Double Winners in the High Plains

Round Seven of the Mid-States Conference Championship for the SCCA U.S. Majors Tour was welcomed with great weather at High Plains Raceway for the Colorado Region May Daze weekend.

Matt Reynolds, of Fair Oaks, Texas, went flag-to-flag for the Spec Miata win by nearly 13 seconds in his No. 74 Reynolds Brothers Racing Mazda Miata. Keith Slankard, of Lafayette, Colorado, finished second, followed by Russ Lindemann, of Longmont, Colorado.

Reynolds had little time to celebrate his Spec Miata win, as he exited that Mazda and walked to the grid to get into his E Production Mazda Miata, where he scored a second flag-to-flag win in Race Group Two.

For Sunday’s 18-lap, 45.9-mile races, Reynolds once again dominated Spec Miata.  Slankardagain finished second, followed by Lindemann. And, once again, he then immediately jumped into his EP Miata for the next race. However, Mike Halbrook took the lead in Turn 1; but Reynolds was able to move to the front on the straightaway heading to Turn 4.

Mike Pettiford was leading Touring 2 and he and Reynolds would not be challenged again for their respective class victories; but what was in doubt was the overall win. Pettiford led for 17 laps and 10 corners until Reynolds finally put his Miata in front of Pettiford’s Corvette. He held on for the final three turns to take a 0.713-second win. Reynolds broke his own class track record in the process, turning a best time of 1:58.842.

Reynolds four back-to-back, back-to-back wins in SM and EP weren’t quite matched, but several drivers did leave the weekend with a pair of victories: Bill Hingston (Miata) in F Production; Jim Speights (RX-7) in GT-3; Jonathan Goodale (MX-5) in GT-Lite; and Robert Schader (Miata) in Super Touring Lite.

The Mid-States Conference of the SCCA U.S. Majors Tour next travels south to Pueblo Motorsports Park for Rounds Nine and 10, May 24-25.

SCCA Mid-States Conference Majors Tour
High Plains Raceway
Byers, Colo., May 3-4, 2014
Round 7 Mazda winners

Class Driver Hometown Car
E Production Matt Reynolds Fair Oaks Texas Mazda Miata
F Production Bill Hingston Aurora Colo. Mazda Miata
GT-3 Jim Speights San Antonio Texas Mazda RX-7
GT-Lite Jonathan Goodale Conifer Colo. Mazda MX-5
Spec Miata Matt Reynolds Fair Oaks Texas Mazda Miata
Super Touring Lite Robert Schader Longmont Colo. Mazda Miata

Round 8 Mazda winners

Class Driver Hometown Car
E Production Matt Reynolds Fair Oaks Texas Mazda Miata.
F Production Bill Hingston Aurora Colo. Mazda Miata.
GT-3 Jim Speights San Antonio Texas Mazda RX-7.
GT-Lite Jonathan Goodale Conifer Colo. Mazda MX-5.
Spec Miata Matt Reynolds Fair Oaks Texas Mazda Miata.
Super Touring Lite Robert Schader Longmont Colo. Mazda Miata.