NASA Great Lakes and Midwest set up camp one last time in 2013 at Putnam Park. Spec Miata group was represented by 14 drivers.
Saturday warm-up was a very wet race surface, but the track was quick for qualifying, and Justin Hille continued his front-running ways, taking pole for the first race. Chris Price took P2, while Bruce Myrehn snagged third.
As the lunch hour came, it rained hard! But just as race time neared, the rain stopped and smart phone apps indicated dry tires were the right call, all except Keller who decided on rain-tires and disconnected sway bars. When the green flag flew, cars slid around the track. Hille and Price jumped out to a quick lead with Price pulling Hille for a majority of the wet-but-drying race.
As the track dried, George Clos Jr. and Ken Brinkman fought for third, while Price kept an eye on his rearview mirror, negotiated traffic and kept Hille at bay. Ultimately Price was able to keep the charging car at bay, finishing first with Hille just .213 seconds behind him at the line. After the yellow flag adjustments, George Clos Jr. took the last podium spot.
The second race of the double header had a grid determined by fast lap of the earlier race. Hille again started on pole, followed by Brinkman in second. Keller placed third.
As the pack led by Hille and Brinkman headed out of Turn 10 to take the green, the track was almost completely dry. When the green dropped, shuffling began instantly. By the time the group had cleared Turn 4, Hille was in the lead, Price was in second and Brinkman held third.
Price and Hille began to battle for first while managing out-of-class traffic, that often wanted to race in Spec Miata. Bob Keller and Chris Williams got around Brinkman, but Keller, who had forgotten to reconnect sway bars from the previous race, gave up third to Williams early in the race.
Hille was able to control the traffic and Price, winning the final race of the year just .312 seconds over Price. Williams took third, after failing to negotiate out of class traffic as proficiently as Hille and Price.
Price took home fast lap of the race at 1:22.738, while Williams and Jamie Clos shared the hard charger award both improving four slots during the race.
