SCCA Drivers, Workers Well Represented At Daytona

[David Pintaric]

SCCA - Sports Car Club of America

SCCA Drivers, Workers Well Represented At Daytona

TOPEKA, Kan. (Jan. 27, 2011) – When the 2011 motorsports season officially gets underway this weekend with the prestigious Rolex 24 At Daytona, more than 100 drivers at Daytona International Speedway will have significant ties to the Sports Car Club of America and SCCA Pro Racing.

The SCCA contingent in both the Grand-Am Rolex Series and Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge races this weekend aren’t drivers with just a loose tie to the organization, but a long list of drivers with an established SCCA racing background.

The list of successes include 20 drivers who have won at least one National Championship at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs. Graham Rahal, Doug Peterson, Scott Tucker, Eric Curran, Randy Pobst and Boris Said are former National Champions competing in the twice-around-the-clock classic, while Andrew Aquilante, Bret Spaude, Tonis Kasemets, Tony Buffomante, B.J. Zacharias, Brad Rampelberg, Juan Leroux, Toby Grahovec, Steve Gorriaran, David Pintaric, Michael Galati and Chad Gilsinger will run in Friday’s Continental Tire Challenge race.

Pobst, who began his racing career between the cones in the SCCA Solo program, is the lone Solo National Champion in the field.

Championships also abound from the SCCA Pro Racing ranks. Seven drivers are former World Challenge champs, including Pobst (making the list in his third SCCA discipline) and Galati, defending Rolex 24 winning driver Terry Borcheller, 2010 Touring Car Champion and Rookie-of-the-Year Robert Stout, David Murry, Bill Auberlen and Pierre Kleinubing. Rampelberg, in addition to his Runoffs win, is the defending SCCA Pro Racing ******* Mazda MX-5 Cup champion, while Tom Long is a champion in the former Miata Cup, a precursor to the MX-5 Cup.

The SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series is also very well represented, both on and off the track. Scott Pruett, Jack Baldwin and Said are all former Trans-Am Series Champions competing in the 24 hour race. Two former Trans-Am champions are now perched high above the Daytona road course in the SPEED television booth providing commentary for the weekend, David Hobbs and Dorsey Schroeder.

The list of SCCA champions at Daytona wouldn’t be complete, of course, without mention of more than 100 workers overseeing the 12-turn, 3.56-mile circuit, a group assembled via the Central Florida Region SCCA.

More information on all the SCCA, its racing programs, and volunteer opportunities are available at SCCA Sports Car Club of America or www.sccapro.com.

 

[F8L SNK]

Awesome David, thanks for posting!

 

[Boxer12]

I was looking over the results. That Boss 302R averaged 106 mph but crapped out in 2 laps? (I was expecting it would do better.) David, it looks like your Mazda had issues... Too bad, that was probably a lot of prep and money for half a race. Better luck next race!

 

[David Pintaric]

I was looking over the results. That Boss 302R averaged 106 mph but crapped out in 2 laps? (I was expecting it would do better.) David, it looks like your Mazda had issues... Too bad, that was probably a lot of prep and money for half a race. Better luck next race!

The Mustangs are so cool. I almost bought a FR500C a few months ago, but didnt because I didn't want to commit to a full year of Continental racing at this time.

I had a tough time in my first pro race. On lap 2 I was punted by someone, and then on lap 8 the same driver blasted me going onto the banking exiting turn 6. Both times he drove through me.

I heard some of these guys drive aggressively, but this was just stupid. Turns out he took his car out when he hit me the second time.

We had four things going against us at Daytona: #1 The RX8 is not the car for Continental ST anymore, #2 this RX8 wasn't prepped to the limits, #3 Daytona is really not the track for low HP handling cars, #4 we didnt test earlier in the month, #4A this was the first time I had driven the car and the first time on this particular track.

Thursday had two 45 minutes sessions and one 15 minute qualifier. The car owner went out for 15 minutes in session one. I jumped in and before my first lap was complete the Black Flag All was thrown. Unfortunately I was just coming up to the pit entrance, and not knowing exactly where it is (sounds dumb, but it's not as clear to see when your going 150 MPH) I missed it. Thus I was penalized 5 minutes, and the black flag wait ate up session #1 for us. I got 2 whole laps!

Session #2 was all me. So I drove around and learned the track. I got within 2 seconds of the fastest the car had gone at the track, which got the team pretty excited. But I wa still slower than the owner. Since the slower driver is normally the one to start the race, and the person who qualifies the car starts the race, I was given the task of qualifying.

I went out in the 15 minute session, and lo and behold went 2 1/2 seconds faster than my last time on the track. I was faster than the car owner! He was thrilled.

The plan for the beginning of the race was to keep my nose clean and stay in contention, allowing other cars to drop out. Lap #1 was good, I made up five positions. The start of lap two continued the good stuff, although some of the cars I passed in the first lap started to nip at my heals, including my new-found "friend."

Entering Turn 5 (right hander), I purposely went a bit wide to let an orange Civic by. I tucked behind his rear bumper, and as soon as I did, my "buddy" popped my right rear, spinning me and him. This was past the braking point and at a point we were all on the gas, so this was no accident.

We get back into the race after an extended full course yellow (not caused by me). The start of he second green lap, exiting turn six, this guy takes the underneath line (where there was 3 car widths on the other side). I don't see him, ever, and he sidewipes my left side. I lost a tire, but so did he.

Laps 1-2:
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BoNW8uPlLI[/media]

Laps 7-8 (I think):
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6OHtwr7YRI[/media]

Laps 11-14 (restart):
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkTJ9DYqTts[/media]

We finished 28th. Not real good, but I think I did fairly well considering the circumstances. I want back at it...soon. I need to focus on my SCCA STO Viper for this year, then in 2012 I am planning on a Continental GS campaign (at least that's how I feel today!). I will do 2-3 more races in Continental in 2011, Mid Ohio in September, maybe Watkins Glen, and maybe Lime Rock Park.

 

[Boxer12]

Thanks for sharing the vids. Surprising how much open track there is (at times) with such a large field of cars. I saw one Gulf livery Mustang go by like he was on boost. That's a very different experience than in your Viper, eh? I can see why you want to get right back out there and redeem yourself, and I am sure you will do so. Have fun with it.