Rich Wesorick
Enthusiast
Starting right where he left off last year in the Southwest Division, Bobby Archer drove his black No. 32 ViperSpeed Viper to back-to-back victories in the T1 class at the SCCA Polar Prix (Double National) held at Texas World Speedway (TWS) in College Station, Texas on February 16th and 17th. Archer’s Viper, which is sponsored by SuperClubs Resorts and The Lodge, performed flawlessly over the weekend and, with the superior traction provided by Hoosier tires, looks to be the car to beat in the T1 class again this year. An equally impressive showing at the Polar Prix was made by Archer’s teammate Dr. Deborah Loth who, in her first full season in National competition, finished third in both T1 races in her yellow No. 23 Bobby Archer Motorsports Viper.
Archer and Loth qualified first and second, respectively, out of 8 cars in the T1 class for Saturday’s race. A total of 36 cars (from GT1, GT2, GT3, T1, T2, and AS classes) took the green flag in the race. Loth got a poor start and dropped back a few positions, while Archer jumped out to an early lead in the T1 class. Bobby immediately pushed hard in order to get away from the traffic behind and set a new track record (49.9 seconds) for T1 in the first couple of laps. Archer then cruised to 4.6 second victory over second place finisher Randy Saucier (who was driving Matt Whittaker’s Z06), lapping the Viper of Bob Ferstel along the way. After her stumble at the start, Loth steadily worked her way back up through the T1 field and passed the Z06 of pro-racer Scotty White on the last lap to earn a podium finish.
Sunday’s race started out differently, but finished the same. When the green flag flew on Sunday, Loth got a great jump and, going into Turn 2, she nosed her way around teammate Archer! Deborah’s lead was short-lived though, as Archer re-assumed the lead later that lap. Archer again employed the strategy of pushing hard early and proceeded to distance himself from the T1 field. Loth found herself in some very intense battles for the 2-4 spots with Saucier and White, while Southwest Division regulars Kevin Mixon and Jay Mattus battled for the fifth spot. Loth proved her driving skills and her car were up to the challenge as she was all over the back of Saucier looking for a way around him. Unfortunately, in looking for passing room, she got into the marbles and almost ended up off the track. Loth was able to collect the car though and settled back into the race for her second straight third-place finish.
Next up for Archer and Dr. Loth will be a return to TWS for the next Southwest Division race on March 9-10. After that, Dr. Loth may be entering some Midwest Division races as well. More information on Archer and Loth can be found at www.bobbyarchermotorsports.com and www.viperspeed.com.
Archer and Loth qualified first and second, respectively, out of 8 cars in the T1 class for Saturday’s race. A total of 36 cars (from GT1, GT2, GT3, T1, T2, and AS classes) took the green flag in the race. Loth got a poor start and dropped back a few positions, while Archer jumped out to an early lead in the T1 class. Bobby immediately pushed hard in order to get away from the traffic behind and set a new track record (49.9 seconds) for T1 in the first couple of laps. Archer then cruised to 4.6 second victory over second place finisher Randy Saucier (who was driving Matt Whittaker’s Z06), lapping the Viper of Bob Ferstel along the way. After her stumble at the start, Loth steadily worked her way back up through the T1 field and passed the Z06 of pro-racer Scotty White on the last lap to earn a podium finish.
Sunday’s race started out differently, but finished the same. When the green flag flew on Sunday, Loth got a great jump and, going into Turn 2, she nosed her way around teammate Archer! Deborah’s lead was short-lived though, as Archer re-assumed the lead later that lap. Archer again employed the strategy of pushing hard early and proceeded to distance himself from the T1 field. Loth found herself in some very intense battles for the 2-4 spots with Saucier and White, while Southwest Division regulars Kevin Mixon and Jay Mattus battled for the fifth spot. Loth proved her driving skills and her car were up to the challenge as she was all over the back of Saucier looking for a way around him. Unfortunately, in looking for passing room, she got into the marbles and almost ended up off the track. Loth was able to collect the car though and settled back into the race for her second straight third-place finish.
Next up for Archer and Dr. Loth will be a return to TWS for the next Southwest Division race on March 9-10. After that, Dr. Loth may be entering some Midwest Division races as well. More information on Archer and Loth can be found at www.bobbyarchermotorsports.com and www.viperspeed.com.
