First Northern Conference round of SCCA’s Super Tour at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course features intense racing

The June 2-4, 2017, round of the Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour hosted by SCCA’s Ohio Valley Region at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course produced incredible racing action. Nearly all of the seven race groups birthed a battle that left spectators wondering until closing laps which skilled driver would walk away with a hard-earned victory in the 25-minute races on Saturday and 35-minute races on Sunday.

On Saturday, Spec Miata racer Adam Roberts from nearby Hilliard, Ohio, was given a gift when the three drivers that would have made up the podium all went off track while racing hard in front of him. Roberts qualified seventh, so a win seemed unlikely, but a setup change and some good fortune left him on top.

“I made my way up to the field,” said Roberts, who also set the fastest time in the race. “I got into fourth and held fourth for quite a while. I noticed how racy and dicey the front three were, and lo and behold, one, two and three went off the track right in front of me. I was sitting there waiting for it. I knew I had a fast car, the car to win, I just had to put myself in the right position to do it.” On Sunday, Micahel Carter led flag to flag for the SM victory.

Double Touring 4 winner Ryan Kowalewski, who finished third at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Mid-Ohio in 2016, also watched cars going off the track, but it was in the beginning of his race in a large field that also included Touring 2 and the Super Touring classes. “Being in a big group – I was pole in my class, but starting 27th overall – I knew it was going to be exciting in Turn 1,” said Kowalewski, driver of the vroom.com/Mazda/Hoosier Mazda MX-5, after Saturday’s race. “The row in front of me got together, so I was dodging spinning cars and got pushed back to second. But I was able to get the car to come in, got the lead on lap two or three and put the car in cruise control after that.”

Some intense racing took place in the prototype and fast formula field, where Eliot Finlayson took double victories in Formula Enterprises, and a Prototype 1 driver took his first Super Tour win. 

Saturday’s Prototype 1 winner, David Locke, jumped to the lead early followed by Bryan Putt in the No. 55 BSPort/Aires Elan DP02/Mazda. Locke seemed to have things sewn up, but suddenly fell off the timing charts after lap eight. “David Locke took off and I was just doing my best to hang with him, keep pressure on him and hope he’d make a mistake,” said Putt. “We were going up into the Keyhole and he tried to pass a slower car on the inside, and that was the mistake. He spun to the inside and that gave me the open track. It’s my first Hoosier Super Tour win and I am stoked.”

The Hoosier Super Tour heads to Road America for its penultimate, and perhaps biggest, event of the year, the WeatherTech Chicago Region June Sprints, on June 16-18. You can follow all the action on www.scca.com/live.

SCCA Hoosier Racing Tire Super Tour at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
June 3, 2017, provisional winners
Class: Name, Hometown and Car.
Formula Enterprise: Elliot Finlayson; Yorkville, IL; SCCA Formula Enterprises Mazda
Spec Miata: Adam Roberts; Hilliard, OH; Mazda Miata
Touring 4: Ryan Kowalewski; Indianapolis, IN; Mazda MX-5

June 4, 2017, provisional winners
Class: Name, Hometown and Car.
Formula Enterprise: Elliot Finlayson; Yorkville, IL; SCCA Formula Enterprises Mazda
Prototype 1: Bryan Putt; Venetia, PA; Elan DP02
Spec Miata: Michael Carter; Savannah, GA; Mazda Miata
Touring 4: Ryan Kowalewski; Indianapolis, IN; Mazda MX-5