RACE: National Runoffs: Day two qualifying report

Second Day of SCCA Runoffs Qualifying In The Books At Road America

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (Sept. 21, 2010) -- Day two of qualifying at the 47th SCCA National Championship Runoffs Presented by Subway has been completed, with six more classes setting provisional poles in their opening sessions andthree drivers improving into the top spot during second sessions on Tuesday at Road America.

A damp 14-turn, four-mile racing surface greeted competitors in the six classes who, in addition to 22 classes yesterday, were still waiting for their first chance to turn a meaningful lap over four days of qualifying for Friday, Saturday and Sunday's National Championship races.

GT-2 was the first class of the morning to take the green flag, with defending Champion Mark Boden, of Winnetka, Ill., securing the pole behind the wheel of his No. 45 Fall-Line Motorsports Porsche 996 GT3 Cup. Boden posted a best time of 2:51.912 (83.764 mph) on a track still wet from Canada Corner through the Carousel, setting the provisional pole with a lap time more than 32 seconds off of last year's qualifying record. Rodney Jesson, of Bellevue, Wash., led the Formula Mazda class under similar conditions in his No. 39 Outtoday.com Star Formula Mazda with a time of 2:36.554 (91.981 mph). Like GT-2, the FM field was much slower than last year's pole time on a dry track.

By the F Production session, third in the day, the sun had started to dry the track and times were lowered. Kevin Ruck, of Delaware, Ohio, landed his No. 73 Hoosier Tire/Engineered Performance Acura Integra on the pole with a flying lap of 2:38.851 (90.651 mph) that began just before the checkered flag few on the 20-minute session. Four-time Formula Continental Champion Niki Coello, of East Troy, Wis., sits on the provisional pole again in his No. 81 RFR/Hoosier Tire/Pouredfoundations Ralph Firman RFR 0010/Ford.

Mike Henderson, of El Cajon, Calif., topped the GT-3 Class with a time of 2:23.797 (100.141 mph) in his No. 12 Mazda RX-7. Spec Racer Ford concluded the classes working their first qualifying session of the week with Brian Schofield, of Lakeland, Fla., on the pole in the No. 61 PM Racing Spec Racer Ford with a time of 2:39.323 (90.382 mph).

Both the Formula Enterprises and American Sedan classes got a chance to turn laps on a dry track on Tuesday afternoon after rain fell during each class's sessions on Monday. Scott Rettich, of Camden, Ohio, held the Formula Enterprises lead in his No. 17 Hippi Racing/Wine Country Motorsports Formula Enterprises/Mazda with a best time of 2:15.478 (106.471 mph), a full 35 seconds quicker on the dry surface. In American Sedan, defending Champion Tom Sloe, of Newbury, Ohio, grabbed the provisional pole from Andy McDermid with a best time of 2:28.213 (97.157 mph) in the No. 1 Hoosier/Russell Automotive/Hutter Ford Mustang.

Joel Weinberger, of Hindsale, Ill., took over the provisional pole of the Super Touring Under class in its second of three qualifying sessions this week with a time of 2:29.207 (96.512 mph) in the No. 3 Continental Audi/Fall-Line Motorsports Audi A4. That time bumped Richard Cullen from the pole and lowered the class record set by Cullen on Monday.

Four drivers turned faster laps in Formula Ford than Monday's provisional polesitter, William Valet, with Reid Hazelton's best time of 2:22.554 (101.014 mph) in the No. 01 Van Diemen RF-92 Ford claiming the top spot on Tuesday.

Qualifying continues for the third day on Wednesday morning 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