Ten competitors were vying for a National Championship in NASA’s fastest race class. Cars in class varied from pole sitter Jon Van Caneghem’s Mazda-powered Elan DP02 to a Thunder Roadster, a Viper and a Corvette and a Honda S2000.
The lone gun in a battle of some very sharp knives, Van Caneghem’s Elan was untouchable. He started from pole and just ran away to finish first.
“My weekend was great,” said Van Caneghem, who came from Southern California to race. “Tom and Betty at 7’s Only prepared me a wonderful car and I just had an awesome time.”
Cindi Lux started from third with lap times just a second slower than second-place starter James Miller. At the end, though, it was Michael Papworth in his Corvette in third. Lux, who lives in Portland, teaches at the Ford Racing School at Miller Motorsports Park drover her SRT Viper to the second highest step on the podium.
“It’s a great car to drive,” Lux said. “It’s one of the World Challenge cars we used to run. The only shot we had was if it rained, but overall it’s such a great piece. The coolest part is being on the Outer Loop. That is my favorite configuration. It was the first time I’ve ever raced in the NASA Championships, and it was great. I’ll definitely be back next year. I’m just lucky I have a great job. These guys prep (the car) so well that any idiot can drive it. Seriously.”
