John Dean, of Sebring, Florida, will start Saturday’s Round Three race of the SCCA Pro Racing Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires from the top spot. Completing the top three positions were Chad McCumbee, of Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, and Patrick Gallagher, of Thornville, Ohio.
Dean, driving the No. 16 Bulb Jacket/Sick Sideways MX-5, was able to put in an early, fast lap in the 30-minute session. The weather conditions were threatening rain throughout the entire session, but held off until the end as the skies opened as the drivers headed back to the trailer. Dean registered a fast lap of 1:56.525 (82.489 mph) around the 13-lap, 2.67-mile circuit.
“I was super-focused getting into the car,” Dean said. “While on the grid, I just thought about what I wanted to do, and picture it in my head. Fortunately, the rain held off from coming down really hard until the session was done, and I don’t think it effected my times too much.
“Throughout the middle portion of the session, it seemed like some drivers began to slow down a little to follow a particular driver around. So, I think that brought the times down, in general, as the session ticked on. However, we were able to get our lap in before that.”
As a substitute driver in the No. 29 ModSpace MX-5, McCumbee adjusted quickly to the Mazda MX-5 that is different from the same model car he drives in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Series. McCumbee’s best lap was registered as a 1:56.712 (82.357 mph).
“The MMR guys have been working so hard on these cars,” McCumbee said. “We didn’t know I was going to be racing until the last minute, and these things are a little different than the Sport Tuner cars I am used to driving. We felt like we could be fast out of the box and the weekend would go well. That’s what happened yesterday during the test session.
“We had a good setup on Thursday, for the test sessions and practice, and then made some changes before today’s practice. Those changes took us in the wrong direction, so we went back to where we were and it felt really great. Fortunately the first lap out was the money lap.”
Gallagher drove to third place with a time of 1:56.789 (82.302 mph) in his No. 44 Howard Concrete Pumping MX-5.
“We’re happy with third place, but it’s not where we want to be,” Gallagher said. “With the qualifying rules, it’s hard to put in the best times possible. You have to figure out timing and things like timing when it comes to the rest of the traffic.
“All-in-all we have a good car for tomorrow. It’s race-able, so that’s the most important thing.”
Dean Copeland, of Bowie, Maryland, was fourth after completing a lap of 1:56.917 (82.212 mph) in his No. 7 Copeland Motorsports/SyncSpeed Inc. MX-5.
Round One race winner Drake Kemper logged a time of 1:56.789 (82.211 mph) at the controls of his No. 99 Royal Rugby/Mazda Motorsports Development/BFGoodrich Tires MX-5. That time was good enough for fifth place on Saturday’s grid.
In the Skip Barber MAZDASPEED Pro Challenge, Nikko Reger, of Houston, captured the top starting spot, in class. His lap of 2:01.175 (79.323 mph) allowed him to start in that position.
Set to start second is Ben Albano, of Greenwich, Connecticut, after setting a best lap of 2:01.321 (79.228 mph), at the controls of his No. 61 Project Yellow Light/Manfredi Jewels SBMX-5. Bryan Hixon, of San Antonio, Texas, completed the top three starters with a best time of 2:01.486 (79.120 mph) in the No. 63 TheHotelContessa.com/Seven Devils Lodge SBMX-5.
The SCCA Pro Racing Battery Tender Mazda MX-5 Cup Presented by BFGoodrich Tires is set to start race one, at 11:30 a.m. (CDT) on Saturday, with race two slated for a green flag, at 5:15 p.m. (CDT), on April 12.
Follow the series online at www.MX-5Cup.com. Like the series on Facebook at Facebook.com/MazdaMX5Cup and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @MazdaMX5Cup.
NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.
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