THE LINE

September 26, 2012

Editor-in-Chief's Note: The Nissan DeltaWing has completed three successful evening test sessions at Road Atlanta in preparation for its American race debut next month at Petit Le Mans. Reigning American Le Mans Series PC class champion Gunnar Jeannette and inaugural Nissan GT Academy winner and 24 Hours of Le Mans podium finisher Lucas Ordoñez completed three consecutive days of twilight running at the 2.54 mile Georgia circuit to prepare for their upcoming Nissan DeltaWing race debuts. The Nissan DeltaWing will race in the US for the first time next month in the final round of the 2012 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón on October 20. Watch the fabulous DeltaWIng racer testing at Road Atlanta here.

(Mark Weber/SCCA)
Kent Prather (No. 26 Mazda/Moss/Goodyear/Torco/Carbotech Mazda Miata), of Wakarusa, Kan., successfully defended his GT-Lite National Championship at the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs® at Road America. Prather pulled alongside Robert Lentz, of Chantilly, Va., at the finish line to take the win by 0.023-second. James Hargrove, of Surrey, B.C., finished third. Editor-in-Chief's Note: We sincerely thank the SCCA for the race reports, and Mark Weber for his excellent photos. - PMD

(Mark Weber/SCCA)
Kevin Fandozzi (No. 31 Hoosier/Moton/Insight Driven Chevrolet Cobalt SS), of St. Joseph, Mich., held off a late charge by Richard Fisher (No. 78 Autobarn Volkswagen/BF Goodrich Tire Volkswagen GTI), of Glencoe, Ill., to win back-to-back Touring 3 National Championships at the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs® at Road America. Chad Gilsinger, of Marysville, Ohio, completed the podium. Fandozzi started from the Gumout pole position and had Fisher right behind him over the entire race distance.

(Mark Weber/SCCA)
Scott Tucker (No. 55 West Race Cars/Hoosier West WX10/Suzuki), of Overland Park, Kan., grabbed his second title of the week on Saturday at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs®, winning D Sports Racing and becoming the first SCCA Club Racer to break the two-minute lap time barrier in a race at Road America. Tucker was never seriously challenged for the lead, especially after turning a lap of 1:59.991 on lap four to become the first to break that historic mark in a race. With the lap, Tucker will be recognized by the Chicago Region SCCA with a plaque hung in the Road America office, as well as a charitable donation to the SCCA Foundation. Tucker eventually turned the Hawk Fastest Lap of the race with a 1:59.684 (120.317 mph), running three laps under the two-minute barrier. Those fast laps earned Tucker the GoPro Hero Move of the Race. Tucker cruised to a 34.988-second win, averaging 118.308 mph over the 13-lap, 52-mile race at Road America, "America's National Park of Speed." It’s the fifth National Championship for Tucker, who also won the Super Touring® Over title earlier in the week. Lee Alexander (No. 48 Factory 48 Motorsports/APE Raceparts Stohr WF1/Suzuki ), of Las Vegas, Nev., and Tom Bootz, of Evansville, Ind., finished on the podium.

(Mark Weber/SCCA)
Pole winner Jim Drago (No. 2 East Street Racing Mazda Miata), of Memphis, Tenn., won the 2012 Spec Miata National Championship by holding off teammate Craig Berry (No. 29 Berry Marble and Granite/East Street Racing Mazda Miata), of Tyler Texas, from start to finish at the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs® at Road America. Andrew Charbonneau, of Delray Beach, Fla., finished third after a last lap battle with rookie Stephan Tisseront, from Great Falls, Va.

(Mark Weber/SCCA)
Steve Forrer (No. 84 K-Hill Motorsports/Hoosier/Forrer Supply Ralt rt41/Toyota), of Milwaukee, Wis., held off Gumout Pole Sitter Jean-Luc Liverato (No. 0 K-Hill Motorsports/Hoosier Tire Swift 014a/Toyota), of Alpharetta, Ga., for the C Sports Racing crown at the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs on Saturday. Jason Miller, of nearby Sheboygan Falls, Wis., finished third.

(Mark Weber/SCCA)
Tim Kautz (No. 88 Braeburn/Two Dogg/Hoosier/Euroquipe), of Geneva, Ill., held off the defending National Champion Lewis Cooper (No. 0 Martini/Voss Water Van Diemen RF00 Ford), of Grosse Pointe, Mich., by 0.077-second to earn his second-career Formula F crown at the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Road America. Russell Ruedisueli, of Rochester Hills, Mich., finished third. Cooper turned the Hawk Performance fast race lap with a 2:21.435.

(Mark Weber/SCCA)
Starting from the Gumout Pole Position, Michael Lewis (No. 12 Goodyear/Cyclo/Redline Oil Jaguar XKR), of Poway, Calif., was under heavy pressure for all 13 laps of the GT-1 race at the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Road America, but came away with his third consecutive win crossing the finish line 0.478-second ahead of Doug Peterson (No. 87 3Dimensional.com Chevrolet Corvette), of Bonita Springs, Fla. Cliff Ebben, of Appleton, Wis., finished third, respectively. It was the seventh SCCA National Championship for Lewis.

(Mark Weber/SCCA)
Gerald Szykulski (No. 31 Rotary Systems Inc/Arms Up Motorsports Van Diemen DP08/Ford), of Edina, Minn., crossed the finish line at the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs® at Road America as the Formula Continental® National Champion and the first SCCA Super Sweep award winner of 2012. Nicholas Coello (No. 81 Pouredfoundations.com/RFR Cars/Hoosier Firman RFR 2000/Ford), of Dousman, Wis., and Brian Belardi, of Grafton, Wis., completed the podium. Szykulski won the Central Division point championship, the SCCA National point championship and the BFGoodrich Tires Rocky Mountain Super Tour in Formula Continental, and then completed the most difficult award in SCCA Club Racing with a National Championship by 4.273 seconds to earn the Super Sweep. The champion covered the 13-lap, 52-mile race in 28:49.230, averaging 108.256 mph and also turned the Hawk fastest lap around the 14-turn, 4-mile circuit in 2:11.467 (109.533 mph).

(Mark Weber/SCCA)
Cliff White (No. 58 Cottage Senior Living Spec Racer Ford), of Huntsville, Ala., made an exciting final corner pass on then race leader Brian Schofield, of Lakeland, Fla., to capture his first-career Spec Racer® Ford National Championship at the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs® at Road America. Todd Harris, of Portland, Ore., finished second, and Schofield was third. The final margin of victory was 0.135-second.White had the GoPro Move of the Race for his final corner pass. He also turned the Hawk Performance fast race lap with a 2:38.863.

(Mark Weber/SCCA)
Tom Wickersham (No. 0 Main Straight Racing Porsche GT3 Cup), of San Ramon, Calif., took home his first SCCA National Championship Runoffs title Friday at Road America, winning the Gumout GT2 National Championship by nearly 20 seconds over Jim Goughary, of Houston, Texas. Mark Boden, of Winnetka, Ill., finished third. At the start, Gumout polesitter Pete Peterson led the field through Turn 1 in his No. 98 Goodyear/Toyota/Valvoline Toyota Celica, followed closely by Wickersham. The two actually made nose-to-tail contact, causing damage to the hood of Wickersham’s Porsche. “In the first turn, Pete went underneath me,” Wickersham recalled. “Then he got loose coming out of One and I got into the back of him. We both kept going and it was pretty much ‘follow the leader’ for the rest of the race.” Peterson and Wickersham slowly pulled away from the rest of the GT2 field for the next eight laps; the gap between them hovering around one second. Both drivers turned laps under the previous Runoffs GT2 race lap record, but Peterson ultimately claimed the Hawk Fastest Race Lap with a time of 2:16.581 (105.432 mph). On lap nine, Wickersham was noticeably closing the gap to Peterson. Feeling the pressure, Peterson first dropped a wheel coming out of Canada Corner and then spun into the gravel trap at Turn 14, handing the lead - and the win - to Wickersham.

(Mark Weber/SCCA)
Scott Tucker (No. 55 Hoosier Porsche 996), of Overland Park, Kan., started from the pole and dominated the Super Touring Over® field to take the first win at the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs® on Thursday at Elkhart Lake's Road America. The win was Tucker’s second-consecutive National Championship in STO and fourth overall. Tucker pulled away to a 37.843-second margin of victory, averaging 102.781 mph in the 13-lap, 52-mile run and turned the fastest lap of the race in 2:17.626 (104.631 mph) around the classic 14-turn, 4.048-mile circuit. Mark Pauly, of Bettendorf, Iowa, and Lance Stewart, of Miami, Fla., joined him on the podium. 

(Mark Weber/SCCA)
John Buttermore (No. 52 Hoosier/Carbotech/Stoptech Chevrolet Corvette), of Wixom, Mich., drove to a flag-to-flag to win his second consecutive Touring 1 National Championship at the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs® at Road America. Buttermore started from the Gumout pole position, led into Turn 1 and was never seriously challenged for the lead. In fact, he beat Andrew Aquilante, the 2007 T1 National Champion, by 21.611-seconds over the 4.048-mile, 14-turn course. Aquilante, of Chester Springs, Pa., and Tim Hund, of Norfolk, Va., finished second and third, respectively.

(Mark Weber/SCCA)
Alan McCallum (No. 19 Alan McCallum Racing Star Formula Mazda), of Houston, Texas, won his first-career Formula Mazda National Championship in impressive fashion from his 11th starting position at the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs® at Road America. Doug Peterson, of Bonita Springs, Fla. finished second and Steve Jenks, of Walpole, Mass., finished third.

(Mark Weber/SCCA)
 Don Knowles (No. 32 Phoenix/Hawk/Hoosier Ford Mustang GT), of Pittsboro, N.C., scored a flag-to-flag victory Sunday to take his sixth SCCA National Championship in winning the Touring 2 Runoffs® race at Road America. Starting from his sixth career Runoffs Gumout Pole Position, Knowles got a big jump at the drop of the green flag, opened up a 3.3-second lead by lap two and won by a 2.984-seconds, averaging 96.414 mph. Marty Grand, of Manassas Park, Va., and Todd Napieralski, of Chelsea, Mich., completed the podium.

(Mark Weber/SCCA)
Gumout pole winner Rob Huffmaster (No 7 VirSecServices.com/Hoosier Pontiac Solstice GXP), of Clarkston, Mich., drove flag-to-flag to capture his first-career Super Touring® Under National Championship at the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs® at Road America. Joel Weinberger, of Hinsdale, Ill., and Marc Hoover, of Cameron Park, Calif., were second and third, respectively.

(Mark Weber/SCCA)
Patrick Gallagher (No. 91 Howard Concrete Pumping/Jay Motorsports Formula Enterprises/Mazda), of Thornville, Ohio, kept cool enough to recover from a spin to earn his second-career National Championship. Jason Wolfe (No. 65 Jay Motorsports/Wolfe Trucking Formula Enterprises), of Mount Vernon, Ohio, earned his second consecutive silver medal, while Denny Marklein, of Dodgeville, Wis., finished third. Gallagher eventually won by 3.659 seconds, averaging 105.520 mph in the 13-lap, 52-mile race at the 4.048-mile circuit.

(Mark Weber/SCCA)
Ray Huffmaster (No. 31 Huffmaster Security/Hoosier Mazda RX-8 and Rob's dad), of Clarkston, Mich., won the Super Touring Lite® class debut at the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs® after a final-lap pass on Jim Drago (No. 2 East Street Racing Mazda Miata ), of Memphis, Tenn. Rich Walke, of Hawthorn Woods, Ill., made a last-lap pass of his own to finish third. The STL class was running as a supplemental class this year at Road America and not for a National Championship. Huffmaster and Drago swapped the lead officially eight times, and many more times at the back of the circuit before crossing the timing stripe. Drago led at the start of the last lap, but the two banged door handles coming out of turn three down the long straightaway into five, with Huffmaster pulling in front. Drago reclaimed the lead through turn eight, with Huffmaster seemingly losing it when he ran wide. The RX-8 chased down the Miata with a great run through the kink, and Huffmaster completed the pass before getting into Canada Corner, Turn 12 at Road America. Drago, pushing hard, ran wide and spun in turn 12, but the race wasn’t quite over. Huffmaster also ran wide through 13, but gathered it up and climbed the hill to the checkered flag for a 10.957-second victory.

(Mark Weber/SCCA)
Steve Sargis (No. 18 SBS Batteries/Hoosier Tire Triumph Spitfire), of Frankfort, Ill., survived thirteen laps and a protracted battle on Sunday at Road America to win his seventh SCCA National Championship Runoffs®. Sam Henry (No. 37 Springfield Dyno/SafeRacer/Goodyear Mazda Miata), of Republic, Mo., and Bill Wessel, of Madison, Wis., battled with each other to complete the F Production podium. Though Sargis won the race by 5.396 seconds, averaging 93.363 mph for the 13-lap, 52-mile distance, it was anything but easy. Eric Prill's No. 7 Jesse Prather Motorsports/Hoosier/OS Giken/Hawk/TP7 Mazda Miata pulled ahead of Sargis by a second with two laps to go, but battling a fading master cylinder, Prill spun in Canada Corner and Sargis went on to the win. Sargis turned the Hawk Hot Lap, a 2:31.818 (94.850 mph) during his battle with Prill.

(Mark Weber/SCCA)
Brandon Dixon (No. 7 Citation Engineering/Hoosier Tire Citation Suzuki ), of Tuscaloosa, Ala., led flag-to-flag in a dominant performance to capture his second-career Formula 1000 title at the 49th SCCA National Championship Runoffs® at Road America. Dixon started from the Gumout pole position and was never headed. Mike Beauchamp, of Green Bay, Wis., and Jake Latham, of Broomfield, Colo., completed the podium. Dixon turned the Hawk Performance fast race lap with a 2:07.543 (112.903 mph), which set a new Runoffs fast race lap record.

(Mark Weber/SCCA)
After 11 SCCA National Championship Runoffs ® starts, Jason Byers (No. 28 Swan/Hoosier Swift .014a Toyota), of Livonia, Mich., finally claimed his first National Championship, beating defending champion Michael Mallinen (No. 71 Hoosier Tires/TRD/Swan Racing Swift .014a Toyota), of Liberty Lake, Wash., for the Formula Atlantic title. Keith Grant, of Germantown, Tenn., finished third. On the final lap, Byers crossed the line with only 0.643-second on Mallinen who turned the Hawk Fastest Race Lap and a new Formula Atlantic record at 2:01.496 (118.522 mph). Despite this, Byers faced no serious challenge from Mallinen for the lead. He claimed his first Runoffs win by 1.050 seconds.

(Mark Weber/SCCA)
John Black (No. 17 Murillo Racing Nissan 350Z), of Olympic Valley, Calif., captured his second-consecutive GT-3 Championship, winning Sunday's SCCA National Championship Runoffs® race at Road America. Jeff Dernehl (No. 03 Roswell Outback Auto/RRE/Hoosier Mazda RX-7), of Woodstock, Ga., and Paul Young, of Commerce Township, Mich., completed the podium. Black won by 1.959-seconds, averaging 99.485 mph.

(Mark Weber/SCCA)
Michael Mueller (No. 24 MJ Manufacturing/Fibeco/Hoosier/HRP/Subway Red Devil 2004/Rotax) captured his second consecutive Formula 500 National Championship just a couple miles up the road from his hometown of Plymouth, Wis., on Sunday at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs® at Road America. C.J. McAbee (No. 15 AJ’s Import Garage/Hoosier AJ’s 2012/Rotax), of Topeka, Kan., and Michael Vacek, of Itasca, Ill., survived some wild closing laps to complete the podium. Mueller turned 12 laps better than the existing record, including a Hawk Hot Lap of 2:21.171 (102.004 mph). That series of fast laps earned Mueller the GoPro Hero Move of the Race. “We’ve been coming to this race track since I was a little kid, before I had a conscious memory,” the 28-year-old reflected. “We started go-kart racing at the Karting Kettle in Elkhart Lake, came here and did karting for five years, and the big track was always on the other side of that wall, where we want to be. To win one National Championship at home is amazing. To do two back-to-back, with winning the June Sprints in an undefeated National season — I can’t think of anything better.”  

(ALMS)
Meeting together for the first time last weekend at the Circuit des 24 Heures in Le Mans, France, site of the world-renowned 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race, were the executive leadership teams of ISCAR – the recently merged organization comprised of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón / GRAND-AM Road Racing; the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO); and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Front row (L-R) –  ALMS President and CEO Scott Atherton; ALMS Founder and 2014 organization Board of Directors Vice-Chairman Dr. Don Panoz; ACO President Pierre Fillon; 2014 organization Board of Directors Chairman Jim France; and ACO Board of Management member Frédéric Henry-Biabaud.  Back row (L-R) – ACO General Manager Frédéric Lenart; FIA WEC Chief Executive Officer Gérard Neveu; ACO Sports Manager Vincent Beausmesnil; and GRAND-AM President and CEO Ed Bennett.

Editor-in-Chief's Note: Check out Michelin's racing website - "Michelin Alley" - and get in on all of the behind-the-scenes buzz. Go here. - PMD

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