Terry Borcheller and Mike LaMarra in the #23 Burton Racing 128i finished second in the Street Tuner class in the 2 ½-hour Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race at Kansas Speedway, regaining their ST drivers’ points lead with two races remaining in the season.
The event marked Grand-Am’s first visit to Kansas Speedway, a 2.37-mile circuit that includes a six-turn infield road course and a portion of the banked speedway.
The Burton 128i had crossed the finish line third, behind the Honda Civic Si driven by Michael Valiante and Chad Gilsinger and the Mazda Speed 3 driven by Taylor Hacquard and Derek Jones. Valiante was penalized for “manipulating” the final restart, which came with just three minutes left in the race, so Hacquard and Jones were given the win. Hacquard said, “Valiante just bunched us up before it went green. I didn’t even know he was ‘DQ’ed’ until the final lap. I just stayed behind him. I didn’t want to make any mistakes”
Bryan Sellers and Mark Boden in the #46 Fall-Line M3 finished fourth in the Grand Sport class; it was the best BMW finish in a race won by Matt Bell and John Edwards in their Camaro. Bell and Edwards narrowed the gap to GS points leaders Matt Plumb and Nick Longhi, who finished second in the Rum Bum Porsche.
Bill Auberlen and Paul Dalla Lana finished fifth in the Turner Motorsport #96 M3, recovering from an early-race broken tie rod and a subsequent penalty for speeding on pit lane that combined to set them back a lap. Charles Espenlaub and Trent Hindman finished seventh in the #48 Fall-Line M3.
Just two races remain in the CTSCC season; the next race will be run at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on September 8, and the finale will be run at Lime Rock on September 27-28. The GS and ST classes will run separate races at Lime Rock.—Brian S. Morgan
