A Tale Of Two Races: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times on Saturday for the Allaer family in Group One. Robert Allaer was locked in a battle with eventual winner Tim Minor in Formula Continental with just minutes to go when a mechanical failure in his Van Diemen shot him straight off the track in the brake zone of Turn 3 and into a barrier, bringing out a yellow that ended the race. Though the car was heavily damaged, Allaer thankfully emerged uninjured.

Behind him, however, things were looking up. Son Nolan was in front of the Formula F field when the yellow and checkered flags came out, earning his first career Hoosier Super Tour win.

“It was really hot and greasy,” Allaer said. “It was a crazy experience going back and forth. This was my first race with a big draft other than Homestead. I shuffled back to third a few times and then moved back up to second, then got to first before the caution came out. This is the third time in the 1600 car, and it’s a crazy experience because there’s no aero. Sebring is my favorite track. It’s so aggressive and rewards confidence. This is pretty awesome for a Major.”

New Car, Same Result: Elivan Goulart snuck through a chaotic final two laps to take the Spec Miata win on Saturday. As usual at Sebring (and in Spec Miata anywhere), the lead pack was very close, especially following an early yellow flag.

The win was the first in a brand-new build for Goulart and his Kruggspeed team, kicking off the Super Tour season the right way.

Breaking In The Classification: Maximilian Opalski officially became the first to win E Production in the newly classified Mazda MX-5 Cup car, running in the same configuration as it does in the IMSA pro racing championship.

Home Sweet Home: We’re not sure there was a shorter tow to this weekend’s Hoosier Super Tour than Ken Kannard’s – who now makes his home in Sebring. Kannard is a long-time F Production racer who for years called the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area and Road America home.

The move paid off this weekend. Not only is there no snow in the forecast, but he got the win in class on Saturday.

Sunshine and Rainbows: When we last saw the GT-1 field, they were racing in the rain at Indianapolis during the Runoffs – far from ideal conditions for the high horsepower machines. Florida’s sunny skies were much more fun.

Running on his home track, Jordan Bupp – third place in the rain at Indy – ran away from the field and grabbed Saturday’s race win. It was a big case of striking while the irons were hot, because Sunday’s weather forecast is, once again, less than promising.

“I enjoy this a lot more than I do the rain at Indy,” Bupp said. “This is my home track and we love coming here every year. I don’t know what happened at the start but we tore off and David (Pintaric) fell behind. We just started piecing through traffic and just brought it home. It was a good day, so we’ll come back tomorrow and maybe get another chance to redeem ourselves in the rain.”

Sunday Schedule: Saturday's races were 25-minute timed races, but Sunday begins at 8:30 a.m. EST with 14 lap (or 35 minutes, whichever comes first) races on the docket. The weather forecast is dicier than Saturday's sunshine, with a nearly certain chance of rain at points throughout the day. All the action can be found at SCCA.com, including live timing, video and audio from the Hoosier Super Tour radio team. 

Race Winners: Provisional race results from Saturday’s Hoosier Super Tour at Sebring International Raceway with Class: Name, Hometown, Car follow.

American Sedan: Thomas West, Standish, Maine, Cadillac CTS-V
B-Spec: John Phillips, Sealy, Texas, Toyota Yaris
E Production: Maximilian Opalski, Conifer, Colorado, Mazda MX-5
F Production: Ken Kannard, Sebring, Florida, Mazda Miata
H Production: Leanna Wright, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Mini Cooper
Formula Atlantic: Christian Lall Dass, W Palm Beach, Florida, Swift 014a/Toyota
Formula Continental: Tim Minor, Fredericksburg, Virginia, Citation/Ford
Formula Enterprises 2: Charles Turner, Montpelier, Virginia, Formula Enterprises
Formula F: Nolan Allaer, Grosse Point, Michigan, Mygale SJ13/Honda
Formula Vee: Chris Jennerjahn, Hartford City, Indiana, Vortech/Volkswagen
Formula X: Nathan Byrd, Goodyear, Arizona, Elan DP08
GT-1: Jordan Bupp, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Chevrolet Camaro
GT-2: Andrew Aquilante, Chester Springs, Florida, Chevrolet Corvette
GT-3: Ray Stephenson, Miami, Florida, Mazda RX-7
GT-X: Jacek Mucha, Highland Beach, Florida, Cadillac Dallara
Spec Miata: Elivan Goulart, Shelton, Connecticut, Mazda Miata
Spec Racer Ford Gen 3: Brian Schofield, Lakeland, Florida, Spec Racer Ford
Prototype 1: Chip Romer, Lake Havasu City, Nevada, Elan DP02
Prototype 2: Sherman Chao, Palm Beach, Florida, Stohr WF1
Super Touring Lite: Danny Steyn, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Mazda MX-5
Super Touring Under: Thomas Noble, Minneapolis, Minnesota, BMW 330i
Touring 1: Mark Boden, Buffalo Grove, Illinois, BMW M3
Touring 2: Mark Boden, Buffalo Grove, Illinois, Porsche 911
Touring 3: Rob Hines, Arlington, Virginia, Nissan 370Z
Touring 4: Marshall Mast, Denver, Pennsylvania, Toyota 86

photo by Jon Krolewicz / Staff