Corvettes from Phoenix Performance are main contenders at 2018 National Runoffs
A smaller turnout seems to indicate that West Coast tracks like Sears Point in Sonoma can be too long a haul for a host of Corvette club racers from other parts of our vast country.
Countering this trend were 2 trailer loads of cars prepared by Phoenix Performance that made the 2,850 mile 42-hour haul from the Philadelphia area. Phoenix Performance has built a reputation for turning stock spec cars into leaders in the Touring classes beginning with the T1 C5 Corvette.
T1 Class
# 33 Andrew Aquilante, a perennial contender started on pole in his 2007 T1 C6 Corvette but was out-dueled by # 49 Kristofer Olsen’s 1991 Acura NSX Turbo World Challenge car from Shingle Springs CA, a mere 100 mile 2-hour haul.
Why not a C7? According to Andrew, the C6 works better than the C7 which is why that car is up for sale. Any takers??
Joe Aquilante later confided Andrew’s car had some additional mods outside the rules but they were not enough!
# 96 Adrian Wlotowski 2010 C6 & # 41 Michael Pettiford 2006 C6 were 4th & 5th in a 17-car field.
T2 Class
Phoenix-prepared Corvettes finished 3rd and 4th in the hotly-contested T2 class. # 37 Kurt Rezzatano in a 2007 C6 and # 73 Dave Sanders in a 2003 C5 ZO6 (plus the top 2) clocked some 2 seconds faster than the rest of 28 car field.
# 63 Bill Collins in his newly liveried 2004 made the top ten.
Other finishers were # 69 Dennis Nowak in a 2001 C5 ZO6, # 188 Carl Fung in a 2004 C5 ZO6 and # 93 Christopher Qualls in a 2001 C5 ZO6.
GT1 Class
# 64 Ken Davis and # 05 David Fershtand driving silhouette bodied C6 and C5 tube frame Corvettes respectively failed to complete the 20-lap race. Only 8 cars filled the grid in a class designed to compete in pro TA Trans Am series and GT3 spec series. In this case it was # 12 Michael Lewis (winner) in a Mustang-powered Jag XKR and # 77 Preston Calvert (2nd, see below) in a Porsche 991 GT3.
GT2 Class
# 77 Preston Calvert in his Phoenix-prepared Corvette C6 moved up to finish 3rd following a scrape between 2 faster qualifiers including the aforesaid Andrew Aquilante in a Phoenix-prepared Mustang. # 22 Olie Thordarson was 7th and # 35 Robert Kahn was 16th in a 23-car field. These Corvettes are eligible to race in the Trans Am TA3 class for pro drivers. The winner was veteran endurance racer # 5 Spencer Trenery in a Camaro from Fantasy Junction in Berkeley CA.
Photos courtesy of Justin McFarland from Oakland CA
Results compiled by Wayne Ellwood.
Continuing a mission to maintain the records for every Corvette that appeared in the SCCA national runoffs since 1965 and national points championships preceding from 1956-1964.
Click on link for multiple photos: https://corvetteregistry.smugmug.com/Cars/Corvettes-at-SCCA-Runoffs/Corvettes-at-Runoffs-2018/
Virginia International Raceway hosts the 2019 Runoffs.
