Fireworks over Seneca Lake on Friday night gave way to fireworks on the 3.4-mile Watkins Glen International Raceway circuit in upstate New York as the SCCA BFGoodrich® Tires Watkins Glen Super Tour, Rounds 11 and 12 of the Eastern Conference Majors Tour, got underway. With the season-long championship winding down, points are at a premium for drivers chasing titles. All 27 Runoffs-eligible classes were on hand, with more than 250 drivers competing for the top prize in 30-minute timed races on Saturday and 15-lap contests on Sunday.

In a deep class full of talented drivers, a pair of young guns ran away from the Spec Miata field and settled the race win for themselves in the final two laps of the race, with Andrew Carbonell coming out on top over Dillan Machavern. Carbonell’s No. 78 BSI Racing Mazda Miata led the way from the start, with 18-year-old Machavern right behind. The two pushed away from the field, getting an additional boost from a black flag on two-time defending National Champion Jim Drago for jumping the start.

As time counted down, only Yiannis Tsiounis was within range, and he could get no closer than several car lengths back. With two to go, Machavern took the lead for the first time with a pass under braking into Turn 1, and held the lead for the rest of the lap. Carbonell, the veteran of the group at 24-years old and also a driver for Freedom Autosport in the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Street Tuner class, repaid the favor in the same corner just after the white flag waved with one to go. In the lead, Machavern had a run leaving the boot, but Carbonell killed that momentum and came home with the win.

A fan could be forgiven for thinking Sunday’s SM race was a rerun, as, for the second day in a row, young hotshoes Carbonell and Machavern worked together to run away from the field and settle the race all on their own. A stout field of Runoffs podium contenders and National Champions couldn’t keep pace and they left the field behind both on the initial start and again on the lap four restart after the safety team removed a stopped car. Carbonell led the distance, and Machavern looked for a way around after the white flag waved to signal one lap to go. His final effort came out of the final corner and in the drag race to the checkered flag, where Machavern pulled up to the door of Carbonell’s Miata, but couldn’t complete the pass before the stripe.

Rick Kavitski was on the overall pole in his E Production No. 24 RDK Engineering Mazda Miata, but at the green, Chris Dryden accelerated past. Kavitski went hard and late on the brakes into Turn 1, skating by and getting back in front on the opening lap. Once in the lead, Kavitski kept Dryden at bay and earned the win.

In F Production, Peter Tonelli got in front of what would turn into a three-way battle for second place, and grabbed the win in his No. 91 Driven Performance Miata. Tonelli, turning the fastest laps of the race in class, got additional help when Ken Kannard inserted himself in the battle for second. Kannard, who had never been to Watkins Glen, arrived at the track on Saturday morning and started from the rear of the field in his Miata. With just the 10-minute morning warm-up, Kannard caught Patrick Crider’s Miata and the Miata of Kyle Baker early, and the three mixed it up for most of the race. Each driver shuffled between second and fourth until late in the race, when Kannard locked into the runner-up position and held it to the flag. Baker edged

Crider, who was struggling with mechanical issues following a test day crash, for third.
Crider finally had his No. 89 Hoosier Tire/Jesse Prather Motorsports Miata in full song for the first time on Sunday, and used that to run away with the F Production win.

Not even an early full-course caution to retrieve a stalled car could prevent Chris Fahan’s No. 39 Hoosier Tire/MAZDASPEED Swift 016/Mazda from putting a big gap on the field. Fahan raced away again after the restart to claim the Formula Atlantic title on Saturday. More cautions on Sunday didn’t faze Fahan either, and he took the overall victory again.

Jim Drago, who had already won Super Touring Lite on Saturday, and Brian Shanfield swapped the lead several times on Sunday, with Drago’s No. 2 East Street Racing Mazda Miata finally moving in front for good on lap 12, and then turning his fastest lap of the race on lap 13 to seal the victory.

SCCA Eastern Conference Majors Tour

Watkins Glen International Raceway

July 5-6, 2014

Round 11 Mazda Winners

Class	Driver	Hometown	Car
E Production	Rick Kavitski	Freedland Pa.	Mazda Miata
F Production	Peter Tonelli	Westboro Mass.	Mazda Miata
Formula Atlantic	Chris Fahan	Redding Center Conn.	Swift 016/Mazda
Formula Mazda	Sam Ryan	White Haven Pa.	Formula Mazda
Spec Miata	Andrew Carbonell	Miami Fla.	Mazda Miata
Super Touring Lite	Jim Drago	Memphis Tenn.	Mazda Miata

Round 12 Mazda Winners

Class	Driver	Hometown	Car
F Production	Patrick Crider	Leesburg Va.	Mazda Miata
Formula Atlantic	Chris Fahan	Redding Center Conn.	Swift 016/Mazda
Formula Mazda	Sam Ryan	White Haven Pa.	Formula Mazda
Spec Miata	Andrew Carbonell	Miami Fla.	Mazda Miata
Super Touring Lite	Jim Drago	Memphis Tenn.	Mazda Miata