the Scorpion of John W. "Jack" Walbran.
The Northeast Conference opened its racing season with two events in April. The first was a Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour weekend at VIRginia International Raceway, followed by a visit to Summit Point Motorsports Park in West Virginia. Rounds five and six took place in May at Pittsburgh International Race Complex in Pennsylvania, then it was off to Watkins Glen International in Upstate New York for the Conference’s second Hoosier Super Tour event of the year. The racing season then came to a close in July with an event at Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in Connecticut before rounds 11 and 12 took place at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville.
Conference points are awarded to the top 20 finishers in each class. Winners earn 25 points, and 21 points go to second. Points are then doled out to others starting with 18 and descending to a single point for the 20th finisher. Only the best eight races count towards a driver’s point total. Below are Northeast Conference Champions with Class: Name, Hometown, SCCA Region and Car.
-American Sedan®: Daniel Richardson; Derwood, MD; Washington D.C. Region; Chevrolet Camaro
-B-Spec: Jay Cavanaugh; East Hampton, CT; New England Region; Mini B-Spec
-E Production: Heikki Silegren; Stouffville, ON; Chattanooga Region; Datsun 240Z
-F Production: Charlie Campbell; Corry, PA; Mohawk Hudson Region; Mazda Miata
-H Production: Stephanie Funk; Greenfield, MA; New England Region; Honda CRX
-Formula 500: Brian Heun; Linwood, NJ; South Jersey Region; QRE QC-1 Invader
-Formula 1000: Douglas Hertz; Mount Kisco, NY; New York Region; Firman F1000
-Formula Atlantic®: Spencer Brockman; Westport, CT; New England Region; Swift 014
-Formula Continental®: Charles Moran; Oakton, VA; Old Dominion Region; Van Dieman RF99
-Formula Enterprises: Justin Huffman; Herndon, VA; Washington DC Region; SCCA FE Mazda
-Formula Enterprises 2: Keith McDonald; Ranson, WV; Washington DC Region; SCCA FE2 Mazda
-Formula F: Jonathon Kotyk; Atlantic Beach, FL; Buccaneer Region; Mygale
-Formula Mazda (tie): Brad Yake; Fort Worth, TX; Texas Region; Formula Mazda
Nicholas Malone; Fate, TX; Texas Region; Formula Mazda
-Formula Vee®: Richard Shields; Bridgeville, PA; Steel Cities Region; VDF
-GT-1: Scott Quaile; Copake Falls, NY; New York Region; Chevrolet Camaro
-GT-2: Kevin Allen; Anderson, SC; Buccaneer Region; Nissan 300ZX
-GT-3: Joe Kristensen; London, ON; Detroit Region; Acura RSX
-GT-Lite: William Ball; West Chester, PA; South Jersey Region; Nissan Sentra SE-R
-Prototype 1: Bryan Putt; Venetia, PA; Steel Cities Region; Elan DP02
-Prototype 2: Dennis Cox; Austin, TX; Lone Star Region; Radical SR3
-Spec Miata: Nick Leverone; Mendon, MA; New England Region; Mazda Miata
-Spec Racer Ford 3: Jeffrey Lehner; Johnstown, NY; Mohawk Hudson Region; SCCA Enterprises SRF3
-Super Touring® Lite: Craig McHaffie; Walpole, MA; New England Region; Mazda MX-5
-Super Touring® Under: Kevin Boehm; Marysville, OH; Ohio Valley Region; Honda Civic
-Touring 1: Hugh Stewart; Milford, CT; New England Region; BMW M3
-Touring 2: Andrew Wickline; Brewerton, NY; Central New York Region; Ford Mustang
-Touring 3: William Hendrix; Brighton, MA; New England Region; Nissan 350Z
-Touring 4: Felix Borodaty; Madison, NJ; Northern New Jersey Region; Scion FRS
The U.S. Majors Tour is one pathway to the 2018 SCCA National Championship Runoffs® being held
Oct. 16-21 at Sonoma Raceway in California. U.S. Majors Tour drivers qualify for the Runoffs by participating in three U.S. Majors Tour weekends and starting at least three U.S. Majors Tour races in the same car class over the course of the season.
The Sports Car Club of America®, Inc., founded in 1944, is a 67,500-member motorsports organization that incorporates all facets of autocross, rally and road racing at both Club and professional levels. With headquarters in Topeka, Kansas, the SCCA annually sanctions over 2,000 events through its 116 Regions and subsidiary divisions. Much of the SCCA's activities are made possible with support from the following Official Partners: Chevrolet, the Official Truck of the SCCA; Hawk Performance, the Official Brake Products of SCCA; Mobil 1, the Official Oil of SCCA; Sunoco, the Official Fuel of SCCA; and Tire Rack, the Official Tire Retailer of SCCA. To learn more, please visit www.scca.com.
Photo: Racer Charles Moran has now claimed the U.S. Majors Tour Formula Continental crown in both the Northeast Conference and Southeast Conference
Photo Credit: Anthony Bristol
