Mazda winners doubled their victories at the Hallett SCCA Super Tour during two days of close competition
The word “invigorating” applied to both the weather and racing on Saturday during the opening day of Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour competition at Hallett Motor Racing Circuit, a race weekend hosted by the SCCA’s Ark Valley Race Group. Chilly temperatures hovering in the 20-degree range greeted morning qualifying, but things heated up once the racing began. And while “invigorating” might have been the word on everyone’s mind as the competition took to the 1.8-mile 10-turn track in Jennings, Okla., by the end of the final race, the word of the weekend was “repeat,” as every Mazda racer who won on Saturday also won on Sunday. That even included Spec Miata, where Chris Haldeman scored a rare Super Tour double victory.
“This Hallett racing facility is absolutely fantastic, and getting a win here…this is a good crowd,” Haldeman said after Saturday’s win. “I managed to qualify on pole, got the start and everything went my way.”
Matt Reynolds and Jesse Prather had a brief battle for the E Production lead on Saturday, but once Reynolds got his Miata in front of Prather’s RX-7, he was off and building a gap. “It’s great racing with [Jesse]. He builds my engines and he’s a great competitor,” said Reynolds.
After an off, Prather ended up in a fun inter-class battle with F Production winner Eric Prill. Prill had already put a gap on fellow Miata driver Sam Henry in Prill’s first Majors race since winning the SCCA National Championship last October at Indianapolis. “It was fun; it was good to be back in the car,” Prill said after the Saturday victory. “It seems like the off season gets longer every year, so it was nice to be out racing again at one of my favorite tracks. We had some better weather this afternoon than we did this morning. The car was really good. It was nice to race up front with Sam and Jesse and Breton [Williams]. Nobody really had anything for Matt [Reynolds].”
Bryce Cornet is working on quite the streak in Formula Mazda. At Hallett he scored his sixth and seventh consecutive Majors wins. In the formula car classes, Cornet was joined by Robert Vanman (Formula Enterprises) and Steven Ford (Formula Atlantic) as double Mazda winners. Doug Sherwood got the GT-3 victory both days.
The next stop on the Hoosier Super Tour is this weekend, and it’s a big one. The dual Northeast and Southeast Conferences event at VIRginia International Raceway always attracts a big crowd of fast drivers, and that’s only going to get bigger now that VIR has been slated to host SCCA’s Runoffs in 2019. You can follow the action at scca.com/live, and look for a report here on MazdaMotorsports.com next week.
SCCA Hoosier Racing Tire Super Tour
Hallett Motor Racing Circuit, Jennings, Okla., April 7-8, 2018
Provisional April 7 Mazda winners
E Production: Matt Reynolds; Fair Oaks, Texas; Alamo Region; Mazda Miata
F Production: Eric Prill; Topeka, Kan.; Kansas Region; Mazda Miata
Formula Atlantic: Steven Ford; Dallas, Texas; Texas Region; Star Race Cars Pro Mazda
Formula Enterprises: Robert Vanman; Allen, Texas; Texas Region; SCCA Formula Enterprises Mazda
Formula Mazda: Bryce Cornet; Norman, Okla.; Oklahoma Region; Formula Mazda
GT-3: Doug Sherwood; Longmont, Colo.; Colorado Region; Mazda RX-7
Spec Miata: Chris Haldeman; McKinney, Texas; Texas Region; Mazda Miata
Provisional April 7 Mazda winners
E Production: Matt Reynolds; Fair Oaks, Texas; Alamo Region; Mazda Miata
F Production: Eric Prill; Topeka, Kan.; Kansas Region; Mazda Miata
Formula Atlantic: Steven Ford; Dallas, Texas; Texas Region; Star Race Cars Pro Mazda
Formula Enterprises: Robert Vanman; Allen, Texas; Texas Region; SCCA Formula Enterprises Mazda
Formula Mazda: Bryce Cornet; Norman, Okla.; Oklahoma Region; Formula Mazda
GT-3: Doug Sherwood; Longmont, Colo.; Colorado Region; Mazda RX-7
Spec Miata: Chris Haldeman; McKinney, Texas; Texas Region; Mazda Miata