The 6th and final race of the Midwest Series was held at Leisure Hours Raceway in Joliet, IL. This race also carried the added bonus of being the ROAR region 5 Championship. For those who haven't been to Leisure Hours you really are missing a fun track. I can't speak for 1/8th scale but for 200mm it has a really nice flow and a high speed chicane that dares you to hit 2nd gear! I got into the flow so much during the main that I failed to come in for fuel once because I had such a fun lap going I forgot all about it. They also have indoor pitting and a raised pit lane that creates another fun challenge getting in and out as fast as you can.
Saturday started off with a slightly moist and slippery track that soon grooved up and provided great traction for all the cars. Towards the end of the day a few cars started traction rolling with the good grip. Each of the three rounds of Qualifying took about an hour to run with a break in between.
From the look of the weather radar it seemed like the rain was going to hold off until just after the 3rd round. Instead of chancing a 4th round it was decided to open the track up for practice with the couple hours of daylight that remained.
Sunday morning brought a track covered in dew and the 4th qualifier was delayed an hour to let the track wake up and dry off. Some of us who held the TQ positions felt the track didn't have a chance of being as fast as Saturday but we were quite wrong. The track crew knew what they were doing and had the track in perfect shape for the 4th and final round. After all was said and done the order for the mains stacked up as follows.
Race 1 1/10th Scale On-road B Main
1. Mike Parker 16/5:16.994
2. Demetris Lanier 16/5:17.947
3. Kevin Roberson 14/4:40.040
4. Jim Palansky 14/5:04.685
5. Gerald Argalas 13/5:09.598
6. Karl Ennulat 11/5:14.922
7. James Boyd 8/4:20.247
Race 2 1/10th Scale On-road A Main
1. Andy Power 19/5:01.675
2. Mike Garcia 19/5:16.019
3. Mike McBride 18/5:04.067
4. Chris Bozik 18/5:17.076
5. Pat Morris 18/5:22.677
6. Mario Liberman 17/5:17.702
7. Phillip Neiswinger 16/5:05.081
8. Ken Echols 16/5:11.201
Race 3 GT B Main
1. Pete Barton 14/5:06.858
2. Ken Echols 14/5:08.362
3. Mike Frazier 14/5:16.454
4. Jim Palansky 14/5:16.625
5. Jim Saulinskas 12/5:13.041
6. John Hicks 12/5:14.836
7. Jose Morales 11/5:15.315
Race 4 GT A Main
1. Mike Cooper 16/5:12.221
2. Mike Lyday 16/5:17.612
3. Walt Gorczowski 16/5:18.172
4. Bernie 15/5:00.709
5. Mark Borchet 15/5:01.961
6. Mark Rodney 15/5:06.312
7.David Trac 15/5:28.898
Race 5 1/8th Scale On-road B Main
1. Mark Unger 18/5:02.129
2. Mike Becker 18/5:04.346
3. Steve Lazarus 18/5:04.829
4. Mike Saputo 18/5:11.744
5. Mike Chiappetti 17/5:00.005
6. John Schweitzer 17/5:01.564
7. Wayne Broecker 14/5:05.790
8. Allen Broecker 13/5:18.002
9. Ron Trobaugh 4/1:47.677
Race 6 1/8th Scale On-road A Main
1. Josh Cyrul 22/5:08.242
2. Ted Hammer 21/5:10.009
3. Eli Ezrow 21/5:13.254
4. John Peck 21/5:14.567
5. Mark Sweeney 20/5:13.891
6. Dan Louis 19/5:00.302
7. Bill Sydor 19/5:06.714
8. Kurt Lechel 19/5:08.776
Going into the mains all the of the points series titles had been locked up except for one. The 1/8th open class was still up for grabs between David Lee and Josh Cyrul who had only been able to make 3 races so far because of other little races like the 1/8th scale worlds in Switzerland. Josh handled the first part by securing TQ but he needed to finish in 7th to secure the overall title. He was way out front in the main and decided to make it exciting by catching a curb coming onto the straight and flying the car into the outside wall breaking the left rear arm and camber link. He thrashed on the car to get it fixed and back on the track in time for a few laps. After all was said and done he managed enough points to lock up the final undecided class.
Listed below is the finishing order and photos of the top 3 for each main.
I want to thank everyone who came out to the races this year and fought for the overall points Championships!!! They say a picture is worth a thousand words so here they are!
This year has been an interesting one to say the least. I hope everyone had fun and I appreciate all the kind words towards Mike and myself for helping out with the series. I'm looking forward to the 41st year of the Midwest Series next year and we will be updating the website with details as they get sorted out. I've already been talking with one of my favorite companies to work out a possible special offer for all who attend the Midwest races. Stay tuned .