Honda Challenge returned to Savannah Georgia at Roebling Road Raceway for another great NASA Southeast event. The morning started with a jam-packed all racer warmup session allowing everyone to warm up their cars, tires and brains.
In H1, Jeffrey Bankston set the pole with Andrew Hicks on his tail within 1 second. Rob Oxford was in a new car making final adjustments and didn’t make it on track to qualify. In H2 the Argyle Civic driven by Michael Kramer set the pole followed by Team Moar Door driven by Shane Lovely then Jason Scarbrough. All three H2 racers qualified within one second of each other setting the stage for another great race for them.
Honda Challenge started at the back of the first wave lead by the SU cars trying set the pace by using a slowly increasing throttle position method. Being at the tail end of that wave, the Hondas were already in fourth gear just trying to keep up with the group before the green flag, so it wasn’t the best start for close racing. In H1, Bankston and Hicks took off, passing a few ST cars in turns 1 and 2. In H2, Kramer and Team Moar Door were right on the rear bumper of Hicks as they got around the same ST cars by Turn 3. Scarbrough was a few seconds back due to the increasing pace before the green flag. Oxford was even farther back with a few NASCARs due to not making it on track for qualifying.
At the end of the first lap, the H1 cars stretched their legs and pulled away from Kramer and Moar Door. Scarbrough had passed the ST cars and set his sights set on Moar Door. Kramer continued his fast pace and traffic management, making it difficult for Moar Door to stay on his bumper.
Scarbrough was determined to catch Moar Door, and by lap three, closed the gap and got in position to strike going through the turn 1-2 combo. Scarbrough stalked his prey for a lap and Moar Door felt the pressure getting a little loose in Turn 5. A pack of Thunder Roadsters closed in and started passing them through turns 7, 8 and 9 pausing their race for a moment. By the time they reached Turn 1, Scarbrough was back on Moar Door’s rear bumper and he stalked Moar Door for another lap.
As they entered the front straight Scarbrough was in the draft of Moar Door who moved over, breaking up the draft, but it was too little too late. As they approached the brake zone Scarbrough got door to door on the inside and they stayed that way through turns 1 and 2, but Moar Door got a better drive out of the corner and pulled ahead by Turn 3 and they settled back in nose to tail.
Two more Thunder Roadsters closed in and worked their way past on the front straight at the same time Scarbrough was trying to pass Moar Door. Both roadsters made the pass in the brake zone for Turn 1 prohibiting Scarbrough from completing his pass on Moar Door, so they went single-file through turns 1 and 2. Moar Door felt the pressure again and consistently got loose, giving the car everything it had staying out front. Scarbrough set up Turn 9 perfectly, got a huge drive out of the turn onto the front straight, passing Moar Door within a few hundred feet.
Now the stalker became the prey, and by Turn 4 Scarbrough got a dose how loose you get when you’re rear bumper is getting hammered by the competition of Moar Door. No matter which mirror Scarbrough looked in, it was full of Team Moar Door lap after lap. Most corners they were only using three wheels as they pushed each other to the limit. Bumper paint was exchanged multiple times during the second half of the race leaving Scarbrough mentally and physically exhausted.
At the finish line in H1 Bankston was the race winner followed by Andrew Hicks in P2 and Rob Oxford in P3. In H2 Michael Kramer was the race winner followed by Jason Scarbrough in P2 and Team Moar Door in P3.
Sunday’s race was inverted with H2 in front, Michael Kramer on pole followed by Jason Scarbrough then Team Moar Door with Melissa Lovely at the wheel. H1 Pole was Bankston followed by Andrew Hicks and Rob Oxford. The start was much better today, with the pace being consistent at 35-ish mph until the green flag.
Bankston and Hicks in H1 moved quickly to the front of the pack during the first lap. Kramer, Scarbrough and Moar Door in H2 stayed close, but after the first lap they all started to spread out. About halfway through the race Moar Door developed a fever as the water temp got too high so she brought the car in early. Toward the end of the race there was a wreck around Turn 9, with a car in a bad spot, so the race was red flagged and never went green after that. H1 finished with Bankston sweeping the weekend in first, Hicks in second and Oxford in third. H2 finished with Kramer sweeping the weekend in first, Scarbrough in second and Team Moar Door in third.
