SEBRING, Fla. – The first Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour weekend of the year is in the books after another day of competition Sunday at Sebring Int’l Raceway.
Mark Boden was the big winner on the weekend as he managed to win three of the four races in which he competed. On Saturday, he took the Touring 2 victory in his No. 47 Fall-Line Motorsports Porsche 997 racecar, and followed that up in the very next race with a Touring 1 win driving the No. 47 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3, a completely different car.
On Sunday, Boden went after another Touring 2 victory. However, fellow T2 competitors Preston Calvert, in a Ford Mustang GT, and Bill Collins, in a Chevrolet Corvette Z06, looked to stop him. At the start, both Calvert and Collins got ahead of Boden. But before the first lap was complete, Boden slipped back by Collins.
Calvert set off and created a gap back to Boden and Collins. Soon, however, that gap went away and Boden was pressuring Calvert for the lead. With only a few laps remaining, Boden grabbed the lead. But Calvert and Collins kept the pressure on right up to the Turn 7 Hairpin.
“Going in to the Hairpin, Calvert and Collins came in side by side. I look in my mirror and just said, ‘Oh, boy,’” Boden recalled. “I hit the brakes early and watched both of them go flying by. I saw them coming and experience tells me to brake early and stay out of the way.”
Boden went on to claim the T2 win Sunday in the Porsche. However, a mechanical gremlin in his T1 BMW kept him from sweeping all four races.
“It was a really fun weekend, and a great start to the year,” Boden reflected. “I feel real dialed-in this year … and looking forward to going to Sonoma Raceway for the Runoffs.”
The Spec Miata class saw a flip-flop at the top on Sunday. During the last third of the race, Preston Pardus and Saturday winner Michael Carter, driving the No. 08 Rossini Racing/Carbotech Mazda Miata, had up to a five-second gap on the rest of the field. But leader Pardus, who finished second in Saturday’s race, couldn’t shake Carter. In the last corner on the last lap, Carter went to the outside in an attempt to get around Pardus. The duo was side by side, and Carter had momentum as they headed to the finish line. The winning margin was .034-seconds, with Pardus claiming victory in his No. 42 Danus Utilities/ESR/5X Racing/PR Mazda Miata.
“Carter broke away from the pack and reeled me in,” said Pardus, the reigning Runoffs® SM champion. “We worked together to separate ourselves from everyone else. We ran hard and it was fun.”
Throughout the weekend, the H Production class produced great racing. On Saturday, Phillip Ellis drove his No. 86 Karma Racing/Linfert Performance/Boles Racing VW Golf to victory after spinning at the beginning of the race. But leader Tim Pitts suffered some car troubles, allowing Ellis to catch and pass him for a .02-second margin of victory. On Sunday, both Pitts and Ellis took turns at the front. But it was Mike Miller, driving the No. 64 Comptune/Sports Car Salvage/Appalachian Race Tires A-H Midget, who charged through the field for the win.
“We raced very close those last few laps,” Miller said afterwards. “It was just a really great weekend.”
Below are provisional race results from Sunday’s Hoosier SCCA Super Tour event from Sebring Int’l Raceway with Class: Name, Hometown and Car.
-American Sedan: Thomas Ellis; Pompano Beach, Fla.; Ford Mustang
-B-Spec: John Phillips III; Sealy, Texas; Honda Fit
-E Production: Kip Van Steenburg; New Smyrna Beach, Fla.; Porsche 944S2
-F Production: Michael Kamalian; Marietta, Ga.; Mazda Miata
-H Production: Mike Miller; Walhalla, S.C.; A-H Midget
-Formula 500: Don Napier; Greenwood, Ind.; Scorpion F500
-Formula Atlantic: Kaylen Frederick; Potomac, Md.; Swift 016
-Formula Continental: Chuck Moran; Oakton, Va.; Van Diemen RF09
-Formula Enterprise: James Libecco; Solon, Ohio; Formula Enterprises Mazda
-Formula F: Yuven Sundaramoorthy; Schenectady, N.Y.; Mygale FF
-Formula Vee®: Donnie Isley; Fletcher, N.C.; Agitator 016
-GT-1: Ernie Francis Jr., Dania, Fla.; Ford Mustang
-GT-2: Jordan Bupp; Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Ford Mustang
-GT-3: Jeff Dernehl; Woodstock, Ga.; Mazda RX7
-GT-Lite: Peter Shadowen; West Palm Beach, Fla.; Honda CRX Si
-Prototype 1: Jacek Mucha; Highland Beach, Fla.; JMSCPS-Mazda
-Prototype 2: Sherman Chao; Palm Beach, Fla.; Stohr WF1
-Spec Miata: Preston Pardus; New Smyrna Beach, Fla.; Mazda Miata
-Spec Racer Ford 3: Clay Russell; Spartanburg, S.C.; Spec Racer Ford Gen3
-Super Touring Lite: Justin Elder; Lakeville, Minn.; Mazda Miata
-Super Touring Under: Kevin Koelemeyer; Ft. Myers, Fla.; Honda Civic
-Touring 1: Andrew Aquilante; Chester Springs, Pa.; Chevrolet Camaro
-Touring 2: Mark Boden; Winnetka, Ill.; Porsche 997
-Touring 3: Topher Everett; Bogart, Ga.; Porsche Boxster
-Touring 4: Gresham Wagner; Williamsburg, Va.; Mazda MX-5
Source : speedsport.com
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