SCCA: Who Will Win the Runoffs, Pt 3

Just days away is the start of the most prestigious amateur road racing championship in North America: the SCCA National Championship Runoffs. This year taking place Sept. 21-27 at Daytona International Speedway, 2015 marks the first time the Runoffs has been at Daytona since 1969. The Sports Car Club of America's annual winner-take-all competition sees in excess of 500 road racers take to the track in the hopes of claiming gold – or at least make the winners earn their prize.

What follows is a listing prepared by SportsCar magazine, SCCA's official member magazine and sister publication to RACER magazine and RACER.com, containing the racers SportsCar's editors believe will stand atop the podium come the Sept. 21-27 race weekend.

To keep up on the action during Runoffs week, keep an eye on RACER.com. Also, head to www.scca.com/runoffs where you'll find a Runoffs race schedule and a link to the free, live video stream of all the races.

• Who Will Win the Runoffs, Pt 2

Formula Atlantic, Formula 1000, Formula Continental, Formula Mazda
WORDS Tom Schultz
IMAGE Clark McInnis

Conner Kearby and Michael Mallinen ran as tight as possible at last year's Runoffs before Kearby was able to seal the deal, and we expect this year's Formula Atlantic race to be a repeat performance. Kearby has concentrated on the East Coast pro Formula Atlantic series but has five Majors wins. Mallinen also is a past champion and can be expected to give Kearby all that he can handle. Knocking on the door, however, will be Tyler Hunter. Hunter leads the SCCA Nationwide Points and also has five wins to his tally. A dark horse will be Keith Grant – he has mostly driven the pro events this season, but past records indicate he is always a threat.
J.R. Osborne debuted a new Firman at last year's Runoffs and took the cake in Formula 1000. He has five wins so far this season, and we expect Daytona to be his sixth (and his fifth National Championship), but Alex Mayer, Gary Hickman, and Jeremy Hill will be knocking on the door. The class sleeper is Tyler Thielmann, who has come on strong in the Northern Conference.

Last year, Rob Allaer gave his full concentration on winning Formula Continental at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. He is as single minded this year, although he has never been to Daytona. This is surprising, since he lives in Florida. Nonetheless, he intends to take FC once again. "I have given my complete focus to preparing my Van Diemen to be fast on the banking, but to still have maneuverability in the infield," he says. "The infield is simple squirt and turn, but I still have to have a car that will handle the tight corners."

As far as his competition is concerned, Allaer thinks Tim Minor will be his toughest competitor. "Tim has been dominant in pro F2000 and should be tough at Daytona. Josh Saurino will be fast also."

Indeed, Saurino will be a threat. Meanwhile, Yufeng Luo has been honing his skills in the USF2000 series and Majors racing, making him the sleeper of the race.

The story this season in Formula Mazda has been a young lad who has come all the way from Australia to race in the U.S. Joseph Burton-Harris has made the long-range commitment pay off as he has seven wins this season.

"One can never plan for every eventuality, but I have been working to make sure that I am physically fit and mentally ready," Burton-Harris says of his prep for this year's Runoffs. "The team has been preparing a great car, and since it's a team effort, we will be ready."

Burton-Harris will have strong competition, as Darryl Wills is always a strong threat to win. Wills left the Runoffs last year with a sour taste in his mouth and will want to make up for that, and Michael Ottis has been having a stellar year and has every intention of taking the gold.

Formula F, Formula 500, Formula Vee
WORDS Sydney Davis
IMAGE Jeff Loewe

Tim Kautz is ready to take back the National Championship in Formula F, and we think he's going to do it. While Kautz will be coming to Daytona for the first time, this will be his eighth Runoffs appearance in 10 years of racing and, if we're right, he'll be adding a fourth National Championship trophy to his mantel.

"We have a lot to figure out in a short amount of time," Kautz says, "but that's what makes new venues exciting and challenging. This track is significantly different than anything we've run on, but we'll work hard and figure it out."

Kautz believes anyone who is gunning for gold will have to bring their best, including the best compromise in tire compounds and construction, car setup, and gearing, balancing between the infield road course and banked oval. We anticipate those with the best chances of that are Max Mallinen and Jeremy Grenier.

When discussing who will win Formula V, you'd be silly not to predict Michael Varacins for the win. He's been on the podium every year except two since 2006, and after last year's DNF, he's our pick to win this year. "I haven't raced at Daytona," Varacins admits, "but I've been practicing on computer simulators. I did the same last year for Laguna, and I was fastest from the first session, so I'm confident I'll be able to get up to speed quickly."

Varacins feels his chances are as good as anyone, but this race will come down to a lot of luck. The draft will, of course, play a huge role in the outcome, but Varacins believes there will be more at play. "On the last lap or two, who is around you and who decides to work with or against you can determine the outcome," he says. "It's going to be a lot about placing your car at the right place at the right time."

On the last lap, look for Charles Hearn and Stevan Davis to challenge Varacins for the win, but don't count out Laura Hayes (who also graces this month's cover), Robert Neumeister, and Rick Shields either.

In Formula 500, James Weida will be attempting to back up his 2013 National Championship with a second one. "I do not have any experience at Daytona," he tells us, "so I will be at a slight disadvantage. Hopefully, I will get up to speed quickly." We think he'll find that speed, so he's our pick for this year's F500 win.

The key to winning, Weida believes, is making sure your car is prepared and driving smart. But luck doesn't hurt either. And he'll need luck, as our picks for second and third, Jack Walbran and David Vincent, will be close in the draft looking for Weida to wobble.