SCCA: Kleinubing nips Turner for Speedvision Touring Car Sebring win
Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
March 17, 2001SEBRING, Fla. - Brazil's Pierre Kleinubing held off a challenging Will Turner in the closing moments of Friday's SCCA Pro Racing Speedvision World Challenge Touring Car Round Two race, part of the Superflo 12 Hours of Sebring Weekend, to take his 11th career win. Point leader Steve Pfeffer, of Scottsdale, Ariz., finished third.
Driving the No. 1 RealTime Racing Acura Integra R, defending series Champion Kleinubing started from the pole, but watched Turner's No. 92 H&R Springs/Turner Motorsport BMW 328is pull away first from the standing start. Turner, of Newburyport, Mass., led Kleinubing for the next nine laps of the 17-lap, 62.9-mile event, but the Champion charged and passed Turner for the lead on lap 10 and held on for the 0.816-second win, averaging 86.974 mph in the caution-free event.
"I was pushing as hard as I could all day," said a smiling Kleinubing. "For those of you that know me, that's the only way I know how to drive. I just kept working on the spots on the track where the car was the best, and it worked out for us today."
Kleinubing's win moved him into second place in the Drivers' Championship behind Pfeffer (59-57). Turner bounced back from a disappointing Round One race at Texas Motor Speedway to vault to 10th in points from 24th.
"I knew I had to have a good start," said Turner, who started second. "I tried not to look in my mirror too much to watch Pierre [Kleinubing]. The key was to not be aggressive when he was making a move on me. I had a great car at the start. It faded on me a little though the course of the race, but came back as I needed it in the end to finish the race strong. We really needed this."
Pfeffer had an early battle with Neal Sapp, but Sapp's motor eventually expired, allowing the Texas race winner to cruise to third, maintaining his points lead.
"It's all about having a balance out there," said Pfeffer. "Trying to stay on the track while being aggressive at the same time. In the end, I was just waiting for the word from the pits to make my move to the front. That came with about five laps to go and I just took it from there, but it wasn't enough time to catch those two."
Kleinubing's teammate Hugh Plumb, of Chadds Ford, Pa., finished fourth, followed by Turner's teammate, Don Salama, of Avon, Conn., in fifth.
Alfred duPont recovered from an early spin to take fifth, followed by David Leslie, who had a spirited race-long battle with Terry McCarthy to come home seventh. Leslie, a former British Touring Car Championship star, was awarded the Borla Performance Award for his drive.
"It was good, really good, racing out there today," said Leslie. "Touching doors, fender-to-fender racing-that's what it is all about. I thoroughly enjoyed it."
SEBRING, Fla. - Results from Friday's 17-lap, 62.9-mile SCCA Pro Racing Speedvision World Challenge Touring Car Championship Round Two Race, part of the Superflo 12 Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway with finishing position, starting position in parenthesis, driver, hometown, car, laps complete and reason out (if any).
1. (1), Pierre Kleinubing, Erexim, Brazil, Acura Integra R, 17.
2. (2), Will Turner, Newburyport, Mass., BMW 328is, 17.
3. (3), Steve Pfeffer, Scottsdale, Ariz., BMW 328is, 17.
4. (6), Hugh Plumb, Chadds Ford, Pa., Acura Integra R, 17.
5. (8), Don Salama, Avon, Conn., BMW 328is, 17.
6. (5), Alfred duPont, Kennett Square, Pa., BMW 328is, 17.
7. (7), David Leslie(R), Scotland, Mazda 626, 17.
8. (10), Terry McCarthy, Mountain View, Calif., BMW 328is, 17.
9. (14), Mike Fitzgerald, Phoenix, Ariz., Acura Integra R, 17.
10. (9), Jeff Altenburg(R), Baltimore, Md., Acura Integra R, 17.
11. (13), Roger Foo(R), Hayward, Calif., Honda Civic Si, 17.
12. (12), Rob Hines(R), Arlington, Va., BMW 328is, 17.
13. (18), Ken Dobson, Carmel Valley, Calif., BMW 328Ci, 17.
14. (16), Paul Bonaccorsi(R), Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Mazda Protege, 17.
15. (17), Carlos Steyer(R), Brazil, Acura Integra R, 17.
16. (19), Mike Buzzetti(R), Paso Robles, Calif., Acura Integra R, 17.
17. (21), Ken Payson(R), Sun City Center, Fla., BMW 328is, 17.
18. (20), Walter Markes Jr., Bronx, N.Y., BMW 328i, 17.
19. (24), David Wall(R), Carmel Valley, Calif., BMW 328i, 17.
20. (23), Shauna Marinus, Folsom, Calif., Mazda Protege, 17.
21. (15), Drew Hagestad, Irving, Texas, VW Jetta, 16.
22. (29), Stephane Trahan, Laval Quebec Canada, VW Jetta, 16.
23. (4), Neal Sapp, Ellicott City, Md., BMW 328is, 15, Mech.
24. (22), Grant Lockwood, Cumming, Ga., Honda Prelude, 10, Fuel P.
25. (11), Taz Harvey, Danville, Calif., Acura Integra R, 7, Mech.
26. (27), Robert Mumm(R), Hales Corners, Wis., Mercury Cougar, 7, Mech.
27. (28), Hugh Stewart, Massapequa, N.Y., VW Jetta, 6, Mech.
28. (25), Kevin Schrantz, Bolder, Colo., Mazda 626, 2, Mech.
29. (30), Nick Vitucci(R), Bronx, N.Y., Acura Integra R, 0, DNS.
30. (26), Peter Bovenberg(R), Campbell, Calif., Honda Civic Si, 0, DNS.
Time of race: 43 minutes, 23.512 seconds.
Average speed: 86.974 miles-per-hour
Margin of victory: 0.815-second
Lap leaders: Laps 1-9, Will Turner; laps 10-17, Pierre Kleinubing.
Fastest race lap: Will Turner, 2:31.877 (87.702 mph)
Superchips Pole winner: Pierre Kleinubing, 2:32.066 (87.593 mph)
Borla Performance Award Winner: David Leslie.
Cautions: None.
Speedvision World Challenge Touring Car Point Standings
1, Steve Pfeffer, BMW 328is, 59
2, Pierre Kleinubing, Acura Integra R, 57
3, Alfred duPont, BMW 328is, 47
4, Don Salama, BMW 328is, 42
5, David Leslie(R), Mazda 626, 39
6, Hugh Plumb, Acura Integra R, 37
7, Terry McCarthy, BMW 328is, 37
8, Mike Fitzgerald, Acura Integra R, 35
9, Neal Sapp, BMW 328is, 34
10, Will Turner, BMW 328is, 31
Text provided by Eric Prill
Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit
The Racing Photo Museum and the
Visions of Speed Art Gallery.