Racing action heats up as SCCA U.S. Majors Tours hit Willow Springs and Road Atlanta
Two SCCA U.S. Majors Tour events on opposite sides of the country attracted racers from near and far as they sought to gain a jump on the racing season. The Cal Club Majors race at Willow Springs International Raceway was the second race in the Western Conference, while the Atlanta Region event at Road Atlanta marked the halfway point in the Southeast Conference, which so far has held events at Homestead, Sebring and NOLA Motorsports Park.
Racers faced nearly every kind of weather at Southern California’s Willow Springs, with strong winds during testing on Friday and a cold Saturday with a bit of rain for the final Majors group of the day, the GT cars. However, racers were rewarded on Sunday with a cool, sunny day that was about as perfect as racing weather gets at Willow Springs.
During the rainy GT race, for which many drivers were on slicks because it began raining as the cars sat on grid, Michael Lewis battled through the tough conditions to put his GT-3 RX-7 into the overall lead and take the win – that is, following the early overall lead headed by T1 driver and eventual class winner Marc Hoover in his potent Miata. On Sunday, Lewis was in his GT-1 car (and took the overall win again), leaving Taz Harvey to race to the GT-3 win in his RX-7. It was Harvey’s second win of the day as he also took the GT-Lite victory in his ex-Prather, ex-Kamalian Miata.
“The GT-Lite win, I had a little help from a competitor who broke. I’ll still take it!” said Harvey. “But the GT-3 win was a good run, I got second [on Saturday] in the rain race with Mike Lewis. This is his home track, and it was a fun race. We lapped everybody up to fourth place. But [Sunday] was just a great race. The RX-7 is a fun car. I can’t wait to get that thing dialed in and start testing it at [Sonoma Raceway].” Last year Harvey raced a GT-2 three-rotor RX-8 but aims to compete at the Runoffs, at his home track of Sonoma Raceway, in both GT-3 and GT-Lite.
Another competitor looking forward to the Runoffs at Sonoma is Mark Drennan. Drennan, who finished third at the NASA Nationals held at Sonoma in 2015, has been running in the Idemitsu Mazda MX-5 Cup the last couple of years with solid results. But with the Runoffs at Sonoma, he has a renewed focus on club racing and took two wins at Willow Springs in Spec Miata over Tristan Littlehale.
“I am just happy to be back running with SCCA,” Drennan says. “It’s been a few years and it feels great. I wasn’t sure what to expect this weekend because I knew there were some really good competitors, and I’m super happy to come out on top. I beat the track record in Spec Miata, but got beat by someone else. But I’ll take the stickers and the trophies. [It was a] great start to the year and the season and I look forward to it all culminating at the Runoffs at Sonoma, my favorite track.”
Justin Crickenberger, in the midst of a California road trip from his Texas home, rented a Spec Miata from Iron Canyon Motorsports to play at a new track. At the last minute, he decided to double-dip in Super Touring Lite to get some more track time, and it paid off. He finished third on Saturday and took the win on Sunday.
Several drivers scored double wins at Willow Springs. James Jordan was the lone entrant in B-Spec in his Mazda 2, leaving with two wins, while Glen McCready ran away to take two E Production wins in his NC MX-5. Other double winners included Ross Murray (Touring 4, RX-8), Mike Anderson (Formula Mazda), Brandon Aleckson (Formula Enterprises) and Jay Horak (Formula Atlantic, Pro Mazda).
At Road Atlanta, it was all about the doubles, as every class in which a Mazda driver won on Saturday, the same driver won on Sunday, with the exception of Spec Miata. The double winners were: Robert Garrison (F Production, Miata), Baltazar Leguizamon (Formula Atlantic, Swift 016), Paul Schneider (Formula Enterprises), Jeff Dernehl (GT-3, RX-7), Jacek Mucha (Prototype 1, jms016cp Mazda) and Thomas Hart (Touring 4, MX-5).
Michael Carter and Danny Steyn, fresh from a win at the NOLA Hoosier Super Tour, split victories in Spec Miata – they also split the second-place trophies, with Jonathan Goring and Preston Pardus claiming thirds.
The SCCA Majors Tour takes a couple of weeks off but begins again in earnest the first full weekend in April with a joint Mid-States and Southern Conferences Hoosier Racing Tire Super Tour at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit in Oklahoma, and a Majors event out West at Thunderhill Raceway Park.
Cal Club Willow Springs Majors
Western Conference
Willow Springs International Raceway, Rosamond, Calf.
March 17-18, 2018
Saturday Provisional Mazda Winners
B-Spec: James Jordan; Aliso Viejo, Calif.; Mazda 2
E Production: Glen McCready; Redwood City, Calif.; MX-5
Formula Atlantic: Jay Horak; Mesa, Ariz.; Pro Mazda
Formula Enterprises: Brandon Aleckson; Campbell, Calif., Van Diemen Mazda
Formula Mazda: Mike Anderson; Anza, Calif.; Star Formula Mazda
GT-3: Michael Lewis; Poway, Calif.; RX-7
Prototype 2; David Ferguson; Paso Robles, Calif.; Mazda Van Diemen RFS-03
Spec Miata: Mark Drennan; San Jose, Calif.; Miata
Touring 1: Marc Hoover; Shingle Springs, Calif.; Miata
Touring 4: Ross Murray; Marina Del Rey, Calif.; RX-8
Sunday Provisional Mazda Winners
B-Spec: James Jordan; Aliso Viejo, Calif.; Mazda 2
E Production: Glen McCready; Redwood City, Calif.; MX-5
Formula Atlantic: Jay Horak; Mesa, Ariz.; Pro Mazda
Formula Enterprises: Brandon Aleckson; Campbell, Calif., Van Diemen Mazda
Formula Mazda: Mike Anderson; Anza, Calif.; Star Formula Mazda
GT-3: Taz Harvey; Danville, Calif.; RX-7
GT-Lite: Taz Harvey; Danville, Calif.; Miata
Spec Miata: Mark Drennan; San Jose, Calif.; Miata
Super Touring Lite: Justin Crickenberger; Liberty Hill, Texas; Miata
Touring 4: Ross Murray; Marina Del Rey, Calif.; RX-8
Atlanta Region March Majors
Southeast Conference
Road Atlanta. Braselton, Ga.
March 17-18, 2018
Saturday Provisional Mazda Winners
F Production: Robert Garrison; Knoxville, Tenn.; Miata
Formula Atlantic: Baltazar Leguizamon; Abbotstown, Pa.; Swift 016 Mazda
Formula Enterprises: Paul Schneider; Charlotte, N.C.; Van Diemen Mazda
GT-3: Jeff Dernehl; Roswell, Ga.; RX-7
Prototype 1: Jacek Mucha; Highland Beach, Fla.; jms016cp Mazda
Spec Miata: Michael Carter; Savannah, Ga.; Miata
Touring 4: Thomas Hart; SummerVille, S.C.; MX-5
Sunday Provisional Mazda Winners
F Production: Robert Garrison; Knoxville, Tenn.; Miata
Formula Atlantic: Baltazar Leguizamon; Abbotstown, Pa.; Swift 016 Mazda
Formula Enterprises: Paul Schneider; Charlotte, N.C.; Van Diemen Mazda
GT-3: Jeff Dernehl; Roswell, Ga.; RX-7
Prototype 1: Jacek Mucha; Highland Beach, Fla.; jms016cp Mazda
Spec Miata: Danny Steyn; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Miata
Touring 4: Thomas Hart; SummerVille, S.C.; MX-5