CORVETTE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SCCA RUNOFFS ON THE INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY ROAD COURSE OCT 1-3, 2021
Pouring rain kept # 33 Andrew Aquilante of Chester Springs PA from winning yet another GT2 title. When all was done, only six (6) cars were on the lead lap.
Tim Kezman of Franksville WI in the # 144 Porsche 991 GT3 swept past Andrew and ran off to win the 17-lap 50-mile race for his first title.
# 11 Justin Oakes, a phenom from Houston TX finished 3rd in his red hot Droneworks GSpeed C6 ZO6 in which he has already clinched the 2012 Pro Trans Am SGT class championship.
In the GT1 class on the following day, newcomer # 162 Dane Smith from Springdale AR Terps Dispensary C5 finished 4th in another race decided by wet conditions. His sponsor might be the first ever by a company that dispenses cannabis.
After a delayed start, Thomas Herb # 61 Porsche 991 from Barrington IL was the only car to pit for rain tires during an extended full course caution. Starting 13th, Herb easily dispatched all of the more powerful tube-frame V8s to win by over a full minute.
# 31 Dave Ruehlow from Hartland WI was 6th; # 122 Joseph Freda from Nostulga AL was 7th; and # 35 Robert Monette from Milton GA was 8th.
In the T2 class # 73 Dave Sanders, a longtime regular from Malvern PA finished a credible 4th in a 25-car field in this 2003 C5 ZO6 Corvette. The car is one of three prepared by Phoenix Performance (see below) in which John Heinricy a/k/a Heinrocket won a total of five (5) T1 titles.
Newcomers # 72 Brian La Croix from Hyannis MA was 8th and # 58 Larry Brady from Olathe KS was 15th.
In the T1 class, longtime regulars # 41 Michael Pettiford from Louisville CO; # 32 Joe Aquilante from Chester Springs PA, and # 86 Joseph Gaudette from Manassas VA were 9th, 15th and 19th respectively.
The Phoenix Performance operation founded by Joe Aquilante might be the most prolific supplier of production class Corvettes, Mustangs, Camaros and Subarus over the past 20 years prepared for the Runoffs.
Photos thanks to Kevin Bowman, www.kevinmbowman.com
