Gallagher wins Mazda MX-5 Cup race 2 at CTMP

Patrick Gallagher, of Thornville, Ohio, scored his second career SCCA Pro Racing Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires win at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, as part of the Mobil 1 Sportscar Grand Prix Presented by Hawk Performance, which served as Championship Round Eight of the 2015 season. Nathanial Sparks, of Spanish Fort, Alabama, crossed the line second, followed by Peter Portante, of Plainville, Connecticut.

In a race that was slowed only once, with four laps under the full-course yellow flag, that averaged 81.210 mph around the 10-turn, 2.459-mile circuit, Gallagher played the waiting game. In his No. 44 Howard Concrete Pumping MX-5, Gallagher kept himself within the top three positions throughout the entire 25-lap event. On Lap 23, he pounced by making the pass for the lead on Dean Copeland stick.The only full-course yellow was brought out when the No. 2 Chryst Bros. Construction/Studio Rhoad/Race 4 Domestic Violence Prevention MX-5 Driven by Beth Chryst made contact with the concrete barrier on the outside of the track between Turns Nine and 10. At that point, Gallagher sat second, but with time ticking down in the 45-minute race it was time to make a push for the front. With five laps left once the race was restarted, Gallagher planned to say in second and make a last-lap pass for the lead. However, the possibility of another full-course yellow forced Gallagher to take action earlier."Copeland and I worked like teammates today, because we had to," Gallagher said. "The Sick Sideways guys were working really well together up front, and hats off to them for being so hard to pass."I was content to follow Copeland until we had one to go. I felt like my car was better that his through Turns Five and Eight. [Jason] Hoover came over the radio and told me, 'There's a crash, get to the front.' So, I was able to get around Copeland in Turn 9. In the end the crash that happened with two laps left didn't bring out the yellow, but we were able to hold off the rest of the field for the win."Sparks started the race fourth, but had dropped back to fifth by the end of lap three. From that point, Sparks, in the No. 8 OOTSK Performance/Sick Sideways MX-5, was part of a three-way fight for fourth. When the full-course yellow was thrown, Sparks was in sixth place. Once the track returned to green, Sparks put in three laps then marched forward through the field. His pass for second took advantage of side-to-side contact between Portante and Dean Copeland, which allowed Sparks to win the drag race to the line."During the last couple laps, I definitely had some luck working on my side," Sparks said. "I was in the right place at the right time and was able to time everything just right. I was trying to keep a level head, but knew that the two drivers in front were going to bang heads at the end. It was a little unfortunate to see that, especially after the rest of the race was so clean."Those opening laps really showed how solid this series is, from a talent perspective. We had a train of 16 drivers running so closely. It was just incredible. This podium really pushed our efforts forward. Especially when you don't have a large budget, it helps with any support we get from Mazda for a good finish. I just love being on the podium because of the competition and proving that Sick Sideways, our team, can work really well together."In the No. 24 Intercity Lines MX-5, Portante started the race in eighth place. However, Portante said his race was defined by his last-lap pass of Dean Copeland. The result was contact between the two drivers as they headed through Turn 10 for the last time."I had to work my way back up from as low as 15th, at one point," Portante said. "I don't think I made many friends on the way back to the front, but I heard my teammate once say, 'If I wanted a friend, I'd buy a dog.' So, that was my approach. It was just time to get after it. I'm a little disappointed with third. We had second going into the last corner, but we'll just get at it, again, when we go to Road America."I made a little contact with Copeland in Turn Three. I've liked working with him throughout the year, but he just wasn't happy with the result. So, he kind of took it out on me for the rest of the lap. Into Turn Nine, he was along side of me trying to take second back and we made contact. That slowed both of us down and Sparks was able to get through to take second."Drake Kemper finished the race in a hard-fought fourth place. In his No. 99 Royal Rugby/Mazda Motorsports Development/BFGoodrich Tires MX-5, Kemper was drafting with his Sick Sideways teammate, John Dean, at the front of the pack until being swallowed up by the rest of the field on lap nine. From there, Kemper was left to claw his way back to the front of the lead pack.Dean Copeland crossed the finish line fifth in his No. 7 Copeland Motorsports/SyncSpeed Inc. MX-5. Copeland started the race in fourth and worked his way to the race lead by the end of lap 11. He was the leader until lap 23, when Gallagher was able to get around him in the esses portion of the track. The last three laps resulted in a heated battle among the front-running drivers.In the Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge, Ben Albano, of Greenwich, Connecticut, took home a second win during the weekend at the wheel of his No. 61 Project Yellow Light/Manfredi Jewels SBMX-5. Unlike the drivers in the Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup field, Albano's win was much more uneventful. After getting the lead during the opening laps, Albano snatched the lead and did not put a wheel wrong. That allowed him to hold the position until the checkered flag flew."I was able to tuck back into line in second at the start," Albano said. "I stayed there behind Sam Adams for a little while and was then able to pass him going in to Turn Eight. From there I just held onto the lead."Finishing second in class was Adams, of Richfield, Wisconsin, with Bryan Hixon, of San Antonio, Texas, completing the podium, in his No. 63 TheHotelContessa.com/Seven Devils Lodge SBMX-5.John Dean leaves Canada with the Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Championship lead with 370 points. Gallagher trails by only 12 markers in the Drivers' Standings, while Kemper sits third with 336 points.In the Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge drivers' standings, Robby Foley holds the lead with 389 points. Albano trails by 7 markers with Sam Adams having compiled 380 points.The next stop for the SCCA Pro Racing Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires will be Road America, Aug. 27-29, as part of the NASCAR XFINITY Series race weekend.Like the series on Facebook, at Facebook.com/MazdaMX5Cup, and follow the series on Twitter and Instagram @MazdaMX5Cup.Bowmanville, Ont., Can. – Results from Sunday's 45-minute SCCA Pro Racing Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires Round Eight race, part of the Mobil 1 Sportscar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park with position, class, starting position in parenthesis, driver, hometown, car, laps, and gap.1,MX,{2},Patrick Gallagher,Thornville Ohio,MX-5,25,2,MX,{5},Nathanial Sparks,Spanish Fort Ala.,MX-5,25,1.2233,MX,{8},Peter Portante,Plainville Conn.,MX-5,25,1.34,MX,{3},Drake Kemper,Toluca Lake Calif.,MX-5,25,1.3925,MX,{4},Dean Copeland,Bowie Md.,MX-5,25,1.5486,MX,{1},John Dean II,Sebring Fla.,MX-5,25,1.5527,MX,{6},Chad McCumbee,Ocean Isle Beach N.C.,MX-5,25,1.8018,MX,{10},Devin Jones,Mooresville N.C.,MX-5,25,2.0279,MX,{11},Ara Malkhassian,Houston Texas,MX-5,25,2.55410,MX,{12},Forrest Landy,Great Falls Va.,MX-5,25,2.73411,MX,{9},Timothy Paul,Mahopac N.Y.,MX-5,25,3.84812,MX,{14},Sarah Montgomery,Lafayette La.,MX-5,25,5.30413,MX,{13},Matt Koskinen(R),Harper Woods Mich.,MX-5,25,8.13414,MX,{16},Hernan Palermo(R),Houston Texas,MX-5,25,8.45315,MX,{15},Zach Lee,San Antonio Texas,MX-5,25,8.82316,MX,{18},Alex Bachoura(R),Houston Texas,MX-5,25,9.10117,MX,{19},Tim Probert,Houston Texas,MX-5,25,18.30418,MX,{20},Charles Paquin,Ottawa Ont. Can.,MX-5,25,20.65919,MX,{21},Brent Mosing,Lafayette La.,MX-5,25,20.92820,MX,{7},Kyle Loustaunau(R),Vacaville Calif.,MX-5,25,27.83421,MX,{17},Keith Jensen(R),Dallas Texas,MX-5,22,3 Laps22,MX,{22},Beth Chryst,Hemdon Va.,MX-5,14,Crash23,MX,{23},Marc Boily(R),West Chester Pa.,MX-5,,DNS1,SBMX,{25},Ben Albano,Greenwich Conn.,SBMX-5,25,2,SBMX,{24},Sam Adams,Richfield Wis.,SBMX-5,25,0.223,SBMX,{28},Bryan Hixon,San Antonio Texas,SBMX-5,25,0.3654,SBMX,{27},Nikko Reger,Houston Texas,SBMX-5,25,0.5885,SBMX,{29},Kieron O'Rourke,Grand Cayman,SBMX-5,24,1 Lap6,SBMX,{30},Chris Beaufait,Freeland Wash.,SBMX-5,24,1 Lap7,SBMX,{26},Robby Foley,Randolph N.J.,SBMX-5,11,MechImage: Patrick Gallagher tallied his second Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup win of the season, and his career, at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.Credit: Al Merion Padron