Matt Reynolds battles hard in EP and SM at Hallett Hoosier Super Tour

If there was one word to describe the Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour at Hallett Motor Racing circuit in Oklahoma, it was cold. Nearly every podium finisher on Saturday mentioned the cold after the 25-minute timed races. Officially, the temperature at the green flag was 44 degrees. Unofficially, with winds steady at 20mph and gusts even higher, the wind chill was listed at 37 degrees and felt even colder at the event hosted by SCCA’s Ark Valley Race Group. For Sunday’s 35-minute races, it wasn’t much warmer. 

Regardless of the weather, a couple Spec Miata heavyweights traded blows on Saturday, where Jim Drago bested Matt Reynolds in the 25-minute race. Both spent their share of the race at the front of the pack, but Drago’s No. 2 East Street Racing Mazda Miata earned the top spot by holding off Reynolds on the final lap.

“Matt is probably the best guy at this track, period,” Drago said after Saturday’s race. “Matt and I have had door-to-door races here for 10 years and counting. I can race Matt like I can’t really race anybody else. We went two wide through several corners that you’re not supposed to go through two wide, with no contact. Hopefully we can do it again tomorrow!”

And they did. Sunday’s racing was close – a 0.017sec margin of victory – as Drago edged in front of Reynolds in a side-by-side drag race out of the final corner. Drago led the first 13 laps from the pole before Reynolds moved to the point. Reynolds was the official leader through lap 22, when the duo swapped positions once again as they worked through lapped traffic. Drago was the official leader at the white flag, but Reynolds swooped to the lead after the last lap began. On the gas, Drago moved to the inside in the final left-hander, and the two crossed under the wire in a photo finish.

“I really think Matt had it with about three to go,” Drago said. “I made a little mistake and had a little gap, and he caught a lapped car at the worst time and allowed me to close up the gap. We just put some pressure on at the end. I tried to get a couple of moves in and he shut them down pretty good. Going into [Turn] 10, I take a little different line than Matt does, I’m a little tighter. He left me about a car and an inch and I stuffed it in there pretty good.”

That inch was all it took for Drago to sweep the weekend.

Reynolds did nab a win just a couple of hours later in E-Production. In what could be an early-season preview of this year’s SCCA National Championship Runoffs at VIRginia International Raceway, Reynolds and Jesse Prather started the race having qualified just 0.037sec apart on Sunday morning. Reynolds took the lead from Prather on lap 13, then set a new track record with a lap of 1:20.896 (80.103mph) on the 16th lap. One small mistake by Prather in his BMW gave Reynolds’ No. 71 Reynolds Bros. Racing/Hoosier/JPM/Vintage Connection/G-LOC Brakes Mazda Miata some breathing room, and that was the gap the three-time National Champion needed to take the win.

“I’m kind of beat up this weekend,” Reynolds said. “I had some close races. I was just trying to hang on Jesse’s bumper in the first half of the race and see what happened in the later half. Jesse ended up making a mistake going into Turn 2, and when you’re running that close, that’s all it takes.”

Liam Snyder lowered his Formula Enterprises 2 track record with a lap of 1:12.775, and took an overall win when Formula Atlantic (FA) leader Charles Peter spun with two laps to go. Peter’s misfortune also handed Paul Ravaris the FA win in his No. 5 Madhatter Golf/CR3 Capital Formula Mazda, while Snyder drove his No. 128 Snyder Brothers Racing Formula Enterprises/Mazda to the checkered flag.

“I didn’t have a great start,” Snyder said. “[Robert] Vanman got past me and I was like, ‘Heck yeah, this is going to be a great race.’ It was awesome competition. I got around him and set some track records. I kept pushing, and I saw some spun-out cars. So, I just kept my foot in it.”

Both Snyder and Ravaris took double wins in their respective classes. Other Mazda drivers to score double victories at Hallett include Liam’s brother Mark Snyder in FE; Bryce Cornet in Formula Mazda; Eric Prill in F Production (Miata); Jonathan Goodale in GT-Lite (MX-5); and Tyler Quance in Touring 4 (MX-5).

The next Hoosier Super Tour event on April 12-14 is the big one, as VIRginia International Raceway is sure to attract an even bigger crowd than usual as racers prepare for the 2019 National Championship Runoffs at the track. A Hoosier Super Tour or Majors event at the Runoffs host track is often a good preview of what’s to come in October. Watch SCCA.com for live updates, and check back to MazdaMotorsports.com to see how the Mazda racers fared. 

SCCA Hoosier Super Tour
Hallett Motor Racing Circuit
Jennings, Okla.; March 29-31, 2019
Saturday Provisional Mazda Winners
Class: Driver; Hometown; Region; Car
F Production: Eric Prill; Topeka, Kan; Kansas Region; Mazda Miata
Formula Atlantic: Paul Ravaris; Aledo, Texas; Texas Region; Formula Mazda
Formula Enterprises: Mark Snyder; Southlake, Texas; Texas Region; Formula Enterprises/Mazda
Formula Enterprises 2: Liam Snyder; Southlake, Texas; Texas Region; Formula Enterprises/Mazda
Formula Mazda: Bryce Cornet; Norman, Okla.; Oklahoma Region; Formula Mazda
GT-Lite: Jonathan Goodale; Conifer, Colo.; Colorado Region; Mazda Miata
Spec Miata: Jim Drago; Memphis, Tenn.; Mid South Region; Mazda Miata
Touring 4: Tyler Quance; Cypress, Texas; Houston Region; Mazda MX-5

Sunday Provisional Mazda Winners
Class: Driver; Hometown; Region; Car
E Production: Matt Reynolds; Fair Oaks, Texas; Alamo Region; Mazda Miata
F Production: Eric Prill; Topeka, Kansas; Kansas Region; Mazda Miata
Formula Atlantic: Paul Ravaris; Aledo, Texas; Texas Region; Formula Mazda
Formula Enterprises: Mark Snyder; Southlake, Texas; Texas Region; Formula Enterprises/Mazda
Formula Enterprises 2: Liam Snyder; Southlake, Texas; Texas Region; Formula Enterprises/Mazda
Formula Mazda: Bryce Cornet; Norman, Oklahoma; Oklahoma Region; Formula Mazda
GT-Lite: Jonathan Goodale; Conifer, Colorado; Colorado Region; Mazda Miata
Spec Miata: Jim Drago; Memphis, Tennessee; Mid South Region; Mazda Miata
Touring 4: Tyler Quance; Cypress, Texas; Houston Region; Mazda MX-5