Once again, 944 Spec waged an epic battle at Autobahn Country Club in July. Eric Kuhns started from the pole, followed by Neal Agran, Sudhir Chhikara, Ray Freundt and Gary Barton. Kuhns held the lead throughout, with Agran no more than two car lengths behind for 40 minutes straight. Agran waited patiently for Kuhns to make a mistake, but it was not to be. At the flag, Agran finished on Kuhns’ bumper. In the battle for 3rd, Chhikara spun in Turn 6 of lap one, yielding the position to Freundt. He tailed Freundt 30 minutes in, but was unable to retake third. Barton finished close behind in fifth.
On Sunday, it was again an epic battle. Agran seized the pole over Kuhns by .007 seconds. For the mathematically curious, that amounts to a 10-inch difference over the course of a lap. Agran held the lead through turns 1, 2 and 3 at the start, with Kuhns in hot pursuit. Agran was eventually able to use traffic to his advantage to open a small gap, which he stretched to an 8-second lead at the flag. Chhikara finished close behind in third, followed by Barton in fourth.
The season championship remains wide open with three events remaining. The fight for the top of the podium between Agran and Kuhns will come down to the final weekend. Blazquez, Chhikara, and Freundt remain in the running for podium positions, with Blazquez holding a small advantage to date.
Special thanks are due to Kelby and Jim Hartman of Pine Tree Motorsports, who continue to provide exceptional mechanical support to all entrants at every event. We were also excited to welcome Mike Cooper into the series at Autobahn. He will obtain his comp license next month at Mid Ohio and is already turning fast laps in his new car.
