The Savannah Sizzler at Roebling Road Raceway was a weekend of unpredictable weather, hard racing and, of course, loads of fun. Saturday opened with a steady rain that carried into qualifying where it then ramped up to a steady downpour. Teen Mazda Challenge Driver Julian Pollard mastered the wet track like Han Solo doing the Kessel Run, taking pole with a time of 1:47.558 in some tough conditions. Javier Laurnaga secured second place and the outside front row position with a time of 1:48.035.
Race one started with the Miatas in wave two of the Lightning race, behind the Spec E30s. With the paddock still wet from rain, the entire Spec Miata field chose to go out on their Toyo RA1 rain tires. Once on grid, they realized dry tires might have been a better call as the track was quickly drying. But just as Spec racing implies, everyone was on rains so it was a level playing field. Spray kicked up at the start, making visibility tough the further back you started. The leaders charged toward Turn 1, unsure of just how much grip there would be.
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Laurnaga pushed hard around the outside lane, making it stick and taking the early lead out of Turn 2. Pollard, wrestling a loose car, slipped back three positions by the end of lap one. On lap four, a double-yellow came out, bunching up the field. The restart came on lap five with Laurnaga leading, followed by Agustin Garcia Flores, Jeremy Barnes, Pollard, and Don Elvington. A few laps later, Garcia Flores took the lead from Laurnaga on the front straight. Barnes also briefly grabbed the lead out of Turn 4, but slight contact with Garcia Flores sent him off track, ending his challenge. That left Pollard and Dia locked in a great battle for the final podium spot. At the checkers it was Garcia Flores P1, Laurnaga P2, Dia P3, Pollard P4, and Barnes salvaging a top-five finish.
Sunday morning looked like a different track. The surface was completely dry, the sun was shining, and birds were singing. The grass, however, was still soaked, making any off track excursions quite sketchy. Barnes started on the pole with Garcia Flores alongside for race two.
Once again, the outside lane prevailed as Garcia Flores exited Turn 2 in the lead. On lap two, Garcia Flores went four-off coming out of Turn 7, letting Barnes slingshot by in Turn 8 to briefly lead lap three. The lead was short lived as Garcia Flores drafted him on the front straight, reclaiming P1 into Turn 1. Next time around, Garcia Flores went four-off again, this time exiting the treacherous Turn 9.
Seeing the window open, Laurnaga pressed hard into Turn 1, but Garcia Flores fended him off through Turns 1-2. Laurnaga made another attempt on the next lap before settling into P2 with Barnes and Pollard close on his heels. Meanwhile, Eric Gerchak was storming through the field after missing Saturday’s race, climbing six positions in the first 10 laps.
While Garcia Flores and Barnes were locked in the top two positions, this made for an exciting mix up with the remaining three top five contenders. Slight contact between Pollard and Gerchak cost Gerchak momentum, allowing Pollard and Laurnaga to slip past. Final results: Garcia Flores scored his second win of the weekend, Barnes P2, Pollard P3, Laurnaga P4, and Gerchak P5.
Race three began with Gerchak on the pole and Laurnaga outside. Once again, the outside line proved best, with Laurnaga and Garcia Flores sweeping around Gerchak through turns 1 and 2. As the group reached Turn 5, a red flag flew for a major incident on the front straight. After a lengthy cleanup, racing resumed with just enough time for a two-lap shootout.
In an unusual twist, the pace car stopped on the track at Turn 8 as the Lightning group bunched up behind. When rolling again, the pace car lights went off immediately and then ducked into the pits, catching Laurnaga and Garcia Flores off guard for the green flag. Cars moved quickly to the right and left, charging toward Turn 1. Gerchak and Dia got the best launch, leading the field as they entered T1.
Three-wide action behind led to contact that sent Barnes hard into the sand trap, where he stuck fast in the wet ground. Garcia Flores dodged through the grass, losing little time, and charged forward to catch Dia and Gerchak by Turns 7-8. With just one lap remaining, it became a drag race down the front straight. Dia, with a push from Garcia Flores, slipped past Gerchak before entering Turn 1. From there, Dia drove defensively and held on for the win. Final results: Dia P1, Gerchack P2, Garcia Flores P3, Laurnaga P4, and Elvington P5. Sometimes a little skill, good timing, and a lot of luck can get the job done.
