A beautiful Northern California Spring weekend met racers at the SCCA Western Conference Majors Tour at Thunderhill Raceway.
Perfect Northern California Spring Weather greeted SCCA racers for Rounds Seven and Eight of the Western Conference Majors Tour at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows, Calif. A field of 130 drivers in seven race groups ran 30-minute sprint races on Saturday, followed by 16-lap races on Sunday, seeking precious points towards Conference class titles and Runoffs qualifications.
The Spec Miata drivers provided their usual close racing action on Saturday, with Tommy McCarthy of Mountain View, Calif. (No. 23 Du-All Safety Mazda Miata) leading from the pole position. But McCarthy’s lead was short-lived as a pack of leaders including Steven Powers of Mesa, Ariz. (No. 145 Amerifirst Financial/miatacage.com/East Street Racing Mazda Miata), Mason Filippi of Alamo, Calif. (No. 40 Cuttings Edge Drapery Mazda Miata), and Marco Gallaher of Santa Rosa, Calif. (No. 8 First Community Bank/PFR/Rossini Racing Products Mazda Miata) traded the lead several times in the first half of the race. Gallaher eventually found the lead in lap six, and opened a nine-second gap by the checkered flag. Filippi finished in second position, and McCarthy had to settle for third.
On Sunday, there were grudges to settle from the previous day’s sprint race. Among the top four drivers, anyone could take the victory. Filippi grabbed the lead in the first corner, but Powers was right behind him. Gallaher and McCarthy tucked into the lead draft as well. Multiple light body contacts were reported, and leaders changed every lap in the early part of the race, but in the end it was Gallaher who claimed the lead on lap five and began pulling away to repeat his previous victory with a margin of 9.28 seconds over second place Filippi. Powers completed the podium in third position.
Race Group 5 on Saturday provided excitement in the form of a close race between Joe Huffaker of Petaluma, Calif. (MG Midget) and Jess Heitman in his Mazda Miata. Representing two different generations of F Production car development, the pair ran a close race until Huffaker suffered a spin while leading. Heitman went on to claim the class win and overall first position in the race group.
Several racers beside Gallaher took double wins, including Eric Boucher in B-Spec (Mazda2), Anthony Jimerson in E Production (RX-7), Bob Bradfield in Super Touring Lite (RX-7) and Tom Wickersham in Touring 4 (MX-5).
Rounds Nine and 10 of the Western Conference Majors Tour will be held May 1-3, at Buttonwillow Raceway Park, in Buttonwillow, Calif.
SCCA Western Conference Majors
Thunderhill Raceway, Willows, Calif.
April 11-12, 2015
Round 7 Mazda Winners
| Class | Driver | Hometown | Car |
|---|---|---|---|
| B-Spec | Eric Boucher | Auburn, Calif. | Mazda2 |
| E Production | Anthony Jimerson | Benicia, Calif. | Mazda RX-7 |
| F Production | Jess Heitman | Portland, Ore. | Mazda Miata |
| Formula Mazda | Tazio Ottis | Portland, Ore. | Formula Mazda |
| Super Touring Lite | Bob Bradfield | Aptos, Calif. | Mazda RX-7 |
| Spec Miata | Marco Gallaher | Santa Rosa, Calif. | Mazda Miata |
| Touring 1 | Marc Hoover | Shingle Springs, Calif. | Mazda Miata |
| Touring 4 | Tom Wickersham | Piedmont, Calif. | Mazda MX-5 |
Round 8 Mazda Winners
| Class | Driver | Hometown | Car |
|---|---|---|---|
| B-Spec | Eric Boucher | Auburn, Calif. | Mazda2 |
| E Production | Anthony Jimerson | Benicia, Calif. | Mazda RX-7 |
| Formula Mazda | Mel Kemper | Toledo, Wash. | Formula Mazda |
| Super Touring Lite | Bob Bradfield | Aptos, Calif. | Mazda RX-7 |
| Spec Miata | Marco Gallaher | Santa Rosa, Calif. | Mazda Miata |
| Touring 4 | Tom Wickersham | Piedmont, Calif. | Mazda MX-5 |