Roval circuit provides a good tuneup for the National Championship Runoffs’ return to Daytona International Speedway in September.
The SCCA Mid-States Conference used the 2.370-mile road course at Kansas Speedway as a tune up for the end-of-the-season SCCA National Championship Runoffs presented by Garmin VIRB at Daytona International Speedway, running Round Seven and Eight on a hot, humid weekend.
Twenty-eight drivers took wins in six race groups during the 25-minute timed Championship races on Saturday and 21-lap races on Sunday. Sunday’s races featured a bit more than humid conditions, as twice flaggers and communicators were called in from their stations due to lightning in the area.
Close races are often characteristic of the spec classes, and the Majors at Kansas Speedway was no exception. Spec Racer Ford and Spec Miata were run in the same group and both were tightly contested, with the leaders coming around on several laps bumper to bumper on the straightaways.
In the Spec Miata race, polesitter Christopher Haldeman controlled the group with his No. 72 Mazda Miata as they headed to the tight Turn 1 at Kansas Speedway. Haldeman set a strong pace, earning him the track record in SM, closely followed by Michael Ross in his No. 22 TPR Consulting/X-Factor Racing Miata, who spent many laps glued to the rear bumper of Haldeman.
Haldeman was able to hold the lead from green to checker, capturing the victory. Matt Reynolds, in the No. 71 Reynolds Bros. Racing/Vintage Connection/JPM Miata, finished off the top three in SM, but was able to reverse his fortunes on Sunday to take the victory.
The F Production race on Sunday was a showdown between three Mid-States drivers who are contenders for a Runoffs presented by Garmin VIRB crown this September at Daytona.
Eric Prill, a Runoffs podium finisher in five of the last seven years, mixed it up with Sam Henry – a Runoffs runner-up, a Solo trophy winner, and a RallyCross National Champion – and Kent Prather, an eight-time National Champion.
Prill’s No. 7 MaxtonsFight.Org/Jesse Prather Motorsports/Hoosier Mazda Miata officially led 18 of the 21 laps at the stripe, but Henry crossed the stripe in front on lap six, seven and 17. That’s a misleading statistic, however, as the lead swapped several times throughout the race, with Prather’s No. 26 Prather Racing MG A even slipping past the two Miatas briefly on the banking.
Henry’s experiments in the draft with the No. 37 Springfield Dyno/SafeRacer Mazda Miata allowed him to lead several times and establish the class track record at 1:31.702 – a half-second quicker than Prill. Prather fell back of the leaders, dropping two tires off in the dirt on lap 10, and then a rainstorm and thundershower slowed the pace with three laps to go. Prill brought his red-and-silver Miata home in front for the checkered flag by 1.887-seconds after the back-and-forth battle.
Prill was a double winner in F Production, as was Matt Reynolds (Miata) in EP, Brian Haupt (RX-7) in GT-3 and Chris Edens (MX-5) in Touring 1. Joseph Burton-Harris and Alan McCallum split victories in Formula Mazda, while Michael Mallinen (Swift 016/Mazda) took a lone Saturday victory in Formula Atlantic. Richard Schader won on Sunday in Super Touring Lite in his Miata.
The Mid-States Conference returns to action on Independence Day weekend at High Plains Raceway in Byers, Colo. The Western Conference finale, at Portland International Raceway, and the Northeast Conference, at Watkins Glen International, are also in action that same weekend.
SCCA Mid-States Conference Majors
Kansas Speedway
Kansas City, Kansas, June 20-21, 2015
Round 7 Mazda Winners
| Class | Driver | Hometown | Car |
|---|---|---|---|
| E Production | Matt Reynolds | Fair Oaks, Texas | Mazda Miata |
| F Production | Eric Prill | Topeka, Kan. | Mazda Miata |
| Formula Atlantic | Michael Mallinen | Liberty Lake, Wash. | Swift 016a/Mazda |
| Formula Mazda | Joseph Burton-Harris | Syndey, Australia | Formula Mazda |
| GT-3 | Brian Haupt | Spring Hill, Kan. | Mazda RX-7 |
| Spec Miata | Christopher Haldeman | Frisco, Texas | Mazda Miata |
| Touring 1 | Chris Edens | Sherwood, Ark. | Mazda MX-5 |
Round 8 Mazda Winners
| Class | Driver | Hometown | Car |
|---|---|---|---|
| E Production | Matt Reynolds | Fair Oaks, Texas | Mazda Miata |
| F Production | Eric Prill | Topeka, Kan. | Mazda Miata |
| Formula Mazda | Alan McCallum | Houston, Tex. | Formula Mazda |
| GT-3,Brian Haupt | Spring Hill, Kan. | Mazda RX-7 | |
| Spec Miata | Matt Reynolds | Fair Oaks, Tex. | Mazda Miata |
| Super Touring Lite | Richard Schader | Longmont, Colo. Mazda Miata | |
| Touring 1 | Chris Edens | Sherwood, Ark. | Mazda MX-5 |