2021 June Racing Results

June turned out to be the busiest racing month of the year, 4 race weekends spanning just 4 weeks. Plenty of great results and exciting racing was had and I am happy to share a summary of our results.

ChampCar at Watkins Glen

First event of the month was the ChampCar Endurance Series Sahlen’s Champyard Dog at The Glen double 7 hour. After getting no testing on a foggy and rainy Friday, we went into Saturday with 2 of our 4 drivers (myself included) never having driven the track.

Saturday had our Poverty Auto Sport Dodge Neon in the lead of class B for most of the day. Our underpowered and FWD platform shined in the slippery conditions that hung around the track for most of the Saturday race. Unfortunately, a poor strategy call and some bad luck within the last 2 hours dropped us from the lead and down to a finish of 4th in class.

Sunday was a very different experience from Saturday. Dry conditions the entire race with our car lacking the pace of the frontrunners in class by as much as 4 seconds a lap. Despite this we played a perfect strategy and had the car sitting 2nd in class until an electrical misfire ended our race in the last few hours.

Disappointing result to a promising weekend. But we learned many lessons that can be taken to the VIR 24 hour race in August.

SCCA MARRS Regional at NJMP - Lightning

The 2nd race weekend was back to SCCA Spec Miata racing and back to the familiar NJMP - Lightning course. I had driven plenty of laps here in the F4 car last year but never in a Miata. I quickly got up to speed and placed it P3 / 30+ cars in the Saturday qualifying session. Sunday brought 90+ degree weather and 2 races. Both races were pretty uneventful with a finish of P3 in Race 1, staying on the leaders bumpers the whole race and ending up P4 in Race 2. Car felt a little off balance in Race 2 and wasn’t sure if that was because of the cool shirt cooler being full, the change of track conditions, or maybe just fatigue but I couldn’t quite do what I did in Race 1. Regardless good results and a good way to get back in my Miata racing groove.

Race 1

Race 2

SCCA NERRC at Lime Rock Park

After not having a race at Lime Rock last year, I was excited to get back on this historic and fast bullring of a racetrack. Apparently so was everyone else as 40+ cars showed up for Spec Miata which made getting a good lap in qualifying an absolute nightmare. Despite this I still got a lap down good enough to start P3.

Race 1

Friday afternoon hosted the first race of the weekend designated a “qualifying race”. This race was absolutely insane as I took the lead on lap 2, placed behind the out of class Spec MX-5 car. Having this car at the front which had superior straight line speed bottled up the field creating a 5+ car pack of cars battling over the lead.

Unfortunately my lead ended when a lapped car spun in front of me in turn 3. When he didn’t hold the brakes his car went back across the track and the impact sent me off track. I ended up a distant P6 with a wounded car but was gutted to have such a perfect race end as it did.

Race 2

Photo by Brennan Houran

The contact with lapped cars wouldn’t stop in Race 2. Had a good start but after getting passed for 2nd on lap 3, I just couldn’t quite keep the pace with the leaders. Once a lapped car turned into me in turn 2 halfway through the race, I was just in survival mode with the left front toe knocked way off. Either way a P3 result was where I was meant to be so a good result heading into the finale.

Race 3

Race 3 was more of the same from Race 2. Just couldn’t keep the pace with the leaders allowing them to eventually pull away once I lost the draft and leaving me with another P3 finish.

Overall a solid weekend taking the fight to Evan and Elivan at least for a little while. Disappointed not to be able to finish off my effort in Race 1 but it was off to Watkins Glen for some even more top tier competition.

Hoosier Super Tour at Watkins Glen

Back where the month started but for a much more intense weekend. The SCCA Hoosier Super Tour brings out the best SM drivers in the country for a weekend full of close, hard racing. I jumped right into the Friday practice finishing P7 with just a little time to find before qualifying. Qualifying 1 was cut short due to a crash brought on by an oiled down track that we all almost got involved in. Despite this I sat P3 at the time.

Qualifying 2 was much different with it going the full 20-minutes. Unfortunately this was where my lack of tandem drafting experience showed as I never really partnered up with someone and ended up with a P6 result.

Race 1

I got a great start from 6th in Race 1, coming out 4th into the bus stop chicane. At that point I tried working with one of my teammates to try and catch Nick Leverone and Danny Steyn who had pulled out a nice lead. His car started falling off and I found myself passing him into 3rd and getting a push from behind.

With the help from behind we were reeling in the leaders towards the end of the race. The teammate for my drafting partner ended up catching us and those 2 teamed up and left me out to dry. At that point I was stuck only a second or two off the top 4 as they started to fight for the win on the last lap. I waited for my chance when 2 of the leaders tangled into the bus stop moving me to 3rd, just barely not able to catch the two leaders in the last couple corners. Anthony Geraci, my once drafting partner, ended up taking the win with my team owner Nick Leverone finishing 2nd. Taking a podium in my first ever Super Tour race while running the 3rd fastest lap in it was a huge accomplishment for me.

Race 2

Not much to report on Race 2. Had a great position at the start and was actually P2 going up the esses drafting with the leader. That was where my fun would end as I had something break into the bus stop leaving me with a hung throttle and needing to shut the car down. Just bad racing luck.

An awesome month of racing for me taking multiple podiums and in the end challenging some of the best Spec Miata drivers in the country. Next event for me will the the Thompson Majors in July while I try and complete my requirements to make it to runoffs this year!

Thank you to Flatout Motorsports for supplying an amazing rental all month and to Ikoniqa for your support as well.