The SCCA Southwest Division has long run a race called the “Sunburn Grand Prix,” usually held in June. As it turned out, having the event in March meant it was ironically named. Eagles Canyon Raceway was the site for Rounds 3 and 4 of the SCCA Mid-States Majors Tour, and it included rain on Saturday and cool, windy conditions on Sunday.

The rain was heavy enough that the last race on Saturday for small formula cars was postponed until Sunday morning, and the Sunday races had to be shortened to 35-minute timed races instead of the usual distance-run events that are featured on Sundays at Majors Tour events.

The first groups on Saturday were dry, however, and the largest, for small-bore GT and Production cars, was up first. The field watched Matt Reynolds’ E Production No. 71 Reynolds Brothers Racing/Jesse Prather Motorsports Mazda Miata walk away for the overall win. In F Production, one Mazda racer lost because of some bad luck, but it was another Miata driver who inherited the victory. Bill Hingston’s lead in the No. 08 Little Bill Racing/Jesse Prather Motorsports Mazda Miata evaporated in a literal puff of smoke and the loss of a transmission down the back straight, handing the race win to Paul Jensen’s No. 88 Hoosier Tire Miata.

Brian Wisler ran away from the Spec Miata field on the dry track, leaving a pack of seven cars behind to settle the podium positions. Wisler’s No. 59 XFactor Racing Miata moved 7.751s ahead of the field to claim his victory.

With Wisler gone, a line seven deep chased each other around the track. The line of cars disappeared from race control’s view on the final lap, and emerged spaced out and in a different order. E Production winner Reynolds moved his No. 74 Reynolds Brothers Racing Miata to the head of that line, followed by Craig Janssen’s No. 32 Miata and Verges’ No. 61 Apex Driving Academy Miata.

Darryl Wills faced treacherous conditions as he led the fast formula car field out on the track. The rain started to fall midway through the race, after Wills had dropped his No. 1 Hillenburg Motorsports Formula Mazda to sixth overall and fifth in class on the opening lap.

Wills climbed back through the field as the rain started to fall, slicing around Eagles Canyon and extending his lead. By the finish, however, the rains were hard enough that each car was in survival mode. Wills dropped 10 seconds, then 20, and finally a full 50 seconds slower than his quickest lap on the final race laps to what turned out to be the final checkered flag of the day.

On Sunday, the B-Spec battle began with Saturday winner Joe McClughan’s No. 36 MAZDASPEED/Hoosier Tires MAZDA2 in front, but James Wilson’s No. 80 Black Armor Helmets MAZDA2 swung around McClughan and into the lead through the fast Turn 4 on lap six. Wilson ran wide in Turn 11 on the same lap, falling behind McClughan and the No. 95 Hoosier/Mazda/Carbotech MAZDA2 of Steve Taake.

McClughan stayed just in front of Taake while Wilson hustled to reel them back in, finally catching up again with under two laps to go. In the same Turn 11 that cost him earlier, Wilson went late on the brakes and slid past both Taake and McClughan. He couldn’t get his Mazda to stop in the corner, however, running wide and slowing McClughan, who was trying to avoid contact. That left a giant hole for Taake, who moved to the lead at the one-to-go board. However, McClughan chased Taake back down on the final lap, crossing the stripe just in front for the win, his second of the weekend.

A three-car breakaway for the Spec Miata win followed the lunch break. Sunday polesitter Brett Gabriel held the early lead in his No. 04 Lakeside Foot Care Mazda Miata until Saturday winner Wisler slid his No. 59 XFactor Racing Miata to the front in Turn 1.

Wisler’s lead lasted two laps, until Bill Agha hung on over the Turn 1 bumps with his foot hard on the brakes of the No. 18 DieselStorm.com Miata, emerging with the lead for the first time in the group. Agha’s lead lasted until lap 11, when the trio emerged from Turn 7 with Gabriel back in front.

Gabriel held on for the win through lap 18, with Wisler and Agha following close behind to the checkers.

Darryl Wills repeated with an overall win in the fast formula and prototype group five, taking the top spot in Formula Mazda again on Sunday.

 

SCCA Mid-States Conference Majors Tour
Eagles Canyon Raceway, Decatur, Texas
March 14-15, 2014

Round 3 Winners

Class	Driver	Hometown	Car
B-Spec	Joe McClughan	New Braunfels Texas	MAZDA2
E Production	Matt Reynolds	Fair Oaks Ranch Texas	Mazda Miata
F Production	Paul Jensen	Colorado Springs Colo.	Mazda Miata
Formula Atlantic	Conner Kearby	Corpus Christi Texas	Star Mazda
Formula Mazda	Darryl Wills	Houston Texas	Formula Mazda
GT-3	James Speights	San Antonio Texas	Mazda RX-7
GT-Lite	Jonathan Goodale	Conifer Colo.	Mazda Miata
Spec Miata	Brian Wisler	Grapevine Texas	Mazda Miata
Super Touring Lite	Bob Schader	Longmont Colo.	Mazda Miata

Round 4 Winners

Class	Driver	Hometown	Car
B-Spec	Joe McClughan	New Braunfels Texas	MAZDA2
Formula Atlantic	David Zavelson	Austin Texas	Star Mazda
Formula Mazda	Darryl Wills	Houston Texas	Formula Mazda
GT-3	James Speights	San Antonio Texas	Mazda RX-7
GT-Lite	Jonathan Goodale	Conifer Colo.	Mazda Miata
Spec Miata	Brett Gabriel	Dallas Texas	Mazda Miata
Super Touring Lite	Brian Laughlin	Tulsa Okla.	Mazda Miata
Super Touring Under	John Harms	Plano Texas	Mazda MX-5