Tom Bootz brought home a bronze medal on Sunday in the 50th SCCA National Championship Runoffs® at Road America. Bootz got the good fortune to start from pole in the No. 36 Hoosier/Havoc Motorsports/Bootz Industries Stohr WF1. Shortly after the green flag dropped, Bootz darted into the lead in turn one and led the first lap. But, on the second lap, Bootz hit the turn six rumble strips damaging some bodywork that hit the kill switch on his machine. He coasted to a stop off driver's left at turn nine. 

By then, Bootz had dropped from first to sixth before he got his No. 36 machine restarted. Bootz put down some consistently fast laps, including the Hawk Performance Hot Lap of 2:04.697 (115.480 mph), to be back in contention for the final podium spot by lap five. Unfortunately, he was too far behind Farrell and Locke to contend for a higher finish.

Bootz got the GoPro Hero Move of the Race for getting his machine restarted to finish third. Bootz won the DSR National title in 2011. This now gives him four career podium finishes.

Brian Lift, 2013 Senna Series Champion, Wins Silver at the 50th SCCA RUNOFFS at Road America

Autobahn Member Brian Lift,  of Havoc Motorsport,  brought home a silver medal in the Formula Mazda Class on Saturday in the 50th SCCA National Championship Runoffs® at Road America, the Olympics of Road Racing.  Brian started sixth out of sixteen after their group had only completed one dry session of qualifying since practice began earlier in the week.  Brian got a great start roaring into third place when the race was black flagged due to two Formula Mazda’s crashing on the start and  before the rest of the field could complete the first lap. After a ten minute delay the race was restarted lap with Brian again in sixth position, on this restart he battled to  second place and  staged a spirited battle for second, swapping the lead numerous times before Brian in the No. 29 Havoc Motorsport/Hoosier/Autobahn Formula Mazda, pulled away in the closing minutes. “I battled lap after lap after lap, before I finally got a gap,” Lift said. “We both kind of made some mistakes there, but overall, it was a good race.” This was Brian’s inaugural invitation to the prestigious SCCA Runoffs, and has already clinched the 2013 Senna Series Championship with one race remaining.

You can view the replay of Saturdays’ races at http://www.speedcasttv.com/#/races/363.

Rob Warkocki earned his second Sports Car Club of America GT-3 class National Championship Friday at the 50th SCCA National Championship Runoffs® at Road America.

Driving the No. 78 TRO Manufacturing/Mazdaspeed Mazda RX-7, Warkocki started third but moved to the point on the first lap of the 12-lap, 48-mile race.

Warkocki won his first Championship in 2010, but admitted he was better prepared to enjoy the second one. “This time, I understand a little bit more about what happens,” Warkocki said. “I focused almost 25 years on winning the first one, and I never realized what happens after you win. I sat in this [interview] room almost three years ago, and I didn’t even know about this. I didn’t know what to expect. And I thought, if I ever win again, if I’m ever blessed enough to do that, I’m really going to enjoy this. I’ve experienced it now, and I can take a step back and really, really enjoy it. So this time is probably even sweeter than the first time, because I understand. Before, it was such a faraway dream and I didn’t ever think I could do this. Now that I’ve done it twice, it’s amazing.”