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Banz sweeps first races at HSR Savannah Speed Classic

Saturday, 28 October 2017




Mike Banz is two for two in the opening races of this weekend's Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Savannah Speed Classic in his No. 13 1974 Porsche 911 RSR (pictured above), taking overall and International-class honors Friday in the Bob Woodman Tires International/American Challenge race and another win Saturday morning in the first of this weekend's two Group 5 WeatherTech Sprint races.
Other race winners through Saturday morning at the Savannah Speed Classic included Johan Woerheide, who won the weekend's first Group 7 WeatherTech Sprint race in his Savannah Race Engineering-run No. 3 1965 Lola T70 Mk II Spyder (pictured below).
Dennis Olthoff in turn joined Banz as Friday's other race winner, scoring the American-class victory in the Bob Woodman Tires sprint in the Frank Marcum-owned No. 15 Gentry 1965 Ford AC Cobra.
Starting from the pole in his Heritage Motorsports-prepared No. 13 Porsche on Friday, Banz took the lead at the start of Bob Woodman Tires race and led every lap for the overall and International-class victories.
Keeping in touch with Banz to the finish, Jack Refenning finished second overall and took runner-up honors in the Bob Woodman Tires International class in his 901 Shop-prepared No. 28 1974 Porsche 911 IROC.


Olthoff finished third overall in the Bob Woodman Tires race while topping the American division in the 1995-built Cobra replica, which is being prepared this weekend by his own Olthoff Racing team.


Craig Ross of Tampa Florida finished second in the Bob Woodman Tires American class after a competitive fourth-overall run in his Cross Ross Boss Racing No. 72 1970 Ford Mustang Boss 302.


The overall top-five in the Bob Woodman race was completed by an emotionally moved Thomas Clarke who made it to victory lane for the first time in his HSR racing career. Clarke drove his 901 Shop-prepared No. 66 1967 Porsche 911 S/T fifth overall and third in the International class.


Third-place in the American division went to Dickson Rathbone in the MRM Racing No. 111 1966 Ford Mustang 2+2.


Saturday's schedule at the Savannah Speed Classic presented by Bryant Heating & Cooling Systems concludes this afternoon with more first-round WeatherTech Sprint races and the day's featured B.R.M. Chronographes Vintage and GT Classic one-hour Enduro Challenge at 4:25 p.m. EDT.

senor honda

Parker, Banz claim Savannah Speed Classic wins

Sunday, 29 October 2017


HSR


Mike Banz drove to his third race win of the weekend while Rob Parker scored a hometown victory for car owner Jay Javets and German Auto Service in a competitive B.R.M Chronographes Vintage and GT Classic Enduro that wrapped up a full day of on-track action Saturday at the Historic Sportscar Racing (HSR) Savannah Speed Classic at the Grand Prize Circuit on Hutchinson Island.

Already a winner in Saturday morning's WeatherTech sprint and Friday's Bob Woodman Tires International/American Challenge races, Banz went three-for-three in his Heritage Motorsports No. 13 1974 Porsche 911 RSR Saturday afternoon with an overall and GT Classic class victory in the one-hour B.R.M. Chronographes race.
Parker finished a strong second overall in the Javets-owned No. 71 1971 Porsche 914/6 GT (pictured above) while taking Vintage-class honors for the Savannah-based team and drivers. Parker's German Auto Service shop prepares the No. 71 Porsche, which is also being driven by car-owner Javets this weekend.
Danny Burnstein and Kevin Wheeler co-drove a similar KMW Motorsports No. 76 1970 Porsche 914/6 to second in the Vintage class and a solid third overall in the B.R.M. race.
The Vintage-class podium was completed by third-place finisher Brian Johnson who turned in another strong performance on the 1.965-mile Grand Prize Circuit in his unique No. 21 1970 Royale RP4 prepared by Heritage Motorsports.
The GT Classic top three was completed by the second-place duo of Fred Schulte and Russell Gee in the Heritage Motorsports No. 31 1973 Porsche 911 IROC, and third-place finisher Jeff Mitchell in his No. 73 1974 Porsche 911 RSR.
Including Banz (Group 5) and Johan Woerheide, who won the weekend's first Group 7 sprint Saturday morning in his Savannah Race Engineering-run No. 3 1965 Lola T70 Mk II Spyder, a total of 10 different drivers were victorious in WeatherTech Sprint races Saturday in Savannah.
The WeatherTech winners included Mitchell (Group 2), Brad Hoyt (Group 3), Tom Fraelich (Group 4), Willis Woerheide (Group 6), Brian Norman (Group , Richard Howe (Group 9), Linden Burnstein (Group 10) and Jose Cortes (Group 11).
Hoyt's win came at the wheel of one of the oldest race cars competing this weekend, a pristine and true British Racing Green 1962 No. 183 Lotus 23b. Fraelich was victorious in an equally flawless 1979 No. 10 March 79V while Mitchell earned his Saturday victory in a 1974 No. 41 BMW 2002 that he is racing in addition to his No. 73 Porsche. Cortes was victorious in his No. 22 Caterham SP300R.
Howe raced his 1989 No. 19 Whistler Ford Mustang prepared by MTI Racing, Norman runs a 2006 No. 9 NASCAR Dodge Charger and Burnstein drives a KMW Motorsports-prepared No. 917 2007 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup. All three drivers earned repeat WeatherTech Sprint victories at Savannah after winning in the same classes in last year's Speed Classic.
Willis Woerheide, the son of Group 7 winner Johan Woerheide, also made a return visit to victory lane in Savannah, but this time the 16-year-old talent made it to the top step of the podium after a third-place WeatherTech sprint finish last year.
The younger Woerheide took the Group 6 victory in a Savannah Race Engineering 2001 No. 38 Lola B2K/10 LMP1 (pictured above) but is still several years away from being able to enjoy the customary champagne presented to race winners.
For the second year in a row, however, Woerheide's somewhat senior competitors made sure the young race winner at least got to experience the customary victory lane champagne bath.