SCCA: 24 Champions Crowned at SCCA Valvoline Runoffs
11 October 1999
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
Text provided by Eric Prill, SCCALEXINGTON, Ohio--Twenty-four National Champions have been crowned at the 36th annual SCCA Club Racing Valvoline Runoffs Presented by NAPA at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Jeff Altenburg, of Catonsville, Md., won the first of 24 races on a weekend which is revered as the "olympics" of motorsports, taking Touring One class driving a Chevrolet Corvette.
Other winners on the Friday included Jeff Auberger, of Sturgis, Mich., in Formula 500; Joe Huffaker, of Petaluma, Calif., in F Production; Neal Sapp, of Ellicott City, Md., in Showroom Stick C; Bruce Sunseri, of Santa Clara, Calif., in D Sports Racer; and Brian French, of Sheboygan, Wis., in Formula Atlantic.
Tom Patton, of Hamilton, Ohio, drove his venerable Sunbeam Tiger to his first National Championship in the GT-2 class after 20 years of trying. Keith Nunes, of Modesto, Calif., became only the third driver in SCCA history to win the Formula Ford Championship back-to-back, joining Skip Barber and Bruce May.
Saturday crowned eight more Champions on a rainy Mid-Ohio day, with Mazda Miata driver David Daughtery, of Noblesville, Ind., taking his sixth-career National Championship in a Showroom Stock B title race shortened after a lengthy clean-up period for an accident. Drivers Shauna Marinus, of Folsom, Calif., and Phil Croyle, of Boca Raton, Fla., were transported to Mansfield General Hospital for precautionary X-Rays following the incident, and later released.
Other winners on the day included Rob Hines, of Arlington, Va., driving a Camaro in Touring Two; Steve Sargis, of Frankfort, Ill., driving a Triumph Spitfire in G Production; Daniel Minkler, of N. Canton, Ohio, driving a Nissan 200 SX in GT-5; Roger Siebenaler, of North Hero, Vt., in a Mysterian Formula Vee; Bob Endicott, of San Pedro, Calif., in an E Production Honda Prelude; Eric Curran, of S. Deerfield, Mass., in a American Sedan Chevrolet Camaro; and Keith Roberts, of LaGrange, Ga., in Formula Mazda.
The final eight SCCA Club Racing National Champions were crowned on Sunday, a day which saw mist and fog grease the track for most of the races.
Warren Stilwell, of Hartville, Ohio, captured his sixth-straight Spec Racer Ford title and sits second all-time on the career-consecutive Championships list behind Jerry Hansen's 10 in the 1970s and 1980s in A Sports Racer. Stilwell battled back from three spins in wet conditions to take the win.
Adam Malley, of Conyers, Ga., won his third-straight H Production title, also coming back from a spin.
Other Champions on the final day of racing include Ben Beasley, of Mentor, Ohio, in C Sports Racer; John Fergus, of Powell, Ohio, in Sports 2000; Pete Peterson, of Lumberton, N.C., in GT-3; Mike Andersen, of Green Pond, N.J., in Formula Continental; Wilson Wright Jr., of Stockbridge, Mass., in GT-4; and Juan Leroux, of the Dominican Republic, in GT-1.
1999 Valvoline Runoffs Presented by NAPA Auto Parts National Champions
Class: Driver, Hometwon, Car
Touring One: Jeff Altenburg, Catonsville, Md., Chevy Corvette
Formula 500: Jeff Auberger, Sturgis, Mich., KBS MK8.5
F Production: Joe Huffaker, Petaluma, Calif., MG Midget
Showroom Stock C: Neal Sapp, Ellicott City, Md., Honda Civic Si
D Sports Racer: Bruce Sunseri, Santa Clara, Calif., Cheetah SR1
Formula Atlantic: Brian French, Sheboygan, Wis., Ralt RT-41
GT-2: Tom Patton, Hamilton, Ohio, Sunbeam Tiger
Formula Ford: Keith Nunes, Modesto, Calif., Swift DB-6
Touring Two: Rob Hines, Arlington, Va., Chevy Camaro
G Production: Steve Sargis, Frankfort, Ill., Triumph Spitfire
GT-5: Daniel Minkler, N Canton, Ohio, Nissan 200SX
Showroom Stock B: David Daughtery, Noblesville, Ind., Mazda Miata
Formula Vee: Roger Siebenaler, North Hero, Vt., Mysterian M2
E Production: Bob Endicott, San Pedro, Calif., Honda Prelude
American Sedan: Eric Curran, S. Deerfield, Mass., Chevy Camaro
Formula Mazda: Keith Roberts, LaGrange, Ga., Formula Mazda
C Sports Racer: Ben Beasley, Mentor, Ohio, Beasley B-2
H Production: Adam Malley, Conyers, Ga., Honda Civic
Sports 2000: John Fergus, Powell, Ohio, Carbir
GT-3: Pete Peterson, Lumberton, N.C., Toyota Paseo
Formula Continental: Mike Andersen, Green Pond, N.J., Van Diemen Ford
GT-4: Wilson Wright Jr., Stockbridge, Mass., Nissan 200 SX
Spec Racer Ford: Warren Stilwell, Hartville, Ohio, Spec Racer Ford
GT-1: Juan Leroux, Miami, Fla., Ford Mustang Cobra
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