GTS1 driver Jason Stanley had raced earlier in the day in 944 Spec and nailed a second-place finish for his efforts, but he wasn’t done. The NASA Southeast series leader for 944 Spec had earned pole for the GTS1 race, followed by Joe Boschulte in second and John Mock in third.
When the green flag waved, Stanley was dozing and a number of cars passed him by. He stayed patient and began reeling in his competitors one by one.
“I got into the lead and just made sure that I was letting the faster cars by in the right place for them and for me,” Stanley said.
Driver Anthony Zwain from Team Edge Motorworks had his 2006 Mini Cooper — technically a German car, right? — running in first place, but he couldn’t hold on and went on to finish third.
“We’re the only Mini out here, front-wheel drive, running in GTS1,” Zwain said. “It was a hard race. The front runners were real fast. I was in the lead at one point, but I couldn’t fend them off.”
Driving a Spec E30, Raymond Zanotto also raced earlier in the day. He left the setup alone and the Toyo RR tires on, but to get it to fit in GTS1, he had to add 177 pounds to the car. Starting from last in the GTS1 field, Zanotto charged toward the front to finish second.
“It went great. I came out from California earlier this week,” Zanotto said. “The car had a little bit of a push, but I started in the back and I was able to go forward. I can’t thank General Hydroponics, Sonoma Valley Racing and Toyo Tires enough. TFB as well. I couldn’t ask for it to end any better.”
By the time the checkers flew, Stanley scored the GTS1 win and Championship.
“The Hoosier engineer gave me some good tips on how to run the tires,” Stanley said. “I would like to thank my sponsor Fantasy Garage for providing me with an awesome rolling tool cart and Bluetooth speaker. It kept my tools organized and gave us tunes as we worked all weekend. I am very pleased with the result.”
