RACE: National Runoffs: Event preview
SCCA National Championship Runoffs Presented by Subway Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis. Crowning The Nation's Best Since 1964 The country's best amateur road racers have been gathering each fall for 47 years at the SCCA National Championship ...
SCCA National Championship Runoffs Presented by Subway Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wis.
Crowning The Nation's Best Since 1964
The country's best amateur road racers have been gathering each fall
for 47 years at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs0x00ae presented by
Subway. In 2010, more than 600 drivers in 28 classes are competing for
the title of National Champion.
Road America, Version 2.0
The SCCA Runoffs return to Road America for the second year after its
inaugural appearance in 2009. Road America is just the sixth track to
host the National Championship event, following Riverside International
Raceway (1964, 1966, & 1968), the road course at Daytona International
Speedway (1965, 1967 & 1969), Road Atlanta (1970-1993), Mid-Ohio Sports
Car Course (1994-2005), and Heartland Park Topeka (2006-2008).
Launch of the Heinrocket
John Heinricy, of Holly, Mich., is just one of the many former National
Champions competing at this year's Runoffs. Heinricy, however, is the
active leader in Championships, holding the title on 11 separate
occasions. This year, he'll try to add to the crown in the Touring 1
class, where he won five-straight from 2001 through 2005 at Mid-Ohio.
Heinricy is driving a Torvec/Phoenix Performance Chevrolet Corvette at
this year's event, and is third on the career wins list behind Jerry
Hansen (27 titles) and Duane Davis (13).
Young Guns Shining Through
The National Championship Runoffs has long been used as a spring board
for launching successful careers. Bobby Rahal, Jimmy Vasser, Elliot
Forbes-Robinson and Skip Barber all won titles on their way to successful
pro careers; more recently, IndyCar driver Graham Rahal and versatile
superstar Boris Said have done the same. Who could be next? 16-year-old
Tommy Boileau, of Monument, Colo., is among the favorites for a Touring 3
title in a Honda S2000. Sean Rayhall, a 15-year-old from Winston, Ga., is
on the Formula Enterprises entry list after becoming the youngest SCCA
Pro Racing Champion in this year's Pro Formula Enterprises series,
but may miss the event because of a broken foot sustained on the eve of
the Pro Series finale. Corey Fergus, of Powell, Ohio, is searching for a
win as a 22-year-old in Sports 2000 after finishing on the podium in
2009. Scott Rettich, of Oxford, Ohio, is an established veteran compared
to the others at the ripe old age of 26, but could challenge in both the
Formula Enterprises and Spec Racer Ford classes, where he led the season
long Nation-wide point standings.
Cheeseheads For Championships
Among the drivers entered at the National Championship Runoffs are 54
drivers who hail from the Badger State. A host of those are former
National Champions, including Niki Coello (East Troy, Wis.), a four-time
champion in Formula Continental, entered this year in Formula Continental
and Formula 1000; Jim Dentici (Oconomowoc, Wis.), a five-time Champion in
GT-3, GT-5 and GT-Lite, running this year in GT-Lite; Cliff Ebben
(Appleton, Wis.), a two-time champion in GT-1 and defending his crown in
the same class; Steve Forrer (Milwaukee), who won two titles in Formula
Atlantic and this year will compete in C Sports Racing against Brian
French (Sheboygan), who also holds a Formula Atlantic crown; Lawrence
Loshak (Milwaukee), a former E Production champion competing in D Sports
Racing; Harry Manning (Racine), who is a Showroom Stock B winner now
racing in Spec Miata; Dan Meller (Milwaukee), an H Production Champion
looking for a second title; Jeffrey Miller (Elkhart Lake), a six-time
winner in DSR and CSR who has won titles in the 70s, 80s and 90s and
would like to add one at his hometown track in the 2000s; Scott Rubenzer
(Brookfield), who didn't realize after a Formula Vee win in 1985 that
it would take until 2009 to win again in Formula F and would like to add
a third trophy this year; and Michael Varacins (Burlington), the
defending Formula Vee National Champion.
Drive For Five
Spec Racer Ford is the SCCA Club Racing class with the highest
participation numbers, which just means that, for the past four seasons,
Mike Miserendino has beaten more drivers than anyone at the Runoffs. Even
if the Los Angeles resident were to win his fifth consecutive
Championship this season, he'd still fall two years shy of the
seven-consecutive Spec Racer Ford titles earned by Warren Stillwell from
1994-2000.
-source: scca
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