Last Seven Championships Put Wraps on 2005 SCCA National Championship Runoffs

LEXINGTON, Ohio (Sept. 25, 2005) - The 2005 SCCA National Championship
Runoffs(r), the "Olympics" of Road Racing, crowned four first-time
winners Sunday and wrapped up the week-long event that saw 734 drivers
turn at least one qualifying lap on the 2.258-mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car
Course.  

 

Duane Davis, of Camas, Wash., earned his 13th SCCA National Championship
Runoffs title (second all-time behind Jerry Hansen's 27) on Sunday also
in Grand Touring 2 - his eighth championship in that class.

 

Off the track, the President's Cup - SCCA's most prestigious award given
to the driver who best demonstrates ability, competitiveness and success
at the Runoffs - was awarded to H Production Champion Kent Prather, of
Wakarusa, Kan.  Touring 2 runner-up Kristian Skavnes, of Sparta, N.J.,
was awarded the Mark Donohue Award, which is given to the driver who
shows outstanding performance, sportsmanship and competitiveness in SCCA
Club Racing.

 

For complete wrap-up information of the 2005 SCCA National Championship
Runoffs Presented by Kohler, including recaps of all 23 races and
results, visit www.scca.com <http://www.scca.com/> .  

 

Note: After first appearing in 1994, Sunday's conclusion marks the end
of a 12-year run for the SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Mid-Ohio
Sports Car Course as the 2006 Runoffs begin a three-year agreement with
Heartland Park Topeka in Topeka, Kan.  

 

 

Recaps of all eight races from Sunday:

 

Race 17: Showroom Stock C

Pete Taylor, of Ortonville, Mich., captured his first National
Championship Sunday, taking the Showroom Stock C class win at the 2005
SCCA National Championship Runoffs(r) Presented by Kohler at Mid-Ohio
Sports Car Course. Ryan Ciechanski, of Clinton Township, Mich., and Joel
Lipperini, of Pittston, Pa., completed the top-three.

Commencing the final day 2005 Runoffs, Taylor led the 39-car field to
the green flag. Going two and three wide down the back straight,
Ciechanski and David Waleke had dynamite starts, moving into second and
fourth place respectively behind Taylor. Behind the leaders, several
cars made contact in madness, resulting in a full-course caution being
shown for a car upside-down the gravel trap. 

Getting the green flag on lap four, Taylor had ideal restart, holding
off Ciechanski into the esses. Racing nose-to-fender, Taylor and
Ciechanski immediately established a multi-car gap on Lipperini. Getting
quicker every lap, setting a new lap record in the process, Taylor
steadily began to pull away from Ciechanski as the race progressed.
Running error-free fast laps to the checkered flag, Taylor
led-flag-to-flag, capturing his first Showroom Stock C National
Championship by 0.452 second.

"I have been driving a Neon this year but switched to a Mini for the
Runoffs," said Taylor. "I think that there is hardly any comparison; the
Mini is just that much better. I had a good start although Ryan
[Ciechanski] also had a very good start. He got alongside of me, but I
was able to keep the lead through the first turns and since this is a
hard track to pass on I felt comfortable."

Waleke, of Sterling Heights, Mich., finished fourth, and Ali Naimi, of
San Jose, Calif., completed the top-five.

No. 32 Ralph Porter wins the Sunoco Hard Charger Award for advancing
nine positions, to finish 12th after starting 21st.

Race 18: Formula Vee

Brad Stout, of St. Louis, Mo., traded the lead several times during
Sunday afternoon's SCCA National Championship Runoffs(r) Presented by
Kohler at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, but he held on when he had to,
earning the fourth Runoffs title of his career and his second SCCA
Chicago Region Triple Crown. Jeff Loughead, of Darien, Ill., followed up
his 2004 Runoffs-winning performance with a second-place finish, and
Stevan Davis, of Powder Springs, Ga., was third. 

Stout flashed signs of veteran know-how throughout the 20-lap race on
the 2.258-mile course, starting from the pole then relinquishing the
lead on several occasions to Bob Neumeister, of Pueblo, Colo., through
the middle portions of the race. 

As the two battled each other in addition to Loughead and Davis, the
four-car pack separated from the rest of the field, weaving in and out
of each other as the top three jockeyed back and forth, using famous
Formula Vee drafts to bolt past one another virtually every lap as the
group entered the Esses.

Sitting in third, Neumeister darted past both Stout and Loughead on Lap
19 after the Keyhole, only to be taken back over by both drivers as they
entered the Esses. After he regained the lead, Stout held off a last-lap
charge to get the win.

"These are the same three guys on the podium as last year, only the top
is changed, thankfully!" Stout said. "To be successful here in Vee, you
cannot make any mistakes. I just missed the Triple Crown a couple times
before, but this year I am happy to bring it home."

Stout said that the win meant more after he lost someone special earlier
this year.

"My crew chief, Bland McCoy, passed away last June. When I visited him
one last time I told him I would win this for him. He was with me today
looking over my shoulder. I was talking to him on the last lap and felt
his presence. This win is for him."

In the Carousel, Neumeister was squeezed just a bit and dropped to
fourth. Steve Oseth, of Leesburg, Va., the 2003 FV Champion, finished
fifth after starting 13th. Brian McCarthy, of Sacramento, Calif., held
the fifth spot for most of the race, but as he was exiting the Carousel,
he spun, crossed the track and hit the wall, coming to a stop just
before the start/finish line - helpless as he watched the rest of the
field pass him by.

Douglas Sontag, of Georgetown, Ky., won the Sunoco Hard Charger Award
for advancing 27 positions to finish 13th after starting 40th.

Race 19: F Production

Mark Hotchkis, of Manhattan Beach, Calif., captured his first National
Championship Sunday, taking the F Production class win at the 2005 SCCA
National Championship Runoffs(r) Presented by Kohler at Mid-Ohio Sports
Car Course. Steve Sargis, of Frankfort, Ill., and Mason Workman, of
Reynoldsburg, Ohio, completed the top-three.

Starting from the pole position, John Saurino controlled the start,
leading Sargis, and Craig Chima around the opening lap. Racing in close
formation, Hotchkis and Workman joined the fight for the lead at the
start of lap two. Going three-wide into the esses, Hotchkis passed
Sargis and got to the inside of Saurino. Battling for the lead, Saurino
went off-course followed by Chima, as Hotchkis and Sargis continued
without incident. Holding off repeated challenges for the lead from
Sargis, Hotchkis led laps three through eight, when a full-course
caution was displayed for a spectacular incident involving Paul Shipp.
Timing the lap 12 restart to perfection, Hotchkis easily maintained the
lead, with no passes for position within the top-five. As Hotchkis
steadily increased his lead during the closing stages of the 20-lap
race, Flescher and Workman became engaged in a great battle for third
place. Entering the keyhole turn on the final lap, the duo touched.
Flescher spun off-course, losing several positions, while Workman
continued in third place. Leading uncontested to the checkered flag,
Hotchkis crossed the start/finish 6.265 seconds ahead of Sargis, winning
his first National Championship.

"At the start I stayed outside going into the first turn, tucked in
behind Steve to be safe and followed him through," said Hotchkis. "I got
by him but never got away from him. I was driving too hard before the
full course yellow but calmed down during it and was better after. This
car is Robert Kirby's car. He drove it here many times. In April he
passed away. His family asked me to continue to drive it this year.
David Finch and his Raetech crew really prepared the car well for me
this week and it was just great. The Kirby family and all the Raetech
people are here so I did feel some pressure to perform."

Saurino, of Tulsa, Okla., finished fourth, and Pratt Cole, of Salt Lake
City, Utah, completed the top-five.

No. 82 Gary Johnson wins the Sunoco Hard Charger Award for advancing 25
positions, to finish 14th after starting 38th.

Race 20: Grand Touring 3

John Saurino, of Tulsa, Okla., left little to the imagination in the
Grand Touring 3 portion of the 2005 SCCA National Championship
Runoffs(r) Presented by Kohler, taking the GT3 win by 8.478 seconds over
Wolfgang Maike, of Santa Barbara, Calif. Terry Watson, of Pierrefonds,
Quebec, was third.

In the GT3 race, Saurino broke away early (something he wasn't able to
do earlier in the day in the F Production race, which cost him when he
was spun out of that race in an incident with another car on the second
lap) on the strength of a GT3 record race lap of 1:32.084 (89.136 mph)
in his Red Line Oil/Goodyear/Nissan Nissan 240SX to open what proved to
be an insurmountable lead. 

Though Saurino was never within reach, Maike followed Saurino's plan,
powering his Toyota Motorsports/Red Line Toyota Paseo around the
2.258-mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and putting space between himself
and the rest of the field. By the end of the 20-lap race, Maike was 19
seconds ahead of third-place Watson's H20! Recreation Inc. Nissan 350Z.

"The car has been great from the get-go. It was fast right out of the
box, and I just drove it," Saurino Said. "I was able to sit on the pole,
lead every lap, and win the race. I am very pleased. I got in front and
saved the tires, just drove it. I saw Wolfgang in my mirrors and just
concentrated on keeping ahead. Perhaps now I can get my crew chief to
smile, as he has not all week."

Craig Allen, of Fenton, Mich., finished fourth after starting 11th, and
Rob Warkocki, of Frankfort, Ill., completed the top five.

Bill McGavic, of Arcadia, Fla., was the Sunoco Hard Charger after
advancing 10 positions to finish 10th after starting the race 20th on
the grid.

Race 21: Formula Ford

John Robinson II, of St. Cloud, Fla., captured his first National
Championship Sunday, taking the Formula Ford class win at the 2005 SCCA
National Championship Runoffs(r) Presented by Kohler at Mid-Ohio Sports
Car Course. John LaRue, of Muncie, Ill., and Clark Cambern, of Haslett,
Mich., completed the top-three.

Getting the green flag down the Mid-Ohio back straight-away, the 26-car
Formula Ford field spread out three-wide. Holding the inside line,
Robinson II maintained the lead ahead of LaRue and Cambern, who passed
Hoinig to move into second place. As the top-five exited turn eight,
Chuck Brewer made contact with Tom Schwietz, causing Schwietz to spin. 

Unable to avoid Schwietz, Mike Sauce made light contact and came to halt
on the track. With Sauce stopped in the middle of the corner, the
full-course caution was shown to the leaders as they crossed the
start/finish. Quickly clearing the incident, racing resumed on lap
three. 

Getting a great jump, Robinson II entered turn seven unchallenged, while
LaRue and Cambern went side-by-side through turns seven and eight. With
the duo battling for position, Robinson II soon began building a
multi-car lead. Behind the lead trio, Schwietz was the driver on the
move. Recovering from the spin, Schweitz set the fastest race lap,
working his way past Jaremko into fourth place. 

With Robinson II running unchallenged in the lead, all eyes focused on
the battle for second place. Despite repeatedly getting alongside LaRue,
Cambern never found a way past. At the conclusion of the 20-lap race,
Robinson had led flag-to-flag to capture his first-ever Formula Ford
Title by 2.583 seconds.

"I really have to thank my engine builder," said Robinson II. "We blew
our in engine in testing in August and they dropped everything so we
would have two motors in the trailer here to the Runoffs. The first few
laps I had to push, but once I got free and John [LaRue] and Clark
[Cambern] began battling, I was able to focus on driving fast consistent
laps."

Schweitz, of Winchester, Va., finished fourth, and Jaremko, of Spokane,
Was., completed the top-five.

No. 21 Arthur Foster wins the Sunoco Hard Charger Award for advancing 10
positions, to finish seventh after starting 17th.

Race 22: Spec Racer Ford

Joe Colasacco, of Greenwich, Conn., earned his first-ever SCCA National
Championship Runoffs Presented by Kohler title in Spec Racer Ford Sunday
afternoon, taking the checkered flag by 1.282 seconds over John Black,
of Olympic Valley, Calif., and Richard Spicer, of Laurel, Md., who
finished second and third, respectively.

Starting second on the grid, Colasacco trailed polesitter Black for the
first two laps. As the field entered the Esses, Colasacco executed a
perfect inside pass on Black, taking over the lead. Though he was never
completely in the clear for the rest of the 20-lap race, Colasacco never
relinquished his advantage and took the checkered flag.

Spicer, in his Hagerman RacEngineering/Spicer SRF, also made his move on
the third lap, passing Jeff Beck, of Ingleside, Ill., who was looking
for a SCCA Chicago Region Triple Crown. It wasn't to be for Beck,
however, as Spicer went on to set a new SRF race lap record with a
1:38.642 (83.211 mph), putting third, let alone first, out of reach.

Colasacco said that even after he gained the top spot, he never felt
like he had complete control.

"Once I got the lead, I just tried to focus ahead," Colasacco said. "It
was so difficult because [Black] was all over me. I tried not to make
mistakes, and when I saw Richard [Spicer] make a pass on Black late in
the race, I had a feeling that I had it at that point, so I just
concentrated on running laps with no mistakes since I didn't have to run
qualifying-speed laps at that point." 

For Colasacco, it was a relief to finally top the podium as he had
participated in more than a decade's worth of Runoffs, but had only been
able to finish second, that coming in 2004.

"Last year, I had the pole and went off with two laps to go," Colasacco
said. "I've been trying to win this race, for, seriously, like the last
three years and have been coming to the Runoffs for the past ten years
plus. Finally, it's a good way to go out with the Runoffs going to
another location next year, to finally win one, it's important to me."

After battling for much of the 20-lap race, Beck finished fourth, and
Lee Fleming, of Lake Forest, Calif., completed the top five.

Ron Lentz, of Shawnee, Kan., won the Sunoco Hard Charger Award for
advancing 12 positions to finish 14th after starting 26th.

Race 23: Grand Touring 2

Duane Davis, of Camas, Was., captured his 13th National Championship
Sunday, taking the Grand Touring 2 class win at the 2005 SCCA National
Championship Runoffs(r) Presented by Kohler at Mid-Ohio Sports Car
Course. David Finch, of Ann Arbor, Mich., and Jim Goughary, of Houston,
Texas, completed the top-three.

Completing Mid-Ohio's 12-year run of hosting the Runoffs, Davis led the
Grand Touring 2 field to the green flag. Racing side-by-side into the
first turn with six-time National Champion Finch, Davis held the lead,
despite light contact between the two cars. Attacking the course, the
duo quickly pulled out a gap on third place Gilles, who had moved into
the position at the start, as he battled Goughary and Tom Patton. 

Holding off early challenges from Finch, Davis steadily began to pull
away, building his gap to over five seconds. As the lead duo circulated
the 2.258-mile track unchallenged, the battle for third heated up.
Passing Gilles just past the halfway mark of the 20-lap race, Goughary
passed Patton for third on lap 13. Running unchanged to checkered flag,
Davis crossed the start/finish 7.797 seconds ahead of Finch, to
capturing his eighth Grand Touring 2 National Championship and 13th
Championship overall. 

The active leader in National Championships, Davis' 13 titles ranks
second all-time behind Jerry Hansen's 27 wins.

"For me it was a great race," said Davis. "The first few laps were
pretty tight. I had my areas where I was quick and David [Finch] had
his. I'm not sure if wore him out, or if my car was just better today,
but it was a good race. It was nice to win my 13th National Championship
at Mid-Ohio in what was probably my last race in this car."

Patton, of Hamilton, Ohio, finished fourth, and Gilles, of Avon Lake,
Ohio, completed the top-five.

No. 60 Tony Giordano wins the Sunoco Hard Charger Award for advancing
six positions, to finish 16th after starting 22nd.

-30-

 

Photo Credit: Steflik/SCCA (c) 2005 

Photo Caption: Duane Davis celebrates Runoffs win No. 13 (second
all-time) Sunday afternoon at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

 

LEXINGTON, Ohio - Top five finishers from the final group of seven
45.16-mile races at the 2005 SCCA National Championship Runoffs
Presented by Kohler at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course with finishing
position, starting position in parenthesis, driver, hometown, car and
laps complete.

 

Race 17, Showroom Stock C

1, (1), Pete Taylor, Ortonville, Mich., 2005 Mini Cooper - 20

2, (5), Ryan Ciechanski, Clinton Township, Mich., 2000 Honda Civic Si -
20

3, (2), Joel Lipperini, Pittston, Pa., 2003 Mini Cooper S - 20

4, (12), Dan Waleke, Sterling Heights, Mich., 1997 Dodge Neon - 20

5, (6), Ali Naimi, San Jose, Calif., 2004 Mazda 3 - 20

Time of Race: 40 minutes, 48.677 seconds

Margin of Victory: 0.452-sec.  

Average speed: 66.393 mph

Fastest race lap: Pete Taylor, 1:47.684

 

Race 18, Formula Vee

1, (1), Brad Stout, St. Louis, Mo., Vortech - 20

2, (2), Jeff Loughead, Darien, Ill., Vortech CR-04 - 20

3, (8), Stevan Davis, Powder Springs, Ga., Racers Wage 1 - 20

4, (3), Bob Neumeister, Pueblo, Colo., Vortech - 20

5, (13), Steve Oseth, Leesburg, Va., Vortech 07 - 20

Time of Race: 24 minutes, 20.518 seconds

Margin of Victory: 1.396 seconds

Average speed: 78.900 mph

Fastest race lap: Bob Neumeister, 1:39.761

 

Race 19, F Production

1, (4), Mark Hotchkis, Manhattan Beach, Calif., Porsche 914-4 - 20

2, (2), Steve Sargis, Frankfort, Ill., Triumph Spitfire - 20

3, (7), Mason Workman, Reynoldsburg, Ohio, Mazda Miata - 20

4, (1), John Saurino, Tulsa, Okla., MG Midget - 20

5, (5), Pratt Cole, Salt Lake City, Utah, Mazda Miata - 20

Time of Race: 37 minutes, 58.079 seconds 

Margin of Victory: 6.265 seconds

Average speed: 71.365 mph

Fastest race lap: Mark Hotchkis, 1:36.292

 

Race 20, Grand Touring 3

1, (1), John Saurino, Tulsa, Okla., Nissan 240SX - 20

2, (3), Wolfgang Maike, Santa Barbara, Calif., Toyota Paseo - 20

3, (4), Terry Watson, Pierrefonds, Quebec (Can), Nissan 350Z - 20

4, (11), Craig Allen, Fenton, Mich., Mazda RX-7 - 20

5, (10), Rob Warkocki, Frankfort, Ill., Mazda RX-7 - 20

Time of Race: 31 minutes, 53.662 seconds

Margin of Victory: 8.478 seconds

Average speed: 84.955 mph

Fastest race lap: John Saurino, 1:32.084

 

Race 21, Formula Ford

1, (1), John Robinson II, St. Cloud, Minn., Swift DB6 - 20

2, (2), John LaRue, Muncie, Ind., Citation FF - 20

3, (4), Clark Cambern, Haslett, Mich., Van Diemen RF-97 - 20

4, (5), Tom Schwietz, Winchester, Va., Piper - 20

5, (12), Mark Jaremko, Spokane, Wash., Stohr FF99-BPS - 20

Time of Race: 33 minutes, 23.414 seconds

Margin of Victory: 2.583 seconds

Average speed: 81.149 mph

Fastest race lap: Tom Schwietz, 1:29.582

 

Race 22, Spec Racer Ford

1, (2), Joe Colasacco, Greenwich, Conn. - 20

2, (1), John Black, Olympic Valley, Calif. - 20

3, (5), Richard Spicer, Laurel, Md. - 20

4, (3), Jeff Beck, Ingleside, Ill. - 20

5, (11), Mike Miserendino, Los Angeles, Calif. - 20

Time of Race: 33 minutes, 48.057 seconds

Margin of Victory: 1.282 seconds

Average speed: 80.163 mph

Fastest race lap: Richard Spicer, 1:38.649

 

Race 23, Grand Touring 2

1, (1), Duane Davis, Camas, Wash., Toyota Celica - 20

2, (2), David Finch, Ann Arbor, Mich., Porsche 944 - 20

3, (4), Jim Goughary, Houston, Texas, Nissan 350Z - 20

4, (3), Tom Patton, Hamilton, Ohio, Sunbeam Tiger - 20

5, (6), Terry Gilles, Avon Lake, Ohio, Nissan 350Z - 20

Time of Race: 30 minutes, 36.203 seconds

Margin of Victory: 7.797 seconds

Average speed: 88.539 mph

Fastest race lap: Duane Davis, 1:28.832