Mazda MX-5 Cup: Kemper wins Race 1 at Sebring

Drake Kemper drove his way to the front of the SCCA Pro Racing Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires field to take the Round One win at Sebring International Raceway, as part of the 63rd Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida. John Dean finished second with Patrick Gallagher in third.

Kemper, at the controls of his No. 99 Mazda Motorsports Development/BFGoodrich Tires MX-5, started Thursday's race in fifth, but was not to be denied a win by the time the checkered flag fell. Kemper continued to show the same dogged determination he displayed during the offseason to improve as a racecar driver. By lap five, Kemper was in the lead and never looked back, as he pulled out a two-second gap over the rest of the field at the 17-turn, 3.74-mile circuit, before the full-course yellow was displayed. The checkered flag flew early as a result of a damaged car in Turn 17.

"The race season is seven months long, but the work I put in during the five months since last season makes it feel like the season never ended," Kemper said. "I was working the whole time. I lost 45 pounds and have been coaching and driving as much as I could. I was also communicating with Sick Sideways the entire time.

"At this racetrack, if you're in the draft, you want to be in third on the last lap. I figured if we were going to go back to green after the full-course yellow, I was going to need to complete the best laps of my life. Luckily, we checkered under yellow. It's not the way anybody wants to win, but we're thankful that is what happened."

In the No. 16 Bulb Jacket/PPG MX-5, Dean was also charging when the yellow came out. From eighth on the grid, Dean improved seven positions. That performance earned him a $500 bonus for the Battery Tender Hard Charger Award. On the opening lap Dean had already climbed to fifth, then began to claw his way through the leaders before the full course caution was displayed at the beginning of lap 15.

"That race was a best-case scenario for me," Dean said. "I was a little worried about my physical state on the grid, since I have been very ill for the past few days. I started the race and everything felt pretty good. There were a couple places on track where I was struggling, but that's the nature of racing.

"We're really happy. I didn't expect to finish second, but I'm extremely pleased. I'm a little bummed for Nathanial Sparks, who got tangled up out there. But, we're looking for a better finish tomorrow."

Gallagher started on the pole, in his No. 44 Howard Concrete Pumping MX-5, but lost a few positions during the opening laps. He was in the lead pack for the entire race but was unable to match the pace of the two Sick Sideways cars as the full-course yellow was displayed.

"We were just riding there waiting for the last couple laps," Gallagher said. "We got shuffled back when contact happened between Tim Paul and [Nathanial] Sparks. It took all three of the Sick Sideways guys to beat us today, and they did a good job. So, hats off to them.

"I would have liked to have seen what would have happened if we had gone green for the entire race. I think we had the car to beat. We'll see what we can do tomorrow, in Round Two."

Dean Copeland finished fourth in a hard-fought battle at the wheel of this No. 7 Copeland Motorsports/Sync Speed Inc. MX-5. Starting eighth, Copeland worked his way forward.

Sparks completed the top five. In the No. 8 OOTSK Performance/Sick Sideways MX-5, Sparks was part of the battle for the lead, but fell back while battling Kyle Loustaunau in the closing laps of the race.

In the Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge, Ben Albano drove his No. 61 Project Yellow Light SBMX-5 to victory. Staring fourth in class, Albano put in a masterful drive to take the season-opening win.

"That was an awesome race, I'm just super excited to take the first win of the season," Albano said. "I just ran my race, and bided my time, until the yellow flag came out. I'm just glad it all worked out.

"When the yellow flag came out, I just wanted to take things as they came. You can't control when the yellow flag will be lifted, or what will happen after going back to green. All you have to do is put yourself in the best position possible, and that's what I did."

Finishing second in class was polesitter Robby Foley, of Randolph, New Jersey, followed by Sam Adams.

Round Two of the SCCA Pro Racing Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires is slated for a 7:45 a.m. start on Friday.

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SEBRING, FL - Results from Thursday's 15-lap, 56.1-mile SCCA PRO Racing Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires Round One race, part of the 63rd Annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh from Florida at Sebring International Raceway, with finishing position, class, starting position in parentheses,
driver, hometown, car, purse, laps and reason out (if any).

1. MX, (5), Drake Kemper, Toluca Lake, Calif., MX-5, $3750, 15.
2. MX, (9), John Dean, Sebring, Fla., MX-5, $2750, 15, -1.245.
3. MX, (1), Patrick Gallagher, Thornville, Ohio, MX-5, $2250, 15, -2.955.
4. MX, (8), Dean Copeland, Bowie, Md., MX-5, $2000, 15, -3.770.
5. MX, (3), Nathanial Sparks, Spanish Fort, Ala., MX-5, $1750, 15, -5.573.
6. MX, (2), Timothy Paul, Mahopac, N.Y., MX-5, $1650, 15, -6.343.
7. MX, (11), Devin Jones, Mooresville, N.C., MX-5, $1550, 15, -7.459.
8. MX, (10), Britt Casey, Inverness, Ill., MX-5, $1450, 15, -9.566.
9. MX, (14), Zach Lee, San Antonio, Texas, MX-5, $1350, 15, -10.709.
10. MX, (15), Sarah Montgomery, Lafayette, La., MX-5, $1250, 15, -12.464.
11. MX, (16), Hernan Palermo(R), Houston, Texas, MX-5, 15, -13.319.
12. MX, (7), Peter Portante, Plainville, Conn., MX-5, 15, -14.625.
13. MX, (18), Tim Probert, Houston, Texas, MX-5, 15, -16.657.
14. MX, (19), Christian Tetzlaff, Athens, Ga., MX-5, 15, -17.508.
15. MX, (25), Keith Jensen(R), Dallas, Texas, MX-5, 15, -22.200.
16. MX, (24), Charles Paquin, Ottawa, Ontario, MX-5, 15, -23.665.
17. MX, (22), Harrison Williams, Houston, Texas, MX-5, 15, -28.148.
18. MX, (21), Beth Chryst, Herndon, Va., MX-5, 15, -29.470.
19. MX, (23), Aurora Straus(R), New York, N.Y., MX-5, 15, -52.310.
20. MX, (4), Kyle Loustaunau(R), Vacaville, Calif., MX-5, 12, Mech.
21. MX, (17), Nick Igdalsky(R), Berwyn, Pa., MX-5, 10, -5 lap.
22. MX, (6), Sebastian Landy, Great Falls, Va., MX-5, 9, Mech.
23. MX, (13), Matt Koskinen(R), Harper Woods, Mich., MX-5, 5, Crash.
24. MX, (12), Ara Malkhassian, Houston, Texas, MX-5, 5, Mech.
25. MX, (20), Brent Mosing, Lafayette, La., MX-5, 0, Mech.

1. SBMX, (29), Ben Albano, Greenwich, Conn., SBMX, 15.
2. SBMX, (26), Robby Foley, Randolph, N.J., SBMX, 15, -.773.
3. SBMX, (30), Sam Adams, Richfield, Wis., SBMX, 15, -1.184.
4. SBMX, (27), Bryan Hixon, San Antonio, Texas, SBMX, 15, -2.470.
5. SBMX, (28), Nikko Reger, Houston, Texas, SBMX, 15, -8.442.
6. SBMX, (31), Kieron O'Rourke, Grand Cayman, SBMX, 15, -12.068.
7. SBMX, (32), Chris Beaufait, Freeland, Wash., SBMX, 15, -35.206.

Time of race: 40 minutes, 00.617 seconds.
Average speed: 84.128 mph
Margin of victory: 1.245 Seconds
Lap leaders: Laps 1-3, #6 Timothy Paul; laps 4-15, #99 Drake Kemper(R)
Fastest race lap: #6 Timothy Paul, 2:29.730 (89.921 mph)
Fastest qualifier: #44 Patrick Gallagher, 2:31.071 (89.123 mph)

Image: Drake Kemper took the Round One win at Sebring International Raceway.
Credit: Al Merion Padron