Dean Leads MX-5 Cup Field To Mid-Ohio For First Visit in Six Years
Jun. 7, 2012 - LEXINGTON, Ohio - For the first time since the inaugural season in 2006, the SCCA Pro Racing Playboy MX-5 Cup returns to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. It’s an appropriate return, with the track dubbed the “Most Competitive In the U.S.” hosting a series that many consider the same.
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| John Dean leads the Championship after four rounds (Weber photo) |
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While the names may have changed since that first season six years ago, the racing has not. Jim Daniels won by just 0.174-second in that race over Jason Saini (now a team owner and Grand-Am racer), and close finishes have been the norm.
Entering Round Five of the season, a close championship battle is also on tap. Currently, two-time winner John Dean leads the point standings by just 18 points in the No. 16 Projections Research/Sick Sideways MX-5.
Trailing Dean is the opening-round winner, Stevan McAleer, in the No. 28 CJ Wilson Children’s Charities/Blue Mercury Capital/RUfocused.com MX-5. McAleer is sandwiched between Dean and his Sick Sideways teammate, Christian Szymczak, who is just another five points behind in the No. 34 Projections Research/Sick Sideways MX-5.
And while the three rookies currently sit at the top of the standings, lurking within the hunt is a veteran of more MX-5 races than any other driver, Ara Malkhassian. Malkhassian is just 25 points behind Dean’s Championship lead in the No. 11 ALARA Racing MX-5, and one of two drivers – including his teammate Tim Probert in the No. 26 ALARA Racing MX-5 – who raced at Mid-Ohio in that 2006 race.
17-year-old Elliott Skeer won is racing this year as Mazda’s Club Racing Shootout winner, and sits fourth in points with a win at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the No. 17 MAZDASPEED/Sparco/Pelican Windows MX-5. In addition to McAleer and Skeer, CJ Wilson Racing will also feature Emilee Tominovich in the No. 19 TrueCar MX-5, Ari Straus in the No. 27 ModSpace/Monticello Motor Club machine, and Brandon Kidd in the No. 29 ModSpace MX-5.
Dean Copeland’s No. 7 Sync Speed/Copeland Motorsports MX-5 was battling for the win at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca before an unfortunate incident with a lapped car caught him out and he limped home with a third-place finish. Copeland could be a contender this weekend, as for the first time he has a teammate to compare data to with Alex Ratcliffe in the No. 07 Copeland Motorsports MX-5.
Nathan Sparks’ No. 3 OOTSK Performance MX-5 has a top-five finish at both Sebring and Mazda Raceway, and seems poised to battle for podium positions.
Also under the ALARA Racing garage, the brothers Mosing – Brent, in the No. 10 Frank’s International MX-5, and Jeff in the No. 11 Frank’s International/Race Now For Autism MX-5 – are both on track at Mid-Ohio this weekend. Brent is in his first season as an MX-5 racer, while Jeff makes his first start of the season following a handful of podium finishes a year ago. Harrison Williams’ No. 00 Albrecht & Associates/MorganKeegan/Region MX-5 completes the five-car team this weekend.
Four additional single car teams are also poised for a battle. Beth Chryst’s No. 2 Chryst Brothers Construction MX-5 continues to get faster. Tom Neel (No. 15 Parts Group/NEO MX-5) and Christian Tetzlaff (No. 23 Lanier Tech/MAZDASPEED MX-5) both missed the west coast swing after racing in Sebring, as did Dan Bender – who is now racing in his own No. 18 Bravo Trailers MX-5.
Additionally, six cars will participate in the Skip Barber Racing School MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge. The arrive and drive program features identical MX-5 machines with slightly fewer modifications than the Playboy MX-5 Cup class, providing a stepping stone for drivers wishing to enter into the pro ranks and running as a separate class in the race.
Track Records:
Qualifying Lap: 1:40.139 (81.175 mph), Jim Daniels, 2006
Race Lap: 1:40.181 (81.141 mph), Jason Saini, 2006
Average Speed: 79.611 mph, Jim Daniels, 2006
Margin of Victory: 0.174-second, Jim Daniels over Jason Saini, 2006
Previous Winners:
2006: Jim Daniels
Television: On Velocity; July 7, 12 p.m. (EDT)
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