Race Results - Race Review

Race Review - Vintage GT Challenge

by Bob Harrington

It huffed and it puffed but it didn’t blow our weekend out. In spite of the weather channels dire forecasts, for the most part the weekend was sunny, Yes it was a bit breezy at times, we had a few showers and it was on the nippy side, but it didn’t interfere with the schedule, nor the enthusiasm of the drivers.

Keeping with the traditional SVRA Road America schedule, the MotorCheck Badger 200 Ednuro, a 200 mile enduro for Production and GT cars was the first race of the weekend, Friday afternoon. At the start it was a battle between the ’96 Mustang of Lee Milazzo and the ’04 Corvette C6R shared by Robert Blain and Carl Jensen. While the Corvette was running as exhibition only and not eligible for any points, it was great fun watching the two cars swap the lead back and forth. Third on the track, but second in race position was the 86 Chev Monte Carlo with Anthony DellaVeccia’s ’70 Camaro Z28 rounding out the top three. Two laps into the race, Randy Rupp was by DellaVeccia in his ’69 Boss 302 Mustang, but after just two more laps Rupp was out, giving DellaVeccia the spot back. The next changes came with the pit stops. Lisa Hansen, ’69 Porsche 911S was up to second, with David Bland, ’69 Porsche 911 and James Jackson, ’64 Porsche 356C breaking into the top three. When the stops were completed, the exhibition Corvette was out front, Milazzo’s Mustang was first on the leader board followed by Bland and Hansen. With about 20 minutes left, Milazzo retired making Bland the effective leader followed by Hansen and Jackson, a Porsche sweep of the podium positions.

Saturday afternoon brought us the second of the weekend’s Enduros, the MotorCheck Dairyland 100 for Sports Racers and Formula Cars. from the start it was all Lola T97/20s up front. Travis Engen was first into corner one, followed by Bark Brannon and then David Porter. By the end of the first lap Brannon had the lead with Engen right on his tail. The fight up front continued with both Brannon and Engen pitting at about half distance. While they pitted Porter took over the lead, but when the stops were completed it was Engen, Porter and Brannon, with that being the order to the flag. With the day’s racing completed it was off to the Osthoff Resort for a great party hosted by SVRA and the “Friends of Road America”

First up for Sunday’s Optima Battery Sprint race was Group 9. No surprise here, Brian French’s ’97 Benneton took the lead from the start and motored off into the distance. Behind him it was another battle of the Lola T97/20s. Mark Brannon was the leader of the pack, followed by David Porter and Travis Engen. The battle continued without a change in the running order until the penultimate lap when Engen got by Porter to claim the final podium position.

Group 8 were next up for their Optima Battery Sprint race with Porsches leading the way. Leading the way was Jeff Jagusch’s ’72 911S followed by Edie Arrowsmith’s ’70 914/6 and then Lisa Hansen in a ’69 911S. After one lap, David Bland, ’69 Porsche 911 had taken charge, Jagusch was next then Hansen. The next time by, Arrowsmith had taken back third, but couldn’t hold it with Hansen in third the next time around. On the penultimate lap the Porsche stranglehold on the podium spots was broken with John Weinberger, who had started well back in the pack in his ’65 Ginetta G4R, taking over third and holding it to the end.

The big surprise in the Group 1 & 3 Optima Battery Sprint race was that a Group 1 car was the overall winner. Craig Chima’s Group 3 ’62 Lotus Super 7 had the overall lead from the start with Floyd Sable’s Group 1 DSR ’72 McCann M4 hot on his heels, James Jackson, ’64 Porsche 356C was next and second in Group 3 with Mike Besic’s ’69 Alfa Romeo Duetto rounding out the Group 3 top three. Harry Gentry’s always quick ’62 Austin Healey Sprite was second in Group 1 with Jerry Gordon’s ’69 Crusader VSR holding third. The next time by McCann had the overall lead, Jackson was next, leading Group 3 followed by Besic and George Balbach, ’61 Porsche 356 Roadster. Besic was clearly on a charge taking the Group 3 lead on the following lap. Position changes continued with Balbach retiring the next go round, putting Chima into third in Group 3. Meanwhile on the same lap Duck Waddle had passed Gordon to take third in Group 1 in his ’63 Bobsy SR2/3. On the penultimate lap, Chima took over second in Group 3, but on the lap that counted Jackson had the spot back to claim second in Group 3.

With GM cars making up over 60% of the entry in Group 6’s ground pounding Optima Battery Sprint race it was no surprise that they dominated the podium positions. While there were no position changes on the leader board from start to finish it certainly wasn’t a dull race with nose to tail racing from flag to flag. It was all big block Corvettes in the winner’s circle, with Chris Hines taking the victory, followed by Tommy Thompson, and Frank Fusillo.

Don Braaten dominated the Group 7 Optima Battery Sprint race with his ’81 Lola T530VDS , never being seriously challenged for the lead. The real excitement in the race was the charge by Jeff Miller in his ’77 Lola T496. He stared dead last and by the end of the second lap was up to third. Getting back to the start, the ’76 Chevron of Dave Mackiewich was second away with Kenne Bristol’s ’74 Lola T294 third. As I mention Miller was third by the end of the second lap, and then second on the last lap. He put on a great demonstration of driving, but just didn’t have the power to catch Braaten so ended up second, but it was great to watch.

As expected it was all Group 5 cars up front in the Group 4 & 5 Optima Battery Sprint race. John Weinberger’s ’65 Lotus 23C had the pole followed by Travis Engen’s ’62 Lotus 23B and then Mark Brannon’s ’65 Lotus 23C. In Group 4, Jim Melton’s 59 Devin-Demar Mk II led followed by Tom Frankowski’s ’60 Corvette and Todd Stuckart’s ’56 Corvette. At the end of the first lap Engen was out, for an uncharacteristic dnf, Larry Neviaser, ’68 Ginetta G16 was now second, with David Jahimiak, in what he calls the “World’s Fastest Devin”, now third. A lap later Jajimiak was second, then of the following lap, took over the lead, pulling out a slight margin to ensure the overall and Group 5 win. Group 4 finished in the order they started.

The Group 2 battle for the lead in their Optima Battery Sprint race was certainly the race of the weekend, if not the year. James King and Dave Handy, both in Brabahm BT29’s were swapping the lead back and forth numerous times a lap and when the checker fell it was a dead heat, the first I can remember. In the battle for third, Marc Giroux, also in a Brabham BT29 looked to have it sewn up, but on the penultimate lap he was all the way back in sixth, with Deane Tank’s ’72 Titan Mk 6 moving into third.

To settle the tie it was decided to have a match race , one lap, from a standing start. Handy got the jump at the start, but King out braked him going into turn 5 to take the lead. Handy stuck behind him and drafting up the front straight, ducked as low in the car as he could to cut the wind resistance, sling shotted by to take the win by :00.062. Great racing and great fun!

The Prewar race was the last Optima Battery Sprint race of the weekend. While it wasn’t as much a race as an exhibition of those great cars driven at speed there were some good dices, especially with the MGTCs. For the record, Rex Barrett took the win in his ’33 Ford Indy Racer, Marvin Primack’s lovely ’49 Lester MG was second with Tom Moore’s ’49 MGTC taking third.

SVRA’s next event is the Mid-Ohio Vintage Grand Prix, June 26-29. Featuring the 50th Anniversary of the Austin Healey Sprite and the Formula B reunion it is a don’t miss event. You may even see a rematch of this past weekend’s Group 2 thriller! See you there.

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