Drennan Cruises to First Runoffs Gold at Mazda Raceway

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 Mark Drennan, of San Jose, California, took the popular hometown win in his third attempt at Spec Miata gold at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs® at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Andrew Carbonell, of Miami, Florida, and Brian Ghidinelli, of San Rafael, California, completed Friday’s podium. 
In his two previous races, Drennan’s best Runoffs finish was 11th place, at Road America, in 2013. At this year’s, Drennan started by taking the Tire Rack Pole Award then ran to a 1.734-second victory. Driving the No. 10 NoWifeNoKids/TFB/Riverbed Mazda Miata, Drennan led wire to wire in the 20-lap race that averaged 75.896 mph around the 11-turn, 2.238-mile circuit. He is now eligible for the Mazda SportsCar Racing Academy Club Racer Shootout, and a $75,000 ride in the 2015 SCCA Pro Racing Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires.
 
“This means everything,” Drennan said. “I’ve been after this prize for a long time. My buddy Brad Rampelberg did it, and I was just trying to follow in his footsteps. I had a couple failed attempts, went broke, and then came back to racing last year. I was so dedicated to making this attempt and making this happen today, since December of last year.
 
“I have to thank Jason Hoover and Atlanta Motorsports Group for building my cars. I also have to thank TFB. Those guys are amazing. I want to dedicate this to my mom and Tommy Olivier, who was taken too soon from us with cancer. It’s been a season dedicated to them, and a dream come true.
 
“Even though I took the pole, I was absolutely worried about the competition. Andrew put down a heck of a lap yesterday in trying conditions. I knew I had to be on my game, and the setup was just right.”
 
Carbonell, driving the No. 79 BSI Racing Mazda Miata, started the race third and did not have an easy path to his second-place finish. On Lap 11, Carbonell made a brave pass for second utilizing the pit lane exit to make the move around Kyle Kaiser stick. Later in the lap, Carbonell dropped two tires off track exiting Turn Six, allowing Kaiser to take second back on the entrance to the Corkscrew.
 
On Lap 12, Carbonell made the same move and held the position until the checkered flag fell.
 
“I really can’t thank everyone enough for the great and respectable race we had out there,” Carbonell said. “Turn Two seemed to be the only passing zone during the race. It turned out I could get on the brake before, and through, Two quite well.
 
“Brian [Ghidinelli] tried a couple times to make the same move on me, and it was tough to hold him off. Fortunately, we were able to make that happen.”
 
In the No. 12 Race Hero/Atlanta Motorsports Group/Miata Cage/TFB Mazda Miata, Ghidinelli was lurking in fourth for much of the race. As the laps ticked by, Ghidinelli made his move for third. On Lap 14, he used a pass similar to that used by Carbonell to get around Kyle Kaiser. From there he tried to get around Carbonell, but couldn’t make a safe pass.
 
“On the last couple laps, I had a bit of a push through the infield in Turns Three and Four,” Ghidinelli said. “Andrew [Carbonell] would get a little bit of a gap there. I think I was just a little better up the hill [heading toward Turns Seven and Eight] and also felt like we had a little edge in the brake zones. I just kept pushing deeper and deeper and the car stuck.
 
“Whenever I got the opportunity, I was trying to show my nose to try and spook Andrew [Carbonell] a bit. But he’s a very experienced driver, so I feel good to have finished where I did.”
 
Finishing just off the podium, in fourth, was Kyle Kaiser, of Santa Clara, California, driving the No. 88 TFB Mazda Miata. For 12 laps, Kaiser withstood the pressure of both Carbonell and Ghidinelli, but fell just six laps short of securing a podium finish.
 
Craig Berry, of Tyler, Texas, was a big mover during Friday’s race. He started in eighth, but was able to move to fifth in his No. 29 Berry Marble and Granite/East Street Racing Mazda Miata.
 
Joe Rombi, of Pebble Beach, California, drove his No. 48 Flying Meatball Mazda Miata from his starting position of 32nd to 20th, earning him the Sunoco Hard Charger award.
 
The 51st SCCA National Championship Runoffs®, The Pinnacle of American Motorsports, will crown Sports Car Club of America’s Club Racing National Champions at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Friday, October 10 through Sunday, October 12.
 
The live broadcast of all 27 National Championship races is available live at SCCA.com, along with live timing and notes. Each race will be on demand at a later date on SpeedcastTV.com.
Adam Sinclair
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