Yahoo Autos HSR Mitty crowns first winners
Pristine weather with sunshine and temperatures in the 80s provided the perfect setting for the on-track competition Friday at the Historic Sportscar Racing 45th HSR Mitty at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta where back-to-back Sasco Sports International/American Challenge races produced the weekend’s first race winners.
Larry Ligas went a perfect two-for-two in Sasco Sports races this season with an International class victory Friday in Race A for larger displacement cars. Ligas followed up his win in the season-opening Sasco Sports race last month at Sebring International Raceway with another class and overall victory at Road Atlanta in his Predator Performance 1961 No. 61 Jaguar XKE.
The Sasco Sports International/American Challenge Race B overall victory for small-bore race cars went to Simon Foweather in his TPC Motorsports 2018 No. 61 Caterham Seven 420R. Foweather also scored Race B International class honors and — in addition to both winning with No. 61 on their cars — joined Ligas in a victorious repeat of his own. Foweather scored a B.R.M. Endurance Challenge overall race win in his Caterham at last September’s HSR Fall Historics and now has a two-race Michelin Raceway win streak.
Friday’s other Sasco Sports winners included Gary Moore in his Cobra Automotive 1966 No. 98 Mustang Shelby GT350, Robert Spence in the 1972 No. 63 Porsche 911 and Colin Dougherty in his 1988 No. 86 Porsche Turbo Cup series car prepared by DAS Sport.
Moore won Sasco Sports Race A in the American division and finished second overall behind Ligas. Spence scored Porsche-class honors in Race 1 while Dougherty topped an all Porsche 944 top-three with a victory in the Gold Crest class in Race B.
Peter Dolan completed the overall top three in Race A and finished second in the American division in his 1965 No. 76 Mustang Shelby GT350. A Mustang podium sweep was completed by Craig Ross who took third in American in Race A in his 1970 No. 72 Cross Ross Boss Racing Ford Mustang Boss 302.
The 944 sweep Dougherty anchored in the Porsche class in Race B included Joey Sullivan in second in his 1989 No. 141 Porsche 944 S2 and Ray Shaffer who crossed the line taking third in his DAS Sport 1988 No. 55 Porsche 944 Turbo.
Race B’s Porsche podium was completed by Angus Rogers in second place in his KMW Motorsports 1973 No. 15 Porsche 911 RSR and Aaron Nash in the Craig Sutherland-owned 1973 No. 41 Porsche 911 S/T in the third and final podium position.
Friday’s podium players also included Rob Albino in his Hudson Historics 2000 No. 99 BMW Z3 Coupe and Greg Ira in the 1973 No. 83 Datsun 240Z who placed second and third, respectively, behind Ligas in Race A International.
The highlight of tomorrow’s 45th HSR Mitty scheduled is the first NASCAR 75th Anniversary Gene Felton Memorial Challenge race that formally launches Saturday’s racing schedule with a 1pm ET green flag.
Saturday also features the arrival of the iconic Wood Brothers Racing family that presides over the weekend’s racing activity as the Grand Marshals of the 45th HSR Mitty. Eddie Wood and Len Wood will represent the family as the primary Grand Marshals and may be joined by their 88-year-old uncle, Leonard Wood.
