SCCA: Cat Majors in Wisconsin, Day 1

After a scorching SCCA U.S. Majors Tour event at New Jersey Motorsports Park last week, terrific weather has enveloped racers this weekend at the SCCA Cat Majors at Road America hosted by the Milwaukee Region in Elkhart Lake, Wis.

Taking advantage of terrific conditions was Touring 2 racer Matt Slavens in his 997 Porsche. In the opening race of the day, Slavens had an interesting battle early with a man accustomed to winning, Mark Boden in his M3 BMW. Boden had the lead at the start, but Slavens was right in his shadow and able to attain the top spot by lap five. Ultimately, he got the win.

"In the back portion of the track, my Porsche was a little faster. The front section of the track, the BMW was much faster," Slavens said. "It made for a great battle out there. Lots of fun. Mark is an excellent driver, so it's a big accomplishment just to pass him."

Danny Weyls, driving a Van Diemen DP-08, experienced similar excitement on the way to his win in Formula Continental during the 25-minute race on the four-mile, 14-turn circuit.

"The racing was tight. It was a battle royale the whole time," Weyls noted while guzzling down water after the challenge. "There was a lot of pressure at the beginning. Then myself and the secondplace finisher had a great fight for threequarters of the race. It was just awesome. He was in my mirrors the whole time. I couldn't shake him, but it worked out good in the end."

Things working out well in the end really summarizes the Spec Miata race Saturday for winner Adam Roberts. He started third, but then had some troubles early on that forced him to fight back to the front.

"I got freight-trained and ended up back in fifth," Roberts said. "I knew I had a good car because I had no trouble keeping up with the lead pack. Toward the end of the race, we all went down into Turn 5 and there was some trouble. A few cars got taken out and that moved me a couple spots up to third. Then I grabbed second before having a great battle on the last lap. I had a great run coming out of Turn 14 and was able to get ahead before the checkered."

Competition continues Sunday at the SCCA Cat Majors at Road America with 13lap or 35minute afternoon races. Follow all the action live at www.scca.com/live.

RESULTS:

Saturday's SCCA Cat Majors at Road America with Class: Name, Hometown and Car.

American Sedan: Edward Hosni; Hilliard, OH; Ford Mustang

BSpec: David Daughtery; Fortville, IN; Honda Fit

E Production: Rob Hummel; McHenry, IL; Mazda RX7

F Production: John Walker; Richland, MI; Lotus Super 7

H Production: Greg Gauper; Hubertus, WI; Honda Civic

Formula 1000: Glenn Cooper; Roswell, GA; Van Diemen F1000

Formula 500: James Weida; West Lafayette, IN; Scorpion W1

Formula Atlantic: Austin Mack; Warren, RI; Mazda Swift 016

Formula Continental: Danny Weyls; Medina, OH; Van Diemen DP08

Formula Enterprise: Scott Rettich; Columbus, OH; Formula Enterprise

Formula F: Neil Verhagen; Abbottstown, PA; Honda Mygale

Formula Vee: Andrew Whitston; Neenah, WI; Protoform P2

GT1: Cliff Ebben; Neenah, WI; Ford Mustang

GT2: AJ Henriksen; Elgin, IL; Chevrolet Camaro

GT3: George Cichon Jr; Rockton, IL; Mazda RX7

GTLite: Christopher Bovis; Lawrence, KS; Honda CRX SI

Prototype 1: Jason Miller; Sheboygan Falls, WI; WynnFurst

Prototype 2: Jake Thielmann; Kiel, WI; Stohr WF1

Spec Miata: Adam Roberts; Hilliard, OH; Mazda Miata

Spec Racer Ford 3: Tray Ayres; Gainesville, GA; Ford SRF3

Spec Racer Ford: Scott Rettich; Columbus, OH; SCCA Enterprises SRF

Super Touring Lite: Rich Walke; Hawthorn Woods, IL; Mazda RX7

Super Touring Under: David Daly; Edina, MN; Volkswagen Golf

Touring 1: Cameron Cassel; Coldstream, BC; BMW E46

Touring 2: Matt Slavens; Davenport, IA; Porsche 997

Touring 3: Paul Kwiecinski; Northbrook, IL; Mazda MX5

Touring 4: James Ebben; Appleton, WI; Mazda MX5

Photo: Formula Atlantic racer Austin Mack continued his win streak at Saturday's Cat Majors, part of the SCCA U.S. Majors Tour.

Credit: Digital Automotive Depictions