Miata Cup Atlantic Tour VIR preview

Mazdaspeed Miata Cup Presented by Hankook Tires Atlantic Tour roars into Virginia

TOPEKA, Kan. (June 13, 2003) -- The Mazdaspeed Miata Cup Presented by Hankook Tires Atlantic Tour travels to VIRginia International Raceway, in Alton, Va., for Round Four this weekend, with a dead heat at the top of the point standings between Chip Herr, of Lititz, Pa., and Payton Wilson, of Gainesville, Pa.

Driving the No. 24 Warwick Autopark/Performance Buyers Club Miata, Herr has two wins and second-place to his credit in three races this season. While such a dominating performance would usually correlate into a huge lead in the points, a technical infraction during the second day of the BeaveRun Motorsports Park doubleheader saw Herr penalized all Championship points scored during that race.

With the penalty, Herr has fallen back into the grasp of Wilson's No. 38 Cobalt Friction/Piper Motorsports Miata, thanks to a second-place finish at Lime Rock Park and two top 10s at BeaveRun for Wilson. Both drivers have scored 69 Championship points so far this season.

Behind the front-running duo, three drivers are within striking distance of the lead, with Greg Stasiowski, of Washington, Pa., Shawn Dewey, of Townsend, Del., and Ryan Pilla, of Amagansett, N.Y., having 67, 63 and 62 points, respectively.

Along with the Mazdaspeed Miata Cup Presented by Hankook Tires, the weekend will also feature Formula SCCA and Sports Racing Pro Series events. These two series, along with the Mazdaspeed Miata Cup Presented by Hankook Tires, run together under the SCCA North American Championships umbrella.

For more information the Mazdaspeed Miata Cup Presented by Hankook Tires and the entire SCCA North American Championships, please visit www.sccapro.com.

-scca pro racing-