The 2020 Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA® Super Tour “regular” season came to a close Sunday with 35-minute or 17-lap challenges, whichever came first, on the 2.78-mile, 19-turn Pittsburgh International Race Complex (PittRace) circuit during a competition weekend hosted by SCCA’s Steel Cities Region.

First, You Must Finish: Ryan McManus, winner of Saturday’s GT-1 race in his bright orange No. 7 The McManus Agency Chevrolet Corvette, looked set to repeat on Sunday as he stormed out to a big lead at the start. But with only a couple laps remaining, his car faltered. That handed the GT-1 lead and win to the No. 04 Winfield Farm Chevrolet Camaro of Andrew Trought, which came as a shock to the driver.

“It was a big surprise when I came down pitlane after the race and they wanted to hand me the checkered flag to take a victory lap,” Trought said afterwards. “I was a distant second, but digging as hard as I could. I had no idea I was in first place.”

In the same race group, American Sedan (AS) racer Daniel Richardson and his Chevrolet Camaro looked determined to make up for giving up the lead and win in Saturday’s race. Richardson looked strong and held the top spot in the class until he pulled down pitlane and into the paddock a little past the race’s halfway mark. That gifted the front spot, and ultimately the AS victory, to Michael Lavigne in No. 42 Re-Nu-It Auto Body/Hoosier Tire Ford Mustang GT.

“I was running around in second and just trying to keep pace, but Daniel is much, much quick than I am,” Lavigne admitted. “I was determined to stay with him as much as I could. And then I got a radio call saying Richardson was off. So, I just tried to run my own race, kept on the track and run some consistent lap times.”

Fierce Fights: While a bunch of great action took place Sunday, there were a couple standout races. In Touring 2 (T2), Saturday winner Kurt Rezzetano and his No. 7 Phoenix Performance Chevrolet Corvette took the early lead. But Mark Boden, who admits he does not have a bunch of experience driving the PittRace circuit, hunted down the leader in his No. 46 Fall-Line Motorsports Porsche 997.1 C2 race car. Over 17 laps, Boden and Rezzetano swapped the top spot nearly a half dozen times. But Boden managed to reach the finish line first.

“It was a great race. One of the most fun races I’ve had in a long time,” Boden said. “I was a little better from turn 18 through turn three, and Kurt was a lot better from turn three on through. We battled a lot and it’s just awesome racing with a guy like Kurt.”

Then there was Sunday’s Formula Vee race. Saturday winner Alex Scaler, in the No. 19 AdvantageMotorsports.com/Autowerks/Hoosier Mysterian CM2 spent the entire race mixing it up with the VDF of Rick Shields and the No. 15 Kearney Driver Development/Hoosier/Autowerks/VSR Silver Bullet FR-1 of Brian Farnham. The trio was packed together tightly for most of the race, and each of the three took a turn up front. But it was Farnham who reached the checkered flag first with a .069-second winning margin over Scaler.

“It was a blast,” Farnham said of the competition. “Throughout the race it kind of got greasy out there, so it really got rough at the end. I was just trying to keep the car on track and keep it in a good position. It was really tough to stay up front.”

GT-3 Challenge Heads to Runoffs: PittRace’s Hoosier Super Tour was also the final of four “regular” season, points-paying weekends included within the GT-3 Challenge presented by MPI championship. The GT-3 Challenge is a series boosting participation in the GT-3 class and is supported by Mazda, Max Papis Innovations, Penske Racing Shocks, AiM Sports, Hoosier Racing Tire, Goodyear Tire, Ave Motorsports, and Bell Racing Helmets. Going into this weekend, GT-3 combatants Michael Lewis and Stacy Wilson were tied for the top spot. But with a sweep on the weekend at PittRace, Paul Young and his No. 79 Young Racing/Hoosier Tire Ford Probe jumps to the top of the leader board. However, the SCCA National Championship Runoffs® in October at Road America is included in the GT-3 Challenge championship, and that race is worth four times the points. That means the fight for GT-3 supremacy is hardly over.

Two Days, Two Wins: A handful of drivers managed to double-up on victories over the weekend at PittRace. Those drivers include: GT-2’s Kevin Allen in the No. 64 FGR/Hoosier/Rebello/Mallen Alley Nissan 300ZX, Touring 1’s Andrew Aquilante in the No. 33 Phoenix Performance Ford Mustang, Spec Miata’s Marc Cefalo in the No. 04 Planet Miata Mazda Miata, Steven Sammut in the No. 32 Pencils Plus SCCA Enterprises Spec Racer Ford Gen3 car, Formula Atlantic’s C. Ahsen Yelkin in the No. 79 Everclear Swift 014 car, FE2 competitor Scott Rettich in the No. 17 Formula Alliance Autosport/Red Line Oil FE2 Mazda, Prototype 1’s Wes Allen in the No. 32 Lexair Purpose-Built/V Elan DP02 car, Prototype 2 racer David Harris in the No. 118 Canton South Car Wash Radical SR3 machine, Super Touring Lite’s Max Gee in the No. 22 Gee Motorsports/Hoosier/Carbotech Honda Prelude, Super Touring Under’s Robert Verenna Jr. in the No. 25 McB Autosport/Hot Metal Transfers BMW 325i, Touring 3’s Marshall Mast in the No. 1 Phoenix Performance Ford Mustang, Touring 4’s Brent Simonson in the No. 3 RP Performance/Mazda/Hawk Brakes/Hoosier Mazda RX-8, E Production racer Charlie Campbell in the No. 89 Campbell Brothers Racing/Jesse Prather Mtrspts/ Hoosier/Carbotech Brakes Mazda Miata, Ed Werry in the H Production No. 54 Maximum Attack Motorsports/Small House Winery/Hoosier Tire Honda Fit, and GT-Lite racer Graham Fuller in the No. 2 Hoosier/Hub City Performance/Ostar Motorsports Honda CRX.

Winners Say What?: This weekend’s competition at PittRace marked the 68th annual Cumberland Classic for SCCA’s Steel Cities Region, but only the first time the Hoosier Super Tour has visited the venue in Wampum, Pennsylvania. So, the event was special for a couple reasons. What did winners have to say about achieving victory? Hear their comments directly through post-race winner video interviews found here.

One Final Points-Paying Event: While the 2020 Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA® Super Tour’s eight-weekend season is now complete, there exists one last chance for drivers to earn points toward the Hoosier Super Tour Nationwide Points Championship. That opportunity comes in October at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, during the SCCA National Championship Runoffs®, which is a points-earning opportunity for Hoosier Super Tour competitors.

Sunday Winner Rundown: Below are provisional race results from Sunday’s Hoosier SCCA Super Tour at Pittsburgh International Race Complex with Class: Name, Hometown, Region and Car.
- American Sedan®: Michael Lavigne; Hooksett, NH; New England Region; Ford Mustang GT
- B-Spec: Fritz Wilke; Chelsea, MI; Detroit Region; Ford Fiesta
- E Production: Sam Halkias; Westerville, OH; Ohio Valley Region; Triumph TR6
- F Production: Charlie Campbell; Corry, PA; Mohawk Hudson Region; Mazda Miata
- H Production: Edward Werry; West Deptford, NJ; South Jersey Region; Honda Fit
- Formula 500: Calvin Stewart; Novi, MI; Detroit Region; Novakar Blade F600
- Formula Atlantic®: C Ahsen Yelkin; Canfield, OH; Steel Cities Region; Swift 014
- Formula Continental®: Chuck Moran; Oakton, VA; Old Dominion Region; Van Dieman RF99
- Formula Enterprises 2: Scott Rettich; Columbus, OH; Ohio Valley Region; FE2/Mazda
- Formula F: Dylan Christie; Princeton, NJ; Northern New Jersey Region; Mygale SJ13
- Formula Vee®: Brian Farnham; Medina, OH; NeOhio Region; Silver Bullet FR-1
- GT-1: Andrew Trought; Moorestown, NJ; South Jersey Region; Chevrolet Camaro
- GT-2: Kevin Allen; Anderson, SC; Buccaneer Region; Nissan 300ZX
- GT-3: Paul Young; Commerce Township, MI; Detroit Region; Ford Probe
- GT-Lite: Graham Fuller; Summit Point, WV; Washington DC Region; Honda CRX
- Prototype 1: Wes Allen; Lexington, KY; Central Kentucky Region; Purpose-Built/V Elan DP02
- Prototype 2: David Harris; Akron, OH; NeOhio Region;  Radical SR3
- Spec Miata: Marc Cefalo; Swoyersville, PA; Northeastern Pennsylvania Region; Mazda Miata
- Spec Racer Ford 3: Steven Sammut; Locust Valley, NY; New York Region; SRF3
- Super Touring® Lite: Max Gee; Lucas, OH; NeOhio Region; Honda Prelude
- Super Touring® Under: Robert Verenna Jr; Zelienople, PA; Steel Cities Region; BMW 325i
- Touring 1: Andrew Aquilante; Chester Springs, PA; Philadelphia Region; Ford Mustang
- Touring 2: Mark Boden; Buffalo Grove, IL; Chicago Region, Porsche 997.1 C2
- Touring 3: Marshall Mast; Denver, PA; Philadelphia Region; Ford Mustang
- Touring 4: Brent Simonson; Millersville, MD; Washington DC Region; Mazda RX-8

Photo: Brian Farnham (No. 15) leads Alex Scaler (No. 19) and Rick Shields (No. 77) to Formula Vee victory Sunday at the PittRace Hoosier Super Tour.

Photo Credit: Bill Stoler