VARA/SVRA Duel in the Desert Spring Mountain, NV March 13-15, 2015 story and photos by Ken Manfred #11 Bud Brynes, 1963 Lotus Elan; #94 Tim O Brien, 1967 MG Midget; #93 Richard Varner, 1964 MGB. 34 April 2015 Victory Lane
www.victorylane.com Victory Lane April 2015 35
#35a Phillipe Reyns, 1974 Chevron B-27; #67 Brian Blain, 1974 March 742. Pahrump, Nevada, 50 miles west of the Las Vegas, is where visionary John Morris built the Spring Mountain Motor Resort and Country Club, a gated resort facility on 193 acres that features a fitness center, clubhouse, massage center, putting green, swimming pool, racquetball court, gun range, condos, building lots, and three race tracks. It s also the home of the Ron Fellows Corvette High Performance Driving School, the Lotus Performance Driving School, the Radical Racing School, and the SCCA License Recommendation School. This is a place to build a dream home or own a condo. There is even a private landing strip. The three tracks share the same stunning backdrop of the Spring Mountains, with Mt. Charleston, the third-highest peak in Nevada at 11,378 feet, as the centerpiece. The Duel in the Desert took place on the Hunt course a 12-turn, 2.97-mile track featuring 165 entries in 7 groups, with perfect weather for a great Valentine s Day weekend of racing. Group 1: Sunday provided perfect weather for the final duel. The Group 1 Formula Fords were ready to go at 10:30 a.m., with 28 brightly colored racing machines on the starting grid ready for the nine-lap race. The checkered flag went to Steve O Hara, driving a 1989 Swift DB3 and leading from flag to flag. Todd Strong held on to second place for the full nine laps, driving a Titan MK9. Third place went to the 1979 Crossle of Stewart Paterson. Bob Hatle held the #3 spot for five laps but was overtaken by Paterson, who kept the position for the final four laps. Fourth place went to Paul Wilson, 1979 Crossle, and fifth place to Todd Gerstenberger, 1970 Titan #48 Lanie Scroggins, 1994 Toyota; #98 David Jacobs, 1966 Lola T70 Mk II; #28 Daniel Martinez, 1994 Toyota. 36 April 2015 Victory Lane Mk 6. These five drivers battled for two days with only seconds separating them, providing the crowd with some great racing. Group 2: This race was dominated by the 1963 Ford Ranchero driven by Ken Davis. The race ended with Davis in first place and Keith Kuchler, in a 1974 Porsche 911, coming in second. The Ranchero s top speed was an impressive 79.446 mph, with an average of 77.388 mph for the race. Finishing with a 17-second lead over the second-place car, the Ranchero shredded the 2.97-mile Hunt course like it was on rails. Third place went to A.C. D Augustine, driving a 1965 Cobra. D Augustine s Cobra held onto second place for seven of the nine laps, but couldn t keep the fangs of the Cobra buried in deep enough to hold on to the second spot. Group 3: After laying down the fastest times in qualifying, Philippe Reines Lola did not make it to the starting grid for the start of Sunday s 9-lap flag race. The top finish went to Joe Moran, driving a yellow 1999 Ford Carbir. Moran cruised to victory, finishing with a 3-second lead over 2nd-place Robert Rich, 1986 Swift DB2. Third place went to Joe DiLoreto, driving a 1973 Lola T290, and fourth place went to David Jacobs, driving the Lola T70 Mk II. James Kuns, in a 1985 Zephyrus MK, placed fifth. Group 4: A total of 19 cars took the green flag to start the 8-lap flag race. Gregory Nitzkowski, in his 1972 Datsun 610, took the initial lead, but he was quickly overtaken by Ken Blasko s 1969 BMW 2002. Blasko led for three laps, then surrendered the lead back to Nitzkowski, who went on to take the chequered flag by.555 of a second. The second spot went to Blasko and his Beemer, while Rob Bellevue took third in his 1970 BMW 2002. Fourth place went to Stephen Chuck, 1969 Datsun 510, and Phil Elgin was fifth in a 1972 Datsun 510. Group 5: A 12- car field took to the grid to start the 10-lap race, which was led from start to finish by Ed Swart, driving a 1978 Chevron B45. Second place went to Martin Reinhardt s 2002 Tatuus Renault. Reinhardt followed closely behind Swart from start to finish, with only a ½-second difference between first and second at the end. Reinhardt clocked the best lap time, but he just couldn t quite get the 1st-place spot. Third place went to Robert Merritt, 1985 Ralt RT5. Fourth place belonged to Paul Lisec s 1985 Ralt RT5, while fifth went to Philippe Reyns, 1974 Chevron B27. Group 6: This was the second largest of the seven race groups, with 28 cars breathing down the back of the silver-grey VARA Mustang pace car, ready to take the green flag beneath the Michelin Bridge. Going into Turn 1, it was the 1963 Triumph Spitfire driven by Gary Shuman, leading with Daniel Schwartz s Turner 950S, the 1968 Lotus S-7 of Jack Hinze, and Joe Bunton s 1967 Lotus S-7 tapping on the Triumph driver s door. After #94 Tom Farrington, 1963 Elva Mk 7; #76 Erik Inkrott, 1975 Fox Formula Vee. the first lap, it was the Bunton in first place, followed by Shuman and Schwartz. On Lap 5, Shuman s Spitfire took back the lead, only to lose it again in Lap 6. But then Shumman regained the lead again with two laps to go and went on from there to get the checkered flag. Still in the hunt, Schwartz s Turner passed Bunton on the last lap to take second place. Bunton finished third, while fourth place went to Jack Hinze, and coming in fifth was Erik Inkrott, 1975 Fox Formula. Group 7: Any time you see John Wilkins name on the Entrants List, you know there will be some great racing going on. The flag race was ultimately won by 1974 Porsche RSR driven by Dave Leyvas, with second going to the Wilkins and his Datsun 240Z. The Porsche led from flag to flag, with Wilkins on his tail. Wilkins, a great driver, was within striking distance the whole race. If he isn t leading the race, he s in the hunt always patiently waiting for a mistake to be made. But it never happened in this race, as Leyvas kept his cool and never looked back. Third place went to Tom Hodges, driving a 1985 Porsche 911. In fourth place was a beautiful 1963 Jaguar Low Drag driven by Nick Colonna.
#84 Gary Holcomb, 1982 Tiga; #37 Nick Colonna, 1969 McLaren M8C; #22 James Cotcher, 2004 Ford Spec Racer. group 1 1 FFN S. O Hara/1989 Swift DB3 2:13.399 1 CF T. Strong/1975 Titan MK9 2:14.397 2 CF S. Paterson/1979 Crossle 3 CF P. Wilson/1979 Crossle 2 FF T. Gerstenberger/1970 Titan MK6 2:16.813 2 FFN B. Hatle/1984 Ford Swift db-1 4 CF K. Madrid/1978 Ford Crossle 1 FFX B. Cowdrey/Swift DB6 2:17.859 1 EFF J. Edmonds/1985 Van Diemen RF85 2:22.927 2 FF P. Sabeff/1970 Titan 3 FF R. Jones/1969 Winkelmann WDF1 4 FF P. Smith/1970 Crossle 16F 1 FST S. Meyer/2006 Evolution Mk 11 2:22.453 5 FF G. Roberts/1971 Hawke DL2B 2 EFF K. Crotty/Swift DB1 6 FF T. Sabo/1969 Caldwell D9 7 FF J. Mihalich/1969 Lotus Type 61 8 FF D. Barry/1970 Formula Ford 3 EFF K. Herbst/1993 Euroswift SC93F 4 EFF G. West/1984 Lola 644 5 CF D. Larsen/1976 Merlyn Mk 29 6 CF K. Marshall/1979 Van Diemen 5 EFF D. Waters/1984 Lola T644 9 FF C. Daniels/1978 Crossle 6 EFF M. Powell/Vector Vector 7 CF B. Mc Neil/1979 Royale RP26 7 EFF B. Miller/1977 Crossle 32F #9 Nick Colonna, 1963 Jaguar Low Drag. group 2 1 APX K. Davis/1963 Ford Ranchero 2:14.582 1 GTO K. Kuchler/1974 Porsche 911 2:17.852 1 AP A.C. D Augustine/1965 AC Cobra 2:18.295 1 NASCAR K. Tye/1993 Chevy Lumina 2:18.032 1 GTO G. Cooper/1984 Corvette 2 AP V. Dean/1965 Shelby Cobra 1 BP M. Petein/1966 Shelby GT350 2:31.503 1 AS M. Wood/1970 Camaro 2:34.436 www.victorylane.com 2 AS K. Craig/1970 Ford Boss 302 1 BP1 D. Manista/1965 Corvette Roadster 2:34.605 3 AS M. Brandhoff/1966 Ford Mustang 2 BP C. Manista/1963 Corvette group 3 1 S2 J. Moran/1999 Ford Carbir 2:16.568 2 S2 R. Rich/1986 Swift DB-2 1 ASR J. DiLoreto/1973 Lola T290 2:20.345 1 CANAM D. Jacobs/1966 Lola T70 Mk II 2:20.218 1 SSB J. Kuhns/1985 Zephyrus Mk IV 2:24.614 #43 James Kuhns, 1985 Zephyrus. 1 WSR1 L. Scoggins/1994 Toyota 2:26.446 1 WSR2 D. Martinez/1994 Toyota 2:25.847 1 CS2 G. Holcomb/1982 Tiga 2:27.253 1 RSR J. Cotcher/2004 Ford Spec Racer 2:31.047 1 CSR J. Bernheimer/Bobsy SR-3 2:39.154 group 4 1 BS G. Nitzkowski/1972 Datsun 610 2:29.963 1 BSL K. Blasko/1969 BMW 2002 2:30.666 2 BSL R. Bellevue/1970 BMW 2002 2 BS S. Chuck/1969 Datsun 510 3 BS P. Eglin/1972 Datsun 510 3 BSL N. Talbot/1972 BMW 2002 4 BSL R. Wolpow/1968 BMW 2002 5 BSL J. Barker/1963 Triumph Herald 6 BSL S. Parsons/1967 BMW 2002 4 BS J. Migliaccio/1967 Alfa 5 BS K. Brown/1971 BMW 2002 6 BS M. Francis/2002 BMW 1 DPX F. Trueman/1967 P orsche 911S 2:49.304 1 BSL1 G. Youdeem/1972 BMW 2002 2:57.771 7 BS J. Ornstein/1973 Datsun 710 8 BS D. Wyckoff/BMW 2002 9 BS M. Rose/1971 BMW 2002 10 BS A. Covelli/1966 Alfa Romeo OFF-TRACK COVERAGE IS POINTLESS 95% of the time, your vintage race car is off the track and vulnerable to bad drivers and freak accidents, whether it s on the trailer, in storage, or even on a test drive around the block. That s where we come in. Hagerty s policy features Guaranteed Value, an expert claims team and extras designed specifically for vintage motorsports vehicles, all at less money per year than a set of race tires. We may sell insurance, but we live classics. 888-216-2905 HAGERTY.COM LOCAL AGENT Victory Lane April 2015 37
#55 Phillipe Reyns, 1971 Lola T212. group 5 1 F2 E. Swart/1978 Chevron B45 2:05.691 #80 Bill Holland, 1962 Daimler SP250. 2 F2 M. Reinhardt/2002 Tatuus F Renault 1 FSV3 R. Merritt/1985 Ralt RT/5 2:09.919 2 FSV3 P. Lisec/1985 Ralt RT/5 3 F2 P. Reyns/1974 Chevron B-27 1 FSV2 V. Tjelmeland/1980 March SV 2:12.318 1 FSV1 A. Johnsen/1972 Lola 320 2:17.486 1 FC2 R. Kirchner/1994 Van Diemen RF94C 2:18.107 #125 Joe Harding, 1987 Ralt Martini. 1 FFX J. Reichert/Swift DB6 2:21.839 2 FSV1 B. Barham/1971 Lola T250 3 FSV1 T. Butterfield/1972 Royale 1 FA B. Juchli/1976 Chevron B34 group 6 1 DP G. Shuman/1963 Triumph Spitfire 2:28.413 1 EP D. Schwartz/1958 Turner 950S 2:31.533 2 DP J. Bunton/1967 Lotus 7 Roadster 1 GP J. Hinze/1968 Lotus S-7 2:32.375 1 FV2 E. Inkrott/1975 Fox Formula 2:32.837 1 GTL T. Grossman/1972 Datsun 1200 2:36.283 1 CSR T. Farrington/1963 Elva Mk VII 2:36.610 3 DP G. Gomez/1971 Porsche 914 4 DP K. Rodenbush/1964 Volvo 1800S 5 DP D. Wallace/1964 Triumph Spitfire 1 DPX B. Brynes/1963 Lotus Elan 2:42.819 2 EP R. Varner/1964 MGB 6 DP F. Mons/Elva 2 DPX D. Langdoc/1977 Blakely Bantam 1 FP M. Leven/1966 Triumph Spitfire 2:41.402 2 FP K. Ayers/1963 Triumph Spitfire 3 FP M. Klein/1964 Triumph Spitfire 3 EP T. O Brien/1967 MG Midget 4 EP T. Leeming/1969 Alfa Romeo Berlina 1 FV1 K. Barry/1970 Caldwell 2:53.555 1 FV2 A. Cipriano/1085 Zink FV 3:00.103 4 FP R. Maxson/1965 Datsun 1500 7 DP B. Holland/1962 Daimler SP250 2 GP J. Beck/1969 MG Midget 8 DP D.J. Isaac/1962 Triumph Spitfire 1 H-Mod D. Lambert/1955 Crosley-Fiat 3:40.930 group 7 1 GTU D. Leyvas/1974 Porsche RSR 2:22.946 #555 Allen Johnson, 1972 Lola 320. 1 CP J. Wilkins/1971 Datsun 240Z 2:24.140 2 GTU T. Hedges/1985 Porsche 911 1 CP1 N. Colonna/1963 Jaguar Low Drag Coupe 2:35.292 2 CP1 C. Trueman/1967 Porsche 911S great lakes eric eismueller 779.475.0402 pacific northwest don clinkinbeard 503.356.1764 I had a blast driving my Triumph TR3 with Hooked on Driving at Sonoma. Looking at the qualifying times from last year s race and comparing the 2:05 lap from yesterday, I would have qualified 3rd. That s a huge step from my 15th place start position a year ago. I m really beside myself. What a day! Dave Hogye, TriumpH Tr3 northern california david ray 925.552.8112 southern california ken dobson 213.505.0053 northeast 888.999.0678 southern david auer 603.387.6730 florida ken mantovani 561.600.8881 38 April 2015 Victory Lane