Wild Action Saturday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex Shuffles SCCA U.S. Majors Event Schedule
WAMPUM, Penn. (May 14, 2016) – A little rain, a little wind, a little chill, and even a couple flurries made for a wild opening day in Wampum, Pennsylvania, for the Northeast Conference’s Round Five of the SCCA U.S. Majors Tour at Pittsburgh International Race Complex.
Spec Miata got the day started with pole sitter Tyler Kicera racing off to an early lead. But an incident a few laps into the event resulted in damage to the safety barrier. All drivers involved were fine, but cleanup and repairs to the tire wall took some time and the race ended under a red flag with Kicera taking the win. The delay also meant the remaining race groups of the day would have their events shortened to 20 minutes.
Shortened sessions did not stop the action on track, however, as great racing developed throughout the rest of the day. In A Sedan, multi-time Runoffs Champion John Heinricy gave up the lead early to Tom Sloe, but battled back for a win late in the race.
“This was my first Majors race of the year,” Heinricy said. “I really had to put my head down and concentrate on what I was doing. I looked for where I might have an advantage, and changed what I was doing about mid race. That seemed to pick up my pace a bit.”
The Group 6 event -- which included E Production, F Production, H Production, GT-Lite and B-Spec cars -- was busy with great racing throughout the field. But another on-track incident while working lap seven brought out the red flag. Everyone walked away just fine, but cleanup was again extensive. That actually brought an end to the day’s racing due to lateness of the day before Group 7 could take to the track. But that group -- which consists of Formula Atlantic, Formula 1000, Formula Continental, Formula Enterprise, Formula Mazda, Prototype 1 and Prototype 2 racecars -- will run their first race of the weekend early Sunday.
A second day of SCCA U.S. Majors Tour Northeast Conference competition from Pittsburgh International Race Complex will feature 18-lap or 35-min races. More information can be found at SCCA.com/majors.
Below are provisional race results from Saturday’s SCCA U.S. Majors Tour at Pittsburgh International Race Complex with Class: Name, Hometown and Car.
-American Sedan: John Heinricy, Clarkston, MI; Pontiac Firebird
-B-Spec: Mac Korince, Ridgeway, ON; Mini Cooper
-E Production: Greg Kasprzyk, Pittston, PA; BMW 325i
-F Production: Mason Workman, Reynoldsburg, OH; Mazda Miata
-Formula 500: Jeff Blumenthal, Independence, OH; Invader QC1
-Formula Vee: Gary Blanarik, Baden, PA; Silver Bullet
-GT-1: Ryan McManus, Westfield Center, OH; Chevrolet Corvette
-GT-2: Aaron Quine, Medina, OH; Chevrolet Camaro
-GT-3: Paul Young, Commerce Township, MI; Ford Probe
-GT-Lite: Andrew Nelson, Grimsby, ON; Fortech Mini
-H Production: Matt Brannon, Columbus, OH; Fiat X 1/9
-Spec Miata: Tyler Kicera, Manheim, PA; Mazda Miata
-Spec Racer Ford 3: Scott Rettich, Columbus, OH; SCCA Enterprises SRF3
-Spec Racer Ford: Matthew Harper, Charlotte, NC; SCCA Enterprises SRF
-Super Touring Lite: Darin Treakle, Broad Run, VA; Honda Civic Si
-Super Touring Under: Max Gee, Mansfield, OH; Honda Prelude
-Touring 1: Joseph Gaudette, Manassas, VA; Chevrolet Corvette Z06
-Touring 2: Marty Grand, Manassas Park, VA; Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX
-Touring 3: Chad Gilsinger, Marysville, OH; Acura TL SH-AWD
-Touring 4: Kevin Fandozzi, St Joseph, MI; Mazda Scion FRS
Photo: John Heinricy took his first A Sedan Majors’ win of 2016 Saturday at Pittsburgh International Race Complex.
Photo Credit: Jim Llewellyn III
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