Mazda drivers claim 19 victories, and Spec Miata racers put on a show
The second half of the Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour 10-event season began this past weekend at Buttonwillow Raceway Park during a race weekend hosted by SCCA’s Cal Club Region. And following two consecutive events where Mother Nature played a role, SCCA racers happily greeted the beautiful sunshine and perfect temperatures during this California event.
An intriguing race developed in the Prototype 2 (P2) class. There, Chuck Bona and his Stohr WF1 had the lead for two-thirds of the race, but behind Bona, David Ferguson – who opened the race back in eighth place – was charging through the P2 field in his Mazda Van Diemen RFS-03. With only a handful of laps remaining, Ferguson managed to take the lead and move on for the win. “I tried to make it as hard as possible on myself by stalling the car on grid and having to start last,” Ferguson joked after the race. “I just put my head down knowing we had 25 minutes to race. I raced as hard as I could, thinking I wasn’t going to quite catch up to Chuck. But then I saw him ahead of me, got up alongside, got the opportunity to get by … then I just put my head down.”
Of course, it wasn’t only Prototype classes that provided excitement during the day. Another nail-biter developed in the Touring 4 race. Ross Murray opened the race in the lead, but Luis Sanchez moved to the front after a full-course yellow bunched up the field. Sanchez then worked hard to maintain that top spot, even though Murray was putting on lots of pressure. At the end of Buttonwillow’s long backstretch on the very last lap, Murray made the move to take the lead and win in his Mazda RX-8. “At the beginning of the race I got hung up by some Touring 2 cars and Luis got around me,” Murray said from the cockpit of his car afterwards. “I followed him the whole race. Saw the white flag, managed to get it done, and it was good.”
As has become the custom at Cal Club events, Saturday concluded with a fantastic meal, an amazing sunset and great camaraderie during the all-participant party. When racing got cranking again on Sunday morning for eight 35-minute races, the Spec Miata race was one of those that reminded everyone why the class is a fan favorite. As on Saturday, it developed into an extraordinary three-way battle between Tristan Littlehale, Mark Drennan and Saturday’s winner Nick Sommers. The trio, who created a large gap back to the rest of the field, battled ferociously throughout the whole 35-minute race. Sommers and Drennan each spent time in the lead, while Littlehale spent the race in the catbird seat sizing up the competition. As laps dwindled, Drennan found himself out front, but still hounded by Littlehale and Sommers. On the last lap, Sommers and Littlehale sparred for position, which gave Drennan enough breathing room to bring home a victory in his TFB Performance Mazda Miata.
“I was definitely looking in my mirrors,” a joyful Drennan said after the race. “The best thing I could see in my rearview mirror was them going side-by-side through the Esses. I knew then that it was my race.
“I was lucky to defend off Nick so many times, but he kept getting in front of me. I kept having to battle back,” Drennan continued. “I almost lost the car probably three times, and I don’t usually spin. But it was a super exciting race. A total barnburner. That was the hardest-fought win I’ve ever had, honestly. It was amazing.”
The Super Tour at Buttonwillow Raceway Park also saw a “first” for the Sports Car Club of America. Jim Devenport managed to win both the Saturday and Sunday races in Formula Enterprises 2 – the new, Runoffs-eligible class in 2018 for both the Super Tour and SCCA U.S. Majors Tour. That makes Devenport the first driver to go back-to-back and sweep FE2 during a Super Tour weekend. “The car is really spectacular – I’m tickled with the performance,” Devenport said of his Cranbrook Group Inc FE2 Mazda. “It sounds good. It revs high. It’s got great power and pulls strong all the way up into the higher miles per hour range.”
Other racers bagging double victories include Jake Pipal in B-Spec (Mazda2); John Purcell in Formula Atlantic (Pro Formula Mazda); Mike Anderson in Formula Mazda; and Jose Rodriguez in GT-3 (RX-7). Glen McCready (MX-5) and Aaron Downey (RX-3) split wins in E Production, as did John Yeatman and Brandon Chappell in Formula Enterprises. The next Super Tour is another Western Conference event at Portland International Raceway on May 19-20.
SCCA Hoosier Racing Tire Super Tour
Buttonwillow Raceway Park, Buttonwillow, Calif., April 27-29, 2018
April 28 Provisional Mazda Winners
B-Spec: Jake Pipal; Oakdale, CA; San Francisco Region; Mazda2
E Production: Glen McCready; Redwood City, CA; San Francisco Region; Mazda MX-5
Formula Atlantic: John Purcell; Vancouver, BC; Northwest Region; Star PFM
Formula Enterprises: John Yeatman; Newcastle, CA; San Francisco Region; Van Diemen Mazda
Formula Enterprises 2: Jim Devenport; Modesto, CA; San Francisco Region; SCCA FE2 Mazda
Formula Mazda: Mike Anderson; Anza, CA; San Diego Region; Star Mazda
GT-3: Jose Rodriguez; San Leandro, CA; San Francisco Region; Mazda RX-7
Prototype 2: David Ferguson; Paso Robles, CA; Cal Club; Mazda Van Diemen RFS-03
Spec Miata: Nick Sommers; Nevada City, CA; San Francisco Region; Mazda Miata
Touring 4: Ross Murray; Marina del Rey, CA; Cal Club; Mazda RX-8
April 29 Provisional Mazda Winners
B-Spec: Jake Pipal; Oakdale, CA; San Francisco Region; Mazda2
E Production: Aaron Downey; Rossmoor, CA; San Francisco Region; Mazda RX-3
Formula Atlantic: John Purcell; Vancouver, BC; Northwest Region; Star PFM
Formula Enterprises: Brandon Chappell; Las Vegas, NV; Las Vegas Region; Van Diemen Mazda
Formula Enterprises 2: Jim Devenport; Modesto, CA; San Francisco Region; SCCA FE2 Mazda
Formula Mazda: Mike Anderson; Anza, CA; San Diego Region; Star Mazda
GT-3: Jose Rodriguez; San Leandro, CA; San Francisco Region; Mazda RX-7
Prototype 2: David Ferguson; Paso Robles, CA; Cal Club; Mazda Van Diemen RFS-03
Spec Miata: Mark Drennan; San Jose, CA; San Francisco Region; Mazda Miata