​PORTLAND, Ore. (May 19, 2019) – Acknowledged as a premier amateur road racing series in North America, Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA® Super Tour winners can truly take pride in their accomplishment. But emerging victorious more than once in the same weekend at a single event, that’s something to be cherished. And that’s exactly what a handful of drivers achieved this weekend at Portland International Raceway (PIR) during a two-day event hosted by SCCA’s Oregon Region.


Driver Scotty B. White can legitimately lay claim to an exalted status after earning three first-place finishes over the course of 48 hours. On Saturday, White scooped up the Touring 3 (T3) win in his No. 0 GOT CDL?/Extreme CMT/Hawk Brakes Ford Mustang. On Sunday, White was again victorious in T3 on the 1.97-mile, 12-turn circuit, but also slipped into his Ford Mustang for a GT-3 win later in the day.


A racer who brought home two wins was Bill Collins, a serious challenger frequently seen at Hoosier Super Tour events. In his No. 63 Interstate Truck Driving School Chevrolet Corvette, Collins drove to both Touring 1 and Touring 2 victories on Sunday.


“This is the first time I’ve ever done this,” Collins said about grabbing two wins on the same day. “Racing in SCCA keeps me young. We love this stuff and I’m going to keep doing this forever. I’m almost 69 years old and I’m going strong.”


Speaking of strong, Formula Mazda champion Melvin Kemper took wins Saturday and Sunday in his No. 4 Goodyear MSR Formula Mazda. But the wins didn’t come easy. On both days, Kemper had to fight with Bill Weaver and his Star Formula Mazda.


“Bill got a really good jump Sunday, and it was on,” Kemper said. “I caught back up in traffic and we seesawed a little bit. He’s pretty quick and tough. Bill would’ve been really tough to pass ... but he got caught up a little bit in some traffic.”


B-Spec racer Cherie Storms, in the No. 16 WCS Motorsports Mazda 2, also managed back-to-back wins on the weekend. However, it came at a price. Cherie and her father, Ford Fiesta driver W.C. Storms, were fighting for the B-Spec victory when they both came across a portion of track slicked down by the fluids of another racecar.


“We were having a great race, me and my dad, and I was so happy keeping him behind me,” Cherie said. “But there must have been oil down in turn 12 and my car just took off and hit the wall, and dad took off behind me and we were both in the wall.


“I was able to get out of the wall and finish the race,” Cherie continued. “It was important for me to finish the race, even if they were slow laps. I’m just happy to finish and really happy to race with my dad. Big thanks to my dad ... and we got some work to do on these cars after this weekend.”


Other competitors who claimed double victories during the weekend included H Production’s Michael Cummings in the No. 32 Huffaker Engineering/Hoosier Tires Austin Healey Sprite, Formula 500’s Lance Spiering in his No. 29 KBS MK VII, Formula Continental® newbie Nick Persing in the No. 29 OPI Commercial Builders Inc Van Diemen RF00, Thomas Burt in his No. 45 SCCA Formula Enterprises 2 Mazda, Prototype 1 ace Jim Devenport in the No. 23 Cranbrook Group Norma M20F, Prototype 2 star Tim Day Jr. in his No. 8 Mere Mortal Apparel/George Dean Racing Engines Stohr WF1, GT-3 champion Collin Jackson in the No. 53 Specialty Engineering Nissan 240SX, Touring 4 driver Derrick Ambrose in the No. 70 CorkSport Mazda Performance/BFGoodrich/Monarch Inspections/G-LOC Brakes Mazda 3, Super Touring® Lite’s Kristina Etherington in the No. 96 EZ Racing Mazda RX-8, and Super Touring® Under’s Whitfield Gregg in the No. 22 TFB Mazda Miata.


With two of three Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA Super Tour events out west now complete, the series packs up and heads east for a May 31-June 2 weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio -- a venue that has hosted several SCCA National Championship Runoffs® over the years. More information can be found at www.SCCA.com.


Below are provisional winners from Sunday’s Portland International Raceway Hoosier Super Tour event with Class: Name, Hometown, SCCA Region and Car.
-B-Spec: Cherie Storms; Langley, BC; Northwest Region; Mazda 2
-E Production: Kale Swifts; Surrey, BC; Northwest Region; Mazda RX-7
-F Production: Steven Hussey; Los Altos, CA; San Francisco Region; Lotus 7
-H Production: Michael Cummings; Martinez, CA; San Francisco Region; Austin Healey Sprite
-Formula 500: Lance Spiering; Beaverton, OR; Oregon Region; KBS MK VII
-Formula 1000: James Blackwell; Olalla, WA; Northwest Region; Edge F1000
-Formula Atlantic®: John Purcell; Vancouver, BC; Northwest Region; Star Pro Formula Mazda
-Formula Continental®: Nick Persing; Morgan Hill, CA; San Francisco Region; Van Diemen RF00
-Formula Enterprises 2: Thomas Burt; Woodway, WA; Northwest Region; SCCA FE2 Mazda
-Formula F: Mark Keller; Snohomish, WA; Piper Northwest Region; DF05
-Formula Vee®: Dennis Andrade; Silverlake, WA; Northwest Region; Vortech
-Formula Mazda: Melvin Kemper; Toledo, WA; Northwest Region; MSR Formula Mazda
-GT-3: Collin Jackson; Langley, BC; Oregon Region; Nissan 240SX
-GT-2: Scotty B. White; Auburn, WA; Northwest Region; Ford Mustang
-GT-Lite: Paul Bunbury; Whistler, BC; Northwest Region; Honda Civic
-Prototype 1: Jim Devenport; Alamo, CA; San Francisco Region; Norma M20F
-Prototype 2: Tim Day Jr; Scottsdale, AZ; San Francisco Region; Stohr WF1
-Spec Miata: Steven Powers; Phoenix, AZ; Arizona Region; Mazda Miata
-Spec Racer Ford 3: Steve Fogg; West Linn, OR; Oregon Region; SCCA Enterprises SRF3
-Super Touring® Lite: Kristina Etherington; Henderson, NV; Las Vegas Region; Mazda RX-8
-Super Touring® Under: Whitfield Gregg; Bellevue, WA; Northwest Region; Mazda Miata
-Touring 1: Bill Collins; Saint Paul, MN; Land O’ Lakes Region; Chevrolet Corvette
-Touring 2: Bill Collins; Saint Paul, MN; Land O’ Lakes Region; Chevrolet Corvette
-Touring 3: Scotty B. White; Auburn, WA; Northwest Region; Ford Mustang
-Touring 4: Derrick Ambrose; Brush Prairie, WA; Oregon Region; Mazda 3
 
Photo: B-Spec racer Cherie Storms took two wins at the Portland Hoosier Super Tour
 
Photo Credit: Doug Berger

​PORTLAND, Ore. (May 18, 2019) – To be truthful, the weather in Northwest Oregon has been pretty wet as of late. So it’s no surprise that those competing in this weekend’s Hoosier Racing Tire SCCA® Super Tour at Portland International Raceway, an event hosted by SCCA’s Oregon Region, thought the 1.97-mile, 12-turn circuit would be damp at times. But that wasn’t the case for nearly all seven of Saturday’s race groups.


The day opened with Spec Racer Ford Gen3 taking the track under dry conditions. Todd Harris was on pole with his son, Calvin, starting second, followed by fierce competitors such as John Black, Mike Miserendino and Steve Fogg. After going three-wide at the start, Todd moved to the front. But for the next 15 laps, it was anyone’s race.


Fogg and Black looked strongest as the race neared its conclusion. But with just under five minutes remaining in the event, Black and Fogg touched, taking them both out of the running. The damaged cars could not be cleared in the time remaining, so the race was checkered. The winner became Calvin Harris in the No. 42 Pro Drive Racing/Flat Out Racing SRF3 car.


“Early on, I was just trying to play it safe and not make any mistakes,” said 20-year-old Calvin after the race. “I knew there was going to be a lot of passing. I figured if I just kept my cool, we could get there in the end.


“I’ve been watching Spec Racer Ford my whole life,” Calvin continued after receiving a big, congratulatory hug from his dad. “I’ve looked up to a lot of the guys I went up against today. To come out on top just means more than anything. When I came around and saw the checkered flag, I couldn’t control my emotions.”


On a side note, Calvin was not the youngest driver to win Saturday. That honor falls to 15-year-old Formula Continental® racer Nick Persing who brought home his No. 29 OPI Commercial Builders Inc Van Diemen RF00 a winner after a great battle with fellow competitor Rick Payne. And in another family affair, B-Spec racer Cherie Storms, in the No. 16 WCS Motorsports Mazda 2, managed to get the better of her father, WC Storms, who was driving a Ford Fiesta in the B-Spec race.


“I just raced my dad for the first time ever,” Cherie said with a huge grin after the race. “I didn’t expect to beat him, and this is actually my first win in SCCA. I will never forget this.”


The second race group of the day saw an amazing battle develop in the Touring 2 class. The No. 69 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 of Denis Novak started on pole. At the back of the field was T2 competitor Bill Collins in his Chevrolet Corvette. Why make mention of a driver starting at the rear of the field? Well, because Collins charged through the pack and chased Nowak down within a handful of laps. What developed was a fantastic battle for the lead, with both drivers taking turns at the front. But after the 25-minute race, Nowak edged out Collins by just .082-second at the finish line.


“I was surprised to see Bill after only the second lap, but there he was right behind me,” Nowak said. “He can out brake me, but I’ve got just a tiny bit more motor. It was a chess game. But I knew if I could drag him to the finish, I could get him. It was a lot of fun.”


Continuing the day’s excitement was Formula Atlantic® where John Purcell led Jay Horak for more than half the race. But with five laps to go, the two competitors, each driving a Star Pro Formula Mazda, ran into traffic. Horak, in the No. 37 AutoEnginuity car, got the edge and held on for the win.


“John got caught in traffic,” Horak explained. “It was a drag race down the back straight ... and we were three wide, and all three of us are teammates. But I held the peddle in, I braked a lot less than I normally would, so it was a Hail Mary. That put me in the position to win.”


An equally exciting open-wheel race developed later in the Formula F (FF) class. Neil Shelton, in a Swift DB-1, was easily cream of the FF crop Saturday. He had a commanding lead right up until he pulled off track and into the pits. That handed the lead to the Piper DF05 of Mark Keller, who was being aggressively chased by the No. 38 R&A Manufacturing Swift R&A DB-1 of Larry Bangert. That battle came right down to the final lap with Bangert getting by Keller and holding on for victory by the slightest of margins.


“I knew Mark couldn’t beat me from turn nine to the finish line. So, I knew I had to be in front by then on the last lap,” Bangert said after the win. “We had a really tight battle through turn seven; we were side-by-side. I got by and held Mark off the back half of the lap. I’m glad to take the win.”


Once again, Saturday’s activities closed with volunteers, competitors, crews and families gathering for beverages and Mexican food at the All Participant Party. Sunday morning, PIR with be buzzing again as a second round of qualifying for each of the seven races groups begins at 9 a.m. local time. Follow all the action live at www.scca.com/live.


Below are provisional winners from Saturday’s Portland International Raceway Hoosier Super Tour event with Class: Name, Hometown, SCCA Region and Car.
-B-Spec: Cherie Storms; Langley, BC; Northwest Region; Mazda 2
-E Production: Darren Dilley; Hillsboro, OR; Oregon Region; Mazda RX-7
-F Production: Parker Johnstone; Wilsonville, OR; Oregon Region; MG Midget
-H Production: Michael Cummings; Martinez, CA; San Francisco Region; Austin Healey Sprite
-Formula 500: Lance Spiering; Beaverton, OR; Oregon Region; KBS MK VII
-Formula Atlantic®: Jay Horak; Mesa, AZ; Arizona Region; Star Pro Formula Mazda
-Formula Continental®: Nick Persing; Morgan Hill, CA; San Francisco Region; Van Diemen RF00
-Formula Enterprises 2: Thomas Burt; Woodway, WA; Northwest Region; SCCA FE2 Mazda
-Formula F: Lawence Bangert; Issaquah, WA; Northwest Region; Swift R&A DB-1
-Formula Vee®: Robert Posner; Bellevue, WA; Northwest Region; Protoform P2
-Formula Mazda: Melvin Kemper; Toledo, WA; Northwest Region; MSR Formula Mazda
-GT-3: Collin Jackson; Langley, BC; Oregon Region; Nissan 240SX
-GT-Lite: Scott Twomey; Tacoma, WA; Northwest Region; Toyota Tercel
-Prototype 1: Jim Devenport; Alamo, CA; San Francisco Region; Norma M20F
-Prototype 2: Tim Day Jr; Scottsdale, AZ; San Francisco Region; Stohr WF1
-Spec Miata: Glenn Nixon; Mission, BC; Oregon Region; Mazda Miata
-Spec Racer Ford 3: Calvin Harris; Portland, OR; Oregon Region; SCCA Enterprises SRF3
-Super Touring® Lite: Kristina Etherington; Henderson, NV; Las Vegas Region; Mazda RX-8
-Super Touring® Under: Whitfield Gregg; Bellevue, WA; Northwest Region; Mazda Miata
-Touring 1: Marc Hoover; Shingle Springs, CA; Arizona Region; Chevrolet Corvette
-Touring 2: Denis Nowak; Edmonton, AB; Oregon Region; Chevrolet Corvette Z06
-Touring 3: Scotty B. White; Auburn, WA; Northwest Region; Ford Mustang
-Touring 4: Derrick Ambrose; Brush Prairie, WA; Oregon Region; Mazda 3


Photo: Spec Racer Ford Gen3 winner Calvin Harris (No. 42) leads his father, Todd, through the Festival Chicane at Portland International Raceway.
Photo Credit: Doug Berger