MX-5 Cup: Dean notches fourth season win at Road Atlanta

John Dean led flag to flag in Round 11 of the SCCA Pro Racing Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires, part of the Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda at Road Atlanta. Drake Kemper and Nathanial Sparks completed the first podium sweep for Sick Sideway.

Dean, in the No. 16 Bulb Jacket/PPG/Sick Sideways MX-5, started the 45-minute race from the pole and led all 19 laps which averaged 64.407 mph and was slowed by four laps of full-course yellow at the 12-turn, 2.54-mile road course. Track conditions were at the forefront of everyone's mind. Heavy rains rolled through the Braselton area during the mid-afternoon, leaving the circuit extremely wet. From that point on, off and on rain continued until the start of the late-afternoon race. With the drama of a wet or drying track out of the equation, the race would be decided by which driver could negotiate the slippery course most successfully.The damp conditions were a contributing factor to the incident that necessitated the full-course yellow to cover the cleanup. As the field came by the flag stand to complete lap 7, Tyler Kicera, in the No. 41 TAIT/LMC Home Loans MX-5, lost control and started to spin to the inside of the circuit, on the driver's right-hand side. As Kicera tried to correct the spin, the car swung around and came back across the track moving from driver's right to left. Kyle Loustaunau, in the No. 4 Mazda Motorsports Development/BFGoodrich Tires MX-5, and Timothy Paul, in the No. 6 ALARA Racing/Cellmark MX-5, were collected.Following the restart, Dean was able to hold off his pursuers, driving to victory with his teammates behind him."It was an awesome result," Dean said. "We came into the race debating whether we were going to run rain tires or dry tires. When we headed to the grid, it started to rain so that made the decision easy. We put the wet setup on the car and nailed it. During testing, Drake [Kemper] was flying and [Sparks] hasn't even raced in the rain before and we were able to triple-podium. Our hands are going to be stinging tomorrow from high fives."For the restart, I knew Drake [Kemper] and Sparks were back there and knew they were going to take some flak. I wanted to do what I could to help them out. There are some places you can put the car to help in utilizing the draft to help the guy in third. The two of us at the front just tried to put our cars where we could to help Sparks. I still don't know how he was able to pull it out, since he had so much pressure from the rest of the field."Kemper, in the No. 99 Royal Rugby/Mazda Motorsports Development/BFGoodrich Tires MX-5, finished second. This was the fourth podium finish for Kemper, this season. By lap three, Kemper had made his way up to second from his fourth-place starting position. During those opening laps, Kemper battled with Patrick Gallagher until making his move for second stick."That race was insane," Kemper said. "We had qualified one-two-three and were just praying for rain. When we tested, the cars just felt solid. We had an awesome setup, and when you qualify in the top three positions you are supposed to finish in the top three positions. Fortunately, we were able to do that."The BFGoodrich g-Force T/As were sticky and smooth the whole time. If you got yourself into a bad situation, you were able to pull yourself right out. I couldn't have been happier with the performance of the tires."Once Kemper secured his pass for second, Sparks began his attack. Sparks, at the controls of the No. 8 OOTSK Performance/Sick Sideways MX-5, was able to make his way around Gallagher to start lap 8. When the full course-yellow was displayed Sparks slotted into third, behind his teammate. He was able to get a good jump on the lap-12 restart, which was all that was needed to hold onto the position for the remaining eight laps."Having not run the test day in the wet, it was feeling pretty nervous about the first few laps," Sparks said. "Fortunately, it wasn't a downpour, but it was plenty wet. I have done a couple sessions before now that were wet like this, so I had some prior experience. I wasn't too worried once I got out there to see what the track was really like. I just couldn't match the pace of John [Dean] and Drake [Kemper] as they just pounded out laps."I had a great battle with Patrick Gallagher and fortunately was able to come out on top. Out there in the wet, it's all about getting back to the power because your best chance to beat the other guy is going into the brake zone of the next turn. If you hit the throttle too hard and have just a little wheel spin, that's what will allow that guy behind you to start really hounding you."Gallagher, a championship contender in the No. 44 Howard Concrete Pumping MX-5, started a charge toward the front of the field after the initial green flag. However, once Gallagher got to second during lap two, Dean had put plenty of distance between himself and the rest of the field. As Gallagher tried to reel Dean in, the Sick Sideways duo proved to have the outright speed in the difficult conditions.Charlie Hays, behind the wheel of a Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup machine for the first time, drove his No. 54 Atlanta Motorsports Group MX-5 to a fifth-place finish.In the Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge, Nikko Reger brought home his second win of the season. By the end of lap six, Reger took the class lead and would not relinquish it except to Robby Foley who led the class at the stripe after getting a massive jump on the field during the mid-race restart."We started with a setup that leaned more toward a dry one," Reger said. "We were just waiting for the track to dry slightly. I just spent my time hitting my marks and doing what I could to make positions. Unfortunately, Foley got around me on the restart but I got back around him pretty quickly since we were able to get off the corners pretty well."In the championship, it brings things a lot closer. I'm not sure exactly where we are, but we just have to come out tomorrow and run as hard as we can."Completing the top three positions in the class were Sam Adams and Robby Foley.Mike Iler had a strong finish in the No. 66 BFGoodrich Tires SBMX-5. This race marked Iler's professional debut after he was named the top amateur performance driver by Motor Trend and Four Wheeler magazines in the BFGoodrich Are you Driver Enough competition.In the Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup standings, Dean held onto the top position in the standings with 607 points. After Dean was able to stretch his point lead, Gallagher's deficit grew from seven to 23 markers. Sparks sits in third with 544 points.In the Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge, Foley still holds the lead with 609 points. With the most recent race in the books, Sam Adams was able to jump to second only one marker behind Foley. Ben Albano sits third with 606 points.Round 12 of the SCCA Pro Racing Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires 2015 campaign will take place Friday at 9:00 a.m. (EDT), with the year-end banquet to follow.Stay up to date with the series by visiting MX-5Cup.com. Like the series on Facebook at Facebook.com/MazdaMX-5Cup and follow the series on Twitter and Instagram @MazdaMX5Cup.Results from Thursday's 45-minute SCCA Pro Racing Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires Round 11 race, part of the Petit LeMans Powered by Mazda at Road Atlanta with position, class, starting position in parenthesis, driver, hometown, car, laps, and gap.1,MX,{1},John Dean II,Sebring Fla.,MX-5,19,02,MX,{3},Drake Kemper,Toluca Lake Calif.,MX-5,19,0.3343,MX,{2},Nathanial Sparks,Spanish Fort Ala.,MX-5,19,0.6644,MX,{4},Patrick Gallagher,Thornville Ohio,MX-5,19,1.6145,MX,{8},Charlie Hays,Walnut Creek Calif.,MX-5,19,1.8476,MX,{10},James Vance,Toronto Ont.,MX-5,19,2.1537,MX,{12},Ara Malkhassian,Houston Texas,MX-5,19,11.9038,MX,{6},Peter Portante,Plainville Conn.,MX-5,19,12.2739,MX,{7},Devin Jones,Mooresville N.C.,MX-5,19,12.65710,MX,{20},Zach Lee,San Antonio Texas,MX-5,19,13.34511,MX,{11},Sarah Montgomery,Lafayette La.,MX-5,19,13.76112,MX,{15},Tim Probert,Houston Texas,MX-5,19,16.83413,MX,{19},Alex Bachoura(R),Houston Texas,MX-5,19,18.31514,MX,{21},Russell Walker,Dallas Texas,MX-5,19,18.72715,MX,{18},Keith Jensen(R),Dallas Texas,MX-5,19,22.29116,MX,{22},Christian Tetzlaff,Athens Ga.,MX-5,19,34.04417,MX,{16},Brent Mosing,Lafayette La.,MX-5,19,34.68118,MX,{17},Sam Barnett,Charlotte N.C.,MX-5,19,35.68819,MX,{14},Tyler Kicera,Manheim Pa.,MX-5,7,12 Laps20,MX,{9},Kyle Loustaunau(R),Vacaville Calif.,MX-5,7,12 Laps21,MX,{5},Timothy Paul,Mahopac N.Y.,MX-5,7,12 Laps22,MX,{23},Aurora Straus(R),New York N.Y.,MX-5,7,12 Laps23,MX,{13},Dean Copeland,Bowie Md.,MX-5,4,15 Laps1,SBMX,{25},Nikko Reger,Houston Texas,SBMX-5,19,47.6932,SBMX,{24},Sam Adams,Richfield Wis.,SBMX-5,19,48.0353,SBMX,{26},Robby Foley,Randolph N.J.,SBMX-5,19,54.3024,SBMX,{27},Ben Albano,Greenwich Conn.,SBMX-5,19,54.7835,SBMX,{28},Mike Iler,Highland Calif.,SBMX-5,19,01:10.66,SBMX,{29},Kieron O'Rourke,Grand Cayman,SBMX-5,19,01:13.37,SBMX,{32},Bryan Hixon,San Antonio Texas,SBMX-5,19,01:14.28,SBMX,{30},Sam Schecter,,SBMX-5,19,01:14.99,SBMX,{31},Chris Beaufait,Freeland Wash.,SBMX-5,18,1 LapImage: John Dean drove to a win in Round 11 of the Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup at Road Atlanta.Credit: Al Merion Padron