No one told Runoffs rookie Thomas Noble that he wasn’t supposed to dominate the Super Touring® Under (STU) race during the 60th anniversary SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® presented by Sunoco, so he took the title in a flag-to-flag victory.
Taking place Sept. 28-Oct. 6, 2024, at Road America in Plymouth, WI, the entire STU field showed skilled determination as the 13-lap race around Road America’s 4.048-mile, 14-turn circuit went green-to-checker, allowing racers and fans alike to enjoy a full – and fast – race.
Noble, a Land O’Lakes Region member, not only won the race, he was also the Tire Rack Pole Award winner in his No. 72 Precision Motor Sports BMW 330i, making his run to the gold that much more special. Noble laid down a qualifying time no one could touch, although second-place qualifier (and defending STU National Champion) Chip Herr had logged a time that wasn’t too far behind, as had third-place qualifier Darin Treakle. All said, 0.681sec covered the top three’s qualifying times.
Starting fourth was David Fiorelli, who was running a unique offset rear wing on his Ford Mustang, designed to optimize downforce through the right-sweeping Carousel.
Hagerty Race Day for STU came Friday afternoon on Oct. 4, and when the Mazda pace car pulled into the pits and the starter waved the green flag, the field’s 17 drivers hammered down.
Noble held the inside line into Turn 1, forcing Herr to file in line. The top two quickly pulled a gap on the field, with Herr getting a strong run through the Kink, but Noble fired back, building a 1.5sec gap within just a few laps. Noble’s advantage kept growing, soon adding one to two seconds per lap to his advantage over Herr.
Halfway through the race, Treakle found himself fending off Jose Osiris Peña for third – and they were fast. Yes, Treakle and Peña couldn’t keep Noble’s pace, but they were chipping away at the gap to Herr. There was the potential for the two to catch Herr when John Schmidt suffered a mechanical issue exiting the Carousel, but that only brought out a brief local yellow, so Susquehanna Region member Herr was able to bring his No. 1 Carbotech/Hoosier/Warwick/Autopark Audi A4 home in second unchallenged.
The final lap for Treakle and Peña was intense, with Peña applying more and more pressure. Peña challenged into Turn 5, and once again into Canada Corner, but it wasn’t enough (to the tune of 0.048sec at the stripe), allowing Washington DC Region member Treakle to earn the bronze medal in his No. 70 BMW 325 – his first Runoffs medal.
“Chip , I mean, he's the reigning National Champion and he was right on me,” said Noble. “I had to keep it in myself and just keep trying to work the next corner and try to go where I'm strong and it worked out – but yeah, Chip is the real deal.”
Herr was excited about his second-place finish. “Man, that BMW’s got legs,” Herr said after the race. “Maybe we didn't have the straight-line today, but second place is awesome. I want to thank Hoosier and Carbotech and Motion Control – it's a team effort and we love coming here and I love to drive this car. I know [the race] was a little boring, but I didn't want to be part of a highlight reel hitting the wall this year.”
Treakle, too, enjoyed the race, noting it was better than his 2023 Runoffs experience where mid-race contact took him out of contention. “It was a lot of fun,” he said of this year’s unrelenting battle. “I think backed it down a little bit mid race to let the tires cool to make another run at the end – but it was a good, fair race.”
Fiorelli scored a solid fifth-place finish. The Sunoco Hard Charger award went to Edwin Soto-Quinones, who started 17th and finished 13th.
The 60th anniversary SCCA® National Championship Runoffs® presented by Sunoco is the pinnacle of American amateur motorsports and crowns Sports Car Club of America’s Road Racing National Champions this year at Road America in Elkhart Lake, WI, during Hagerty Race Days running Friday, Oct. 4, through Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.
Live, online video coverage of Runoffs races, presented by Mazda, is available throughout the three days of competition at SCCA.com/runoffs-live. Live timing and scoring for each race are also available at SCCA.com/pages/runoffs-live-timing.
Below are provisional results for Friday’s Super Touring Under race at the 2024 SCCA® National Championship Runoffs, with finish position, starting position in parentheses, driver, hometown, car, and laps completed.
1, (1), Thomas Noble, Saint Louis Park, MN, BMW 330i, 13.
2, (2), Chip Herr, Lititz, PA, Audi A4, 13.
3, (3), Darin Treakle, Marshall, VA, BMW 325, 13.
4, (5), Jose Osiris Pena, Miami, FL, Honda CR-X, 13.
5, (4), David Fiorelli, Coppell, TX, Ford Mustang, 13.
6, (8), Jorge Nazario, San Juan, PR, Mazda MX-5, 13.
7, (7), Sean Lovett, Santa Rosa, CA, BMW E46, 13.
8, (11), Eric Fiest, Bristolville, OH, Honda CR-X Si, 13.
9, (15), Tazio Ottis, Berkeley, CA, Honda Civic Si, 13.
10, (13), James Slechta, Moab, UT, Nissan 300ZX, 13.
11, (18), Raymond Philibert, Pompano Beach, FL, Mazda Miata, 13.
12, (14), Cameron Wagner, Vancouver, WA, Porsche Boxster, 13.
13, (17), Edwin Soto-Quinones, Orlando, FL, Porsche Boxster S, 13.
14, (12), Joe Moser, Dallas, TX, Acura Integra GSR, 12.
DNF, (10), John Schmitt, Sunbury, OH, Honda Accord, 5.
DNF, (9), Rylan Hazelton, Soquel, CA, Honda S2000, 2.
DNF, (6), Jorge Ortiz, San Juan, PR, Honda Civic, 1.
DNS, (16), Michal Kuna, Wells, ME, BMW M3, 0.
Race Stats
Length of Race: 52.62 Miles
Overall Time of Race: 32:03.706 (avg. 98.480 mph)
Margin of Victory: 06.478 seconds
Fastest Race Lap: 2:25.824 (99.934 mph)
Lap Leaders: #72, Laps 1-13
Sunoco Hard Charger: #68 Edwin Soto-Quinones
Photo by: Rick Corwine
