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RACE: National Runoffs: Day one qualifying report

Records Fall On Opening Day of SCCA Runoffs Qualifying At Road America ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Sept. 20, 2010) -- The opening day of qualifying at the 47th SCCA National Championship Runoffs Presented by Subway was full of record-setting performances, ...

Records Fall On Opening Day of SCCA Runoffs Qualifying At Road America

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Sept. 20, 2010) -- The opening day of qualifying at the 47th SCCA National Championship Runoffs Presented by Subway was full of record-setting performances, with provisional polesitters in 15 of 22 classes running times faster than the Road America track records.

Monday opened four days of qualifying in preparation for this weekend's National Championship races. Each of the 28 classes will run a qualifying session on three of the four qualifying days, with races taking place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the 14-turn, four-mile road course.

Super Touring Under and Touring 3 opened the week in a combined session that established a record in STU as a first-time Runoffs class and lowered the existing T3 record. Richard Cullen, of Marshfield, Mass., earned the STU provisional pole driving the No. 81 Hoosier/smartbuilderscorp.com Acura TSX with a best time of 2:29.497 (96.323 mph), while Sage Marie, of Huntington Beach, Calif., set the T3 fast time with a lap of 2:34.706 (93.080 mph) in the No. 4 Honda Racing/HPD/BFGoodrich Honda S2000. The Formula 500 class followed, with Jason Knuteson, of Danville, Ind., piloting his No. 92 Mitchell Racing Services/Hoosier Scorpion S1 Rotax 493 to a best time of 2:22.896 (100.773 mph).

Peter Shawdowen, of Loxahatchee, Fla., carded a record-breaking time of 2:32.390 (94.494 mph) in the GT-Lite class driving the No. 72 Road n Race/Goodyear/HPD/Red Line Honda CRX. Steve Gorriaran, of Providence, R.I., topped a 59-car Spec Miata class with a fast lap of 2:42.983 (88.353 mph) in his No. 44 SyncSave/DrivenPerf/Gorilla Racing Mazda Miata.

On the provisional pole for D Sports Racing is Chris Farrell, of Salt Lake City, who posted a best time of 2:02.901 (117.167 mph) in the No. 58 C&M Manufacturing/GDRE/Hoosier/Sunoco Stohr WF1. That time set the all-time official fast lap for SCCA Club Racing at Road America, but his record would only stand until Keith Grant, of Germantown, Tenn., established a new Formula Atlantic record with a time of 2:02.476 (117.574 mph) in the No. 40 Hoosier/Polestar Swift 014/Toyota.

Later in the afternoon, Milwaukee-native Steve Forrer would up the ante and set the C Sports Racing record at his home track, piloting his No. 84 Hoosier Tire Ralt RT41/Toyota to a best time of 2:02.103 (117.167 mph) to set the fastest overall time of the day.

Touring 2 was the closest competition of the day, with just 0.823-second separating provisional polesitter Andy Wolverton, of Papillion, Neb., from eighth position. Wolverton posted a time of 2:30.403 (95.743 mph) in the No. 86 Hoosier Tires/Raw Racing Pontiac Solstice GXP for a slim hold on the top spot in that class.

In E Production, Jon Brakke, of Fargo, N.D., completed the circuit in 2:28.326 (97.083 mph) in his No. 89 Margaret Peterson Bars Mazda Miata for a new class record.

Michael Scornavacchi, of Manheim, Pa., set the Showroom Stock B record with a lap of 2:42.487 (88.622 mph) before burying his No. 25 Hoosier/Carbotech/Angry Sheep BMW Z4 in the Turn 14 gravel trap with heavy damage to the front and left side of the car. Scott Tucker, of Overland Park, Kan., earned the Touring 1 class record in his No. 55 Level 5 Motorsports Ferrari 430 Challenge with a best time of 2:20.795

Cliff Ebben, of Appleton, Wis., reset his GT-1 class record from a year ago with a time of 2:05.312 (114.913 mph) in the No. 36 McMahon Group/Stumpf Ford/Lamers Racing Ford Mustang.

Joining Super Touring Under in making Runoffs debuts are the Super Touring Over and Formula 1000 classes. Joe Koenig, of Glenview, Ill., set the bar for the STO class with a time of 2:17.558 (104.683 mph) in the No. 70 Trim-Tex Drywall Products/Fall Line BMW M3 E92. Tom Schwietz, of Winchester, Va., did the same in Formula 1000 with a best time of 2:08.080 (112.430 mph) behind the wheel of the No. 72 Steel Services Citation.

Joel Lipperini (Showroom Stock C), William Valet (Formula F), Scott Rettich (Formula Enterprises), Andy McDermid (American Sedan), Dan Meller (H Production), Matthew Direnzo (Sports 2000) and Michael Varacins (Formula Vee) completed the list of provisional polesitters after the first day.

The second day of qualifying begins Tuesday at 8 a.m. (CDT). Live timing is available all week at www.scca.com/runoffs. Racing will commence on Friday, Sept. 24.

-source: scca

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