Well, here we are, just past halfway through the season. Everyone started with a bang (some more than others) while the rest fought for scraps. The championships are tightening up, plans are being made (and broken), and the Mylanta is flowing.
Time for a season re-cap. I'll provide ITA write-ups, and I'd like to hear from the other classes.
NERRC Points; last current as of this posting, 07/21/07: http://www.ner.org/rr/07/2007NERRCPTSVed.pdf
NARRC Points; last current as of this posting, 07/21/07: http://www.scca-nnjr.org/download/narrc-points.pdf
ITA
With season champion Greg Amy in a self-declared "sit-out" for the '07 championship, the ITA NARRC/NERRC is wide open. The season started with Greg winning the race, but foreshadowing of the coming of Andy Bettencourt was written, as Andy came from qualifying disaster with a run through the field to finish second. Andy has shown he is basically a shoe-in for the win, save for mechanical failures or RAIN.
Prior to the July 4th LRP race, no one began to think they had a chance against Andy Bettencourt. He was handily leading the points and pretty much dominating every race. Given that the NARRC points basically REQUIRE competitors to attend most LRP events - and Andy is impenetrable there - most had laid back to fight for the runner-up position.
Ah, but then the Achilles' Heal of the mosquito: RAIN.
The first swipe at the heal came at the July 4th race: though Andy qualified on pole in expected fashion in the dry, the afternoon race came as a downpour. Combined with the rain and a single mistake, Andy finished out of the top-3 while his main rival, Crazy Joe DiMinno, *just* finished outside his first win, conceding it to 2005 champion Rick Benzanic. One could smell the adrenaline on his breath when Joe stepped out of the car...
Swipes Two and Three came at NHIS in mid-July, when Andy suffered mechanical misfortune, allowing Crazy Joe to take his first two wins there. The heretofore unconquerable Bettencourt Racing Machine began to show signs of cracking, with DiMinno ready to pounce.
Then comes Watkins Glen. DiMinno literally cruises to pole and a win at the end-of-July event, taking his third-ever ITA win and turning his eyes to the prize. Joe now has three wins to Andy's four in the NARRC, and Andy has a few extra participation points; however, once one starts dropping races in the best-of-eight format, there's less than a handful of points separating the two!
So, what's gonna happen now? Will DiMinno - as rumored, the rat bastard - choose to skip the big Mid-Ohio event and represent the Nissan Nation at the August LRP race to guarantee those double points at the NARRCoffs (I told you the point system was screwy)? Will a big wet blanket get thrown on Bettencourt at the NARRCoffs (when was the last time you remember a dry NARRCoffs)?
Other standouts in ITA include Tim Klvana, Jeff Lawton, and Rob Breault. Tim's chalked up two well-deserved wins this year, at Pocono and Lime Rock, and once he gets his program consistent he will be a consistent challenger. Jeff's also faced consistency problems, but is always champing at the bit ready to take advantage of any competitor's mistakes. Doc Breault, on the other hand, is the MODEL of consistency: always there, always racing. Once he gets the speed (oh, and he will get the speed) the rest of us are toast...
ITA: Same Bat Time, same Bat Channel!
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) the drive out after the race through the night and run the 2 races on Sunday in Mid Ohio starting at the back of the pack... and really show people what you got!!!
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